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Spoiler Alert!
Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Burning Maze. |
Margaret "Meg" McCaffrey is a twelve-year-old Greek demigod daughter of Demeter, living on her own in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood in Manhattan. After Apollo had been forced to live as a mortal, Meg saves him from being mugged. When she learns that he needs to be a servant to somebody so that the fallen god can return to Olympus, she claims him and travels with the fallen god to help him regain his godhood.
History
Early Life
Meg was born to Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, and Phillip McCaffrey, a mortal man and botanist, in Palm Springs, California. She lived in Aeithales, a series of greenhouses build by her father. Her father cared for her greatly.
When she was five years old, her father was being threatened by Triumvirate Holdings and they were forced to flee after their house burst into flames by orders of Caligula.
Living with Nero
They went east to New York City, where the god-emperor Nero separated her from her mortal father and proceeded to take her in and raise Meg as his own daughter. Before their separation, her father gave her a rose which was supposed to be a gift from her mother.
When she was six years old, Nero killed her father for the daughter of Demeter’s disobedient and crushed the rose, and indirectly blamed the daughter of Demeter for her father's death.
Through his sophisticated manipulation over the years, Nero was able to manipulate Meg into believing that he and the fearsome malevolent Beast were two separate people, rather then the same man.
The Trials of Apollo
The Hidden Oracle
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Meg threw trash at two muggers while they were mugging the former god Apollo. He then explains how his previous banishments have worked, and she claims his service, approved by Zeus with a thunderclap. Apollo feels that they are being watched and takes her to Percy Jackson's apartment. Sally Jackson gives her spare clothes. Percy decides to drive them to Camp Half-Blood. The Nosoi follow them, forcing Percy to crash his car in an orchard. The trio tries to fight off the Nosoi. Meg unintentionally summons a peach Karpos to fight off the Nosoi, who bit a Noss's head off then proceeded to finish off the remaining Nosoi, as they tried to retreat. Meg named the Karpos "Peaches". Using the western border, which is said to be wilder than the eastern border because of the heavily enchanted hills and woods, Meg, Peaches and Apollo made their way to Camp Half-Blood. She swings from tree branches and cartwheels through the mud. Apollo starts to hear voices when they reached the woods, causing him to collapse. Meg tried her best to reach Camp Half-Blood while bearing most of Apollo's weight and unknowingly talking to the trees to tell them to get out of the way. As soon as they reached the camp, Apollo passed out. Will Solace mentioned that while Apollo is asleep, Meg poked Connor Stoll in the eyes and kicked Sherman Yang in the crotch. She and Apollo speak with Chiron about the recent disappearances of a few campers. That night at dinner as Sherman and Connor try to get revenge on her Peaches appears and slams Sherman's face on the ground and starts yanking out large chunks of Connor's hair. Soon after this she is claimed by Demeter. Billie Ng then takes her to cabin four. the Demeter's cabin. The next morning, Apollo talks to her at breakfast. She says she had trouble sleeping in her new cabin due to allergies. He asks her where she received her siccae blades, but she tells him to stop. They are paired up for a race through the Labyrinth to find three golden apples, but get lost, during which they wind up below Delphi and overhear a conversation between Python and the Beast. She is terrified by the ordeal but Apollo drags her away and they find the last golden apple and return to the Forest. Their binds unlock and they run back to camp. The next day she, Apollo, Chiron and Rachel Elizabeth Dare head to the Oracle's cave where they talk about Triumvirate Holdings, an organization that has financially backed both the Titan's Army and Octavian during their respective wars with Camp Half-Blood. Apollo then says he has other Oracles and that one might be in the forest. The next day she and Apollo head into the Forest to find the missing campers. They come across a Palikos who they ask for information about The Grove of Dodona when they are attacked by a swarm of Myrmekes. After Apollo breaks his oath on the Styx to save himself (by playing a song on his ukulele to mesmerize the Myrmekes), Meg is taken away by the creatures. She is then freed by Apollo and after they get pass the Myrmeke Queen they reach the atrium of the Grove, where they are greeted by Nero, who reveals that he is Meg's step-father. Apollo tries to tell Meg that he is going to destroy the grove, but she does not listen. She then forces Apollo to help her open the gate to the grove where she realises Nero is going to burn it down. As Nero is about to set Austin Lake on fire, Peaches comes and stops him. She and Apollo run into the grove where he puts his wind chimes up and hears a prophecy. Meg frees Apollo from her services and says to do what he wants now before going back to Nero. |
The Dark Prophecy
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Meg is seen often by Apollo during his "visions". In one of the visions, Meg is with Nero. She is sitting in front of Nero as he commands her to kidnap Apollo. He sent her west along with two "companions", Vortigern, a huge and strong Germani, and Marcus, a kid that stated by Apollo, "...reminded me somewhat of Nico di Angelo..." to find Apollo. Later in one of Apollo's dreams, he learns that Meg escaped from Vortigern and Marcus through a clump of dandelions. When Marcus and Vortigern are beheaded by Lityerses, or"Lit", under Commodus's orders. Lit is then tasked with capturing both Meg and Apollo. When Calypso and Apollo are trying to free Britomartis's Griffins from the Indianapolis Zoo, they are caught by Lit, and would've been killed if not for Meg's arrival. Meg and Lityerses then proceed to engage in a battle. During the fight, it is indicated that Meg had saved Apollo and Calypso numerous times before. Meg commands Apollo to leave several times but he stays, rescuing Meg when she gets struck down by Lit. On the Griffin, Meg shows her feelings for Apollo when she hugs him and "sobs into his shirt". Back at the Waystation, it is revealed that Meg is still unsure about her relationship with Apollo and Nero, though as Apollo tries to make amends with her in ridiculous ways, it is shown through a few of Meg's reactions she still cares about Apollo. Meg is taken in by Hemithea and Josephine. They have dinner with Britomartis, who tells everyone that the entrance to emperor's (Commodus's) palace is under the Soldiers' and Sailors Monument, through a certain sewer grate. After dinner, Meg finds out about the Naming Ceremony, when Apollo explains what Commodus intends to do with Indianapolis. One of his plans includes renaming the city. Meg finds this very funny and starts making jokes about "Commodes" and "Commode city". Josephine and Apollo warn Meg about the power of a name, but she proceeds to scream his name out loud. Meg then informs everyone that, according to Nero, Commodus is the weakest of the Triumvirate trio and that they can take him. The next day "at first light", Meg, Leo Valdez and Apollo start their journey towards the palace. They take a pedal boat through the canal. Along the way, Apollo tells the story of how he murdered Commodus, and Meg informs Apollo that Nero took Peaches away from her saying, that she "didn't deserve a pet". Soon they encounter the Carthaginian Water Serpent. Leo sees a golden sewer grate and assumes it is the secret entrance to the palace. Their boat gets destroyed, and all of them fall into the water. Leo gets to the gate and tries to open it up while Meg and Apollo try to hold off the serpent. After a few desperate attempts, the serpent grabs Meg with its tail and starts to constrict. At that precise moment, Leo opens the gate. Apollo then yells in a godly baritone voice, causing a nearby building to collapse on the serpent, freeing Meg. Apollo then grabs Meg and pulls her into the grate which shuts behind them. The group wads in the sewer for a while until they reach Commodus's throne room. While traveling in the sewer, Apollo detects that Meg is hurt, although she wouldn't admit it. Upon reaching the throne room, they hide and overhear a conversation that happens between Lit and a man named Alaric. They talk about destroying the Waystation and getting to the Cave of Trophonius, a cave in which one of Apollo's sons, Trophonius inhabits, giving off prophecies which can drive people mad. The only way to heal the mind is by placing them on the Throne of Memory, where they will speak their given prophecies. Commodus's men are distracted by a commotion at the front gates, leaving the Palace largely unguarded. Meg, Apollo, and Leo rescue the prisoners. When Emmie and Josephine's adoptive daughter Georgina, first meets Meg, Georgina is scarred, as she detects hints of Nero. Megs proceeds to "shut off", and says that she can leave. While the freed prisoners are taken to the waystation by Leo, at the aid of Hunter Kowalski, a Hunter of Artemis and one of the former prisoners, Meg and Apollo set off to find The Throne of Memory. As they prepare to leave, Meg senses something important nearby and leads them into the Arena, where Commodus's dress rehearsal is taking place. Meg, determined to kill Commodus, wreaks havoc upon his troops. She is promptly stopped when Commodus reveals that he has Peaches hostage and intends to light him on fire. He challenges Meg to try and stop him. Apollo tries desperately to stall Commodus, while Meg climbs up the goal post at the end zone to try and cut Peaches free. While Apollo botches Commodus's plans when Riding the War Elephant, Livia, Meg succeeds in freeing Peaches, and they crash land in the End Zone. The fighting stops ultimately, and Lit returns, reporting that the commotion at the front gate has been dealt with, although the number of casualties and the troops performance disappoint Commodus, who decides to execute Lityerses. Before that can happen, Festus destroys the roof of the stadium, followed by the Hunters of Artemis, some of them swopping down to defend Apollo, and others staying on the roof. Two hunters grab Meg and Peaches, then take them back to the Waystation. Meg is next seen punching Apollo hello after meeting Apollo and Thalia Grace at waystation. Thalia refers to Meg as a "promising woman", and admits that the Hunters have been keeping a close eye on her. When Georgina is placed on The throne of Memory, she speaks not a prophecy but a message from Trophonius, telling them that they must come to his cave, with specific orders to bring Meg. At first light the next day, Meg and Apollo leave in a Mercedes given to them by Leo. After being pulled over by the police, where Meg brings up "Piano Lessons", she asks Apollo to give her lessons after meeting the Oracle. When they reach the oracle entrance on the arrow of Dodona's instructions, they find Yales guarding the door. Apollo tells her that they cannot kill the animals as they are on the endangered monsters list and will risk Artemis's anger. While Meg stalls the beasts, Apollo drinks from the springs of Lethe and Mnemosyne. With the Yales on their tails, Meg enters the cave, her mind unprepared. After entering, Apollo mentions that they need honey cakes for feeding the snakes, which makes Meg quite confused. Apollo, his mind still a mess after drinking from the springs, jumps into a lake full of snakes, to "find out if they will kill him". Meg screams at him to sing, but he is still too confused. Out of desperation, Meg sings. Although out of tune, the song happens to be the song that Apollo sings at the nest of the Myrmekes. She makes up her own words and sings about the rose she could not save and her fear of Nero. As she sings the song, she unintentionally shows her memories to Apollo, which include the death of his father, and a few memories of Nero. While singing, she silently asks a few questions, which the Oracle of Trophonius answers, some of which are "What will happen to Apollo" and "How can she help him". Meg then collapses, sobbing. As the spirit of the Dark Oracle takes over her, Apollo begs him to take him instead. When Trophonius continues to torture Meg, Apollo tries desperately to regain control of her mind, singing about Demeter, Meg's mother, and "trying to drive off Meg's fears with a friendly voice". Meg whispers that "the rose died", and proceeds to cough up seemingly random words. When this ultimately fails, Apollo inhales the "darkness from Meg's lungs". He then experiences Meg's memories of his father's death. After, Apollo and Meg, plunges into primordial chaos, where Apollo tries to protect Meg from the miasma. During this time, Meg feels weighed down by guilt, feeling "that she did not deserve to survive". She shows her care for Apollo once more when she chooses not to give up. She is alive when they exit chaos, but still "could be insane for the rest of her life". She is then rescued by Apollo, with the help of Peaches, along with two new Karpoi, named Peaches and Peaches. The three demon babies drive Apollo and Meg back to the Waystation. After the battle stops, Meg is seen by Thalia, carried by the three karpoi. After she is put on The Throne of Memory, Meg speaks the prophecy given to her by Trophonius, in the form of a Shakespearean Sonnet. One part of the Prophecy indicates that they need a Cloven guide. The next day, Meg summons Grover Underwood from a tomato patch. |
The Burning Maze
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For the past two days she, Apollo and Grover have wondered the labyrinth. They find a wave of fire and go to were it came from. They hear a sound and run. They find a room and she and Grover seal the entrance with tomato plants. After Apollo is paralyzed she demands he tells them what they are. He tells them they are Strix, and if they kill them they will be cursed. She parries the strix as it dives at them and slices it’s wing off before it dies after hitting a wall, she is scolded by Apollo for this. She and Grover strengthen their blockade before she tapes Apollo to Grover’s back and tells him to ask the Arrow of Dodona. She strays behind to think of ways to hold of the strix before they break through. She catches up with Grover and Apollo but is scratched and paralized by the strix. Grover buys them some time by using panic and they birds flee. She and Grover realize that a Brutus is similar to strawberries and they use strawberry seeds to block the strix and destroy them. They make it to the surface and their destination. After they emerged from the labyrinth, Meg tried to go inside when she realized where they were but Grover stops her and tells her to rest. She wakes up nervous and Grover takes them to meet his friends. They meet up with Grover’s nymph friends who update Grover on their current events. She faints upon hearing the name of the green houses. Apollo and Grover carry her to a near by well and leave her in the care of a cloud nymph while they search for her husband. She is awake by the time Apollo and the satyrs return. Apollo tries to talk with her and she shuts him out and glances at Joshua. She orders Apollo to tell her about the emperor. She is concerned by Apollo’s information on the third emperor and reveals Aeithales as her old house. She leaves and Apollo catches up and talks to her. She shows him her memories of living at the greenhouses before the fire and the house burning gown as she and her father flee. She hopes Jason and Piper have the answers they need. She, Apollo, and Grover take Coach Hedge’s car to Malibu to meet up with Piper and Jason. When they arrive they find the house being emptied by movers and talk with Piper. Piper says Triumvirate Holdings ruined her father and she hugs the daughter of Demeter when she learns she went through the same thing. She agrees to join them. After piper gets her weapons they take her neighbor’s car to downtown Los Angeles and find the entrance to the labyrinth. She readies for battle after Piper shoots the guard with a poison dart. After the guard goes down Piper takes them in a service elevator to the labyrinth. They run into Agave and Money Maker, two of Grover’s scouts. The daughter of Demeter and a Grover do what they can, but Grover chooses to take them above ground to heal properly. She, Piper and Apollo go on and reach an underground parking garage where they run into Medea. The sorceress promises to take the daughter of Demeter back to Nero. She declines and Medea sicks her dragons on them. She and Piper take care of the dragons and she grows weeds in her ears to block out Medea’s charmspeak. However she is knocked unconscious. Apollo pulls her up and shields her from the flames of Helios behind a concrete pillar. She regains consciousness and goes to help Piper with Medea speaking to her like Nero. She leaves after Piper shoots Medea with a dart and Helios goes haywire. The three make it to the surface and pass out, she manages to inform Grover of their encounter with Medea in the maze before that. They are taken back to Aeithales for better healing. During the meeting she suggests killing Caligula, but Apollo says that would be impossible. They agree to ask Jason what he learned from the oracle and to steal Caligula’s boots of guidance. Before they leave Apollo helps her plant the seeds her father showed her years ago. She, Apollo and Piper head to Pasadena to talk with Jason. When they arrive at his school they head to the son of Jupiter’s dorm room to talk. She and the others inform Jason about the attack on Camp Jupiter after he tells them what the oracle told him. She and Piper go to the office to get Jason out of school. They drive to Santa Barbara in a school van and search Stears Wharf for hours. During dinner they spot a small fleet of yachts forming a blockade around the harbor with mortal military and law enforcement personnel helping with security. They agree to search the center yacht. They head their after trick three mercenaries into giving them their boat, Meg wants to kill them but they leave them ashore. While Jason takes Piper up first Apollo asks Meg why she wanted to kill the mercenaries. She tells him she wants revenge for the treatment and deaths the emperors have given her. Apollo tells her she should feel angry but to focus on the task at hand before they are taken prisoner by two Pandai. After she and Apollo are brought on board, she tells them she is Nero’s stepdaughter and she wants to kill Caligula. They bring the four to an interrogation room and ask why she wants to kill the emperor. She tricks them into revealing the locations of the boots and Caligula before freeing herself and attacking the pandai. All but [[Crest are destroyed and she goes with Jason to find Caligula while Apollo and Piper find the shoes. She and Jason put up a fight before being captured and put in tornadoes in the emperor’s throne room. She tries desperately to break free and tries to order Apollo not to stab hilmself. When the wind prisons weaken she is thrown over board and Apollo asks Crest to find her. She is found by Crest and brought to Piper’s house. She comforts the daughter of Aphrodite and gives her ambrosia. When Jason’s body is brought to them sh3 orders Apollo to heal him with no success. They are found by Tristan and told to call 911 with a landline in the house. They call an ambulance and head back to Palm Springs. She tells Apollo Jason chose this fate to save them. They reach Aeitheles and tell the others of Jason’s death. She gets Grover to join them and, with Crest knowing another way into the burning maze, agree to head their in the morning. The next day she and Joshua are studying the seeds she and Apollo planted the day before. He tells them they are Meliai, the original dryads, and praises her and her father’s efforts. She tells him to wake Crest and they meet up with Grover to drive to the entrance. They arrive at the old Las Angeles zoo and find the entrance in a bear pit. It is locked but Grover opens it. She, Apollo and Grover go in while Crest keeps watch. They enter and she tells him to put on the shoes. Tiles on the floor start to glow and word puzzles appear. She tells him to ask the Arrow of Dodonna and they proceed. Eventually they reach a puzzle that refers to both a plane and Apollo’s last night dead boyfriend. The fallen god gets the answer wrong and the three fall after the floor vanishes dropping them in a pit of fire. She grabs Apollo’s foot and tells him to listen next time. She stabs the wall while Apollo talks to the flames. When Helios lets them pass they move on. They reach the room Herophile is being kept in and reach her by continuing the prophecy. Before they can get more Medea arrives. She cuts the oracle free, but the chains ensnare Apollo and pull hum down to his knees. She and Grover try to counter the sorceress’s spell and she subdues two pandai, but they end up imprisoned in a twister. After Piper kills Medea, she and Grover are freed. She is pleased with the Meliai, who swear to serve her every wish. She notices the message in Apollo’s prophecy spells out BELLONAS DAUGHTER. The room starts to collapse and they make it out, only to be surrounded by Incitatus and a dozen padai, who are quickly killed by the Meliai, they head to Palm Springs. They reach her old home and she is greeted by Joshua with a hug. Meg tells the elder dryads to plant themselves by the cistern. That night Grover leaves for Camp Half-Blood and she and Apollo say goodbye to him. In the morning she tells Apollo to follow her. Her old house had been rebuilt by the dryads to an almost exact copy of the original. They request the daughter of Demeter stay, but she says she wants to stay with Apollo. They drive to an airfield in Santa Monica Beach and meet up with Piper, who gives them the plane while she, her father and the Hedges drive to Oklahoma. Just then Leo Valdez and Festus arrive. After informing them about Caligula’s attack on Camp Jupiter, she and Apollo fly to the Bay Area, promising not to let their deaths be in vein. |
Appearance
When Apollo first met Meg in The Hidden Oracle, he described her as "small and pudgy", with dark hair chopped in a "messy pageboy" style. She wore black cat-eye glasses with rhinestones in the corners, and her outfit made Apollo think she was dressed like a traffic light: red sneakers, yellow tights, and a green tank dress. He also described her voice as "bossy and nasal".
After Sally Jackson cleaned up Meg and dressed her in more appropriate clothes, Apollo realised that she was a shockingly pretty young girl: her dark pageboy hair shone glossy from being brushed, her round face was scrubbed clean of grime, her cat-eye glasses were polished, and she wore new black leggings and a knee-length frock of shifting green hues, along with two gold rings that could transform into two Imperial Gold siccae blades. She also had an elfish springtime aura that reminded Apollo of dryads, and he noted that there was actually a resemblance between her and his first true love, Daphne.
Personality
Meg is brash but playful and often somewhat rude. She can also be tough and easily defends herself, such as when she fended off Cade and Mikey. Apollo describes some of the things she does as “Because Meg”. However, she also hides the more fearful side of herself. In fact, she is terrified of Nero to the point where she obeys him sourly out of fear of herself getting hurt or even worse. She closes up when people ask her personal questions.She is very protective of her past and usually doesn't tell anyone about it unless she wants to. She is also straight to the point and doesn't hide what she wants to say.
Later on, Meg becomes more willing to open herself to emotions, as shown when she saves Apollo from the water snakes in The Oracle of Trophonius through sharing her memories in a heartbreaking song, and pushes past what she is comfortable with to rescue him. Here, Meg is almost selfless as she sacrifices herself even though she isn't prepared for the Oracle and didn't drink from the Lethe and Mnemosyne.
She also demonstrates a sadistic and vengeful side. When going after Caligula she wants to kill the immortal emperor for destroying her home.
Abilities
Demeter, her mother.
As observed by Apollo, even for a child of Demeter (one of the six oldest Olympians), Meg was a remarkably powerful demigod, enough to warrant constant supervision. Nero himself trusted Meg with dangerous missions not just due to her fear of him, but also because of her strong powers and exceptional intelligence.
- Dyslexia: Meg’s brain is “hard-wired” for Ancient Greek as opposed to modern English. However, as revealed in The Burning Maze, Meg is unable to read Ancient Greek.
- ADHD: Meg has inborn battle reflexes.
- Blade Proficiency: Meg is skilled in wielding her Siccae Blades.
Demigod Abilities
- Chlorokinesis: As a daughter of Demeter, Meg has absolute control over plants, manipulating them to a multitude of effects.
- Plant Telekinesis: She is able to telekinetically manipulate fruits and vegetables, thus saving Apollo from two thugs.
- Plant Sensitivity: She can sense the location of various plants with superhuman precision. This is seen when she was able to quickly detect the odor of a golden apple in the Labyrinth. She later claims to have the ability to "hear" trees growing.
- Plant Growth Acceleration: She can make plants grow more faster than normal or even in enormous proportions.
- Plant Teleportation: She can teleport using plants.
- Wood Sensitivity: She can sense the location of wood with superhuman precision, as she do in The Dark Prophecy.
- Culinary Arts: As a daughter of Demeter, Meg is a natural cook.
- Karpoi Summoning: As a daughter of Demeter, Meg is able to summon Karpoi, like when she summoned Peaches.
Magical Items
- Twin Siccae Blades: Meg was given Imperial Gold siccae blades by Nero that can change into rings that have what symbols.
- Gardening Belt: Meg has a gardening belt that she keeps seeds for battles in.
Relationships
Love Interest
Joshua
Meg appears to have a crush of the male dryad as she eyes him whenever she is at Aeithales with him and becomes nervous when he hugs her. After Apollo interrupted their conversation, she looked annoyed at him.
Family
Philip McCaffrey
Meg was close to her father and had a loving relationship with him. She was devastated when he was killed and blamed herself. In reality, Nero was the one responsible for her father's death. However, Nero blamed the death of Philip, her father, on the Beast and convinced Meg that the Beast was a side of Nero he could not control.
Demeter
While they have never met, the goddess of the harvest has acknowledged Meg for her fighting abilities.
Nero
Meg is terrified of the God-Emperor and obeys him solely out of fear. However, she eventually escapes from him and joins up with Apollo.
Friends
Apollo
When she first met the fallen god, he was under her step-father's orders to become his master for his duration as a mortal. She eventually grew to care for him as a friend.
Leo Valdez
Meg first met Leo in The Dark Prophecy. Throughout the book, Meg travels alongside Leo, Calypso, and Apollo to fullfill the prophecy of the Grove of Dodona.
Piper McLean
Meg first met Piper in The Burning Maze. When Piper learned of Meg losing her father and her first home, she hugged Meg and, to Apollo's surprise, Meg thanked her.
Trivia
- Much like Luke Castellan, Meg is revealed to be a double agent of the series' main antagonist (Kronos and Nero respectively) near the end of the first book in one of the Camp Half-Blood series (The Lightning Thief and The Hidden Oracle respectively). However, it should be noted that unlike Luke, Meg was shown to be quite apologetic and hesitant when it came to her true allegiance.
- Meg is the second demigod known to wear glasses, the first being Jason Grace.
- She had a brief crush on Percy Jackson, but lost interest when he said he had a girlfriend.
- Meg is the first demigod child of Demeter to be a main character in a series.
- Meg is the first known demigod to befriend a karpos (Peaches).
- Ironically, even being a daughter of Demeter, she is allergic to oaks.
- She is the third known Greek Demigod to use imperial gold weapons, the other two being Chrysaor and Alabaster C. Torrington.