The Burning Maze

In the Heroes of Olympus series, key differences between Greek and Roman cultures provide the foundation for the central conflicts. The Olympian order—and by extension, the cosmic order—is threatened, and the Greek and Roman gods and heroes must be reconciled in order to save the world. Because Riordan capitalizes on Greek and Roman differences to develop his narrative, his approach to retelling mythology is unique. Modern retellings often portray the cultural trappings of ancient Greece and Rome as a singular tradition, eliding the interactions between historical ancient Greece and Rome, which was a complex relationship of collaboration, competition, and ultimately, conquest. The Roman Republic conquered the Greek-speaking world in the first century BC, then transitioned into an empire that appropriated ancient Greek literary and cultural traditions with the goal of supplanting them. Riordan draws deeply on this dynamic in his Trials of Apollo series.

The names and locations of the two demigod camps reflect elements of ancient Greek and Roman cultures. The Greek Camp Half-Blood is on the East Coast of the United States in order to mirror the fact that ancient Greece was located in the ancient Near East. The name of the camp is meant to reflect the fact that Riordan’s heroes are demigods—children born of one immortal parent and one mortal parent. However, Camp Jupiter is named for the head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter, and this approach reflects Imperial Rome’s centralization under a strong emperor. As a contrast to Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter is located on the West Coast of the US, an oblique reference to the historical fact that the ancient Roman empire was associated with the West.

The phrase “ancient Greece” refers broadly to a culture connected by language, religion, and worldview; however, unlike Rome, ancient Greece had no centralized administrative center, and political power was diffused among hundreds of city-states, all of which vied for attention and influence. Given this social structure, the ancient Greeks’ understanding of immortals, mortals, and the relationship between them was heavily influenced by the constant real-world challenge of achieving a harmonious balance of power among the many city-states. In the Trials of Apollo series, this worldview is reflected in recurring ideas of connectedness and stewardship, which emphasize the need for all members of a community to take responsibility for one another’s welfare.

Historically, ancient Rome evolved from a kingdom to a republic and finally became an empire. Imperial Rome, which was the source of many surviving sources of Roman mythology, was centralized and expansionist. Emperors held absolute power and expressed this in part by associating themselves with gods and heroes. The Roman senate even went so far as to deify Julius Caesar in 42 BC, and he was worshiped with cult honors, just as more traditional gods and heroes were worshiped. His adopted son, Augustus Caesar, became the first Roman emperor and declared himself to be the son of a god. The practice of recognizing Imperial “deities” continued with Augustus and subsequent emperors as well, and in the Trials of Apollo series, Riordan draws on this history to create his three main antagonists: the emperors known as Nero, Caligula, and Commodus. Historically, these three figures gained negative reputations for various reasons, and in the world of the series, Riordan has given them the status of minor gods.