Main Characters- Apollo

An example of direct characterization is when Apollo is describing himself: "I appeared to be a teenaged Caucasian male, clad in sneakers, blue jeans, and a green polo shirt" (Riordan 4). One example of indirect characterization is when Apollo went to his friend Percy to ask for his help: "After all I had done for Percy Jackson, I expected delight upon my arrival. A tearful welcome, a few burnt offerings and a small festival in my honor would not have been inappropriate" (Riordan 27). This shows how Apollo is very full of himself and thinks because he used to be a god, everyone else is still below him.

Meg

Apollo is just meeting Meg for the first time in New York and is giving her physical description: "She was small and pudgy, with dark hair chopped in a messy pageboy style... red sneakers, yellow tights, and a green tank dress" (Riordan 12). One example of indirect characterization is when Meg is talking to the thugs that beat up Apollo: "Mikey and Cade did not seem impressed. Get lost, kid Mikey told her. The girl stamper her foot, causing the fire escape to shudder. My alley. My rules" (Riordan 13). This was indirect because it showed how she is very tough and brave by standing up to the thugs without directly telling the reader.

Setting

One important setting from the book was Camp Half-Blood. Meg and Apollo had just recently arrived at camp, and Apollo is describing the camp as "roughly three square miles of woods, meadows, and strawberry fields bordered by Long Island Sound to the north and rolling hills on the other three sides" (Riordan 72) This description provided a peaceful mood by helping the reader to visualize the beauty of nature at the camp.

Exposition

One example of exposition is when Apollo just woke up, and was trying to remember what had happened to him: "My mind stewed in confusion, but one memory floated to the surface- the voice of my father, Zeus: YOUR FAULT. YOUR PUNISHMENT" (Riordan 4). This is the exposition because it explains why Apollo is there and what happened to him before the story started.

Rising Action

One example of rising action is when Meg and Apollo are talking to Chiron, the camp director about the recent camper disappearances "Three in the last month, Chiron said. First it was Cecil Markowitz from the Hermes cabin... But a week later, Ellis Wakefield disappeared from the Ares cabin... Then this morning we realized a third camper had vanished: Miranda Gardiner, head of the Demeter cabin" (Riordan 102, 103). This shows the plot beginning to unfold because it is foreshadowing that Meg and Apollo will be trying to find these missing campers and finding them will be climax of the story.

Rising Action

A second example of rising action is when Apollo is talking to Chiron: "And I believe the most ancient Oracle of all, the Grove of Dodona, is right here at Camp Half-Blood" (Riordan 200). This quote is important to the story because they realize where the missing half bloods went and they know that they are somewhere in the woods next to camp, and now Apollo and Meg will be trying to find them.

Climax

The climax of the story is when Meg and Apollo find the missing demigods, and then The Beast shows up and is trying to make them help him get into the Grove of Dodona: "Get to it. Please and thank you. We would rather die, I said. Wouldn't we, Meg?... You see Apollo, Meg brought you here, just as I asker her to. Well done, my sweet" (Riordan 275). This is the climax because Apollo and Meg just found the missing demigods and the grove, and then you find out Meg betrayed Apollo and The Beast is going to kill them and the grove.

Falling Action

The falling action of the story is when Apollo is fighting a giant named Colossus with a bow: "The wind was against me. The arc of the show would be much too high. Yet I aimed, exhaled, and released the bowstring... Just as the projectile reached its apex and was about to fall back to earth, a gust of wind caught it... The arrow sailed into the Colossus's ear canal and rattled in his head with a clink, clink, clink" (Riordan 338). This is falling action because just after Apollo does this, the Colossus dies, and the camp is saved.

Resolution

The resolution of the story is when Apollo is talking about The Beast and what they know about him to a half blood named Leo: "And he is allied with two others. We don't know which ones, but it's safe to assume they are equally cutthroat. They've had centuries to amass fortunes, acquire property, build armies... Who knows what they are capable of" (Riordan 360). This is the resolution because everything is back to normal at camp, and they are simply talking about what they must do next in the fight against The Beast.

Figurative Language

Simile- "I felt as if my brain had been stuffed with wet cotton" (Riordan 24). The author used this simile to describe how Apollo felt after getting beaten up, and it helped me to understand the pain he was in.