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ToA: Hidden Oracle, silly thoughts?

I finished the book! I also had some thoughts about it and some things floating around in my head, so let’s get to start. (A note for context, barely any idea what happens in the other books, I know the very basic like rough rough outline of the plot.)

First off, Austin’s YouTube channel. This one upset me so much when I read it and it’s so silly. Austin in his first appearance mentions his view count on a saxophone YouTube video. A monumental feat I’m pretty sure but also. The entire book drives in the idea that all the camps/demigods/demigod adjacents have been having trouble with anything internet or communications related. No one can call, text, video face time, Iris message, even physical mail isn’t working. So how is Austin able to YouTube? It’s an entire platform dedicated to communication, and demigods canonically can’t use much modern technology because it monster beacons. Is Austin risking the safety of camp to the monsters that live inside Camp’s forest every time he saxophones? If that is true then he skyrockets in my ToA character appreciations so far.

Now the actual stuff that I bookmarked in the book. This isn’t everything obviously (I marked a lot of stupid stuff like and mention of Harley or the talking arrow dialogue just to go back for laughs so obviously this is a summary of the more important stuff).

The actual content

(I forget to put page numbers after the 1st one)

Feral demigods! Mentioned on page 23 we get a confirmation that there are indeed demigods who are never found (which probably was a given) and the fact they have their own name. Also a set time where it’s most likely that monsters start their tomfoolery when a demigods is 13 (this puts Frank, and Leo, and Piper to still be funky.)

New Rome university specifics! Hehehe new Rome but we also get the introduction of the DSTOMP (the demigod standard test for mad powers). All we know is that there is a music and poetry analysis segment, but we can probably assume that each God (or important Roman God more likely) designed a segment of the test.

Ouranos mentioned of his face? It brings up what state Ouranos is in, how that works and affects him, if he’ll ever reform and that also brings up Gaea because they Ouranos’ed Gaea- albeit in a much different way but still.

Apollo recognizes that Octavian wasn’t the one at fault, even if he doesn’t voice it but at least Octavian gets mentioned, this is totally important enough.

Said that headaches on Olympus are from Gods and Goddesses in a Gods mind that were to be extracted via Hephaestus head splitting, how many immortals are we unaware of that have been formed this way?

Athena thinks that Olympus is going to move to Brazil at some point. Worth noting.

Demeter doesn’t often fall in love with mortals *OFTEN, IM SORRY I DIDNT TYPE. DEMEMTER DOESNT OFTEN FALL IN LOVE WITH MORTALS*. The myths seem to support this, but also that Meg is unusually powerful in relation to Demeter kids who “could do little more than make crops grow and keep bacterial fungi at bay” though considering some of the things that Miranda does near the end throws a karpoi into that statement. Along with that a could pages later we are noted that the Greek forms are indeed stronger (which also seems like a given, but brings up if their even older forms are more powerful.) and seemingly implied confirmation and gods can only claim you if you are in the right camp/domain area. As Apollo mentions that it couldn’t be Ceres because Demeter claimed Meg at CHB, and Meg is powerful.

Apollo mentions other deities (and science) also keeping the sun on track. But especially mentions Sol and the wolves (along with making Aztec and possibly all other mezzo American gods canon to pjo universe). However; and forgive me if I’m wrong. Sol is Helios’s counterpart and I know that Helios is currently chilling in an Ichor vat at the moment, so how is this..? Could possibly just be because Helios and his fading thing wasn’t thought of (even though he still is widely popular in this day and age) during Hidden Oracle’s writing, but still, I don’t.. like? Brain doesn’t function this.

Hades has a haunted house and also for the funsies canonically would sneak up on Apollo using shadow travel and make him mess up on plague arrow shots. Based on my knowledge of Hades I can only assume these were not malicious.

Harley is one of my favorites I love him so much he’s baby.

Upon listing demigods Apollo had seen turn against Olympus he mentions the Tantalus situation, King Mithridates, Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. Though this implied that Mithridates would be a demigod along with either Clytemnestra or Agamemnon (who if my memory wants to cooperate, I believe was either a grandson or great grandson of Zeus?) along with mentioning that the human sacrifice was to him. For context I believe Apollo is talking about Agamemnon’s daughter that he sacrificed, though I thought that was to Artemis? Oh well.

We get to see summaries of Octavian’s convincing, which like? It’s serviceable to fuel the imagination. Also feel like he might’ve been genuine in a few of these? They all feel like very Octavian things to believe (the War with CHB being quick and easy; which I don’t think he believed whatsoever. And then raising temples to Apollo and how much support he had, both of which I think were true).

Saturnalia mention. Just had to put it out there because apparently Sherman would’ve won most violent holiday decor. Which, knowing what Saturnalia is it doesn’t make much sense? Anyway probably a Saturnalia/CJ ‘Christmas’ festivities post soon.

We get some descriptors of monsters that are inside the Camp Half-blood woods. The named ones including a two-headed wolf that seems standard, and a DRAKON. I say it again, the giant serpent things which are wild and dangerous, a DRAKON living its best immortal life in CHB woods. Excuse me? And Myrmreke, I love the Myrmreke and I want one as a pet and to kiss on the forehead. They are very cute.

Gyser God oaths. Unsure if this applies to oaths made not just with a Gyser God. But uh, a random Gyser bursting forth from the ground and boiling you sounds like a solid reason to not be making Gyser oaths.

Rhea mentions how God-Emperors are made, this feels like it would imply that other important historical figures also reach some form of immortality (Achilles, Theseus, Elvis Presley, George Washington, the sorts). And what about the other Emperors who were deified? Of the original Octavian and like.. the other ones?

Mentions of how Meg can “hear the trees growing” and the idea that the Muses can hear ink drying of poetry pages? Is this another skill to add upon them, no idea and frankly that sounds painful.

Nero and me have the same laugh I think and I don’t know how to feel about it. The best resources I can give you to visualize my laugh would be looking at Dolphins or Hyena’s. His is described as, “a snide little barking sound in the back of his nose” and I’ll be honest if nose was turned to throat It’d be pretty identical. Felt that was important to add to the ever growing and non important Kleos lore.

Nero mentions how it’s impossible for him to fade now due to being permanently remembered through the internet. Man that’s gonna age poorly in tower of Nero isn’t it? Also God-emperors are like, in a weird limbo esque situation and idk how to feel about that? I can only assume the most comparable thing would be something like New Rome’s Lares, the most noticeable other than Vitellius would be the literal ghost of Cato (I assume the younger) in SoN’s senate meeting. He’s called a ghost but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to be in this limbo like state.

Nero yelling about the Rome fire was so funny I put three flags on the monologue.

Ellis can identify the location of the Colossus and the fact it’s a war machine. Perhaps similar to the like Percy boat/nautical knowledge he has innately.

We’ve learned that automatons are possibly being fueled by primarily the life force of wind and water spirits like Apollo states which is.. dark. But also like uh, thought they were engineering? Does this imply Festus is powered by a poor nymph or anemoi?

Gatorade can help speed the recovery process of exhaustion due to shadow travel. My only idea is that it is partially due to the electrolytes and that shadow traveling has similar effects to intense long term workouts and that the sugar also helps. Along with the fact that one singular shadow travel has seemed to wear Nico out after we’ve seen him do much bigger feats and take longer to be passing out like this?

The arrow of Dodona is really funny I’m sorry.

The Colossus is mirrored after.. someone? I don’t know they threw around Nero and Apollo’s name when talking about it. This in context with Nero is no surprise but If talking about Apollo it meant that at some point in Rome’s lifespan and potentially more Apollo had sideburns. Take that information as you wish.

Plaguey, plaguey, plaguey.

Apollo mentioning how much humans truly do affect the gods and how much the gods truly don’t like that.

Leo’s back… yay.

I don’t think Patroclus and Brises had any beef. Please media stop potraying them as containing beef I want them to be buddies.

And Calypso’s back. After reading the Odyssey I like her much less. I mean I didn’t like her much to begin with either.

Okay, I might do this for all of the ToA books? It’s a nice way to quickly get thoughts down that wouldn’t naturally give themselves over to a full post, or a good resource for me to check back on things I didn’t like and therefore will be going back and making full posts.

But also this was fun, I tried to take out a lot of the things I marked just because I thought it was funny but like… oh well lol. Good night!