When Apollo, the Greek god of archery, poetry, and healing (among others), wakes up falling through the air and crash lands in a dumpster in Manhattan, having little to no memory of what happened to him. All he remembers is that his father, Zeus, is enraged at him for succumbing to vanity and flattery by his legacy, Octavian, thus fueling the Second Giant War; he has been punished by being turned into a mortal. After checking his wallet, he sees a New York State junior driver’s license and learns that he is now a curly-haired, flabby sixteen year-old human whose name is Lester Papadopoulos. Apollo is disgusted, but reassures himself, thinking that he must have retained some of his godly abilities. Once he is out of the dumpster, he is confronted by two thugs—Cade and Mikey—who say they were sent by their boss. They demand he gives them his wallet and all his money. Apollo attempts to fight back using his godly powers, which doesn't work, and gets knocked back to the ground. Cade and Mikey 'stomp' Apollo, leaving him badly injured.Apollo discovers that he no longer has golden ichor, but instead bleeds mortal blood. He is saved by Meg McCaffrey, daughter of Demeter, who pelts Cade and Mikey with several rotted fruits. She claims to be the owner of the alley Apollo awakens in Cabin 7 to Will Solace healing him. Apollo's other children, Kayla Knowles and Austin Lake, visit to confirm his mortal status and to contact Chiron about Apollo awakening. Apollo leaves for the Big House and meets Nico di Angelo, where he learns that Nico is dating his son Will. After going inside the Big House, they discuss the Oracle of Delphi and how the Oracle can no longer issue prophecies. Travel and communication also do not work for any of the demigods: Iris Messages and cell phones don't work, and Camp Jupiter has not communicated with Camp Half-Blood in weeks. Chiron also mentions that campers have been randomly disappearing after looking into the woods, the missing campers are Miranda Gardiner, Ellis, Cecil and Silena Beauregard