The Tyrant's Tomb: Chapters 7–12

by Rick Riordan
In this fourth book of the series The Trials of Apollo, Lester joins the Roman demigods in their search for the tomb of an undead king.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–22, Chapters 23–32, Chapters 33–43
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apprehensive
    mentally upset over possible misfortune or danger
    I caught them studying me apprehensively—perhaps because they were worried I might launch into another heartbreaking song, or perhaps because they still couldn’t believe this shambling heap of adolescence had once been the god Apollo.
  2. upbraid
    express criticism towards
    The incident had come back to me with glass-shard clarity: Venus scolding me, warning me, upbraiding me as only she could.
  3. impending
    close in time; about to occur
    “You may pass. And happy impending birthday, Lester.”
  4. trellis
    latticework used to support climbing plants
    Children played in the fountains while adults sat nearby under trellises shaded with grape vines.
  5. pander
    yield to; give satisfaction to
    That may sound pathetic to you—like an oldies concert cruise, pandering to over-the-hill fans of washed-up bands.
  6. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    As we approached the Senate House, I began to see vestiges of the recent battle. Cracks in the dome glistened with silver adhesive.
  7. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
    Cyclops skin is much tougher than human skin, requiring superheated needles to inject the ink, hence the odious burning smell.
  8. tome
    a large and scholarly book
    From the cashier’s station/information desk at the center of the room, freestanding shelves radiated in all directions, crammed with tomes of every size and shape. Two ladders led to a railed balcony, also wall-to-wall books.
  9. subsist
    support oneself
    From what little I knew, Percy, Hazel, and Frank had discovered Ella living in Portland, Oregon’s main library, subsisting on food scraps and nesting in discarded novels.
  10. doting
    extravagantly or foolishly loving and indulgent
    Percy, Hazel, and Frank had brought her to Camp Jupiter, where she could live in safety and hopefully re-create the lost books with the help of Tyson, her doting boyfriend.
  11. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    Past that, Ella was an enigma wrapped in red feathers wrapped in a linen shift.
  12. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    Her humanlike face was angular but not emaciated.
  13. preen
    clean with one's bill
    Her arm feathers were carefully preened.
  14. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    Most of the Sibylline Books read like The Joy of Cooking, with sacrificial recipes to placate the gods in the event of certain catastrophes.
  15. baste
    cover with liquid before cooking
    When Neptune comes home tonight, surprise him with three black bulls basted in holy oil and burned in a fire pit with sprigs of rosemary!
  16. extraneous
    not pertinent to the matter under consideration
    I barely noticed the extraneous information this time. If I stayed here much longer, I’d probably start speaking in Ella-ese, too, spouting random Wikipedia references after every sentence.
  17. cohort
    a band of warriors
    Four of the cohorts had fallen into line behind the coffin, with purple Lares shifting in and out of their ranks.
  18. invocation
    a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service
    I tried to remember the correct Roman invocation.
  19. verbose
    using or containing too many words
    The Sibyl of Cumae had always been vague and verbose. She refused to take editorial direction.
  20. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
    She’d written nine entire volumes of Sibylline Books—honestly, who needs nine books to finish a series? I’d secretly felt vindicated when she’d been unable to sell them to the Romans until she whittled them down to a trilogy.
  21. periphery
    the outside boundary or surface of something
    Behind the legion, at the periphery of the torchlight, aura wind spirits swirled about, setting up folding tables and black tablecloths.
  22. rote
    memorization by repetition
    Perhaps their devotions had been nothing but muscle memory, reciting by rote while their minds drifted elsewhere, uninterested in my glory.
  23. brethren
    people who are members of the same social or cultural group
    I gestured for the aurae to distribute the feast, to place the first serving on Jason’s coffin so he could symbolically share a last meal with his brethren in the mortal world.
  24. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    Before the torches could be set to the wood, a plaintive howl echoed in the distance.
  25. quicksilver
    a metallic element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures
    Mist shrouded her fur as if she were off-gassing quicksilver.
  26. buffet
    strike against forcefully
    Smoke drifted through the open rotunda, buffeting the statue of Jupiter.
  27. ambivalent
    uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow
    Her response was frustratingly ambivalent. It could have meant Yes and no, or Sort of, or Why are you so dense?
  28. bluster
    a swaggering show of courage
    It dawned on me that Lupa appreciated my bluster and determination, even if she didn’t believe I was capable of doing what I said.
  29. brazier
    large metal container in which coal or charcoal is burned
    Fires from iron braziers billowed soot and smoke, darkening the plaster ceiling.
  30. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Lining either side of the room were crude wooden benches—the bleachers for the senators, who sat more like prisoners or spectators than powerful politicians.
  31. haggard
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    When she pulled down her hood, her stringy gray hair and haggard face made her look even more like Tarquin’s twin sister.
  32. exorbitant
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    “You must be insane, woman. Your original price would have bankrupted my kingdom, and that was when you had nine books. You burned three of them, and now you come back to offer me only six, for the same exorbitant sum?”
  33. dais
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    His enslaved women were doing their best to hide behind the dais.
  34. intercede
    act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
    As high priest, he was responsible for protecting his subjects by interceding with the gods.
  35. rostrum
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    Flanking the rostrum, Praetors Reyna and Frank were arrayed in their finest gold and purple.
  36. poised
    marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action
    What could I say that wouldn’t sound mean? Terpsichore was graceful and poised and didn’t look like a wobbly giraffe?
  37. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    Lavinia yelled, “Start with the bad news. That’s always best.”
    “Hey,” Frank chastised her. “Like, decorum, you know?”
  38. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    “Hey,” Frank chastised her. “Like, decorum, you know?”
    Having restored solemnity to the senate meeting, Frank gestured for me to proceed.
  39. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    “Seriously?” I didn’t mean to sound incredulous, but Luna, a Titan, had been in charge of the moon before my sister Artemis took over the job.
  40. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
    Frank looked crestfallen, which made me feel bad.
Created on Mon Nov 28 11:24:18 EST 2022 (updated Fri Feb 03 10:44:19 EST 2023)

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