The Tower of Nero: Chapters 1–7

by Rick Riordan
In this fifth and final book of the series The Trials of Apollo, Lester must defeat Nero without causing massive collateral damage to Manhattan.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–22, Chapters 23–31, Chapters 32–39
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. enrapture
    hold spellbound
    Meg buried her face in her magazine, enraptured by an article on urban gardening.
  2. radar
    measuring instrument using pulses of microwave radiation
    But as we pulled out of Thirtieth Street Station, two things became clear to me: 1) the amphisbaena wasn’t leaving the train, which meant he probably wasn’t a daily commuter, and 2) my danger radar was pinging more strongly than ever.
  3. scour
    examine minutely
    I scoured my memory for facts about the creature but came up with very little.
  4. nonchalant
    marked by casual unconcern or indifference
    My trembling jaw and sweaty face made it hard to appear nonchalant.
  5. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
    Muscles undulated along the length of his body as if he were coming to a slow boil.
  6. oracular
    of or relating to prophecy or someone who tells the future
    Since ancient times, snakes have channeled the wisdom of the earth, because they live underground. A giant serpent would be especially susceptible to oracular voices.
  7. epaulette
    an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder
    Her short-sleeve shirt stretched so tight against her muscular shoulders I thought her epaulettes and name tag would pop off.
  8. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    She sounded hurt, confused, incredulous—as if, in a life full of indignities, this was one indignity she never could have anticipated.
  9. starboard
    right side of a ship or aircraft to someone facing the bow
    A gangway connected our car to the next: a loud, lurching hallway with automatic double doors on either end, a closet-size restroom in one corner, and exterior doors to port and starboard.
  10. corrugated
    shaped into alternating parallel grooves and ridges
    Judging from the rumble of the corrugated steel panels beneath my feet, I guessed the train was going well over a hundred miles an hour.
  11. terza rima
    a verse form with tercets having an interlaced rhyme scheme
    His message had left me shaken—a verse in terza rima, like the one we’d received at Camp Jupiter:
    O son of Zeus the final challenge face.
    The tow'r of Nero two alone ascend.
    Dislodge the beast that hast usurped thy place.
  12. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    On the intercom, a garbled announcement informed us that our next stop would be Penn Station.
  13. scimitar
    a curved saber used in Eastern countries
    Two scimitars flashed into existence in Lu’s hands. Wait—she had Meg’s swords?
  14. indoctrination
    teaching someone to accept beliefs uncritically
    Lu had been part of the problem—part of Meg’s indoctrination into the emperor’s twisted family.
  15. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    On the other hand, I wasn’t sure how to broach that subject.
  16. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    We continued our march, Meg and Lu trudging side by side, me straggling behind.
  17. exude
    release in drops or small quantities
    Mud and slime coated the floor, exuding a smell like the old casks of “wine” Dionysus insisted on keeping in his cellar, despite the fact that they had long ago turned to vinegar.
  18. derelict
    worn and broken down by hard use
    Then I remembered Meg had spent a great deal of her childhood roaming dark alleys, derelict buildings, and other strange and unusual places in Manhattan with Nero’s blessing—the evil imperial version of free-range parenting.
  19. iambic
    of metrical units having an unstressed/stressed pattern
    For all I knew, if he had lived a few more minutes, he might have spouted another bit of iambic pentameter: Not Lu. Not Lu. Don't ever trust the Gaul.
  20. charade
    an imitation that humorously misrepresents something
    “So if you’re on our side,” I said, “why all the pretending on the train? Why kill that amphisbaena? Why the charade about escorting us to the bathroom?”
  21. rueful
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
    Lu gave her a rueful smile. “No, Sapling. I’ll have to go back soon. If we’re lucky, Nero will believe I’m still on his side.”
  22. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    Six months ago, I’d had no qualms about hitting up an old friend who lived a few blocks from here. But now...after all the trouble and heartbreak I’d brought to every place that had harbored me… No. I could not do that again.
  23. formidable
    inspiring fear or dread
    “We need a place to hide out and regroup—somewhere nearby, but away from Nero’s surveillance cameras and whatnot.”
    THE EMPEROR’S WHATNOT IS FORMIDABLE INDEED, the arrow agreed.
  24. collateral
    accompanying; following as a consequence
    “A large-scale assault would be suicide. Nero is expecting one. He’s hoping for one. He’s prepared to cause massive collateral damage.”
  25. admonition
    cautionary advice about something imminent
    Now, every time I heard it, I thought of Jason Grace’s admonition: Remember what it’s like to be human.
  26. inkling
    a slight suggestion or vague understanding
    His voice was calm but firm, giving me an inkling as to how this kind, gentle man could control a classroom.
  27. technicality
    a detail that is considered insignificant
    Nero wouldn’t bother with the technicalities of parenthood. Signing a permission slip? Taking Meg to the doctor? No, thanks.
  28. proxy
    a person authorized to act for another
    And I could imagine Nero using Lu as his proxy—giving Meg another authority figure to look up to, a woman warrior.
  29. tine
    a prong on a fork, pitchfork, or antler
    I was gripping my fork so tightly my fist trembled. The gesture might have looked threatening if the tines hadn’t been topped with a cherry tomato.
  30. barrage
    the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area
    Then I remembered Caligula’s yachts in San Francisco Bay, launching a barrage of Greek-fire projectiles that would have destroyed the entire East Bay if Lavinia Asimov hadn’t sabotaged them.
  31. palatial
    relating to or being a large and stately residence
    Would he burn his own city, with his own palatial tower in the middle of it?
  32. pensive
    deeply or seriously thoughtful
    Why did Meg look so pensive, as if she were actually considering this insane strategy?
  33. unperturbed
    free from emotional agitation or nervous tension
    I was sweaty and out of breath. Lu seemed unperturbed by the climb.
  34. cleave
    separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
    Meg yelped and stumbled, crossing her swords just in time to catch Lu’s next strike, which would have cleaved her head in two.
  35. bristly
    having or covered with protective barbs or spines
    She was just as lovely as I remembered: a face like a rubber Halloween mask, sunken craters where her eyes should have been, and a cobweb-and-linen shawl over her bristly white hair.
  36. coy
    showing marked and often playful evasiveness or reluctance
    The Three Sisters loved to play coy with their auguries. They liked to make their passengers beg and plead to find out what they knew about the future. But really, the old gray dingbats were dying to share.
  37. augury
    an event indicating important things to come
    The Three Sisters loved to play coy with their auguries. They liked to make their passengers beg and plead to find out what they knew about the future.
  38. doggerel
    a comic verse of irregular measure
    “Doggerel,” I explained for Meg’s sake, “means a few irregular lines of poetry. With these three, that’s redundant, since everything they do is irregular.”
  39. bereft
    lacking or deprived of something
    Anger, now bereft of guidance, swerved all over the road, sending my stomach into my esophagus.
  40. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    And standing next to the dragon, casually scratching its ears, was an old frenemy of mine: Dionysus, the god of doing things to annoy Apollo.
Created on Tue Nov 29 08:56:12 EST 2022 (updated Fri Feb 03 10:52:52 EST 2023)

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