In 'The Burning Maze,' the third installment of The Trials of Apollo series by Rick Riordan, the once-mighty god Apollo, now an awkward mortal teenager known as Lester Papadopoulos, continues his quest to regain his place on Mount Olympus. Stripped of his divine powers by his father, Zeus, Apollo must successfully undergo a series of grueling trials. His third challenge takes him through the perilous Labyrinth where he must free an enigmatic Oracle, then face and defeat one of the ferocious Roman Emperors—a task he must accomplish without his godly abilities. Alongside a cast of new and familiar faces, including the resourceful daughter of Demeter, Meg, and guided by a satyr, Apollo's journey is fraught with danger, puzzles, and the constant threat posed by a triad of malevolent Roman emperors. This harrowing adventure intertwines Greek and Roman mythology, bringing demigods and mythical creatures into a modern setting, where the stakes are no less than the fate of both divine and mortal worlds.