Chapter 26: I Tip My Hat to the Excellent Elephant
Key Events and Insights
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Circumstances and Instincts: Apollo
- Attempted to shoot and missed.
- Recollects keeping bow handy always due to past experience with Hermes.
- Misadventure: arrow missed Peaches, hit a random blemmyae.
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Peach’s Plight: Commodus’s Scheme
- Commodus plans to burn Peaches during a race.
- Meg and Apollo’s attempts to save Peaches hindered by mercenaries.
- Commodus reveals a sadistic race car plan that involves igniting Peaches.
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Meg’s Dilemma and Actions
- Conflicted between helping Peaches and avoiding getting killed.
- Attempts to climb and save Peaches despite restraints that force him to stay in demon baby form.
- Leaps from an ostrich to help Peaches.
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The Action-Packed Race
- Commodus drives a purple race car with a giant match on top.
- Meg tries to reach Peaches, unsuccessful due to his high position and her distance.
- Commodus drives the car aiming to ignite Peaches and then circle back to kill Apollo and Meg.
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Apollo’s Elephant Strategy: Olivia
- Apollo uses an elephant named Olivia to combat Commodus’s plan.
- Commands Olivia to charge Commodus’s car.
- Olivia throws her helmet at Commodus causing a wreck, but Commodus survives.
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Commodus Survives Wreck
- Commodus emerges from the wreck mostly unscathed, seemingly invincible.
- Demonstrates his strength by tossing the damaged race car.
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Meg Rescues Peaches
- Meg climbs and cuts Peaches free just in time.
- They escape the initial danger but the threat persists.
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Commodus’s Threats and Commands
- Commodus plans more elaborate and deadly games for the next day.
- Orders guards to take Apollo and Meg into custody.
- Commands the killing of Olivia and Peaches.
- Preparing to kill the current prefect, Lityerses, for failing to kill Hunters of Artemis.
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Stadium’s Roof Explodes
- An unexpected explosion at the end, intent of interrupting Commodus’s orders.
Themes
- Heroism and Desperation: Both Meg and Apollo show selfless courage despite the odds.
- Cruelty and Domination: Commodus displays sadism and authoritarian rule.
- Friendship and Loyalty: Olivia the elephant’s intelligence and willingness to help represents these values.
- Resilience and Strategy: Showcases how quick thinking can turn the tide, albeit temporarily.
Important Characters
- Apollo: Narrator, god in mortal form, strategic with limited resources.
- Meg McCaffrey: Brave, determined to save Peaches despite illusory threats.
- Commodus: Antagonist, cruel emperor, enjoys sadistic games.
- Peaches: Meg’s friend, in a perilous situation due to Commodus.
- Olivia: The remarkable and helpful elephant, symbolizes loyalty and strength.
Notable Imagery
- Commodus’s Joy in Chaos: His delight during a dangerous race depicts his sadistic nature vividly.
- The Elephant Charge: Olivia’s charge gives a visual of an unexpected but effective strategy against Commodus.
- The Race Wreck: Commodus emerging from the wreck unharmed is a strong image of his resilience and the challenge he poses.
- The Roof Explosion: Sets a cliffhanger ending indicating dramatic turn of events.
Quotable Lines
- “My first instinct was to shoot...” - Insight into Apollo’s character.
- “How many times had I been caught in such a dilemma...” - Reflects on shared human experience of difficult choices.
- “Elephant, I cried, excellent elephant...” - Highlights the moment of unexpected hope.
- “Nice one, Apollo...” - Commodus acknowledging Apollo’s efforts mockingly, showing his arrogance.
Conclusion
This chapter is packed with intense action, strategic twists, and highlights the characters’ resilience and courage against the oppressive and cruel Commodus. The explosion at the end leaves a cliffhanger, suggesting more dramatic developments to follow.