The Dark Prophecy: Chapters 6–12

by Rick Riordan
In this second book of the series The Trials of Apollo, Lester must reclaim and protect five Oracles from three evil emperors with help from the demigod Leo Valdez, bronze dragon Festus, and sorceress Calypso.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–12, Chapters 13–19, Chapters 20–29, Chapters 30–42
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. discern
    perceive, recognize, or detect
    His mood was difficult to discern, since he had no face, but he seemed agitated.
  2. forswear
    formally reject or disavow
    “But don’t they forswear the company of men? If you two fell in love—”
  3. appeal
    attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
    I mean, perhaps if you were laboring away for years writing an opera about the glories of Apollo, I could understand the appeal of being productive.
  4. cadre
    a small unit serving as part of a larger political movement
    True, the hot dogs were questionable, and I never found out what sort of bugs were in bug juice, but at least I’d been served by a cadre of beautiful nymphs.
  5. compel
    force somebody to do something
    Now I was compelled to wash lettuce, dice tomatoes, and chop onions.
  6. afflict
    cause physical pain or suffering in
    The thought of Demeter made me think of Meg, which might’ve caused me to weep even if I hadn’t already been afflicted by onion fumes.
  7. wax
    write or speak in a specified manner
    Soon I would be stuck between Emmie and Calypso discussing kale-growing techniques and Leo and Josephine waxing poetic about carburetors.
  8. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
    We explained how the Triumvirate had sabotaged all forms of communication used by demigods—Iris-messages, magical scrolls, ventriloquist puppets, even the arcane magic of e-mail.
  9. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Josephine glowered. “Never before has any voice dared to utter a limerick in this house, Apollo.”
  10. portent
    a sign of something about to happen
    “What happened?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know—especially if it might be a portent of what I would soon face.
  11. ordained
    fixed or established especially by command
    The ghost shook his Magic 8 Ball. He tossed it to Emmie, who frowned at the answer on the bottom.
    “‘It was ordained,’” she read.
  12. sordid
    morally degraded
    “This is Little Bertha. A reminder of my sordid past life. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. You all sit tight.”
  13. enmesh
    entangle in or as if in a net
    The net enmeshed me and rocketed me into the air.
  14. coy
    affectedly shy especially in a playful or provocative way
    Britomartis, the goddess of nets, smiled coyly. “I hear you’re human now. This is going to be fun.”
  15. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
    “The Lady of Nets.”
    Leo looked dubious. “Does that include basketball and the Internet?”
  16. coquettish
    like a flirtatious woman
    The goddess gave me that coquettish smile I hated so much—the one that made me feel as if hot nectar were bubbling in my stomach.
  17. upholstery
    covering on a piece of furniture
    He extended it and poked the chair’s seat cushion. A bear trap snapped shut, ripping through stuffing and fabric like an upholstery sharknado.
  18. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    Once we were all comfortably settled in, with no one mangled or killed, Britomartis lounged across the formerly bear-trapped armchair and smiled.
  19. precedence
    status established in order of importance or urgency
    “Jo and Emmie’s priorities have been compromised. They would not be able to hear this, but the griffins must come first. I have my reasons. Being a goddess, my needs take precedence.”
  20. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    The sorceress nodded emphatically.
  21. resentful
    full of or marked by indignant ill will
    Emmie and Jo were so resentful—not just of Britomartis but also of us—that they assigned us more chores.
  22. gesticulation
    a deliberate and vigorous motion of the hands or body
    Agamethus let it be known, via the Magic 8 Ball and lots of gesticulation, that girls and boys always slept in entirely different wings.
  23. concession
    the act of yielding
    Before leaving, she turned to us hesitantly and said, “See you in the morning,” as if this was a huge concession. As if by talking to Leo and me at all, she was going above and beyond the courtesy we deserved.
  24. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Honestly, I didn’t see how anyone could act so haughty after an afternoon planting legumes.
  25. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    Leo smiled, though his eyes were devoid of their usual impish gleam.
  26. guileless
    innocent and free of deceit
    His hair was blond and curly, his face as guileless, goofy, and ugly as a friendly donkey’s.
  27. garish
    tastelessly showy
    A title bounced around the screen in garish colors: THE NEW HERCULES!
  28. caricature
    a representation of a person exaggerated for comic effect
    He had that hero’s shockingly good physique, but he wasn’t the actual Hercules. I should know. I’d dealt with Hercules on many occasions. This emperor was more like someone’s idea of Hercules—an airbrushed, overly muscular caricature.
  29. flank
    be located at the sides of something or somebody
    In the middle of the hall, flanked by bodyguards and attendants, was the man himself, lounging on a white granite throne.
  30. trough
    a container from which cattle or horses feed
    Inside a golden pen, a pair of bull-like creatures with huge horns snuffled at a feeding trough.
  31. supplicant
    one praying humbly for something
    He advanced on the two supplicants.
  32. canape
    appetizer made of a piece of bread or toast with toppings
    He scanned the throne room until his gaze fixed on a blemmyae servant arranging cakes and canapés on a tea cart.
  33. prefect
    a chief officer or chief magistrate
    Are you my praetorian prefect or not, Cleander?
  34. extricate
    release from entanglement or difficulty
    Unfortunately, I knew firsthand how hard it was to extricate oneself from an unhealthy relationship.
  35. elude
    escape, either physically or mentally
    I tried to think of a withering reply, but the ancient Greek phrase for I know you are, but what am I? eluded me.
  36. resonate
    produce a deep, clear sound
    I pulled out the Arrow of Dodona. Immediately, his sonorous voice spoke in my mind, the shaft resonating with each word.
  37. gauge
    judge tentatively or form an estimate of
    I wondered if it was testing me—gauging just how far it could push me before I snapped it in two.
  38. marquee
    a structure, often with a signboard, over an entrance
    We crossed an empty parking lot, heading toward the turquoise marquee of the main entrance.
  39. vindicate
    clear of accusation, blame, or doubt with supporting proof
    I tried to formulate a gallant apology that would also completely vindicate my position, but I decided to let the matter drop.
  40. fanciful
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    “‘Flights of fancy,”’ I said. “Surely they would file griffins under fanciful flights.”
Created on Sat Sep 03 17:18:31 EDT 2022 (updated Fri Feb 03 10:09:46 EST 2023)

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