Rick Riordan has done it again with the first book in his new series: The Trials of Apollo -  The Hidden Oracle. In this amazing tale, Apollo falls to earth and turns from a god into a mortal. When Apollo finds himself in a dumpster on the streets, he doesn’t know what he has done to deserve it; all he remembers is his father, Zeus, telling him, “Your fault, your punishment.” The next thing he knows is he is a mortal, falling from Olympus. 

Apollo sits in shock thinking about what to do next, when he is attacked by some thieves. He has no chance against the criminals in his mortal state. While he is getting horribly pummeled, a little girl shows up and somehow singlehandedly beats up both of the crooks, and they run away.  Her name is Meg McCaffrey, who turns out to be a demi-god. 

When he tells Meg that the only way he can get back on his father’s good side and return to Olympus is to work as a slave for a demigod, she instantly claims his service. Wishing he hadn’t told her about what he needed to do, they travel to the only place where they believe they will be safe. When they get there, though, it turns out to be an entirely different story.