Can you think of any Riordan villain who’s slimier than Octavian, the legacy of Apollo? Sure, giants and gorgons are troubling, but it takes a special kind of weirdo to earn the nickname “the teddy bear murderer.” And that was his reputation before he attacked Camp Half-Blood.

Rotten Legacy

Octavian was an annoying kid who bragged about what a big deal his father was, frequently trying to use Apollo’s influence to gain political power. We all love the sun god, but he’s made mistakes in the past few centuries; Octavian may have been the worst. At least Apollo owns it now, famously referring to Octavian as “that thing.”

Now you know why Octavian was always slicing up his stuffed toys.

Weird Hobbies

Merciless and obsessed with power, Octavian was the perfect Roman soldier. He fit in well at Camp Jupiter, with his power of prophecy earning him the position of Augur, Roman equivalent of an Oracle. Unlike the Greeks, Romans predicted future events by reading, um, the entrails of sacrificed animals. Now you know why Octavian was always slicing up his stuffed toys.

Delusions of Grandeur

Octavian eventually ran for the position of praetor, ensuring his victory by blackmailing voters. So imagine his rage when Percy Jackson stole the praetorship after leading the fight against the giants. Octavian wasn’t the biggest fan of Greeks before that happened—this really pushed him over the edge.

Misguided Attack Plan

It was easy for the Heroes of Olympus to ignore Octavian . . . until he waged a full-blown attack on Camp Half-Blood (because Greek/Roman conflicts have always gone so smoothly in the past). And he had the brilliant idea to recruit exiled campers and monsters into his legion. For a guy who could see the future, he was blind to the fact that he had formed an army just waiting to betray him.

Out in a Blaze of Glory

It turned out that Octavian’s powers of prophecy were actually on the fritz, due to an issue at the caverns of Delphi. This meant he couldn’t predict Gaea’s ultimate attack. To his credit, he did put aside his grudge against the Greeks long enough to help defend against the Earth Mother. But he couldn’t even do that right. His cape got caught on a catapult, and he went out like the bright light he always wanted to be.

Think of him this Fourth of July when the fireworks go off . . . and one of them is a dud.