The Trials of Apollo book 5, The Tower of Nero, doesn’t release until later in 2020, but we’ll be keeping track of the exact release date and more in one convenient spot.

The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan has come and gone, which means fans are already looking forward to the final installment in the Trials of Apollo series.

Book 3 in the series, The Burning Maze, was a big one for the Percy Jackson fandom.

I knew The Tyrant’s Tomb was going to be hard to get through, but I don’t think I expected to have as many tears as I did. Read my Tyrant’s Tomb review, and let me know how you felt about the fourth book.

But if you’re here because you want to know everything you can about the next book in the series. Well, you’re in luck!

Trials of Apollo book 5 is titled ‘The Tower of Nero’

Now that The Tyrant’s Tomb has been released, we know for sure that The Trials of Apollo book 5 title will be The Tower of Nero. This gives us plenty of clues as to what’s coming next (more on that later!), and certainly adds an ominous feel to the book. Nero has been the Big Bad since The Trials of Apollo started, so it makes sense that this is where we’re ending.

All in all, the Trials of Apollo series books have been named The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant’s Tomb, and The Tower of Nero. Not a bad lineup!

Trials of Apollo book 5 release date

Thanks to our exclusive Tower of Nero cover reveal, we know the exact date we can finally get our hands on the book!

Previous release dates have been May 3, 2016; May 2, 2017; May 1, 2018; and September 24, 2019. That jump to September was a difficult one for book 4, since we had to wait over a year to read it. Luckily, we’re back on schedule for book 5.

The Tower of Nero release date is September 29, 2020.

Trials of Apollo book 5 plot details

Our exclusive cover reveal also came with the official synopsis, plus the first two chapters of the book!

Read the Tower of Nero synopsis below:

At last, the breathtaking, action-packed finale of the #1 bestselling Trials of Apollo series is here! Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic mortal form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus?

Lester’s demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy.

Lester’s final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.

Based on this synopsis, let’s talk about what could happen in Tower of Nero.

We know the next step of the journey will, obviously, take us to the Tower of Nero. This is back in New York, so don’t be surprised if some of our favorite demigods (particularly Percy and Annabeth) show up again. The story is very much centered on Apollo, Meg, and Nero, but it wouldn’t be like Percy to sit out on a good fight.

Hopefully seeing Percy and Annabeth again will be just as thrilling as the last few times we got a peek into their lives following both the Olympians and Heroes series. We also know thanks to our exciting interview with author Rick Riordan that Nico di Angelo and Will Solace play a large supporting role in this book.

Perhaps this will also be prime territory for another small crossover. (Magnus? Sadie and Carter? Anything is possible!)

Apollo has come leaps and bounds since The Hidden Oracle. He’s less selfish and narcissistic, and he’s really started to embrace his humanity. As a result, he’s slowly getting back his powers, which only means one thing — it’s time to jive! Hopefully, we’ll see Apollo return to form sooner rather than later. I, for one, can’t wait to see how he applies the lessons he’s learned once his godhood is restored.

Meg has a tough road ahead of her as well. She was emotionally abused by Nero when he acted as her guardian, and seeing him again will be far from easy. We already saw what kind of hold he has over her, so she’s going to be in for a fight to keep her head about her. Nero is a smart and ruthless villain, and he’s going to have both plenty of cunning and manpower to take down his enemies.

I’m hoping to see some old faces coupled with some interesting mythological creatures. I also hope we get to have a chat with some of the Greek gods when Apollo finally returns to Mount Olympus. Percy made a lot of progress by the end of the Olympians series, but the fact that Apollo has lived the life of a demigod firsthand is bound to have a ripple effect.

More than anything, I hope we get a teaser of what’s to come. Whether that’s more in the Percy Jackson world or something that shows just how much is out there, I’d love to see this world continuously expand. We know Magnus Chase (Norse) and the Kanes (Egyptian) exist in this same universe, but who else does?

I desperately want to know.

Beyond ‘The Tower of Nero’

The Tower of Nero is the final book in the Trials of Apollo series and the last book in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles — for now.

When we spoke to Riordan, we made sure to ask him what he’s working on next.

“When I am done with Tower of Nero, I will have no outstanding publishing contracts for the first time in roughly 20 years,” Riordan tells us.

Luckily, this doesn’t mean he’ll stop writing anytime soon!

“My thinking right now is I may explore individual characters’ stories in one-off novels. I recognize that with 15 books now in Percy’s world, the idea of diving in can be daunting for new readers,” the author says.

“I like the idea of writing stand-alones that, well, stand alone, so readers who have never even read The Lightning Thief can still enjoy the story. Those novels could focus on any of our demigods, but right now this is just in the brainstorming phase. I haven’t signed any contracts or started any outlines.”

Since standalone novels aren’t in our immediate future, what is?

“In the immediate future, I have two goals: To continue curating the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, which has succeeded beyond our wildest expectations,” Riordan says, “and to engage with the film industry after many years of self-imposed exile, to try (operative word) to get some faithful adaptations off the ground.”