The Burning Maze horse is Incitatus, and its owner is the third emperor, Caligula. They return to Aeithales and convey the news to the spirits. Grover tells Apollo about a part of the Labyrinth that is burning, causing droughts and water shortage in the upper world. Hedge and Mellie reveal that Piper McLean and Jason Grace had explored the Labyrinth. Apollo decided to meet with them. Meg plants the seeds with which her father had planned to reincarnate the Meliai. Apollo, Meg and Grover meet Piper and bring Jason, who had broken up with Piper, from his school the following day. Jason confidentially
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor in 1323, Louis had sent an army to Italy to protect Milan against the Kingdom of Naples, which was together with France the strongest ally of the papacy. But now the Lord of Milan Galeazzo I Visconti was deposed since he was suspected of conspiring with the pope. In January 1328, Louis entered Rome and had himself crowned emperor by the aged senator Sciarra Colonna, called "captain of the Roman people". Three months later, Louis published a decree declaring Pope John XXII ("Jacques Duèze") deposed on grounds of heresy. He then installed a Spiritual Franciscan, Pietro Rainalducci as Nicholas V,