This is such a wildly important line, in fact the whole paragraph is important, not just for Trials of Apollo, but for a wickedly important concept in the RRverse.
Promises are such a strong concept, especially in the first five books, the og PJO series. Lukeβs shattered promise of keeping him, Thalia and Annabeth together as a family drove so much pain and conflict. Until the ghost of that broken promise came back and provided as the last, final hope, but still left a bitter mark on everybodyβs lives-The pain and losses from it couldnβt be undone. Annabeth will forever remember the first friend she made, her brother, who died in a horrible and tragic way. Silena cannot undo her mistake of trusting Luke. Beckendorf, Zoe, so many more people canβt be revived from the dead.
And just before Luke died, he made Percy promise to him that all the suffering coming from the godsβ neglectful parenting wouldnβt happen anymore. A promise that sealed Percyβs decision upon facing the gods offer at immortality, a decision to break the cycle and create a better future.
Promises have so much value. So much power and strength. You donβt need to swear on the River Styx for them to be important, because it all depends on who youβre promising. After some point, Luke cared more about being angry at the gods than keeping his family safe. Thalia said that he kept going after every single monster after his visit to his home, showing that even before camp, before his failed quest, Luke prioritized being angry and vengeful over being true to his promise. Because of this, so many people were hurt and devastated.
The words you use in a promise donβt matter. It doesnβt matter if you swear it on the River Styx, because the value behind these promises can cause just as devastating a response if you break them.
The most important thing about promises is: Do you truly mean it? Are you going to fulfill that promise, be true to its word?
Because if you arenβt, then was that promise even worth making in the first place?
