The fight between good and evil is a common plot in media, and it often incorporates the monster archetype. From the orcs in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to the demons in “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” monsters show up in all forms of media, but they do share a few defining characteristics.

A monster is usually characterized as an antagonist who defies social norms through their appearance or mannerisms. Monsters are outsiders, ostracized from their communities, who possess some strange abilities. Monsters are something to be feared, something inhuman and something that cannot be trusted.

In the world of Olympian gods and mythical creatures where The Court of the Dead by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro takes place, monsters have been plaguing demigods like Nico and Will for decades, regenerating across centuries in an endless battle of good and evil. However, The Court of the Dead twists this common archetype and the structure of this universe, questioning and reexamining concepts that define the fictional world.

The Court of the Dead follows Nico and Will, two characters at Camp Half-Blood who have successfully survived their first adventure together, now traveling to Camp Jupiter to help Nico’s half-sister Hazel.

Some monsters have found sanctuary at Camp Jupiter, after choosing peace and knitting instead of war with demigods. However, the demigods at Camp Jupiter do not trust the monsters who they have been taught to fight and kill. Hazel needs Nico and Will’s help to convince the camp to place their trust in the monsters and in the power of change.

By introducing the concept of monster redemption, Riordan and Oshiro force the reader to confront the traditional monster archetype and the way we see change in our own lives. What happens if we break the cycle? What happens if we decide to change? What if we decide that the system doesn’t benefit anyone? What if, instead of seeing each other as enemies, we start working together?

Change is messy. Change is uncomfortable. The demigods of Camp Jupiter are afraid of the monsters they have been taught to hate and to fear. But when the demigods and monsters begin to work together, new opportunities emerge.

Through The Court of the Dead, Riordan and Oshiro encourage the reader to think about the “monsters” in our lives—people who we have ostracized from our communities because they are different from us, or because we have been taught to hate each other. The Court of the Dead is a powerful reminder that we make monsters, and we can unmake them too.

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.