The Throne of Fire

“Magicians are supposed to wear linen because it doesn’t interfere with magic, which is probably a great tradition in the Egyptian desert, where it’s hardly ever cold and rainy. In Brooklyn, in March—not so much.”

Carter thinks back to the advice he was given in The Red Pyramid while he and Sadie stand on the roof of the museum in Chapter 1. Carter’s observation here speaks to how advice that worked in ancient Egypt doesn’t necessarily translate to modern day. In Egypt, where it’s warm most of the year, linen made sense, but in the less moderate climates that magicians have expanded to, sticking to linen is impractical. Riordan makes no mention of magicians wearing other natural materials, such as wool, that might be warmer, suggesting either that these materials are not good for magic or that magicians have not considered them.

“You’d think magic would make things easier. In fact, it usually made things more complicated. There were always a million reasons why this or that spell wouldn’t work in certain situations. Or there’d be other magic thwarting you—like the protective spells on this museum.”

These lines come from Carter’s thoughts during the museum break-in. Magic often comes with the idea that access to spells would make life easier, but in many fantasy books, the Kane Chronicles included, this is not the case. Using magic to enter the museum might be simple under certain circumstances, but with the protective spells on the museum and the complications with their own abilities, it becomes more of a hindrance here.