Glossary
a potamus, or river god
Thalia Grace’s terror-inducing shield
god of all winds
Greek goddess of misery; goddess of poisons; controller of the Death Mist; daughter of Chaos and Night
Alcyoneus the eldest of the giants born to Gaia, destined to fight Pluto
twin giants who attempted to storm Mount Olympus by piling three Greek mountains on top of each other. Ares tried to stop them, but he was defeated and imprisoned in a bronze urn, until Hermes rescued him. Artemis later brought about the giants’ destruction when she raced between them in the form of a deer. They both took aim with their spears, but missed and instead struck each other.
the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was married to Hephaestus, but she loved Ares, the god of war. Roman form: Venus
Aquilo Roman god of the North Wind. Greek form: Boreas
a weaver who claimed to have skills superior to Athena’s. This angered the goddess, who destroyed Arachne’s tapestry and loom. Arachne hung herself, and Athena brought her back to life as a spider.
female spirits of curses; wrinkled hags with bat-like wings, brass talons and glowing red eyes; daughters of Nyx (Night)
a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer who lived between 287–212 BCE and is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity; he discovered how to determine the volume of a sphere
the Greek god of war; the son of Zeus and Hera, and half-brother to Athena. Roman form: Mars
silver; the name of one of Reyna’s two metallic greyhounds that can detect lies
the fantastical ship built by Leo, which can both sail and fly and has Festus the bronze dragon as its figurehead. The ship was named after the Argo, the vessel used by a band of Greek heroes who accompanied Jason on his quest to find the Golden Fleece.
in Greek mythology, a band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo, in search of the Golden Fleece
a daughter of Minos who helped Theseus escape from the Labyrinth
an incredibly fast magical horse that runs wild and free, but occasionally answers Hazel’s summons; his favourite snack is gold nuggets
an instrument used to navigate based on the position of planets and stars
the Greek goddess of wisdom. Roman form: Minerva
a giant statue of Athena, the most famous Greek statue of all time
a sign of something coming, an omen; the practice of divining the future
gold; the name of one of Reyna’s two metallic greyhounds that can detect lies
Roman god of the South Wind. Greek form: Notus
the Roman god of wine and revelry. Greek form: Dionysus
(ballistae, pl.) a Roman missile siege weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target (see also )
the living quarters of Roman soldiers
a Roman goddess of war
Calais and Zethes, sons of Boreas, god of the North Wind
god of the North Wind. Roman form: Aquilo
Latin for trousers
a hidden workshop Leo discovered at Camp Half-Blood, filled with tools and weapons. It is at least two hundred years old and was used during the Demigod Civil War.
a demigod whom Ares turned into a snake when Cadmus killed his dragon son
the goddess nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia; a daughter of the Titan Atlas. She detained the hero Odysseus for many years.
the training ground for Greek demigods, located on Long Island, New York
the training ground for Roman demigods, located between the Oakland Hills and the Berkeley Hills, in California
a military machine used to hurl objects
a rare metal deadly to monsters
a race of creatures that is half human, half horse
an officer of the Roman army
Ceres the Roman goddess of agriculture. Greek form: Demeter
a blessing bestowed by Aphrodite on her children that enables them to persuade others with their voice
a Greek garment; a sleeveless piece of linen or wool secured at the shoulders by brooches and at the waist by a belt
a Greek goddess of magic
a giant created by Gaia to absorb and defeat all of Hecate’s magic
the River of Lamentation in Tartarus, made of pure misery
one of ten divisions in a Roman legion, a group of soldiers
an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of Rome, Italy. Capable of seating fifty thousand spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas.
a large horn-shaped container overflowing with edibles or wealth in some form. The cornucopia was created when Heracles (Roman: Hercules) wrestled with the river god Achelous and wrenched off one of his horns.
Roman god of love. Greek form: Eros
a member of a primordial race of giants (Cyclopes, pl.), each with a single eye in the middle of his or her forehead
in Greek mythology, a skilled craftsman who created the Labyrinth on Crete in which the Minotaur (part man, part bull) was kept
giant son of Tartarus and Gaia; created to oppose Ares; condemned to Tartarus for slaying a drakon that was ravaging the land
the Greek goddess of agriculture, a daughter of the Titans Rhea and Kronos. Roman form: Ceres
denarius (, pl.) the most common coin in the Roman currency system
the last great pagan emperor, and the first to retire peacefully; a demigod (son of Jupiter). According to legend, his sceptre could raise a ghost army.
a principal Greek hero in the Trojan War
the Greek god of wine and revelry, a son of Zeus. Roman form: Bacchus
the doorway to the House of Hades, located in Tartarus. The Doors have two sides – one in the mortal world, and one in the Underworld.
the silver coin of Ancient Greece
a gigantic yellow and green serpent-like monster, with frills around its neck, reptilian eyes and huge talons; it spits poison
tree nymphs
Gegenees in Greek; monsters with six arms that wear only a loincloth
possessing spirits
the section of the Underworld where those who are blessed by the gods are sent to rest in eternal peace after death
a vampire with fangs, claws, a bronze left leg, a donkey right leg, hair made of fire and skin as white as bone. Empousai [pl.] have the ability to manipulate the Mist, change shape and charmspeak in order to attract their mortal victims.
a region presently in northwestern Greece and southern Albania
goddess of strife
Greek god of love. Roman form: Cupid
a Roman forest god, part goat and part man. Greek form: satyr
Roman god of the West Wind. Greek form: Zephyros
the section of the Underworld where people who lived neither a good nor a bad life are sent after death
the section of the Underworld where people who were evil during their lives are sent after death to face eternal punishment for their crimes
Roman goddesses of vengeance; usually characterized as three sisters – Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaera; the children of Gaia and Uranus. They reside in the Underworld, tormenting evildoers and sinners. Greek form: the Erinyes
the Greek earth goddess; mother of Titans, giants, Cyclopes and other monsters. Roman form: Terra
god of old age
a monster with three bodies that was slain by Heracles/Hercules
a short sword
the word Romans used for Greek
shin armour
an incendiary weapon used in naval battles because it can continue burning in water
In this New Orleans Voodoo practice named after the French word for grey (gris), special herbs and other ingredients are combined and put into a small red flannel bag that is worn or stored to restore the balance between the black and white aspects of a person’s life.
a creature with the forequarters (including talons) and wings of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion
the Greek god of death and riches. Roman form: Pluto
a Carthaginian commander who lived between 247–183/182 BCE and is generally considered to be one of the greatest military strategists in history. One of his most famous achievements was marching an army, which included war elephants, from Iberia over the Pyrenees and the Alps into northern Italy.
a winged female creature that snatches things
goddess of magic and crossroads; controls the Mist; daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria
goddess of day, daughter of Night
the Greek god of fire and crafts and of blacksmiths; the son of Zeus and Hera, and married to Aphrodite. Roman form: Vulcan
the Greek goddess of marriage; Zeus’s wife and sister. Roman form: Juno
the Greek equivalent of Hercules; the son of Zeus and Alcmene; the strongest of all mortals
the Roman equivalent of Heracles; the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, who was born with great strength
Greek god of travellers; guide to spirits of the dead; god of communication. Roman form: Mercury
a Greek poet who speculated that it would take nine days to fall to the bottom of Tartarus
a Roman general who single-handedly held off a horde of invaders, sacrificing himself on a bridge to keep the barbarians from crossing the Tiber River. By giving his fellow Romans time to finish their defences, he saved the Republic.
a place in the Underworld where Hades, the Greek god of death, and his wife Persephone rule over the souls of the departed; an old temple in Epirus in Greece
one of the twelve Titans; Titan lord of the east
Greek god of sleep. Roman form: Somnus
the area under a coliseum that housed set pieces and machinery used for special effects
one of the twelve Titans; lord of the west; his name means the Piercer. When Percy fought him in Hades’s realm, Iapetus fell into the River Lethe and lost his memory; Percy renamed him Bob.
the golden fluid that is the blood of gods and immortals
a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Roman god of doorways, beginnings and transitions; depicted as having two faces, because he looks to the future and to the past
the Roman goddess of women, marriage and fertility; sister and wife of Jupiter; mother of Mars. Greek form: Hera
the Roman king of the gods; also called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the best and the greatest). Greek form: Zeus
a monster with the upper body of a snake-haired woman and the lower body of a drakon; appointed by the Titan Kronos to guard the Cyclopes of Tartarus. Zeus slew her and freed the giants from their prison to aid him in his war against the Titans.
a cow monster whose name means ‘down-looker’ (katoblepones, pl.). They were accidentally imported to Venice from Africa. They eat poisonous roots that grow by the canals and have a poisonous gaze and poisonous breath.
Piper’s dagger
a pair of chimpanzee-like dwarfs who steal shiny things and create chaos
the Greek goddess of snow; daughter of Boreas
one of the twelve Titans; Titan lord of the north
one of the twelve Titans; Titan lord of the south
the youngest of the twelve Titans; the son of Ouranos and Gaia; the father of Zeus. He killed his father at his mother’s bidding. Titan lord of fate, harvest, justice and time. Roman form: Saturn
an underground maze originally built on the island of Crete by the craftsman Daedalus to hold the Minotaur (part man, part bull)
a monstrous cannibal from the far north
a house god, ancestral spirit (Lares, pl.)
Roman soldier
Roman term for angry ghosts
daughter of the Titan Koios; mother of Artemis and Apollo with Zeus; goddess of motherhood
a casino in Las Vegas where Percy, Annabeth and Grover lost valuable time during their quest after eating enchanted lotus blossoms
Nyx’s palace
a creature with a human head, a lion’s body and a scorpion’s tail
the Roman god of war; also called Mars Ultor. Patron of the empire; divine father of Romulus and Remus. Greek form: Ares
a follower of Hecate and one of the great sorceresses of the ancient world
Mercury Roman messenger of the gods; god of trade, profit and commerce. Greek form: Hermes
the Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena
king of Crete; son of Zeus; every year he made King Aegus pick seven boys and seven girls to be sent to the Labyrinth, where they would be eaten by the Minotaur. After his death he became a judge in the Underworld.
a monster with the head of a bull on the body of a man
a magic force that disguises things from mortals
the site in the Bay Area (northern California) where the Titans built a palace
water nymphs
the Oracle of Death, or House of Hades in Greek; a multilevel temple where people went to consult with the dead
the Roman god of the sea. Greek form: Poseidon
a community near Camp Jupiter where demigods can live together in peace, without interference from mortals or monsters
Greek god of the South Wind. Roman form: Auster
Roman mountain god (montana, pl.). Greek form: ourae
a female nature deity who animates nature
a shrine to nymphs
goddess of night; one of the ancient, firstborn elemental gods
legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Roman form: Ulysses
the island home – and prison – of the nymph Calypso
Greek for mountain god. Roman form: numina montanum
father of the Titans
the wife of Minos, cursed to fall in love with his prize bull and give birth to the Minotaur (part man, part bull); mistress of magical herbal arts
Pegasus in Greek mythology, a winged divine horse; sired by Poseidon in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa; the brother of Chrysaor
an Argonaut, the son of two demigods, and the grandson of Poseidon, who granted him the ability to change into various animals
entrance to an emperor’s private residence
the Greek queen of the Underworld; wife of Hades; daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Roman form: Proserpine
a compact body of heavily armed troops
the River of Fire that flows from Hades’s realm down into Tartarus; it keeps the wicked alive so they can endure the torments of the Field of Punishment
pilum (, pl.) a javelin used by the Roman army
the Roman god of death and riches. Greek form: Hades
the giant son of Gaia, the Earth Mother
the gigantic one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa; one of the Cyclopes
the king of the giants in Greek and Roman mythology
the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Hades. Roman form: Neptune
an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
Roman queen of the Underworld. Greek form: Persephone
a young mortal woman who fell in love with Eros and was forced by his mother, Aphrodite, to earn her way back to him
a game in which players toss hoops at a stake
the name of Percy Jackson’s sword; Anaklusmos in Greek
the fifth river of the Underworld; the river of pain; the ultimate punishment for the souls of the damned
one of several rivers in the Underworld; drinking from it will make someone forget his identity
and Remus the twin sons of Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. They were thrown into the River Tiber by their human father, Amulius, and were rescued and raised by a she-wolf. Upon reaching adulthood, they founded Rome.
Saturn the Roman god of agriculture; the son of Uranus and Gaia, and the father of Jupiter. Greek form: Kronos
a Greek forest god, part goat and part man. Roman equivalent: faun
Reyna’s pegasus
an infamous robber who ambushed passers-by and forced them to wash his feet as a toll. When they knelt, he kicked his victims into the sea, where they were eaten by a giant turtle.
a Roman missile siege weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target
Senatus Populusque Romanus () meaning ‘The Senate and People of Rome’, refers to the government of the Roman Republic and is used as an official emblem of Rome
a form of transportation that allows creatures of the Underworld and children of Hades to travel to any desired place on earth or in the Underworld, although it makes the user extremely fatigued
a collection of prophecies in rhyme written in Greek. Tarquinius Superbus, a king of Rome, bought them from a prophetess named Sibyl and consulted them in times of great danger.
a heavy sword used by Roman cavalry
goddess of hope; the Feast of Spes, the Day of Hope, falls on August 1
(stelae, pl.) an inscribed stone used as a monument
a magical metal, forged in the River Styx, capable of absorbing the very essence of monsters and injuring mortals, gods, Titans and Giants. It has a significant effect on ghosts and creatures from the Underworld.
In Greek mythology, this king was such a good friend of the gods that he was allowed to dine at their table – until he spilled their secrets on earth. He was sent to the Underworld, where his curse was to be stuck in a pool of water under a fruit tree, but never to be able to drink or eat.
husband of Gaia; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants
a sea demon with flippers instead of hands, and a dog’s head
Jason’s friend; a storm spirit in the form of a horse
the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks
Terra the Roman goddess of the earth. Greek form: Gaia
the Greek god of death; servant of Hades. Roman form: Letus
a king of Athens who was known for many exploits, including killing the Minotaur
In Greek mythology, even before there were gods, there were the Fates: Clotho, who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, the measurer, who determines how long a life will be; and Atropos, who cuts the thread of life with her shears.
the third-longest river in Italy. Rome was founded on its banks. In Ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the river.
Tiberius was emperor of Rome from 14–37 CE. He was one of Rome’s greatest generals, but he came to be remembered as a reclusive and sombre ruler who never really wanted to be emperor.
a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, who ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians
god of farming; he aided Demeter when she was searching for her daughter, Persephone, who was kidnapped by Hades
an Ancient Greek or Roman warship, having three tiers of oars on each side
a tale from the Trojan War about a huge wooden horse that the Greeks built and left near Troy with a select force of men inside. After the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy, the Greeks emerged at night, let the rest of their army into Troy, and destroyed it, decisively ending the war.
Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, king of Sparta.
air spirits
the Roman goddess of love and beauty. She was married to Vulcan, but she loved Mars, the god of war. Greek form: Aphrodite
Vulcan the Roman god of fire and crafts and of blacksmiths; the son of Jupiter and Juno, and married to Venus. Greek form: Hephaestus
where Percy Jackson was trained as a Roman demigod by Lupa
Greek god of the West Wind. Roman form: Favonius
Greek god of the sky and king of the gods. Roman form: Jupiter