faun a Roman forest god, part goat and part man
Faunus the Roman god of the Wild. Greek form: Pan
Field of Mars part battlefield, part party zone, the place where drills and war games are held at Camp Jupiter
First Titan War also known as the Titanomachy, the eleven-year conflict between the Titans from Mount Othrys and the younger gods, whose future home would be Mount Olympus
Forum the center of life in New Rome; a plaza with statues and fountains that is lined with shops and nighttime entertainment venues
fuerte Spanish for strong
fulminata armed with lightning; a Roman legion under Julius Caesar whose emblem was a lightning bolt (fulmen)
Gaea the Greek earth goddess; wife of Ouranos; mother of the Titans, giants, Cyclopes, and other monsters
Gamelion the seventh month of the Attic or Athenian calendar that was used in Attica, Greece, at one time; roughly equivalent to January/February on the Gregorian calendar
Germani bodyguards for the Roman Empire from the Gaulish and Germanic tribes
Greek fire a magical, highly explosive, viscous green liquid used as a weapon; one of the most dangerous substances on earth
Grove of Dodona the site of the oldest Greek Oracle, second only to Delphi in importance; the rustling of trees in the grove provided answers to priests and priestesses who journeyed to the site. The grove is located in Camp Half-Blood Forest and accessible only through the myrmekes’ lair.
Hades the Greek god of death and riches; ruler of the Underworld. Roman form: Pluto
Harpocrates the Ptolemaic god of silence and secrets, a Greek adaptation of Harpa-Khruti, Horus the Child, who was often depicted in art and statuary with his finger held up to his lips, a gesture symbolizing childhood
harpy a winged female creature that snatches things
Hecate the goddess of magic and crossroads
Hector a Trojan champion who was ultimately slain by the Greek warrior Achilles and then dragged by the heels behind Achilles’s chariot
Helios the Titan god of the sun; son of the Titan Hyperion and the Titaness Theia
Hephaestus the Greek god of fire, including volcanic, and of crafts and blacksmithing; the son of Zeus and Hera, and married to Aphrodite. Roman form: Vulcan
Hera the Greek goddess of marriage; Zeus’s wife and sister; Apollo’s stepmother. Roman form: Juno
Hermes the Greek god of travelers; guide to spirits of the dead; god of communication. Roman form: Mercury.
hippocampus a sea creature with a horse’s head and a fish’s body
Horatius Cocles a Roman officer who, according to legend, single-handedly defended the Sublician Bridge over the Tiber River from the invading Etruscan army
Hyacinthus a Greek hero and Apollo’s lover, who died while trying to impress Apollo with his discus skills
immortuos Latin for undead
Imperial gold a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Iris Greek goddess of the rainbow
jiangshi Chinese for zombie
Julius Caesar a Roman politician and general whose military accomplishments extended Rome’s territory and ultimately led to a civil war that enabled him to assume control of the government in 49 BCE. He was declared “dictator for life” and went on to institute social reforms that angered some powerful Romans. A group of senators conspired against him and assassinated him on March 15, 44 BCE.
Juno the Roman goddess of marriage; Jupiter’s wife and sister; Apollo’s stepmother. Greek form: Hera
Jupiter the Roman god of the sky and king of the gods. Greek form: Zeus
Jupiter Optimus Maximus Latin for Jupiter, the best and greatest god
Khromanda (Khromandae, pl.) a humanoid monster with gray eyes, a shaggy blond pelt, and doglike teeth; it can only communicate in loud shrieks
Koronis daughter of a king; one of Apollo’s girlfriends, who fell in love with another man. A white raven Apollo had left to guard her informed him of the affair. Apollo was so angry at the raven for failing to peck out the man’s eyes that he cursed the bird, scorching its feathers. Apollo sent his sister, Artemis, to kill Koronis, because he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Labyrinth an underground maze originally built on the island of Crete by the craftsman Daedalus to hold the Minotaur
lamia Roman term for zombie
Lar (Lares, pl.) Roman house gods
legionnaire a member of the Roman army
Lemurian from the ancient continent of Lemuria, now lost, but once thought to be located in the Indian Ocean
Leto mother of Artemis and Apollo with Zeus; goddess of motherhood
libri Latin for books
lictor an officer who carried a fasces and acted as a bodyguard for Roman officials
Little Tiber named after the Tiber River of Rome, the smaller river that forms the barrier of Camp Jupiter
Luna the moon Titan. Greek form: Selene
Lupa the wolf goddess, guardian spirit of Rome
maenad a female follower of Dionysus/Bacchus, often associated with frenzy
manubalista a Roman heavy crossbow
Mars the Roman god of war. Greek form: Ares
Medea a Greek enchantress, daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis and granddaughter of the Titan sun god, Helios; wife of the hero Jason, whom she helped obtain the Golden Fleece
Meleager a prince who the Fates predicted would die when a piece of firewood was consumed. When his mother discovered that Meleager had killed her two brothers, she threw the wood into the fire, bringing about his death.
Meliai Greek nymphs of the ash tree, born of Gaea; they nurtured and raised Zeus in Crete
Mercury the Roman god of travelers; guide to spirits of the dead; god of communication. Greek form: Hermes
Minerva the Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena
Mist a magical force that prevents mortals from seeing gods, mythical creatures, and supernatural occurrences by replacing them with things the human mind can comprehend
Mount Olympus home of the Twelve Olympians
Mount Othrys a mountain in central Greece; the Titans’ base during the ten-year war between the Titans and the Olympians; the seat of the Titans in Marin County, California; known by mortals as Mount Tamalpais
Mount Vesuvius a volcano near the Bay of Naples in Italy that erupted in the year 79 CE, burying the Roman city of Pompeii under ash
muster a formal assembly of troops
myrmeke a giant antlike creature the size of a full-grown German shepherd. Myrmekes live in enormous anthills, where they store shiny loot, like gold. They spit poison and have nearly invincible body armor and vicious mandibles.
naiad a female water spirit
Nereid a spirit of the sea
Nero ruled as Roman Emperor from 54 to 58 CE; he had his mother and his first wife put to death; many believe he was responsible for setting a fire that gutted Rome, but he blamed the Christians, whom he burned on crosses; he built an extravagant new palace on the cleared land and lost support when construction expenses forced him to raise taxes; he committed suicide
New Rome both the valley in which Camp Jupiter is located and a city—a smaller, modern version of the imperial city—where Roman demigods can go to live in peace, study, and retire
Nine Muses goddesses who grant inspiration for and protect artistic creation and expression; daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; as children, they were taught by Apollo. Their names are: Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Erato, Polymnia, Ourania, and Calliope.
nuntius Latin for messenger
nymph a female deity who animates nature
Oliver Cromwell a
devout Puritan and influential political figure who led the parliamentary army during the English Civil War
Oracle of Delphi a speaker of the prophecies of Apollo
Ouranos the Greek personification of the sky; husband of Gaea; father of the Titans
Pan the Greek god of the Wild; the son of Hermes. Roman form: Faunus
pandos (pandai, pl.) a man with gigantic ears, eight fingers and toes, and a body covered with hair that starts out white and turns black with age
People’s Park a property located off Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California, that was the site of a major confrontation between student protestors and police in May 1969
Phlegethon the River of Fire in the Underworld
Pluto the Roman god of death and ruler of the Underworld. Greek form: Hades
Pomerian Line the border of Rome
Pompeii a Roman city that was destroyed in 79 CE when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried it under ash
Poseidon the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and the brother of Zeus and Hades. Roman form: Neptune
praetor an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
praetorium the living quarters for the praetors at Camp Jupiter
princeps Latin for first citizen or first in line; the early Roman emperors adopted this title for themselves, and it came to mean prince of Rome
principia the military headquarters for the praetors at Camp Jupiter
probatio the rank assigned to new members of the legion at Camp Jupiter
Ptolemaic relating to the Greco-Egyptian kings who ruled Egypt from 323 to 30 BCE
Python a monstrous dragon that Gaea appointed to guard the Oracle at Delphi
River Styx the river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld
Romulus a demigod son of Mars, twin brother of Remus; first king of Rome, who founded the city in 753 BCE
Saturnalia an ancient Roman festival held in December in honor of the god Saturn, the Roman equivalent of Kronos
satyr a Greek forest god, part goat and part man
Selene the moon Titan. Roman form: Luna
Senate a council of ten representatives elected from the legion at Camp Jupiter
Senate House the building at Camp Jupiter where the senators meet to discuss such issues as whether a quest should be granted or whether war should be declared
Sibyl a prophetess
Sibylline Books the Cumaean Sibyl’s prophecies—prescriptions for warding off disasters—dating back to ancient Roman times, collected in nine volumes, six of which were destroyed by the Sibyl herself. The three remaining books were sold to the last Roman king, Tarquin, and then lost over time. Ella the harpy read a copy of the three Books and is trying to reconstruct all the prophecies with her photographic memory and the help of Tyson the Cyclops.
sica (siccae, pl.) a short, curved sword
Somme a battle of World War I fought by the British and French against the Germans by the River Somme in France
Somnus the Roman god of sleep
spatha a Roman cavalry sword
spolia opima one-on-one combat between two opposing leaders in a war, the ultimate display of courage for a Roman; literally, spoils of war
strix (strixes, pl.) a large blood-drinking owl-like bird of ill omen
Stymphalian birds monstrous man-eating birds with sharp Celestial bronze beaks that can tear through flesh. They can also shoot their feathers at prey like arrows.
Styx a powerful water nymph; the eldest daughter of the sea Titan, Oceanus; goddess of the Underworld’s most important river; goddess of hatred; the River Styx is named after her
sub rosa Latin for under the rose, meaning sworn to secrecy
Subura a crowded lower-class area of ancient Rome
Summer of Love a gathering of more than 100,000 hippies or “flower children” in the San Francisco neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury during the summer of 1967 to enjoy art, music, and spiritual practices while also protesting the government and materialistic values
Tarquin Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the seventh and final king of Rome, reigning from 534 to 509 BCE, when, after a popular uprising, the Roman Republic was established
Temple Hill the site just outside the city limits of New Rome where the temples to all the gods are located
Terminus the Roman god of boundaries
Terpsichore the Greek goddess of dance; one of the Nine Muses
terza rima a form of verse consisting of three-line stanzas in which the first and third lines rhyme and the middle line rhymes with the first and third lines of following stanza
testudo a tortoise battle formation in which legionnaires put their shields together to form a barrier
Teumessian Fox a gigantic fox sent by the Olympians to prey upon the children of Thebes; it is destined never to be caught
Three Graces the three charities: Beauty, Mirth, and Elegance; daughters of Zeus
Tiber River the third-longest river in Italy; Rome was founded on its banks; in ancient Rome, criminals were thrown into the river
Titans a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaea and Ouranos, who ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians
trireme a Greek warship, having three tiers of oars on each side
triumvirate a political alliance formed by three parties
Trojan War According to legend, 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
Troy a pre-Roman city situated in modern-day Turkey; site of the Trojan War
Underworld the kingdom of the dead, where souls go for eternity; ruled by Hades
vappae Latin for spoiled wines
ventus (venti, pl.) storm spirits
Venus the Roman goddess of love and beauty. Greek form: Aphrodite
Via Praetoria the main road into Camp Jupiter that runs from the barracks to the headquarters
Vnicornes Imperant Latin for Unicorns Rule
vrykolakas (vrykolakai, pl.) Greek word for zombie
Vulcan the Roman god of fire, including volcanic, and of crafts and blacksmithing. Greek form: Hephaestus
Waystation a place of refuge for demigods, peaceful monsters, and Hunters of Artemis located above Union Station in Indianapolis, Indiana
Zeus the Greek god of the sky and the king of the gods. Roman form: Jupiter
RICK RIORDAN, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five New York Times #1 best-selling series. He is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, which bring Greek mythology to life for contemporary readers. He expanded on that series with two more: the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, which cleverly combine Greek and Roman gods and heroes with his beloved modern characters. Rick tackled the ancient Egyptian gods in the magic-filled Kane Chronicles trilogy, and Norse mythology in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Millions of fans across the globe have enjoyed his fast-paced and funny quest adventures as well as his two #1 best-selling myth collections, Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Rick is also the publisher of an imprint at Disney Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, dedicated to finding other authors of highly entertaining fiction based on world cultures and mythologies. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons. For more information, go to RickRiordan.com, or follow him on Twitter @camphalfblood.
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