Authors: Rick Riordan
Imperial gold
a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Iris
the Greek goddess of the rainbow, and a messenger of the gods
Julian dynasty
the time period measured from the battle of Actium (31
BCE
) to the death of Nero (68
CE
)
karpoi
(
karpos
, sing.) grain spirits
kouretes
armored dancers who guarded the infant Zeus from his father, Kronos
Kronos
the youngest of the twelve Titans; the son of Ouranos and Gaea; the father of Zeus; he killed his father at his mother’s bidding; Titan lord of fate, harvest, justice, and time; Roman form: Saturn
Labyrinth
an underground maze originally built on the island of Crete by the craftsman Daedalus to hold the Minotaur
Laomedon
a Trojan king whom Poseidon and Apollo were sent to serve after they offended Zeus
Lepidus
a Roman patrician and military commander who was in a triumvirate with Octavian and Marc Antony
Leto
mother of Artemis and Apollo with Zeus; goddess of motherhood
Lupercalia
a pastoral festival, observed on February 13 through 15, to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility
Lydia
a province in ancient Rome; the double ax originated there, along with the use of coins and retail shops
Marc Antony
a Roman politician and general; part of the triumvirate, with Lepidus and Octavian, who together tracked down and defeated Caesar’s killers; had an enduring affair with Cleopatra
Marsyas
a satyr who lost to Apollo after challenging him in a musical contest, which led to Marsyas being flayed alive
Medea
a follower of Hecate and one of the great sorceresses of the ancient world
Midas
a king with the power to transform anything he touched to gold; he selected Marsyas as the winner in the musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, resulting in Apollo giving Midas the ears of a donkey
Minos
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
Minotaur
the half-man, half-bull son of King Minos of Crete; the Minotaur was kept in the Labyrinth, where he killed people who were sent in; he was finally defeated by Theseus
Mithridates
king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia (now Turkey) from about 120 to 63
BCE
; one of the Roman Republic’s most formidable and successful enemies, who engaged three of the prominent generals from the late Roman Republic in the Mithridatic Wars
Mount Olympus
home of the Twelve Olympians
myrmeke
a giant antlike creature that poisons and paralyzes its prey before eating it; known for protecting various metals, particularly gold
Nemesis
the Greek goddess of revenge
Nero
Roman emperor from 54 to 68
CE
; the last in the Julian dynasty
New Rome
a community near Camp Jupiter where demigods can live together in peace, without interference from mortals or monsters
Nike
the Greek goddess of strength, speed, and victory
Nine Muses
Greek goddesses of literature, science, and the arts, who have inspired artists and writers for centuries
Niobe
daughter of Tantalus and Dione; suffered the loss of her six sons and six daughters, who were killed by Apollo and Artemis as a punishment for her pride
nosoi
(
nosos
, sing.) spirits of plague and disease
nymph
a female nature deity who animates nature
Octavian
the founder and first emperor of the Roman Empire; adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar (
see also
Caesar Augustus)
Odysseus
legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer’s epic poem
The Odyssey
Ogygia
the island home—and prison—of the nymph Calypso
omphalus
stones used to mark the center—or navel—of the world
Oracle of Delphi
a speaker of the prophecies of Apollo
Oracle of Trophonius
a Greek who was transformed into an Oracle after his death; located at the Cave of Trophonius; known for terrifying those who seek him
Ouranos
the Greek personification of the sky; father of the Titans
palikoi
(
palikos
, sing.) twin sons of Zeus and Thaleia; the gods of geysers and thermal springs
Pan
the Greek god of the wild; the son of Hermes
Pandora
the first human woman created by the gods; endowed with a unique gift from each; released evil into the world by opening a jar
Parthenon
a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena located at the Athenian Acropolis in Greece
Patroclus
son of Menoetius; he shared a deep friendship with Achilles after being raised alongside him; he was killed while fighting in the Trojan War
pegasus
(
pegasi
, pl.) a winged divine horse; sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god
Peleus
father of Achilles; his wedding to the sea-nymph Thetis was well attended by the gods, and a disagreement between them at the event eventually lead to the Trojan War; the guardian dragon at Camp Half-Blood is named after him
Persephone
the Greek queen of the Underworld; wife of Hades; daughter of Zeus and Demeter
phalanx
(
phalanxes
, pl.) a compact body of heavily armed troops
Phidias
a famous ancient Greek sculptor who created the Athena Parthenos and many others
Polyphemus
the gigantic one-eyed son of Poseidon and Thoosa; one of the Cyclopes
Poseidon
the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Hades
praetor
an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
Primordial Chaos
the first thing ever to exist; a void from which the first gods were produced
Prometheus
the Titan who created humans and gifted them with fire stolen from Mount Olympus
Pythia
the name given to every Oracle of Delphi
Python
a monstrous serpent that Gaea appointed to guard the Oracle at Delphi
Rhea Silvia
the queen of the Titans, mother of Zeus
Riptide
the name of Percy Jackson’s sword;
Anaklusmos
in Greek
River Styx
the river that forms the boundary between earth and the Underworld
Saturnalia
an ancient Roman festival celebrating Saturn (Kronos)
satyr
a Greek forest god, part goat and part man
shadow-travel
a form of transportation that allows creatures of the Underworld and children of Hades to use shadows to leap to any desired place on earth or in the Underworld, although it makes the user extremely fatigued
Sibyl
a prophetess
Sibylline Books
a collection of prophecies in rhyme written in Greek; Tarquinius Superbus, a king of Rome, bought them from a prophetess and consulted them in times of great danger
siccae
a short curved sword used for battle in ancient Rome
Sparta
a city-state in ancient Greece with military dominance
Stygian iron
a magical metal, forged in the River Styx, capable of absorbing the very essence of monsters and injuring mortals, gods, Titans, and giants; has a significant effect on ghosts and creatures from the Underworld
Talos
a giant mechanical man made of bronze and used on Crete to guard its shoreline from invaders
Tantalus
According to legend, 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 be able to drink or eat
Tartarus
husband of Gaea; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants; a region of the Underworld
Theodosius
the last to rule over the united Roman Empire; known for closing all ancient temples across the empire
Thracian
of Thrace, a region centered on the modern borders of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey
Titan War
the epic ten-year battle between the Titans and the Olympians that resulted in the Olympians taking the throne
Titans
a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaea and Ouranos, that 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 Roman city situated in modern-day Turkey; site of the Trojan War
Tyche
the Greek goddess of good fortune; daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite
Typhon
the most terrifying Greek monster; father of many famous monsters, including Cerberus, the vicious multi-headed dog tasked with guarding the entrance to the Underworld
Underworld
the kingdom of the dead, where souls go for eternity; ruled by Hades
Zephyros
the Greek god of the West Wind
Zeus
the Greek god of the sky and the king of the gods
RICK RIORDAN
, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by
Publishers Weekly
, is the author of four
New York Times
#1 best-selling series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology. His two Greek myth collections,
Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods
and
Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes
, illustrated by John Rocco, were
New York Times
#1 best sellers as well. Rick lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons. To learn more about him, visit his Web site at
www.rickriordan.com
.