The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 5)
The Blood of Olympus: Glossary

Acropolis the ancient citadel of Athens, Greece, containing the oldest temples to the gods

Actaeon a hunter who spied Artemis while she was bathing. She was so angered by the idea of a mortal seeing her naked that she turned him into a stag.

Ad aciem Latin for Assume battle stance

Aeolus lord of all winds

Alcyoneus the eldest of the giants born to Gaia, destined to fight Pluto

amphora a tall ceramic wine jar

Antinous the leader of the suitors for Odysseus’s wife, Queen Penelope. Odysseus killed him by shooting him through the neck with an arrow.

Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was married to Hephaestus, but she loved Ares, the god of war. Roman form: Venus

Aphros the music and poetry teacher at an underwater camp for mer-heroes. He is one of the half brothers of Chiron.

Apollo the Greek god of the sun, prophecy, music and healing; the son of Zeus, and the twin of Artemis. Roman form: Apollo

Aquilo Roman god of the north wind. Greek form: Boreas

ara (arai, pl.) female spirits of curses; wrinkled hags with bat-like wings, brass talons and glowing red eyes; daughters of Nyx (night)

Ares the Greek god of war; the son of Zeus and Hera, and half brother to Athena. Roman form: Mars

Artemis the Greek goddess of nature and hunting; the daughter of Zeus and Hera, and twin to Apollo. Roman form: Diana

Asclepeion a hospital and medical school in Ancient Greece

Asclepius the healing god; son of Apollo; his temple was the healing centre of Ancient Greece

Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom. Roman form: Minerva

Augustus the founder of the Roman Empire and its first emperor, ruling from 27 B.C.E. until his death in 14 C.E.

auxilia Latin for helps; the standing non-citizen corps of the Imperial Roman army

Ave Romae Latin for Hail, Romans

Bacchus the Roman god of wine and revelry. Greek form: Dionysus

Banastre Tarleton a British commander in the American Revolution who gained infamy for his part in the slaughter of surrendering Continental Army troops during the Battle of Waxhaws

Barrachina a restaurant in San Juan, Puerto Rico; birthplace of the piña colada

Bellona a Roman goddess of war

bifurcum Latin for private parts

Boreas god of the north wind. Roman form: Aquilo

Briares older brother of the Titans and Cyclopes; son of Gaia and Ouranos. The last of the Hundred-Handed Ones still alive.

Bythos combat trainer at an underwater camp for mer-heroes; half brother of Chiron

Calypso the goddess nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia; a daughter of the Titan Atlas. She detained the hero Odysseus for many years.

Ceres the Roman goddess of agriculture. Greek form: Demeter

chlamys a Greek garment; a white wool cloak loosely wrapped and pinned at the shoulder

Circe a Greek sorceress who once turned Odysseus’s men into pigs

Clytius a giant created by Gaia to absorb and defeat all of Hecate’s magic

coquà the common name for several species of small frogs indigenous to Puerto Rico

cuneum formate a Roman military manoeuvre in which infantry formed a wedge to charge and break enemy lines

Cupid Roman god of love. Greek form: Eros

Cyclops (Cyclopes, pl.) a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his or her forehead

cynocephali (cynocephalus, sing.) dog-headed monsters

Damasen giant son of Tartarus and Gaia; created to oppose Ares; condemed to Tartarus for slaying a drakon that was ravaging the land

Deimos fear, the twin of Phobos (panic), son of Ares and Aphrodite

Delos the island birthplace of Apollo and Artemis in Greece

Demeter the Greek goddess of agriculture, a daughter of the Titans Rhea and Kronos. Roman form: Ceres

Diana the Roman goddess of nature and hunting. Greek form: Artemis

Dies Roman goddess of the day. Greek form: Hemera

Diocletian 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.

Dionysus the Greek god of wine and revelry, a son of Zeus. Roman form: Bacchus

dracaena (dracanae, pl.) female reptilian humanoids with snake trunks instead of legs

drakon gigantic yellow and green serpent-like monster, with frills around its neck, reptilian eyes and huge talons; it spits poison

Earthborn Gegenees in Greek; monsters with six arms that wear only a loincloth

Eiaculare flammas Latin for Launch flaming arrows

Enceladus a giant created by Gaia specifically to destroy the goddess Athena

Ephialtes a giant created by Gaia specifically to destroy the god Dionysus/Bacchus; twin brother of Otis

Epidaurus a Greek coastal town where the sanctuary of the physician god Asclepius was located

Epirus a region presently in northwestern Greece, site of the House of Hades

Erechtheion the temple to both Athena and Poseidon in Athens

Eros Greek god of love. Roman form: Cupid

espresso strong coffee made by forcing steam through finely ground dark-roast coffee beans

Eurymachus one of the suitors of Odysseus’s wife, Queen Penelope

Évora a Portuguese city still partially enclosed by mediaeval walls, with a large number of historic monuments, including a Roman temple

fartura a Portuguese pastry

Field of Mars a publicly owned area of Ancient Rome; also the practice field at Camp Jupiter

filia Romana girl of Rome

frigidarium a room in a Roman bath with cold water

Furies Roman goddesses of vengeance; usually characterized as three sisters : Alecto, Tisiphone and Magaera; the children of Gaia and Ouranus. They reside in the Underworld, tormenting evil-doers and sinners. Greek form: the Erinyes

Gaia the Greek earth goddess; mother of Titans, giants, Cyclopes and other monsters. Roman form: Terra

Gaius Vitellius Reticulus a member of the Roman legion when it was first created; a medic during the time of Julius Caesar; now a Lar (ghost) at Camp Jupiter

geminus (gemini, pl.) half human, half snake; the original Athenians

Hades the Greek god of death and riches. Roman form: Pluto

Hasdrubal of Carthage king of Ancient Carthage, in present day Tunisia, from 530 to 510 B.C.E.; he was elected as ‘king’ eleven times and was granted a triumph four times, the only Carthaginian ever to receive this honour

Hebe the Greek goddess of youth; daughter of Zeus and Hera. Roman form: Juventas

Hecate goddess of magic and crossroads; controls the Mist; daughter of Titans Perses and Asteria

Hemera Greek goddess of day; daughter of Erebos (darkness) and Nyx (night). Roman form: Dies

Hephaestus the Greek god of fire and crafts and of blacksmiths; the son of Zeus and Hera, and married to Aphrodite. Roman form: Vulcan

Hera the Greek goddess of marriage; Zeus’s wife and sister. Roman form: Juno

Hermes Greek god of travellers; guide to spirits of the dead; god of communication. Roman form: Mercury

Hippias a tyrant of Athens who, after he was deposed, sided with the Persians against his own people

hippodrome an oval stadium for horse and chariot races in Ancient Greece

Hippolytus a giant created to be the bane of Hermes

House of Hades a place in the Underworld where Hades, the Greek god of death, and his wife, Persephone, rule over the souls of the departed; also the name of an old temple in Epirus in Greece

Hundred-Handed Ones children of Gaia and Ouranos with one hundred hands and fifty faces; elder brothers of the Cyclopes; primeval gods of violent storms

Hygeia goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation; daughter of the god of medicine, Asclepius

Hypnos Greek god of sleep. Roman form: Somnus

Invidia the Roman goddess of revenge. Greek form: Nemesis

Iris goddess of the rainbow and a messenger of the gods

Iros an old man who ran errands for the suitors for Odysseus’s wife, Queen Penelope, in exchange for scraps of food

Ithaca a Greek island and home to Odysseus’s palace, which the Greek hero had to rid of suitors for his queen after the Trojan War

Janus Roman god of doorways, beginnings and transitions; depicted as having two faces, because he looks to the future and to the past

Juno the Roman goddess of women, marriage and fertility; sister and wife of Jupiter; mother of Mars. Greek form: Hera

Jupiter the Roman king of the gods; also called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the best and the greatest). Greek form: Zeus

Juventas the Roman goddess of youth; daughter of Zeus and Hera. Greek form: Hebe

Kekrops leader of the gemini : half human, half snake. He was the founder of Athens and judged the dispute between Athena and Poseidon. He chose Athena as the city’s patron and was the first to build a shrine to her.

Kerkopes a pair of chimpanzee-like dwarfs who steal shiny things and create chaos

Keto an ancient marine goddess and the mother of most sea monsters; daughter of Pontus and Gaia; sister of Phorcys

Khione the Greek goddess of snow; daughter of Boreas

Khios the fifth largest of the Greek islands, in the Aegean Sea, off the west coast of Turkey

Kronos 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

Kymopoleia minor Greek goddess of violent sea storms; nymph daughter of Poseidon and wife of Briares, a Hundred-Handed One

Laistrygonian ogre a monster giant cannibal from the far north

Little Tiber a river that flows in Camp Jupiter. Though not as large as the original Tiber River in Rome, it flows with as much power and is able to wash away Greek blessings.

Lupa the sacred Roman she-wolf that nursed the foundling twins Romulus and Remus

Lycaon a king of Arcadia who tested Zeus’s omniscience by serving him the roasted flesh of a guest. Zeus punished him by transforming him into a wolf.

makhai the spirits of battle and combat

mania a Greek spirit of insanity

manticore a creature with a human head, a lion’s body and a scorpion’s tail

Mars the Roman god of war; also called Mars Ultor. Patron of the empire; divine father of Romulus and Remus. Greek form: Ares

medius Latin for middle

Medusa a priestess whom Athena turned into a gorgon when she caught Medusa with Poseidon in Athena’s temple. Medusa has snakes for hair and can turn people to stone if they look directly into her eyes.

Mercury Roman messenger of the gods; god of trade, profit and commerce. Greek form: Hermes

Merope one of the seven Pleiades, star-nymph daughters of the Titan Atlas

Mimas a giant created to be the bane of Ares

Minerva the Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena

mofongo a fried plantain-based dish from Puerto Rico

Mykonos a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos

Nemesis the Greek goddess of revenge. Roman form: Invidia

Neptune the Roman god of the sea. Greek form: Poseidon

Nereids fifty female sea spirits; patrons of sailors and fishermen and caretakers of the sea’s bounty

Nestor’s Cave the spot where Hermes hid the cattle he stole from Apollo

Nike the Greek goddess of strength, speed and victory. Roman form: Victoria

numina montanum Roman mountain god. Greek form: ourae

Nyx goddess of night, one of the ancient, firstborn elemental gods

Odysseus legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Roman form: Ulysses

Olympia the most ancient and probably most famous sanctuary in Greece, and home of the Olympic Games. Located in the western region of the Peloponnese.

onager a giant siege weapon

Oracle of Delphi a speaker of the prophecies of Apollo. The current Oracle is Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Orbem formate! At this command, Roman legionnaires assumed a circle-like formation with archers placed among and behind them to provide missile fire support.

Orcus the Underworld god of eternal punishment and broken vows

Orion a giant huntsman who became the most loyal and valued of Artemis’s attendants. In a jealous rage, Apollo drove Orion mad with bloodlust until the giant was slain by a scorpion. Heartbroken, Artemis transformed her beloved hunting companion into a constellation to honour his memory.

Otis a giant created by Gaia specifically to destroy the god Dionysus/Bacchus; twin brother of Ephialtes

ourae Greek for mountain gods. Roman form: numina montanum

Ouranos father of the Titans; the sky god. The Titans defeated him by calling him down to the earth. They got him away from his home territory, ambushed him, held him down and cut him up.

panaderÃa Spanish for bakery

Parthenon a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the goddess Athena. Its construction began in 447 B.C.E., when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power.

Pegasus a winged divine horse; sired by Poseidon in his role as horse god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa; the brother of Chrysaor

Pelopion a funerary monument to Pelops located in Olympia, Greece

Peloponnese a large peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece, separated from the northern part of the country by the Gulf of Corinth

Pelops According to Greek myth, the son of Tantalus and the grandson of Zeus. When he was a boy, his father cut him into pieces, cooked him and served him as a feast for the gods. The gods detected the trick and restored him to life.

Penelope Queen of Ithaca and Odysseus’s wife. During her husband’s twenty-year absence, she remained faithful to him, fending off a hundred arrogant suitors.

Periboia a giantess; the youngest daughter of Porphyrion, the king of the giants

Phobos panic, the twin of Deimos (fear), son of Ares and Aphrodite

Philip of Macedonia a king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon from 359 B.C.E. until his assassination in 336 B.C.E. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.

Phlegethon 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

Phorcys a primordial god of the dangers of the sea; son of Gaia; brother-husband of Keto

piragua a frozen treat made of shaved ice and covered with fruit-flavoured syrup, from Puerto Rico

Pluto the Roman god of death and riches. Greek form: Hades

Polybotes the giant son of Gaia, the Earth Mother; born to kill Poseidon

Pompeii In 79 C.E., this Roman town near modern Naples was destroyed when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered it in ash, killing thousands of people.

Pontifex Maximus Roman high priest to the gods

Porphyrion the king of the Giants in Greek and Roman mythology

Poseidon the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Hades. Roman form: Neptune

praetor elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army

propylon an outer monumental gateway standing before a main gateway (as of a temple)

Pylos a town in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece

Python a monstrous serpent that Gaia appointed to guard the oracle at Delphi

Repellere equites Latin for Repel horsemen; a square formation used by Roman infantry to resist cavalry

retiarius a gladiator who uses a trident and a weighted net

Romulus 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 rescued and raised by a she-wolf. Upon reaching adulthood, they founded Rome.

Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) meaning ‘The Senate and People of Rome’, refers to the government of the Roman Republic and is used as an official emblem of Rome

shadow-travel 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

Sibylline Books 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.

Somnus Roman god of sleep. Greek form: Hypnos

Spartans citizens of the Greek city Sparta; soldiers of Ancient Sparta, especially its renowned infantry

Spes goddess of hope; the Feast of Spes, the Day of Hope, falls on 1 August

Straits of Corinth a shipping canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea

Tartarus husband of Gaia; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants; also the lowest part of the Underworld

Terminus the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks

Terra the Roman goddess of the earth. Greek form: Gaia

Thoon a giant born to kill the Three Fates

Three Fates 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.

Titans a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Ouranos and Gaia, who ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians

Ulysses Roman form of Odysseus

Venus the Roman goddess of love and beauty. She was married to Vulcan, but she loved Mars, the god of war. Greek form: Aphrodite

Victoria the Roman goddess of strength, speed and victory. Greek form: Nike

Vulcan the Roman god of fire and crafts and of blacksmiths; the son of Jupiter and Juno, and married to Venus. Greek form: Hephaestus

Zeus Greek god of the sky and king of the gods. Roman form: Jupiter

Zoë Nightshade a daughter of Atlas who was exiled and later joined the Hunters of Artemis, becoming the loyal lieutenant of Artemis