absurdus out of place, discordant
Achilles the mightiest of the Greek demigods who fought in the Trojan War
Aesculapius the Roman god of medicine and healing
Alcyoneus the eldest of the giants born to Gaea, destined to fight Pluto
Amazons a nation of all-female warriors
Anaklusmos Riptide. The name of Percy Jackson’s sword.
argentum silver
Argonauts a band of Greek heroes who accompanied Jason on his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus.
augury a sign of something coming, an omen; the practice of divining the future
aurae invisible wind spirits
aurum gold
basilisk snake, literally “little crown”
Bellerophon a Greek demigod, son of Poseidon, who defeated monsters while riding on Pegasus
Bellona the Roman goddess of war
Byzantium the eastern empire that lasted another 1,000 years after Rome fell, under Greek influence
Celestial bronze a rare metal deadly to monsters
Centaur a race of creatures that is half human, half horse
centurion an officer of the Roman army
Cerberus the three-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld
Ceres the Roman goddess of agriculture
Charon the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron, which divide the world of the living from the world of the dead
cognomen third name
cohort a Roman military unit
Cyclops a member of a primordial race of giants (Cyclopes, pl.), each with a single eye in the middle of his or her forehead
denarius (denarii, pl.) the most common coin in the Roman currency system
drachma the silver coin of ancient Greece
Elysium the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous in the Underworld
Erebos a place of darkness between Earth and Hades
faun a Roman forest god, part goat and part man. Greek form: satyr
Fields of Asphodel the section of the Underworld where the souls of people who lived lives of equal good and evil rest
Fields of Punishment the section of the Underworld where evil souls are eternally tortured
Fortuna the Roman goddess of fortune and good luck
Fulminata armed with lightning. A Roman legion under Julius Caesar whose emblem was a lightning bolt (fulmen).
Gaea the earth goddess; mother of Titans, giants, Cyclopes, and other monsters. Known to the Romans as Terra
Gegenes earthborn monsters
gladius a short sword
gorgons three monstrous sisters (Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa) who have hair of living, venomous snakes; Medusa’s eyes can turn the beholder to stone
graecus Greek; enemy; outsider
greaves shin armor
gris-gris a voodoo amulet that protects from evil or brings luck
harpy a winged female creature that snatches things
Hercules the Roman equivalent of Heracles; the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, who was born with great strength
Hyperboreans peaceful northern giants
ichor the golden blood of immortals
Imperial gold a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors
Iris the rainbow goddess
Juno Roman goddess of women, marriage, and fertility; sister and wife of Jupiter; mother of Mars. Greek form: Hera
Jupiter Roman king of the gods; also called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the best and the greatest). Greek form: Zeus
karpoi grain spirits
Laistrygonians tall cannibals from the north, possibly the source of the Sasquatch legend
Lar house god, ancestral spirit (Lares, pl.)
legion the major unit of the Roman army, consisting of infantry and cavalry troops
legionnaire a member of a legion
Liberalia a Roman festival that celebrated a boy’s rite of passage into manhood
Lupa the sacred Roman she-wolf that nursed the foundling twins Romulus and Remus
Mars the Roman god of war; also called Mars Ultor. Patron of the empire; divine father of Romulus and Remus. Greek form: Ares
Minerva Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena
Mist magic force that disguises things from mortals
Mount Othrys the base of the Titans during the ten-year war with the Olympian gods; Saturn’s headquarters
muster formal military inspection
nebulae cloud nymphs
Neptune the Roman god of the sea. Greek form: Poseidon
Otrera first Amazon queen, daughter of Ares pallium a cloak or mantle worn by the Romans Pantheon a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome
Penthesilea a queen of the Amazons; daughter of Ares and Otrera, another Amazon queen
Periclymenus a Greek prince of Pylos and a son of Poseidon, who granted him the ability to shape-shift. He was renowned for his strength and participated in the voyage of the Argonauts.
Phineas a son of Poseidon, who had the gift of prophecy. When he revealed too much of the plans of the gods, Zeus punished him by blinding him.
pilum a Roman spear
Pluto the Roman god of death and riches. Greek equivalent: Hades
Polybotes the giant son of Gaea, the Earth Mother
praetor an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army
Priam the king of Troy during the Trojan War principia the headquarters of a Roman camp probatio testing period for a new recruit in a legion pugio a Roman dagger
Queen Hippolyta’s belt Hippolyta wore a golden waist belt, a gift from her
father, Ares, that signified her Amazonian queenship and also gave her strength.
retiarius Roman gladiator who fought with a net and trident
River Styx the river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld
Romulus and Remus the twin sons of Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia who were thrown into the River Tiber by their human father, Amulius. They were rescued and raised by a she-wolf and, upon reaching adulthood, founded Rome.
Saturn the Roman god of agriculture, the son of Uranus and Gaea and the father of Jupiter. Greek equivalent:Kronos
scorpion ballista a Roman missile siege weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target
Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) “The Senate and People of Rome”; refers to the government of the Roman Republic and is used as an official emblem of Rome
shades spirits
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.
spartus a skeleton warrior
spatha a cavalry sword
Stygian iron like Celestial bronze and Imperial gold, a magical metal capable of killing monsters
Tartarus husband of Gaea; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants; also the lowest region of the world
Terminus the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks
Thanatos the Greek god of death. Roman equivalent: Letus
Tiber River the third-longest river in Italy. Rome was founded on its banks.
In ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the river.
trireme a type of warship
triumph a ceremonial procession for Roman generals and their troops in celebration of a great military victory
Trojan War the war that was waged against the city of Troy by the Greeks after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband, Menelaus, the king of Sparta. It started with a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
Read Next Book –The Mark of Athena
