The Lost Hero: Chapters 1–8

by Rick Riordan
This first book of The Heroes of Olympus series introduces fifteen-year-olds Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez, who are unaware that they are demigods until they are attacked on a school field trip and transported to Camp Half-Blood, where they also learn that Percy Jackson has disappeared and Hera has been imprisoned.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–18, Chapters 19–27, Chapters 28–41, Chapters 42–56

Here are links to our lists for the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apprehensive
    in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
    Jason glanced apprehensively at the other kids: maybe twenty guys, half that many girls. None of them looked like hardened criminals, but he wondered what they’d all done to get sentenced to a school for delinquents, and he wondered why he belonged with them.
  2. amnesia
    partial or total loss of memory
    He thought he’d remember if he’d been going out with a girl like Piper.
    “He’s got amnesia or something,” Piper said.
  3. scoff
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Leo scoffed. “Who, Coach Hedge? He’d try to fix Jason by whacking him upside the head.”
  4. clique
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    Jason figured these girls were the popular clique. They wore matching jeans and pink tops and enough makeup for a Halloween party.
  5. stratum
    one of several parallel layers of material
    For another thing, he didn’t have any idea how to “name three sedimentary strata you observe” or “describe two examples of erosion.”
  6. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    Funnel clouds snaked toward the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.
  7. crude
    not carefully or expertly made
    Coach Hedge lifted his baseball bat—but it wasn’t a regular bat anymore. Somehow it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.
  8. materialize
    come into being; become reality
    Dylan pointed at Leo, and a funnel cloud materialized around him.
  9. coronary
    an obstruction of blood flow in an artery of the heart
    Hedge kicked off his shoes, and Jason almost had a coronary. The coach didn’t have any feet. He had hooves—goat’s hooves.
  10. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Piper was screaming defiantly, but it all sounded tinny and far away.
  11. gale
    a strong wind moving 34–40 knots
    Above them, the storm exploded into a full-force gale.
  12. torrent
    a violently fast stream of water or other liquid
    Leo, Jason, and the coach surged forward to help, but the spirit screamed with rage. He let loose a torrent that knocked them all backward.
  13. grapple
    grip or seize, as in a wrestling match
    Leo dropped safely to the floor, but Dylan grappled the coach’s arms instead.
  14. canter
    go at a smooth three-beat gait, of horses
    The flying horses tucked in their wings and cantered nervously across the glass, as if they sensed it was near breaking.
  15. equestrian
    a person skilled in riding horses
    “Butch is our best equestrian,” Annabeth said. “He gets along great with the pegasi.”
  16. disoriented
    having lost your bearings
    She was underwater, so disoriented that she didn’t know which way was up.
  17. kleptomaniac
    someone with an irrational urge to steal
    Whoever her mother was, Piper had no reason to think she’d be proud to claim a kleptomaniac daughter with massive problems.
  18. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Piper looked at the blade again. For a moment, her own image stared up at her, but then the reflection changed. She saw flames, and a grotesque face like something carved from bedrock.
  19. emblazon
    decorate, adorn, or inscribe with a design
    The Zeus cabin reminded Piper of a bank. It was white marble with big columns out front and polished bronze doors emblazoned with lightning bolts.
  20. threshold
    the entrance for passing through a room or building
    Piper pointed at a footprint on the dusty threshold. On instinct, she pushed the doors and they swung open easily.
  21. brazier
    large metal container in which coal or charcoal is burned
    At the goddess’s feet, a fire burned in a bronze brazier.
  22. plait
    a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
    The goddess’s hair was done in black plaits.
  23. moor
    secure with cables or ropes
    Real Greek warships moored at the beach that sometimes had practice fights with flaming arrows and explosives?
  24. forge
    move ahead steadily
    Will forged ahead before Leo could ask anything else.
  25. hydraulic
    moved or operated or effected by liquid
    The entrance was like a bank vault door, circular and several feet thick. It opened with lots of brass gears turning and hydraulic pistons blowing smoke.
  26. implement
    a piece of equipment or a tool used for a specific purpose
    The walls were lined with every kind of power tool Leo could imagine, plus a huge assortment of knives, swords, and other implements of destruction.
  27. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    Last summer, he’d been on the run from another foster home. Then a truancy officer caught him in New Mexico, and the court sentenced him to the nearest correctional facility—the Wilderness School.
  28. haywire
    not functioning properly
    Then after the war, things started to go wrong. Cabin Nine’s chariots blew up. Their automatons went haywire. Their inventions started to malfunction.
  29. subdue
    hold within limits and control
    If they could do something only Beckendorf could do, if they could subdue the dragon without killing it, then maybe their curse would be lifted.
  30. falter
    speak haltingly
    “Quis erat—" Jason faltered, then made a conscious effort to speak English. “What was that?”
  31. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    Would you attack your patron? the woman chided. Her voice echoed in Jason’s head. Lower your sword.
  32. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
    Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger.
  33. reverberate
    ring or echo with sound
    Before Chiron could say anything, footsteps reverberated on the porch outside.
  34. loll
    hang loosely or laxly
    The front door blew open, and Annabeth and another girl, a redhead, burst in, dragging Piper between them. Piper’s head lolled like she was unconscious.
  35. premonition
    an early warning about a future event
    As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera’s cabin.
  36. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    Apparently she’d just noticed Jason’s sword sitting on the coffee table. She touched the blade gingerly, like it might be hot.
  37. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
    Jason was afraid he’d end up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but he closed his eyes. His thoughts became murky, as if he were sinking into a dark lake.
  38. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “But it was tense. You almost dissolved.”
    Jason hoped she didn’t mean literally, but her expression was solemn.
  39. attribute
    a characteristic that distinguishes objects or individuals
    “Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, or Pompona. But even the major Greek gods—it’s not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities.”
  40. discipline
    training to improve strength or self-control
    “They stood for discipline, honor, strength—”
Created on Tue Apr 25 13:59:45 EDT 2017 (updated Sat Aug 19 09:22:41 EDT 2023)

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