The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)(15)

Where do Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth find a home?

GREEK GODS CHARACTERISTICS ROMAN GODS The patroness of love and beauty God of music, prophecy, medicine, poetry (loves haikus!), and intellectual inquiry A love of violence makes this god of war a fearsome avenger Zeus’s sister, she is credited for teaching man to farm The god of wine who loves parties, but is kind of a grump. In Roman form, he becomes more disciplined and warlike. Born from chaos, this “Mother Earth” is anything but maternal to the Olympians! One of the “big three,” he’s the god of wealth and the dead, and the king of the underworld A daughter of the Titans, this goddess is often seen as the patroness of magic God of fire and patron of craftsmen; his forges were associated with earthquakes and volcanoes As Zeus’s wife, she’s the queen of the gods, and a powerful goddess in her own right He travels all over as the god of roads, speed, messengers, commerce, travel, thieves, merchants, and mail deliverers She loves rainbows and keeps busy relaying messages to and from gods, demigods, and even Titans These deities both represent the passage of time—personified by age in Greece, by gateways and beginnings/endings in Rome The only god on this list with horns (he’s a satyr), he’s a patron of the Wild and protector of flocks and herds God of the sea, earthquakes, fresh water, and horses—also, Percy Jackson’s dad! Powerful and proud, he’s the king of the gods and associated with law, justice, and morality

ANSWER KEY GREEK

GODS CHARACTERISTICS ROMAN

GODS (3)

Aphrodite The patroness of love and beauty (G)

Venus (14)

Apollo God of music, prophecy, medicine, poetry (loves haikus!), and intellectual inquiry (H)

Apollo (8)

Ares A love of violence makes this god of war a fearsome avenger (N)

Mars (7)

Demeter Zeus’s sister, she is credited for teaching man to farm (E)

Ceres (12)

Dionysus The god of wine who loves parties, but is kind of a grump. In Roman form, he becomes more disciplined and warlike. (F)

Bacchus (10)

Gaea Born from chaos, this “Mother Earth” is anything but maternal to the Olympians! (M)

Terra (13)

Hades One of the “big three,” he’s the god of wealth and the dead, and the king of the underworld (O)

Pluto (16)

Hecate A daughter of the Titans, this goddess is often seen as the patroness of magic (P)

Trivia (1)

Hephaestus God of fire and patron of craftsmen; his forges were associated with earthquakes and volcanoes (C)

Vulcan (9)

Hera As Zeus’s wife, she’s the queen of the gods, and a powerful goddess in her own right (D)

Juno (5)

Hermes He travels all over as the god of roads, speed, messengers, commerce, travel, thieves, merchants, and mail deliverers (I)

Mercury (15)

Iris She loves rainbows and keeps busy relaying messages to and from gods, demigods, and even Titans (J)

Arcus (2)

Kronos These deities both represent the passage of time—personified by age in Greece, by gateways and beginnings/endings in Rome (K)

Janus (11)

Pan The only god on this list with horns (he’s a satyr), he’s a patron of the Wild and protector of flocks and herds (B)

Faunus (4)

Poseidon God of the sea, earthquakes, fresh water, and horses—also, Percy Jackson’s dad! (L)

Neptune (6)

Zeus Powerful and proud, he’s the king of the gods and associated with law, justice, and morality (A)

Jupiter

CODED MESSAGE ANSWER

Camp Half-Blood

Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes

ANNABETH AND I WERE RELAXING on the Great Lawn in Central Park when she ambushed me with a question.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

I went into red-alert mode. It’s easy to panic when you’re a new boyfriend. Sure, I’d fought monsters with Annabeth for years. Together we’d faced the wrath of the gods. We’d battled Titans and calmly faced death a dozen times. But now that we were dating, one frown from her and I freaked. What had I done wrong?

I mentally reviewed the picnic list: Comfy blanket? Check. Annabeth’s favorite pizza with extra olives? Check. Chocolate toffee from La Maison du Chocolat? Check. Chilled sparkling water with twist of lemon? Check. Weapons in case of sudden Greek mythological apocalypse? Check.

So what had I forgotten?

I was tempted (briefly) to bluff my way through. Two things stopped me. First, I didn’t want to lie to Annabeth. Second, she was too smart. She’d see right through me.

So I did what I do best. I stared at her blankly and acted dumb.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Percy, today is September eighteenth. What happened exactly one month ago?”

“It was my birthday,” I said.

That was true: August eighteenth. But judging from Annabeth’s expression, that wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for.

It didn’t help my concentration that Annabeth looked so good today. She was wearing her regular orange camp T-shirt and shorts, but her tan arms and legs seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her blond hair swept over her shoulders. Around her neck hung a leather cord with colorful beads from our demigod training camp—Camp Half-Blood. Her storm-gray eyes were as dazzling as ever. I just wished that their fierce look wasn’t directed at me.

I tried to think. One month ago we’d defeated the Titan Kronos. Was that what she meant? Then Annabeth set my priorities straight.