The Last Olympian: Chapters 18–23

by Rick Riordan
In this fifth book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, the almost-sixteen-year-old demigod discovers that his odds of defeating Kronos, Typhon, and their armies are being lowered by a spy at Camp Half-Blood.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–23

Here are links to our lists for the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series.
40 words 194 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. feint
    any distracting or deceptive maneuver
    Kronos looked confused, and in that moment, Chiron struck. It was a good maneuver—a feint followed by a strike to the face.
  2. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    She attacked Kronos, and his smug smile faded.
  3. obsidian
    glass formed by the cooling of lava without crystallization
    The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, decorated with scenes of painful death.
  4. upstart
    of someone who has suddenly risen economically or socially
    As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do for Olympus to fall.
  5. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    We untangled ourselves and sprinted across the sky bridge as more stones disintegrated and fell into oblivion.
  6. maroon
    leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue
    Annabeth looked back at the elevator, which was now completely out of reach—a polished set of metal doors hanging in space, attached to nothing, six hundred stories above Manhattan.
    “We're marooned,” she said.
  7. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
    I didn’t understand why she was reminding me of that prophecy line right now. It wasn’t exactly a morale booster, but before I could say anything, Kronos raised his sword.
  8. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    I jumped straight over Kronos’s head as the throne shot tendrils of electricity in all directions.
  9. nostalgia
    a longing for something past
    Grover's music kept playing, and Ethan swayed to it, as if the song were filling him with nostalgia—a wish to see a beautiful day, to be anywhere but here.
  10. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    A shard of his own blade had ricocheted and pierced his armor.
  11. treason
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    Kronos rose unsteadily, towering over his servant. “Treason,” he snarled.
  12. kindling
    material for starting a fire
    "This one will make fine kindling for my new hearth!”
  13. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    Now, I thought, imploring the image in the smoke. Please, it has to happen now.
  14. ensnare
    take or catch as if in a trap
    They swung them like lassos and began to ensnare Typhon, throwing lines around the creature’s legs and arms, using the tide to keep circling, slowly tangling him.
  15. seething
    in constant agitation
    The giant's head went under in a seething whirlpool, and he was gone.
  16. compatible
    able to exist and perform in harmonious combination
    When my vision came back into focus, I saw Kronos grasping his sword. Then he bellowed in pain and dropped it. His hands were smoking and seared. The hearth fire had grown red-hot, like the scythe wasn’t compatible with it.
  17. regalia
    especially fine or decorative clothing
    The gods arrived a few minutes later in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle.
  18. conscience
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
    He had pictured that scene Hestia showed me—of himself in the good old days with Thalia and Annabeth, when he promised they would be a family. Hurting Annabeth in battle had shocked him into remembering that promise. It had allowed his mortal conscience to take over again, and defeat Kronos.
  19. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    He passed his hand over Annabeth’s face and spoke an incantation. Immediately the bruises faded. Her cuts and scars disappeared.
  20. inept
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
    He looked me up and down and said, "Well, Percy Jackson. I see Pollux made it through, so I suppose you aren’t completely inept. It’s all thanks to my training, I suppose.”
  21. probation
    a trial period when an offender has time to redeem himself
    “As thanks for my bravery, Zeus has cut my probation at that miserable camp in half. I now have only fifty years left instead of one hundred.”
  22. grovel
    show submission or fear
    Now please, drag him off before he wakes up and starts groveling.
  23. wryly
    in a humorously sarcastic or mocking manner
    Athena smiled wryly. "You are an architect, are you not? You have studied the techniques of Daedalus himself. Who better to redesign Olympus and make it a monument that will last for another eon?”
  24. bestow
    give as a gift
    The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, but, Perseus Jackson—if you wish it—you shall be made a god.
  25. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you immortal.
  26. solemn
    characterized by a firm belief in your opinions
    “Someone once told me,” I said, looking at Hades, "you should always get a solemn oath.”
  27. presume
    take liberties or act with too much confidence
    "Percy,” Poseidon said, “you ask much. You presume much.”
  28. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    The mortals are shaken, of course. But this is New York. I’ve never seen such a resilient bunch of humans. I imagine they’ll be back to normal in a few weeks; and of course I’ll be helping.
  29. hypocrite
    a person who professes beliefs that he or she does not hold
    “A long time ago,” I said, “you told me the hardest thing about being a god was not being able to help your children. You also told me that you couldn’t give up on your family, no matter how tempting they made it.”
    “And now you know I’m a hypocrite?”
  30. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
    “I don’t suppose you could conjure up some skeleton horses.”
  31. neigh
    make a sound characteristic of a horse
    The hippocampus in front was much bigger than the others—a ride fit for a Cyclops.
    "Rainbow!" I called. "How’s it going, buddy?"
    He neighed a complaint.
  32. surreal
    resembling a dream
    It was surreal being back at camp, because everything looked so peaceful: no burning buildings, no wounded fighters.
  33. musty
    stale and unclean smelling
    I recognized the warm musty smell of snakes.
  34. envelop
    enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
    Mist enveloped Rachel in a column.
  35. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    Silena’s shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear.
  36. gusto
    vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
    He chewed on a tin can as we stared across the pond at the line of new cabins under construction. The U-shape would soon be a complete rectangle, and the demigods had really taken to the new task with gusto.
  37. delicate
    marked by great skill especially in meticulous technique
    They were hoisting huge stones in place for the Hecate cabin, and I knew it was a delicate job. Each stone was engraved with magical writing, and if they dropped one, it would either explode or turn everyone within half a mile into a tree.
  38. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    My dad, Poseidon, was standing knee-deep in the surf, wearing his typical Bermuda shorts, beat-up cap, and a real subtle pink-and-green Tommy Bahama shirt.
  39. warden
    an official who is responsible for enforcing certain regulations or laws
    “Not eating size,” he complained. “I have to release the little ones or the game wardens will be all over me."
  40. straggler
    someone who strays or falls behind
    Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I’d hate to end the summer on a sour note!
Created on Fri Apr 21 15:49:05 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Aug 21 09:43:56 EDT 2023)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.