The Lost Hero: Chapters 9–18

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.
40 words 415 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. rabid
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    The morning had been so perfect, Piper knew something had to go wrong soon—a rabid horde of paparazzi, or maybe a great white shark attack.
  2. heist
    the act of stealing
    Yesterday, she’d pulled her biggest heist yet—driving that “borrowed” BMW out of the dealership.
  3. mortify
    cause to feel shame
    Piper knew most kids would find a Q&A like this with their parents totally mortifying.
  4. resignation
    acceptance of an unpleasant but inevitable situation
    Her dad shrugged with resignation. “What do you want to know, Piper? I’ve already told you—she disappeared. I don’t know why, or where she went. After you were born, she simply left. I never heard from her again.”
  5. scourge
    a person who inspires fear or dread
    She was supposed to be tough—a hardened car thief, the scourge of L.A. private schools.
  6. pantomime
    act out without words but with gestures and bodily movements
    Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera’s cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, even when she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling.
  7. felony
    a serious crime, such as murder or arson
    The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister—like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.
  8. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    He stepped forward nervously, but Piper couldn’t help thinking how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue’s.
  9. artillery
    large but transportable armament
    Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.
  10. swoon
    pass out from weakness or physical or emotional distress
    She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her.
  11. incapacitated
    lacking in or deprived of strength or power
    With Jake incapacitated, I’m senior camper.
  12. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    She looked at Leo in disdain. “Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot.”
  13. wane
    grow smaller
    Piper tried to respond, but her confidence started to wane. What could she offer? She wasn’t a fighter, or a planner, or a fixer.
  14. subtle
    able to make fine distinctions
    She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in her eyes.
  15. revulsion
    intense aversion
    But now everyone was staring at her like she was a freak. Drew’s face was full of horror and revulsion.
  16. generic
    relating to or applicable to an entire class or group
    She wasn’t really his aunt, of course—just one of the old women in the community, a generic tía who helped watch the kids.
  17. complementary
    serving to fill out, enhance, or supply what is lacking
    She always smelled of machine oil, and when she talked with Leo, she switched from Spanish to English constantly—using them like complementary tools.
  18. prototype
    the first functional model of some new design or product
    One night, they stayed late because his mom was finishing a drill bit design she hoped to patent. If she could sell the prototype, it might change their lives.
  19. dejected
    affected or marked by low spirits
    He could stay at camp and learn to be part of the Hephaestus cabin, but he wondered how long it would be before he looked like his bunkmates—sad, dejected, convinced of his own bad luck.
  20. sustained
    continued at length without interruption or weakening
    He hadn’t tried to keep a sustained burn going since he was five, at that picnic table.
  21. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
    He kept walking, looking for dragon-type clues—giant footprints, trampled trees, swaths of burning forest.
  22. constrain
    hold back
    He’d elected to keep the dragon in the net, because it was easier to work with the dragon constrained, but the dragon didn’t like it.
  23. ingenious
    showing inventiveness and skill
    Leo returned his attention to the wiring. It was ingenious, definitely, and it made sense to him.
  24. corrode
    become destroyed by water, air, or an acid
    “You’ve got a corroded control disk. Probably regulates your higher reasoning circuits, right? Rusty brain, man. No wonder you’re a little...confused.”
  25. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    Finally they crossed a stream and came to a dead end, a limestone cliff a hundred feet tall—a solid, sheer mass the dragon couldn’t possibly climb.
  26. catwalk
    a narrow pathway high in the air
    The cave was the size of an airplane hangar, with endless worktables and storage cages, rows of garage-sized doors along either wall, and staircases that led up to a network of catwalks high above.
  27. weld
    join together by heating
    Equipment was everywhere—hydraulic lifts, welding torches, hazard suits, air-spades, forklifts, plus something that looked suspiciously like a nuclear reaction chamber.
  28. squelch
    make a sucking sound
    The ground squelched under his boots as he walked.
  29. fawn
    try to gain favor through flattery or deferential behavior
    Maybe that was crazy, considering she’d just been claimed by a goddess and turned into the most gorgeous girl at camp. Everybody had started fawning over her, telling her how amazing she was and how obviously she should be the one who went on the quest—but that attention had nothing to do with who she was.
  30. niche
    an enclosure that is set back or indented
    A brazier had been moved out of one of the alcoves to create a sleeping niche, with a bedroll, a backpack, even some pictures taped to the wall.
  31. commission
    the state of being in working order and ready for operation
    It’s a long story, but...well, she was out of commission for a long time.
  32. lurid
    glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
    The title was lurid red: KING OF SPARTA. Under that, the poster showed the leading man—a three-quarters shot of bare-chested bronze flesh, with ripped pectorals and six-pack abs.
  33. furtively
    in a secretive manner
    A girl with blond pigtails and braces raced up with a pile of clothes in her arms. She looked around furtively like she was delivering nuclear materials.
  34. orthopedic
    of or relating to the treatment of bones or joints
    Displayed on it were a hideous pair of orthopedic nurse’s shoes, bright white with thick soles.
  35. haunch
    the upper thigh and back of the hip in human beings
    Mitchell sat up on his haunches.
  36. tarnish
    place under suspicion; make less respected
    “Most of all,” Drew continued, “we certainly don’t need our image tarnished by spies, do we, Piper?”
  37. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped.
  38. idle
    run disconnected
    Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive.
  39. mullet
    hairstyle that is long at the back but short on the top
    His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet.
  40. buffoon
    a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
    “Stupid buffoon,” his brother grumbled.
Created on Tue Apr 25 14:01:18 EDT 2017 (updated Sat Aug 19 09:53:50 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.