The Blood of Olympus: Chapters 9–20

by Rick Riordan
In the fifth book of the Heroes of Olympus series, a group of demigods battles against giants and the goddess Gaia, who is intent on destroying the earth.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–8, Chapters 9–20, Chapters 21–32, Chapters 33–44, Chapters 45–58

Here are links to our lists for The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, The Blood of Olympus

And here are links to our lists for the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    Every once in a while Frank’s hand would cover Hazel’s, just sweet and natural like they were an old married couple, and Hazel didn’t even look flustered, which was real progress for a girl from the 1940s.
  2. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    the ghoul Antinous said, Victory runs rampant in Olympia.
  3. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    Leo kept thinking he should bring it up, just to clear the air, but the timing never seemed right. And, as the days went by, the subject got harder and harder to broach.
  4. oppressive
    weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
    Not for the first time, Leo was struck by how similar Greece was to his home state of Texas - the low hills, the scrubby trees, the drone of cicadas and the oppressive summer heat.
  5. niche
    a small concavity
    ‘Uh, that semicircular depression in the hill, with the niches ... that’s a nymphaeum, built in Roman times.’
  6. skittish
    unpredictably excitable, especially of horses
    Hazel patted Arion’s flank, as the stallion was acting skittish.
  7. venerate
    regard with feelings of respect and reverence
    ‘Once I stood here at the corner of Zeus’s temple, venerated by all!
    I oversaw the games of Olympia. Offerings from every city-state were piled at my feet!’
  8. unresolved
    not brought to a conclusion; subject to further thought
    ‘I cannot abide unresolved conflict! Who is stronger? Who is the winner?’
  9. brandish
    move or swing back and forth
    The goddess brandished her spear.
  10. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    A trench appeared in the goddess’s path, causing her horses to balk.
  11. parry
    blocking a lunge with a circular motion of the sword
    She parried the metal lady’s spear with her huge cavalry sword, but she was about to be overpowered.
  12. impale
    pierce with a sharp stake or point
    Before she could regain her balance, Hazel thrust her spatha and impaled the metal lady through the chest.
  13. writhing
    moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
    Together the four of them walked over to Nike, who was still writhing and flapping her wings in the net like a golden chicken.
  14. manticore
    a monster having the head of man and the body of a lion
    He saw Percy Jackson on a snowy cliff outside Westover Hall, shielding Nico and Bianca from the manticore as Nico clutched a Mythomagic figurine and whispered, I’m scared.
  15. bovine
    dull and slow-moving and stolid
    In front of it, in a leather armchair, dozed the head counsellor for Cabin Fifteen - a pot-bellied guy with unruly blond hair and a gentle bovine face.
  16. apparition
    a ghostly appearing figure
    As he approached the fiery grey apparition, he was fairly sure it was a garden-variety wraith - a lost soul who had died in pain.
  17. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    He’d gone into that situation smug and confident, only to have his feet swept out from under him, literally and emotionally.
  18. immolation
    killing or offering as a sacrifice
    He seemed to be stuck in the moment of his immolation, like a black-and-white video on a permanent loop.
  19. askance
    with suspicion or disapproval
    No one noticed the ghost, but the locals looked askance at Nico.
  20. glean
    gather, as of natural products
    Nico didn’t speak the language, but he remembered his childhood Italian well enough to glean the general meaning: We, the bones that are here, await yours.
  21. desiccated
    thoroughly dried out
    On one wall, like coats on a coat rack, hung the desiccated, skeletal remains of two people - an adult and a small child.
  22. callous
    emotionally hardened
    Like death, his father’s presence was cold and often callous, but it was real - brutally honest, inescapably dependable.
  23. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
    Then there were the times Percy was deadly serious: looking up at Nico from that chasm in Rome
  24. morph
    change shape or undergo a transformation
    The alpha wolf stood on his haunches and began to change. His forelegs grew into arms. His snout shrank into a pointy nose. His grey fur morphed into a cloak of woven animal pelts.
  25. haggard
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    He became a tall, wiry man with a haggard face and glowing red eyes.
  26. sacred
    made, declared, or believed to be holy
    Spilled upon the ground, especially sacred ground, demigod blood has many uses.
  27. incantation
    a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect
    With the proper incantations, it can awaken monsters or even gods. It can cause new life to spring up or make a place barren for generations.
  28. flay
    strip the skin off
    ‘I will flay you alive!’ he promised. ‘I will add your pelt to my cloak!’
  29. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    He reached the base of the columns and squinted up at Coach Hedge, who was precariously perched at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, unravelling ropes and knotting a ladder.
  30. ether
    element once believed to consitute all heavenly bodies
    Then he melted into the pool of Lycaon’s shadow, taking his friends and the Athena Parthenos with him - slipping into cold ether with no idea where he would emerge.
  31. bleak
    offering little or no hope
    It kept her from dwelling on her conversation with her mother the night before - that bleak glimpse of the future Aphrodite had made her promise not to share.
  32. linchpin
    a central cohesive source of support and stability
    She thought about something Hazel had confided to her a few nights ago: I think Jason is the linchpin to Hera’s whole scheme.
  33. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    The Acropolis seemed devoid of mortals, perhaps because of the financial problems in Greece.
  34. pretext
    a fictitious reason that conceals the real reason
    Or perhaps Gaia’s forces had arranged some pretext to keep the tourists and construction workers away.
  35. raze
    tear down so as to make flat with the ground
    When the blood of the last heroes is spilled here, the Acropolis shall be razed. This hill shall crumble, and the entire city shall be consumed by the Earth Mother.
  36. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
    Piper guessed that Percy hadn’t meant to cause so much damage, but his glowering expression made her want to leave the ship as soon as possible.
  37. dais
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    At the far end of the room, on a stone dais, stood the human-sized bronze statue of a warrior - the god Ares, Piper guessed - with heavy bronze chains wrapped around his body, anchoring him to the floor.
  38. stance
    standing posture
    Piper ran straight at the giant, unbalancing his stance.
  39. fissure
    a long narrow opening
    At the sight of her jagged blade coming at him, his eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, cracking his head against the wall. A jagged fissure snaked upward in the stones.
  40. contingency
    a possible event or occurrence or result
    You can’t plan for feelings. Like with Percy, and your future - you can’t control every contingency.
Created on Thu Sep 03 20:04:09 EDT 2015 (updated Tue Apr 09 12:25:36 EDT 2019)

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