for from the founding of the city. For a time, Romans used the acronym AUC to mark the years since the founding of Rome.
Achilles a Greek hero of the Trojan War; a nearly invulnerable warrior who slayed the Trojan hero Hector outside the walls of Troy and then dragged his corpse behind his chariot
Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Roman form: Venus
Ares the Greek god of war; the son of Zeus and Hera, and half brother to Athena. Roman form: Mars
Argentum Latin for silver; the name of one of Reyna’s two automaton greyhounds that can detect lying
Argo II a flying trireme built by the Hephaestus cabin at Camp Half-Blood to take the demigods of the Prophecy of Seven to Greece
Artemis the Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon; the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo. Roman form: Diana
Asclepius the god of medicine; son of Apollo; his temple was the healing center of ancient Greece
Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom. Roman form: Minerva
aura (aurae, pl.) wind spirit
Aurum Latin for gold; the name of one of Reyna’s two automaton greyhounds that can detect lying
ave Latin for hail, a Roman greeting
Bacchus the Roman god of wine and revelry; son of Jupiter. Greek form: Dionysus
ballista (ballistae, pl.) a Roman missile siege weapon that launches a large projectile at a distant target
Bellona a Roman goddess of war; daughter of Jupiter and Juno
Benito Mussolini an Italian politician who became the leader of the National Fascist Party, a paramilitary organization. He ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943, first as a prime minister and then as a dictator.
blemmyae a tribe of headless people with faces in their chests
Britomartis the Greek goddess of hunting and fishing nets; her sacred animal is the griffin
Burning Maze a magical, puzzle-filled underground labyrinth in Southern California controlled by the Roman emperor Caligula and Medea, a Greek sorceress
cacaseca dried poop
Caldecott Tunnel a four-lane highway that cuts through the Berkeley Hills and connects Oakland and Orinda, California. It contains a secret middle tunnel, guarded by Roman soldiers, that leads to Camp Jupiter.
Caligula the nickname of the third of Rome’s emperors, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, infamous for his cruelty and carnage during the four years he ruled, from 37 to 41 CE; he was assassinated by his own guard
Camp Half-Blood the training ground for Greek demigods, located in Long Island, New York
Camp Jupiter the training ground for Roman demigods, located in California, between the Oakland Hills and the Berkeley Hills
Celestial bronze a powerful magical metal used to create weapons wielded by Greek gods and their demigod children
centurion an officer in the Roman army
charmspeak a rare type of hypnotism power that chosen children of Aphrodite possess
Cicero a Roman statesman who was renowned for his public speeches
Circus Maximus a stadium designed for horse and chariot racing
cloaca maxima Latin for greatest sewer
clunis Latin for buttocks
cohort groups of legionnaires
Colosseum an elliptical amphitheater built for gladiator fights, monster simulations, and mock naval battles
Commodus Lucius Aurelius Commodus was the son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius; he became co-emperor when he was sixteen and emperor at eighteen, when his father died; he ruled from 177 to 192 CE and was megalomaniacal and corrupt; he considered himself the New Hercules and enjoyed killing animals and fighting gladiators at the Colosseum
Cumaean Sibyl an Oracle of Apollo from Cumae who collected her prophetic instructions for averting disaster in nine volumes but destroyed six of them when trying to sell them to Tarquinius Superbus of Rome
Cyclops (Cyclopes, pl.) a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his or her forehead
cynocephalus (cynocephali, pl.) a being with a human body and a dog’s head
Dante an Italian poet of the late Middle Ages who invented terza rima; author of The Divine Comedy, among other works
Daphne a beautiful naiad who attracted Apollo’s attention; she transformed into a laurel tree in order to escape him
decimation the ancient Roman punishment for bad legions in which every tenth soldier was killed whether they were guilty or innocent
Delos a Greek island in the Aegean Sea near Mykonos; birthplace of Apollo
Demeter the Greek goddess of agriculture; a daughter of the Titans Rhea and Kronos. Roman form: Ceres
denarius (denarii, pl.) a unit of Roman currency
Diana the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon; the daughter of Jupiter and Leto, and the twin of Apollo. Greek form: Artemis
Dionysus Greek god of wine and revelry; the son of Zeus. Roman form: Bacchus
dryad a spirit (usually female) associated with a certain tree