The Mark of Athena

or “oracle of death.” Ancient Greeks believed it marked one entrance to the Underworld, and pilgrims would go there to commune with the dead.

hypogeum the area under a coliseum that housed set pieces and machinery used for special effects ichthyocentaur a fish-centaur described as having the forefeet of a horse, a human torso and head, and a fish tail. It is sometimes shown with a pair of lobster-claw horns.

Imperial gold a rare metal deadly to monsters, consecrated at the Pantheon; its existence was a closely guarded secret of the emperors Invidia the Roman goddess of revenge. Greek form: Nemesis Iris the Greek rainbow goddess and a messenger of the gods; the daughter of Thaumas and Electra. Roman form: Iris Juno the Roman goddess of women, marriage, and fertility; sister and wife of Jupiter; mother of Mars. Greek form: Hera Jupiter the Roman king of the gods; also called Jupiter Optimus Maximus (the best and the greatest). Greek form: Zeus Juventas the Roman goddess of youth. Greek form: Hebe Kalends of July the first day of July, which was sacred to Juno karpoi grain spirits Katoptris Piper’s dagger, once owned by Helen of Troy. The word means “looking glass.”

Keto the Greek goddess of sea monsters and large sea creatures, such as whales and sharks. She is the daughter of Gaea and the sister-wife of Phorcys, god of the dangers of the sea.

Khione the Greek goddess of snow; daughter of Boreas Kronos the Greek god of agriculture, the son of Uranus and Gaea and the father of Zeus. Roman form: Saturn Lar a house god, ancestral spirit of Rome (Lares, pl.).

Lupa the sacred Roman she-wolf that nursed the foundling twins Romulus and Remus Marcus Agrippa a Roman statesman and general; defense minister to Octavian, and responsible for most of his military victories. He commissioned the Pantheon as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome.

Mare Nostrum Latin for Our Sea , was a Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea Mars the Roman god of war; also called Mars Ultor. Patron of the empire; divine father of Romulus and Remus. Greek form: Ares Minerva the Roman goddess of wisdom. Greek form: Athena Minotaur a monster with the head of a bull on the body of a man Mist a magic force that disguises things from mortals Mithras Originally a Persian god of the sun, Mithras was worshipped by Roman warriors as a guardian of arms and a patron of soldiers.

muskeg bog Narcissus a Greek hunter who was renowned for his beauty. He was exceptionally proud and disdained those who loved him. Nemesis saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.

Nemesis the Greek goddess of revenge. Roman form: Invidia Neptune the Roman god of the sea. Greek form: Poseidon Nereids fifty female sea spirits; patrons of sailors and fishermen and caretakers of the sea’s bounty Nessus a crafty centaur who tricked Deianira into killing Heracles New Rome a community near Camp Jupiter where demigods can live together in peace, without interference from mortals or monsters Nike the Greek goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Roman form: Victoria nymph a female nature deity who animates nature nymphaeum a shrine to nymphs Pantheon a building in Rome , Italy , commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome , and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 CE

pater Latin for father ; also the name of an ancient Roman god of the Underworld, later subsumed by Pluto pauldron a piece of plate armor for the shoulder and the upper part of the arm Pegasus In Greek mythology, a winged divine horse; sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa ; the brother of Chrysaor Persephone the Greek queen of the Underworld; wife of Hades; daughter of Zeus and Demeter . Roman form: Proserpine Phorcys In Greek mythology, a primordial god of the dangers of the sea; son of Gaea; brother-husband of Keto Piazza Navona a city square in Rome , built on the site of the Stadium o f Domitian , where Ancient Romans watched competitive games Pluto the Roman god of death and riches. Greek form: Hades Polybotes the giant son of Gaea, the Earth Mother Pomerian Line the boundary around New Rome, and in ancient times, the city limits of Rome Porphyrion the king of the Giants in Greek and Roman mythology Poseidon the Greek god of the sea; son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and brother of Zeus and Hades. Roman form: Neptune praetor an elected Roman magistrate and commander of the army Proserpine Roman queen of the Underworld. Greek form: Persephone Rhea Silvia a priestess and mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded Rome Riptide the name of Percy Jackson’s sword (Anaklusmos in Greek) Romulus and Remus the twin sons of Mars and the priestess Rhea Silvia. They were thrown into the River Tiber by their human father, Amulius, and rescued and raised by a she-wolf. Upon reaching adulthood, they founded Rome.

Saturn the Roman god of agriculture; the son of Uranus and Gaea, and the father of Jupiter. Greek form: Kronos satyr a Greek forest god, part goat and part man. Roman equivalent: faun Scorpion ballista a Roman missile siege weapon that launched a large projectile at a distant target Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) meaning “The Senate and People of Rome,” refers to the government of the Roman Republic and is used as an official emblem of Rome skolopendra a gargantuan Greek sea monster with hairy nostrils, a flat crayfish-like tail, and rows of webbed feet lining its flanks Stymphalian birds in Greek mythology, man-eating birds with bronze beaks and sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims; sacred to Ares , the god of war Sybilline Books a collection of prophecies in rhyme written in Greek. Tarquinius Superbus, a king of Rome, bought them from a prophetess named Sibyl and consulted them in times of great danger.

Tartarus husband of Gaea; spirit of the abyss; father of the giants telkhines mysterious sea demons and smiths native to the islands of Kaos and Rhodes; children of Thalassa and Pontus; they had flippers instead of hands and dogs’ heads and were known as fish children Terminus the Roman god of boundaries and landmarks Terra the Roman goddess of the Earth. Greek form: Gaea Thanatos the Greek god of death. Roman form: Letus thyrsus Bacchus’s weapon, a staff topped by a pinecone and twined with ivy Tiber River the third- longest river in Italy. Rome was founded on its banks. In Ancient Rome, executed criminals were thrown into the river.

Tiberius was Roman Emperor from 14 CE to 37 CE. He was one of Rome’s greatest generals , but he came to be remembered as a reclusive and somber ruler who never really wanted to be emperor.

Titans a race of powerful Greek deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus , who ruled during the Golden Age and were overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians Trevi Fountain a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome. Standing more than eighty-five feet high and sixty-five feet wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world.

trireme an Ancient Greek or Roman warship, having three tiers of oars on each side Tyche the Greek goddess of good luck; daughter of Hermes and Aphrodite. Roman form: Fortuna Venus the Roman goddess of love and beauty. She was married to Vulcan, but she loved Mars, the god of war. Greek form: Aphrodite Vestal Virgins Roman priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The Vestals were free of the usual social obligations to marry and bear children and took a vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the study and observance of ritual.

Via Labicana an ancient road of Italy, leading east-southeast from Rome Via Principalis the