The Heroes of Olympus, #1
The Lost Hero
by Rick Riordan
Contents
XI LEO
Overview
Leo pieces together that his childhood babysitter, Tía Callida, was Hera, who has manipulated his life. He recalls dangerous early encounters with fire and the night his mother died after a confrontation with a veiled, earthen, sleeping woman. Resolute to face this earth-born threat, Leo commits to the quest and seeks a dragon in the woods to build a flying ride.
Summary
Shaken after the campfire, Leo leaves as Piper is claimed, reeling from volunteering for a deadly quest. Jason’s vision makes Leo recognize his old babysitter, Tía Callida, as Hera, revealing lifelong divine manipulation and triggering memories of his troubled childhood.
Leo recalls Tía Callida’s perilous "lessons"—napping in a lit fireplace, playing with knives, and provoking a rattlesnake—along with her prophecies about sorrow and destiny. His mother, a gifted but underemployed engineer, warned him to avoid fire until he met his father and taught him Morse code to keep them connected.
At eight, while leaving her machine shop, Leo encountered a veiled woman made of shifting earth who, half-asleep, vowed to break his spirit because he would oppose her children. In panic, Leo’s fire erupted, and he blacked out. He awoke to learn the warehouse had burned and his mother had died; blamed by authorities and shunned by relatives, he entered foster care and began running from his grief and powers.
Back at camp, Leo accepts that Hera has watched him for years and that Jason’s warning to beware the earth ties to the sleeping earthen woman. Determined to stop running and to “face-plant” this enemy, he embraces the quest and, lacking time to build his dream flying ship, decides to find a dragon in the woods to give Jason a flying ride. Despite the dangers, he plunges into the forest alone.
Who Appears
- Leo ValdezHephaestus demigod; recalls Hera’s manipulations, his fire powers, mother’s death, and resolves to find a dragon for the quest.
- Tía Callida (Hera)Leo’s former babysitter revealed as Hera; orchestrated perilous “tests” and foretold his sorrow and destiny.
- Esperanza ValdezLeo’s mother; skilled engineer who died in the shop fire after Leo’s encounter with the earthen woman.
- Veiled woman of earthSleepwalking, earthen-robed antagonist; targets Leo because he will oppose her children; precedes the fatal fire.
- Jason GraceLeo’s teammate; Leo promises him a flying ride, spurring the plan to find a dragon.
- Will SolaceWarned against entering the woods alone; his advice underscores Leo’s risky decision.
- Aunt RosaRelative who rejected Leo after the fire, calling him a devil; indicative of his isolation.