The Heroes of Olympus, #1
The Lost Hero
by Rick Riordan
Contents
V LEO
Overview
Leo is claimed by Hephaestus, tours Camp Half-Blood with Will Solace, and glimpses his ominous former babysitter, Tía Callida, unseen by others. In the Hephaestus cabin, injured Jake Mason describes a post-Beckendorf curse and offers Leo Beckendorf’s bunk. Leo learns of last summer’s Titan War and heads to the forges to confront a dragon problem.
Summary
Will Solace gives Leo a tour of Camp Half-Blood, explaining he is in Cabin Nine because he has been claimed by Hephaestus. The camp’s attractions thrill Leo, but mention of a dragon and a cabin “curse” unsettles him.
Crossing the green, Leo spots his old babysitter, Tía Callida, watching from near a large white cabin. Will sees no one, blaming the Mist. The sight dredges up Leo’s past and the fact that Tía Callida once tried to kill him, but he hides his alarm and follows Will to Cabin Nine.
Inside the steampunk-like Hephaestus cabin, Leo meets Jake Mason, the injured acting head counselor, in a full body cast. Jake says most cabinmates are at the forges working on a problem, hinting at the dragon. He offers Leo the best bunk—Charles Beckendorf’s—and asks if Leo believes in curses or ghosts.
Jake and Will explain Beckendorf died early in last summer’s Titan War, after which Cabin Nine has seemed cursed. Leo notices damage and broken gear that support the claim. Will summarizes recent history—Kronos’s near-return and nationwide disasters—while Leo admits he missed it while in trouble and at the Wilderness School.
Uneasy about sleeping in a dead hero’s bed yet accepting it, Leo prepares to go with Will to the forges, where the Hephaestus campers struggle with the dangerous dragon.
Who Appears
- Leo ValdezNew camper claimed by Hephaestus; spots Tía Callida; accepts Beckendorf’s bunk; heads to the forges about a dragon.
- Will SolaceApollo camper guiding Leo’s tour; explains cabins, Hephaestus claim, and recent camp history.
- Jake MasonInjured acting head of Cabin Nine; describes the cabin’s bad luck since Beckendorf’s death; grants Leo Beckendorf’s bed.
- Tía CallidaLeo’s former babysitter, seen as a haunting figure; once tried to kill him; visible only to Leo.
- Charles BeckendorfDeceased Hephaestus counselor; his death precedes the cabin’s curse; Leo inherits his advanced bunk.