The Lost Hero Strength and Skill

As you may have read elsewhere in this learning guide, The Lost Hero is in many ways a superhero story. And superhero stories are all about cool powers and abilities—strengths and skills, in other words. Leo, Piper, and Jason are all brave and smart, of course, but the reason you want to read about them being brave and smart in particular (instead of some non-demigod being brave and smart), is that when Leo, Piper, and Jason are brave and smart they also shoot lightning and fire and make magic things happen. It may be true that anyone can be a hero, but reading about those with superpowers is a blast (pun totally intended).

Questions About Strength and Skill

1. Leo gets an awesome superhero moment when he defeats the Cyclopes; Jason gets a couple of his own when he fights the giants. Does Piper ever get an awesome superhero moment like that? If so, what is it and if not, why do you think that is?
2. Are strength and skill something the characters need to work for? Or do they get all their powers automatically? Does that make you like the book less or more?
3. Whose superpower or skill in the book would you most like to have? Why?

Chew on This

The novel is enthusiastic about boys with strength and skill, but is nervous about girls having power.

In order to be really good in The Lost Hero, you need to be strong.