The Lost Hero

“‘You’ve got a powerful way with the Mist, kid, if you can make all these people think they know you; but you can’t fool me.’” 

Jason is struggling to make sense of his missing memories, and Coach Hedge suggests that he himself has persuaded the other campers that they know him. This begins to show Jason that there’s magic afoot. It also introduces Hedge’s characteristically-confident attitude.

“Piper gazed at the crazy assortment of cabins in the valley. Her new home, a family who supposedly understood her—but soon they’d be just another bunch of people she’d disappointed, just another place she’d been kicked out off. You’ll betray them for us, the voice had warned. Or you’ll lose everything.”

At Camp Half-Blood, Piper struggles with her feelings: she is both thrilled to find a group that might actually understand her, and convinced it can all be taken away. She has been warned by Enceladus that she must betray her friends to save her father, but rather than trying to find a way out of the situation, she pities herself.

“There was a Plan C, but he’d promised himself never to use it again. He felt an urge to try it now—something he hadn’t done since the accident, since his mom’s death […] The flames flickered to life, curls of red-hot fire dancing across his palm.”

As Leo learns about the malfunctioning dragon, his desire to prove himself and impress others leads him to experiment with a skill he’s long known he had: fire-wielding. However, we also see the roots of his insecurity and fear. He has not used the power for years because he blames himself for his mother’s death.