The Lost Hero

Rick Riordan’s 2010 YA novel, The Lost Hero, tells the story of three demigods: Jason Grace, son of Jupiter/Zeus; Piper McClean, daughter of Aphrodite; and Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. The book alternates between narrating these three characters’ thoughts and experiences in free indirect discourse. Each has a distinctive style: Jason is vaguely confused, but aware of others’ high expectations; Piper is lovelorn over Jason, and self-pitying because her father’s fame has weakened their bond; and Leo hides his vulnerability and pain over his mother’s death with humor. Together, they journey from Nevada to Maine to California to free the goddess Hera from captivity. In the process, each discovers his or her own strength.

Other works by this author include The Tower of Nero, The Chalice of the Gods, and Daughter of the Deep.

At the beginning of the narrative, Jason has lost all of his memories and does not even know his last name. He wakes up on a bus holding Piper’s hand. He is sure he wasn’t there a moment before and confused as he learns that she believes she is his girlfriend.