Lore Quiz: 20 Questions on the Agon, the Aegis, and the Hunt
Quiz
Plot and Sequence (Questions 1–8)
1. What punishment does Zeus decree for the nine gods who betrayed him?
A. Eternal imprisonment in Tartarus
B. They become mortal for seven days every seven years
C. Their divine powers are permanently stripped
D. They must serve the blooded heirs as mortal slaves
2. Where does Lore first encounter the wounded goddess Athena?
A. Inside the underground boxing ring
B. In Central Park during a chase
C. On the stoop of her brownstone
D. At the Thetis House ceremony
3. During the Achillides ceremony at Thetis House, what divine identity does Castor reveal?
A. The new Ares
B. The new Hermes
C. The new Apollo
D. The new Dionysus
4. How does Wrath project himself into the Achillides gathering to deliver his ultimatum?
A. Through a holographic broadcast
B. Through mirrors
C. By possessing a hunter
D. Through a loudspeaker system
5. How does Artemis die during the confrontation in the park?
A. She is stabbed by Athena's dory
B. Her quiver strap catches on a branch and breaks her neck
C. She drowns in the pond after falling from the waterfall
D. Castor blasts her with a surge of divine power
6. What is Wrath's planned method of mass sacrifice to fulfill the prophecy?
A. Burning shelters with civilians trapped inside
B. Detonating an incendiary device beneath Grand Central Station via Track 61
C. Flooding the remaining subways with sea fire
D. Poisoning the city's water supply
7. Who kills Tidebringer, the false Poseidon?
A. Wrath
B. Athena
C. Castor
D. Lore
8. How does Lore ultimately stop the burning sea fire from consuming New York?
A. She uses the aegis to freeze the chemical flames
B. She and Castor smother it with a barrier of light
C. She fractures the earth to drain the flames into a deep crevice
D. She summons a flood from the river to extinguish it
Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)
9. Short answer: Why does Castor refuse to choose a godly epithet and forbid offering young girls as oracles?
10. Why does Iro eventually ally herself with Lore against Wrath?
A. She wants to claim the aegis for the House of Odysseus
B. Athena forces her to cooperate under threat of death
C. She wants to repay her rescue and help destroy the Agon's corruption
D. She seeks personal revenge for Heartkeeper's death
11. Short answer: What drives Athena to murder Lore's family seven years earlier?
12. Short answer: Why does ten-year-old Lore steal the aegis from the Kadmides' vault?
13. Short answer: What reason does Van give for having been jealous of Lore?
Themes and Symbols (Questions 14–17)
14. Short answer: Beyond being a weapon, what does the aegis symbolize in the novel?
15. Short answer: What is the true significance of the feather necklace Gil gave Lore?
16. The childhood game "apodidraskinda" (hide-and-seek) represents which recurring idea in the novel?
A. The playful innocence of Lore's youth
B. A training exercise unique to the House of Achilles
C. How characters hide from their past, their enemies, and their own identities
D. The gods' detachment from mortal suffering
17. Short answer: How does the novel use the ancient Greek concept of kleos (glory) to critique the hunter world?
Synthesis (Questions 18–20)
18. Short answer: Trace how Lore's attitude toward godhood transforms from the beginning of the novel to its conclusion.
19. Short answer: Compare Athena and Wrath as antagonists. What does each represent within the world of the Agon?
20. Short answer: How does the novel ultimately resolve the tension between fate and individual choice?
Answer Key
Plot and Sequence
1. Answer: B. The origin poem states that Zeus, angered by nine betrayer gods, decrees they will become mortal for seven days every seven years, during which blooded heirs may hunt and kill them to seize their power.
2. Answer: C. In Chapter 5, Lore and Miles follow a trail of blood to their brownstone and find Athena gravely wounded on the stoop.
3. Answer: C. Chapter 10 reveals Castor descending the staircase radiating divine power: he has become the new Apollo, the god whose power he now wields.
4. Answer: B. In Chapter 13, Wrath projects himself through mirrors, inducing crippling fear in everyone except Castor, whom he wishes to witness the attack.
5. Answer: B. In Chapter 41, Artemis falls from a waterfall; her quiver strap catches on a branch and acts as a noose, breaking her neck instantly.
6. Answer: B. Miles deduces that Wrath plans to use the secret Track 61 beneath the Waldorf Astoria to plant an incendiary device at Grand Central Station as a mass sacrifice.
7. Answer: B. In Chapter 48, after Tidebringer warns Lore of Athena's betrayal, Athena returns and kills her with the dory.
8. Answer: C. In Chapter 56, Lore, newly imbued with divine power, punches the ground and fractures the earth, draining the burning sea fire into a deep crevice before it can destroy the city.
Character Motivation
9. Answer: Castor rejects the cruelty of the old traditions. He refuses an epithet because he wants to remain himself, not become another distant god, and he forbids offering young girls as oracles or brides to protect them from the predatory system.
10. Answer: C. Iro was rescued by Lore from the vault, and she later tells Lore she wants to destroy the Agon and reshape her bloodline's future. Her alliance is an act of repayment and shared purpose.
11. Answer: Athena murdered Lore's family while searching for the aegis. She tortured Lore's young sisters for information, trying to locate the shield Lore had stolen as a child. When Lore returned and didn't have it, Athena watched from the shadows and manipulated her ever since.
12. Answer: Lore stole the aegis to reclaim her family's stolen honor. She believed possessing the shield would convince her parents not to quit the Agon and would restore the Perseides' legacy, allowing her to fight and earn kleos.
13. Answer: Van says Lore always knew exactly who she was and what she was meant to do. He envied that she found the strength to escape the hunter's life—the one thing he wanted most but believed was impossible for himself.
Themes and Symbols
14. Answer: The aegis symbolizes the cycle of violence the Agon perpetuates: it is an inherited burden passed through bloodlines, a tool of divine oppression, and ultimately a representation of Zeus's paternal love for Athena—a love Athena must confront and release to end her own torment.
15. Answer: Hermes (disguised as Gil) enchanted the feather necklace to hide Lore from all celestial beings. It symbolizes his secret care and protection, but also the deception underlying their relationship, as he used it to shield the aegis's secret while hiding his true identity.
16. Answer: C. The game recurs throughout the novel as a code, a clue, and a metaphor: Lore hides from her grief, the gods hide their schemes, and nearly every major revelation involves something or someone being hidden in plain sight.
17. Answer: The novel critiques kleos by showing how the obsessive pursuit of glory drives hunters to betrayal, murder, and self-destruction. True honor, the story argues, is found not in immortal fame but in protecting loved ones and having the courage to break the cycle of violence.
Synthesis
18. Answer: Initially, Lore fears godhood as a cage that would strip her of humanity and freedom. After Athena's betrayal forces her to accept divine power to save the city, she experiences its overwhelming burden. In the final chapter, she prays for release, and the divine power willingly leaves her and Castor. She chooses mortality, proving that freedom matters more than immortality.
19. Answer: Wrath represents brute force, patriarchal domination, and the desire to control the Agon through terror and human sacrifice. Athena represents cold manipulation—she poses as an ally while using Lore as a tool. Both exploit mortals, but where Wrath conquers openly, Athena schemes through deception, revealing that tyranny can wear the mask of wisdom.
20. Answer: Lore repeatedly makes conscious choices: stealing the aegis, binding herself to Athena, sacrificing herself rather than surrendering the shield, and finally releasing divine power. The prophecy about ending the Agon does not unfold automatically; it is fulfilled only because characters choose to break the cycle. The novel asserts that individual agency, not fate, shapes destiny.