Heroes: Big and Small 1 | Page 17

demigods in the series (Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Jason Grace, and Piper McLean) that he thought of them as family. Leo made so many sacrifices for them throughout their journey. He was even willing to die for them, for his family. When Leo killed Gaea, he had no idea if he would live or not. He cared so much for these people that he was willing to take the risk. In fact, he did die for them. He died so he could fulfill another promise to another part of his family. The Blood of Olympus also states, “”I know. Like I’ve been dead. Probably because I have been. Oath to keep with a final breath and all, but I’m better now-”” (Riordan, 2014, p. 500). Leo knew the only way to find Calypso’s island again was by dying. Calypso was very important to Leo. He thought of her as family. He was willing to die for his family. The Hidden Oracle states, “”Hey brother.” Leo ruffled his hair and had the good sense to look ashamed. “You brought me home with that beacon of yours, H-Meister. You’re a hero! You know I never would’ve left you hanging like that on purpose, don’t you?”” (Riordan, 2016, p. 355). When Leo arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he discovered that he had dozens of family members he didn’t know about. Even though they were only half-siblings and he didn’t spend much time with them before going off on a huge quest, he still loved them because they were family. Mexican cultural values played roles in every decision Leo made throughout the books. The most influential of all of these was the value of family and that drove him to be a hero.