Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson's primary internal conflicts concern his insecurities regarding his own abilities and his strained relationship with his father, Poseidon. Before discovering his true identity, Percy...

Annabeth is Athena’s daughter, and as such, it’s no surprise that her list of traits includes being an exceptional planner and forward-thinker. She also shares her mother’s passion for construction...

Percy Jackson and the Olympian: The Lightning Thief is a story that follows a fairly typical heroic journey. Readers are introduced to a character, Percy, who is anything but heroic in stature or...

Percy shows that he is a hero by displaying courage and presence of mind. He, Annabeth, and Grover travel to the Santa Monica pier, and Percy doesn't hesitate to wade into the waters and speak to...

At one level, the setting of The Lightning Thief is a world of demigods, monsters, and magic related to Greek mythology. The protagonist’s full name is “Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God,” and I...

Initially, Percy has a rough life. He struggles in school due to what he believes is dyslexia. His mother is paired up with a brutal, contemptuous man nicknamed "Smelly Gabe" who treats both Percy...

I would argue that the first challenge Percy faces in chapter two is an internal one, because his classmates do not believe that Mrs. Dodds was real, and since Percy can remember their former...

When Percy is studying for his Latin exam, he is rather stressed, not only because of the exam but also because he has recently been told that he won't be returning to the academy next year. He is...

In The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Percy must take a cross-country trip from Long Island, New York to Los Angeles, California to enter the...

Chapter Twelve of The Lightning Thief takes place in between two monster attacks. Chapter Eleven finds Percy, Annabeth, and Grover battling Medusa, and in Chapter Thirteen they will face yet...

In chapter 10, as in most situations, Percy's response to conflict is to help his friends. In this scene, he, Annabeth, and Grover are on a bus. When three old ladies board the bus, they realize...

Chapter 6 of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief shows Percy exploring Camp Half-Blood and dealing with a troublesome student. Percy is still coming to terms with his heritage as Chiron takes him...

Percy Jackson experiences several conflicts at the start of the story before he begins his quest to find Zeus's master bolt. In the first chapter, Percy describes his academic challenges and says...

The conflict in chapter 15 of The Lightning Thief is external. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover meet Ares, the god of war, and for a while, he makes them all feel angry and full of conflict. Finally,...

In Chapter Two, Percy overhears a conversation between Mr. Brunner and Grover. From all indications, they appear to be discussing Percy and his fate. As the chapter begins, we discover that Percy's...

Annabeth and Grover prove to Percy that they are his real friends many times throughout Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. From the start of their quest to the moment when they show their support...

Percy Jackson demonstrated many heroic traits in The Lightning Thief. Two of these include his selflessness and courage. True heroes put others first, and Percy definitely does this throughout the...

Chapter 4, called "My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting" begins with Percy and Grover racing with Mrs. Jackson in a Camaro through a storm. Grover informs Percy that he, Grover, is a satyr—a goat from...

Percy, Annabeth, and Grover use Percy's three pearls to escape from the underworld. Percy, unfortunately, only has three pearls. If he uses them to save himself, Annabeth, and Grover, he won't have...

Percy faces many challenges throughout chapter 8. The first challenge that we see is his struggle to find where he belongs in this new world. He has not yet been claimed by his father, so everyone...

In chapter nineteen, Annabeth and Grover follow Percy to Elysium, almost get sucked into Tartarus, and finally enter the palace of Hades together. But in order to leave the Underworld, they need to...

One example of conflict in the text is the antagonism between Percy and Nancy Bobofit at Yancy Academy. They've had a history of poking at each other, literally and figuratively, but at the art...

Percy's journey reflects the archetypal hero's journey in many ways. It starts out with a young, naive innocent who believes they are simply ordinary prior to being chosen by some supernatural...

In chapter 6 of The Lighting Thief, entitled "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom," Percy Jackson faces a number of challenges as he becomes more familiar with the workings of Camp Half-Blood....

Percy witnesses some old ladies at a fruit stand bring out a pair of scissors, large and apparently symbolic, having previously watched them knitting a pair of what seemed to be enormous,...

I would like to add that Percy is ambitious and, despite his propensity for getting into trouble, responsible. He feels bad that he has to leave Yancey Academy, because he takes the responsibility...

When we first meet Percy Jackson at the beginning of The Lightning Thief, his life is far from easy. He grapples with dyslexia and ADHD, attends a school where he feels out of place, and deals with...

The Lightning Thief, which is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, was written by Rick Riordan and published by Miramax Books in June of 2005. The book centers on...

The dream that this question is asking about appears in chapter 12. In the dream Percy is standing at the edge of a big chasm, and a voice rises from it. The voice commands Percy to barter with...

In "I Play Pinochle With a Horse," Percy Jackson faces adapting to Camp Half-Blood, dealing with the supposed death of his mother, and accepting a fantastic set of beliefs. Percy Jackson and the...

Loyalty and friendship are constant themes throughout all of Rick Riordan's mythology-based books, starting with The Lightning Thief. As the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief shows the...

Given that Percy is a demigod, his dreams give him the chance see into the lives and challenges of the immortals. Many of his dreams act as a pathway into him realizing who he truly is: a demigod...

The major theme throughout chapter 7 in Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief is the idea of identity. Having entered the camp, Percy is now learning much more about the world in which he lives, as...

Percy Jackson feels miserable once he gets his own cabin because it makes him feel lonely and isolated from the other kids at camp. When Percy first arrives at camp, he is assigned to cabin eleven....

Percy tells readers very early on in the story that he struggles in school, and he tells us that the school counselor believes his struggles are the result of suffering from dyslexia and ADHD....

In Chapter 11, Percy enters Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium because he can smell the scent of hamburgers coming from the curio shop. He remembers how hungry he is and how he misses the taste of...

Rick Riordan, the author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians, is frequently asked how he came up with the idea for this series. He explains that at some point his own son struggled with learning...

In chapter 21, Percy finally meets his father, Poseidon. At Mount Olympus (above Manhattan, of course), Zeus and Poseidon are seated on thrones. When Percy enters, both gods appear to have been...

Rising action comes after the exposition (which sets up characters, setting, and tone) and before the climax (the point of highest dramatic tension). Basically, this is where, after getting to know...

In chapter 3, Percy Jackson has a very strange and vivid dream while visiting the beach cabin in Montauk with his mom. In the dream, a beautiful horse and an eagle are fighting each other on the...

Percy manages to get his mother released from Hades and the underworld by fighting the god Ares for the helm of darkness. Percy defeats Ares by stabbing his ankle and so he wins the helm. He gives...

Percy Jackson is a boy attending sixth grade at Yancy Academy, a school for "troubled kids." Percy believes he has attention deficit disorder and dyslexia. He consistently finds himself in trouble...

Percy and Grover travel back to New York City by plane. As the deadline to return the Master Bolt to Zeus approaches, they do not have time for any other form of transportation. Percy knows that...

Percy did not like Mr. D at all. In fact, he was a little afraid of the camp director. In Percy's opinion, Mr. D lacked empathy and warmth. During their interactions, Percy discovered that Mr. D...

In chapter 19, Percy begins to feel weighed down by his backpack. He doesn't know why. However, rapidly unfolding events prevent him from investigating. We learn in chapter 20 that it was actually...

All the demigods in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief have ADHD, with the notable exception of Frank Zhang, who's just lactose intolerant. Grover certainly thinks that Percy has...