In chapter 15 of The Lightning Thief, what is the conflict and is it external or internal?

In chapter 15 of The Lightning Thief, the conflict is that Ares asks them to retrieve his shield, which lands them in a dangerous situation in the water park. This is an external conflict that occurs between the three main characters and external forces. However, one could also argue that there is an element of internal conflict, as Ares dangles the prospect of helping Percy’s mother in front of them and Percy is torn between his dislike of Ares, his goal of staying on top of the original quest, and the possibility that Ares might be able to help him save his mother.

Ares approaches the three half-bloods in the diner and requests a “favor,” which is that they retrieve his shield at an abandoned water park. Although Grover and Annabeth recognize the potential danger, the three characters realize that they should comply with Ares’s request, especially since Ares is as powerful as he is and because he hints that he can help Percy save his mom.

They find the water park and break in. Ares’s girlfriend, Aphrodite, is married to Hephaestus, the blacksmith who was crippled as a baby when Zeus threw him off of Mount Olympus. Annabeth warns Percy and Grover that “Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass” Ares and his wife Aphrodite.

When they see Ares’s shield to retrieve it for him, Percy sets off a trap that Hephaestus had set for Ares. However, they manage to escape the trap and get to safety.

What are the internal and external conflicts faced by characters in The Lightning Thief?

In Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, there are three main characters: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Each of them has different conflicts they deal with in the text.

Percy deals with many external conflicts by doing things like learning to sword fight, mastering his Poseidon-like powers, and overcoming the minions and allies of Hades. Some of the most critical external conflicts are when Percy faces Gorgons at the beginning of his journey and when he fights against Ares, the god of war, after learning that Ares is in on the plot to cause a war between the "Big Three" gods.

Percy has some internal conflicts as well, such as his poor relationship with his father and his lack of confidence in himself. Percy has been a screw-up most of his life, but his demigod status, which is responsible for his dyslexia, ADHD, and failure in school, is kept hidden from him to protect him. He struggles with an inferiority complex through most of the book and only comes into his own through the journey of all five books in the series. He also struggles because he is angry at his father, who never contacted him, but still has to try to help him so the world won’t be launched into war.

Annabeth faces similar external conflicts to Percy, as she goes on the same adventure. She isn’t as strong physically as he is, but she uses her wits (a gift of Athena) to help overcome many of the same challenges.

Annabeth has a different internal conflict. She wants to prove herself, to make her mother proud, and to distinguish herself as a hero. She is jealous of Percy, who gets the offer of a quest, when she has been waiting for a quest for a long time. She also struggles because she knows that her feelings for Percy are against the rivalry that exists between Athena and Posiden.

Grover is unique because he is not a demigod but a Satyr. His external conflict revolves around trying to keep Percy safe through the beginning of the story and attempting to help Percy on the quest despite not being a warrior.

Internally, Grover is struggling with his failures from the past—specifically that he didn’t keep Thalia safe when bringing her to Camp Halfblood. That failure haunts him, and the possibility of failing again causes him stress throughout the adventure.

The internal and external conflicts are wrapped up together in The Lightning Thief. Percy begins the novel as an insecure boy seen as a misfit and mess-up by most of the authority figures in his life. He has ADD and dyslexia. He feels like an outsider in his own home despite his loving relationship with his mother. However, he learns these so-called defects are actually hidden strengths that come from being a demigod: his dyslexia is a symptom of his brain being hard-wired to read ancient Greek, for example.

Percy overcomes his inner turmoil through external conflicts. During his quest to save his mother and retrieve the lightning bolt, he faces down monsters and even other gods. He realizes his own strengths and develops as a person through his trials, using his wits to defeat Medusa, for instance. By the end of the novel, Percy must even oppose Luke, an older boy he assumed was his friend and even viewed as an older brother figure.