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 the hero and what their ordinary world is like, something disrupts the hero's life, and we the readers are kept in suspense as to how they deal with the change.
In The Lightning Thief , the rising action consists of Percy's journey before it is revealed that Luke is the titular thief. It starts when Percy is attacked by his math teacher, who turns out to be a harpy in disguise. This act disrupts his normal everyday life and pulls him into a bigger world of intrigue and adventure. Much of the rising action encompasses Percy's journey to the Underworld, where he hopes to confront Hades about Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. He encounters several different mythical figures along the...
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way, honing his skills and facing adversary with brains and courage; these confrontations are also part of the rising action.
The rising action of any story is filled with suspense, where the reader wonders how the hero will rise up (no pun intended) to meet the forces that oppose them. In The Lightning Thief, the suspense of the rising action makes the reader wonder, "Will Percy find the thief?", "Will he be able to prevent war from breaking out among the gods?", "Who is the friend that will betray Percy, as the oracle foretold?", and so on.
What is the rising action in Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief?
Rising action is a term used to describe the leadup to the climax of the novel. In Rick Riordan's first Percy Jackson novel, The Lightning Thief, the rising action begins with Percy being told to consult the Oracle for a quest. The plot prior to this point has functioned to set the stage, and it is with Percy's meeting with the Oracle that the action leading up to the climax begins.
The rising action continues as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover fight monsters, are given additional tasks by other gods, and ultimately work their way toward completing their quest. There is a bit of a plot twist once the team makes their way to the Underworld, and the climax of the plot—and therefore the end of the rising action—comes when Percy finally understands the second-to-last line of the prophecy, "you shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend," and confronts the person who betrayed him.
In Rick Riordan'sThe Lightning Thief, first novel
of the series titled "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," the rising
action starts around chapters 8-10 when Chiron tells Percy to consult
the Oracle to see if he should go on a quest. The Oracle does indeed prophecy
that Percy will go on a quest heading west and "shall find
what was stolen, and see it safely returned."
It becomes critical for Percy to venture on a quest for a
couple of different reasons. First, Chiron has realized Percy is
actually the son of Poseidon. According to Chiron, the three most
powerful gods--Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades--vowed to never again father children
with mortal women. Second, it has become known that Zeus's lightening
bolt has been stolen. Plus, Zeus and Poseidon are bitter rivals;
therefore, once Zeus learns Percy is Poseidon's son, Zeus is likely to accuse
Percy of being the thief. But Chiron actually suspects Hades of having stolen
Zeus's weapon. So, the only way to prevent a war between Zeus and Poseidon from
starting is to take the lightning bolt from Hades and return it to Zeus.
Therefore, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover venture to Los Angeles, where they will
be able to enter the underworld and confront Hades, a quest that leads them
closer to the novel's resolution.