than that. We also catch a glimpse of Kronos, and the trio begins to figure out that the monsters seem to be looking for something rather than someone.

In this chapter, Grover and Percy have a conversation about Percy’s dad, Poseidon. Percy claims that he doesn’t care about his father; instead, he is taking on the quest to get his mom back. Grover tells him,

Look, Percy, I'm not as smart as Annabeth. I'm not as brave as you. But I'm pretty good at reading emotions. You're glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he's claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That's why you mailed Medusa's head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you'd done.

Grover can see through Percy’s facade and realizes that Percy wants to win his father’s approval. This makes him a good foil of Luke in the story. Luke also wanted his father’s approval, but Percy is seeking to do good to prove he is worthy of attention, unlike Luke, who is doing evil to spite his father. The moment is pivotal because Percy realizes that he might care what his father thinks, and that’s important to his success and choices later in the story.

The second pivotal moment happens when Percy falls asleep. He is taken in a vision to Hades, and there he hears the voice of the titan Kronos. Kronos asks Percy to make a bargain and then shows him a vision of his mother. Percy makes the choice to resist, which is important because earlier in the chapter, he said he didn’t care about the quest and was just in it to free his mom. However, when faced with the prospect of releasing his mom, he resists and instead decides to complete the quest and disobey the dark voice. Percy’s choice is crucial because it shows that he understands the stakes are more significant than just his mother’s life, but it also shows that he puts on a front and does care about the conflict of the gods.