The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson & the Olympians Book One Study Guide This study guide is designed to help you focus on the main events and ideas in this story. I recommend that you read each chapter first before answering the questions. If you answer the questions as you are reading, you will find yourself reading just to answer the questions. When this happens, the story seems segmented (not connected); you lose the sense of the "whole" story. Also, don't be so foolish or dishonest as to read internet sources (Sparknotes, Pink Monkey, etc.) rather than actually reading the book. Don't take shortcuts! These are not the actions of a Holy Cross Man.
Before you start reading, don’t miss Rick Riordan’s website www.rickriordan.com! Click on the book cover for The Lightning Thief. You’ll get to a page with links to sites with information about the Greek gods and goddesses that will help you to understand the characters and action in the novel. There are also some interactive and game sites.
This novel falls into the genre (type of literature) of fantasy. Fantasy - fantasy novels and stories cover a wide range of "real-unreal" plots, characters and settings. Some identifying characteristics are: animals as characters, magical events, imaginary beings as characters. Fantasies often involve a search or quest of some type and ask the reader to believe temporarily in the possibility of events and characters.
Author: Rick Riordan Setting: Contemporary times (right now); Various locations throughout the U.S. beginning in New York and following Percy across the country to Los Angeles Point-of-View: 1st Person Narrative – the protagonist (main character), Percy Jackson, is telling his own story. Everything the reader knows is through his experience.
Chapter 1 “I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” 1. The author wants to spark your interest in his story so you’ll continue reading. How does he do that in those first few paragraphs? ______
______2. What kind of kids go to Yancy Academy? ______3. Mr. Brunner is an important character. What do you know about him so far? ______
______4. Grover is important also. What do you know about him at this point in the story? ______
______5. What expectations of Percy does Mr. Brunner have? ______
______6. Describe what happens when Mrs. Dodds takes Percy back into the museum. ______
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______7. How did Mr. Brunner assist Percy in this situation? ______8. For what good reasons would Percy be confused when he returns to the others outside of the museum?
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Chapter 2 “Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death” (Go to rickriordan.com now and search for information on The Fates. Use one of the mythology links that he provides.)
1. What is the only hint that Mrs. Dodds really had existed? ______2. How had the weather been unusual? ______3. What does Percy (and the reader) learn from the conversation he overheard between Grover and Mr. Brunner? ______4. Describe the ladies at the fruit stand and their odd actions. ______
______5. Which of their actions bothers Grover the most? ______6. Foreshadowing is a literary technique that authors use to give the reader a hint of what’s to come. What hints is the author giving you that something bad may happen to Percy? ______
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Chapter 3 “Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants” 1. The story tells you enough for you to understand why Percy is not happy to be returning home when Gabe is there. What do you know about Gabe? ______
______2. What qualities make Percy’s mom a special person? ______
______3. Why does Sally (Percy’s mom) always have blue food around? ______4. Tell what Percy knows about his father. ______
______5. What are some scary and odd events that Percy remembers from his younger years? ______
______6. Percy’s mother seems to know some things that he doesn’t. Why could the reader conclude this?
______7. What is different about Grover’s legs and feet? ______
Chapter 4 “My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting” 1. What do you think the purpose of “the Mist” is? ______2. What is Grover really? ______3. Who or what is chasing Sally, Percy, and Grover? ______4. What happened to Sally? ______5. How does Percy finally stop the Minotaur? ______
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Chapter 5 “I Play Pinochle (pea-knuckle) with a Horse” 1. What does the blonde girl want to know from Percy? ______
______2. What was unusual about the surfer dude watching over Percy? ______3. Why is Grover expecting Percy to be angry with him? ______
______As Percy describes the lay-out of Camp Half-Blood, go to the website and view the map of Camp Half-Blood. 4. Who runs the camp? ______In what ways is this guy like Smelly Gabe? ______
______5. Who is Mr. Brunner – really? ______6. Explain in your own words why the Greek gods have taken up residence in America. ______
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Chapter 6 “I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom” 1. How does the camp support itself? ______2. What information about Grover does Percy get from Chiron? ______
______3. Who stays in Cabin 11, and which god is their patron? ______
______4. According to Annabeth, why can’t the minotaur be really dead, and why might we expect to see it again sometime? ______
______5. Percy gets a lot of information and insights about himself from Annabeth. Summarize what he learns. ______6. Percy encounters a girl who is very much like Nancy Bobofit. Who is this girl? ______7. When Clarisse is trying to dunk his head in the toilet, Percy uses the water against her. This is the second time he has controlled water and used it as a weapon (the first time against Nancy at the fountain). Which god do you think might be his father? ______
Chapter 7 “My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke” (At this point, look up naiads and nereids.) 1. Who is Annabeth’s mother? ______2. What does Annabeth say about the gods as parents? ______
______3. According to Annabeth, where is Mt. Olympus located now? ______
______4. Why is the summer solstice an important deadline? ______
______5. What do the campers do before they sit to eat their meals? ______
Chapter 8 “We Capture a Flag” 1. After three days at the camp, Luke teaches Percy how to sword-fight. What action of Percy’s gives him renewed strength? ______2. How can Grover redeem himself and not be judged a failure as a keeper? ______
______3. Why doesn’t anyone live in Artemis’s cabin? ______4. Who are the three sons of Kronos – The Big 3? ______5. What decision did The Big 3 make after World War II? ______
______6. Who broke the oath? ______7. Why is Percy interested in visiting the Underworld? ______
8. Who is Thalia and what is her story? ______9. In “Capture the Flag,” which cabins were on Ares’s side? ______Which ones were on Athena’s? ______10. What saves Percy (again) against Clarisse’s attack? ______11. Who does the Hellhound attack? ______12. Who is Percy’s father, and how is that information revealed? ______
Chapter 9 “I Am Offered a Quest” 1. What are Zeus and Poseidon fighting about? ______2. Why would Zeus be angry at Percy? ______3. What plan does Chiron have for Percy that will stop the fighting between the two Olympians? ______4. What form does the Oracle take? ______5. What are the four parts of Percy’s prophecy? a. ______b. ______c. ______d. ______
6. Based on what evidence does Chiron decide that Hades must have the stolen lightning bolt? ______
______7. What evil and dangerous creatures obey Hades? ______8. Where is the entrance to the Underworld? ______9. Who makes up the trio for this quest? ______
Chapter 10 “I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus” 1. What gift does Luke Percy for his quest? ______Why won’t Percy be able to use them? ______2. What gift does Chiron give him? ______3. Grover explains to Percy why his mother married Gabe. What was the reason? ______4. What is Percy’s personal reason for going on this quest? ______5. Describe the incident – from start to finish – that interrupts their bus ride. ______
Chapter 11 “We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium” (Look up Medusa.) 1. What is peculiar about the garden statues that are in Aunty Em’s shop? ______
______2. Who is Aunty Em – really? ______3. Percy now has two “trophies” from his battles with monsters. What are they? ______4. What does Percy do with Medusa’s head? ______
Chapter 12 “We Get Advice From a Poodle” 1. In that night’s conversation with Grover, Percy learns the purpose of being a searcher. What is it? ______2. What does Grover say is a result on earth of Pan being gone? ______3. What is Grover’s theory about why Percy sent the head to the gods? ______4. How will Gladiola help them? ______
Chapter 13 “I Plunge to My Death” 1. According to the news reports, what does the outside world believe is going on with Percy? ______2. They took the train as far as Denver. Stop and process – where are they headed and for what reason? ______3. There is a stop-over in St. Louis (Missouri). The trio goes to the St. Louis Arch to sightsee. Explain who and what Percy encounters. ______4. How does he escape? ______Chapter 14 “I Become a Known Fugitive” 1. Percy encounters a Nereid in the Mississippi River. She gives him a message from his father. What must he do before he tries to enter the Underworld? ______2. Why must Percy hide after he comes out of the water? ______
Chapter 15 “A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers” 1. The trio is finally in Denver. In what way does Annabeth “get a call through” to Half-Blood Hill?
______2. Instead of contacting Chiron, who “answers?” ______What does he have to report? ______3. What does Percy have to lie about to Luke? ______4. The three meet Ares (god of war) in the diner. How is he dressed? ______5. What does he want them to do for him? ______6. What effect does Ares’s presence have on Percy? ______7. Describe what happens when they try to get Ares’s shield. ______
Chapter 16 “We Take a Trip to Vegas” 1. As promised, Ares arranged a ride for the trio to Los Angeles. What is the means of transportation? ______2. Ares tells Percy something important about Sally. What is it? ______3. As they are traveling, the story of how Thalia was turned into a pine tree is told. What was Grover’s part in the story? ______What was Annabeth’s part? ______4. In Percy’s nightmare later that night, he seems to be overhearing a conversation between a voice from a pit and someone acting as its servant. Does the voice acknowledge that Percy is there? ______5. Why can Percy understand the zebra but not the lion or the antelope? ______6. After walking the streets of Las Vegas, they come upon the Lotus Casino. Describe what goes on there. ______7. When does Percy realize that something is not right about the place? ______8. How much time had they spent at the Lotus? ______
Chapter 17 “We Shop For Water Beds” (See what you can find out about Procrustus.) 1. By what means do they travel from Las Vegas to Los Angeles? ______2. What bothers the kids most about Percy’s latest nightmare? ______3. As instructed, they report to Santa Monica beach. Why had Poseidon wanted Percy to come there first before going to the Underworld? ______4. What does Crusty try to do to them? ______How does Percy trick him and save the other two? ______
Chapter 18 “Annabeth Does Obedience School” (Look up Charon and Cerberus) 1. The address for the entrance to the Underworld is DOA Recording Studios. What do you think the DOA stands for? ______2. Describe Charon. ______3. How do they buy their way in? ______4. How does Annabeth control Cerberus? ______5. In this Underworld, what kind of dead people went to the Fields of Asphodel? ______
Chapter 19 “We Find Out the Truth – Sort Of” 1. Describe what the Fields of Asphodel and its occupants were like. ______2. What was it like in the Fields of Punishment? ______3. Describe Elysium and who goes there. ______4. What seems to be drawing Grover down the tunnel and into the gaping pit? ______5. What would have happened if they had eaten one of the pomegranates? ______
______6. The trio finally meet Hades. How is he described? ______
______7. What is his throne made of?______8. Where was Queen Persephone? ______9. Hades wants his helm (helmet) returned because he thinks that Percy has it. Percy wants Hades to give him Zeus’s lightning bolt because he thinks Hades has it. What surprise is in Percy’s backpack (which has been getting heavier and heavier)? ______10. Why doesn’t Percy save his mother with one of the pearls? ______
______surprise is in Percy’s backpack (which has been getting heavier and heavier)? ______10. Why doesn’t Percy save his mother with one of the pearls? ______
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Chapter 20 “I Battle My Jerk Relative” 1. Whom does Ares credit with stealing both the bolt and the helm? ______2. Ares can’t let Percy return the bolt to Zeus and stop the war. He must kill Percy. How does he try to do that at first? ______3. Percy insists on what kind of fight? ______4. How does it end? ______5. What do the policeman on the beach think is happening between these two? ______6. Who came to pick up Hades’s helm of darkness? ______7. What or who had stopped Ares from killing Percy? ______
Chapter 21 “I Settle My Tab” 1. What story does the non-god world believe about Percy and his traveling companions? ______
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______2. When the kids are interviewed, what does Percy announce to the media that will certainly make Gabe furious? ______3. While Percy goes to the Empire State Building, where will Annabeth and Grover be going? ______
______4. On which floor of the Empire State Building do the gods live? ______5. How is Poseidon dressed appropriately as the god of the Sea? ______6. Are Zeus and Poseidon willing to consider that Kronos is healing and coming back? ______7. When Percy returns to his apartment to see his mom, a box is waiting on his bed. Read the address on the box. What’s in the box? ______Percy offers to use it to get rid of Gabe. How would a look into the box get rid of Gabe?______8. What is his mother’s reason for not letting him use it to deal with Gabe? ______
Chapter 22 “The Prophecy Comes True” 1. Describe the reception Percy received when he returned to Half-Blood Hill. ______2. Why won’t Gabe be a problem for his mother anymore? ______3. What big decision does Percy have to make by the end of the summer? ______
______4. Explain how Luke fulfills the part of Percy’s prophecy that says he will be “betrayed by one who calls you a friend?” ______5. Luke expresses how he really feels about the Olympians. What will he be fighting for when he goes out into the world? ______6. Percy influenced Annabeth to make a decision about the school year. Where will she be during this time? ______7. Where will Percy be spending the school year? ______8. What promise do they make for the next summer? ______