Names
Do you remember when Percy first arrives at Camp Half-Blood, and he tells everyone that he doesn't believe in the Greek gods? He mentions gods' names as if they were just names in a phone book. Mr....
Games
Did you happen to notice that there are a lot of games played in this story (both literal and figurative). We know that Mr. D loves playing Pinochle and often gets his booty kicked by Chiron. He is...
Symbols of Power
Zeus's master bolt is "the symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned," and is very much like a weapon of mass destruction (9.81). Its disappearance causes the main con...
Western Civilization
The gods follow the heart of Western Civilization. But what exactly is "Western Civilization," and why are the gods so keen on it? Let's hear from Chiron to find out:Come now, Percy. What you call...
Dreams
Percy doesn't have many peaceful nights of sleep in this story. We quickly learn that his dreams are messengers from the gods and from Kronos, or perhaps they are the way his half-god self communic...
The Senses
The five senses are very important in this story. Pay attention to moments when the senses are important at Camp Half-Blood or on the quest. Remember what the bonfire at the Camp Half-Blood mess ha...