Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Lightning Thief, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity, Heroism, and Normalcy
Family
Friendship and Belonging
Godliness vs. Humanity
Summary
Analysis
Percy is so freaked out that he ditches Grover when Grover stops to use the restroom. He gets in a taxi and heads for Mom’s apartment. Percy tells the reader that his mom has had rotten luck: her parents died when she was five, so an uncaring uncle raised her. She wanted to be a novelist and raised money for college, but her uncle got sick and she had to leave school to care for him. When he died, Percy’s mom had no money, family, or diploma. The best thing that happened to her was meeting Percy’s dad. They never married, and after a while, he set sail and never came back. Mom got her diploma, raised Percy on her own, and eventually married Gabe, a “world-class jerk” who stinks. Gabe and makes Mom’s life hell—Percy calls him “Smelly Gabe.”
The fact that Mom was able to move past the neglect she experienced as a child and do better for Percy suggests that in some circumstances, it is possible to not perpetuate unhealthy family dynamics. This will likely be an important lesson for Percy to learn as well, since his father is absent and he clearly has a negative relationship with his stepfather.
Themes
As soon as Percy gets in the door, Gabe asks Percy for money. This is normal—Gabe never goes to work at his appliance store and he takes money from Percy for his poker games. Eddie, the super of the apartment building, tries to stand up for Percy, but Percy hands over a few bills and goes into his room. It stinks, since Gabe uses it as a “study” during the year. Percy experiences a moment of panic as he remembers Grover’s fear. Percy feels like something is looking for him, but his fears melt as Mom gets home and enters Percy’s room. They sit on the bed, pick through the bag of candy she brought home from work, and talk about Percy’s last few days at school. She’s not concerned that Percy was expelled. Percy thinks that his mom is too good for Gabe, who’s yelling for some bean dip.
Percy is caught between fearing that Grover is onto something and trusting his mom that everything is normal. The fact that Percy feels such a sense of relief around Mom speaks to the strength of their relationship. No one at school is able to make Percy feel safe, sane, and successful—yet Mom is easily able to make Percy feel all of these things. For Percy, then, his bond with Mom is the one relationship that makes him feel like he might have a chance in the world—something that helps him get through the day.
Themes
As Percy tells Mom about his year, he thinks of the museum incident. Mom asks if something happened that scared him, but Percy doesn’t want to tell her about Mrs. Dodds or the old ladies and risk sounding stupid. Mom purses her lips, but then she announces that they’re going to Montauk for three nights as soon as she changes clothes. Percy is thrilled; Gabe has forbidden them from going in the past. Gabe appears and menacingly says that he wants his bean dip. Mom offers to make Gabe seven-layer dip, and when Percy apologizes for interrupting the poker game, Gabe agrees that they can go. Percy doesn’t know why Mom puts up with Gabe.
Mom’s questions suggest that she’s at least somewhat aware that Percy might be experiencing odd things at school. This simple fact helps Percy to begin taking his experiences and Grover’s fears seriously, since he trusts and loves Mom more than anyone else. Meanwhile, Gabe’s controlling behavior toward Mom indicates that Mom hasn’t entirely escaped the trauma of her past negative relationships.
Themes
An hour later, Gabe watches Percy load bags into Gabe’s Camaro. Percy is so angry that he makes the same gesture Grover made on the bus and then a shoving motion, which makes the door slam on Gabe and sends him flying up the stairs. Percy and Mom get to Montauk around sunset. They’ve been coming here for years, and Percy knows it’s where Mom met Percy’s dad. They go through their usual routine of feeding the seagulls and eating blue candy. When it gets dark, they make a fire, and Percy asks about his dad. Mom says that he’d be proud of Percy, which Percy doesn’t quite get. She reminds Percy that she and his father were only together for a summer, even though Percy thinks he remembers his dad.
The family tradition of going to Montauk helps Percy connect with Mom, as well as with the memory of his dad. In this sense, traditions like these can help people like Percy make sense of how they fit within their family. Mom’s insistence that Percy’s dad would be proud is strange to Percy, only because Percy thinks of himself as a failure. However, it seems that Mom knows something about Percy’s father (and perhaps about Percy himself) that Percy doesn’t know.
Themes
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Percy feels suddenly angry at his dad for not marrying Mom and relegating them to Smelly Gabe. He asks Mom if she’s going to send him away again. Mom sighs and says it’s for Percy’s own good—it’ll keep him safe. Percy flashes on all the scary and unsafe things that have happened to him at every school. He knows he should mention the old ladies and Mrs. Dodds, but he suspects it’ll end their trip. Mom says that Percy’s dad wants Percy to attend a summer camp, but she can’t stand the idea. Percy is aghast that his dad has opinions about a summer camp, of all things. Mom says that if Percy goes, they’ll have to say goodbye for good.
Though Mom and Percy’s relationship is warm, caring, and positive, it still can’t entirely make up for the sense of abandonment that Percy feels when it comes to his dad. It also doesn’t make sense to Percy why Mom wants to send him away for his safety—in his experience, weird or unsafe things happen no matter where he goes. Mom’s foreboding comment that she and Percy will be separated forever if he goes to the camp adds to the sense of mystery surrounding Percy and his father.
Themes
That night, Percy dreams that a white horse and a golden eagle are fighting on the beach. A monstrous voice laughs underground and goads the fighting animals. Percy tries to stop the fight, but he wakes with a start to discover that a hurricane is blowing in. Percy can also hear an odd roar. Mom hears pounding on the door and throws it open to reveal Grover—but he doesn’t look right. Mom scolds Percy for not telling her what happened at school, and Grover curses in ancient Greek. He says that “it” is right behind him. Percy is in shock, and he mutters something about the old ladies and Mrs. Dodds. Mom grabs her keys and tells the boys to get in the car. Percy stares at Grover. His bottom half is shaggy, and his feet are cloven hooves.
Percy’s strange dream invokes images from Greek mythology: the golden eagle is the god Zeus’s messenger, and the white horse is reminiscent of the god Poseidon’s son Pegasus. This is significant, given that the reader knows that Percy is a demigod. The dream seems to be a premonition of sorts that situates Percy as someone who is more than mortal—and Grover’s odd appearance confirms this.
Themes
