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Annabeth Chase
Mr. Brunner is Percy’s mentor. Mr. Brunner is first Percy’s Latin teacher at Yancy Academy. He’s in a wheelchair, owns a number of Greek battle replicas that he uses for study games, and takes a special interest in Percy that Percy doesn’t quite understand. However, Mr. Brunner is the only teacher whom Percy cares about impressing. Once Percy ends up at Camp Half-Blood, he discovers that Mr. Brunner was just a disguise—Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron, the mythical centaur who trained classical Greek heroes like Theseus and Hercules. When in his Mr. Brunner form, which he often takes so he fits in buildings, Chiron’s horse body folds up into the wheelchair. Chiron is calm and kind, but he’s also exacting and he demands a high level of performance from his mentees. He also seems to know more than he lets on; Percy suspects that Chiron has heard a prophecy from the Oracle that mentions him, Annabeth, and Kronos, but Chiron is forbidden from talking explicitly about it. Instead, he contents himself with doing what he can to prepare Percy for his quest, including by passing on Poseidon’s sword, Riptide. Chiron is unable to provide assistance during Percy’s quest, but he helps Percy interpret events after his return. He warns Percy that Percy must wait and rack up training hours if he wishes to take on Kronos and Luke, since he’s not in a place yet to successfully face them. Despite Percy’s admiration for and trust of Chiron, he chooses to go against what he thinks Chiron wants and goes home for the school year.
Chiron/Mr. Brunner Quotes in The Lightning Thief
The The Lightning Thief quotes below are all either spoken by Chiron/Mr. Brunner or refer to Chiron/Mr. Brunner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 5 Quotes
“Will Grover be okay?” I asked Chiron.
Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. “Old Dionysus isn’t really mad. He just hates his job. He’s been...ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can’t stand waiting another century before he’s allowed to go back to Olympus.”
Related Characters:
Percy Jackson (speaker), Chiron/Mr. Brunner (speaker), Dionysus/Mr. D, Grover
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Page Number and Citation:
71
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As Mr. D leads Grover away for an uncomfortable chat about his subpar performance on his keeper assignment, Chiron explains to Percy why Mr. D is so cantankerous and unhappy: Mr. D committed some kind of transgression, and now his punishment is to run Camp Half-Blood. Though the novel never elaborates on what exactly Mr. D did to deserve punishment, the thought of a powerful god like Dionysus being grounded is funny. Through this humor, Riordan begins to humanize the gods, which shows Percy (and the reader) that though the gods may be powerful figures, they nevertheless possess distinctly human qualities. They make mistakes, receive punishments, and hate their jobs—just like many humans do.
This is shocking for Percy, mostly because up until this point, the gods have existed in his mind as archetypes devoid of real personalities or quirks. This moment forces Percy to recognize the humanity of the gods and to understand that he must treat them like gods, with respect and reverence, but he must also think of them as though they’re human. Like humans, they’re multifaceted and complicated, and it’s reductive—and, Percy discovers, impossible—to think of the gods as one-note individuals.
“You mean the Greek gods are here? Like...in America?”
“Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West.”
“The what?”
“Come now, Percy. What you call ‘Western civilization.’ Do you think it’s just an abstract concept? No, it’s a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it.”
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Chapter 9 Quotes
I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn’t think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend I’d ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn’t sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he’d be with me.
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Chiron/Mr. Brunner Character Timeline in The Lightning Thief
The timeline below shows where the character Chiron/Mr. Brunner appears in The Lightning Thief. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff. Percy has high hopes, since Mr. Brunner , the cool Latin teacher, is leading the trip. Percy seems to always get in...
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Mr. Brunner leads the class through the galleries. They stop at a stele (a grave marker), and...
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When Nancy mumbles loudly that none of this applies to real life, Mr. Brunner asks Percy to explain why it does matter. Percy doesn’t know. Disappointed, Mr. Brunner finishes...
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...gladly gives Grover his apple and thinks longingly of Mom, who lives close by. As Mr. Brunner parks his wheelchair and starts eating, Nancy walks by and dumps her lunch in Grover’s...
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...Then, Mrs. Dodds transforms into a shriveled hag with bat wings, fangs, and glowing eyes. Mr. Brunner appears and throws Percy a pen, which turns into a bronze sword. As Mrs. Dodds...
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Chapter 2
...live with Mom. As finals approach, Percy only studies for Latin. He wants to please Mr. Brunner .
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...Percy gets so frustrated that he decides to ask for help. However, as he approaches Mr. Brunner ’s office, he hears Grover telling Mr. Brunner that he’s worried about Percy. Grover mentions...
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After the Latin exam the next day, Mr. Brunner calls Percy aside and says that it’s for the best that Percy leaves Yancy. Percy...
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Chapter 4
...is real, however. Percy is shocked to learn that Grover is a satyr, like in Mr. Brunner ’s myths. Grover insists that nothing Percy has seen is a myth, but the less...
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...tries to make sense of what’s happening, but just as he thinks of the sword Mr. Brunner tossed him, the car swerves into a ditch. Lightning rips open the roof. Percy and...
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Chapter 5
...and that Annabeth has been at camp longer than anyone else. The other man is Chiron, whom Percy already knows: Percy realizes it’s Mr. Brunner. He cries out. Mr. Brunner smiles...
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Chiron says he’s thrilled to see Percy alive and he’s glad he didn’t waste his time...
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...snorts that mortals have no perspective. Percy begins to suspect that Mr. D isn’t mortal. Chiron asks Percy to imagine never dying, and Percy catches his meaning—it might be a drag...
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...visions of grape vines choking “unbelievers.” Mr. D announces that he won the game, but Chiron plays a hand and insists that he won. Unsurprised, Mr. D leads Grover away to...
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Chiron explains that Mount Olympus is really just a spot where the gods’ powers are strongest;...
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Chapter 6
Chiron takes Percy on a tour of the camp. Campers point at Percy and stare. Percy...
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Chiron shows Percy the woods, asks him if he has a sword and shield for capture...
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Chiron leads Percy to Annabeth, who’s on the porch of cabin number 11. Percy can’t figure...
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Chapter 7
...Annabeth was talking about when she mentioned the summer solstice. He shares what he overheard Chiron and Grover talking about, and Annabeth says that she knows something is wrong but she...
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...Luke was the last one to go on a quest, and it went badly, so Chiron canceled quests for everyone else. Annabeth desperately wants to go, so she pestered Chiron until...
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Chapter 8
...with Mr. D went. Grover turns yellow but says it went fine. Percy says that Chiron mentioned Grover’s big career plans, and he asks if Grover got the credit for his...
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...tonight, they’re allied with Athena, along with the Apollo cabin. Ares has the other cabins. Chiron announces the rules, and battle equipment suddenly appears on the tables. Luke helps Percy find...
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...It falls dead from a dozen arrows. Everyone ignores Luke and the Athena team’s victory. Chiron trots up and says that someone must’ve summoned the hellhound, and Annabeth tells Percy to...
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Chapter 9
...around them, but Percy notices the other campers watching the storm uneasily. Mr. D and Chiron are playing pinochle. Mr. D insults Poseidon, spits that he’d love to either burn Percy...
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Percy asks what the quest is, but Chiron says that the details are fuzzy. Percy suggests that Poseidon and Zeus are fighting over...
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...that this is nonsense and asks if Poseidon really had someone steal the master bolt. Chiron sighs that stealing isn’t Poseidon’s style, but he’s too proud to convince Zeus he didn’t...
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Percy returns to Chiron and Grover, but he only relays the Oracle’s first line. Chiron says knowingly that the...
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...his life. Percy is relieved enough to cry; Grover is his oldest friend. He asks Chiron where they should go. Chiron says that the Underworld is always in the west—now, it’s...
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Chapter 10
...also brings reed pipes, but he can only play two songs. At Thalia’s pine tree, Chiron meets the trio and introduces Argus, the head of security with eyes all over his...
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Percy confirms with Chiron that being in the air is a bad idea—he’d be in Zeus’s territory—so he gives...
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Percy asks if there was a time before the gods, and what it was like. Chiron isn’t old enough to remember, but he says that Kronos, the lord of the Titans,...
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Chapter 15
...solstice, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth arrive in Denver. Annabeth suggests that they try to contact Chiron, so they wander around for hours. Finally, they reach a do-it-yourself car wash and Annabeth...
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Chapter 18
...an Italian suit. Percy reads the guard’s nametag and asks if his name is really Chiron. Smoothly and coldly, the guard asks if he looks like a centaur, spells out his...
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Chapter 21
...When they reach New York, Percy sends Annabeth and Grover to Half-Blood Hill to tell Chiron the truth. If he dies, he wants to make sure Chiron knows what happened.
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Chapter 22
...bronze and half tempered steel, so he can kill mortals and immortals. Percy flashes on Chiron saying that a hero should never harm mortals. With a small smile, Luke says that...
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...Percy says that Luke summoned the hellhound. Luke doesn’t deny this—it was intended to convince Chiron to send Percy on a quest. Luke also confirms that the flying shoes were cursed....
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...camp, and he asks nymphs for help. Everything goes black. Percy wakes up with Annabeth, Chiron, and Argus surrounding him. Percy tells Chiron what happened. Annabeth is incensed and says that...
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Chiron explains that Kronos wants Percy to lose his mind and become bitter, but Percy must...
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