The Minotaur is a horrendous monster with the huge head of a bull. It attacks Percy and Mom when Mom attempts to drive Percy and Grover to Camp Half-Blood. Percy realizes that the Minotaur doesn’t see well; it navigates by smell. Knowing this, however, isn’t enough for Percy to emerge entirely victorious from his battle with the monster. At first, Percy believes that the Minotaur killed Mom—but in reality, Hades takes her to the Underworld. The Minotaur’s violence also severely injures Grover. Percy manages to rip off one of the Minotaur’s horns and then kill it. Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that it’s impossible to slay monsters for good—he slayed the same Minotaur that the Ancient Greek hero Theseus did.
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The Minotaur Character Timeline in The Lightning Thief
The timeline below shows where the character The Minotaur appears in The Lightning Thief. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...and gets a good look at the monster. He starts to say that it’s the Minotaur, but Mom shushes him and says that names have power.
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The Minotaur sniffs around the car; Mom explains that he goes on scent. The monster roars and...
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Percy is angry now, not afraid. The Minotaur approaches Grover, so Percy rips off his red jacket and shouts insults at the Minotaur....
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Chapter 5
...slept in a week. Reverently, Grover puts a shoebox in Percy’s lap: it contains the Minotaur horn. Percy says this out loud, but Grover says it’s not a good idea to...
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...reveal Styrofoam padding and his cloven hoof. Percy doesn’t even care that satyrs and the Minotaur are real—he just doesn’t want to have to live with Smelly Gabe. Grover explains that...
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...loves alcohol. Mr. Brunner then calls Annabeth forward and formally introduces her. She eyes the Minotaur horn, quips that Percy drools in his sleep, and bounds away. Mr. Brunner asks Percy...
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Chapter 6
...tells him he has to do better—most kids at camp wish they could’ve fought the Minotaur.
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Percy is doubtful that he actually fought the Minotaur from myth, but Annabeth explains that monsters don’t have souls, so they can’t really die....
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Chapter 8
...the valley beneath the hill. Percy feels hollow; Thalia’s story makes his victory over the Minotaur seem small. He asks if heroes have gone on quests to the Underworld, but Grover...
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Chapter 21
...she terrified Gabe when she appeared in the apartment this morning. She doesn’t remember the Minotaur and has spent all day worrying about Percy, but Gabe made her go to work...
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