Previous
Chapter 19
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
A Coast Guard boat takes Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to shore. On the shore, Percy says they were tricked and that the prophecy was right: the “god who turned” wasn’t Hades. Someone else stole the bolt and the helm and then framed Percy, hoping to frame Poseidon. Grover asks who would want war that badly, and Percy looks ahead to where Ares is standing with his motorcycle. With a grin, Ares admits that he used a hero to steal the bolt and the helm, but he says that Percy was supposed to die in the Underworld to anger Poseidon and leave the bolt there to anger Zeus. Hades is angry, anyway, because he doesn’t know who stole his helm. Ares places a cap on his motorcycle and it turns into an elaborate helmet. Annabeth points out that these gods are family, but Ares says that’s the best kind of war.
Ares’s willingness to tell the trio his plan allows the friends to realize that they’ve had several things wrong: while Hades may have been awful to them, their real adversary is Ares, not Hades. Ares’s insistence that war among family members is the best is a reflection of how dysfunctional the familial relationships between the gods truly are. For Ares, starting wars with his family is sport—and he doesn’t care who might die as a result of his meddling. Though Ares may have some human qualities, he is fundamentally cruel and uninterested in humanity.
Themes
Percy accuses Ares of planting the bolt in the backpack he gave the trio in Denver. Ares explains that the backpack is an altered version of the sword’s sheath, enchanted to only accept the sword once Percy got to the Underworld. Percy asks why Ares didn’t just keep the bolt. For a minute, Ares seems to be listening to someone else, and then he says that he didn’t want the trouble. Percy insists that this was all someone else’s idea—whatever’s in the pit is controlling Ares. Ares shrieks that he doesn’t take orders and doesn’t have dreams, but he tries to cover this up by saying that Percy has to die. He conjures an ugly boar, which Percy slays as it charges him. Percy taunts Ares and promises that if he loses, Ares can turn him into anything and take the bolt—but if Percy wins, he gets the bolt and the helm.
Percy learns the truth about what Nereid meant about not trusting the gifts: she was referring to Ares’s backpack, not necessarily to the pearls. Though Percy would have every right to be extremely angry and blame everything on Ares, he’s also a far more rational person—and so he understands that Ares is a tool in a much larger game, just like he is. Having the upper hand in terms of knowledge gives Percy the strength and the courage to engage Ares in this battle and make this deal.
Themes
Ares pulls out a huge sword. Percy assures Annabeth and Grover that Ares is a coward. Annabeth ties her camp necklace around Percy’s neck, and Grover offers Percy a crushed tin can. Ares steps up and asks what Percy has that he doesn’t. Percy thinks his ego is smaller, and he remembers that according to Annabeth, all Ares has is strength. Percy tries to stay in the water and successfully evades Ares’s stabs, but Riptide is shorter than Ares’s sword. Percy remembers Luke’s advice to get in closer, but Ares knocks Riptide away and kicks Percy 30 feet away. Annabeth shouts that the cops are here as Percy grabs Riptide. He suddenly understands that his ADHD is keeping him alive: he notices everything around him.
Unlike Percy, Ares doesn’t have tokens of friendship from people who care about him. Percy is able to succeed in this fight because his friends stand behind him, support him, and show him what he’s fighting for: a better future for them. Additionally, Percy’s realization that his ADHD is a gift is the final turning point in Percy’s understanding of his identity. Now, he truly understands that he doesn’t have a learning disability—he has a natural talent that will keep him alive, as long as he stays in the divine world.
Themes
A police officer shouts for Ares and Percy to drop their guns, but Ares sends a wall of flame toward them and blows up their cars. Percy backs into the ocean and wills the tide to stay out. He lures Ares farther and farther out and then releases the tide. Percy leaps over Ares as a wave hits Ares in the face. He stabs Riptide into Ares’s heel. As Ares steps toward Percy, a cold and heavy presence drops over the beach and makes Percy feel hopeless. Ares stops, tells Percy he’s cursed, and disappears. Percy grabs Hades’s helm as the Furies drift down and land in front of him. They somehow look nonthreatening and disappointed. Percy tosses Mrs. Dodds the helm and tells her to tell Hades to call off the war. She tells Percy to become a true hero or she’ll destroy him.
Because Percy is now more comfortable in who he is, he’s able to call on all his talents to best Ares. The cold, hopeless presence, however, does call Ares off—and this suggests that it’s in this presence’s best interest to let Percy win right now. As Percy confronts the Furies for the last time, he also begins to recognize the ways in which they’re both human and employees of Hades. It’s their job to make his life miserable—but they’re not necessarily malicious. They’re just doing their job, and they can be honorable about it.
Themes
Get the entire The Lightning Thief LitChart as a printable PDF.
Percy goes to Grover and Annabeth. He’s exhausted and sore, but he asks if they felt the cold dark presence. Grover suggests it was the Furies, but Percy thinks it was stronger than the Furies. Percy and Annabeth exchange a look. They now know what’s in the pit. Percy insists they have to get to New York tonight, so they must fly.
The look between Percy and Annabeth is another reminder that their friendship has reached a new level. Now, they can communicate well without even having to speak to each other—something that will presumably come in handy as they move forward into the next novel in the series.
Themes
