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Chapter 20
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
The reporters feed Percy, Grover, and Annabeth the story of what happened: Ares is a crazy kidnapper who abducted them and took them across the country. He was on the bus in New Jersey and in Denver, and finally, Percy stole a gun and fought him on the beach. Through tears, Percy says that he wants to see Gabe again and says that Gabe will be so thrilled to have him back that he’ll guarantee everyone in L.A. a free major appliance from his store. The police and reporters raise money for the trio’s plane tickets. 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.
Even though Percy is a half-blood, he can still easily navigate the mortal world. Part of this has to do with the fact that he’s still a child and he understands how these reporters expect an abducted 12-year-old to act. He also knows that it’s essential to let the reporters tell whatever story they want. Doing this allows Percy to keep his true identity a secret, as well as to protect the people, places, and creatures he’s come to love over the course of his journey.
Themes
Percy takes a taxi to the Empire State Building and asks the guard for the 600th floor and an audience with Zeus. At first the guard acts mortal, but then he says that one needs an appointment to see Zeus. Percy shows the guard the bolt, at which the guard’s face pales. He gives Percy a key card to use in the elevator, and Percy takes the elevator up. When he gets out, he’s on a narrow walkway in midair. White steps lead to a mountaintop covered in snow, olive trees, and white palaces. Percy walks through Olympus in a daze. As Percy studies the palace, he realizes that Hades’s palace resembles it. He feels sorry for Hades—it seems unfair that he’s banished from Olympus.
It’s telling that Percy is able to feel sorry for Hades as he walks through Olympus. He can empathize with the fact that Hades only gets to come to Olympus once per year, during the winter solstice, and is otherwise shut out of the community and the family life of Olympus. Percy can understand that more than anything, Hades just wants to be recognized as just as important as his brothers—and his mirror image palace in the Underworld is a way for him to try to make that happen.
Themes
Percy enters the massive throne room. The thrones are arranged like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood, with a fire in the middle. Only two gods sit at the end: Zeus in a pinstripe suit, and Poseidon in Bermuda shorts. Percy approaches Poseidon’s throne and kneels. Zeus reprimands Percy for not addressing him first, but Poseidon insists that it’s fine. Poseidon says he knows he messed up by fathering Percy, but he wants to hear Percy speak. Percy chokes up thinking that he’s just a god’s mistake. Zeus grumbles but agrees to let Percy speak. Poseidon asks Percy to look up: Poseidon’s face is unreadable, and Percy feels like the god doesn’t know what to think of him. He’s oddly glad about this, since it would feel fake if Poseidon tried to apologize or profess his love. Poseidon tells Percy to tell Zeus his story.
This is an extremely emotional experience for Percy. In some ways, he gets the best he could ask for—Poseidon clearly doesn’t hate him and seems genuinely interested, but also unsure about how he feels. As far as Percy is concerned, this is the most honesty he’s gotten from any god since he started on this journey. However, Percy also feels awful when Poseidon refers to Percy simply as a mistake. Percy knows that he’s more than that: he’s a person; a demigod; and a kid with hopes, dreams, and a story of his own. It’s reductive and hurtful to simply be thought of as a mistake.
Themes
Percy tells the whole story and sets the bolt on the floor. It flies into Zeus’s palm, and Zeus mutters that Percy is telling the truth but that this isn’t like Ares. Percy interrupts and says that Ares didn’t come up with the idea. He describes his dreams and the evil thing that appeared on the beach. Percy says that whatever is in the pit wants to start a war. Zeus asks if Percy is accusing Hades, but Percy says that whatever it is is in Tartarus and is older than the gods. Poseidon and Zeus confer in ancient Greek, and the only word Percy catches is “Father.” Zeus stands to go and says that to show his thanks, he’ll let Percy live. He warns Percy to not fly again and to be out of the throne room when he returns, and then he disappears in a flash of light.
It’s worth commending both Zeus and Poseidon for sitting here, hearing Percy out, and then taking what Percy says seriously. In this moment, they recognize their own faults and they seek to remedy them by listening. Even if Zeus and Poseidon may have used Percy and sent him on what amounted to a wild goose chase, they still recognize that what’s going on is serious. Despite the ways in which Zeus shows he’s capable of being kind and compassionate, he also feels the need to assert his divinity by threating Percy.
Themes
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Poseidon sighs that Zeus should’ve been the god of theater. Percy awkwardly asks what was in the pit and then answers his own question: Kronos. The name seems to darken the room. Poseidon explains that Zeus cut Kronos into a thousand pieces in the First War and cast the remains into Tartarus, but Titans can’t die. Kronos is still alive, conscious, and power-hungry. Percy says that he’s healing and coming back, but Poseidon shakes his head. He insists that Kronos sometimes enters humans’ dreams to stir up evil, but he can never get out of the pit. When Percy protests, Poseidon says that Zeus closed the discussion. Percy’s quest is over.
For Percy, Poseidon’s insistence that his work is done here feels like a rejection and a major oversight. Clearly, there are things going wrong in the world. Percy knows this, and Poseidon seems to know it as well, but Zeus’s power means that they can’t ask any more questions. When Percy has to accept this explanation, he also has to accept that though he may be correct, he doesn’t have the power to assert himself—he’s just a demigod in a family of powerful gods.
Themes
Percy wants to argue, but he grudgingly agrees. Poseidon chuckles at Percy’s struggle to be obedient, stands and says that Mom is at home—Hades keeps his word. Percy wants to ask Poseidon to come with him to see Mom, but he realizes that Poseidon could have seen her any time he wanted. Sadly, Poseidon says that Percy will find a package at home and will have to make a choice about his path. He then says that Mom is a queen, but he’s still sorry that Percy was born. Percy feels hurt and says he doesn’t mind that he’s alive, but Poseidon says he might be sorry someday and that it was still a huge mistake. Awkwardly, Percy bows and starts to leave. Poseidon calls him back, says he did well, and says that no matter what, Percy is his son.
Percy still struggles to figure out how to deal with the fact that Poseidon didn’t want him. This is an understandably devastating thing for him to have to live with, and it’s made even worse by the fact that Poseidon also seems to take genuine interest in Percy. This puts Percy in an odd place as he tries to figure out how to have a relationship with his dad, or even just how to think about him. However, Percy is still young and has time to figure this out as the series progresses.
Themes
On the walk back through Olympus, people stop and look at Percy with gratitude. Some kneel. Percy catches a taxi to Mom’s apartment. She envelops him in a hug, cries, and says 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 to make up for losing a month’s salary. Percy swallows his anger and tells Mom his story. As he gets to the fight with Ares, Gabe shouts and asks if the meatloaf is done yet. Mom says that Gabe will be unhappy after all the calls about free appliances.
As far as Percy is concerned, many things are back to the way they should be. Mom is safe and sound at home—but now, after his quest, Percy is even more aware of Gabe’s controlling nature. Gabe clearly has no empathy, since he forced Mom to go to work and wouldn’t allow her to try to track down her missing son. As a hero, Percy begins to feel a sense of responsibility to protect Mom from mean individuals like Gabe.
Themes
Mom and Percy enter the apartment: it’s filled with beer cans and dirty laundry. Gabe threatens to call the police and growls at Mom that he had to give back her life insurance money. When Gabe raises his hand, Percy realizes that Gabe has hit Mom; Percy feels his anger expand. Percy pulls out his pen, which just makes Gabe laugh. Gabe tells Percy to pack and leave, but Mom drags Percy to his room. Mom assures Percy that everything will be fine once she talks to Gabe, but Percy cuts her off. A package appears on his bed: it’s the box he shipped to Mount Olympus a week ago. Percy knows this is the decision Poseidon mentioned.
Ending up with Medusa’s head gives Percy an easy way to deal with Gabe, since it will turn Gabe to stone if he looks at it. However, Percy isn’t as impulsive as he once was, which is, in part, because he no longer associates his impulsivity with ADHD. Instead, his new understanding of how his brain and body work helps him to control his impulses and make more nuanced, well-thought-out decisions. This decision, then, will illustrate how far Percy has come in terms of growing up and figuring out who he is.
Themes
Percy asks Mom if she wants Gabe to go and points out that he hits her. Mom says she wants Gabe to go, but she’s working up her courage to tell him. She says that Percy can’t do it for her, though. Looking at the box, Percy knows he could solve this—a Greek hero would turn Gabe into a statue—but those stories always end in tragedy. Percy wonders if he has the right to condemn Gabe to the Fields of Punishment.
In this moment, Percy realizes that he has the power to define what being a Greek hero means to him. He could go against Mom’s wishes and petrify Gabe—but he knows that would end badly. Instead, Percy can make the choice to live a potentially less tragic life by leaving the choice to Mom.
Themes
Percy tells Mom that a look inside the box will do away with Gabe, and he insists that she deserves better. Mom says that she can’t let Poseidon or Percy take care of her; she has to find her own courage. Percy says he’ll leave the box and go back to Half-Blood Hill. At the door, Percy can’t believe he’s leaving without taking revenge. When Gabe heckles Mom, Percy notices anger in her eyes and thinks that she can do this.
Percy is able to tell Mom that she deserves better in part because he has found a better place. He knows what it’s like to fit in somewhere and be accepted warmly, and he wants Mom to have that same experience in her romantic life. Now, he’s using what he learned and is passing it on to others.
Themes
