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Chapter 21
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
Annabeth, Percy, and Grover are the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so they participate in a traditional feast and burn the burial shrouds that the other campers made for them. At the campfire that night, Percy watches Grover’s satyr friends admire Grover’s searcher’s license. Nothing can dampen Percy’s spirits; his cabin doesn’t feel lonely anymore. He has friends during the day, and he knows that Poseidon is watching and is proud of him. Mom also writes to say that she’s doing better: Gabe left mysteriously, and she just sold her first concrete sculpture, The Poker Player, which will pay for her first term of college and a new apartment. She writes that she also put a deposit down on a new private school if Percy wants to attend and live at home. Percy doesn’t know how to answer.
After completing his quest, Percy feels like a whole new person. He now knows who he is and is comfortable in his various identities. He knows that he can be a half-blood, Poseidon’s son, and the son of a wonderful mortal woman all at once—and none of those things makes him less special or important. The book implies that Mom turned Gabe into stone and that he actually is the statue she sold. This represents her recognition that Percy no longer needs the same kind of protection that he has in years past. Now that Percy knows who and what he is, he can take care of himself—so Gabe is no longer needed.
Themes
The camp gathers on the Fourth of July for fireworks put on by the Hephaestus cabin. Grover shows up to say goodbye. He looks older since the quest. Percy tries to feel happy for him, but he’s sad to lose his oldest friend. Grover hugs Annabeth, claps Percy on the shoulder, and heads off. Percy decides to believe that Grover will be the first searcher to return. The summer passes. Percy gets better at the climbing wall and at plotting for capture the flag. He often thinks of the Oracle and its prophecy, and he can’t help but think that it’s not over yet—Ares’s betrayal doesn’t seem like enough, and he let Mom save herself.
Now that Percy understands who he is, what he is, and where he belongs, he’s able to have the least stressful summer of his life. He also now understands that while he may not be able to control everything, he does have the choice to support Grover in his quest as a searcher. Choosing to believe that Grover will return is a way for Percy to show his loyalty and maintain their friendship, even in Grover’s absence.
Themes
On the last night of the summer session, Percy receives his own necklace and bead: the bead is black with a trident to commemorate Percy’s parentage and his quest to the Underworld. Everyone cheers, and Percy feels both happy and sad. The other campers feel like his family, but most of them are leaving tomorrow for the school year. The next morning, Percy finds a form letter from Mr. D saying that he has to decide if he’s leaving or not by noon. Percy only has a few hours to decide. He thinks the choice should be easy—classrooms are torture—but he’s excited by the prospect of living with Mom without Gabe. He remembers Annabeth’s insistence that the real world is where the monsters are, and he thinks of Thalia. He wonders if he’ll survive until next summer.
Camp Half-Blood has given Percy a place where he feels like he belongs for the first time. In spite of his fractured family situation, this place gives him a number of people in the same boat, all of whom feel like family. Now, Percy has to decide if family is tied to the place (by staying at Camp Half-Blood) or if he can maintain these relationships even if he leaves. He also has to consider whether it’s more important to stay in this place where he’s safe or whether it’s better to be out fighting monsters—that is, if he wants to be a hero or a normal kid.
Themes
Percy decides to do some sword practice to clear his head. He finds Luke in the arena, whacking on dummies like his life depends on it. Percy watches in awe and can’t figure out how Luke managed to fail his quest. Luke notices Percy and stops. Percy notices that Luke’s sword looks odd; Luke explains that it’s half celestial 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 it’s one of a kind and invites Percy to go with him to find something to fight in the woods. Percy thinks he should be relieved that Luke is being so friendly—he’s been distant since Percy returned—but he hesitates. Luke pulls out Cokes, which don’t exist at camp, and Percy agrees.
That Luke’s sword can kill mortals is—and should be—a red flag. Though few have said so explicitly, Chiron and others have implied that nothing the gods or demigods do should harm mortals. Possessing a sword that will kill mortals suggests that Luke is, in fundamental ways, not like Percy, Chiron, and the rest of the campers. There’s something dark about him—something that the novel suggests is decidedly not human.
Themes
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There are no monsters around, so Percy and Luke settle in by the creek. They talk about whether Percy misses his quest, and Luke looks suddenly weary, angry, and not handsome. Luke bitterly says that he’s been here since he was 14. He trained, got a quest, and then everyone ignored him. Luke tosses his can into the creek, which shocks Percy—the naiads and nymphs will take revenge. Luke says he’s leaving and that he brought Percy here to say goodbye. He snaps his fingers, and a scorpion crawls out of a hole in the ground. Percy reaches for his pen, but Luke warns him that pit scorpions can jump 15 feet and kill within a minute.
Again, Luke shows that he doesn’t belong at Camp Half-Blood anymore when he tosses his can into the creek, a serious transgression at camp. Luke also suggests that even though he completed a quest, he doesn’t see himself as a hero—and he doesn’t think that being a hero is all that great. Instead, he believes that being a hero is a poor consolation prize for being different.
Themes
The scorpion fixes its eyes on Percy as it climbs up his leg. Luke asks Percy if he felt the darkness and realized how useless it is to be a pawn for the gods. He insists that Western civilization is a disease; they must burn it down and start over. Percy says that Luke serves Kronos: Kronos got Luke to steal the bolt and the helm, and he speaks to Luke in dreams. Luke points out that Kronos also spoke to Percy and insists that Kronos isn’t brainwashing him—Kronos has shown Luke that his talents are being wasted. Luke reveals that his quest was to repeat Hercules’s quest to steal a golden apple, and there’s no glory in that. He says all he got was his scar and pity. Kronos began visiting his dreams and convinced him to steal the bolt and the helm. It was easy.
Here, Luke lays out exactly why he’s turning to evil: he feels as though his father doesn’t care enough about him to give him a quest that plays to his strengths. In Luke’s opinion, all Hermes cares about, is recreating things that have already happened, something that Luke sees as impersonal and offensive. This shows the worst consequences of the fractured families of the gods: the neglectful and absent parents, through their actions, can push their children toward evil.
Themes
Percy asks why Luke didn’t take the items to Kronos. Luke says that he got overconfident and that Ares caught him, but Kronos helped Luke trick Ares into starting a war between the Big Three. Kronos punished him for this misstep but said that a new hero would arrive who could take the bolt and the helm to Tartarus. 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. Percy points out that this is an awful way to repay Thalia for her sacrifice, but Luke shrieks that the gods let Thalia die—and they’ll pay for it. Percy and Luke argue over whether Luke is being used or not, but Luke refuses to call off the scorpion.
Even though Luke is undeniably aligned with evil, it’s important to note that he’s still motivated by love and grief for Thalia. However, rather than viewing Thalia’s death as her own choice and as a sacrifice, Luke believes that the gods killed her on purpose. In this sense, Luke doesn’t believe that the gods are worth worshipping at all. In his mind, they’re all greedy, cruel, and selfish—and so it’s okay for him to be just as cruel and evil right back at them.
Themes
Luke disappears as the scorpion lunges. Percy smacks at it and then cuts it in half with Riptide, but then he sees that the scorpion stung his hand. He starts to feel foggy, but putting his hand in the creek does nothing. Percy knows he has to get back to 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 Luke was never right after his quest. Percy insists that he needs to go after Luke immediately, and he gripes that the gods won’t even talk about Kronos. Chiron insists that Percy isn’t ready. Percy asks if Chiron’s prophecy was about Kronos, Annabeth, and him, but Chiron can’t say much except that Percy will be a great hero.
Luke’s betrayal is a huge blow to everyone, as he was an essential figure in camp management and performed much of the caretaking for the campers. Even if he was acting, he undeniably made many campers—including Percy and Annabeth—feel at home at Camp Half-Blood. Though Percy takes issue with how the gods are choosing to handle Luke’s betrayal and Kronos’s rise, Chiron encourages Percy to understand that sometimes, being a hero means trusting others and waiting for the right time.
Themes
Chiron explains that Kronos wants Percy to lose his mind and become bitter, but Percy must wait and train—and most importantly, decide whether he’s staying at camp or going home. Chiron leaves for Olympus to report what happened with Luke, and on his way out, he tells Annabeth that “they” are here. Annabeth helps Percy to the porch. He tells her that he thinks Chiron wants him to stay, but he wants to go home—though he also doesn’t want to leave Annabeth here with Clarisse. Annabeth says quietly that she’s going home for the year. She took Percy’s advice and wrote to her dad, apologized, and asked for another chance. He accepted. She points to four figures high on the hill. Percy smiles, and they agree that next summer, they’ll hunt down Luke no matter what. Annabeth joins her family. Percy promises Poseidon that he’ll come back next summer.
Percy was in a unique position to advise Annabeth about her dad. Because of the way their friendship developed (and specifically because Annabeth learned to trust Percy), she took his advice to heart. Now, she’s willing to consider the possibility that she can have a relationship with her dad. Annabeth can choose to manage her own behavior and make things better, just as her dad can. Through this, Percy learns an important lesson: that sometimes, friendship has to change and adapts to different circumstances. Ultimately, though, he knows that distance won’t hurt their friendship.
Themes
