Percy+Jackson+and+The+Lightning+Thief

** __ The Lightning Thief __ **** by Rick Riordan, Miramax Books, 2005,  ** ** 377pages. **     Summary written by Rosa Han   This book is about the adventures of Percy Jackson, the main character, who is the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. He is twelve years old and has learning disabilities of ADHD and dyslexia. As a result, he has been kicked out of several schools. The last school he attended was Yancy Academy. He decides to tell the readers about what has happened to his life in the journal format. Many Greek gods and goddesses appear as characters in this fantasy novel.  During a school trip, Ms. Dodds, Percy’s math teacher, attacks Percy asking him to present Zeus’s master bolt. She is only visible to Percy because she is one of the three Furies. At that time, Percy could not understand what she is talking about. On the other hand, Percy’s mom, Sally, takes Percy on a trip to Long Island for three days to get him away from his step-father, Gabe Ugliano, who has been treating Percy unfairly. In a cabin, Percy meets a friend named Grover who tells him that the three Furies are trying to kill him. In order to protect his life, Sally takes Percy and Grover to a camp called Camp Half-Blood in New York. In this camp, kids just like Percy who are half-human and half-god can stay safe from monsters that like to attack half-bloods.  At camp, Percy finds more about himself. Actually, his father is Poseidon, the god of the Sea. Poseidon is a brother to Zeus and Hades. After World War II, these three brothers promised not to have any more children with mortal woman. Obviously, Poseidon did not keep this promise since he had Percy. When Zeus’s master bolt, that allows him to make lightning whenever he wants, is stolen, Poseidon was blamed for having Percy to steal the bolt. On the way to the camp, Percy, his mom, and Grover are attacked by a Minotaur who makes Sally to disappear into a golden powder. Grover and Percy escape and arrive at the camp. Percy meets Chiron, one of his tutors at the camp, who believes that Hades has Zeus’s master bolt. Just like Percy, Chiron is a half-blood, half-human and half- horse. Accidentally, he was at Yancy Academy while Percy was there to protect him. Now Percy has to set out to go to the Underworld in Los Angeles to see Hades. On the way to the Underworld, Percy along with his helpers, battles evil monsters such as Medusa and Ares. Medusa is one of the three Gorgons who is so ugly that anyone who sees her turns to stone, and Ares is the god of war.  Once in the Underworld, Percy finds that Hades does not have Zeus’s master bolt. On the other hand, Hades is missing his own symbol of power, the helm of darkness. Hades thinks that Percy has stolen both of them for his father Poseidon. Unfortunately, the master bolt shows up in Percy’s backpack although he has nothing to do with it. It turns out that Ares stole the master bolt and the helm of darkness to create the biggest wars of all time among the three big powers, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Since Ares tricked Percy, they fight on the beach. Percy wounds Ares, winning the helm of darkness as well. Ares curses Percy.  Percy gives the helm of darkness to Hades and goes on a plane to New York to give the master bolt to Zeus who lives on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building where Mount Olympus is located. Percy meets Poseidon and Zeus for the first time and tells them everything that he knows and suspects. He tells them that he has been having dreams about Kronos who ruled in the age before the Greek gods. In fact, Kronos is planning to get rid of the Olympians. Luke, one of Percy’s camp friends tells Percy that he actually stole the master bolt and the helm of darkness for Kronos. Then Luke vanishes, leaving the scorpion for Percy to sting. Percy almost dies from this scorpion bite, but Chiron cures him. Eventually, Percy gets to attend a new school and lives with his mother for his grade seven year.