Reflection on the Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief

By: Rick Riordan

Journal #1

In the beginning of this story we meet Percy Jackson, a 12 year old “demigod.” Demigods are superhuman mortals born of the Gods. They are half man, half god and wield powers connected to the powers of their Olympian parent. Percy had no clue of what he was or what he was capable of. During a school field trip to the museum, Percy was not feeling well. He was seeing weird things such as water flying in the air and his teacher teleporting. Being dyslexic and having ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) he assumed he was just seeing things. While eating lunch, Percy’s teacher wanted to talk to him. They walked inside the museum and he began to get suspicious. She had elf like ears and something that appeared to be a tail. Once inside the museum Percy asked if she was feeling alright. POOF! Right after he asked that she revealed her true identity! His teacher was a Fury, a vicious monster that was out to kill demigods. The Fury attacked Percy! However, he managed to avoid the attack and kick her in the stomach. Right when Percy’s life flashed before his eyes, a pen flew from the sky right into Percy’s hand. After being uncapped it revealed to be a sword! With this sword Percy killed the Fury with one clean cut. It turned to dust which vanished quickly, this was when Percy realized, something, was different about him.

While I read this I notice that there are monsters on Earth yet no one else is seeing them. As I read further I wonder why Percy sees these monsters and if Percy will have to fight demons off on a regular basis. How will he cope with being a demigod? Does his family know? These are just a few of the questions that run through my mind as I read. During the fight scene I can visualize Percy, scared and quivering, forced to fight for his life. I know if that was me I would be scared out of my mind. Now I want to know, what will happen next?

Journal #2
After informing his mother of what happened, Percy began to understand what he was. His mother knew all along but was scared to tell him. Now that Percy knew he was a demigod, he had to go somewhere safe, he had to go to Camp Half Blood. “I don’t want to do this but it is for the best” said his mother. They ventured through a forest until they finally got to the hidden camp, protected by an energy barrier. Percy being half god was able to enter through the energy barrier where he was introduced to Chiron. Chiron is a centaur and the camp’s director. He had been watching Percy from a far and was the one who threw him the sword. Being unable to establish which god was Percy’s parent he was put in the Hermes cabin. That cabin was directed by the oldest son of Hermes, Luke. Luke was one of the nicest people Percy had ever met. Once Percy met everyone in the camp they quickly began training him, starting with a game of Capture the Flag. During this game, Percy was attacked by the daughter of Ares and thrown face first into a lake. However, this would benefit Percy because when in the water he felt much stronger. Once Percy surfaced from the water everyone looked at him in amazement. Standing before them, was a son of Poseidon, the water god! Percy had a trident above his head meaning he was claimed by his father. Poseidon is one of the three legendary gods along with Zeus and Hades. Percy was a very special young man.

I think this whole transition must be tough for Percy. Going from a schoolboy to a young god, adapting will be difficult at first. When I saw Percy was the son of Poseidon I felt happy and worried for him. I felt happy because he was the son of one of the most powerful gods. However, I felt worried because with great power comes great responsibility. Percy being a water god might have a connection to the flying water he was seeing at the beginning. It could have possibly been a warning of what was to come. Since he is a rare child, he will probably undergo extremely intense training. This is one of the parts that really has my attention, I am excited to read further!

Journal #3
Something horrible has happened! Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen! The worst part is, Zeus believes that Poseidon had his son Percy steal it! With Percy coming into the scene out of nowhere he quickly assumed he might have something to do with this. Percy has been given 10 days to return the bolt, if he does not return it war will commence. With the aid of Annabeth (a daughter of Athena) and Grover (a guardian) they began their quest. To help with this quest Percy was given magic shoes from Luke giving him the ability to fly. After venturing many places, killing many Greek monsters, a conclusion is made. The bolt must be in the underworld, so together they travel and confront the underworld god, Hades. Hades helmet of invisibility had also been stolen. After speaking to the god, Percy went to get a coin from his backpack. Once he unzipped the zipper he saw it, inside his bag was Zeus’s lightning bolt. Percy had no clue how it got there so he began to run to get home as quickly as possible. On his way back to camp he was stopped by the God of War, Ares. The two of them fought because Ares wanted to steal the bolt and watch a war begin. After being stabbed in the heel by Percy’s sword Ares surrendered. He also gave them Hades helmet which he had stolen. Percy went to see the Gods of Olympus and returned the stolen objects.

Ares betraying the Gods is particularly important to the meaning of the book. It shows how quickly someone can betray you. However, I feel happy for Percy because he is the hero. He defeated the enemy and completed his quest. Everyone respects him and he is finally being accepted by others. I hope he gets some sort of reward for his hard work and bravery. I predict that in the future he will be a great God.

Journal #4
After Percy watched a parade in his honor, Luke asked him he wanted to go for a walk. While they were walking Percy noticed something different about him. His eyes were black his voice was deeper but he thought it might be puberty. Luke brought a 6 pack of Coca Cola and after he finished one who threw it into a lake. Littering anywhere is ABSOLUTELY prohibited in Camp Half Blood. That was when Percy knew, something was different about him. “Good-bye Percy” was Luke’s last words before he summoned a scorpion and vanished! Luke had betrayed the Gods, he was the one who stole the Lightning Bolt! Now realizing the war he wanted to start was over, he decided to try and kill Percy. The scorpion stung him and he became unconscious… When Percy awoke, he was given a new quest, to hunt down Luke.

During this scene I was extremely scared because I thought Percy might die. I was also disappointed because I thought Luke was a good person, however, he turned out to be evil. I do not understand why Percy did not go back to camp once he realized something was different about Luke. He should learn to be more cautious. I look forward to reading the next book as I would like to find out: What will happen next? Will Luke get caught? Many things go through my mind as there are endless possibilities for the future. This was an excellent book which I enjoyed reading.

Evaluation
The theme of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is about identity and acceptance. In the beginning of this story Percy Jackson had no clue that he was a demigod. When he began to realize he was different he was very unsure of himself. As he got to know himself better, he wondered if he would still be accepted by others. After enough time had passed, he learned to accept himself for who he was even if others did not accept him. Percy was always alone so this also shows what isolation can do to you. It can lead to anger and low self-esteem. In addition to that we witnessed how easily betrayal can occur. Be careful who you trust.

The theme is significant because many people in the world do not accept themselves for who they are. Some people even try to change who they are so that they get accepted by the public. You should not try to change who you are, you can always accept yourself even if others do not.

In the beginning of the story Percy is bullied for looking different than the other kids. He looks rougher than the other kids and has marks all over his face. Percy was so ashamed in his physical appearance that he tried to use makeup to cover up his marks. Percy did not accept himself because others did not accept him. This is trying to show us what we should not be. We must accept ourselves for who we are.

Luke was also isolated from others, just like Percy. Luke hated his father, Apollo, for not being there for him. His mother passed away so he grew up alone in the streets. No one liked him or wanted to be around him, he was excluded from almost everything. At Camp Half Blood he had a cabin to himself because everyone was too scared to sleep in the same room as him. Being isolated from society for so long must have been hard for Luke. The Gods did not accept him so he must have decided to go somewhere that he was appreciated and accepted. He probably joined The Titans, the evil gods. Luke being isolated for so long caused him to become angry, spiteful and betray The Gods.

Ares, God of War, was very quick to betray the Gods. Once he saw the chance of a war emerging he was ready to cause some trouble. Someone who was known as one of the most loyal Gods in Olympus was going to deceive everyone for the sake of violence. Betrayal is something that can happen in the snap of a finger. You have to be careful with who you trust. At first, they may seem like one of your best friends but, they can quickly become one of your worst enemies.

The author did an excellent job expressing the theme, I have learned many things from this book. This is now one of my favourite books and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action books. I cannot wait to read the next book and I look forward to reading more books written by Rick Riordan.