Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is under 100 days away from debuting on Disney+, and to celebrate, we’re rereading The Lightning Thief, the book on which the show’s first season is based.
This review will contain spoilers for the show, which is heavily adapted from the book, so please keep that in mind.
Percy Jackson: The Troubled Kid
12-year-old Percy Jackson appears to be a normal kid. Is he troubled? You could say that. He has dyslexia and ADHD and is constantly finding himself in strange situations. Moreover, he is raised by a single mother and a lowlife, deadbeat stepfather. He has never met his father and has no idea who he is.
Percy’s trouble truly starts during an excursion to the Metapolitian art museum. He and his best friend, Grover Underwood, are picked on by the kleptomaniac Nancy Bobofit and her cronies. Percy, who has already been in trouble, isn’t allowed to do or say anything, as it will make him look even worse.
However, something strange happens. Nancy ends up in the fountain, screaming that Percy pushed her. Ms Dodds, the maths teacher, summons him inside and attacks him. Mr Brunner, the Latin teacher, suddenly appears in his wheelchair and throws Percy a sword, which he uses to defend himself. He vaporises Ms Dodds before he returns outside, where everyone, including Grover, acts like there was never a Ms Dodds.
The Attempt To Trip People Up With Ms Dodds’ References
As time goes on, Percy attempts to trip people up by mentioning Ms Dodds. At the end of the year, Percy is expelled, as he has been from the other schools he’s been at. He returns to his mother, who is very happy to see him. His stepfather, Gabe, as always, isn’t happy at all.
Percy’s mother, Sally Jackson, had a tragic life. Her parents died when she was young in an accident, and her uncle, who didn’t care for her, died of cancer before she could get a college education. One summer, she met Percy’s father and ended up pregnant with Percy. However, he left before their son was born, so Percy had no memories of him.
The Faithful Trip To The Beach
Sally suggests they spend the weekend in Montauk at the beach, where she met his dad. Gabe almost doesn’t allow them to go. However, Sally manages to get him to agree by making him “enough dip to last the weekend.”
At the beach, Sally tells Percy stories about his dad. However, a storm starts brewing that night, and Grover suddenly appears unannounced at the cabin. The trio get in the car and drives away from the beach. However, they’re attacked by the mythical minotaur. They manage to get out of the car despite Grover being knocked unconscious and heading for the base of a hill.
The Minotaur grabs Sally and squeezes her into nothingness. Percy, too shocked that his mother is supposedly dead, charges the minotaur, ends up on its back, and manages to break one of the horns and stabs the creature with it. It dissolves into dust. Percy gets Grover over the crest of the hill before Percy passes out.
Introducing Annabeth Chase And The Threat Of The Lightning Thief
Percy awakens a couple of days later and meets Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Athena, he learns later, is an enemy of Poseidon. He then becomes a target of Clarisse La Rue, a daughter of Ares, the god of war. During a game of Capture the Flag, Poseidon claims Percy as his son.
Until this point, Percy had to reside with the Hermes cabin as they were well-known for taking in demigods whom their godly parents had not claimed. Also, Percy is told that he is suspected of being the Lightning Thief as Zeus’ master bolt had been stolen, and only a child of the big three would have taken it.
Percy, Annabeth and Grover are assigned a quest that takes them across the country as they search for the master bolt. Also, Percy hopes that it will lead them to his mother. This includes the Lotus Hotel.
The True Lightning Thief
The trio encounters numerous enemies, including Medusa, Echidna and Ares himself. When they return the bolt, they discover the true perpetrator: Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes who had befriended Percy, who was angry at the gods and wanted them to suffer.
What’s great about Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books is that they’re written with love and dedication. They have such wit that we know will translate very well to screen if the trailers are anything to go by.
