The Lightning Thief

Annabeth is a daughter of Athena (goddess of wisdom and battle). She has her mother’s storm-cloud-gray eyes, and when Percy first sees her, he describes Annabeth as “pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight” (64). “Analyzing” and “fight” encapsulate the main components of Annabeth’s personality. While Percy attacks first and thinks later, Annabeth plans and examines a problem from all angles before attacking a problem with a solution. She possesses uncharacteristic wisdom for her 12 years, a trait that comes from her mother, and she always has a plan.

Annabeth has been at Camp Half-Blood for five years, longer than most of the other kids and even longer than some of the counsellors. Annabeth ran away from home when she was seven because she was tired of her father blaming her for monsters she couldn’t control and acting like he didn’t want her. Between her father’s attitude and Athena being absent, Annabeth has little in the way of adult role models. She suffers from abandonment issues, which she copes with by training hard and seeking ways to prove her worth. Annabeth wants to be an architect when she grows up so she can design magnificent structures that will stand the test of time, a sharp contrast to the instability in her life up until this point.

Annabeth has a special relationship with Luke. He found her on the streets after she ran away, and the two (along with Thalia) teamed up to get to Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth looks up to Luke, feelings that have evolved into a crush. As a result, Luke’s betrayal at the book’s end hits her the hardest, even if it doesn’t surprise her. She understands his feelings of abandonment and inadequacy and sees how he made the decision he did.

Grover is a satyr (half-man, half-goat) and a keeper, someone who protects demigods in the human world and escorts them to Camp Half-Blood when monsters become too much of a threat. Grover is sensitive and fearful. He cries and gets scared easily, and at the beginning of the book, he looks like an overgrown middle schooler with acne and “the start of a wispy beard” (3). As a woodland creature, Grover holds nature in high regard. He blames humans for pollution, global warming, and other destruction to the Earth, and he mentions this every time the group witnesses plants or animals being mistreated. He can also converse with wildlife and animals, a skill that helps the group on their quest, particularly when he learns about the reward for the pink poodle in Chapter 12.

Grover’s goal in life is to earn his searcher’s license so he can search for Pan (god of wild places), who’s been missing for thousands of years. Percy is Grover’s second project. His first was Thalia, which he failed when she didn’t make it to camp because Grover also tried to help Annabeth and Luke. As a result, Grover is on probation, and guarding Percy was meant to be his way of fixing past mistakes. Percy’s quest becomes Grover’s last chance, which he passes. He earns his searcher’s license and heads out on his mission at the end of the book. His beard grows in, and he appears older—physical traits that symbolize how his major role in the series is over. Grover getting older means he will no longer participate in the same struggles as the younger Percy and Annabeth.

Luke is a son of Hermes (god of messengers and travelers) and the leader of cabin 11. He’s older than Annabeth and Percy by several years, and he is handsome in a dangerous way with “a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash” (84). Luke got the scar on a quest, and it represents Luke’s shifting allegiance from the gods to Kronos. Rather than being a battle scar that represented the dangers he faced, the wound only gained him sympathy, causing Luke to become disillusioned with the gods and resent them for their desperate struggle for influence in a world forgetting them.

Luke is the only demigod who’s been at Camp Half-Blood as long as Annabeth. Luke feels bitter toward the gods and about his relationship with Hermes, in particular. He resents Hermes for giving him an insignificant quest that other heroes throughout history have accomplished. Like Annabeth, Luke struggles with abandonment issues and wants to prove himself. He is susceptible to Kronos’s influence because he believes the titan sees potential in him, and Luke wants badly to show himself worthy. He deserts Camp Half-Blood at the end of the book, an act that marks him as an antagonist for the rest of the series.

Mr. Brunner plays two parts in the book. In his human disguise, he is Percy’s Latin teacher at Yancy Academy. As Chiron, he is a centaur and protector of Camp Half-Blood. Chiron has “intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old” and wisdom to match (7). At the beginning of the book, he foreshadows Percy’s demigod nature and eventual journey to Camp Half-Blood. Once Percy arrives at camp, Chiron becomes a mentor, helping Percy adjust to camp and reminding him of the important lessons about Greek myth from Latin class. Before the book’s opening, Chiron received a prophesy from the oracle about Annabeth, the details of which he keeps secret. As such, Chiron also represents Annabeth’s last hope to see the world and prove herself to her family (both human and god).

Ares is the god of war and appears as a biker wearing black leather who could make “pro wrestlers run for Mama” (225). Like Luke, Ares is susceptible to Kronos, but for different reasons. Where Luke wants to prove himself, Ares’s very nature is violent. Kronos wants to destroy the gods and start a war, a task Ares is suited to. Ares is the mother of all bullies and tricks Percy into taking the lightning bolt to the Underworld, which almost gets Percy officially blamed as the thief. Percy’s anger allows him to battle Ares and deal the god a blow, showing that, though immortal, the gods can be hurt. Kronos’s ability to influence Ares (even if Ares is an easy target) also shows the gods can be manipulated and are not infallible.

Percy’s mother is the best thing in Percy’s life. She has an exuberance about her and can make Percy “feel good just by walking into the room” (32-33). These traits also led Poseidon to fall in love with her and, therefore, to Percy’s existence. Like Ares, she shows the gods have weaknesses. Percy’s mom is Percy’s main motivation for most of the book. He believes Hades is holding his mother hostage and that journeying to the Underworld will allow him to get her back. His leaving his mom in the Underworld in order to return the lightning bolt and save the world shows the type of difficult decisions that come with being a demigod. Percy hates to leave her but realizes that if he doesn’t return the bolt, then there won’t be a world for her to return to.

Poseidon is Percy’s father and god of the sea. He appears as an old fisherman wearing touristy beach clothing. Still, Percy sees their resemblance, noting Poseidon’s face “had that same brooding look that had always gotten me branded a rebel” (340). Poseidon represents much of Percy’s self-doubt throughout the book. Poseidon’s absence from Percy’s life combined with the fact that he broke an oath with Percy’s birth make Percy question his belief in the gods, as well as his worth and whether he’s wanted. Poseidon also has a long-standing feud with Athena, which is contrasted by Percy and Annabeth’s friendship.