PERCY JACKSON: BOOK CLUB – CHAPTER 4

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting
Written by Krystal

Sally Jackson tore through the night, rain and wind lashing the Camaro. Percy still couldn’t believe that Grover’s legs were not human and, more interestingly, his mother seemed to know Grover. Percy and Grover talk about what he is, a satyr, and all the things he learned in Latin class, especially how they aren’t a myth. The truth was that Percy was in grave danger and the Lord of the Dead was after him.

As Mrs. Jackson soared through the night heading for the summer camp that Percy’s father wanted him to attend the car crashed on the side of the road due to a bolt of lightning. Without hesitation, Sally ordered Percy from the car and to head for the property line as a dark figure lumbered towards the overturned car. Percy rejected the notion of leaving his mother and Grover and forced her to help him carry Grover to the property line. The Minotaur sniffed the car, his sight terrible, and threw Gabe’s Camaro down the road where it exploded. Sally warns that when the Minotaur charges he must jump sideways to avoid it and he does. She sets Grover down on the property line and tries beast away, unable to cross herself, but the Minotaur had learned her trick. He grabbed her by the neck, choking her, and Percy watched as his mother dissolved in a shimmering light.

Read the rest of the summary HERE.

Memorable Quotes:

Grover: “Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn’t faking being your friend,” he added hastily. “I am your friend.” (Page 44)

Percy: “It doesn’t matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-“ (Page 45)

Percy: “Safety from what? Who’s after me?”
Grover: “Oh, nobody much,” Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. “Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.” (Page 46)

Sally: She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: “Go!”
Percy: Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother’s neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply…gone. (Page 53)

Questions for discussion:

What do you think is so significant about the sixth grade when it comes to Percy?

Why do you think Percy’s mom wasn’t surprised to see Grover? How did he know to find them at the beach?

Read and discuss more HERE.