The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)

by Rick Riordan

The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight.

Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”

I’d rather get into fights every day than be ignored.

Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight.”

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls...

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

the Oracle’s words often have double meanings. Don’t dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass.”

Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they’re bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero’s actions.

My dad needs me.

if you’re serious about wanting me along, I won’t let you down.” I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn’t think that would be very heroic.

seaweed brain,”

wise girl?”

“The sword has a long and tragic history

But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill.

Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality.”

seaweed brain.”

Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod.

What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should’ve been named ADHD poster child of the year.

it’s nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong.

Camp Half-Blood is my home.”

The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.

My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away.

Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain.

Suddenly I was nostalgic for something I’d never known.

They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep.”

I’ll be the first searcher to return alive.”

You’re glad your dad is alive. You feel good that he’s claimed you, and part of you wants to make him proud. That’s why you mailed Medusa’s head to Olympus. You wanted him to notice what you’d done.”

You can’t be tempted to make a deal for your mom.” “What would you do if it was your dad?” “That’s easy,” she said. “I’d leave him to rot.”

Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down,

if there’s anything I like less than a confined space, it’s a confined space six hundred feet in the air.

“You have no faith,” Echidna told me. “You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart.

Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.

Seaweed Brain,

I hated being teased. I hated being tricked.

You’ve got the biggest heart of any satyr ever.

Seaweed Brain.

She was my age, with unruly black, punk-style hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy green eyes, and freckles across her nose. Somehow, I knew who she was. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus. She struggled against the straitjacket, glared at me in frustration, and snapped, Well, Seaweed Brain? One of us has to get out of here.

he is too changeable, too unpredictable.

I’m not sure when I first realized something was wrong.

I could tell she liked the “Your Highness” thing.

How could I be the son of someone that powerful?

The gods may not show such favoritism.”

You have gifts you have only begun to know. The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you,

what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea.”

“Go with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness.

It wasn’t enough for L.A. to be big; it had to prove it was big by being loud and strange and difficult to navigate, too.

Are you dyslexic, lad?” “No,” I said. “I’m dead.”

The dead aren’t scary. They’re just sad.