Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief 

by Rick Riordan 
 

Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize my Math Teacher

1. Describe Percy Jackson.

2. Who's Percy's Latin teacher?
3. Who's Percy's best friend?
4. Describe what happened when Mrs. Dodds took Percy into the museum alone.
5. How did everyone react when Percy went out of the museum and asked where
Mrs. Dodds was?

Chapter 2: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of D90eath

1. Why did Percy go down to Mr. Brunner’s office and what did he hear?
2. Why did Percy think it was ironic when Grover said he had to protect him?
3. What did Grover think the snipping of the yarn meant?

Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses his Trousers

1. Describe Percy’s mom

2. What does Percy know about his father?
3. Why did Percy’s mom send him away for school?
4. Why did Grover get after Percy’s mom at the cabin? because it is important ?

Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting

1. What type of creature is Grover?

2. Describe the creature after Percy?
3. What happened to Percy’s mother as the Minotaur grabbed her?
4. How did Percy defeat the monster?

Chapter 5: I Play Pinochle with a Horse

1. How long had Percy been unconscious from the fight with the Minotaur?
2. What did the drink with a straw and umbrella taste like and how did it make Percy
feel?
3. Why did Mr. Brunner or Chiron go to Yancy Academy?
4. What did Mr. D and Chiron explain to Percy while playing pinochle? What type of
creature is Mr. Brunner?
Chapter 6: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

1. Why was Grover getting chewed out by Mr. D?

2. Describe Camp Half Blood.
3. What did the twelve cabins represent?
4. What was Annabeth’s explanation for Percy’s dyslexia and ADHD?
5. What did Percy do in response to Clarisse trying to shove his face into the toilet?

Chapter 7: My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke

1. Why do half-bloods live at the camp and how long do they stay?
2. Where is Olympus located?
3. Define the word prophecy and explain why Annabeth is so intent on finding “the
one”.
4. Why did Percy change his drink to a blue cherry coke?

Chapter 8: We Capture a Flag

1. How did Percy receive strength to knock the blade out of Luke’s hand?
2. Tell Thalia’s story.
3. Describe the interaction between Percy and Clarisse and her gang during
Capture the Flag?
4. Who is Percy’s father?

Chapter 9: I am Offered a Quest

1. Describe Percy’s dream and what type of figurative language is it an example of?
2. What are Poseidon and Zeus fighting over? Why does Zeus think Poseidon had
Percy steal his lightning bolt?
3. What did the Oracle tell Percy?
4. How is Annabeth appearing out of thin air?

Chapter 10: I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus

1. What was the gift Luke had given to Percy for his quest and why did he give
them to Grover?
2. What gift did Mr. Brunner give to Percy and where had he gotten it from? Why
did Percy’s mom marry and stay with Gabe?
3. Explain the interaction between Percy, Grover, Annabeth and the Furies on the
bus.

Chapter 11: We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium

1. What was the business the three characters came to as they exited the woods
and how did Grover feel about it?
2. Why wasn’t Percy anxious to leave the shop like Annabeth and Grover?
3. Describe the kind of creature Aunty Em was.
 4. What did Percy send to Olympus and why?

Chapter 12: We Get Advice from a Poodle

1. What did the Furies say that confused Grover and Annabeth?
2. What was Percy’s dream in this chapter?
3. What did Grover find to help them travel west?

Chapter 13: I Plunge to my Death

1. Why did Annabeth run away from home?

2. Describe a time Athena and Poseidon worked together?
3. Describe the creature the chihuahua turned into.
4. Why did Percy jump from the arch into the river?

Chapter 14: I Become a Known Fugitive

1. What did Percy realize as he was underwater in the river?

2. What did the messenger tell Percy?
3. Why is Percy wanted by the police and being talked about on the news?

Chapter 15: A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers

1. How did Annabeth call Half-Blood Hill from Denver?

2. Who came to eat dinner with Percy, Annabeth and Grover and why?
3. Why didn’t Ares want to retrieve his shield himself?
4. How did Percy and Annabeth survive the prank?

Chapter 16: We Take a Zebra to Vegas

1. What information about Percy’s mother did Ares tell him?

2. How did Percy, Annabeth, and Grover travel to Las Vegas?
3. What did Percy dream of in this chapter? What casino did the kids go in and what
happened to them there?

Chapter 17: We Shop for Waterbeds

1. What was Annabeth’s piece of evidence that they were on the right track by
going to the Underworld?
2. Who did Percy talk to in the sea at Santa Monica and what did she tell him?
3. What happened at Crusty’s Waterbed Palace?
4. How did Percy and his friends find the location of DOA Recording Studio?

Chapter 18: Annabeth Does Obedience School

1. How did the kids get past Charon?

 2. As the kids traveled in the elevator on the way to the Underworld, how did the
spirits of the dead and Charon change?
3. Who is Cerberus and what was the “plan” to get past him?
4. When the plan didn’t work what did Annabeth do?
5. Why did Annabeth shed tears?

Chapter 19: We Find Out the Truth, Sort of

1. Describe the Field of Asphodel.

2. Why did Annabeth and Percy have to chase Grover?
3. Where did the shoes lead them to?
4. Why did Hades send the Furies after Percy?
5. Why had Hades taken Percy’s mother?

Chapter 20: I Battle my Jerk Relative

1. What god did the kids run into after arriving on the beach?
2. Who stole the lightning bolt and helm and why?
3. How did Percy win and what happened to Ares?
4. How did Percy get the helm to Hades like he promised?

Chapter 21: I Settle my Tab

1. How did Percy convince the guard at the Empire State Building to let him see
Zeus?
2. Who was sitting on their thrones as Percy reached Olympus?
3. Who’s in the pit that’s been in Percy’s dreams?
4. What was on Percy’s bed and what did he decide to do with it?

Chapter 22: The Prophecy Comes True

1. What did the letter from Percy’s mom say?

2. Where was Grover heading?
3. Who is the friend that has betrayed Percy?
4. Where did Annabeth and Percy decide to live during the winter?