Michael Reads Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (Ch 10)

We’re into double-digit chapters here, people. Things’re gettin’ serious.

Ambrosia in Ziploc bags and a busload of Furies! It must be time for the tenth chapter of Michael Reads Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, a.k.a…

I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus

Hey, wait. Isn’t “Busload of Fury” a Quiet Riot album? (No? AC/DC?)

Regardless, Percy’s quest has begun! I wonder how long the journey just to get TO Hades will take? He starts out his quest as any self-respecting Greek hero and/or MI-6 agent should: with a few special goodies to help him on the way. That the ambrosia was given to him in a baggie was a nice modern touch (Was the nectar in a Thermos?), and Chiron re-loaned him Anaklusmos, the sword that’s as mighty as the pen.

Luke also gave Percy some winged shoes, which Percy can’t use without putting himself at risk. Did Luke think about that before making the gift? I’m starting to think I may have been right about Luke’s impending betrayal. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.

But hey, sometimes paranoia is warranted. After all, they run into trouble almost immediately! I was happy to see all three of the Furies now on Percy’s tail. For one thing, I hadn’t expected “Mrs. Dodds” to be back so soon, and for another, I wanted to see more of how Riordan would characterize them, or if he’d use their names (Alecto, Megaera, Tisophone).

Nine out of ten evil creatures surveyed support the use of fire whips.

I confess I was disappointed when Percy dispatched two of them before they even had a chance to say much, but oh well. The Furies are kind of push-overs for all that build-up and dread, aren’t they? I did like the fire whip, though. Fire whips are nifty; just as your friendly neighborhood balrog.

By the way, can we talk a moment about the fact that Percy’s mom apparently stayed with Gabe all those years just so Gabe would shield Percy by overpowering Percy’s scent with Gabe’s own(ugh)? Staying in an abusive relationship out of fear for your child? That’s just plain depressing, especially since that’s not exactly a fictional concept. Oy.

Random Observations

So cell phones are traceable by monsters. Speaking as a writer, the logistics of cell phones really can be a pain in the ass sometimes, since “Why doesn’t <character> just call someone?” is a question that has to be dealt with, so I support this particular notion.
There is a brief conversation int his chapter about how long the 5th age (i.e. Zeus’s rule and such) will last. Is this setting up some things for the long term? Will the 5th age end when this series does?
Another concept I like, mainly as an author who can relate to the problems that the lack of such a thing might cause: The mist that keeps all this stuff hidden from regular mortals. I wonder if the mist will ever fail on a large scale in the future?

My favorite line this time around is…