Percy Jackson - The Last Olympian — Chapter 1

About This Passage

These four sentences set up something the rest of the book will develop. The first sentence makes a huge claim (the end of the world). The second sentence shrinks it (a great afternoon). The third sentence introduces a small breaking of a rule (Percy is not quite old enough to drive). The fourth sentence introduces the people who let it happen out of trust. Notice how Riordan moves from huge to small to ordinary in four sentences. The shrinking is the joke and also the truth — the most important moments in our lives often start in completely unimportant places.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. Percy starts the book by saying he was 'having a great afternoon' before the pegasus arrived. He has been through enormous things in earlier books, and yet he still notices and values small ordinary good days. What does this tell us about Percy's character at this point in the series?
2. Paul lets Percy drive even though he is not quite old enough by law. Percy describes Paul's reasoning — that Paul has seen Percy do things much more dangerous than driving. Is Paul's reasoning a good kind of trust, or a kind of laziness about rules? What is the difference between trusting someone and excusing them from rules that protect them?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide