The Lightning Thief

year.”
    “Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt,” Chiron insisted. “He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don’t pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead’s motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth.”
    A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn’t fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn’t committed.
    I was ready to take him on.
    Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld . . .
    Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You’re a kid. Hades is a god.
    Grover was trembling. He’d started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.
    The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher’s license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide.
    “Look, if we know it’s Hades,” I told Chiron, “why can’t we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads.”
    “Suspecting and knowing are not the same,” Chiron said. “Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn’t retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other’s territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. 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. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?”
    “You’re saying I’m being used.”
    “I’m saying it’s no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It’s a very risky gamble, but he’s in a desperate situation. He needs you.”
    My dad needs me.
    Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn’t know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me.
    I looked at Chiron. “You’ve known I was Poseidon’s son all along, haven’t you?”
    “I had my suspicions. As I said . . . I’ve spoken to the Oracle, too.”
    I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn’t telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn’t worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.
    “So let me get this straight,” I said. “I’m supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead.”
    “Check,” Chiron said.
    “Find the most powerful weapon in the universe.”
    “Check.”
    “And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days.”
    “That’s about right.”
    I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.
    “Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?” he asked weakly.
    “You don’t have to go,” I told him. “I can’t ask that of you.”
    “Oh . . .” He shifted his hooves. “No . . . it’s just that satyrs and underground places . . . well . . .”
    He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. “You saved my life, Percy. If . . . 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. Grover was the only friend I’d ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn’t sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but I felt better knowing he’d be with me.
    “All the way, G-man.” I turned to Chiron. “So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west.”
    “The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it’s in America.”
    “Where?”
    Chiron looked surprised. “I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles.”
    “Oh,” I said. “Naturally. So we just get on a plane—”
    “No!” Grover shrieked. “Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?”
    I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by