The Lightning Thief: Chapters 5–8

by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson's normal life is turned upside down when gods from Greek mythology accuse him of stealing a supernatural weapon. Percy must find the real thief — and figure out his connection to the gods.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–12, Chapters 13–17, Chapters 18–22

Here are links to our lists for the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    “What did it taste like?” He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.
    “Sorry,” I said. “I should've let you taste.”
  2. pseudonym
    a fake name used to engage in some activity
    “Not Mr. Brunner,” the ex-Mr. Brunner said. “I’m afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron.”
  3. metaphysical
    highly abstract and overly theoretical
    “God—capital G, God. That’s a different matter altogether. We shan’t deal with the metaphysical.”
  4. convergence
    the occurrence of two or more things coming together
    “Well now, there’s Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there’s the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It’s still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."
  5. obliterate
    do away with completely, without leaving a trace
    The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn’t possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated.
  6. facade
    the front of a building
    Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington.
  7. muse
    reflect deeply on a subject
    “Who are you?” he mused.
  8. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
    Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers.
  9. primal
    having existed from the beginning
    "They don’t have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you’re lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them archetypes. Eventually, they re-form.”
  10. impulsive
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
    And the ADHD—you’re impulsive, can’t sit still in the classroom. That’s your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they’d keep you alive.
  11. ambrosia
    the food and drink of the gods
    “Ambrosia and nectar.”
    “The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would’ve killed a normal kid. It would’ve turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you’d be dead. Face it. You’re a half-blood.”
  12. hospitality
    kindness in welcoming guests or strangers
    Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That’s why you’re here, enjoying cabin eleven’s hospitality. Hermes isn’t picky about who he sponsors.
  13. parry
    blocking a lunge with a circular motion of the sword
    Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way.
  14. liability
    the state of being legally obliged and responsible
    There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?
  15. canter
    go at a smooth three-beat gait, of horses
    Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.
Created on Sun Jan 26 15:59:31 EST 2014 (updated Thu Jun 12 15:06:10 EDT 2025)

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