The Lightning Thief: Chapters 9–12

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. kowtow
    bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
    “And don’t expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father.”
  2. usurp
    seize and take control without authority
    Now, a god cannot usurp another god’s symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws.
  3. intervene
    get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
    Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war.
  4. tendril
    something long, light, slender, and often curling
    A green mist poured from the mummy’s mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes.
  5. receptacle
    a container that is used to put or keep things in
    The mummy wasn’t alive. She was some kind of gruesome receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist.
  6. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable.
  7. obscure
    make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
    Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans.
  8. misnomer
    an incorrect or unsuitable name
    The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer.
  9. melancholy
    characterized by or causing or expressing sadness
    Chiron gave me a melancholy smile.
  10. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    “Grover,” Aunty Em chastised, “look this way, dear.”
  11. modulate
    adjust the pitch, tone, or volume of
    “Silence!” Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr.
  12. convexity
    a shape that curves or bulges outward
    “A polished shield would be better.” She studied the sphere critically. “The convexity will cause some distortion. The reflection's size should be off by a factor of—”
  13. insufferable
    extremely unpleasant or annoying
    “You’re impossible.”
    “You’re insufferable.”
  14. nostalgic
    unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things
    It brought the smell of berries and wildflowers and clean rainwater, things that might’ve once been in these woods. Suddenly I was nostalgic for something I’d never known.
  15. chasm
    a deep opening in the earth's surface
    They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm.
Created on Sun Jan 26 16:16:25 EST 2014 (updated Thu Jun 12 15:16:16 EDT 2025)

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