The Lightning Thief: Chapters 18–22

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. solicitor
    a petitioner who seeks contributions or trade or votes
    Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.
  2. portcullis
    an iron or wooden grating hanging in the entry to a castle
    I’m not sure what I was expecting—Pearly Gates, or a big black portcullis, or something. But the entrance to the Underworld looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.
  3. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    Cerberus glared at me, unimpressed. His eyes were baleful and cold.
  4. dissipate
    go away, scatter, or disappear
    The spirits made muffled hisses as they dissipated, like the air let out of tires.
  5. obsidian
    glass formed by the cooling of lava without crystallization
    Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian.
  6. parapet
    a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
    The Furies circled the parapets, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.
  7. portico
    porch or entrance to a building consisting of a covered area
    We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades.
  8. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
    He lounged on his throne of fused human bones, looking lithe, graceful, and dangerous as a panther.
  9. feint
    any distracting or deceptive maneuver
    I got close enough to strike, tried to fake him out with a feint, but my blow was knocked aside.
  10. odyssey
    a long wandering and eventful journey
    This crazy kidnapper (a.k.a. Ares) was the same man who had abducted me and two other adolescents in New York and brought us across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.
  11. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    Roads wound crazily up to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow. Precariously perched gardens bloomed with olive trees and rosebushes.
  12. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    I could feel the energy emanating from the two gods.
  13. defer
    yield to another's wish or opinion
    “The boy defers to his father. This is only right.”
  14. impudence
    the trait of being rude and impertinent
    “Daring to fly through my domain...pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence.”
  15. imperceptibly
    in a manner that is difficult to discern
    She hesitated, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
Created on Sun Jan 26 16:51:23 EST 2014 (updated Thu Jul 10 16:49:52 EDT 2025)

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