The Sea of Monsters
by Rick Riordan
Grades 7-9; Genre - Fantasy; GRL W; AR pts: 9.0
In this highly anticipated sequel to The Lightning Thief, a magical tree protecting the borders of Camp Half-Blood is poisoned. Thirteen-year-old Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and their new friend Tyson set out to find the one item that can save the camp. The trio must survive Cyclopes, man-eating sheep, Sirens, and giant cannibals for Camp Half-Blood to have any chance at a future.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What was Percy’s dream about? Grover in trouble and running away from a monster p.1
- Why did Percy keep Anaklusmos under his pillow while he slept? In case he needed it for protection during the night p.3
- What’s going on with Camp Half-Blood and how does it affect Percy? There’s been some problems and it’s not safe for Percy to be there p.6
Chapter 2
- Describe Tyson and how Percy’s a good friend to him. He’s over 6 feet tall; has a misshapen and brutal looking face; homeless and abandoned by his parents; crooked teeth; talks funny and with a deep voice; the other kids pick on him and Percy stands up for him p.9
- What was unusual about Sloan’s friends? There were more of them than usual and they had strange names on their name tags p. 13
- How did Percy figure out he was playing dodge ball with monsters? They smelled funny, called him Perseus and were growing in size right in front of him p.16
Chapter 3
- How did the kids travel to Camp Half-Blood? A taxi driven by three witches that shared one eye p.29
- What made Tyson feel like he was going to throw up? Car sickness p.32
- What location did Percy receive from the sisters? Four numbers p.36
Chapter 4
- What did Percy, Annabeth and Tyson help defeat when they arrived to Camp Half-Blood? 2 bulls p.38
- What did Percy learn about Tyson? He’s a cyclops and is immune to fire p.45
- Why were the bulls able to enter Camp Half-Blood? Thalia’s tree has been poisoned that protects the border p.47
Chapter 5
- Why is Chiron leaving Camp Half-Blood? He’s been fired since Mr. D thinks he poisoned Thalia’s tree p.51
- What’s Tantalus’ curse? He can’t eat or drink p.59
- Who’s Tyson’s father? Poseidon p.64
Chapter 6
- How did Percy feel about Tyson now that he knew he was his brother? He was embarrassed and ashamed of him p.66
- Who did Percy build his chariot and race with? Tyson p.71
- Describe Percy’s dream. Grover used an empathy link to reach Percy and tell him he was in danger and needed to be saved from Polyphemus p.73
- How did Percy and Annabeth defeat the pigeons or Stymphalian birds? By playing Chiron’s music p.83
Chapter 7
- Why would saving Grover help Thalia’s tree? Grover found the Golden Fleece and that heals nature p.87
- Who did Tantalus choose as champion to go on the quest? Clarisse p.92
- Who’s the stranger that spoke with Percy on the beach and what did he want? Hermes; to encourage Percy to go on the quest even though he wasn’t chosen p.101
- What gifts did Hermes give Percy? A thermos that’s a compass and carries the wind from four corners of the earth; vitamins to help him feel better if he needs it p.103
Chapter 8
- How did Percy and his friends get to the cruise ship? His father sent Hippocampi p.109
- What was wrong with the tourists on board the ship? They were all in a trance p.119
- Why did Percy and Annabeth decide to stay on the ship? Luke was there and they knew they needed to figure out what he was up to p.120
Chapter 9
- How did Annabeth and Percy know what Luke and his friends were saying in the stateroom? Tyson could hear them and recount what they were saying in their voices p.123
- What was in the sarcophagus? Pieces of Kronos the titan lord p.130
- How did Percy and his friends escape Luke and his team of monsters? They attacked them, jumped into a lifeboat and dropped to the water below, using the cannister of wind to propel them away from the boat p.132
Chapter 10
- Why did Percy get weak when they entered fresh water? only salt-water gives him strength p.137
- Why was Annabeth worried about the donut shop? It was a monster donut shop in the middle of the wilderness p.141
- What attacked the friends and who saved them? a hydra; Clarisse p.143
Chapter 11
- What did Percy and his friends have to go through to get into the Sea of Monsters? An island with the monster Scylla and a storm called Charybdis; they’re sisters p.156
- How was Tyson able to help with the engine on the ship? He could handle heat p.160
- Where was Percy when the ship exploded? In the air falling after freeing himself from being taken away by Scylla p.163
- How did Percy feel about Tyson dying? Wished he could drown p.164
Chapter 12
- What’s the prophecy Chiron didn’t want Percy to know about? A half-blood child of the big 3 will be a dangerous weapon at the age of 16 and decide the fate of Olympus, whether it fall or be saved p.167
- How did C.C. trick Percy and what was the consequence? She made him feel like he wasn’t good enough, so she persuaded him to drink a shake and it turned him into a guinea pig p.175
- How did Hermes vitamins come in handy? They made Annabeth immune to C.C.’s magic and turned Percy back into a human p.182
- How did Percy and Annabeth get off the island? They took Blackbeard’s boat, Percy could magically command it p.184
Chapter 13
- How was Percy immune to the Sirens? He put candlewax in his ears p.192
- What scenario had Annabeth created when she was effected by the Sirens? Having a picnic with her dad, Athena and Luke at Central Park in NYC p.196
- How did Percy break the spell the Sirens had on Annabeth? Kept her underwater and created a bubble for her to breathe p.197
- What’s Annabeth’s fatal flow? Deadly pride; thinking you can do things better than anyone else p.199
Chapter 14
- What did Annabeth and Percy compare Polyphemus monster sheep to? Piranhas p.203
- Who told Polyphemus his bride was Grover? Clarisse p.206
- How did Percy and Annabeth get into the Cyclops’ cave? Annabeth wore her invisibility cap and Percy rode in hanging on to the bottom of the sheep p.210
- How did Annabeth get Polyphemus out of the cave? She treated him like Odysseus had and he chased her p.211
Chapter 15
- Why didn’t Percy kill Polyphemus? He had compassion on him since he was also a son of Poseidon p.219
- Who saved Percy from Polyphemus? Tyson p.220
- How did Annabeth heal so quickly from her wounds? Percy put the fleece on her p.222
- What danger were the kids in as they swam for the ship? Polyphemus was in the water and coming toward them carrying boulders in each hand p.224
Chapter 16
- Who was Polyphemus call a traitor and why? Tyson; for helping humans p.225
- Why did the Queen Anne sink? Clarisse taunted Polyphemus and he through a boulder through the hull p.229
- Why was Percy indebted to the gods? He prayed for the fleece to heal Annabeth and it did p.231
Chapter 17
- Why did Percy send Clarisse to the airport with the fleece? So she could fulfill the prophecy; he was being nice to her p.235
- After Clarisse left, who captured Percy and his friends? Luke p.236
- Why did Luke need the fleece? To heal Kronos p.239
- How did Percy arrange for everyone at Camp Half-Blood to listen to Luke’s confession? He created an Iris-message p.240
Chapter 18
- Why did Percy challenge Luke to fight? To distract him so Clarisse could get away with the fleece p.242
- Who came to Percy’s rescue? Chiron and his centaur relatives p.245
- Why don’t Mr. D and others trust Chiron? His father is Kronos p.253
Chapter 19
- Why did Hermes visit Percy? To see if he’d talked some sense into Luke; to deliver a package p.257
- Predict what Poseidon meant in his letter to Percy? Listen to your child’s answers p.261
- Why did Tyson pray for Percy to come into his life? He was an orphan on the streets and would get beat up by monsters. He needed someone to take care of him p.263
- How did the watch Tyson made help Percy and Annabeth win the race? It turned into a large shield p.267
Chapter 20
- How did Chiron help Percy get out of trouble with the police? he used mist to convince the school that the furnace caused the explosion p.271
- Where was Tyson going for the rest of the summer? Underwater to learn how to work the Cyclopes forges p.273
- What did Poseidon mean when he told Percy to brace himself? Thalia had turned back into a human and woken up; it’s all part of Kronos’ plan hoping Thalia will be the one to fulfill the prophecy and destroy Olympus p.279