Krystal109
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« on: February 08, 2010, 07:51:31 PM » |
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Chapter 2: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death
Written by Krystal
Percy was used to unusual things happening to him, but the prolonged period of Mrs. Dodds nonexistence was beginning to wear on him. He almost began to believe that Mrs. Kerr had indeed been their pre-algebra teacher since Christmas. He hadn’t had much time to think about what had happened during the day, but at night Mrs. Dodds haunted his nightmares. The strange weather had continued and made Percy cranky, causing him to get into more fights with Nancy. When his grades began to suffer and Percy snapped, the headmaster sent a letter to Mrs. Jackson informing that he would not be welcome back next year. Of course Percy was happy to be going home, but he’d miss Grover and Latin class, and as exams approached it was the only class he cared about anymore.
The evening before his Latin exam, frustrated from studying, Percy headed down to Mr. Brunner to ask for help and found Grover and him talking in private. Grover was talking about concern for Percy and something about Kindly Ones, the mist over the staff and students, and the summer solstice deadline. What exactly did this all mean?
The next day after the final exam Mr. Brunner pulled Percy aside and tried to console him by saying Yancy wasn’t the place for him. Here was the one teacher Percy felt always believed in him telling him he was destined to fail; he walked away on the verge of tears.
On the last day of the term it turned out that Grover had booked a ticket on the same Greyhound into Manhattan. During the drive it occurred to Percy that Grover had always been nervous when they left Yancy and he finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. He confronted Grover about all the things he’d overhear Mr. Brunner and him talking about the night before the exam. Grover didn’t come straight out with the answers and handed him a card, entitling him as a Keeper located at Half-Blood Hill. Grover admits that he’s suppose to protect Percy, but before they can go into detail more the bus is enveloped in smoke.
Everyone exited the bus and stood on the side of the road while the driver tried to fix the issue. Across the street three old ladies knitted the biggest pair of socks Percy had ever seen, but what caught his attention was the blood drained face of Grover. Grover was staring straight at the old ladies who were staring straight at Percy. Percy watched as the women cut the yarn leading to the socks before getting on the fixed bus next to Grover. When Percy told Grover what happened back on the road Grover became frantic and mentioned something about sixth grade and looked at Percy mournfully.
Characters Involved
Percy Jackson
Mr. Nicoll
Mr. Brunner
Grover Underwood
The Fates
Characters Mentioned
Mrs. Kerr
Mrs. Dodds/Alecto
Nancy Bobofit
Sally Jackson
Places Visited
Yancy Academy
Greyhound Bus
Side of the Road
Memorable Quotes
Percy: Every so often would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho. (Page 16)
Mr. Brunner: “Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can.” (Page 19)
Percy: The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to. He’d booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city. (Page 23)
Percy: There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I’d ever seen. (Page 25)
Grover: “Tell me they’re not looking at you. They are, aren’t they?”
Percy: “Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?”
Grover: “Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all.” (Page 26)
Questions for consideration:
What do you think Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about the night before the exam?
Why do you think Grover panicked the minute he saw the three old women and what does the snipping of the yarn represent?
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