#readforchange
Chapter 19: We Find Out the Truth, Sort of 19/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- Man, the Greek interpretation of the afterlife is pretty bleak, isn’t it?
- 99% of us just wandering through the Fields of Asphodel forever, never getting any peace. Yikes
- Hahah the fact that there are people in the Fields of Punishment who are being tortured with opera music sounds so much like a line from The Good Place
- I like the fact that Percy and Annabeth see The Isle of the Blest and are immediately like ‘that’s where imma go’ whereas my thought was 'well I’m never getting in there, Fields of Asphodel it is’
- “So few people did good in their lives” nahhh sorry Percy I have to disagree. Go and watch The Good Place. Humans as a whole are good and trying their best and this version of the afterlife sucks. There, I said it.
- Awww look it’s the entrance to Tartarus, how romantic <3
- “I immediately felt like she should be giving me orders. He should be my master” ummm that’s giving me strong Greg and Alex vibes from Taskmaster just saying
- Ehhhh again I’m not super comfortable with this “Hades looks like Hitler” thing
- If nothing else I really don’t think it’s a good reflection of Hades and his character
- Also this description of Hades is so intense, I cannot believe what the movies reduced him to
- Percy is describing Hades’s clothes as being filled with the faces of tapped souls and all I can think about is that god awful episode of doctor who
- You know, this one:
- Damn this just turned from 'we gotta stop a war’ to 'we gotta stop a zombie apocalypse’ real quick
- These kids are 100% ready to sacrifice themselves for each other and it’s so damn cute
- Hahaha Percy really used his closing line to tell Hades to take better care of his dog- boy has got his priorities straight
- “Somehow, I knew what time it was” okay no. Enough with this bullshit. Just have Percy look at a damn clock rather than this half arsed explanation
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Discussion Question: Chapter 18
We’re told that the River Styx is polluted with ‘hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true.’ Do you like this analogy? Are there any dreams you once held that would have ended up in the River Styx?
Gotta be that phase I went through at 9 years old after I watched Ice Princess and I thought my dream job was being a figure skater haha
Apparently this movie is on Disney+
Guess I know what I’m doing this evening
Discussion Question: Chapter 18
We’re told that the River Styx is polluted with ‘hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true.’ Do you like this analogy? Are there any dreams you once held that would have ended up in the River Styx?
“Who has two turntables and three sick heads?
Everybody give it up for D.J. Cerberus! “- DOA, The Lightning Thief Musical
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Me arriving in the underworld and learning that the people who get to judge my eternal fate are:
- King Minos (trapped kids in an underground maze so they could be eaten by his half-bull stepson)
- Thomas Jefferson (owned over 600 slaves)
- William Shakespeare (made me sit through a play over 4 hours long)
Chapter 18: Annabeth does obedience school 18/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- Look I’m 99% sure the chapter title is talking about Cerberus but I love that it sounds like Percy is trying to train Annabeth. Good luck to him honestly. Can’t imagine she’d take that too well
- I feel like DOA Recording Studios must be a reference to something but once again I am too dumb/European to understand all of Rick Riordan’s references
- Ahhh apparently it stands for Dead on Arrival. Thanks google
- “He had a strange accent- British maybe” ummm RUDE
- WOT ARE YOU CHATTIN ABOUT M8 I’VE GOT A CRACKIN ACCENT. ALSO PERCY YOU’RE FROM NYC YOU CANNOT COME IN HERE WITH YOUR ‘KWOFFI’ AND HAVE THE AUDACITY TO SAY I HAVE A WEIRD ACCENT
- Although I will admit I pronounce water as 'war'er’ so I don’t have much of a leg to stand on
- Oh no. I just made fun of Percy’s judgement of British accents by calling him mate and now Charon has said mate twice in as many sentences. Maybe I am just a stereotype
- “How did you die, then?” “We drowned… in the bathtub” “All three of you?” “Big bathtub” how is that not a more iconic exchange lmaooo
- I like that Charon is calling the gang 'godlings’. We should bring that back
- Ummm excuse me? Thomas Jefferson gets to judge on whether people get into heaven? Big yikes.
- It’s very interesting that the mist apparently also applies to their afterlife… what if someone was an Atheist? Would they just see nothing because that’s what they’re expecting?
- Lmao Annabeth really went to town in the Waterland gift shop! Why did she bring a ball with her? Preparing for a quick game of catch with all this free time they DON’T HAVE
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Discussion Question: Chapter 17
Do you have any book recommendations for other books that are based on or inspired by mythology?
I would 100% recommend Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Definite 5 ⭐️ read for me!
It’s a nonfiction book which looks at various women present in greek myth and re-examines their stories in light of how they may have been influenced by misogyny
Is Medusa really a villain? Why does Eurydice play such a passive role in her story? Was the Trojan War really Helen’s fault? How have the stories changed depending on the period in which they were retold?
It’s honestly just such an interesting discussion on Greek mythology and the colloquial style means it’s also very readable which is a definite plus
But yes, it’s definitely worth checking out if you have an interest in Greek mythology and/or feminism. I devoured it in a couple of days and have since bought some more of Natalie Haynes’s books so I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve read them!
Discussion Question: Chapter 17
Do you have any book recommendations for other books that are based on or inspired by mythology?
Chapter 17: We Shop for Water Beds 17/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- I love that the taxi driver calls Annabeth “your highness” and she’s like ‘finALLY SOMEONE IN THIS BOOK IS GIVING ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE’
- Hades is known as 'the silent one’ and 'the rich one’…. sounds like ideal boyfriend material tbh
- (that was a joke. please don’t send me any more messages about sugar daddies please and thank you)
- I love that Percy mentions sand dollars and my immediate thought was 'oh like in animal crossing’
- 90% of my knowledge of bugs and shells comes from that game
- Do you think Percy ever watched H2O: Just Add Water?
- Hmmmmm this lady has told Percy not to judge Poseidon for not contacting him because he’s got a lot going on, being on the brink of a war and all
- Which like, I get it
- But also Percy is 12 years old man, you telling me Poseidon’s been too busy to pick up the phone for 12 whole years? Weak.
- Ahhh yes, the infamous pearls. DO YOU SEE HOW EASY IT WAS TO GET THOSE PEARLS MOVIE??? IT WAS BARELY A ONE PAGE AFFAIR WHY DID THE MOVIE SPEND A SOLID HOUR ON THESE PEARLS DID ANYONE WORKING ON THAT SCRIPT ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK???
- Also do y'all remember when the cast did a Q&A and someone asked what they thought about blue food and their response was just
- ’….. what does that have to do with percy jackson???’
- Tragic
- Ummm idk who Barbara Walters is but she just called Percy a terrorist
- I’m sorry WHAT just happened?? Percy just said “we walked past gangbangers” AM I MISSING SOMETHING?? That can’t be right, there must be another meaning of gangbang that I don’t know
- Oh thank god, google says Americans can use gangbang to mean 'violence involving members of a gang’
- You have no idea how relieved I am
- Crusty: Annabeth almost fits this bed but not quite. She needs 3 extra inches
- Also Crusty: These beds are 6ft
- Annabeth: *is apparently 5'9" at 12 years old*
- Annabeth: Guess I’d better prepare my audition for Tall Girl
- Okay ngl I would quite fancy a bed with a built in lava lamp headboard, that sounds ~groovy~
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Percy: Wow this hotel is awesome! Nothing has gone wrong or tried to attack us for at least 30 minutes!
Percy:
Percy: Wait a minute
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Discussion Question: Chapter 16
Do you agree with the criticism of technology that is presented in the form of the Lotus Casino? How have things changed since the book was published in 2005 and is this criticism still relevant in today’s world?
Chapter 16: We Take a Zebra to Vegas 16/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- Awww no, Ares gave them fresh clothes that means they’re changing out of the head to toe water park merch
- RIP to that look
- This book is really making me want to go on a road trip where I stop off at all the locations in the quest. Would that be incredibly lame? Signs point to yes
- Eurghh I’m so soft for percabeth
- Excuse me?? One of the beads on Annabeth’s necklace has a centaur in a prom dress on it? You can’t just brush over a detail like that I need to know what happened!
- “Because you’re my friend Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid question?” I loveeee them
- Okay so if Percy can talk to horses because of Poseidon, does that mean Annabeth can talk to owls? Can Luke talk to tortoises? I need answers
- Gotta say, the Lotus Casino actually sounds kinda amazing and I would happily live there. Fuck reality. Lets all go chill there for 50 years and come back when society is less shit. Catch you on the other side
- And actually, the lotus casino would be the ideal place to spend quarantine
- Okay but,,,, what exactly is the point of the lotus casino? Like who’s running this joint? What do they get out of it?
- People don’t seem to be spending any money there so is their aim literally just to get people to chill out and have a good time? IN THIS ECONOMY???
- When was the last time these kids ate a vegetable? They’ve been living off crisps and oreos for a full week
- Hahaha Annabeth a girl of my own heart, half of the stuff on my disney+ watch list is national geographic lol
- They’ve got one day left?? ONE DAY??? You’re telling me they gotta get to LA, find the bolt and haul ass back to NYC whilst probably getting into some other shenanigans along the way in one day?
- Nah sorry kids that ain’t happening but good luck to ya
We’re raising money for Save the Children so please head to our justgiving page if you would like to donate- any contribution is appreciated including spreading the word!
I’m just saying Rick’s depiction of Ares sucks. I want an accurate description of the feminist Ares made by women for women. Patron of the Amazons, giving Hippolyta her girdle to show her she’s his favorite kid. My godly parent deserves better, Rick.
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Discussion Question: Chapter 15
Ares describes America as “the best place since Sparta”. What does he mean by that and do you agree with him?
“I don’t know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me-”
“Are you kidding?” She looked at me as if I’d just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.
“What’s the problem now?” I demanded.
“Me, go with you to the … the ‘Thrill Ride of Love’? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?”
“Who’s going to see you?“ But my face was burning now, too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated. “Fine,” I told her. “I’ll do it myself.” But when I started down the side of the pool, she followed me, muttering about how boys always messed things up.
~The Lightning Thief
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Chapter 15: A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers 15/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- I have to say, I love the aesthetic of Iris messages
- I cannot believe Ares rides a motorbike with flames painted on the side lmao how 00s can you get?
- “The seat was leather- but leather that looked like… well, Caucasian human skin” I’M SORRY WHAT????
- ARES IS RIDING A MOTORBIKE WITH FLAMES ON THE SIDE AND A SEAT MADE OUT OF HUMAN SKIN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WHY WOULD YOU INCLUDE THAT DETAIL AND JUST BRUSH OVER IT LIKE IT’S NOT ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING
- Look, again idk how I feel about this representation of Ares
- I mean he was never my fave Greek god BUT this interpretation of him does feel a lil one dimensional
- However I guess it’s not super far off the Greek interpretation of Ares. I mean apart from in Sparta, Athena was always more popular since she embodied the strategic aspects of war whereas Ares was mostly just about destruction
- Actually what I think is super interesting is that Ares doesn’t really show up much in Greek myth, but he’s SUPER important in roman mythology
- Do you think the importance of the gods would have changed for the modern world? I wonder who would be important now the gods are based in America?
- Probably just Zeus becoming even more powerful tbh. From the youngest sibling to the King of the Gods, that’s the American dream right? Oh and I bet Nike’s had a bit of a comeback. Americans love to win
- And because I’m a nerd who thinks this is super interesting: I reckon when the gods were chilling out in the UK Poseidon would have been super popular, and also probably Athena (not in modern day UK unfortunately but I reckon the Victorians would have loved her)
- This feels like when you’re playing a video game and really just want to fast forward this point in the narrative- ‘Look Ares, we really do not have time for this side quest please fuck off’
- “Maybe you’ll only fight when there’s a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you” dude what are you talking about? You are literally sending him on a mission to a waterpark. This does not prove your point at all
- Hahaha I love that they’re all fully decked out in Waterland merch! How long do they keep these clothes for? (praying it’s the rest of the book)
- Annabeth getting embarrassed about going on the tunnel of love is exactly how I’d have acted at 12 haha
- Ummmm Percy just wondered why Ares and Aphrodite would choose to meet up here and then noticed all the mirrors excUSE ME THIS IS A BOOK FOR KIDS
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Discussion Question: Chapter 14
Why do you think people find Greek mythology so interesting?
Chapter 14: I Become a Known Fugitive 14/04/21
Feel free to join in with our read along of The Lightning Thief - here’s all the info
- Never before have I see the word “flaaa-booom!” used in a book
- ‘Hello? Hollywood? Yes hi I would like to request a crossover of Percy Jackson and Aquamarine (2006)? Thank you’
- Okay in my head I’m picturing this floating mermaid woman as looking exactly like that chick from Fantasia 2000
- Do you know who I mean? This girl:
- Do you think kids still watch Fantasia? Gotta be honest I was never really cultured enough to Get It but this girl has always been a vibe (along with the fairies in the sugar plum fairy sequence)
- Hmm interesting, Percy has been warned “do not trust the gifts”. I’ll be honest here the plural is throwing me and I’m back to not entirely remembering the plot of this book oops
- “I came ashore next to a floating McDonald’s” I’m sorry what?
- Are we talking about a floating McDonald’s wrapper? Or just like a McDonald’s that’s floating in the Mississippi like some fancy pants restaurant?
- Is that a thing that McDonald’s do? What is going on here?
- Oh wait, that’s it? Lmao that was a very short chapter
- 6.5 pages… guess I’ll see you tomorrow folks
We’re raising money for Save the Children so please head to our justgiving page if you would like to donate- any contribution is appreciated including spreading the word
