Dream Imagery
One of the most effective uses of imagery in the novel is the description of Percy’s nightmare with which the story commences. His satyr friend Grover is running in terror from a shadowy, barely-seen monster somewhere in Florida during a storm. Driven by gear, Grover seeks shelter inside a bridal shop, hiding behind wedding gowns until the sinister specter of the shadowy threat passes by. Or so he thinks: Percy is driven awake by the loud voice of the monster calling out “Mine” as the bridal store explodes around his friend. This is not just a dream, but a foreshadowing of the entire centerpiece of the narrative to come. The shadowy figure of the unseen monster underlines the foreshadowing aspect and the story within the dream of Grover hiding from the terrifying threat in the most unlikely of ways turns out to be less weird dream symbolism than a weirdly literal peek into the future.
The Sea...of Monsters
The very title of the book and its location in the narrative is another example of how the author subtly uses the opening nightmare scene as imagery. Percy has never actually been to Florida, but he perceives that this is the location of his nightmare vision because of the very precise imagery he has learned to connect to that state: stucco buildings, palm trees, hibiscus bushes, and the beach. The setting of his dream turns out to be significant because he later learns that—unlike many places he and his demigod friends visit—even mortals are aware of the Sea of Monsters, though they know it by another name. It is somewhere off the coast of Florida and covers a strangely precise geometric expanse of ocean: the Bermuda Triangle.
Modernizing Ancient Mythology
A key aspect of the Percy Jackson series which makes it so popular is the manner in which the author presents ancient stories of myth in a brand new way more accessible to young modern readers. In many cases, this is quite necessary to make those stories appropriate to juvenile fiction. For instance, the actual mythology of Circe is particularly inappropriate material for the target audience of the book. A few deft changes in imagery, however, and the author manages to retain the essence of Circe’s myth while making it not only age-appropriate but relevant: wine becomes a milk shake made of powder mix and water. Instead of a vengeful woman turning men into swine, the transformation is into guinea pigs. And the domain of Circe—now calling herself the much more hip C.C.—is a spa and resort.
The Lure of the Sirens
The infamous Sirens who lure men to their death with their seductive songs appear in the novel as well, and the author effectively conveys their power through imagery. It may be difficult to get one’s head around the concept of the Sirens singing a song so beautiful that men are so charmed they sacrifice their life just to hear it, so the use of imagery here is much more visual and potent:
"As their mouths moved, their faces morphed into people I knew—my mom, Poseidon, Grover, Tyson, Chiron. All the people I most wanted to see. They smiled reassuringly, inviting me forward. But no matter what shape they took, their mouths were greasy and caked with the remnants of old meals. Like vultures, they'd been eating with their faces, and it didn't look like they'd been feasting on Monster Donuts"
