Summary
The three friends sneak through the halls, ducking into the suites when they hear voices coming down the hallway. Annabeth recognizes one of the voices from camp and is shocked to find that one of the campers is here among the monsters. They keep going, with Percy sensing that they’re getting closer and closer to Luke when Annabeth stops and directs their attention to the window, which shows a bunch of monsters beating up a dummy with a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt on the lower deck. Soon, they stop in a hallway that ends in double oak doors. Initially, they think they won’t be able to hear anything, but Tyson’s hearing is so good that he’s able to hear the conversation happening inside between Luke and a guy they don’t know. He is able to repeat the conversation back to them, which reveals that they were the ones to poison Thalia’s tree. They’re listening so intently that it’s too late when Percy realizes that they’ve been found out.
Luke confronts them and has his guards herd them into the stateroom, which is beautiful except for a huge golden casket laying on a velvet dais at the back of the room. Luke looks different, but Percy finds himself shaken despite everything. He asks how Percy’s doing, but Percy immediately accuses him of poisoning Thalia’s tree. Annabeth yells at Luke for dishonoring Thalia’s memory and destroying the camp, but Luke maintains that the gods have deceived her and that the West will be better if it’s destroyed. He advises them to join the winning team and pinpoints Percy’s unstable relationship with Tyson, as well as accuses Annabeth of not honoring Thalia’s memory by traveling with a Cyclops. He also tells Percy that the gods are using him and just want him to survive until his sixteenth birthday.
Percy stays strong, however. He turns the conversation to the fact that Hermes sent them, which makes Luke furious. He yells that Hermes abandoned him and that they will defeat the Olympians, especially now that Kronos is reforming in his sarcophagus, a small piece of him forming with every new recruit who signs onto the cause. He tries one last time to convince them, but after they refuse he sets security on them, threatening to feed them to the Aethiopian dragon. As they are herded out of the stateroom, Percy signals to Tyson and they start to escape his guards. The three of them manage to escape, but one of the guards presses the alarm. The monsters and security men swarm the deck as they head for the nearest lifeboat. Arrows are volleyed their way as they stumble into the boat, cutting the ropes and free falling towards the ocean.
As they fall towards the ocean, Percy remembers the thermos and yells for it. Tyson understands him and tosses it toward him. Percy gives the cap a turn, releasing the winds and helping them whizz along the water as fast as a speed boat. The ocean spray allows them to create a rainbow to call Chiron with and they inform him about what’s happened with Luke. Strangely, it seems that he’s in the middle of a party, however, and they can’t hear a lot of what he’s saying. An hour later, they find themselves near Virginia Beach and are shocked by how far they’ve traveled. Percy discovers that he has a natural sense of how many nautical miles they’ve traveled and where they are; because of his dad, he has perfect bearings at sea. Annabeth directs him to continue heading into the Chesapeake Bay, and Percy wonders how she knows the area so well, but he follows along.
They end up in a humid, swampy area, and Annabeth leads them toward a small shelter, a sort of demigod hideout. Annabeth reveals that she, Thalia, and Luke made this hideout when they were on the run from monsters back when she was little. Percy realizes that he feels jealous of Thalia and Luke for having that experience with Annabeth. Annabeth reassures Percy that they’re safe since they have multiple safehouses and Luke has probably forgotten about them by now. She seems upset, so Percy asks Tyson to go search for supplies and moves to comfort Annabeth about what happened with Luke. They realize that they both feel that Luke let them go too easily, and think that they might be being set up to go get the Fleece. Annabeth expresses how shocked she is that he would have poisoned Thalia’s tree, and says that Thalia, who Percy reminds her of, would have never joined Kronos, just like Percy would never join him.
Annabeth is about to tell him the real reason Thalia died, which is related to a Cyclops, but they’re interrupted by Tyson returning with powdered donuts. Annabeth stares, wondering where he might have gotten those from when they’re in the middle of the wilderness, and Tyson says that he got it from the donut shop a little ways away called Monster Donut. Annabeth is skeptical of the fact that there’s a donut shop in the middle of nowhere, but Percy and Tyson aren’t too bothered by it. Annabeth argues that it could be a nest for a specific sort of monster that apparently some children of Hermes figured out how to breed in the 1950s to build franchise stores. She freezes, and Percy turns ahead to find a Hydra walking around with a plastic bib that reads: I’M A MONSTER DONUT KID! They think they might go a while without it noticing them, but Tyson trembles and accidentally alerts it to their presence. Percy distracts the Hydra with his sword but only manages to cut off one of the heads, opening another Monster Donut. Normally, they would need fire to kill the Hydra, but they don’t have any with them.
It’s looking bleak until they hear a familiar voice behind them telling a crew to go full steam ahead. Annabeth catches on and tells the others to hit the dirt as a giant cannonball zooms past them, killing the Hydra. Moving towards them is a strange ship with zombies lining the deck in gray uniforms, called the CSS Birmingham. Standing right next to the cannon is none other than Clarisse, in full battle armor. Clarisse gives them a tour of the older ship while assuring them that they’ll be in a lot of trouble. The dead Confederate soldiers terrify Tyson, and Annabeth ends up needing to comfort him. Clarisse tells them that Tantalus expelled them for eternity and that Ares, her father, gave her this ship since the spirits on the losing side of wars always owe tributes to him. Percy tries to tell her that Tantalus is setting her up, but she’s not receptive to his advice. Clarisse reveals that the Oracle might have told her something strange, but won’t share what it is and implies that Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson are now basically her prisoners.
They’re assigned hammocks, and as soon as Percy falls asleep, he has another dream about Grover. Grover is sitting at the loom, unraveling his weaving, when Polyphemus discovers him and drags him outside. As he drags Grover, Percy sees that the Golden Fleece is there with Polyphemus. Polyphemus shows Grover the Fleece, explaining that it draws satyrs from all over the world, which makes for good eating. He then gives Grover some of the wool from the Fleece to put on the spinning wheel, which cannot be unraveled because of its magic. He assures Grover that he can finish the wedding veil by tomorrow this way. Grover, knowing that Percy is watching, asks what would happen if someone were to attack the island, and Polyphemus assures him that his pets would stop anyone who wanted to invade—not to mention, they would have to get through him, too. The dream ends as Polyphemus shuts the cave door on Grover’s brief glimpse of freedom.
Percy wakes up to alarm bells, and the captain announces that they’re approaching the Sea of Monsters. Out of nowhere, Percy feels a sense of incredible anger and realizes that Ares is nearby. He overhears Clarisse messaging her dad, who threatens Clarisse, telling her not to let Percy steal the quest from her, no matter what the Oracle says. Percy doesn’t mention it to the others, disturbed by what he’s seen. Now they’re off the coast of northern Florida, which is inhumanly fast for a ship to be able to travel. As they continue, a storm approaches on the horizon, with the sky and sea meeting in a giant whirlpool. It’s Charybdis, and the only way into the Sea of Monsters is to sail right between her and her sister, Scylla, who lives at the top of the cliffs. Annabeth suggests the Crashing Rocks, but Clarisse argues that she can blow up monsters with her cannons. They head towards Charybdis, with Clarisse planning to sail straight towards her and use her cannons to blow the monster up. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson don’t think it will work but they’re overruled. Annabeth says they need a backup plan, and Tyson confirms that the pistons in the engine are no good and that they’ll need another way to escape.
They end up in the whirlpool, and when the soldiers try and reverse, they discover that the boiler room has overheated. Tyson says he can fix it, and although Percy doesn’t want to let him go, Annabeth reminds them that Tyson is good with machines and immune to fire, with Tyson confirming that it’s the only way. Percy has a horrible feeling but is quickly distracted by the sight of Charybdis, whose open maw is about to consume them. Clarisse and the soldiers start aiming at her with cannons, but Percy knows they don’t have enough time to shoot her without the whirlpool sucking them in. There’s a brief pause where the sea goes calm, but then things only get worse. Tyson is trying to keep the engine together but time is limited. The soldiers advise abandoning the ship, only for Scylla to show up and start picking off the soldiers. Below deck is in flames, so they have to go for the lifeboats. Percy wants to go back for Tyson but before he can, Scylla lifts him off his feet by his backpack. He escapes by jabbing her in the eye, but as he falls, the CSS Birmingham explodes beneath him. He yells for Tyson, and while he’s falling, his thermos opens a little too far, spinning him in the air and slamming him into the water. The last thing he remembers is sinking in the burning sea.
Percy wakes up in a rowboat next to Annabeth. He asks about Tyson, but it doesn’t look good, and Percy doesn’t feel hopeful. All he can think about is how Tyson saved their lives and how he has been embarrassed by Tyson being his brother all that time. Annabeth has managed to salvage some things, and Percy still has the bottle of multivitamins, as well as Riptide, which appears in his pocket no matter where he is. Percy knows where they are, and they keep sailing. Annabeth admits that she was wrong about Tyson, but refuses to tell Percy the prophecy about him. She finally admits that she doesn’t know much about the prophecy but does know that the next child of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) who lives to sixteen will be a dangerous weapon, which is the real reason they swore not to have children. They will make a decision that either saves or destroys Olympus. Percy observes that that’s the reason that Kronos kept him alive for so long, and asks for any more hints. She hesitates, and Percy thinks she might have more to share, but they’re distracted by a seagull dropping leaves into Annabeth’s lap, proving there’s land nearby.
The current pulls them towards a beautiful island, where a lady with a clipboard waits for them. As they look around, they notice that all sorts of different ships are in port. The lady appears to be welcoming them towards a spa, and although Annabeth and Percy are both very wary of traps, they are extremely tired and decide to go along with it. The place is beautiful, but as far as Percy can see, there are only young women present at the spa. He hears a woman singing in a language that’s not Ancient Greek but that’s just as old. As they enter, Percy is floored by the sight of a gorgeous woman sitting at the loom who introduces herself as C.C. They feel very at ease, despite the presence of guinea pigs squeaking loudly in the corner. For some reason, both of them feel the need to please the lady, and they separate to get different makeovers.
Annabeth is led away, and C.C. tells Percy that he will need “serious help to unlock his potential.” Standing in front of the mirror, he feels like he can’t see anything particularly good about himself. But then C.C. shows him an alternate picture, a version of himself without flaws. Percy asks to have those results, and while he’s confused about how to get the results and about whether he really wants to become someone he’s not, C.C. pushes him to ingest her special mixture. Although it feels pleasant at first, it soon turns painful, and Percy finds himself turning into a guinea pig. C.C. comments that she used to turn men into real pigs, but that guinea pigs were much easier. She’s just put him in with the cage with the men that she’s enchanted who have given her the most trouble when Annabeth comes in. She looks beautiful, but Percy notices that it doesn’t seem like her. Annabeth asks after Percy and is satisfied with the answer that he’s getting a treatment, but she becomes suspicious after C.C. admits that she’s a sorceress. Percy tries to get her attention while C.C. tries to convince her to stay with her and learn how to become an immortal sorceress and not stand in the shadow of men.
During the speech, Annabeth realizes that C.C. is really Circe and that Percy has been turned into a guinea pig. She gets a dreamy look in her eyes and asks for time to say goodbye. When Circe leaves the room, she grabs the multivitamins and tries to figure out which guinea pig is Percy. Circe interrupts her and starts to cast a spell, only to find out that she can’t harm Annabeth because of the multivitamins. She throws the bottle of multivitamins into the cage, turning Percy and the six other trapped men back into humans again. Circe is left to deal with the troublemakers, including Blackbeard. Percy is a bit awkward around Annabeth and thanks her for saving him. She hugs him and they head towards the port as Blackbeard’s men tear through the spa. Percy feels bad but recognizes that being a guinea pig for years would have been awful. They run for the docks, and Percy chooses a traditional ship, which happens to be Blackbeard's Queen Anne’s Revenge. Percy uses his powers to get the ship underway by himself, and they head back into the Sea of Monsters.
Analysis
Notably, Luke is not only supported by monsters: there are some campers on his side as well. They are targeting Camp Half-Blood on purpose, as we can see from the dummy; a war against the gods also means a war against the children that are loyal to them. Luke’s revelation makes this clear; even though Thalia was one of his closest friends and died to save his life, the objective of Kronos comes first. For him, the gods must be destroyed for the cruel things they’ve done. Even if they’re sometimes nice to Percy, Luke is arguing that that kindness is only for their own benefit. His hint at a prophecy foreshadows a conflict that will come to a head later in the series when Percy eventually reaches sixteen.
But Percy chooses to side with the gods over Kronos because Kronos just wants to destroy everything and doesn’t care who gets in his way. Absolute destruction is what Luke desires, though, and when he can’t convince them, he tries to kill them, just like he tried to kill Percy the previous summer. Tyson and Percy’s quick thinking gets them out of that tight spot, and the help Hermes gives Percy helps them escape Luke. We see that even though the gods are not perfect, sometimes their gifts and their “mistakes,” like Tyson, prove to be very useful. Speaking of gifts, Percy is continuing to grow into the ones he received from his father. In addition to learning more about the world of the Greek gods, Percy is learning more about himself and what he’s capable of. His growth allows him to become a better team player, with Annabeth being able to guide them to a specific place they can rest, the safe house she built with Thalia and Luke.
The existence of multiple safe houses across the country gives readers a new understanding of exactly how long the three of them were on the run, how close they would have been, as well as how much of a betrayal it is that Luke would turn his back on Annabeth and poison the tree that is the only thing left of Thalia's legacy. In turn, Percy’s jealousy reveals his immaturity, but it also shows us just how much he cares about Annabeth. While Thalia and Luke can no longer protect Annabeth as they did when she was a kid, Percy wants to become close enough to gain Annabeth’s trust. He also probably resents that they got to spend time with her that he didn’t. He proves that the two of them are quite close, however, by being in tune enough with her emotions that he knows to send Tyson away so Annabeth can feel freer to share. On the flip side, Annabeth reveals part of the reason why she and Percy might get along so well—that he reminds her of Thalia. She also exposes that Percy’s possible worries about trust are irrelevant: she has never doubted that he’ll choose the right side.
The introduction of the Monster Donut franchise is another example of Riordan’s modernized Greek monsters. Rather than having the Hydra be completely in its original form, Riordan ties it to something that will be familiar to his readers: a franchise restaurant. This not only adds to the trademark humor of the series but also allows a contemporary reader to connect to a myth thousands of years old. It also recalls us to Percy’s favorite hero, Hercules, who was said to have fought the Hydra during his twelve labors. In one of many examples of the heroes getting wildly lucky in this book, Clarisse just manages to save them before they can die. But even though Clarisse is dependable in a fight, she still can’t accept the idea that Tantalus is showing her favor in order to set her up. Her anger at the three of them is too strong for her to be receptive to explanations that don’t involve her as the one in the right and Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson in the wrong. Clarisse’s juvenile behavior suggests that she might be deeply insecure about her ability, something supported by the fact that she also evades telling them about what the Oracle said when normally, prophecies are shared among everyone. Over in the Sea of Monsters, Grover is continuing a modified version of the trick Penelope pulled. Just like Penelope, Grover is unraveling the bridal robe bit by bit at the end of the day so that he doesn’t make any real progress. His time is running out, though, and Percy needs to hurry if he’s going to be able to help out at all.
When Ares visits the next day, we see the confirmation of the insecurity that Clarisse’s earlier actions have been hinting at, something which stems from her father. In contrast to Hermes and Poseidon, who have been helpful if distant, Ares is only interested in Clarisse to actualize his revenge against Percy. The quest, which is meant to save the campers and Thalia’s tree, has become a way for him to possibly humiliate Percy like he humiliated Ares last summer after their fight. He doesn’t care about her well-being and even threatens her to the point where Percy, who doesn’t particularly like her, is disturbed. Clarisse’s pride, however, would prevent her from being receptive to any sympathy, causing Percy to keep his distance. This pride becomes a serious problem when it leads Clarisse to try and navigate between Scylla and Charybdis, two monsters infamously mentioned in the Odyssey. Her reasoning that they can use cannons quickly disintegrates and makes them lose Tyson when he must try to fix the ship from below.
Percy’s devastation afterward makes him reflect and he realizes that he was wrong to treat Tyson so flippantly. Being a good friend (and brother) means that he has to wholeheartedly support Tyson no matter what. Looking back, Percy can see that even though he’s been patting himself on the back for being kind to Tyson, he hasn’t been there for him like he should have been. Annabeth is also contrite, but from their conversation about the prophecy, it’s clear that she is still keeping secrets from him. By the time they get to the island, they’re both so emotionally and physically exhausted that they don’t take the precautions that they normally would to make sure everything is safe. Ending up on Circe’s island, just like Odysseus did, confirms beyond a doubt that they have made it into the Sea of Monsters, but also comes closer to separating Percy and Annabeth than any other obstacle so far. After breaking down their self-esteem, Circe can easily separate them. Since they’re so preoccupied with pleasing her, they don’t take the time to think about what they want. Much like their situation with Clarisse, the insecurity they feel draws them away from other people. Annabeth turns this on its head, pretending to be enamored with Circe’s story so that she can reunite with Percy. It’s a messy process, and they end up freeing Blackbeard, but ultimately they’ve done the right thing. Percy’s conflicted feelings when he sees the men destroy the spa mirror a larger conflict throughout the book about whether or not destroying the gods would benefit humanity in the long run. But the thing that’s undebatable is that Percy and Annabeth, no matter the circumstances, are at their best when they are working together.
