Percy's Quest (Dramatic Irony)
Percy’s entire quest is ironic, since he and his friends set out assuming that Hades was the one who stole Zeus’s master bolt. They make it all the way to the Underworld only to realize that, in fact, Hades had been robbed as well, and he was not the thief they thought he was.
Ares and Luke (Dramatic Irony)
It is ironic that Percy and his friends accept help both from Luke and from Ares, when really these two were attempting to manipulate them in different ways. Ares had been in possession of the stolen items, eager to start a war, and Luke had been working for Kronos, the enemy, all along.
Medusa (Dramatic Irony)
There is some dramatic irony in Percy and his friends’ interaction with Aunty Em in the garden gnome emporium. Many readers will realize that Aunty Em is really Medusa before Percy and the others do themselves, but they must read on and watch the heroes get themselves into trouble before they realize her true identity.
Empowering Differences (Situational Irony)
It is ironic that in the story, ADHD and dyslexia, typically seen as disabilities, are actually the result of being descended from gods. This literary technique attacks the stigma around these conditions by showing that people with these characteristics can be heroes, and that these differences need not always be negative.
