Characters
This Titan becomes the ruler after overthrowing his father, Ouranos.
Who is Kronos?
After Zeus grows up, he gets this job so he can get close to Kronos.
What is a cupbearer?
This is the main conflict between Kronos and his children.
Kronos fears that his children will overthrow him, so he tries to prevent them from becoming powerful.
Why did Rhea give Kronos a stone instead of Zeus?
She wanted to save Zeus from being swallowed.
What is the literary device?: "He wore only a loincloth, and his skin changed color - sometimes blue with cloudy patterns across his muscles, sometimes dark with glimmering stars" (Riordan 2)
Imagery
This goddess is Kronos's wife and secretly saves Zeus by giving Kronos a stone instead of their baby.
Who is Rhea?
Why do Zeus and his siblings need the Cyclopes and other imprisoned beings during their fight against the Titans?
They need their help and weapons to defeat the Titans.
What conflict exists between Ouranos and his children?
Ouranos imprisons his children because he thinks they are monstrous, causing them to turn against him.
Why did Zeus become Kronos’s cupbearer?
So he could get close to Kronos and help free his brothers and sisters.
What literary device is this? "It was like the most disgusting cheap-budget horror movie you can imagine" (Riordan 12).
Simile
This god is one of Zeus's brothers and becomes ruler of the Underworld after the three brothers divide up the world.
Who is Hades?
The overthrow of Ouranos sets off a pattern that happens again with Kronos and eventually Zeus. What is the pattern?
One generation overthrows the generation before it to gain power, often because of a prophecy or fear of being overthrown.
Prometheus and Zeus disagree about how humans should be treated. What does Prometheus do that shows he is willing to stand up to Zeus?
Prometheus helps humans by giving them fire, even though Zeus does not want humans to have it.
Why did Hestia choose not to marry Apollo or Poseidon?
What is the literary device? "This dude's ego could not get any bigger" (Riordan 64).
Hyperbole
Unlike many of the other gods, this goddess chooses not to marry or have children. She instead spends much of her time caring for the hearth.
Who is Hestia?
He accepts her decision.
What conflict develops between Hestia and Poseidon and Apollo?
Both Poseidon and Apollo want Hestia to marry them, but Hestia does not want to marry either of them.
Why did Kronos want to get rid of his own children?
He was afraid that one of them would eventually overthrow him, just as he had overthrown his father.
What literary device is this? "Guards starting pouring into the throne room" (Riordan 46).
Hyperbole
This Titan is known for helping humans and giving them fire, even though Zeus does not approve.
Who is Prometheus?
Why does Zeus not want to give a throne to Hades on Mount Olympus?
He thinks he's weird and doesn't want the others to feel uncomfortable.
Many of the conflicts in Chapters 1–5 are caused by characters trying to control what will happen in the future. Give one example of this and explain how the character's attempt to control the future creates conflict.
Answers could include Kronos swallowing his children because he fears being overthrown, or Ouranos imprisoning his children because he fears their power. Both characters' attempts to prevent a future threat actually create conflict with their own families.
How did Zeus and the Olympians defeat the Titans in the Great Battle?
They fought the Titans with the help of the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones. The Cyclopes gave the Olympians powerful weapons, including Zeus’s lightning bolts, and the Hundred-Handed Ones attacked the Titans with rocks to tear down the mountain.
What does Riordan include in the text to make it different from typical myths?
Percy's perspective/humor