21 Charon is the boatman of styx. In Greek mythology, he was the ferryman
of the dead, an underworld spirit in the service of underworld god Hades. Charon transported the spirit in his skiff to a final resting place in Hades, the land of the
dead. Riordan in Percy Jackson : The Lightning Thief draws Charon as a very suave guy and wears a fancy Italian suit and cool looking shades. There is a huge
waiting list to get into the Underworld when Percy and his friends come to Charon’s lobby, and the only way to get on Charons boat is to bribe him. That is
exactly what Percy does. “He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-
blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoiseshell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his
lapel under his nametag.
” Percy:296 Cerberus or Kerberos was the gigantic hound which guarded the gates
of Hades. He was posted to prevent ghosts of the dead from leaving the underworld. Cerberus was described as a three-headed dog with a serpents tail, a
mane of snakes, and a lions claws. Some say he had fifty heads, though this number might have included the heads of his serpentine mane. Riordan explains
Cerberus as such a cute little puppy. Cerberus guards the entrance to the underworld. Hes a ginormous doggy with three heads. His job is to sniff out the
living who might be trying to sneak into the underworld as like what Percy and his friends do.
“Id always imagined Cerberus as a big black mastiff. But he was obviously a purebred Rottweiler, except of course that he was twice
the size of a woolly mammoth, mostly invisible, and had three heads. ”
Percy:306
4.1.5 Allies or Sidekicks
Every hero needs a helper, much like every superhero needs a sidekick. Without the assistance of their helpers and friends along the way, most heroes
would fail miserably. Percy has a lot of friends during his adventure, but only two of them who help and support Percy through his journey.
22 Annabeth is Percys friend and sometimes a competitor. Her mom is
Athena. Like her mom, Annabeth is really good at strategizing, and she nearly always has a plan. Thats why she is the captain of her Capture the Flag team. She
knows how to anticipate what their weaknesses are and what the other team will do. She also loves to study architecture. When the trio visit the Gateway Arch in
St. Louis, Annabeth is so excited. She has learned everything about how the Arch is constructed and why it is special. Her mother shares her passions for building,
inventing, and crafting things. She helps Percy a lot with her wise plans through his journey.
Initially, Annabeth is introduced to Percy as just a camper who has been at Half Blood Camp longer than just about anybody Annabeth :67. Percy
describes her this way: “She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a
whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California
girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she
were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.
” Percy :68 Grover Underwood, or The G-man is Percys best and only friend in the
world. Grover had been stuck by Percy throughout sixth grade and Grover has kept watching over him. Percy meets Grover at Yancy Academy and spends much
of the time protecting him: “Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got
frustrated. He mustve been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his
chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular
disease in his legs. He walked funny, every step hurt him, but dont let that fool you. You shouldve seen him run when it was enchilada day
in the cafeteria.
” Percy :4 This description tells us that Grover is similar to Percy that he is different
from the other kids at school, making him an outsider, just like Percy. He looks older than the other kids too, making us wonder whether hes a bit more
emotionally mature than they are.
23 According to the Council of Cloven Elders, Grover did not bring Percy
safely back to Half Blood Camp the night the Minotaur attacked, Percy is the one who brought him literally, he carried an unconscious Grover to the camp. And,
in the Councils eyes, Grover also failed to bring Thalia to safety so many summers ago. That means that, technically, Grover has failed twice at being a
keeper. Grovers last chance to win a searchers license is to safely bring Percy and Annabeth home from their quest.
4.1.6 Shadow
