The Sea of Monsters facts for kids

The Sea of Monsters is an exciting fantasy and adventure novel. It is based on amazing Greek mythology stories. Rick Riordan wrote this book, and it came out in 2006. It is the second book in the popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. This book continues the story from The Lightning Thief.

The story follows Percy Jackson, who is a thirteen-year-old demigod. A demigod is a child of a god and a human. In this adventure, Percy and his friends go on a quest. They need to save their satyr friend, Grover, from a scary Cyclops named Polyphemus. They also work to protect Camp Half-Blood. This is a special summer camp for demigods. They must stop a Titan attack. To do this, they bring back the Golden Fleece from Polyphemus' island. The Fleece helps to heal Thalia's poisoned pine tree. This tree protects the entire camp.

The Sea of Monsters was well-liked by many readers and critics. It was nominated for awards, like the 2006 Book Sense Top Ten Summer Pick. It also won the 2009 Mark Twain Award. Over 100,000 paperback copies of the book were sold. An audiobook version was released on September 6, 2006. The next book in the series is The Titan's Curse.

The Story's Plot

This novel is a fantasy story, just like the first book. Reviewers have said it is a "fast-paced" book. They also noted its humor and action. The story teaches important lessons about accepting others and family love.

What Happens in the Story

Percy Jackson is a thirteen-year-old demigod. One day, he is playing dodgeball at school. He discovers that the other players are actually Laistrygonians. These are a type of monster from Greek mythology. They try to attack Percy with explosive fireballs. Luckily, his friend Tyson protects him. The fireballs do not hurt Tyson at all. This surprises Percy.

Soon, Annabeth rescues Percy and Tyson. She takes them to Camp Half-Blood. They find the camp is in danger. Thalia's tree, which protects the camp, has been poisoned. No one knows who did it. Chiron, the camp's activities director, has been fired. People think he might have poisoned the tree. A spirit named Tantalus, from the Fields of Punishment, takes his place.

Percy then learns that Tyson is a Cyclops. Even more surprising, Poseidon claims Tyson as his son. This makes Tyson Percy's half-brother. Annabeth and Percy ask Tantalus to send someone to find the Golden Fleece. The Fleece is the magical wool of a golden-haired sheep. Tantalus chooses Clarisse. She is the daughter of Ares, the god of war.

Poseidon gives Percy and his friends three Hippocampi. These are magical horse-like creatures that live in the sea. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson find a cruise ship called the Princess Andromeda. They discover it belongs to Luke. They are captured by Luke on the ship. They learn that Luke is trying to bring back Kronos. Kronos is an evil Titan lord. Percy and his friends manage to escape from the ship.

Later, Clarisse saves them. She was traveling on her own boat. Her father, Ares, had given her the boat. The boat is destroyed when they enter the Sea of Monsters. The book explains that regular people know this sea as the Bermuda Triangle.

Along their journey, they land on Circe's island. Circe is a powerful magician. She turns Percy into a guinea pig. Annabeth saves Percy, and they escape on a ship. They then pass the land of the Sirens. Annabeth knows that Sirens show people their deepest wishes. She wants to hear their songs. So, she asks Percy to tie her to the mast of the ship. But Percy forgets to take away her knife. She frees herself and almost reaches the land. Percy saves her just in time. He learns what Annabeth saw. The Sirens showed her parents together again. They also showed Luke becoming good. Everyone was having a picnic in a new Manhattan, built by Annabeth. From this, Annabeth realizes her biggest weakness is hubris. This means having too much pride.

After this, they finally reach Polyphemus' island. Tyson and Clarisse help them save Grover. They also get the Golden Fleece back. Annabeth is hurt on the island. But the Fleece helps her heal quickly. They return to Florida on the hippocampi. Percy sends Clarisse back to camp with the Fleece. Then, Luke captures Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson. Percy uses an Iris-message to contact the camp. He tricks Luke into admitting he poisoned Thalia's tree. Luke almost kills Percy in a fight. But Chiron and his relatives, the Party Ponies, arrive and save them. Chiron becomes the activities director again. Everyone now knows he is innocent. The Fleece cures Thalia's tree. It even brings Thalia back to life!

Main Characters in the Story

• Percy Jackson: He is the main hero of the story. Percy is a thirteen-year-old demigod. He travels to Polyphemus' island in the Sea of Monsters. He goes to save his friend, the satyr Grover. He also needs to get the Golden Fleece. This will save Camp Half-Blood. His friends Annabeth and Tyson, his half-brother, join him on this quest.
• Annabeth Chase: She is a daughter of Athena. Annabeth is a thirteen-year-old demigoddess and Percy's good friend. She goes with him to the island. She helps Percy by rescuing him from Circe's island. Annabeth gets hurt by Polyphemus. But she gets better with the Golden Fleece. She returns to Camp with Percy after Chiron saves them.
• Grover Underwood: He is a satyr who was captured by Polyphemus. This happened while Grover was looking for the wild god Pan. Polyphemus has bad eyesight. So, he thinks Grover is a female Cyclops. Polyphemus wants to marry him! Percy and Annabeth save their friend.
• Clarisse La Rue: She is the daughter of Ares. Tantalus gave her the important task of finding the Golden Fleece. This was to save the camp. She succeeds in her quest. Percy and his friends help her get the Fleece back. Percy gives her the Fleece to take to Camp.
• Luke Castellan: He is the main bad guy in the book. Luke is twenty years old and works for Kronos. He captures Percy and his friends. But Chiron and the Party Ponies defeat him.
• Tyson the Cyclops: He is Percy's half-brother. At first, he seems like a homeless child. Then Annabeth tells Percy he is a Cyclops. He goes with Percy and Annabeth to the Sea of Monsters. He becomes friends with a hippocampus. He names the hippocampus Rainbow. When Clarisse's ship explodes, everyone thinks Tyson is dead. But Rainbow, the hippocampus, saves him.

Audiobook Version

On September 6, 2006, an audiobook of The Sea of Monsters was released. It was seven hours and 54 minutes long. Actor Jesse Bernstein read the book. He also read the audiobook for The Lightning Thief.

AudioFile magazine praised the audiobook. They said the "action-packed book... will delight fans of Percy Jackson." They also liked Jesse Bernstein's reading. They said he helped listeners "slip right into the oddly engaging world that Riordan creates." Publishers Weekly also praised Bernstein. They said his "snappy delivery and all the right funny touches" made the story fun.

The Movie Version

After the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief did fairly well, a film of The Sea of Monsters was planned. This news came out in early 2011. In the fall of 2011, it was confirmed. 20th Century Fox released the movie on March 27, 2013.

Next Book in the Series

The book that followed The Sea of Monsters was The Titan's Curse. It was released on May 1, 2007. In The Titan's Curse, Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia go to a school. They need to find two powerful demigods there. Like the first two books, this one was also very popular. Reviewers liked its funny style and exciting plot.

Related Pages to Explore

• Mythology
• Mount Olympus
• Greek mythology

See also

In Spanish: El mar de los monstruos para niños