The Sea of Monsters is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology. It was written by Rick Riordan and published in 2006. It is the second novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and is the sequel to The Lightning Thief. This book is about the adventures of thirteen-year-old demigod Percy Jackson. It describes how he and his friends rescue his satyr friend Grover from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They also save Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods, from a Titan attack. They bring the Golden Fleece from Polyphemus' island which cures Thalia's poisoned pine tree, that protected the camp.
The Sea of Monsters received good reviews and was nominated for many awards such as the 2006 Book Sense Top Ten Summer Pick and the 2009 Mark Twain Award. It sold over 100,000 copies in paperback. It was released as an audiobook on September 6, 2006. The Sea of Monsters is followed by The Titan's Curse, which is the third book of the five in the series.
Plot
Like the first book, The Lightning Thief, this novel is of the fantasy genre. Reviewers have called it a "fast paced" book with humor and action, which discusses acceptance and family love.
Summary
Percy Jackson is a 13 year-old demigod. He is playing dodgeball against large seventh graders. He discovers they are Laistrygonians (a kind of monster in Greek mythology). They try to kill Percy with explosive fireballs. He is protected by Tyson, a friend. The Laistrygonians' fireballs do nothing to Tyson, which surprises Percy. Annabeth rescues Percy and takes Percy and Tyson to Camp Half-Blood. They find the camp is under attack. This is because Thalia's tree, which protects the camp, has been poisoned by an unknown intruder. Chiron, the activities director, has been sacked. This is because he is suspected to have poisoned the tree. He is replaced by Tantalus, a spirit from the Fields of Punishment.
Percy finds out that Tyson is a Cyclops. Poseidon claims Tyson as his son, making him Percy's half-brother. Annabeth and Percy ask Tantalus to send somebody on to find the Golden Fleece (the wool of a golden-haired sheep in Greek mythology). Tantalus sends Clarisse, the daughter of the god of war, Ares, to get the Fleece. Poseidon gives Percy and his friends three Hippocampi. Together with Annabeth and Tyson, Percy find a cruise ship called the Princess Andromeda. They discover it is owned by Luke. They are captured by Luke in the ship. There, they learn that Luke is trying to reform Kronos. Kronos is an evil Titan lord. They manage to escape from the ship.
Later, they are saved by Clarisse. Clarisse was traveling on her own boat. Her father, Ares, had given her the boat as a gift. The boat is destroyed when they enter the Sea of Monsters. The book says that mortals know the Sea of Monsters as the Bermuda Triangle.
Along the way, they land at the island of Circe, a magician. She changes Percy into a guinea pig. Annabeth saves Percy and they manage to leave in a ship. They pass the land of the Sirens. Annabeth knows that the Sirens tell a person of their innermost wishes. She tells Percy that she wants to listen to the Sirens' songs. So, she asks Percy to tie her to the mast of the ship. But, Percy forgets to remove her knife. So, she manages to free herself. She almost manages to reach the land. However, Percy saves her. This way, he learns what that the Sirens' song made Annabeth see. The monsters showed her parents together again and Luke having become good. They are all having a picnic, in a new Manhattan, built by Annabeth. From the Sirens' song, Annabeth understands that her fatal fault is hubris (arrogance or too much pride).
After this, they reach the island of Polyphemus. Tyson and Clarisse help them save Grover. They also get back the Fleece. Annabeth is injured in the island. But the Fleece helps her to become better. 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 manages to contact camp with an Iris-message. In this way, he tricks Luke into saying he poisoned Thalia's tree. Luke almost kills Percy in a fight. Chiron and his relatives, the Party Ponies, save Percy and the others. Chiron becomes the activities director again as everyone knows he is not guilty. The Fleece cures Thalia's tree of its poison. It even makes Thalia live again.