How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. (1.3)
Percy can't choose to be half-blood. It chooses him. His mom tries to choose a normal life for him for years, but the situation is beyond her control. Percy's destiny is wrapped up in the fact that he is half-human and half-god. When he tells us that being a half-blood is dangerous, he is talking from the perspective of someone who has just returned from a quest. We're getting his perspective on the quest after he's completed it and is able to reflect on it.
Quote #2
I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years. (6.94)
Percy's self-esteem is mighty low in the beginning of his story. He has no friends beyond Grover, he never gets to stick around, he can't "get" school and what he learns there, and he's always getting into huge trouble. He's an outsider, a loner. But his mom sees through the "normal" measures of intelligence and personality that claim Percy is troubled and stupid.
Quote #3
"Because I'm not normal," I said.
"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe." (3.109-110)
Sometimes it's easy to forget that Percy is just a kid. Grown-ups like Sally and Chiron are able to help him see what he doesn't know, to see past the rules and standards of the mortal world where being "normal" is a really good thing. What does being "normal" mean anyway?