Percy Jackson has had a difficult life. He has been diagnosed with attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia, and he has been expelled from several schools—once for firing a cannon during a field trip. Percy and his best friend, Grover, are on their way to another field trip when Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief begins. When Percy gets into trouble on the trip, his teacher, Mrs. Dodds, takes him aside. When they are alone, Mrs. Dodds turns into a gigantic, leathery creature and attacks him. Percy’s wheelchair-bound Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner, tosses a pen to him. In Percy’s hands, the pen turns into a sword, and he defeats his monstrous teacher. However, when Percy returns to class, no one else claims to have any memory of Mrs. Dodds; their teacher is Mrs. Kerr, whom Percy now meets. Percy is expelled from this school. As he leaves, Mr. Brunner claims that it will be for the best.