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Luke serves as the antagonist of the story. Because Luke’s quest is a repeat of the quest given to Hercules, he is very disillusioned. Luke obtains Percy’s trust by pretending to believe in Percy’s potential as he trains him in sword-fighting.
Though Luke becomes a caring mentor to Percy during Percy’s time at camp and even gives Percy a seemingly useful parting gift of winged tennis shoes, Percy later discovers that Luke is a double agent.
On the very last day of camp, Luke lures Percy into the woods and nearly kills Percy with a lethal scorpion. He confesses to Percy that he was the original thief of both the master bolt and of the helm of darkness. He tells Percy that he is helping Kronos overthrow the Olympians.
The things that Luke tells Percy suggest that while he may be older and more experienced, he’s missing important information—Annabeth has said that gods can’t steal one another’s items, so Hades couldn’t have stolen the bolt.
Luke races up the hill to give Percy a pair of tennis shoes, which he says were a gift from Hermes. When he says “maia,” they sprout wings. Percy is touched—he thought Luke might resent him for getting so much attention. Luke hugs everyone and leaves, and Percy teases Annabeth for blushing.
The prophecy that Percy receives foreshadows the rising action and climax of the book. After he is claimed as Poseidon’s son, he is accused of stealing Zeus’s master bolt and he must return the bolt to Zeus to prevent a catastrophic war. The prophecy provides direction through exposition.
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How does Luke get Percy's Trust?
Percy and Annabeth return to their cabins where Percy chats with Luke. Luke tells Percy that although Annabeth desperately wants to go on a quest, she is unable to until somebody special arrives. Percy does not understand what Luke means but drops the conversation.
