WARNING! This article includes major spoilers for Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief book and Percy Jackson season 1, episode 8!

Summary

• The identity of the thief who stole Zeus' Master Bolt is a shocking twist in Percy Jackson's journey, with the mystery still being important to the show's conflicts.
• The Master Bolt is first seen in Percy Jackson episode 7, as Ares put the bolt in Percy's backpack.
• Luke Castellan, introduced as the claimed son of Hermes, is revealed as the person who stole the Master Bolt in the book, and his motivations stem from his resentment towards the gods and influences from Kronos.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ TV show ultimately stays faithful to the book regarding the shocking twist of who stole Zeus’ Master Bolt, proving various characters' theories wrong. Though book readers or those who have seen the 2010 Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief movie already know the thief’s identity, the mystery behind who stole the powerful lightning bolt is still extremely important to Percy’s journey. The quest itself and Percy's lessons are more important than who stole it, though the thief’s reasons, motivations, and deceits will continue to play a significant part in the show's future.

The Master Bolt is finally seen in episode 7 as one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2.

Luke Castellan Stole Zeus' Master Bolt In The TV Show & Book

In Rick Riordan’s 2005 book, Luke Castellan is revealed as the titular lightning thief. Introduced as the claimed son of Hermes, Luke’s role in the show before the season 1 finale was largely confined to helping Percy feel acclimated at Camp Half-Blood, explaining campers’ goals for glory, relaying backstories about himself, Annabeth, and Thalia. While Luke had a relatively less of a prominent role in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 than he did in the book, his identity as the person who stole the Master Bolt is no less shocking.

At the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief book, Luke reveals to Percy that he stole the Master Bolt. He then traps Percy with a deadly scorpion, confirming that Luke is the “friend” who would betray Percy in his prophecy. Before fleeing Camp Half-Blood, Luke explains how he accomplished the theft: on a winter solstice field trip to Olympus, he snuck into the throne room, stole Zeus’ Master Bolt from his chair as well as Hades’ Helm of Darkness, and left without being caught or found suspicious.

The book’s version of the lightning thief’s identity is a huge twist for Percy, and the Disney+ TV show largely follows suit. After returning to Camp Half-Blood in the season 1 finale, Percy realizes that Luke was the one who stole the bolt, and that he was doing so at Kronos' bidding. Luke tries to recruit Percy to Kronos' cause, but Poseidon's son rejects him, leading the demigods to swordfight before Luke goes through a portal and flees camp.

Why Luke Stole The Bolt In The Book (& Ares' Involvement Explained)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1’s Greek god criticisms greatly explored the underlying motivation for Luke stealing Zeus’ Master Bolt. In both the show and book, Luke explains that stealing the bolt was partially due to his resentment towards the gods and Hermes, in particular, for abandoning him and other demigod children. This distaste for the Greek gods caught the attention of his ancestor Kronos, who began to influence Luke and play on his resentments through his dreams. Kronos also spoke to Percy in his dreams, but Poseidon’s son rejected Kronos’ manipulations, whereas Luke’s anger was already deep-seated.

Percy Jackson’s first book explained that Kronos had influenced Luke to steal the bolt and frame Percy in order to incite another war. This largely began after he failed his quest from Hermes, which culminated in Luke receiving a faical scar from a dragon. Kronos convinced Luke that his talents were being “wasted” by Percy Jackson’s Greek gods, giving him the villainous quest to steal the Master Bolt and Helm of Darkness instead. Ares then became involved when he intercepted Luke, with Kronos using Ares' dreams to convince him to hide the items and begin the war between the gods.

Why Grover Thought Clarisse Stole The Master Bolt In Percy Jackson Episode 6

At the very end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 5, Grover reveals that he knows who stole the Master Bolt. In the following episode, Grover explains that the thief is Clarisse, Ares' daughter, as he sensed the God of War's involvement and figured he would want to protect his favorite daughter. Consequently, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth go through their journey to the Underworld and return to Camp Half-Blood in the season 1 finale believing that Clarisse stole the items. Of course, Percy's conversation with Luke would soon prove their theory wrong.

All eight episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 are available to stream on Disney+.

Thankfully, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover didn't publicly accuse Clarisse of being the thief before Luke revealed himself as the one who stole the Master Bolt. Clarisse had no involvement in the theft at all, but her role as the bully at camp made her seem like a more likely suspect to the show's main trio. However, the characters will get to know the real Clarisse much better in Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2, which sees Ares' demigod daughter embark on a dangerous quest while the trio also deals with Luke and Kronos' dark plans.