Cerberus

Cerberus
is a three headed dog who protects the underworld and guards the gates of Hades. He has three heads of wild dogs, a dragon or serpent for a tail, and a mane of snakes all over his head like Medusa. It prevents those who have crossed the river Styx from ever escaping the underworld and the living from entering the land of the dead. Cerberus is one of Echnida's children and is said to be so scary and fierce that even the gods fear him.



Connection to Lightning Thief:
When Percy, Annabeth and Grover enter the Underworld, their first monster is Cerberus. The three try different ways to get around Cerberus, for example, Percy tries to throw a stick, as in fetch. Soon after, Annabeth gets a red ball and throws Cerberus the ball and successfully distracts the hell hound. This shows that even this flesh-eating monster hound is still a puppy inside. Cerberus later on doesn't even want them to leave because he likes his new "fetch buddies" so much.

Bibliography:
 "Cerberus". Theoi Greek Mythology: Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art. 19 Sept. 2010. .

"Cerberus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 19 Sept. 2010. .  "Dictionary - The Beazley Archive." The Beazley Archive - The University of Oxford. 19 Sept. 2010. .(IMAGE)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Hyperion Books, 2006

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Rouse, WHD. Gods, Heroes, and Men of Ancient Greece. New York: New American Library, 2001.