But Annabeth Just Smiled And Put Us In Jail. As She Was Heading Back To The Front Line, She Turned And Winked. "see You At The Fireworks?" She Didn't Even Wait For My Answer Before Darting Off Into The Woods. I Looked At Beckendorf. "did She Just...ask Me Out?" He Shrugged, Completely Disgusted. "who Knows With Girls? Give Me A Haywire Dragon, Any Day." So We Sat Together And Waited While The Girls Won The Game.

-Rick Riordan

Please Wait....
Translating....

But Annabeth Just Smiled

Rick Riordan

Topic

Girl

Jail

Dragons

More From Rick Riordan

She Said This In The Same Way You Might Say Fields Of Punishment Or Hades's Gym Shorts.

Funny

Punishment

Might

It's Not Bad Enough I Am Exiled? It's Not Bad Enough You Take Away The Few Good Heroes I'm Allowed To Meet? You Think It's Funny To Send Me This This ― This Charbroiled Runt Of A Boy To Ruin My Tranquility? This Is Not Funny! Take Him Back!

Hero

Boys

Thinking

It Isn’t Easy Being A Brilliant Inventor, Always Alone. Always Misunderstood. Easy To Turn Bitter, Make Horrible Mistakes. People Are More Difficult To Work With Than Machines. And When You Break A Person, He Can’t Be Fixed. -hephaestus

Mistake

People

Misunderstood

We Had Enough Quite Enough Snobbery In This World Without Exporting It To The Hereafter.

World

Had Enough

Exporting

But Remember, Boy, That A Kind Act Can Sometimes Be As Powerful As A Sword. As A Mortal, I Was Never A Great Fighter Or Athlete Or Poet. I Only Made Wine. The People In My Village Laughed At Me. They Said I Would Never Amount To Anything. Look At Me Now. Sometimes Small Things Can Become Very Large Indeed.

Powerful

Wine

Athlete

Good Fighting With You, Seaweed Brain." Ditto.

Fighting

Brain

Annabeth

There's No Point In Defending Camp If You Guys Die. All Our Friends Are Here.

Guy

Camps

Dies

I Can Try To Disable It," I Said, "but If I Mess Up, This Whole Apartment Is Going To Fill With Gas. We'll Die." Thalia Swallowed. " I Trust You. Just... Don't Mess It Up.

Trying

I Trust You

Said

Which Meant His Only Assets Were One Whiny Imprisoned Goddess, One Sort-of-girlfriend With A Dagger, And Leo, Who Apparently Thought He Could Defeat The Armies Of Darkness With Breath Mints.

Girlfriend

Army

Darkness

You Wrote This Right?” He Said. “it Tells How To Defeat Set.” Thoth Unfolded The Papyrus Pages. “oh, Dear. I Hate Reading My Old Work. Look At This Sentence. I’d Never Write It That Way Now.” He Patted His Lab Coat Pockets. “red Pen—does Anyone Have One?” Isis Chafed Against My Willpower, Insisting That We Blast Some Sense Into Thoth. One Fireball, She Pleaded. Just One Enormous Magical Fireball? I Couldn’t Say I Was Tempted, But I Kept Her Under Control. “since When Does Drool Make You Powerful?

Powerful

Hate

Reading

I Stared At Her. Maybe I Wasn't The Brightest Guy In The World When It Came To Girls, But I Was Pretty Sure Rachel Had Just Dumped Me, Which Was Lame Considering We'd Never Even Been Together.

Girl

Guy

Together

Dude! Said A Party Pony As He Unloaded His Gear. Did You See That Bear Guy? He Was All Like: 'whoa, I Have An Arrow In My Mouth!

Party

Arrows

Guy

Destroy It?' Leo Was Appalled. 'you've Got A Life-size Bronze Dragon, And You Want To Destroy It?' 'it Breathes Fire,' Nyssa Explained. 'it's Deadly And Out Of Control.' 'but It's A Dragon!

Fire

Dragons

Want

We Stepped Back And Looked At The King Of The Gods, Slumped In His Chair Snoring, And Cradling His Crook Like A Teddy Bear. I Placed The War Flail Across His Lap, Hoping It Might Make A Difference—maybe Complete His Powers Or Something. No Such Luck. "sick Weasels," Ra Muttered. "behold," Sadie Said Bitterly. "the Glorious Ra.

Kings

War

Differences

What? You Run? Coward! Stand Still And Die!” Percy Had No Intention Of Doing That.

Running

Coward

Intention

That Perseus Always Won. That's Why My Momhad Named Me After Him, Even If He Was Son Of Zeus Ann I Was Son Of Posidon. The Original Perseus Was One Of The Only Heros In The Greek Myths Who Got A Happy Ending. The Others Died-betrayed, Mauled, Mutilated, Poisoned, Or Cursed By The Gods. My Mom Hoped I Would Inherit Perseus's Luck. Judging By How My Life Was Going So Far, I Wasn't Too Optimistic.

Mom

Hero

Optimistic

After The Satyrs Filed In To Dinner, The Hermes Cabin Brought Up The Rear. They Were Always The Biggest Cabin. Last Summer It Had Been Led By Luke, The Guy Who Fought With Thalia And Annabeth On Top Of Half-blood Hill. For A While, Before Poseidon Had Claimed Me, I'd Lodged In The Hermes Cabin. Luke Had Befriended Me...and Then He'd Tried To Kill Me.

Summer

Blood

Guy

Some Risks Are Worth Taking, Even If It Means Losing A Life.

Mean

Risk

Losing

We Were Absolutely Destined To Meet Your Hot Sister

Hot

Destined

Leo Valdez

Aphrodite,” [annabeth] Said. “venus?” Hazel Asked In Amazement. “mom,” Piper Said With No Enthusiasm. “girls!” The Goddess Spread Her Arms Like She Wanted A Group Hug. The Three Demigods Did Not Oblige. Hazel Backed Into A Palmetto Tree.

Girl

Mom

Tree

Humans Don't Exist On The Same Level As Immortals. They Can't Even Be Hurt By Our Weapons. But You,percy - You Are Part God,part Human.you Live In Both Worlds.you Can Be Harmed By Both,and You Can Affect Both. That's What Makes Heroes So Special.

Hurt

Hero

Special

Warning: The Following Is A Transcript Of A Digital Recording. In Certain Places, The Audio Quality Was Poor, So Some Words And Phrases Represent The Author's Best Guesses. Where Possible, Illustrations Of Important Symbols Mentioned In The Recording Have Been Added. Background Noises Such As Scuffling, Hitting, And Cursing By The Two Speakers Have Not Been Transcribed The Author Makes No Claims For The Authenticity Of The Recording. It Seems Impossible That The Two Young Narrators Are Telling The Truth, But You, The Reader, Must Decide For Yourself.

Illustration

Background Noise

Two

You’re Probably Thinking: Wait, You Just Charged In Without A Plan? But Annabeth And I Had Been Fighting Together For Years. We Knew Each Other’s Abilities. We Could Anticipate Each Other’s Moves. I Might Have Felt Awkward And Nervous About Being Her Boyfriend, But Fighting With Her? That Came Naturally. Hmm…that Sounded Wrong. Oh, Well.

Moving

Fighting

Thinking

I May Be Biased, But I Think Jackals Are Cute And Cuddly, Even If They Were Known For Digging Up Graves In Ancient Egypt.

Cute

Thinking

Egypt

"boys," Annabeth Interrupted, "i'm Sure You Both Would've Been Wonderful At Killing Each Other. But Right Now You Need Some Rest."

Boys

Needs

Annabeth

Hey, Ugly!" Annabeth Yelled. I Hoped She Was Talking To The Giant, Not Me.

Talking

Giants

Annabeth

You, Sir, Are A Ray Of Sunshine. -percy Jackson

Sunshine

Rays

Ray Of Sunshine

After My Bad Experience As A Kite, I Simply Refused To Go About As A Glowing Sadie-headed Chicken. That’s Fine For Carter, But I Have Standards.

Glowing

Kites

Chickens

Until She Met The Exploding Statue, Annabeth Thought She Was Prepared For Anything.

Annabeth

Athena

Mets

But Annabeth Knew That People Saw What They Wanted To See. They Didn’t Need The Mist To Warp Their Perceptions.

People

Perception

Needs

In The Old Legends, Arachne Had Gotten Into Trouble Because Of Pride. She’d Bragged About Her Tapestries Being Better Than Athena’s, Which Had Led To Mount Olympus’s First Reality Tv Punishment Program: 'so You Think You Can Weave Better Than A Goddess?' Arachne Had Lost In A Big Way.

Pride

Reality

Thinking

On A Basketball Court, Five Players Were In The Middle Of An Intense Game. They Wore Assortment Of Jerseys From Different American Teams, And They All Seemed Keen To Win—grunting And Snarling At Each Other, Stealing The Ball And Pushing. Oh…and The Players Were All Baboons.

Basketball

Team

Winning

Look, I Didn't Want To Be A Half-blood.

Blood

Looks

Half

Happy The Dragon Was Not So Happy.

Dragons

Sometimes It Is Better To Have Someone You Mistrust Close To You, So That You Can Keep An Eye On Him - Chiron

Eye

Sometimes

Mistrust

Leo: "so...giants Who Can Throw Mountains. Friendly Wolves That Will Eat Us If We Show Weakness. Evil Espresso Drinks. Gotcha. Maybe This Isn't The Best Time To Bring Up My Psycho Babysitter." Piper: "is That Another Joke?

Espresso

Evil

Friendly

I've Never Been A Collector - Just A Consumer - And These Days Unless A Book Is Signed To Me By Another Author, I Don't Normally Have Any Qualms About Passing It To A Friend Or Donating It To The Library.

Book

Qualms About

Library

Annabeth Sat Up And Glared At Her Ankle. "you Had To Break," She Scolded It. The Ankle Did Not Reply.

Annabeth

Ankles

Break

I Think The More You Understand Myths, The More You Understand The Roots Of Our Culture And The More Things Will Resonate. Do You Have To Know Them? No, But Certainly It Is Nice To Recognise How Deeply These Things Are Embedded In Our Literature, Our Art.

Art

Nice

Thinking

[jason] Faltered When He Looked At Leo, Who Was Mimicking Taking Notes With An Air Pencil. “go On, Professor Grace!” He Said, Wide-eyed. “i Wanna Get An A On The Test.

Air

Grace

Jason

Heroes!" Euryale Said With Disgust. "they Always Bring That Up, Just Like Our Mother! 'why Can't You Turn People To Stone? Your Sister Can Turn People To Stone.' Well, I'm Sorry To Disappoint You, Boy! That Was Medusa's Curse Alone. She Was The Most Hideous One In The Family. She Got All The Luck!" Stheno Looked Hurt. "mother Said I Was The Most Hideous.

Mother

Hurt

Sorry

Well," Said Apollo With A Brave Smile. "you Were Right, My Dear. You Had Everything Under Control! Let's Go See If We Boiled Anyone Important, Shall We?

Brave

Important

Apollo

Boys Are Usually Forbidden To Have Any Contact With The Hunters. The Last One To See This Camp..." She Looked At Zoe. "which One Was It?" That Boy In Colorado," Zoe Said. "you Turned Him Into A Jackalope." Ah, Yes." Artemis Nodded, Satisfied. "i Enjoy Making Jackalopes.

Boys

Hunters

Colorado

You Dropped This," He Said, Totally Poker-faced.

Annabeth

Said

Team Leo!~ Leo Valdez

Team

Leo Valdez

Back When I Was On My First Assignment As A Seeker, I Was Way Out In Arizona. Brought In This Kid Named Clarisse.” “clarisse?” “sibling Of Yours,” Hedge Said. “ares Kid. Violent. Rude. Lots Of Potential.

Sibling

Kids

Rude

How Old Is She Now?" He Asked. "hard To Say. She Was A Tree For A While. Now She's Immortal.

Tree

Immortal

Hard

Percy Looked At Coach Hedge And Frank. “a Trap?” “probably,” Frank Said. “she’s Not Mortal,” Hedge Said, Sniffing The Air. “probably Some Kind Of Goat-eating, Demigod-destroying Fiend From Tartarus.” “no Doubt,” Percy Agreed. “awesome.” Hedge Grinned. “let’s Go.

Air

Doubt

Goats

Once I Saw Desjardins’ House, I Hated Him Even More. It Was A Huge Mansion On The Other Side Of The Tuileries, On The Rue Des Pyramids. “pyramids Road?” Sadie Said. “obvious, Much?” “maybe He Couldn’t Find A Place On Stupid Evil Magician Street,” I Suggested.

Stupid

Pyramids

Evil

Doughboy, We Need To Talk.” Doughboy Opened His Wax Eyes. “finally! You Realize How Stuffy It Is In There? At Last You’ve Remembered That You Need My Brilliant Guidance.” “actually We Need To Become A Coat.

Eye

Needs

Coats

He Had A Crush On A Blueberry Bush Once.

Crush

Blueberries

He Told Me He Wouldn't Hurt... Charlie. He Lied To Me.

Hurt

Lied

Charlie

The Set Animal’s Jaws Were Pried Open So Fast That It Yelped And Let Go Of My Arm. I Stood, Now Encased In A Magical Barrier Twice My Normal Size, And Kicked Leroy Into A Wall. Good! Said Horus. Now Dispatch The Beast To The Netherworld! Quiet Man. I’m Doing All The Work.

Letting Go

Wall

Animal

Rowww!” Bast Wailed. The Wrecking Ball Rolled Straight Over Her, But She Didn’t Appear Hurt. She Leaped Off And Pounced Aain. Her Knives Sliced Through The Metal Like Wet Clay. Within Seconds, The Wrecking Ball Was Reduced To A Mound Of Scraps. Bast Sheathed Her Blades. “safe Now.” “you Saved Us From A Metal Ball,” Sadie Said. “you Never Know,” Bast Said. “it Could’ve Been Hostile.

Hurt

Knives

Clay

Sadie Kane Here. If You're Listening To This, Congratulations, You Survived Doomsday.

Congratulations

Listening

Sadie

Who Are You?" Ethan Nakamura. I Have To Kill You." ??

Life Is Only Precious Because It Ends, Kid. Take It From A God. You Mortals Don't Know How Lucky You Are

Kids

Lucky

Life Is

Jason Muttered "and I Saw Something...really Terrible." "that Was Hera," Thalia Grumbled, "her Majesty, The Loose Cannon." "that's It, Thalia Grace," Said The Goddess. "i Will Turn You Into And Aardvark, So Help Me-" "stop It, You Two," Piper Said. Amazingly, They Both Shut Up.

Two

Grace

Jason

Some Pain Shouldn’t Be Wished Away So Easily. It Has To Be Dealt With, Even Embraced.

Pain

Good Job On Percy Jackson I Read All Of Them 8 Times And Have Listened 42 Times And Still Not Bored Thanks.

Jobs

Bored

Thanks

We Tend To Think Of Divorced Or Complicated Families As A Modern Invention, And That Is Not At All True. You Only Have To Read The Greek Myths To See Broken Homes, Widows, Divorce, Stepchildren, Children Trying To Get Along With New Parents.

Children

Divorce

Home

Hazel!” He Yelled. “that Box! Open It!” She Hesitated, Then Saw The Box He Meant. Te Label Read Warning. Do Not Open. “open It!” Leo Yelled Again.

Labels

Warning

Saws

[carter Just Asked When I Became A Ram Whisperer. Do Shut Up, Carter]

Rams

Shut Up

Carter

Percy Is The Most Powerful Demigod I've Ever Met. No Offense To You Guys But It's True.

Powerful

Guy

Demigods

We Ran, Plowing Through Another Pile Of Peppers. [no, I Didn't Pick A Peck Of Them, Sadie - Just Shut Up.]

Plowing

Peppers

Shut Up

About The Prophecy That Rachel Did At The End Of "the Last Olympian," Percy Jackson Will Participate This Prophecy, Along With Annabeth? Sorry For Spelling Errors

Sorry

Errors

Annabeth

Mark My Words, Nothing Smells Worse Than Burned Scorpion.

Smell

Scorpions

Mark

Never Bet Against A Cat.

Cat

I Need To Talk To Clarisse," Annabeth Said. I Stared At Her As If She'd Just Said "i Need To Eat A Large, Smelly Boot." "what For?

Needs

Annabeth

Boots

Ah... Much Better" He Said. "backbiter, Luke Called It. An Appropriate Name. Now That It Is Reforged Comeplately, It Shall Indeed Bite Back

Names

Said

Bites

Normally, As Long As I'm Telling Him What To Do, He Wins In A Fight.

Fighting

Winning

Long

If Annabeth's Mother Was Athena, The Goddess Of Wisdom, Then Why Didn't Annabeth Know Better Than To Fall Off A Cliff?

Mother

Fall

Cliffs

Many Of The Best Traps Are Simple. You Just Have To Think About It, And Hope Your Victim Doesn't.

Simple

Thinking

Victim

And Please God, Grant Me The Wisdom To Remember That I Am Writing For Children, Not Golden Stickers.

Children

Writing

Golden

Hey! Guy With Scary Eyes?" Madison Called Out. "you Know What A Moose Does When Someone Insults Her Family?" Ivan Raised His Eyebrows. "she Does This." Madison Crouched Down And Charged Ivan. Her Head Hit Him In The Stomach.

Eye

Guy

Scary

I'd Come To Respect The Bag.

Bags

Being Turned Into A Lizard Can Really Mess Up Your Day.

Lizards

Mess

He Was The Class Clown, The Court Jester, Because He'd Learn Early That If You Cracked Jokes And Pretended You Weren't Scared, You Usually Didn't Get Beat Up. Even The Baddest Gangster Kids Would Tolerate You, Keep You Around For Laughs. Plus, Humor Was A Good Way To Hide The Pain

Pain

Kids

Class

Annabeth Thalia And I Hadn't Seen Each Other In Months But Between The Blizzard And The Thought Of What We Were About To Do We Were Too Nervous To Talk Much. Except For My Mom. She Talks More When She's Nervous. By The Time We Finally Got To Westover Hall It Was Getting Dark And She'd Told Annabeth And Thalia Every Embarrassing Baby Story There Was To Tell About Me.

Mom

Baby

Dark

Percy!” He Bellowed. He Dropped His Broom And Ran At Me. If You’ve Never Been Charged By An Enthusiastic Cyclops Wearing A Flowered Apron And Rubber Cleaning Gloves, I’m Telling You, It’ll Wake You Up Quick.

Wakes You

Gloves

Rubber

And It Was Pretty Much The Best Underwater Kiss Of All Time.

Kissing

Underwater

Poseidon

So...your Name Means Mr.underwear." -frank

Mean

Names

Underwear

A Surgeon Would Never Hesitate To Amputate A Rotting Hand, No Matter How Faithfully It Had Served Its Owner In The Past.

Past

Hands

Rotting

Frank Held Up The Chinese Handcuffs. “keep It Simple.

Simple

Chinese

Handcuffs

Percy," My Mom Said. "i Give You My Blessing." "be Safe Brother!" Tyson Pleaded. "enchiladas!" Grover Said. I Wasn't Sure Where That Came From, But It Didn't Seem To Help Much.

Mom

Brother

Blessing

Great. I've Made A Friend.

Made

I Past Another Telkhine, Who Was So Startled He Dropped His Lil' Demons Lunch Box. I Left Him Alive - Partly Because He Had A Cool Lunch Box.

Past

Lunch

Alive

I Started To Walk Away, But She [clarisse] Called Out, "percy?" "yeah?" "when You, Uh, Had That Vision About Your Friends..." "you Were One Of Them," I Promised, "just Don't Tell Anybody, Okay? Or I'de Have To Kill You." A Faint Smile Flickered Across Her Face "see You Later." "see You

Vision

Faces

Yeah

The Truth Hit Him. Jason Wasn't Quite Roman Anymore. His Time At Camp Half-blood Had Changed Him. Reyna Had Recognized That. Apparently, So Did The Undead Legionnaires. If Jason No Longer Gave Off The Right Sort Of Vibe, Or Aura Of A Roman Leader.

Blood

Leader

Jason

The End Of The World Started When A Pegasus Landed On The Hood Of My Car

Car

Pegasus

World

Percy’d Heard Stories About Amputees Who Had Phantom Pains Where Their Missing Legs And Arms Used To Be. That’s How His Mind Felt—like His Missing Memories Were Aching.

Pain

Memories

Missing

Swords Can’t Solve Every Problem.

Problem

Solve

Mark Of Athena

Nico Di Angelo Ran Up To Me With A Big Grin On His Face. "percy, This Is Awesome!" His Blue-feathered Bronze Helmet Was Falling In His Eyes, And His Breastplate Was About Six Sizes Too Big. I Wondered If There Was Any Way I'd Looked That Ridiculous When I'd First Arrived.

Fall

Eye

Blue

Ut Cum Spiritu Postrema Sacramentum Dejuremus," He Chanted. "et Hostes Ornamenta Addent Ad Ianuam Necem." "you Just...finished The Prophesy,"rachael Stammered. "-an Oath To Keep With A Final Breath/and Foes Bear Arms To The Doors Of Death. How Did You-" "i Know Those Lines." Jason Winced And Put His Hands To His Temples. "i Don't Know How, But I Know That Prophecy." "in Latin, No Less," Drew Called Out. "handsome And Smart.

Latin

Smart

Doors

Percy: The Heka-what? Annabeth: The Hundred-handed Ones. They Called Them That Because... Well, They Had A Hundred Hands. They Were The Elder Brothers Of The Cyclopes. Tyson: Very Powerful. Wonderful! As Tall As The Sky. So Strong They Can Break Mountains! Percy: Cool. Unless You're A Mountain.

Strong

Brother

Powerful

But Not Like This: Not With The House Just An Afterimage, And My Mom A Spirit, And My Dad...recycled." "carter Kane, Chapter 41

Mom

Dad

House

The Forge Looked Like A Steam-powered Locomotive Had Smashed Into The Greek Parthenon And They Had Fused Together.

Greek

Together

Steam

Have You Ever Noticed How Parents Can Go From The Most Wonderful People In The World To Totally Embarrassing In Three Seconds?

Relationship

People

Parent

Now Fight Me! For Today Thee House Of Hades Will Be Called The Saviors Of Olympus.

Fighting

House

Olympus

Surfing?” He Asked. She Laughed, And The Sound Sent A Shock Wave Through The Water. The Wailing Faded To Background Noise. Annabeth Wondered If Anyone Had Ever Laughed In Tartarus Before—just A Pure, Simple Laugh Of Pleasure. She Doubted It.

Simple

Background Noise

Water

Ceres Wanted A United Front In The Plant War." "the Plant War," Percy Said. "you're Going To Arm All The Little Grapes With Tiny Assault Rifles?

War

Rifles

United Front

Mythologically Speaking, If There's Anything I Hate Worse Than Trios Of Old Ladies, It's Bulls. Last Summer, I Fought The Minotaur On Top Of Half-blood Hill. This Time What I Saw Up There Was Even Worse: Two Bulls. And Not Just Regular Bulls - Bronze Ones The Size Of Elephants. And Even That Wasn't Bad Enough. Naturally They Had To Breathe Fire, Too.

Summer

Hate

Fire

I Thought About All The Things I Was Suddenly Able To Do—like Fight With A Sword And Summon A Magical Shell Of Armor. Those Were Not Things I Covered In Home School.

Home

School

Fighting

As Long As We`re Together

Long

Together

[piper] Rushed To Get Dressed. By The Time She Got Up On Deck, The Others Had Already Gathered—all Hastily Dressed Except For Coach Hedge, Who Had Pulled The Night Watch. Frank’s Vancouver Winter Olympics Shirt Was Inside Out. Percy Wore Pajama Pants And A Bronze Breastplate, Which Was An Interesting Fashion Statement. Hazel’s Hair Was All Blown To One Side As Though She’d Walked Through A Cyclone; And Leo Had Accidentally Set Himself On Fire. His T-shirt Was In Charred Tatters. His Arms Were Smoking.

Fashion

Winter

Night

Hello George. Hey Martha (percy) Did You Bring Us A Rat? (george) George, Stop It!he's Busy! (martha) Too Busy For Rats? That's Just Sad. (george)

Hey

Rats

Hello

I Will Not Have A Sea Creature Destroyed, If I Can Help It. And I Can Help It.

Sea

Helping

Creatures

I Keep Forgetting About Your Amnesia. Heh. Forgetting About Amnesia. That's Funny.

Forget

Amnesia

Yeah." He Took One Last Look At The Cityscape Of Rome, Turning Bloodred In The Sunset. "festus, Raise The Sails. We've Got Some Friends To Save.

Sunset

Rome

Looks

Curse Hermes And His Multi-vitamins!

Vitamins

Hermes

Curse

The Princess Andromeda?" "went Ka-boom.

Princess

Andromeda

I Wasn't Sure Whether I Was Supposed To Kneel Or Buy Stamps From Him Or What.

Stamps

I Have Strong Feelings For You, I Just Haven't Decided If Their Positive Or Negitive Yet.a

Strong

Feelings

Havens

Humor Was A Good Way To Hide The Pain.

Pain

Way

Court Jester

"you Are Okay?" He Asked. "not Eaten By Monsters?" "not Even A Little Bit." I Showed Him That I Still Had Both Arms And Both Legs, And Tyson Clapped Happily. "yay!" He Said. "now We Can Eat Peanut Butter Sandwiches And Ride Fish Ponies! We Can Fight Monsters And See Annabeth And Make Things Go Boom!" I Hoped He Didn't Mean All At The Same Time, But I Told Him Absolutely, We'd Have A Lot Of Fun This Summer.

Summer

Fun

Mean

Even Strength Must Bow To Wisdom Sometimes.

Inspirational

Wisdom

Understanding

Terminus Sniffed. “i Guard Borders. I Don’t Kill Giants. It’s Not In My Job Description.

Jobs

Giants

Borders

Now, You'll Have To Answer My Questions." "oh, Very Well," Set Said. "i Like Brazil For The World Cup. I'd Advise Investing In Platinum And Small-cap Funds. And Your Lucky Numbers This Week Are 2, 13--" "not Those Questions!" Menshikov Snapped.

Numbers

Lucky

Investing

Imagine Jumping Into A Pit Of Boiling Acid. Now Multiply That Pain Times Fifty." -percy

Pain

Jumping

Pits

I'm A Teacher Still, But With A Much Larger Classroom.

Teacher

Attitude

Teaching

Annabeth: Hey, Seaweed Brain. Percy: Will You Stop Calling Me That? Annabeth: You Know You Love It.

Brain

Annabeth

Hey

He Had No Idea Where The Stereotype Of Dumb Giggly Blondes Came From. Ever Since He'd Met Annabeth At The Grand Canyon Last Winter,when She'd Marched Toward Him With That Give Me Percy Jackson Or I’ll Kill You Expression, Leo Had Thought Of Blondes As Much Too Smart And Much Too Dangerous.

Smart

Winter

Expression

Schist," Said An Angry Voice From The Grass. Hazel Raised Her Eyebrows. "excuse Me?" "schist! Big Pile Of Schist!

Eyebrows

Voice

Excuse

I Guess We're Even,sadie.first,walt And I Rushed Off To Save You In London.then,you And Walt Rushed Off To Save Me.the Only One Who Got Shafted On Both Deals Was Walt.poor Guy Gets Hauled All Over The World Pulling Us Out Of Trouble

Guy

World

London

You'd Think Getting Chopped Into A Million Pieces And Cast Into The Darkest Part Of The Underworld Would Give Him A Subtle Clue That Nobody Wanted Him Around.

Thinking

Giving

Pieces

That’s Narmer With The Spoon,” I Guessed. “angry Because The Other Bloke Stole His Breakfast Cereal?

Cereal

Spoons

Breakfast

Khufu Carefully Picked Out Everything That Ended With-o—doritos, Oreos, And Some Chunks Of Meat. Buffalo? Armadillo? I Was Scared To Even Ask.

Khufu

Meat

Oreos

Percy Glanced Over. He Saw The Fallen Giant And Seemed To Understand What Was Happening. He Yelled Something That Was Lost In The Wind, Probably: Go! Then He Slammed Riptide Into The Ice At His Feet. The Entire Glacier Shuddered. Ghosts Fell To Their Knees. Behind Percy, A Wave Surged Up From The Bay-a Wall Of Gray Water Even Taller Than The Glacier. Water Shot From The Chasms And Crevices In The Ice. As The Wave Hit, The Back Half Of The Camp Crumbled. The Entire Edge Of The Glacier Peeled Away, Cascading Into The Void-carrying Buildings, Ghosts, And Percy Jackson Over The Edge.

That Sounded About As Likely As Apophis And Ra Becoming Facebook Buddies, But I Decided Not To Say Anything.

Say Anything

Becoming

Decided

Okay," I Said. "just A Normal Afternoon And Two Normal People." She Nodded. "and So...hypothetically, If These To People Likes Each Other, What Would It Take To Get The Stupid Guy To Kiss The Girl, Huh?" "oh..." I Felt Like One Of Apollo's Sacred Cows-slow, Dumb, And Bright Red. "um.

Girl

Stupid

Kissing

Annabeth Frowned. "that Doesn't Make Sense. But Why Were You Visiting --" Her Eyes Widened. "hermes Said You Bear The Curse Of Achilles. Hestia Said The Same Thing. Did You . . . Did You Bathe In The River Styx?" "don't Change The Subject." "percy! Did You Or Not?" "um . . .maybe A Little.

Eye

Rivers

Bears

Leo: Rainbows. Very Macho. Annabeth: Butch Is Our Best Equestrian, He Gets Along Great With The Pegasi. Leo: Rainbows, Ponies... Butch: I'm Gonna Toss You Off This Chariot.

Rainbow

Ponies

Annabeth

I’ll Distract Them,” Carter Said. “you Search. The Trophy Room Is Through There.” “carter!” But The Fool Ran Off To Protect Me. I Hate When He Does That.

Hate

Doe

Rooms

If I Couldn't Trust Her, I Couldn't Trust Anyone.

Ifs

Percabeth

Don't Decide Yet," Hephaestus Advised. "wait Until Daybreak. Daybreak Is A Good Time For Decisions.

Decision

Waiting

Good Times

The Feast Of Fortuna Had Nothing To Do With Tuna, Which Was Fine With Percy.

Tuna

Fine

Fortuna

The World Will Fall, The Gods Will Die, And I Will Never Achieve A Perfect Score On This Stupid Machine. -dionysus

Stupid

Fall

Perfect

Cacus.” I’d Had Years Of Practice Looking Dumb When People Threw Out Greek Names I Didn’t Know. It’s A Skill Of Mine. Annabeth Keeps Telling Me To Read A Book Of Greek Myths, But I Don’t See The Need. It’s Easier Just To Have Folks Explain Stuff.

Book

Years

Practice

He Scowled At Jason. "and Please, I Don't Like Being Touched. Don't Ever Grab Me Again.

Jason

Hades

Please

Hazel Screamed At The Top Of Her Lungs, But It Was A Scream Of Delight. For The First Time In Her Life-in Her Two Lives-she Felt Absolutely Unstoppable.

Two

Firsts

Delight

Ella Is Nervous,” The Harpy Muttered From Her Perch On The Railing. “the Elephant. The Elephant Is Watching Ella.

Elephants

Nervous

Harpies

I'd Love To Tell You I Had Some Deep Revelation On My Way Down, That I Came To Terms With My Own Mortality, Laughed In The Face Of Death, Et Cetera. The Truth? My Only Thought Was: Aaaaggghhhhh!

Way

Faces

Revelations

[my Mom's] Funny That Way, Celebrating Special Occasions With Blue Food. I Think It's Her Way Of Saying Anything Is Possible. Percy Can Pass Seventh Grade. Waffles Can Be Blue. Little Miracles Like That.

Mom

Thinking

Blue

I Am Committed To Writing Appropriate Books For The Middle Grades. This Means No Bad Language, No Gratuitous Or Explicit Violence, And No Sexual Content Beyond What You Might Find In A Pg-rated Movie – Expressions Of Who Likes Whom, Holding Hands, And Perhaps The Occasional Kiss. The Idea That We Should Treat Sexual Orientation Itself As An Adults-only Topic, However, Is Absurd. Non-heterosexual Children Exist. To Pretend They Do Not, To Fail To Recognize That They Have Needs For Support And Validation Like Any Child, Would Be Bad Teaching, Bad Writing, And Bad Citizenship.

Children

Book

Teaching

God Alert!" Blackjack Yelled. "it's The Wine Dude! Mr. D Sighed In Exasperation. "the Next Person, Or Horse, Who Calls Me The 'wine Dude' Will End Up In A Bottle Of Merlot!

Horse

Wine

Bottles

No, No,” Leo Said. “rainbows. Very Macho.

Rainbow

Said

Macho

Piper!” Frank Yelled. “counter Those Empousai! We Need Some Chaos.” “thought You’d Never Ask.” She Started Catcalling At The Female Demons: “your Makeup Is Smeared! Your Friend Called You Ugly! That One Is Making A Face Behind Your Back!

Makeup

Needs

Ugly

All I Heard Was The Blood Rushing Through My Ears, And The Distant Rumble And Crackle Of The Lake Of Fire. (and Khufu Scratching Himself And Grunting, But That Was Nothing New.)

Fire

Lakes

Khufu

Whathat!" Tyson Gasped. "those Are The Stables For The Pegasi," I Replied, "you Know, Winged Horses?" "whasthat!" "um... Those Are The Toilets.

Horse

Toilets

Tyson

I Try To Craft Books That Are Fun, That Are Sort Of Subversively Educational So Kids Learn But They Don't Really Feel Like They're Being Lectured To, And I Want Kids To Always Finish One Of My Books And Think, "that Was Great, Where's The Next One?"

Fun

Educational

Book

You Weren't Able To Talk Sense Into Him?" Well, We Kind Of Tried To Kill Each Other In A Duel To The Death." I See. You Tried The Diplomatic Approach.

Able

Kind

Wells

Sugar And Caffeine. My Willpower Crumbled.

Sugar

Willpower

Caffeine

Look," Percy Continued, "i Know I'm New Here. I Know You Guys Don't Like To Mention The Massacre In The Nineteen Eighties-" "he Mentioned It!" One Of The Ghosts Whimpered.

Guy

Nineteen

Looks

What About A Compromise? I’ll Kill Them First, And If It Turns Out They Were Friendly, I’ll Apologize.

Friendly

Firsts

Apologizing

We’re On The Moon,” Sadie Murmured. “el Paso, Texas,” Bast Corrected.

Moon

Texas

Sadie

Blackjack," Percy Said, "this Is Piper And Jason. They're Friends." The Horse Nickered. "uh, Maybe Later," Percy Answered. Piper Had Heard That Percy Could Speak To Horses, Being The Son Of The Horse Lord Poseidon, But She'd Never Seen It In Action. "what Does Blackjack Want?" She Asked. "donuts," Percy Said. "always Donuts.

Horse

Son

Olympus

Even His Hair Was Bigger—a Massive Globe Of Blue-black Frizz So Thick That His Lobster-claw Horns Appeared To Be Drowning As They Tried To Swim Their Way To The Surface. “is That Why They Named You Aphros?” Leo Asked As They Glided Down The Path From The Cave. “because Of The Afro?” Aphros Scowled. “what Do You Mean?” “nothing,” Leo Said Quickly.

Mean

Hair

Blue

Seriously, Who Curses You With Their Dying Breath And Says, I Hope Your Eye Twitches!

Eye

Dying

Curse

Poseidon’s Trident Was Also All Over The Place, Since Peter The Great Wanted To Stress Russia’s Sea Power. I Especially Like The Trident On Top Of An Obelisk -- What A Great Egyptian/greek Mix Up!

Stress

Sea

Russia

So Why Are We Practicing This, Anyway?" Percy Asked. "do You Guys Spend A Lot Of Time Laying Siege To Fortified Cities?

Cities

Guy

Siege

You Titans Are About As Bright As My Gym Socks.

Sock

Titans

Gym

Annabeth's Face, Her Blond Hair And Gray Eyes, The Way She Laughed, Threw Her Arms Around Him, And Gave Him A Kiss Whenever He Did Something Stupid. She Must Have Kissed Me A Lot, Percy Thought.

Stupid

Eye

Kissing

Right.” Sadie Looked Dazed. “you’ve Got A Monkey Butler. Why Not?

Why Not

Monkeys

Sadie

Sorghum Started To Answer, But Wheat Flew At Him And Knocked Him Down. The Karpoi Began To Fight, Dissolving Into Funnel Clouds Of Grain. Hazel Considered Making A Run For It. Then Wheat Re-formed, Holding Sorghum In A Headlock. "stop!" He Yelled At The Others. "mulitgrain Fighting Is Not Allowed!

Running

Fighting

Clouds

Son Of Poseidon? East Asked. I Nodded. Took A Dip In The Styx? Hudson Asked. Yep. They Made Digusted Sounds. Well That's Perfect East Said. Now How Do We Kille Him?

Son

Perfect

Sound

Not Knowing Is Half The Fun," Aphrodite Said, "exquisitely Painful Isn't It? Not Being Sure Who You Love And Who Loves You? Oh, You Kids! It's So Cute I'm Going To Cry!

Cute

Fun

Love You

A Guy In Greek Armor Drew His Sword And Charged, But Slipped In A Puddle Of Pina Colada.

Guy

Greek

Puddles

Grand Buildings Made Her Feel Better--maybe Because Being In A Place So Permanent Made Her Feel More Permanent.

Feel Better

Building

Made

I Think Anytime You're Writing To The Middle Grades, You're Writing To Young Readers Who Are Trapped In A Number Of Ways Between Two Worlds: Between Childhood And Adulthood, Between Their Friends And Their Parents.

Writing

Thinking

Two

Maybe Love Was No Match For Ice...but Piper Had Used It To Wake A Metal Dragon. Mortals Did Superhuman Feats In The Name Of Love All The Time. Mothers Lifted Cars To Save Their Children. And Piper Was More Than Just A Mortal. She Was A Demigod. A Hero. The Ice Melted On Her Blade. Her Arm Steamed Under Khione's Grip. 'still Underestimating Me,' Piper Told The Goddess. 'you Really Need To Work On That.

Mother

Children

Hero

Deadlines Just Aren't Real To Me Until I'm Staring One In The Face.

Real

Humorous

Faces

Yes I Remember My Sixteenth." Vitellius Said "wonderful Omen! Happily Chicken In My Underpants." "excuse Me.

Remember

Wonderful

Excuse

Gods Tend To Be Selfish. Even When They're Helpful, They Always Have Their Own Motives. That's Why You Have To Be Careful About Trusting Them.

Selfish

Helpful

Be Careful

Oh, Obviously,” Reyna Said. “without You, I Doubt Percy Could Find His Way Out Of A Paper Bag.” “true,” Annabeth Agreed.

Doubt

Bags

Annabeth

Naturally, Coach Hedge Went Ballistic; But Percy Found It Hard To Take The Satyr Seriously Since He Was Barely Five Feet Tall. "never In My Life!" Coach Bellowed, Waving His Bat And Knocking Over A Plate Of Apples. "against The Rules! Irresponsible!" "coach," Annabeth Said, "it Was An Accident. We Were Talking, And We Fell Asleep." "besides," Percy Said, "you're Starting To Sound Like Terminus." Hedge Narrowed His Eyes. "is That An Insult, Jackson? 'cause I'll—i'll Terminus You, Buddy!

Eye

Talking

Apples

Rachel: They Asked Me A Lot Of Questions About You. I Played Dumb. Annabeth: Was It Hard?

Dumb

Annabeth

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Let's Boogie,' He (leo) Said. 'before I Come To My Senses

Said

Boogie

Senses

Red Cattle," Annabeth Said. "the Cattle Of The Sun." "what?" I [percy] Asked. "they're Sacred To Apollo." "holy Cows?

Cows

Red

Sun

Sounds Like A Plan Worthy Of Athena.

Sound

Athena

Worthy

A General Never Shows Despair. He Instills Confidence In His Troops. He Leads Them Forward, Even Into The Mouth Of Death.

Leadership

Despair

Troops

Then There Was Nico Di Angelo. Dang, That Kid Gave Leo The Freaky-deakies. He Sat Back In His Leather Aviator Jacket, His Black T-shirt And Jeans, That Wicked Silver Skull Ring On His Finger, And The Stygian Sword At His Side. His Tufts Of Black Hair Struck Up In Curls Like Baby Bat Wings. His Eyes Were Sad And Kind Of Empty, As If He’d Stared Into The Depths Of Tartarus—which He Had.

Baby

Kids

Eye

Unless You Stop Him. Perhaps Next We Meet." "you'll Be Just As Annoying?" I Guessed. He Fixed My With Those Warm Brown Eyes. "or Perhaps You Could Bring Me Up To Speed On Those Modern Courtship Rituals." I Sat There Stunned Until He Gave Me A Glimpse Of A Smile-just Enough To Let Me Know He Was Teasing. Then He Disappeared. "oh, Very Funny!" I Yelled.

Eye

Glimpse

Six Minus Six Is Zero. Spears Are Good For Subtraction Ella Said

Zero

Six

Subtraction

Tyson," I Said "we're Turning Around!" Going The Wrong Way?" He Asked. Always," I Grumbled, But I Steered The Chariot Towards The Stands.

Way

Said

Tyson

Even Dionysus's Welcome-home Speech Wasn't Enough To Dampen My Spirits. "yes, Yes, So The Little Brat Didn't Get Himself Killed And Now He'll Have An Even Bigger Head. Well, Huzzah For That. In Other Announcements, There Will Be No Canoe Races This Saturday.

Home

Race

Speech

Now The Tattoos," Zia Announced. "brilliant!" I Said. "on Your Tongue," She Added. "excuse Me?

Tattoo

Tongue

Brilliant

Um, Dad?" I Called "how's It Going?" "percy!" Annabeth Whispered. "we're In A Hurry!

Dad

Annabeth

Come On," I Said. "i've Got Some Questions For Thoth. And Then I'm Going To Punch Him In The Beak.

Beaks

Said

She Whirled When The Monster Was Almost On Top Of Her. I Thought The Thing In Her Hands Was An Umbrella Until She Cranked The Pump And The Shotgun Blast Blew The Giant Twenty Feet Backwards, Right Into Nico's Sword. "nice One," Paul Said. "when Did You Learn To Fire A Shotgun?" I Demanded. My Mom Blew The Hair Out Of Her Face. "about Two Seconds Ago. Percy, We'll Be Fine. Go!

Mom

Nice

Fire

The Sign Read Mouse Pass Gas Frank: "that's Wrong

Gas

Frank

Mice

But Yes. Come, Faulty Dragon People. Follow Us.

Dragons

People

We'll Have To Work On Your Bunny Phobia Later.

Bunnies

Phobia

Olympian

I Hate To Tell You This,” Jason Said, “but I Think Your Leopard Just Ate A Goddess.

Hate

Thinking

Jason

Aphrodite: Pfft. That's Not The Point. Follow Your Heart. Percy: But... I Don't Know Where It's Going. My Heart, I Mean.

Heart

Mean

Aphrodite

You..." The Centaur's Eyes Flared Like A Cornered Animal's. "you Should Be Dead.

Eye

Animal

Centaurs

The World May Need Fixing, But It's Worth Preserving.

May

Fixing

Needs

Your Loved Ones Have Been Used To Lure You Into Kronos's Traps. Your Fatal Flaw Is Personal Loyalty Percy. You Do Not Know When It Is Time To Cut Your Losses. To Save A Friend You Would Sacrifice The World.

Loyalty

Cutting

Loss

The Most Dangerous Flaws Are Those Which Are Good In Moderation," She Said. "evil Is Easy To Fight. Lack Of Wisdom… That Is Very Hard Indeed.

Fighting

Evil

Flaws

Your Former Friend Luke " Poseidon Corrected. "he Once Promised Things Like That. He Was Hermes's Pride And Joy. Just Bear That In Mind Percy. Even The Bravest Can Fall.

Fall

Pride

Joy

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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