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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

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But Annabeth Just Smiled

Rick Riordan

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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.

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"it's Him," I Said. "typhon." I Was Seriously Hoping Chiron Would Say Something Good, Like No, That's Our Huge Friend Leroy! He's Going To Help Us!

True Success Requires Sacrifice.

Humor Was A Good Way To Hide The Pain.

Nico Leaned Over And Plucked A Grape. Probably That Was The Guy’s Entire Diet For The Day.

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.

There!" Apollo Pointed. "long Island, Dead Ahead. Let's Slow Down, Dear. 'dead' Is Only An Expression.

I Guessed His Name Was Face Of Horror. I Wondered How Long It Had Taken His Mom To Think Of That. Bob? No. Sam? No. How About Face Of Horror?

Beckendorf, Whose Legs Were Now Working Fine (nothing Like Being Chased By A Huge Monster To Get Your Body Back In Order) Shook His Head And Gasped For Breath. “you Shouldn’t Have Turned It On! It’s Unstable! After A Few Years, Automatons Go Wild!

Right Before The Game, She Strolled Up To Me. "hey, Seaweed Brain." "will You Stop Calling Me That?" She Knows I Hate That Name, Mostly Because I Never Have A Good Comeback. She's The Daughter Of Athena, Which Doesn't Give Me A Lot Of Ammunition. I Mean, "owl-head" And "wise Girl" Are Kind Of Lame Insults.

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Powdered Donuts," Tyson Said Earnestly. "i Will Look For Powdered Donuts In The Wilderness." He Headed Outside And Started Calling, "here, Donuts!

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He [percy] Pleaded With Those Sea-green Eyes, Like A Cute Baby Seal That Needed Help. Piper Wondered How Annabeth Ever Won An Argument With This Guy.

Delaying Death Is One Of My Favorite Hobbies

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Hey!" I Screamed, Waving The Jacket, Running To One Side Of The Monster. "hey, Stupid! Ground Beef!

I Need To Use The Dam Bathroom, I Need To Use The Dam Snack Bar, I Want A Dam Tee-shirt.

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I Was Wondering How You Got All That Out Of A Single Moooooo

A Truly Great Artist Has Many Talents.

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Suspecting And Knowing Are Not The Same.

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

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

Frank Stared At Her. "but You Throw Ding Dongs At Monsters." Iris Looked Horrified. "oh, They're Not Ding Dongs." She Rummaged Under The Counter And Brought Out A Package Of Chocolate Covered Cakes That Looked Exactly Like Ding Dongs. "these Are Gluten-free, No-sugar-added, Vitamin-enriched, Soy-free, Goat-milk-and-seaweed-based Cupcake Simulations." "all Natural!" Fleecy Chimed In. "i Stand Corrected." Frank Suddenly Felt As Queasy As Percy.

Aphros Nodded, A Glint Of Pride In His Eyes. “we Have Trained All The Famous Mer-heroes! Name A Famous Mer-hero, And We Have Trained Him Or Her!” “oh, Sure,” Leo Said. “like…um, The Little Mermaid?” Aphros Frowned. “who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, And Bill!” “oh. ”leo Had No Idea Who Any Of Those People Were. “you Trained Bill? Impressive.

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If I've Got The Powers Of A God, Then Why Am I So..." "lame?" Sadie Suggested. "shut Up," I Said.

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When I Got Across, I Looked Back And Saw Tyson Giving Grover A Piggyback Ride (or Was It A Goatyback Ride?).

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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.

Frank Stared At Him. "unfair? You Can Breathe Underwater And Blow Up Glaciers And Summon Freaking Hurricanes-and It's Unfair That I Can Be An Elephant?" Percy Considered. "okay. I Guess You Got A Point. But The Next Time I Say You're Totally Beast-" "just Shut Up," Frank Said. "please." Percy Cracked A Smile.

Curled Up At The Base Of The Scales, Fast Asleep, Was The Oddest Monster I'd Seen Yet. It Had The Head Of Crocodile With A Lion's Mane. The Front Half Of Its Body Was A Lion, But The Back End Was Sleek, Brown, And Fat - A Hippo, I Decided. The Odd Bit Was, The Animal Was Tiny - I Mean, No Larger Than An Average Poodle, Which I Suppose Made Him A Hippodoodle.

Why Do You Need To Gallop While You Fly?" "why Do Humans Have To Sway Their Arms While They Walk? I Dunno Boss, But It Just Feels Right.

Met Them. Killed Them. Got The T-shirt.

Wow," Thalia Muttered. "apollo Is Hot." "he's The Sun God," I Said. "that's Not What I Meant.

Frank Imitated The Voice Of Vitellius: 'they're Wimps! Back In My Day, We Died All The Time, And We Liked It!

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

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

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We Did All The Standard Camp Numbers: "down By The Aegean," "i Am My Own Great-great-great-great Grandpa," "this Land Is Minos's Land.

Behold!" Percy Shouted. "the God's Chosen Beverage. Tremble Before The Horror Of Diet Coke!

Percy Blinked. “so Your Brother Is A Winged Horse. But You’re Also My Half Brother, Which Means All The Flying Horses In The World Are My…you Know What? Lets’ Forget It.

You Promised, Seaweed Brain. We Would Not Get Separated! Ever Again!

Stand Your Ground!" Stheno Yelled. "i've Got Free Samples!

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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.

Mr. D, Wearing His Leopard-skin Jogging Suit And Rummaging Through The Refrigerator. He Looked Up Lazily. "do You Mind?" Where's Chiron!" I Shouted. How Rude." Mr. D Took A Swig From A Jug Of Grape Juice. "is That How You Say Hello?" Hello," I Amended. "we're About To Die! Where's Chiron?

Oh, My Dear! I’m Afraid You’ve Mistaken Me For Someone Else! My Name Is Rhea Silvia. I Was The Mother To Romulus And Remus, Thousands Of Years Ago. But You’re So Kind To Think I Look As Young As The 1950s.

Gabe Scratched His Double Chin. "maybe If You Hurry With The Seven-layer Dip...and Maybe If The Kid Apologizes For Interrupting My Poker Game." Maybe If I Kick You In Your Soft Spot, I Thought. And Make You Sing Soprano For A Week.

Set’s Storm Is Gathering,” Amos Said With A Twinkle In His Eyes. “shall We Drive Into Is?

A Half-blood Of The Eldest Gods, Shall Reach Sixteen Against All Odds And See The World In Endless Sleep The Hero's Soul, Cursed Blade Shall Reap A Single Choice Shall End His Days Olympus To Preserve Or Raze.

Leo Had Wanted To Paint A Giant Message On The Bottom Of The Hull-wassup? With A Smiley-face-but Annabeth Had Vetoed The Idea.

I Remembered The Myth About Andromeda And How She Had Been Chained To A Rock By Her Own Parents As A Sacrifice To A Sea Monster. Maybe She'd Gotten Too Many F's On Her Report Card Or Something.

Just My Luck, On Top Of Everything Else I Had To Take Baboon Medicine.

No," I Said. "i Choose The Prophecy. It Will Be About Me." "why Are You Saying That?" She Cried. "you Want To Be Responsible For The Whole World?" It Was The Last Thing I Wanted, But I Didn't Say That. I Knew I Had To Step Up And Claim It. "i Can't Let Nico Be In Any More Danger," I Said. "i Owe That Much To His Sister. I…let Them Both Down. I'm Not Going To Let That Poor Kid Suffer Any More.

Frank Didn’t Drop You On Purpose,” She Said. “he’s Not Like That. He’s Just A Little Clumsy Sometimes.” “oops,” Leo Said, In His Best Frank Zhang Voice. “dropped Leo Into A Squad Of Enemy Soldiers. Dang It!

No Doubt Carter Would Describe The Underground City In Excruciating Detail, With Exact Measurements Of Each Room, Boring History On Every Statue And Hieroglyph, And Background Notes On The Construction Of The Magical Headquarters Of The House Of Life. I Will Spare You That Pain. It's Big. It's Full Of Magic. It's Underground. There. Sorted.

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A Ruby-encrusted Orb Popped Its Top And Helicopter Blades Unfolded. Leo Was Glad Buford The Table Wasn't Here-he Would've Fallen In Love.

I Haven't Devoured A Soul In...what Month Is This? March?

He’d Learned Years Ago It Was Better Not To Dwell Too Much On Who Was Related To Whom On The Godly Side Of Things. After Tyson The Cyclops Adopted Him As A Brother, Percy Decided That That Was About As Far As He Wanted To Extend The Family.

Die,human! Die, Silly Polluting Nasty Person!

Amy Gritted Her Teeth. "king Louis Xvi Even Put Franklin's Picture On A Chamber Pot!" Jonah Looked At His Dad. "do We Have Souvenir Chamber Pots?" "no." His Dad Whipped Out His Phone. "i'll Make The Call.

I Sailed On The Cold Air Currents Above The Rooftops Of Paris. I Could See The River, The Louvre Museum, The Gardens And Palaces. And A Mouse-yum. Hang On, Carter, I Thought. Not Hunting Mice.

That Was Hera. Her Majesty, The Loose Cannon.

There Is Always A Way Out For Those Clever Enough To Find It.

Hold Up." Leo Stepped Forward, Wagging His Wii Controller. "did You Just Call My A Ship A Monstrosity? I Know You Didn't That.

Just Because I'm Native American Doesn't Mean I Can Track Furniture Through The Wilderness." She Deepened Her Voice: "'yes, Kemosabe. A Three-legged Table Passed This Way An Hour Ago.' Heck, I Don’t Know.

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I Know You'll Do What's Best For Annabeth." "how Can You Be Sure?" "because She'd Do The Same For You.

I Am Never, Ever, Going To Make Things Easy For You, Seaweed Brain. Get Used To It.

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A Legacy That Powerful Does Not Disappear. Next To The Egyptians, The Greeks And Romans Were Babies. Our Modern Nations Like Great Britain And America? Blinks Of An Eye...the Very Oldest Root Of Civilization, At Least Of Western Civilization, Is Egypt. Look At The Pyramid On The Dollar Bill. Look At The Washington Monument—the World’s Largest Egyptian Obelisk. Egypt Is Still.......very Much Alive.

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Artemis Grit Her Teeth. "i Need A Favor. I Have Some Hunting To Do, Alone. I Need You To Take My Companions To Camp Half-blood." "sure Sis!" Then He Raised His Hands In A "stop Everything" Gesture. "i Feel A Haiku Coming On." The Hunters All Groaned. Apparently They'd Met Apollo Before. He Cleared His Throat And Held Up One Hand Dramatically. "green Grass Breaks Through Snow. Artemis Pleads For My Help. I Am So Awesome.

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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!

Contrary To What You Might Think, I Don't Spend Every Waking Hour Thinking About Boys." "just Most Waking Hours?

They Had A Silent Staring Contest, But Percy Didn’t Back Down. When He And Annabeth Started Dating, His Mother Had Drummed It Into His Head: It’s Good Manners To Walk Your Date To The Door. If That Was True, It Had To Be Good Manners To Walk Her To The Start Of Her Epic Solo Death Quest.

I Pictured My Mom, Alone In Our Little Apartment On The Upper East Side. I Tried To Remember The Smell Of Her Blue Waffles In The Kitchen. It Seemed So Far Away.

The Name Says It All. That's Where Dad (hades) Tries Out His New Punishment Ideas, But He Says The Traditional Ones Still Work Best: The Lava Flows, The Minefields Full Of Exploding Surprises, Burning At The Stake, Running Naked Through Cactus Patches... You Name It, We've Got It Here - Nico Di Angelo

Um," Grover Said. "percy?" "yeah?" "i Thought You'd Want To Know." "yeah?" "cerberus? He's Saying We've Got Ten Seconds To Pray To The God Of Our Choice.after That...well...he's Hungry.

Annabeth’s Shoulders Ached. The Elevator’s Easy-listening Music Didn’t Help. If All Monsters Had To Hear That Song About Liking Piña Coladas And Getting Caught In The Rain, No Wonder They Were In The Mood For Carnage When They Reached The Mortal World.

I Excel At Pulling Strings!” Said Arachne. “i’m A Spider!

Percy?" Annabeth Gripped His Arm. "oh, Bad," He Muttered. "bad. Bad." He Looked Across The Table At Frank And Hazel. "you Guys Remember Polybotes?" "the Giant Who Invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel Said. "the Anti-poseidon You Whacked In The Head With A Terminus Statue. Yes, I Think I Remember

Great,” Percy Said. “i Always Wanted To Be Glue.

Grover Started To Sniffle And I Figured If I Didn't Cheer Him Up He'd Either Start Bawling Or Chewing Up My Mattress. He Tends To Eat Household Objects Whenever He Gets Upset.

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!

Frank Had Decided That Whatever His Fate Was, He Wouldn’t Worry About It. He Would Just Do The Best He Could To Help His Friends.

A Vampire!" I Stammered. Then I Noticed Her Legs. Below The Cheerleader Skirt, Her Left Leg Was Brown And Shaggy With A Donkey's Hoof. Her Right Leg Was Shaped Like A Human Leg Was It Was Made Of Bronze. "uhh, A Vampire With-" "don't Mention The Legs!" Tammi Snapped. "it's Rude To Make Fun.

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.

My Brother Broke Into A Toothy Grin. "yay! Your Brain Works!

That's Because We Keep Weapons Int The Attic, Silly Boy. Do You Think This Is The First Time Monsters Have Attacked Our Family?" "weapons," Frank Grumbled. "right. I've Never Handled Weapons Before." Grandmother's Nostrils Flared. "was That Sarcasm, Fai Zhang?" "yes, Grandmother." "good. There May Be Hope For You Yet.

Sadie," He Said Forlornly, "when You Become A Parent, You May Understand This. One Of My Hardest Jobs As A Father, One Of My Greatest Duties, Was To Realize That My Own Dreams, My Own Goals And Wishes, Are Secondary To My Children's.

You Deal With Mythological Stuff For A Few Years, You Learn That Paradises Are Usually Places Where You Get Killed.

You Have To Read A Lot So You Know What Good Writing Looks Like And You Get Inspired. You Have To Write A Lot Because It's Like A Sport - You Have To Practice. And, Also, You Have To Persevere. Don't Give Up. I Got Rejected On My First Book, Like, 14 Times, But I Just Kept Going. So Believe In Yourself And Don't Give Up.

I'm Afraid Not." Hades Sighed. "my Son Here Convinced Me That Perhaps I Should Prioritize My List Of Enemies." He Glared At Me With Distaste. "as Much As I Dislike Certain Upstart Demigods, It Would Not Do For Olympus To Fall. I Would Miss Bickering With My Siblings. And If There Is One Thing We Agree On - It Is That You Were A Terrible Father.

Yes,' She Said. 'the Great Prophecy Has Begun.' Pandemonium Broke Out.

Percy Yelled. "what's Going- Gah! Shrimpzilla!

Um, Dues Ex Machina Anyone?

I’ll Leave You Guys To Get Acquainted. Somebody Show Leo To Dinner When It’s Time?” “i Got It,” One Of The Girls Said. Nyssa, Leo Remembered. She Wore Camo Pants, A Tank Top That Showed Off Her Buff Arms, And A Red Bandanna Over Her Mop Of Dark Hair. Except For The Smiley-face Band-aid On Her Chin, She Looked Like One Of Those Female Action Heroes, Like Any Second She Was Going To Grab A Machine Gun And Start Mowing Down Evil Aliens. “cool,” Leo Said. “i Always Wanted A Sister Who Could Beat Me Up.

May The Gods Be With You

God Is With You

Gods Forbid If She Ever Broke Up With Him. She'd Never Be Able To Visit The Sea Again Without Remembering Her Broken Heart. Annabeth About Percy

It's Natural To Feel Fear. All Great Warriors Are Afraid. Only The Stupid And The Delusional Are Not.

Alabaster, You Told Me Earlier That Heroes Don't Die. You May Be Right, But I Can Tell You One Thing." Claymore Looked The Boy In The Eyes. "i'm Not A Hero.

Thanks For Everything.” “as You Wish,” The Captain Said. If Axes Could Frown, I’m Sure He Would Have. “stay Sharp,” Carter Told Him.

We’ve Arrived,” Leo Announced. “time To Split.” Frank Groaned. “can We Leave Valdez In Croatia?

My Goal In The Classroom Was Always To Make Sure They Were Having So Much Fun That They Didn't Realize They Were Learning.

Number Eight, The Silver One, Belongs To Artemis. She Vowed To Be A Maiden Forever. So Of Course, No Kids. The Cabin Is, You Know, Honorary. If She Didn't Have One, She'd Be Mad.

Not Inmune To Engines Huh? Boo-yah!! -leo

Poseidon Raised His Eyebrows As They Shook Hands. “blowfish, Did You Say?” "ah, No. Blofis, Actually.” "oh, I See,” Poseidon Said. “a Shame. I Quite Like Blowfish. I Am Poseidon.” "poseidon? That’s An Interesting Name.” "yes, I Like It. I’ve Gone By Other Names, But I Do Prefer Poseidon.” "like The God Of The Sea.” "very Much Like That, Yes.

She Reached Into Her Coat Pocket And Felt Two Things She Hadn't Expected.... One Was A Wad Of Cash... She Brought Out The Money. Leo Whistled. "allowance? Piper, Your Mom Rocks!

I Could Hear Hopefulness In Her Voice, But Also Doubt. She Was Waiting For Me To Admit The Obvious: I’d Forgotten. I Was Toast. I Was Boyfriend Roadkill.

I Hoped I Wasn't Blushing. It Was Bad Enough I Had To Depend On My Mom To Drive Me To My Battles.

Hope Survives Best At The Hearth.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

While Leo Fussed Over His Helm Controls, Hazel And Frank Relayed The Story Of The Fish-centaurs And Their Training Camp. 'incredible,' Jason Said. 'these Are Really Good Brownies.' 'that's Your Only Comment?' Piper Demanded. He Looked Surprised. 'what? I Heard The Story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter Of Intro To The Tiber River God. Got It. But These Brownies--' 'i Know,' Frank Said, His Mouth Full. 'try Them With Ester's Peach Preserves.' 'that,' Hazel Said, 'is Incredibly Disgusting.' 'pass Me The Jar, Man,' Jason Said. Hazel And Piper Exchanged A Look Of Total Exasperation. Boys.

Menshikov Wants To See The Old Gold Swallowed By Apophis. He Wants To See The World Plunged Into Darkness And Chaos. He Is Quite Insane. "oh." [great Response, I Know. But What Do You Say To A Story Like That?]

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