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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. Just Because I Forgot, You Shouldn't Take That As A Sign I Didn't Care About Annabeth. Seriously, The Last Month With Her Had Been Awesome. I Was The Luckiest Demigod Ever. But A Special Dinner... When Had I Mentioned That? Maybe I'd Said It After Annabeth Kissed Me, Which Had Sort Of Sent Me Into A Fog. Maybe A Greek Gos Had Disguised Himself As Me As And Made Her That Promise As A Prank. Or Maybe I Was Just A Rotten Boyfriend.

-Rick Riordan

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I Could Hear Hopefulness

Rick Riordan

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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. Just Because I Forgot, You Shouldn't Take That As A Sign I Didn't Care About Annabeth. Seriously, The Last Month With Her Had Been Awesome. I Was The Luckiest Demigod Ever. But A Special Dinner... When Had I Mentioned That? Maybe I'd Said It After Annabeth Kissed Me, Which Had Sort Of Sent Me Into A Fog. Maybe A Greek Gos Had Disguised Himself As Me As And Made Her That Promise As A Prank. Or Maybe I Was Just A Rotten Boyfriend.

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He Dropped The Rest Of The Cokes Into The Grave And Pulled Out A White Paper Bag Decorated With Cartoons. I Hadn’t Seen One In Years, But I Recognized It — A Mcdonald’s Happy Meal. He Turned It Upside Down And Shook The Fries And Hamburger Into The Grave. “in My Day, We Used Animal Blood,” The Ghost Mumbled. “it’s Perfectly Good Enough. They Can’t Taste The Difference.” “i Will Treat Them With Respect,” Nico Said. “at Least Let Me Keep The Toy,” The Ghost Said.

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.

Sometimes She Teased Me That She’d Eventually Catch Up To Me In Age And Be My Older Sibling. Looking At Her Now, With That Determined Glint In Her Eyes And The Confidence In Her Voice, I Could Almost Believe Her

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Look, I Never Wanted To Be A Half-blood. Most Of The Time It Gets You Killed In Nasty, Dangerous Ways.

Laistrygonians. Cannibals. Northern Giants. Sasquatch Legend. Yep, Yep. They Are Not Birds. Not Birds Of North America.

I Tried To Talk To Annabeth, But She Was Acting Like I'd Just Punched Her Grandmother.

Love Is Powerful. It Can Bring The Gods To Their Knees.

I Held Out The Painting Of The Cat And The Snake. “it’s A Cat And A Snake,” Thoth Said. Thank You, God Of Wisdom. You Placed It For Us To Find, Didn’t You? You’re Trying To Give Us Some Sort Of Clue.” “who, Me?” Just Kill Him, Horus Said. Shut Up, I Said. At Least Kill The Guitar.

Most Helmsmen Would’ve Been Satisfied With A Pilot’s Wheel Or A Tiller. Leo Had Also Installed A Keyboard, Monitor, Aviation Controls From A Learjet, A Dubstep Soundboard, And Motion-control Sensors From A Nintendo Wii. He Could Turn The Ship By Pulling On The Throttle, Fire Weapons By Sampling An Album, Or Raise Sails By Shaking His Wii Controllers Really Fast. Even By Demigod Standards, Leo Was Seriously Adhd.

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

All [sadie’s] Previous Attempts [of Making A Shabti (an Egyptian Avatar Of One’s Self)] Had Exploded Or Gone Haywire, Terrorizing Khufu And The Initiates. Last Week She’d Created A Magical Thermos With Googly Eyes That Levitated Around The Room, Yelling, “exterminate! Exterminate!” Until It Smacked Me In The Head.

We Speak With One Voice,” Walt Said. “especially On This Matter. No One Hurts Sadie Kane.

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.

Annabeth's Voice Caught On The Word Friend. Percy Was A Lot More Than That. Even Boyfriend Really Didn't Cover It. They'd Been Through So Much Together, At This Point Percy Was Part Of Her--a Sometimes Annoying Part, Sure, But Definitely A Part She Could Not Live Without.

People Can Be Creul,people Can Be Mean, What They Say About Us Is Not True It Makes It There Opinion, And It Doesnt Mean Thats How The Rest Of The World See's It.

Must’ve Been Hard On Your Mom,” Frank Said. “i Guess We’ll Do Anything For Someone We Love.” Hazel Squeezed His Hand Appreciatively. Nico Stared At The Cobblestones. “yeah,” He Said Bitterly. “i Guess We Will.

Caesar Broke The Law When He Crossed The Rubicon," Frank Said. "great Leaders Have To Think Out Side The Box Sometimes.

Annabeth Pressed Her Lips To Percy’s Ear. “i Love You.” She Wasn’t Sure He Could Hear Her—but If They Died, She Wanted Those To Be Her Last Words.

We’re Staying Together,” He Promised. “you’re Not Getting Away From Me. Never Again.” Only Then Did She Understand What Would Happen. A One-way Trip. A Very Hard Fall. ”as Long As We’re Together,” She Said. She Heard Nico And Hazel Still Screaming For Help. She Saw Sunlight Far, Far Above- Maybe The Last Sunlight She Would Ever See. Then Percy Let Go Of His Ledge, And Together, Holding Hands, He And Annabeth Fell Into The Endless Darkness.

Staplers--- Excellent Source Of Iron

I Turned To Annabeth And Shook My Head In Exasperation. “always Hercules. What Is It With Hercules?” Annabeth Shrugged. “he Had A Great Publicist.

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

Running With A Drowsy Child Of Hades Was More Like Doing A 3 -legged Race With A Life Size Rag Doll.

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.

I Love New York. You Can Pop Out Of The Underworld In Central Park, Hail A Taxi, Head Down Fifth Avenue With A Giant Hellhound Loping Behind You, And Nobody Even Looks At You Funny.

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.

I Racked My Brain Trying To Remember The Names Of All Of Nut’s Five Children. Bit Difficult Without My Brother, The Human Wikipedia, Around To Keep Track Of Such Trivia For Me.

Freak Is Easily Spooked. Flesh-eating Monsters Tend To Scare Him Away. So Do Fireworks, Clowns, And The Smell Of Sadie's Weird British Ribena Drink. (can't Blame Him On That Last One. Sadie Grew Up In London And Developed Some Pretty Strange Tastes.

He Pinched The Name Tag And Ran His Fingers Under The Letters. "can You Read This, Mate? It Says C-h-a-r-o-n. Say It With Me: Care-on." "charon." "amazing! Now: Mr. Charon." "mr. Charon." "well Done.

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Two U.s. Marine Skeletons Guarded The Doors. They Grinned Down At Us, Rocket-propelled Grenade Launchers Held Across Their Chests. "you Know," Grover Mumbled, "i Bet Hades Doesn't Have Trouble With Door-to-door Salesman.

Just His Luck He Was Related To This Grubby Old Dude. He Hoped All Sons Of Neptune Didn't Share The Same Fate. First, You Start Carrying A Man Satchel. Next Thing You Know, You're Running Around In A Bathrobe And Pink Bunny Slippers, Chasing Chickens With A Weed Whacker.

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Percy Jackson And The Olympians

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You'd Think He'd Ran Out Off Rocks," I Muttered

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

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It's Hard To Enjoy Practical Jokes When Your Whole Life Feels Like One.

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I Wanted To Keep Things As Normal As Possible For The Trainees, So I Led My Usual Morning Class. I Called It Magic Problem-solving 101. The Trainees Called It Whatever Works.

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Ah, Mastery Of The Five Elements!" "is That The One We Want?" I Asked. "no, But A Good One. How To Tame The Five Essential Elements Of The Universe - Earth, Air, Water, Fire, And Cheese!" "cheese?

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Scrawny? Baby, I Invented Scrawny. Scrawny Is The New Sizzling Hot.

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To All My Librarian Friends, Champions Of Books, True Magicians In The House Of Life. Without You, This Writer Would Be Lost In The Dust.

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She Wanted Me To Betray You Guys, And I Was Like, 'pfft, Right, I'm Gonna Listen To A Face In The Potty Sludge'.

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With Her Braided Hair And White Dress, She Seemed To Glow In The Moonlight.

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The Friday Before Winter Break, My Mom Packed Me An Overnight Bag And A Few Deadly Weapons And Took Me To A New Boarding School.

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Yes, Horus Said. I Remember This Place. It’s El Paso, I Told Him. Unless You Went Out For Mexican Food, You’ve Never Been Here.

Ella, Just Stay Here. Stay Safe." "safe," Ella Repeated. "ella Likes Being Safe. Safety In Numbers. Safety Deposit Boxes. Ella Will Go With Tyson." "what?" Percy Said. "oh... Fine, Whatever. Just Don't Get Hurt. And Mrs. O'leary—" "rooof." "how Do You Feel About Pulling A Chariot?

Sometimes Things Don't End Okay.

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!

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I Am Praetor Of The Legion," Reyna Said. "i Judge This To Be In The Best Interest Of Rome." "to Get Yourself Killed? To Break Our Oldest Laws And Travel To The Ancient Lands? How Will You Even Find Their Ship, Assuming You Survive The Journey?" [octavian] "i Will Find Them," Reyna Said.

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He Was Rewarded With A Silver-and-red Can Of Soda. He Brandished It At The Dolphin Warriors As If Spraying Them With Bug Repellant. "behold!" Percy Shouted. "the God's Chosen Beverage. Tremble Before The Horror Of Diet Coke!" The Dolphin-men Began To Panic. They Were On The Edge Of Retreat. Percy Could Feel It.

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

Whoa," Said Nico As He Climbed Off The Bus. "is That A Climbing Wall?" "yeah," I (percy) Said. "why Is There Lava Pouring Down It?" "little Extra Challenge..." - Percy

Amos Sipped His Coffee. "sorry If That Distubed You. Khufu's Very Picky. He Only Eats Foods That End In -o. Doritos, Burritos, Flamingos." I Blinked. "did You Say-" "carter," Sadie Warned. She Looked A Little Queasy, Like She'd Already Had This Conversation. "don't Ask.

Team Leo!~ Leo Valdez

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

Ptah? Son Of Ptooey? What Is He God Of Spitting? I Asked

"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.

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Poseidon Held Out His Arms And Gave Me A Hug. I Realized, A Little Embarrassed, That I'd Never Actually Hugged My Dad Before. He Was Warm—like A Regular Human—and He Smelled Of A Salty Beach And Fresh Sea Air.

Weapons Are Allowed. Dirty Tricks Are Expected. But Try Not To Kill Anybody!” Tantalus Smiled At Us Like We Were All Naughty Children. “any Killing Will Result In Harsh Punishment. No S’mores At The Campfire For A Week! Now Ready Your Chariots!

Sorry We’re Late,” Jason Said. “is This The Guy Who Needs Killing?

The Weight Of The Sky Dropped Onto Atlas's Back, Almost Smashing Him Flat Until He Managed To Get To His Knees, Struggling To Get Out From Under The Crushing Weight Of The Sky. But It Was Too Late. "noooooo!" He Bellowed So Hard It Shook The Mountain. "not Again!" Atlas Was Trapped Under His Old Burden.

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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?

Fair... You'd Be Amazed How Often I Hear That Word, Frank Zhang,and How Meaningless It Is. Is It Fair Your Life Will Burn So Short And Bright? Was It Fair When I Guided Your Mother To The Underworld? No, Not Fair. And Yet It Was Her Time. There Is No Fairness In Death. If You Free Me, I Will Do My Duty.

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

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

For A Moment, Percy Actually Remembered What It Was Like To Be Happy. He Had An Amazing Girlfriend. They Could Have A Future Together.

Otis Barreled Towards Them Empty-handed, Before Apparently Realizing That A) He Was Empty-handed And B) Charging Towards A Large Body Of Water To Fight A Son Of Poseidon Was Maybe Not A Good Idea.

Frank Tugged Again With No Luck. Even Hazel Was Trying Not To Laugh. Frank Grimaced With Concentration. Suddenly, He Disappeared. On The Deck Where He’d Been Standing, A Green Iguana Crouched Next To An Empty Set Of Chinese Handcuffs. “well Done, Frank Zhang,” Leo Said Dryly, Doing His Impression Of Chiron The Centaur. “that Is Exactly How People Beat Chinese Handcuffs. They Turn Into Iguanas.

In Case You're Wondering, The Underside Of A Sheep Doesn't Smell That Great. Imagine A Winter Sweater That's Been Dragged Through The Mud And Left In The Laundry Hamper For A Week. Something Like That.

New Lesson, Class. Most Monsters Will Vaporize When Sliced With A Celestial Bronze Sword. This Change Is Perfectly Normal, And Will Happen To You Right Now If You Don't Back Off!" - Percy

Perfectly Normal

Tell Me When It's Over " Thalia Said. Her Eyes Were Shut Tight. The Statue Was Holding On To Us So We Couldn't Fall But Still Thalia Clutched His Arm Like It Was The Most Important Thing In The World. "everything's Fine " I Promised. "are... Are We Very High " I Looked Down. Below Us A Range Of Snowy Mountains Zipped By. I Stretched Out My Foot And Kicked Snow Off One Of The Peaks. "nah " I Said. "not That High.

Polyphemus Stiffened. "who Said That?" "nobody!" Annabeth Yelled. That Got Exactly The Reaction She'd Been Hoping For. The Monster's Face Turned Red With Rage. "nobody!" Polyphemus Yelled Back. "i Remember You!" "you're Too Stupid To Remember Anybody," Annabeth Taunted. "much Less Nobody.

I Think Every Writer Struggles In Some Way With Writers Block. The Trick Is To Plan Out What You Are Going To Say Beforehand. I Found Out That If You Make An Outline You're Much Less Likely To Get Blocked When You Get Into The Middle Of The Story.

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.

But (peresphone) Was Like, The Goddess Of Flowers." Grover Looked Offended. "springtime.

Piper Gripped His Hand And Followed Him, “if I Fall, You’re Catching Me.” “uh, Sure.” Jason Hoped He Wasn’t Blushing. Leo Stepped Out Next. “you’re Catching Me, Too, Superman. But I Ain’t Holding Your Hand.

So," I (percy) Said Glumly. "we're Going To Get A Ride From Your Brother, Huh?" Artemis's Silver Eyes Gleamed. "yes, Boy. You See, Bianca Di Angelo Is Not The Only One With An Annoying Brother. It's Time For You To Meet My Irresponsible Twin, Apollo.

Maybe It's Okay To Still Be A Kid Every Once In A While.

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

I Wasn't Aiming At The School Bus, But Of Course I Got Expelled Anyway.

This Is The Wilderness School. 'where The Kids Are Animals

Patterns Repeat Themselves In History

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

Throwing Down Your Staff May Sound Like A Sign Of Surrender, But In Egyptian Magic, It's Bad News. It Usually Means, 'hey, I'm Going To Summon A Big Nasty Thing To Kill You While I Stand Safely Inside My Circle And Laugh'.

So Beckendorf Was Pretty Popular?" Leo Asked. "i Mean-before He Blew Up?

When I Was Alive, I Mean The First Time, Mussolini Was In Charge. We Were At War.” “mussolini?” Leo Frowned. “wasn’t He Like Bffs With Hitler?

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

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.

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.

The Way Leo Figured It, He Spent More Time Crashing Than He Did Flying. If There Was A Rewards Card For Frequent Crashers, He'd Be, Like, Double Platinum Level.

I’m The God Of Funerals. I Know Every Death Custom In The World—how To Die Properly, How To Prepare The Body And Soul For The Afterlife. I Live For Death.” “you Must Be Fun At Parties,” I Said.

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

No, No, I Never Mess Around.

I Had Weird Dreams Full Of Barnyard Animals. Most Of Them Wanted To Kill Me. The Rest Wanted Food.

But Who Are You?" Percy—" I Started To Say. Then The Skeletons Turned Around. "gotta Go!" What Kind Of Name Is Percy Gotta-go?

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

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

I Feel Incredibly Fortunate To Have Had The Level Of Success I've Had. I Was Just Writing Stories For My Own Sons.

You Began Your Journey Here As A Pup. Now You Must Find Your Way Back. A New Quest, A New Start.

Anyway. Leo Said, I Hope You've Got Your Worksheet, 'cause I Used Mine For Spit Wads Days Ago. Why Are You Looking At Me Like That? Somebody Draw On My Face Again?

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

Percy: Don't I Get A Kiss For Luck? It's Kind Of A Tradition, Right? Annabeth: Come Back Alive, Seaweed Brain. Then We'll See.

Monsters Don't Die. They Just Dissipate Into Smoke And Dust, Which Saves Heroes A Lot Of Trouble Cleaning Up After A Fight.

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.

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

Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" -cal

Ma’at Demands A Leader.” “yeah So I’ve Heard.

And Of Course I'm In The Press All The Time. So Many Books Have Been Written About Me; Into Thin Air, Up In The Air,gone With The Wind-

The Whole Campfire Idea Freaked Piper Out. It Made Her Think Of That Huge Purple Bonfire In The Dreams, And Her Father Tied To A Stake. What She Got Instead Was Almost As Terrifying: A Sing-along.

Race You To The Road?" I Said. "you Are So Going To Lose." She (annabeth) Took Off Down Half-blood Hill And I Sprinted After Her. For Once, I Didn't Look Back.

You’re That Lady,” Leo Said. “the One Who Was Named After Caribbean Music.” Her Eyes Glinted Murderously. “caribbean Music.” “yeah. Reggae?” Leo Shook His Head. “merengue? Hold On, I’ll Get It.” He Snapped His Fingers. “calypso!

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

You Know How Hard It Is To Feel Like An Extreme Falcon-headed Combat Machine When Somebody Calls You "chicken Man"?

Is It Fair Your Life Burns So Short And Bright? Death Had Asked. "no Such Thing As Fair," Frank Told Himself. "if I'm Going To Burn, It Might As Well Be Bright.

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

Set Screamed Something In Ancient Egyptian. I Was Fairly Sure It Wasn’t A Compliment. “i Will Rend Your Limbs From Their Sockets!” He Shouted. “i Will—” “die?” Carter Suggested.

A Person's Shadow Stood For His Legacy, His Impact On The World. Some People Cast Hardly Any Shadow At All. Some Cast Long, Deep Shadows That Endured For Centuries.

I Prefer To Be The Noisiest Thing In My Environment Thank You Very Much.

His Left Eyebrow Crept Higher And Higher As I Told Him The Strange Bits Like The Glowing Letters And Serpent Staff. "well, Sadie," Inspector Williams Said. "you've Got Quite An Imagination." "i'm Not Lying, Inspector. And I Think Your Eyebrow Is Trying To Escape." He Tried To Look At His Own Eyebrows, Then Scowled.

You Want To Know How Egyptians Pulled The Brains Out Of Mummies. Or Built The Pyramids, Or Cursed King Tut's Tomb? My Dad's Your Man.

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