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I Figure The World Is Basically A Machine. I Don't Know Who Made It, If It Was The Fates, Or The Gods, Or The Capital-g God Or Whatever. But It Chugs Along The Way It's Supposed To Most Of The Time. Sure, Little Pieces Break Off And Stuff Goes Haywire Once In A While, But Mostly... Things Happen For A Reason.

-Rick Riordan

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I Figure The World

Rick Riordan

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I Figure The World Is Basically A Machine. I Don't Know Who Made It, If It Was The Fates, Or The Gods, Or The Capital-g God Or Whatever. But It Chugs Along The Way It's Supposed To Most Of The Time. Sure, Little Pieces Break Off And Stuff Goes Haywire Once In A While, But Mostly... Things Happen For A Reason.

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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.

Hope Survives Best At The Hearth.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Let The World Honor You, My Huntress. Live Forever In The Stars.

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

Nothing Is Unfixable.

Apollo?” I Guessed… He Put A Finger To His Lips. “i’m Incognito. Call Me Fred.” A God Named Fred?

It's Just Annabeth Mom Jeez!

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.

Now, Come Over Here So I Can Pat You Down." "but You Don't Have-" Percy Stopped. "uh, Sure." He Stood Next To The Armless Statue. Terminus Conducted A Rigorous Mental Pat Down. "you Seem To Be Clean," Terminus Decided. "do You Have Anything To Declare?" "yes," Percy Said. "i Declare That This Is Stupid.

The Sign Was Spray-painted In Arabic And English, Probably From Some Attempt By The Farmer To Sell His Wares In The Market. The English Read: Dates-best Price. Cold Bebsi. "bebsi?" I Asked. "pepsi," Walt Said. "i Read About It On The Internet. There's No 'p' In Arabic. Everyone Here Calls The Soda Bebsi." "so You Have To Have Bebsi With Your Bizza?" "brobably.

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!

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

Hades Raised An Eyebrow. When He Sat Forward In His Throne, Shadowy Faces Appeared In The Folds Of His Black Robes, Faces Of Torment,as If The Garment Was Stitched Of Trapped Souls From The Fields Of Punishment, Trying To Get Out. The Adhd Part Of Me Wondered, Off-task, Whether The Rest Of His Clothes Were Made The Same Way. What Horrible Things Would You Have To Do In Your Life To Get Woven Into Hades' Underwear?

Well, Actually It Carried Cadmus. Europa Fell Off And Died Along The Way, But That's Not Important.' It Was Probably Important To Her.

Our Secret Weapon, Khione! We're Not Just A Bunch Of Demigods. We're A Team.

Gaea?” Leo Shook His Head. “isn’t That Mother Nature? She’s Supposed To Have, Like, Flowers In Her Hair And Birds Singing Around Her And Dear And Rabbits Doing Her Laundry.” “leo, That’s Snow White,” Piper Said.

Nice Creepy Reptile,” Frank Said, Very Aware Of The Driftwood In His Coat Pocket. “nice Poisonous, Fire-breathing Reptile.

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

Husband, We Talked About This," Persephone Chided. "you Can't Go Around Incinerating Every Hero. Besides, He's Brave. I Like That." Hades Rolled His Eyes. "you Liked That Orpheus Fellow Too. Look How Well That Turned Out.

Heroes Like You Always Have A Weak Spot. We Just Have To Find It, And Then We Can Kill You. Won't That Be Lovely? Have A Cheese 'n' Wiener!

Mussolini?” Leo Frowned. “wasn’t He Like Bffs With Hitler?

You Put The Set Animal In Your Locker? Do You Know How Much Strength That Requires?” “yeah,” I Said. “i Was There.

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.

And Yes,percy,of Course They Are Now In Our United States. Look At Your Symbol,the Eagle Of Zeus. Look At The Statue Of Prometheus In Rockefeller Center,the Greek Facades Of Our Government Builidings In Washington. I Defy You To Find Any American City Where The Olympians Are Not Proeminently Displayed, In Multiple Places. Like It Or Not-and Believe Me,plenty Of People Weren't Very Found Of Rome,either-america Is Now The Heart Of The Flame. It Is The Great Power Of The West.and So Olympus Is Here.and We Are Here.

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

The Images From The Book You Make In Your Head Are Always Going To Be The Best Images.

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.

Percy: I’ll Walk Down To The Cabins And Connor And Travis Are Stealing Stuff From The Camp Store, And Silena Is Arguing With Annabeth Trying To Give Her A New Makeover, And Clarisse Is Still Sticking The New Kids’ Head Into The Toilets. It’s Nice That Some Things Never Change.

Annabeth Came Up To Me. She Was Dressed In Black Camouflage With Her Celestial Bronze Knife Strapped To Her Arm And Her Laptop Bag Slung Over Her Shoulder—ready For Stabbing Or Surfing The Internet, Whichever Came First.

You Speak Horse?" Hazel Asked. "speaking To Horses Is A Poseidon Thing," Percy Said. "uh, I Mean A Neptune Thing." "then You And Arion Should Get Along Fine," Hazel Said. "he's A Son Of Neptune Too." Percy Turned Pale. "excuse Me?

So," Annabeth Said, "are You Going To Argue About Me Coming Along?" "nah. You'd Just Beat Me Up." Percy Said. She Managed A Laugh, Which Was Good To Hear

Now, Sorry About That Kill-on-sight Business.

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

Now, My Brethren!" Poseidon's Voice Was So Loud I Wasn't Sure If I Was Hearing It From The Smoke Image Or From All The Way Across Town. "strike For Olympus!

You Set Us Up!” “no! I Swear—” Her Face Fell. “mel. Mel Must’ve Told Him.” “right,” I Grumbled. “blame Mel.

As In All Abercrombie's Books, Friends Turn Out To Be Enemies, Enemies Turn Out To Be Friends; The Line Between Good And Evil Is Murky Indeed; And Nothing Goes Quite As We Expect. With Eye-popping Plot Twists And Rollicking Good Action, Half A King Is Definitely A Full Adventure.

There's Another Problem," Percy Said. "i'm Not Good With Air Travel. It's Dangerous For A Son Of Neptune." "you'll Have To Risk It...and So Will I," Frank Said. "by The Way, We're Related." Percy Almost Stumbled Off The Roof. "what?

Poseidon Can Come In Too! We Will Eat You Both! Seafood!

I Will Feast On Enemies Of Ra Until My Belly Is Full!” “charming,” Sadie Whispered.

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?

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

Kids, If Anything, Are Harder To Write For Because They Are A More Discerning Audience. They Will Not Stay With You If You Go Off On A Tangent Or If You Give Them Extraneous Information That Doesn't Serve The Story. You Really Have To Tell A Tight Story. You Have To Give Them Humor And Suspense And Believable Characters. All Those Things That Adults Want Too, But You Have To Be Really On Your Game When You're Writing For Kids.

The Real World Is Where The Monsters Are.

Eating Next To A Twenty-foot-long Crocodile Took Some Getting Used To, But Philip Was Well Trained. He Only Ate Bacon, Stray Waterfowl, And The Occasional Invading Monster.

But I've Never Even Been To Olympus! Zeus Is Crazy!" Chiron And Grover Glanced Nervously At The Sky. The Clouds Didn't Seem To Be Parting Around Us, As Grover Had Promised. They Were Rolling Straight Over Our Valley, Sealing Us In Like A Coffin Lid. Er, Percy ...?" Grover Said. "we Don't Use The C-word To Describe The Lord Of The Sky.

Her Secret Fear? Maybe She Didn't Tried Hard Enough.

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

Yeah, My Bad," Leo Muttered. "i Should've Crashed On One Of The Other Islands. Oh, Wait-there Aren't Any!" She [calypso] Snarled And Kept Walking Along The Edge Of The Water.

Hope Does Not Leave Without Being Given Permission.

Amos Stopped Before The Entrance, Which Was The Size Of A Garage Door—a Dark Heavy Square Of Timber With No Visible Handle Or Lock. “carter After You.” “um, How Do I—” “how Do You Think?” Great Another Mystery. I Was About To Suggest We Ram Amos’s Head Against It And See If That Worked.

His Lion And Hippo Legs Twitched. I Wondered If Netherworld Monsters Dreamed Of Chasing Rabbits.

Oh, God,” I Said. “sorry, Sorry. Do I Die Now?” --sadie To Zia

You Can Tell The Future?' 'more Like The Future Mugs Me From Time To Time.' Rachel Said 'i Speak Prophecies. The Oracle Spirit Kind Of Hijacks Me Once In A While, And Speaks Important Stuff That Doesn't Make Any Sense To Anybody. But Yeah, The Prophecies Tell The Future.

She Sacrificed Her Life To Make Things Right," Mitchell Grumbled. "she[silena Beuregard] Was A Hero

Make Things Right

We'd Spent Maybe Ten Minutes Together, During Which Time I'd Accidentally Swung A Sword At Her, She'd Saved My Life, And I'd Run Away Chased By A Band Of Supernatural Killing Machines. You Know, Your Typical Chance Meeting.

Huh," Leo Said. "well, If You Ever Get Off This Island And Want A Job, Let Me Know. You're Not A Total Klutz." She Smirked. "a Job, Eh?" Making Things In Your Forge?" "nah, We Could Start Our Own Shop," Leo Said, Surprising Himself. Starting A Machine Shop Had Always Been One Of His Dreams, But He'd Never Told Anyone About It. "leo And Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair And Mechanical Monsters.

My Eighth Grade Teacher, Mrs. Pabst, Had Done Her Master's Thesis On Tolkien. She Showed Me How The Trilogy Was Patterned After Norse Mythology. She Was Also The First Person To Encourage Me To Submit Stories For Publication. The Idea Of Writing A Fantasy Based On Myths Never Left Me, And Many Years Later, This Would Lead Me To Write Percy Jackson.

Shut Up, Me,” Leo Said Aloud. “what?” Piper Asked. “nothing,” He Said. “long Night. I Think I’m Hallucinating. It’s Cool.” Sitting In Front, Leo Couldn’t See Their Faces, But He Assumed From Their Silence That His Friends Were Not Pleased To Have A Sleepless, Hallucinating Dragon Driver. “just Joking.” Leo Decided It Might Be Good To Change The Subject.

You Never Know!” Neith Snapped. “the Point Is, I’ll Survive The Apocalypse. I Can Live Off The Land!” She Jabbed A Finger At Me. “did You Know The Palm Tree Has Six Different Edible Parts?” “um—” “and I’ll Never Be Bored,” Neith Continued, “since I’m Also The Goddess Of Weaving. I Have Enough Twine For A Millennium Of Macramé!” I Had No Reply, As I Wasn’t Sure What Macramé Was.

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.

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.

Grover Was Sniffing The Wind, Looking Nervous. He Fished Out His Acorns And Threw Them Into The Sand, Then Played His Pipes. They Rearranged Themselves In A Pattern That Made No Sense To Me, But Grover Looked Concerned. "that's Us," He Said. "those Five Nuts Right There." "which One Is Me?" I Asked. "the Little Deformed One," Zoe Suggested. "oh, Shut Up.

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?

Can’t This Thing Go Any Faster?” Thalia Demanded. Zoe Glared At Her. “i Cannot Control Traffic.” You Both Sound Like My Mother,” I Said. Shut Up!” They Both Said In Union.

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.

It Is A Costly Thing, Looking On The True Face Of Love.

That Really Was Not Fun, Though. Well, The Hitting-her-with-a-stick Part, That Was Fun. But Crashing Into A Concrete Bear? Not Fun.

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.

Is Tyson Okay?" I Asked. The Question Seemed To Take My Dad By Surprise. He's Fine. Doing Much Better Than I Expected. Though "peanut Butter" Is A Strange Battle Cry. "you Let Him Fight?" Stop Changing The Subject! You Realize What You Are Asking Me To Do? My Palace Will Be Destroyed. "and Olympus Might Be Saved." Do You Have Any Idea How Long I've Worked On Remodeling This Palace? The Game Room Alone Took Six Hundred Years. "dad—" Very Well! It Shall Be As You Say. But My Son, Pray This Works. "i Am Praying. I'm Talking To You, Right?" Oh . . . Yes. Good Point.

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!

My Name Is Percy Jackson. I'm Twelve Years Old. Until A Few Months Ago, I Was A Boarding Student At Yancy Academy, A Private School For Troubled Kids In Upstate New York. Am I A Troubled Kid? Yeah. You Could Say That.

Tyson Charged At The Cyclops Leader, Ma Gasket, Her Chain-mail Dress Spattered With Mud And Decorated With Broken Spears. She Gawked At Tyson And Started To Say, “who—?” 463/508 Tyson Hit Her In The Head So Hard, She Spun In A Circle And Landed On Her Rump. “bad Cyclops Lady!” He Bell Owed. “general Tyson Says Go Away!” He Hit Her Again, And Ma Gasket Broke Into Dust.

Destroy Them Later?" Cal Offered, Which Was Probably As Close To Friendly As He Ever Got.

I (percy) Set Nico On Guard Duty With Beckendorf And The Stoll Brothers, Figuring He'd Be Safely Out Of The Way. ... "what's Happening?" Nico Demanded, Trying To Climb Up Next To Me.

Piper Gave Lit A Friendly Sorry-about-that Smile. Even With Her Hair Messed Up And Wearing Two-day-old Clothes, She Looked Extremely Cute, And Jason Felt A Little Jealous She Was Giving Lit That Smile.

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

We'd Just Released A Zebra In Las Vegas.

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?

How Does Galdoila Know About The Reward?" I Asked. "he Reads The Signs," Grover Said. "duh." "of Course," I Said. "silly Me.

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

Piper Bit Her Lip. The Last Thing She Wanted To Do Was Check Katopris For More Terrifying Images. 'i've Tried,'she Said.'the Dagger Doesn't Always Show What I Want To See. In Fact,it Hardly Ever Does' 'please,'percy Said.'try Again.' He 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. 'fine,'she Sighed,and Drew Her Dagger

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

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.)

Love Is On Every Side, And No One's Side. Don't Ask What Love Can Do For You.

Something Inside Me Clicked, Like An Engine Shifting Into Higher Gear. My Thinking Suddenly Became Faster And Clearer. The Anger And Fear Didn't Go Away, But I Realized They Weren't Important. They Weren't Going To Help Me.

Maybe It’s The Other Way Around,” Jason Suggested. “maybe People With Special Gifts Show Up When Bad Things Are Happening Because That’s When They’re Needed Most.

The Death Mist Is Not For Helping!" Akhlys Shrieked. "it Shrouds Mortals In Misery As Their Souls Pass Into The Underworld. It Is The Very Breath Of Tartarus, Of Death, Of Despair!" "awesome," Percy Said. "could We Get Two Orders Of That To Go?

I Would've Hit The Water Hard, But At The Last Second I Changed Into A Falcon. ~carter Kane

I Have To Be Careful. My Readers Are Very Detail-oriented, And If I Make A Mistake They'll Call Me On It.

I Grabbed A Pair Of Glowing Red Legs.

My Understanding Of Magic Is Fairly Straightforward. Hit Enemies With A Sword Until They’re Dead. If They Rise Again, Hit Them Again. Repeat As Necessary. It Worked Against Set.

I Have Some Extra Costumes-" "no!" Ephialtes Snapped, And For Once Percy Was In Agreement.

I'm So Glad You're Here," Aphrodite Said. "war Is Coming. Bloodshed Is Inevitable. So There's Really Only One Thing To Do." "uh... And That Is?" Annabeth Ventured. "why, Have Tea And Chat, Obviously

I Thought She'd Make Some Comment About The Bloodthirsty Gods Chasing Us, But When She Finally Found Her Voice, She Said, "that Boy Kissed You!" Leave It To Liz To Have Her Priorities Straight.

I Had Nightmares About What Poseidon Might Turn Me Into If I Were On The Verge Of Death-plankton Maybe." -percy Jackson

Don't Get Starry-eyed About Somebody You Can't Have, Especially If It Blinds You To Somebody Who's Really Important.

Festus Just Detected A Large Group Of Eagles Behind Us—long-range Radar, Still Not In Sight.” Piper Leaned Over The Console. “are You Sure They’re Roman?” Leo Rolled His Eyes. “no, Pipes. It Could Be A Random Group Of Giant Eagles Flying In Perfect Formation. Of Course They’re Roman!

Where Are You Taking Us?" Nico Said. "you Should Be Honored, My Boy. You Will Have The Opportunity To Join A Great Army! Just Like That Silly Game You Play With Cards And Dolls." "they're Not Dolls! They're Figurines! And You Can Take Your Great Army And—

Safety From What? Who's After Me?" Oh, Nobody Much," Grover Said, Obviously Still Miffed About The Donkey Comment. "just The Lord Of The Dead And A Few Of His Blood-thirstiest Minions.

My Resolve, My Anger, Even My Grief Gave Me Confidence

Great Victory Requires Great Risk. -hera

You Think It's Okay That We're Eating Rudolph?" "dude," Percy Said, "i Could Eat Prancer And Blitzen, Too. I'm Hungry.

And Do You Know What A Full-fledged War Would Look Like, Percy?" "bad?" I Guessed. "imagine The World In Chaos. Nature At War With Itself. Olympians Forced To Choose Sides Between Zeus Amd Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions Dead. Western Civilization Turned Into A Battleground So Big It Will Make The Trojan War Look Like A Water-balloon Fight." "bad," I Repeated.

I Blinked The Sleep Out Of My Eyes And Realized My Head Was In Khufu’s Lap. The Baboon Was Foraging My Scalp For Munchies. “dude.” I Sat Up Groggily. “not Cool.” “but He Gave You A Lovely Hairdo,” Sadie Said. “agh-agh!” Khufu Agreed.

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

All We Can Do, Child, Is Follow Our Destiny.

Daddy Will Explain. Come, He Is Blowing Up Monsters.

Leo Grabbed The Neasrest Thing He Could Find- A Porta-potty Seat- And Threw It At The Face. Leve Me Alone!

Your Uncle," Poseidon Sighed, "has Always Had A Flair For Dramatic Exits. I Think He Would've Done Well As The God Of Theater.

No One Can Hate You With More Intensity Than Someone Who Used To Love You.

My Modus Operandi Hasn't Really Changed That Much From When I Was An English Teacher. I Wanted My Students To Leave My Classroom Loving Reading And Wanting To Read More, And If They Left My Classroom Thinking That Reading Is Boring, Then I Haven't Done My Job.

I Get Letters From College Kids Who Have Read Percy Jackson When They Were Younger Who Tell Me, 'i Just Passed My Classics Exam.' The Books Are Accurate Enough That They Can Serve As A Gateway To Homer And Virgil.

Writing 'book 1: The Maze Of Bones' Didn't Feel Much Different Than Writing One Of My Other Novels, But I Thought It Was Very Innovative To Offer The Website And Trading Card Components As Well For Those Readers Who Wanted To Go More In Depth With The Cahill Experience.

It's First Owner...well, Things Didn't Turn Out Too Well For Her. Her Name Was Helena.' Piper Let That Sink In. "wait, You Mean The Helena? Helena Of Troy?' Annabeth Nodded. "and It's Just Sitting In Your Toolshed?

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.

Whasthat!" "um ... Those Are The Toilets.

Hestia Shook Her Head. "i Am Here Because When All Else Fails, When All The Other Mighty Gods Have Gone Off To War, I Am All That's Left. Home. Hearth. I Am The Last Olympian

Percy, We're Going To Polyphemus' Island! Polyphemus Is An S-i-k...a C-y-k..." She Stamped Her Foot In Frustration. As Smart As She Was, Annabeth Was Dyslexic, Too. We Could've Been There All Night While She Tried To Spell Cyclops. "you Know What I Mean!

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.

The Gods Need Heroes. They Always Have.

The Cafe Windows Wrapped All The Way Around The Observation Floor, Which Gave Us A Beautiful Panoramic View Of The Skeleton Army That Had Come To Kill Us.

There Was Tyson Moving Into The Poseidon Cabin, Giggling To Himself Every Fifteen Seconds And Saying, "percy Is My Brother?" Like He'd Just Won The Lottery. Aw, Tyson," I'd Say. "it's Not That Simple.

Wow. When He Started Looking Back On The War With Kronos As The Good Old Days--that Was Sad.

Eternity With Artemis?" He Heaved A Big Sigh. Thalia Rolled Her Eyes. "you Satyrs. You're All In Love With Artemis. Don't You Get That She'll Never Love You Back?" "but She's So…into Nature," Grover Swooned. "you're Nuts," Said Thalia. "nuts And Berries," Grover Said Dreamily. "yeah.

Words Are The Source Of All Power. And Names Are More Than Just A Collection Of Letters.

I'm Not Usually An Eavesdropper,but I Dare You To Try Not Listening If You Hear Your Best Friend Talking About You To An Adult.

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

People Usually Asked Her If She Had A Belly Button. Of Course She Had A Belly Button. She Couldn't Explain How. She Didn't Really Want To Know.

I'll Succeed,' Hazel Promised. 'and Hecate? I'm Not Choosing One Of Your Paths. I'm Making My Own.

Annabeth Recognized Something Else In Her Face, Too - In The Hard Set Of Her Mouth And The Deliberate Way She Raised Her Chin Like She Was Ready To Accept Any Challenge. Reyna Was Forcing A Look Of Courage, While Holding Back A Mixture Of Hopefulness And Worry And Fear That She Couldn't Show In Public. Annabeth Knew That Expression. She Saw It Every Time She Looked In A Mirror.

June Smiled. "so What Will It Be? Safety, Or A Future Of Pain And Possibility?"

Somewhere Behind Me, Zia Yelled, "hippo!" Which I Thought Was A Little Late. She Stumbled Toward Me Over The Rocking Deck, The Tip Of Her Staff On Fire. Our Ghostly Pal Setne Floated Behind Her, Grinning With Delight. "there Is It!" Setne Shook His Diamond Pink Rings. "told Ya Apophis Would Send A Monster To Kill You." "you're So Smart!" I Shouted. "now, How Do We Stop It?

See, Bad Things Happen To Me On Field Trips. Like At My Fifth-grade School, When We Went To The Saratoga Battlefield, I Had This Accident With A Revolutionary War Cannon. I Wasn't Aiming For The School Bus, But Of Course I Got Expelled Anyway. - Percy Jackson

"monkey Bars," Annabeth Said. "i'm Great At These." She Leaped Onto To The First Rung And Started Swinging Her Way Across. She Was Scared Of Tiny Spiders, But Not Of Plummeting To Her Death From A Set Of Monkey Bars. Go Figure.

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.

Part Of Their Problem Was Percy. He Fought Like A Demon, Whirling Through The Defender's Ranks In A Completely Unorthodox Style, Rolling Under Their Feet, Slashing With His Sword Instead Of Stabbing Like A Roman Would, Whacking Campers With The Flat Of His Blade, And Generally Causing Mass Panic.

What’s The Point Of Being A Magician If You Can’t Wave Your Wand And Make The People You Care About Feel Better?

For Thousands Of Years, You Humans Have Been Throwing In Everything As You Come Across--hopes, Dreams, Wishes That Never Came True. Irresponsible Waste Management, If You Ask Me.

Percy Frowned "you Have A Feast For Tuna?

If You'd Sat There Any Longer,' Annabeth Said, 'you Would Have Spontaneously Combusted. I Hope The Conversation Was Worth It?

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

Don't Untie Me," She Said, "no Matter What Happens Or How Much I Plead. I'll Want To Go Straight Over The Edge And Drown Myself." "are You Trying To Tempt Me?" "ha-ha.

Rachel: You're A Half-blood, Too? Annabeth: Shhh! Just Announce It To The World, How About? Rachel: Okay. Hey, Everybody! These Two Aren't Human! They're Half Greek God!...they Don't Seem To Care.

Oh, Don't Mind Me! Just The Queen Of The Heavens, Dying Over Here!

She Looked At Me, Like She Was Drinking In The Fact That I Was Still Here. And I Realized I Was Doing The Same Thing. The World Was Collapsing, And The Only Thing That Really Mattered To Me Was That She Was Alive.

It's Hard To Know What [literature] Will End Up Being Timeless And What Will Be Something That Doesn't Translate Into The Future, Especially With The Way We're Evolving Since Our Culture Is Changing So Fast.

Am I A Troubled Kid? Yeah, You Could Say That.

Nico Drank From The Chalice, Then Offered It To Jason. "you Asked Me About Trust, And Taking A Risk? Well, Here You Go, Son Of Jupiter. How Much Do You Trust Me?" Frank Wasn't Sure What Nico Was Talking About, But Jason Didn't Hesitate. He Took The Cup And Drank.

See You On The Other Side. -percy Jackson

Survive First. Figure Out Crayon Drawing Of Destiny Later.

You Mix Greek And Roman, You Know What You Get? You Get Bam!

Swords Can’t Solve Every Problem.

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

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

Hazel Blinked. “two Gods Had A Horse For A Kid?” “long Story.

Leo Frowned At The Giant's Spire. "can't We Blow It Up Or Something?" "without Me, You Do Not Have The Power," Hera Said. "you Might As Well Try To Destroy A Mountain." "done That Once Today," Jason Said.

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.

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?

All Right, Cupcakes. You Are About To See The Grand Canyon. Try Not To Break It. The Skywalk Can Hold The Weight Of Seventy Jumbo Jets, To You Featherweights Should Be Safe Out There. If Possible, Try To Avoid Pushing Each Other Over The Edge, As That Would Cause Me Extra Paperwork.

Pushing Each Other

Hi,” Piper Said, As Casually As She Could. “we’re Back.

It Almost Made Me Long For The Flying Pig. --percy

I Could Always See Myself Being A Teacher. I Remember Sitting In Class As A Kid, Listening To The Teacher And Thinking, You Know, I'm Pretty Sure I Could Explain That A Little Bit Better.

Caught In A Bad Romance. Whoaaa-oh-ooooh!" Nellie Wailed Along To The Xm Radio Blaring From The Enormous Speakers. "can I Uncover My Ears Now?" Dan Called From The Back, Where He Was Reclined Across The Leather Seat. "has Nellie Stopped Her Lady Gag Me Impression?

And Togheter, Holding Hands, He And Annabeth Fell Into The Endless Darkness

June Cackled With Delight, Muttering, "whoops!" As A Car Almost Killed Them.

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

"we're Staying Together," He Promised. "you're Not Getting Away From Me. Never Again."

I Got The Feeling Poseidon Really Didn't Know What To Think Of Me. He Didn't Know Whether He Was Happy To Have Me As A Son Or Not. In A Strange Way, I Was Glad That Poseidon Was So Distant. If He'd Tried To Apologize, Or Told Me He Love Me, Or Even Smiled. It Would've Felt Fake. Like Human Dad, Making Some Lame Excuse For Not Being Around. I Could Live With That. After All, I Wasn't Sure About Him Yet, Either.

Nico's Voice Was Like Broken Glass. "i- I Wasn't In Love With Annabeth." "you Were Jealous Of Her," Jason Said. "that's Why You Didn't Want To Be Around Her. Especially Why You Don't Want To Be Around... Him. It Makes Total Sense.

Percy Scowled. "i-i Know You." Nico Raised His Eyebrows. "do You?

It Is True That I Once Refused To Eat Haggis In Scotland And This Did Not Sit Well With The Local Population.

Forget The Chicken-nugget Smoke Screen. Percy Wanted Leo To Invent An Anti-dream Hat.

I Nodded, Looking At Rachel With Respect. "you Hit The Lord Of The Titans In The Eye With A Blue Plastic Hairbrush.

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.

You Must Forge Your Own Path For It To Mean Anything.

I Concentrated Hard And Snapped My Fingers. "you Don't See The Sword," I Told The Girl. "it's Just A Ballpoint Pen." She Blinked. "um . . . No. It's A Sword, Weirdo.

Staplers--- Excellent Source Of Iron

She Held Up Her Calloused, Grimy Fingers. Leo Couldn't Help Thinking There Was Nothing Hotter Than A Girl Who Didn't Mind Getting Her Hands Dirty. But Of Course, That Was Just A General Comment. Didn't Apply To Calypso. Obviously.

I Wrote For 10 Years Before I Even Started The 'percy Jackson' Series.

I Held Out A Lead Figurine Of Hades—the Little Mythomagic Statue Nico Had Abandoned When He Fled Camp Last Winter. Nico Hesitated. "i Don’t Play That Game Anymore. It’s For Kids." "it’s Got Four Thousand Attack Power," I Coaxed. "five Thousand," Nico Corrected. "but Only If Your Opponent Attacks First." I Smiled. "maybe It’s Okay To Still Be A Kid Once In A While.

Curse Us Eh/i'll Make You Pay!/i Don't Want To Rhyme All Day!

Amos Clapped His Hands. “khufu!” I Thought He’d Sneezed, Because Khufu Is A Weird Name, But Then A Little Dude About Three Feet Tall With Gold Fur And A Purple Shirt Came Clambering Down The Stairs. It Took Me A Second To Realize It Was A Baboon Wearing An L.a. Lakers Jersey.

I Was A Fight To The Death, And I Felt Great.

Normally My Sister, Sadie, Or Some Of Our Other Initiates From Brooklyn House Would've Come With Me. But They Were All At The First Nome, In Egypt, For A Weeklong Training Session On Controlling Cheese Demons(yes, They're A Real Thing; Believe Me, You Don't Want To Know)

Even Strength Must Bow To Wisdom Sometimes.

Yay!” Tyson Went Around The Couches And Gave Everyone A Big Hug—even Octavian, Who Didn't Look Thrilled About It.

Hey, Moose!” I Screamed. The Set Animal Locked Its Glowing Eyes One Me. Well Done! Horus Said. Now We’ll Both Die With Honor! Shut Up, I Thought.

You're A Stalker With Hooves." -percy Jackson

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

Somewhere Behind Me, Zia Yelled, "hippo!" Which I Thought Was A Little Late. ~carter Kane

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

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.

Nobody Welcomes A War - Not If They're Smart. But War Finds Everyone Sooner Or Later. It's Inevitable.

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

That's What Happens When It Snows In Texas Lady. It. Freaking. Melts.

Charlie …" Silena’s Eyes Were A Million Miles Away. "see Charlie.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Delaying Death Is One Of My Favorite Hobbies

You Cannot Imprison Me!" He Bellowed. "i Am Hyperion! I Am-" The Bark Closed Over His Face. Grover Took His Pipes From His Mouth. "you Are A Very Nice Maple Tree.

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

When He Pulled Away, He Smiled Kindly At Me. I Felt So Good, I'll Admit I Teared Up A Little. I Guess Until That Moment I Hadn't Allowed Myself To Realize Just How Terrified I Had Been The Last Few Days. "dad-" "shhh," He Said. "no Hero Is Above Fear, Percy. And You Have Risen Above Every Hero. Not Even Hercules-

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