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Jason's Fingers Itched To Draw His Sword. He'd Met Plenty Of Scary Demigods, But He Was Starting To Realize That Nico Di Angelo--as Pale And Gaunt As He Looked--might Be More Than He Could Handle.

-Rick Riordan

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Jason's Fingers Itched To

Rick Riordan

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Jason's Fingers Itched To Draw His Sword. He'd Met Plenty Of Scary Demigods, But He Was Starting To Realize That Nico Di Angelo--as Pale And Gaunt As He Looked--might Be More Than He Could Handle.

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I Turned And Found Dionysus Standing There, Still In His Black Suit. Walk With Me,” He Said. Where To?” I Asked Suspiciously. Just To The Campfire,” He Said. “i Was Beginning To Feel Better, So I Thought I Would Talk With You A Bit. You Always Manage To Annoy Me.” Uh, Thanks.

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

How Do You Have Five Children In A Row, Each On A Different Say?” “they’re Gods,” Carter Said. “they Can Do Stuff Like That.

She Led Him Past The Engine Room, Which Looked Like A Very Dangerous, Mechanized Jungle Gym, With Pipes And Pistons And Tubes Jutting From A Central Bronze Sphere. Cables Resembling Giant Metal Noodles Snaked Across The Floor And Ran Up The Walls. “how Does That Thing Even Work?” Percy Asked. “no Idea,” Annabeth Said. “and I’m The Only One Besides Leo Who Can Operate It.” “that’s Reassuring.” “it Should Be Fine. It’s Only Threatened To Blow Up Once.” “you’re Kidding, I Hope.” She Smiled. “come On.

The Meeting Was Like A War Council With Donuts. Then Again, Back At Camp Half-blood They Used To Have Their Most Serious Discussions Around The Ping-pong Table In The Rec Room With Crackers And Cheez Whiz, So Percy Felt Right At Home.

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

When I Write, I'm Still Imagining A Kid Reading It On Paper. I Read E-books When I Travel, But In General I Still Prefer Holding An Old-fashioned Book In My Hands. There's A Special, Tactile Experience.

Knowledge Of Any Value Can't Be Given. It Must Be Sought And Earned

I Don't Think About Being Famous, Really. Being An Author, I Don't Generally Get Stopped As I Walk Down The Street. It's Not Like Being A Movie Star.

Now I'd Like To Tell U I Did Something Heroic Like Stand Up Against A Raging Team Of Fire-breathing Horses With Only My Sword The Truth Is I Ran.

I Woke To A Bucket Of Ice Water In My Face. “sadie! Get Up,” Zia Said. “god!” I Yelled. “was That Necessary?” “no,” Admitted Zia.

Zoë Threw Up Her Hands In Exasperation. "i Hate This Language. It Changes Too Often!

It’s Not Important,” Silena Insisted. “we Have To Find Charlie!” Another First: A Child Of Aphrodite Uninterested In Jewellery.

"aphrodite," She Said. "venus?" Hazel Asked In Amazement. "mom," Piper Said, With No Enthusiasm.

My Face Felt Like My Normal Face, As If That Part Of Me Hadn’t Transformed Into A Bird. [fine, Sadie. Call Me The Carter-headed Chicken. Happy?]

We Passed Hieroglyphic Scrolls, Gold Jewelry, Sarcophagi, Statues Of Pharaohs, And Huge Chunks Of Limestone. Why Would Someone Display A Rock? Aren't There Enough Of Those In The World?

I Looked Into His Eyes, And I Realized He Was The Same Man I'd Seen In My Dreams. His Face Might Be Totally Different, But The Same Soul Was In There, The Same Intelligence And All The Sadness.

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

Either The Kid Was Naturally Hyper Or He Was Hopped Up On Enough Caffeine To Give A Heart Attack To A Water Buffalo.

For An Absurd Moment, I Wondered If Ammit Devoured The Hearts Of Wicked Cows, And If He Liked The Beefy Taste. - Carter Kane

He's Nuts" Bianca Said "we Need To Jump Off This Cliff" I Said "oh Nice Idea!! Your Nuts Too

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

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

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.

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

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-

So You Can't Live In Manhattan?' She Asked. Amos's Brow Furrowed As He Looked Across At The Empire State Building. 'manhattan Has Other Problems. Other Gods. It's Best We Stay Separate.

Right,” I Said. “so The Baboon, The Crocodile…any Other Pets I Should Know About?” Amos Thought For A Moment. “visible Ones? No, I Think That’s It.

Wha-what?" Her Eyes Fluttered Open. "nothing," I Shouted. "we're Being Followed By A Slaying Machine. Go Back To Sleep.

You Assume That It Has To Be A Male God Who Finds A Human Female Attractive? How Sexist Is That?

You're Pretty Smug, Lord Ares, For A Guy Who Runs From Cupid Statues.

You Must Carry On My Spirit. It Can No Longer Be Carried By A God. It Must Be Taken Up By All Of You. - Pan

Like Some Helpful Person (hi, Mom) Has Tried To "'clean'" It, And Suddenly You Can't Find Anything?

The Others Strapped Themselves Below - Except For Coach Hedge, Who Insisted On Clinging To The Forward Rail, Yelling, "yeah! Bring It On, Lake!

My Mother Says Looking Is The Nature Of Wisdom.

I Play Dodgeball With Cannibals (chapter 2)

George Unhinged His Jaw And Coughed Up A Little Plastic Bottle Filled With Chewable Vitamins. "you're Kidding," I Said. "are Those Minotaur-shaped?" Hermes Picked Up The Bottle And Rattled It. "the Lemon Ones, Yes. The Grape Ones Are Furies, I Think. Or Are They Hydras? At Any Rate, These Are Potent."

I Knew Dionysus Must've Filled It Out, Because He Stubbornly Insisted On Getting My Name Wrong: Dear _______peter Johnson__________.

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.

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.

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

He Slung Off His Backpack. He'd Managed To Grab A Lot Of Supplies At The Napa Bargain Mart: A Portable Gps, Duct Tape, Lighter, Superglue, Water Bottle, Camping Roll, A Comfy Panda Pillow Pet (as Seen On Tv), And A Swiss Army Knife—pretty Much Every Tool A Modern Demigod Could Want.

Butch Hesitated. "annabeth's Okay. You Gotta Cut Her Some Slack. She Had A Vision Telling Her To Come Here, To Find A Guy With One Shoe. That Was Supposed To Be The Answer To Her Problem." "what Problem?" Piper Asked. "she's Been Looking For One Of Our Campers, Who's Been Missing Three Days," Butch Said. "she's Going Out Of Her Mind With Worry. She Hoped He'd Be Here." "who?" Jason Asked. "her Boyfriend," Butch Said, "a Guy Named Percy Jackson.

I Stick Closely To The Structure Of The Myths. I May Have Some Fun With The Mythology By Changing The Environment To Modern-day, But The Structure Of The Myths, The Monsters, The Relationships Of The Gods - None Of That Is Made Up.

Jeez, Hazel," Percy Said, "tell Your Horse To Watch His Language." Hazel Tried Not To Laugh. "what Did He Say?" "with The Cussing Removed? He Said He Can Get Us To The Top." Frank Looked Incredulous. "i Thought The Horse Couldn't Fly!" This Time Arion Whinnied So Angrily, Even Hazel Could Guess He Was Cursing. "dude," Percy Told The Horse, "i've Gotten Suspended For Saying Less Than That.

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

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

Please Tell Me Your Master Isn't Aeolus." "that Airhead?" Favonius Snorted. "no, Of Course Not." "he Means Eros." Nico's Voice Turned Edgy. "cupid, In Latin." Favonius Smiled. "very Good, Nico Di Angelo. I'm Glad To See You Again, By The Way. It's Been A Long Time.

The Giant Raised His Fist, And A Voice Cut Through The Dream. "leo!" Jason Was Shaking His Shoulder. "hey, Man, Why Are You Hugging Nike?" Leo's Eyes Fluttered Open. His Arms Were Wrapped Around The Human-sized Statue In Athena's Hand. He Must Have Been Thrashing In His Sleep. He Clung To The Victory Goddess Like He Used To Cling To His Pillow When He Had Nightmares As A Kid. (man, That Had Been So Embarrassing In The Foster Homes.) He Disentangled Himself And Sat Up, Rubbing His Face. "nothing," He Muttered. "we Were Just Cuddling. Um, What's Going On?

According To Festus, Our Flying Table, Buford, Made It Back Safely While We Were In Charleston, So Those Eagles Didn't Get Him. Unfortunately, He Lost The Laundry Bag With Your Pants." "dang It!" Frank Barked, Which Leo Figured Was Probably Severe Profanity For Him. No Doubt Frank Would've Cursed Some More -busting Out The Golly Gees And The Gosh Darns- But Percy Interrupted By Doubling Over And Groaning. "did The World Just Turn Upside Down?" He Asked. Jason Pressed His Hands To His Head. "yeah, And It's Spinning. Everything Is Yellow. Is It Supposed To Be Yellow?

And I Could Always Set Coach Hedge On Fire,” Leo Volunteered. “then He Can Be Fire.” The Thought Of A Blazing Satyr Screaming, “die, Scumbag!” As He Attacked Gaea Was Almost Enough To Make Piper Laugh— Almost.

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.

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.

The Bridge Fell Away Into The Chasm, And The Cyclops Howled ... With Delight, Because He Was Standing Right Next To Us.

Leo Fell In Love With Every Girl He Saw-as Long As She Was Completely Out Of His League.

What Are You?” She Demanded. “my Dad? Osiris? Are You Even Alive?” Dad Looked At Anubis. “what Did I Tell You About Her? Fiercer Than Ammit, I Said.” “you Didn’t Need To Tell Me That.” Anubis’s Face Was Grave. “i’ve Learned To Fear That Sharp Tongue.” Sadie Looked Outraged. “excuse Me?

But If She'd Realized That Nine Desiccated Zombie Nymphs Would Be Waiting For Her, She Never Would Have Come Down Here.

Think Positive Girl, Or The World Ends.

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

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

I Held Out My Dad’s Magic Box And Let It O, Sure It Would Smash To The Floor. Instead, The Box Disappeared. “cool,” I Said. “sure You I Can Get It Back?” “no,” Bast Said. “now Come On!

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.

The Ancient Egyptians Were Not Fools, Carter. They Built The Pyramids. They Created The First Great Nation State. Their Civilization Lasted Thousands Of Years.” “yeah,” I Said. “and Now They’re Gone.

Before I Could Lose My Courage, I Said, "don't I Get A Kiss For Luck? It's Kind Of A Tradition, Right?" I Figured She Would Punch Me. Instead, She Drew Her Knife And Stared At The Army Marching Toward Us. "come Back Alive, Seaweed Brain. Then, We'll See.

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.

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.

Now, As Far As I Knew, He (luke) Was Still Sailing Around On His Demon-infested Cruise Ship While The Chopped-up Lord Kronos Re-formed, Bit By Bit, In A Golden Sarcophagus, Biding His Time Until He Had Enough Power To Challenge The Olympian Gods. In Demigod-speak, We Call This A “problem.” - Percy, 'the Battle Of The Labyrinth

Looking Up In The Sky, I Saw The Stars Were Brighter Now. They Made A Pattern I Had Never Noticed Before- A Gleaming Constellation That Looked A Lot Like A Girls Figure- A Girl With A Bow, Running Across The Sky. "let The World Honor You, My Huntress. Live Forever In The Stars.

Suspecting And Knowing Are Not The Same.

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

He Had A Crush On A Blueberry Bush Once.

But You'll Be Killed!" "i'll Be Fine. Besides, We've Got No Choice." Annabeth Glared At Me Like She Was Going To Punch Me. And Then She Did Something That Surprised Me Even More. She Kissed Me.

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.

That's Me. Ancient History." [poseidon To Paul]

Ancient History

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 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?

Run!” Piper Said. “we Are Running!” Jason Picked Up The Speed. “run Better!” Leo Shouted.

I Looked Across The River To Manhattan. It Was A Great View. When Sadie And I Had First Arrived At Brooklyn House, Amos Had Told Us That Magicians Tried To Stay Out Of Manhattan. He Said Manhattan Had Other Problems--whatever That Meant. And Sometimes When I Looked Across The Water, I Could Swear I Was Seeing Things. Sadie Laughed About It, But Once I Thought I Saw A Flying Horse. Probably Just The Mansion's Magic Barriers Causing Optical Illusions, But Still, It Was Weird.

Do Yourself A Favor,' I Said. "forget It. Forget You Ever Saw Me." "forget That You Tried To Kill Me Too?" "yeah. That, Too." "but Who Are You?" "percy-" I Started To Say. Then The Skeletons Turned Around. "gotta Go!" "what Kind Of Name Is Percy Gotta-go?" I Bolted For The Exit.

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

Percy, Meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy." I Stared At Annabeth, Figuring She'd Crack Up At This Practical Joke They Were Playing On Me, But She Looked Deadly Serious. "i'm Not Saying Hello To A Pink Poodle," I Said. "forget It." "percy," Annabeth Said. "i Said Hello To The Poodle. You Say Hello To The Poodle." The Poodle Growled. "i Said Hello To The Poodle.

Carter Started Down The Stairs, But I Grabbed His Arm. “hang On. What About Traps?” He Frowned. “traps?” “didn’t Egyptian Tombs Have Traps?” “well…sometimes. But This Isn’t A Tomb. Besides, More Often They Had Curses, Like The Burning Curse, The Donkey Curse—” “oh, Lovely. That Sounds So Much Better.

Wisdom's Daughter Walks Alone, The Mark Of Athena Burns Through Rome.

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

Do You Have A Favorite Constalation, Percy?' I Was Still Kind Of Wondering About The Little Green Snakes He'd Shoved Into His Jogging Shorts, But I Said. 'uh, I Like Hercules.' 'why?' 'well... Because He Had Rotten Luck. Even Worse Than Mine. It Makes Me Feel Better." The Jogger Chuckled. 'not Because He Was Strong And Famouse And All That?' 'no.

So, If I Looked Him Up On Google Maps-

He Issued Orders To Us: Demigods Who Come To Us For Aid Are No Longer To Be Tolerated. We Are To Crush Your Little Mortal Faces.' There Was An Uncomfortable Silence. 'that Sounds...extreme,' Jason Ventured.

Doughboy," I Said. "what Is This Scroll?" "a Spell Lost In Time!" He Pronounced. "ancient Words Of Tremendous Power!" "well?" I Demanded. "does It Tell How To Defeat Set?" "better! The Title Reads: The Book Of Summoning Fruit Bats!

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.

If There Were Ever Any Half-bloods Who Needed To Worry About That, It Was Thalia And Me. I Wondered If Maybe I Should've Sent Poseidon That Seashell Pattern Tie For Father's Day After All. --percy Jackson

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

Tyson Was Still Staring At Chiron In Amazement. He Whimpered Like He Wanted To Pat Chiron's Flank But Was Afraid To Come Closer. "pony?

Just Remember If We Get Caught, You're Deaf And I Don't Speak English.

Did You Bring Me A Rat?" "he Has No Time For Rats, George." "no Time For Rats? That's Just Sad.

Mrs. O' Leary Is My Pet. I Couldn't Let You Stick A Sword In Her Rump, Now, Could I? That Might've Scared Her.

She Led The Way. Eyeless Sockets Of The Dead Seemed To Stare At Them As They Passed. "these Are Cool," Dan Decided. "maybe I Could-" "no, Dan," Amy Said. "you Can't Collect Human Bones." "awww.

Hermes Has Threatened Me With Slow Mail. Lousy Internet Service And A Horrible Stock Market If I Publish This Story. I Hope He Is Just Bluffing.

Think Long And Hard About How You Proceed, Nico Di Angelo. You Cannot Lie To Cupid. If You Let Your Anger Rule You... Well, Your Fate Will Be Even Sadder Then Mine.

And If I Was Humming "happy Birthday" And Smiling Stupidly As I Fled For My Life—well, That Was Nobody's Business, Was It?

Dakota's Head Was Stuck In His Toga. He Staggered Around Olike A Kool-aid-stained Ghost. "um," Percy Said, "should I Wear My Bed Sheets?

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.

Oh, No Way," Leo Said. "we've Been Sitting In A Cave And You Get The Luxury Tent? Somebody Give Me Hypothermia. I Want Hot Chocolate And A Parka!

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.

When I Was Young, My Favorite Picture Book Was 'fletcher And Zenobia,' Written By Edward Gorey And Illustrated By Victoria Chess. It's Long Out Of Print Now, But Its Mix Of Macabre Humor And 1960s Psychedelia Made It A Perfect Children's Book For The Times.

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

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

Maybe Being Home Schooled, Carter Didn’t Realize That “test” Is Normally A Bad Thing.

Why Does It Have To Be So Hard? Why Can't It Be A Happily-ever-after Ride-into-the-sunset Feeling All The Time?

The World Was Collapsing, And The Only Thing That Really Mattered To Me Was That She Was Alive.

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

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.

Sometimes You Have To Lose A Piece To Win A Game.

I Don't Recommend Shadow Travel If You're Scared Of: A) The Dark B) Cold Shivers Up Your Spine C) Strange Noises D) Going So Fast You Feel Like Your Face Is Peeling Off In Other Words, I Thought It Was Awesome.

Think About Isis,” Jaz Repeated. “and Sadie…there Is A Purpose. You Taught Us That. We Choose To Believe In Ma'at. We Create Order Out Of Chaos, Beauty And Meaning Out Of Ugly Randomness. That's What Egypt Is All About. That's Why Its Name, Its Ren, Has Endured For Millennia. Don't Despair. Otherwise Chaos Wins.

Then She Did Something That Really Surprised Me. She Blinked Back Tears And Put Out Her Arms. I Stepped Forward And Hugged Her. Butterflies Started Turning My Stomach Into A Mosh Pit. "hey, It's... It's Okay." I Patted Her Back. I Was Aware Of Everything In The Room. I Felt Like I Could Read The Tiniest Print On Any Book On The Shelves. Annabeth's Hair Smelled Like Lemon Soap. She Was Shivering.

Leo Took Out A Pen And Autographed The Arm Of One Of The Nymphs. “narcissus Is A Loser! He’s So Weak, He Can’t Bench-press A Kleenex. He’s So Lame, When You Look Up Lame On Wikipedia, It’s Got A Picture Of Narcissus—only The Picture’s So Ugly, No One Ever Checks It Out.

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

He Had A Note Excusing Him From Pe For The Rest Of His Life Because He Had Some Kind Of Muscular Disease In His Legs. He Walked Funny, Like Every Step Hurt Him, But Don't Let That Fool You. You Should've Seen Him Run When It Was Enchilada Day In The Cafeteria.

We Got An Expression Ride Back To The Palace Of Hades. Nico Sent Word Ahead, Thanks To Some Ghost He Summoned Out Of The Ground, And Within A Few Minutes The Three Furies Themselves Arrived To Ferry Us Back. They Weren't Thrilled About Lugging Bob The Titan, Too, But I Didn't Have The Heart To Leave Him Behind, Especially After He Noticed My Shoulder Wound, Said, "owie", And Healed It With A Touch.

Five Syllables," Apollo Said, Counting Them On His Fingers. "that Would Be Real Bad.

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.

Who Are You And Why Are You My Cat?

I Stared At Him (dionysus). "you're...you're Married? But I Thought You Got In Trouble For Chasing A Wood Nymph-

Leo Had Recently Discovered How To Change The Display, Like The Times Square Jumbotron,so Now The Banner Read: Merry Christmas! All Your Presents Belong To Leo!

Merry Christmas

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!

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

But This Plan Of Yous!' Tawaret Shuddered, Causing A Tsunami Of Jiggling Hippo Flesh.

I Think I Write For Reluctant Readers. Of Course I Want Everyone To Enjoy My Books, But If The Kids In The Back Row Who Normally Don't Pick Up A Book Are Engaged With What I'm Writing, Along With The Kids Who Are Big Readers Anyway, Then I Really Feel Like I've Done My Job.

He Was Making A Brave Attempt, But Jason Could See The Sadness Lingering In His Eyes. Something Had Happened To Him... Something To Do With Calypso.

Maybe That's Why He Had Started To Fear Suffocation. It Wasn't So Much Drowning In The Earth Or Sea But The Feeling That He Was Sinking Into Too Many Expectations, Literally Getting In Over His Head. Wow...when He Started Having Thoughts Like That, He Knew He'd Been Spending Too Much Time With Annabeth.

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

My Glowing Form Was So Heavy, Its Feet Sank Into The Top Of The Tank. “sekhmet!” I Yelled. The Lioness Whirled And Snarled, Trying To Locate My Voice. “up Here, Kitty!” I Called. She Spotted Me And Her Ears Went Back. “horus?” ‘unless You Know Another Guy With A Falcon Head.

Before Keto Could Notice, Hedge Pointed Towards The Top Of The Amphitheater. It Looked Like He Might Be Screaming, Gods Of Olympus, What Is That? Keto Turned. Coach Hedge Promptly Took Off His Fake Foot And Ninja-kicked Her In The Back Of The Head With His Goat Hoof.

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.

Green Grass Breaks Through Snow, Artemis Pleads For My Help, I Am So Cool.

Liz Cleared Her Throat. "isn't There A More Polite Term We're Supposed To Use Nowadays? Like....little Person, Or Vertically Challenged,or-" "i'm Not Going To Call Myself The God Of Vertically Challenged People," Bes Grumbled. "i'm A Dwarf!

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

Traitor!" Hera Shouted. "you Meddlesome, D-list Goddess! You Aren't Worthy To Pour My Wine, Much Less Rule The World.

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

Amy, Dan, And Nellie Were Sitting At A Table In A Conference Room, Examining Reproductions Of Franklin Documents-some So Rare, The Librarians Told Her, The Only Copies Existed In Paris. "yeah, Here's A Rare Grocery List," Dan Muttered. "wow.

The Old Women Only Stuck Around This Long Out Of A Sense Of Duty. Your Mom Was The Same Way. That's Why I Loved Her. She Put Her Duty First, Ahead Of Evverything.

I Should Throw You Off This Building Minus The Flying Horse And See How Heroic You Sound On The Way Down.

You Know How Teachers Tell You The Magic Word Is 'please'? That's Not True. The Magic Word Is 'puke'. It Will Get You Out Of Class Faster Than Anything Else.

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.

Death Has More In Common With Love Than You Might Imagine.

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

Gods Have Great Power, But Only Humans Have Creativity, The Power To Change History.

When Luke Had Descended Into The River Styx, He Would've Had To Focus On Something Important That Would Hold Him To His Mortal Life. Otherwise He Would've Dissolved. I Had Seen Annabeth, And I Had A Feeling He Had Too. He Had Pictured That Scene Hestia Showed Me—of Himself In The Good Old Days With Thalia And Annabeth, When He Promised They Would Be A Family. Hurting Annabeth In Battle Had Shocked Him Into Remembering That Promise. It Had Allowed His Mortal Conscience To Take Over Again, And Defeat Kronos. His Weak Spot—his Achilles Heel—had Saved Us All

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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?

Meat!" He Said Scornfully. "i'm A Vegetarian." You Eat Cheese Enchiladas And Aluminum Cans," I Reminded Him. Those Are Vegetables.

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

Your Head Is Full Of Kelp.

Her Name Badge Read: Hello! My Name Is Die, Demigod Scum!

No!" Leo Yelled. "uhhh," Nico Groaned From The Floor. "piper!" Jason Cried. "monkey!" Frank Yelled. "not Monkeys," Hazel Grumbled. "i Think Those Are Dwarfs." "stealing My Stuff!" Leo Yelled, And Ran For The Stairs.

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.

Back When I Taught Middle School And Wrote Adult Mysteries, My Students Often Asked Me Why I Wasn't Writing For Kids. I Never Had A Good Answer For Them. It Took Me A Long Time To Realize They Were Right.

Whoa, Boy, He Told Himself. Golden Rule For Demigods: Thou Shalt Not Hokey Pokey With Psychos.

Great," Percy Said. "seven Of Us Against Hercules." "and A Satyr!" Hedge Added. "we Can Take Him.

And When Demigods Use Cell Phones, The Signals Agitate Every Monster Within A Hundred Miles. It's Like Sending Up A Flare: Here I Am! Please Rearrange My Face!

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

It Was Like Percy Had Faced Death Before, Like He Knew About Grief. What Mattered Was Listening. You Didn’t Need To Say You Were Sorry. The Only Thing That Helped Was Moving On—moving Forward.

I Gave Her My Deluxe I'll-kill-you-later Stare.

More Minions!” He Shouted. “come To Me!” That Couldn’t Be Good. Another Round Of Giant Crocs And We’d Be Dead. Why Don’t We Get Minions? I Complained To Horus, But He Didn’t Answer.

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?

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.

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!

Kronos Would Be 10 Times More Powerful. His Very Presence Would Incinerate You. And Once He Achieves This He Will Empower The Other Titans. They Are Weak, Compared To What They Soon Will Become, Unless You Can Stop Them, The World Will Fall, The Gods Will Die, And I Will Never Achieve A Perfect Score On This Stupid Machine.

In Person, If Possible, Anubis Was Even More Drop-dead Gorgeous. [oh . . . Ha, Ha. I Didn't Catch The Pun, But Thank You, Carter. God Of The Dead, Drop-dead Gorgeous. Yes, Hilarious. Now, May I Continue?]

Drop Dead Gorgeous

He Nodded Nervously. ‘he Looks Like A Magician. I Hate Magicians. They Usually Have Rabbits.’ I Stared At Him. ‘you’re Scared Of Bunnies?’ ‘blah-hah-hah! They’re Big Bullies. Always Stealing Celery From Defenceless Satyrs.

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?

Listen, Frank Zhang Has Moves. He's Probably Gonna Turn Into A Kangaroo And Do Some Marsupial Jujitsu On Their Ugly Faces.

I Can See The Stars Again M'lady.

I Remembered What She'd Told Me In New York, About Building Something Permanent, And I Thought - Just Maybe - We Were Off To A Good Start.

Building Something

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

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

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.

Eat Bitter, Taste Sweet," Frank Said. "i Hate That Proverb." "but It's True. What Do They Call It These Days---no Pain, No Gain? Same Concept. You Do The Easy Thing, The Appealing Thing, The Peaceful Thing, Mostly It Turns Out Sour In The End. But If You Take The Hard Path---ah, That's How You Reap The Sweet Rewards. Duty. Sacrifice. They Mean Something.

All I Could Think To Say Was, "the Lakers Are My Home Team!

Silena Appeared Out Of The Woods, Her Sword Drawn. Her Aphrodite Armour Was Pink And Red, Colour Coordinated To Match Her Clothes And Makeup. She Looked Like Guerilla Warfare Barbie.

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

Frank Nodded Grimly. “well…any Goddess Who Throws A Ding Dong At A Giant Can’t Be All Bad. Let’s Go.

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.

And Now, Anubis, I Find You In This Den Of Iniquity, This Morass Of Questionable Behavior, This...this--' 'school?

I've Been Reading Greek Mythology Since I Was A Kid. I Also Taught It When I Was A Sixth Grade Teacher, So I Knew A Lot Of Mythological Monsters Already. Sometimes I Still Use Books And Web Sites To Research, Though. Every Time I Research Greek Mythology, I Learn Something New!

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

Don't Die On Me," She Ordered. "you Are Not Dying On Me." "yes, Ma'am." He Felt Light-headed, But She Was About The Most Beautiful Thing He'd Ever Seen. Her Hair Was Smoldering. Her Face Was Smudged With Soot. She Had A Cut On Her Arm, Her Dress Was Torn, And She Was Missing A Boot. Beautiful.

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

Um ,sorry. I Cant Read The Last Line." "fish. Have You Stolen Any Fish From The Holy Lakes?" "i Lived In Kansas..so ..no

But I Felt As If I’d Just Been Photoshopped Out Of My Own Book Cover. And If There Was One Thing I Wasn’t Used To, It Was Being Ignored

Then There Were The Shabti, Magical Figurines That Were Supposed To Come To Life When Summoned. A Few Months Ago, I’d Fallen For A Girl Named Zia Rashid, Who’d Turned Out To Be A Shabti. Falling In Love For The First Time Had Been Hard Enough. But When The Girl You Like Turns Out To Be Ceramic And Cracks To Pieces Before Your Eyes—well, It Gives “breaking Your Heart” A New Meaning.

Falling In Love

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?

Mark My Words, Nothing Smells Worse Than Burned Scorpion.

If You Ever Leave Me Again,’ She Said, Her Eyes Stinging, ‘i Swear To All The Gods-‘ Percy Had The Nerve To Laugh. Suddenly The Lump Of Heated Emotions Melted Inside Annabeth. ‘consider Me Warned,’ Percy Said. ‘i Missed You, Too.

Imitation Is Flattery

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

Stop!" Narcissus Got To His Feet. "this Is Not Right! This Person Is Obviously Not Awesome, So He Must Be..." He Struggled For The Right Words. It Had Probably Been A Long Time Since He'd Talked About Anything Other Than Himself. "he Must Be Tricking Us." Apparently Narcissus Wasn't Completely Stupid.

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