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Just Tell Me, Percy, Do You Still Have The Birthday Gift I Gave You Last Summer?" I Nodded And Pulled Out My Camp Necklace. It Had A Bead For Every Summer I'd Been At Camp Half-blood, But Since Last Year I'd Also Kept A Sand Dollar On The Cord. My Father Had Given It To Me For My Fifteenth Birthday. He'd Told Me I Would Know When To "spend It," But So Far I Hadn't Figured Out What He Meant. All I Knew That It Didn't Fit The Vending Machines In The School Cafeteria.

-Rick Riordan

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Just Tell Me, Percy,

Rick Riordan

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Just Tell Me, Percy, Do You Still Have The Birthday Gift I Gave You Last Summer?" I Nodded And Pulled Out My Camp Necklace. It Had A Bead For Every Summer I'd Been At Camp Half-blood, But Since Last Year I'd Also Kept A Sand Dollar On The Cord. My Father Had Given It To Me For My Fifteenth Birthday. He'd Told Me I Would Know When To "spend It," But So Far I Hadn't Figured Out What He Meant. All I Knew That It Didn't Fit The Vending Machines In The School Cafeteria.

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Young People Don't Always Do What They're Told, But If They Can Pull It Off And Do Something Wonderful, Sometimes They Escape Punishment.

I Hoped They Couldn't Run Very Fast With Those Stubby Little Legs And Flippers, But They Waddled Along Pretty Well.

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

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

The First Lesson Every Child Of Athena Learned: Mom Was The Best At Everything, And You Should Never, Ever Suggest Otherwise.

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!

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.

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

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

Imitation Is Flattery

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!

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

Percy And Reyna Occupied Matching Praeters' Chairs On The Dais, Which Made Percy Self-conscious. It Wasn't Easy Looking Dignified Wearing A Bedsheet And A Purple Cape. "the Camp Is Safe," Octavian Continued. " I'll Be The First To Congragulate Our Heroes For Bringing Back The Legion's Eagle And So Much Imperial Gold! Truly We Have Been Blessed With Good Fortune. But Why Do More? Why Tempt Fate?" "i'm Glad You Asked." Percy Stood, Taking The Question As An Opening. Octavian Stammered, " I Wasn't--" "--part Of The Quest," Percy Said. "yes I Know. And Your'e Wise To Let Me Explain, Since I Was.

Annabeth Laced Her Fingers Through His. In The Light Of His Bronze Sword, Her Face Was Beautiful. 'we're Together,' She Reminded Him. 'we'll Get Through This.

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!

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

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

Stand Your Ground

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

You Remind Me Of Myself ” Bes Continued “back When I Was A Young Dwarf. You Got A Stubborn Streak. When It Comes To Girl Problems You’re Clueless.

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

If I'm Going To Survive, It Won't Be Because I Have A Lion-skin Cloak. I'm Not Hercules.

But How Did You Know Where We Were?" Annabeth Asked. Advanced Planning, My Dear. I Figured You Would Wash Up Near Miami If You Made It Out Of The Sea Of Monsters Alive. Almost Everything Strange Washes Up Near Miami.

Felix Believed That The Answer To Every Problem Involved Penguins; But It Wasn't Fair To Birds, And I Was Getting Tired Of Teleporting Them Back Home. Somewhere In Antarctica, A Whole Flock Of Magellanic Penguins Were Undergoing Psychotherapy.

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

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

It Is True I Do Not Like Fire. But Leo Valdez's Flames Are Not Strong Enough To Trouble Me." Somewhere Behind Hazel, A Soft, Lyrical Voice Said, "what About My Flames, Old Friend?" "you," He Said From Percy's Mouth. "me," Hecate Agreed. "it Has Been Millennia Since I Fought At The Side Of A Demigod. What Do You Say? Shall We Play With Fire?

Annabeth’s Hand Slipped Into Mine. Under Different Circumstances I Would’ve Been Embarrassed, But Here In The Dark I Was Glad To Know Where She Was. It Was About The Only Thing I Was Sure Of.

Marvelous,” She Said. “tell Me About This Tapestry.” Arachne’s Lips Curled Over Her Mandibles. “why Do You Care? You're About To Die.” “well, Yes,” Annabeth Said. “but The Way You Captured The Light Is Amazing. Did You Use Real Gold Thread For The Sunbeams?

I Heard Amos Yell, “for Brooklyn!” It Was An Odd Battle Cry.

I Told Tantalus To Go Chase A Doughnut.

My Sister, With Her Ratty Red-highlighted Hair And Her Linen Pajamas And Her Combat Boots—how Could She Possibly Worry About Being Possessed By A Goddess? What Goddess Would Want Her, Except The Goddess Of Chewing Gum?

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.

You Know What Would Help This Boy?" Demeter Mused. "farming." Persephone Rolled Her Eyes. "mother-" "six Months Behind A Plow. Excellent Character Building.

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.

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.

We Wandered The Halls Of An Infinite Magic Nursing Home, Led By A Hippo Nurse With A Torch. Really, Just An Ordinary Night For The Kanes.

Sometimes Wisdom Came From Strange Places, Even From Giant Teenaged Goldfish.

The Most Dangerous Flaws Are Those Which Are Good In Moderation.

I Caught Bast’s Arm When She Was A Few Steps From The Bank. “stay Away From The Water.” She Frowned. “carter, I’m A Cat. I’m Not Going For A Swim. But If You Want To Summon A River Goddess, You Really Need To Do It At The Riverbank.

The First Time Calypso Came To Check On [leo], It Was To Complain About The Noise. “smoke And Fire,” She Said. “clanging On Metal All Day Long. You’re Scaring Away The Birds!” “oh, No, Not The Birds!

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

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

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.

The Pinecone Is A Fearsome Tool Of Destruction! -bacchus

Being A Hero Doesn’t Mean You’re Invincible. It Just Means That You’re Brave Enough To Stand Up And Do What’s Needed.

Otrera Stayed Dead The Second Time," Kinzie Said, Batting Her Eyes. "we Have To Thank You For That. If You Ever Need A New Girlfriend...well, I Think You'd Look Great In An Iron Collar And An Orange Jumpsuit." Percy Couldn't Tell If She Was Kidding Or Not. He Politely Thanked Her And Changed Seats.

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

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.

It’s My Birthday, Horus Insisted. Wish Me Happy Birthday! “happy Birthday!” I Yelled. “now Shut Up!

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.

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