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Wait Just A Minute," Ares Growled. He Pointed At Thalia And Me. "these Two Are Dangerous. It'd Be Much Safer, While We've Got Them Here—" "ares," Poseidon Interrupted, "they Are Worthy Heroes. We Will Not Blast My Son To Bits." "nor My Daughter," Zeus Grumbled. "she Has Done Well.

-Rick Riordan

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Wait Just A Minute,"

Rick Riordan

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Wait Just A Minute," Ares Growled. He Pointed At Thalia And Me. "these Two Are Dangerous. It'd Be Much Safer, While We've Got Them Here—" "ares," Poseidon Interrupted, "they Are Worthy Heroes. We Will Not Blast My Son To Bits." "nor My Daughter," Zeus Grumbled. "she Has Done Well.

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

Seriously, Who Curses You With Their Dying Breath And Says, I Hope Your Eye Twitches!

She Often Had To Remind Herself That She Couldn't Do Everything Alone. She Wasn't Always The Best Person For The Job. Sometimes She Got Tunnel Vision And Forgot About What Other People Needed.

Thalia Had Been Turned Into A Pine Tree When She Was 12. Me... Well, I Was Doing My Best Not To Follow Her Example. I Had Nightmares About What Poseidon Might Turn Me Into If I Were Ever In The Verge Of Death—plankton, Maybe. Or A Floating Patch Of Kelp.

Hey, Guys!" Grover Yelled Somewhere Above Us. "i Think She's Unconscious!" "roooaaarrr!" "maybe Not," Grover Corrected.

You Sure You're Not A Roman, Annabeth? Or An Amazon?

Lord Bacchus, Do You Remember Me? I Helped You With That Missing Leopard In Sonoma." Bacchus Scratched His Stubbly Chin. "ah... Yes. John Green." "jason Grace." "whatever," The God Said.

He Understood How Dangerous Oaths Could Be. But Leo Didn't Care. "i'm Coming Back For You, Calypso," He Said To The Night Wind. "i Swear It On The River Styx.

Does Truth Have A Moral?

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."

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.

It Isn’t Easy Being A Brilliant Inventor, Always Alone. Always Misunderstood. Easy To Turn Bitter, Make Horrible Mistakes. People Are More Difficult To Work With Than Machines. And When You Break A Person, He Can’t Be Fixed. -hephaestus

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.

Don't Feel Bad, I'm Usually About To Die.

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.

Tyson- "cash? Like...green Paper?" Percy- "yeah." Tyson- "like The Kind In Duffel Bags?" Percy-"yeah, But We Lost Those Bags Days A-g-g--." "tyson! How Did You--" Tyson- "thought It Was A Feed Bag For Rainbow. Found It Floating In Sea, But Only Paper Inside. Sorry.

Jumping Out A Window Five Hundred Feet Above Ground Is Not Usually My Idea Of Fun. Especially When I'm Wearing Bronze Wings And Flapping My Arms Like A Duck.

I Don’t Define Myself By The Boys Who May Or May Not Like Me.

And Now, Sis. Transportation For The Hunters, You Say? Good Timing. I Was Just About Ready To Roll." These Demigods Will Also Need A Ride," Artemis Said, Pointing To Us. "some Of Chiron's Campers." No Problem!" Apollo Checked Us Out. "let's See... Thalia, Right? I've Heard All About You.". Thalia Blushed. "hi, Lord Apollo." Zues's Girl. Yes? Makes You My Half Sister. Used To Be A Tree Didn't You? Glad Your Back. I Hate It When Pretty Girls Get Turned Into Trees. Man, I Remeber One Time-

We'de Have To Get In And Get Out The Hard Way; And If We Made A Mistake, There Was No Telling What Sort Of Curse We'de Unleash: Monster Guardians, Plagues, Fires, Exploding Donkeys(don't Laugh; They're Bad News).

As An Author, I Don't Really Think Too Much About Being A Celebrity. It's Not Like Being A Movie Star Or A Tv Star. It's Not As If People Recognize Me When I Walk Down The Street. That Hardly Ever Happens, And It's Just As Well. But It Is Great When People Know My Books, When I Walk Through An Airport And See Them In The Bookstore, Or When I See Someone Reading A Book On A Plane Or On A Train, And It's Something I've Written. That's A Wonderful Feeling.

He Raised An Eyebrow. "you Claim Not To Know Me? Of Course I'm Thoth. Also Called Djehuti. Also Called--" I [sadie] Stifled A Laugh. "ja-hooty?" Thoth Looked Offended. "in Ancient Egyptian, It's A Perfectly Fine Name. The Greeks Called Me Thoth. Then Later They Confused Me With Their God Hermes. Even Had The Nerve To Rename My Sacred City Hermopolis, Though We're Nothing Alike. Believe Me, If You've Ever Met Hermes--

I Have Lightning And Wind Powers," Jason Reminded Him. "piper Can Turn Beautiful And Charm People Into Giving Her Bmws. You're No More A Freak Than We Are. And, Hey, Maybe You Can Fly, Too. Like Jump Off A Building And Yell 'flame On!'" Leo Snorted. "if I Did That, You Would See A Flaming Kid Falling To His Death, And I Would Be Yelling Something A Little Stronger Than 'flame On!

Even The Gods Couldn't Devise A Fates So Twisted.

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.

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

You Have A Humming Dodo Bird," I Said Stupidly.

I Don’t Leave Her Speechless Very Often. I Have To Enjoy Those Rare Moments.

Life Is Only Precious Because It Ends, Kid.

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

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.

It Was If The City Knew About Percy's Dream Of Gaea. It Knew That The Earth Goddess Intended On Razing All Human Civilization, And This City, Which Had Stood For Thousands If Years, Was Saying Back At Her: You Wanna Dissolve This City, Dirt Face? Give It A Shot. In Other Words, It Was The Coach Hedge Of Mortal Cities- Only Taller.

Even Little Herley, Who Couldn't Have Been More Than Eight, Looked Like He Could Go Six Rounds With Chuck Norris Without Breaking A Sweat.

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

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

I Don't Deserve You." "you're Not Allowed To Say That." "why Not?" "it's A Breakup Line. Unless You're Breaking Up-" Jason Leaned Over And Kissed Her. The Colors Of The Roman Afternoon Suddenly Seemed Sharper, As It The World Had Switched To High Definition. "no Breakups," He Promised. "i May Have Busted My Head A Few Times, But I'm Not That Stupid.

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

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.

A Long White Ribbon Shot Out Of The Crack In The Wall. The Ribbon Just Kept Coming, Weaving Itself Into Some Kind Of Shape Next To Anubis, And My First Thought Was, My God, He’s Got A Magic Roll Of Toilet Paper.

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.

We Tend To Think Of Divorced Or Complicated Families As A Modern Invention, And That Is Not At All True. You Only Have To Read The Greek Myths To See Broken Homes, Widows, Divorce, Stepchildren, Children Trying To Get Along With New Parents.

I Like To Have A Simple Workplace.

So, Destroy?" Cal Asked. Clearly, The Conversation Was Giving His Two Brain Cells A Serious Workout.

I Can’t Believe Sadie’s Going To Let Me Have The Last Word. Our Experience Together Must’ve Really Taught Her Something. Ow, She Just Hit Me. Never Mind.

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.

I’d Been To The British Museum Before. In Fact I’ve Been In More Museums Than I Like To Admit—it Makes Me Sound Like A Total Geek. [that’s Sadie In The Background, Yelling I Am A Total Geek. Thanks, Sis.]

Tyson Thought Annabeth Was Just About The Coolest Thing Since Peanut Butter, And He Seriously Loved Peanut Butter.

Leo Got Up And Brushed Himself Off. "i Hate That Guy". He Offered Jason His Arm Like They Should Go Skipping Together."i`m Dylan. I`m So Cool, I Want To Date Myself, But I Can`t Figure Out How! You Want To Date Me Instead? You`re So Lucky!" "leo" Jason Said "you`re Weird

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?

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

How Did You Die?" "we Er....drowned In A Bathtub." "all Three Of You?" "it Was A Big Bathtub.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

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

We Choose To Believe In Ma'at. We Create Order Out Of Chaos, Beauty Out Of Ugly Randomness. That's What Egypt Is All About.

It Wasn't Exactly Like Talking, But It Went Something Like This: Could You Give Us A Ride North, Percy Asked, Like As Close To Portland As Possible? Eat Seals, The Whale Responded. Are You Seals? No, Percy Admitted. I've Got A Man Satchel Full Of Macrobiotic Beef Jerky, Though. The Whale Shuddered. Promise Not To Feed Me This, And I Will Take You North. Deal.

As For Me, I Did The Stupidest Thing In My Life, Which Is Saying A Lot. I Attacked The Titan Lord Atlas.

It'll Be Dangerous," Nyssa Warned Him. "hardship, Monsters, Terrible Suffering. Possibly None Of You Will Come Back Alive." "oh." Suddenly Leo Didn't Look So Excited. Then He Remembered Everyone Was Watching. "i Mean... Oh, Cool! Suffering? I Love Suffering! Let's Do This.

Surfing?” He Asked. She Laughed, And The Sound Sent A Shock Wave Through The Water. The Wailing Faded To Background Noise. Annabeth Wondered If Anyone Had Ever Laughed In Tartarus Before—just A Pure, Simple Laugh Of Pleasure. She Doubted It.

Background Noise

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.

Keep Climbing,' He Told Himself. 'cheeseburgers,' His Stomach Replied. 'shut Up,' He Thought. 'with Fries,' His Stomach Complained.

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!

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.

Sadie Kane Here. If You're Listening To This, Congratulations, You Survived Doomsday.

Congratulations

Annabeth Sat Up And Glared At Her Ankle. "you Had To Break," She Scolded It. The Ankle Did Not Reply.

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.

The Afterlife Looks Different To Every Soul," He Said, "depending On Whatthey Believe. For That Guy, Egypt Must've Made A Strong Impression When He Was Young , Maybe." "and If Someone Doesn't Believe In Any Afterlife?" I Asked. Walt Gave Me A Sad Look. "then That's What They Experience.

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.

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.

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

Beautiful,' Jason Exclaimed. 'piper, You... You're A Knockout.

Chaos Is Impatient. It's Random. And Above All It's Selfish. It Tears Down Everything Just For The Sake Of Change, Feeding On Itself In Constant Hunger. But Chaos Can Also Be Appealing. It Tempts You To Believe That Nothing Matters Except What You Want.

Enemy Giants Moved Towards The Breech, And Tyson Picked Up The Fallen Warrior’s Club. He Yelled Something To His Fellow Blacksmiths – Probably ‘for Poseidon!’ – But With His Mouth Full Of Peanut Butter It Sounded Like, ‘puh Pteh Bun.’ His Brethren All Grabbed Hammers And Chisels, Yelled, ‘peanut Butter!’ And Charged Behind Tyson Into Battle.

And It Was Pretty Much The Best Underwater Kiss Of All Time.

Bessie?” I Looked Down At The Bull Serpent. “but… He’s Too Cute. He Couldn’t Destroy The World.” -percy Jackson

I Found Myself Staring At Her, Which Was Stupid Since I'd Seen Her A Billion Times. Still, She Seemed So Much More Mature. It Was Kind Of Intimidating. I Mean, Sure, She'd Always Been Cute, But She Was Starting To Be Seriously Beautiful.

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.

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.

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

Jason Muttered "and I Saw Something...really Terrible." "that Was Hera," Thalia Grumbled, "her Majesty, The Loose Cannon." "that's It, Thalia Grace," Said The Goddess. "i Will Turn You Into And Aardvark, So Help Me-" "stop It, You Two," Piper Said. Amazingly, They Both Shut Up.

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

With Great Power... Comes Great Need To Take A Nap. Wake Me Up Later.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

You’re Probably Thinking: Wait, You Just Charged In Without A Plan? But Annabeth And I Had Been Fighting Together For Years. We Knew Each Other’s Abilities. We Could Anticipate Each Other’s Moves. I Might Have Felt Awkward And Nervous About Being Her Boyfriend, But Fighting With Her? That Came Naturally. Hmm…that Sounded Wrong. Oh, Well.

Sanchez Looked At Me And We Locked Eyes A Second Too Long. There Was Nothing I Could Do About It. The Signal Went Out. A Moment Of Clear, Silent Hostility Passed Between Us As Hotly Charged And Unintentional As A Thousand-volt Arc Through A Squirrel.

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

I Was Flying Right Toward Him (the Pig) At The Speed Of Demigod-smashing.

Stop Smiling!” She Ordered. “i Can See You, Carter. Oh…and, Uh, Hullo, Walt.” The Pot Monster Made Squeaky Grinding Noises As It Stood Up Straight. One Clunky Arm Rose And Tried To Fix Sadie’s Nonexistent Hair. Leave It To Sadie To Be Self-conscious Around Boys, Even When She’s Made Out Of Pots And Duct Tape.

Cacus.” I’d Had Years Of Practice Looking Dumb When People Threw Out Greek Names I Didn’t Know. It’s A Skill Of Mine. Annabeth Keeps Telling Me To Read A Book Of Greek Myths, But I Don’t See The Need. It’s Easier Just To Have Folks Explain Stuff.

I Think Kids Will Read More Good Books Than We Can Possibly Produce.

He Looked Like Those Paintings Of Baby Angels - What Do You Call Them, Hubbubs? No Cherubs. That's It. He Looked Like A Cherub Who'd Turned Middle-aged In A Trailer Park.

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.

You Will Not Believe Me, But I Am Proud Of Your Strength. Sometimes. . . Sometimes The Only Way I Can Care For My Children Is To Keep My Distance.

We Need A Shroud. A Shroud For The Son Of Hermes.

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.

Zia," I Said, "that's A Goddess. She Defeated Bast. What Chance Do You Have?" Zia Held Up Her Staff And The Carved Lion's Head Burst Into Flames - A Small Red Fireball So Bright, It Lit The Entire Room. "i Am A Scribe In The House Of Life, Sadie Kane. I Am Trained To Fight Gods.

Some Pain Shouldn’t Be Wished Away So Easily. It Has To Be Dealt With, Even Embraced.

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.

Fighting Giants Was One Thing. Bacchus Making Into A Game Was Something Else.

Christmas In The Underworld Was Not My Idea. If I'd Known What Was Coming, I Would've Called In Sick. I Could've Avoided An Army Of Demons, A Fight With A Titan, And A Trick That Almost Got My Friends And Me Cast Into Eternal Darkness. But No, I Had To Take My Stupid English Exam.

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.

Zeus Looked Like A Really Buff, Really Angry Hippie.

She Would Always Be My Biggest What If.

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

Ancient History

Annabeth Realized That If Six Of Them Went On These Two Quests, It Would Leave Percy Alone On The Ship With Coach Hedge, Which Was Maybe Not A Situation A Caring Girlfriend Should Put Him In. Nor Was She Eager To Let Percy Out Of Her Sight Again—not After They’d Been Apart For So Many Months.

Reyna Sent Me To Get Percy," Frank Said. "did Octavian Accept You?" "yeah," Percy Said. "he Slaughtered My Panda.

Love And War Always Go Together. They Are The Peaks Of Human Emotion! Evil And Good, Beauty And Ugliness

Coach Hedge Yelled,“thar She Blows! Kansas, Ahoy!” “holy Hephaestus,” Leo Muttered. “he Really Needs To Work On His Shipspeak.

Dude! Said A Party Pony As He Unloaded His Gear. Did You See That Bear Guy? He Was All Like: 'whoa, I Have An Arrow In My Mouth!

I Past Another Telkhine, Who Was So Startled He Dropped His Lil' Demons Lunch Box. I Left Him Alive - Partly Because He Had A Cool Lunch Box.

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

Look, Ladies, We've Been Over This. I Don't Even Remember Killing Medusa. I Don't Remember Anything! Can't We Just Call A Truce And Talk About Your Weekly Specials?" Stheno Gave Her Sister A Pouty Look, Which Was Hard To Do With Giant Bronze Tusks. "can We?

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.

Dreams Like A Podcast, Downloading Truth In My Ears. They Tell Me Cool Stuff." "apollo?" I Guess, Because I Figured Nobody Else Could Make A Haiku That Bad. He Put His Finger To His Lips. "i'm Incognito. Call Me Fred." "a God Named Fred?

Leo: Rainbows. Very Macho. Annabeth: Butch Is Our Best Equestrian, He Gets Along Great With The Pegasi. Leo: Rainbows, Ponies... Butch: I'm Gonna Toss You Off This Chariot.

This Is Buford,” Leo Announced. “you Name Your Furniture?” Frank Asked.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

Before I Could Figure Out How To Apologize For Being Such An Idiot, She Tackled Me With A Hug, Then Pulled Away Just As Quickly. "i'm Glad You're Not A Guinea Pig." "me, Too." I Hoped My Face Wasn't As Red As It Felt.

Leo: “i Can’t Believe I Thought You Were Hot.” Khione’s Face Turned Red. “hot? You Dare Insult Me? I Am Cold, Leo Valdez. Very, Very Cold.

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.

The World May Need Fixing, But It's Worth Preserving.

Whats Up, Seaweed Brain?

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

Nico Danced Around Like He Needed To Use The Restroom. "does Zeus Really Have Lightning Bolts That Do Six Hundred Damage? Does He Get Extra Movement Points For—" "nico, Shut Up!" Bianca Put Her Hands To Her Face. "this Is Not Your Stupid Mythomagic Game, Okay? There Are No Gods!

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.

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.

[percy] Kept Hoping Things Would Get Better For Annabeth And Him, But Their Lives Just Got More Dangerous, As If The Three Fates Were Up There Spinning Their Futures With Barbed Wire Instead Of Thread Just To See How Much Two Demigods Could Tolerate.

Her Freckles Were Orange, As If Somebody Had Spray-painted Her Face With Liquid Cheetos.

So What If They Were In Tartarus? So What If They Stood A Slim Chance Of Surviving? He Was So Glad That They Were Together, He Had The Ridiculous Urge To Smile.

Five Shall Go West To The Goddess In Chains, One Shall Be Lost In The Land Without Rain, The Bane Of Olympus Shows The Trail, Campers And Hunters Combined Prevail, The Titan's Curse Must One Withstand, And One Shall Perish By A Parent's Hand

Cheers, Carter. At Least You Have The Sense To Hand Me The Microphone For Important Things. Honestly, He Drones On And On About His Plans For The Apocalypse, But He Makes No Plans At All For The School Dance. My Brother's Priorities Are Severely Skewed.

You Are One Freaking Awesome Baboon.

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.

Looking At The Elementary Schoolers In Their Colorful T-shirts From Various Day Camps, Percy Felt A Twinge Of Sadness. He Should Be At Camp Half-blood Right Now, Settling Into His Cabin For The Summer, Teaching Sword-fighting Lessons In The Arena, Playing Pranks On The Other Counselors. These Kids Had No Idea Just How Crazy A Summer Camp Could Be.

Oh You Two Look Delicious," Bast Said, Licking Her Lips. "no, No-er, I Mean Wonderful. Now, Off You Go!

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.

Look, I Need To Tell You Something,' I Continued. The Words Came Stumbling Out Of Me. 'i Couldnt Stand It If...i Dont Want You To---' Percy?' She Said. 'you Look Like You're Going To Be Sick.' And That's How I Felt.

Laistry....i Can't Even Say That. What Would You Call Them In English?" "canadians.

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!

I Started To Walk Away, But She [clarisse] Called Out, "percy?" "yeah?" "when You, Uh, Had That Vision About Your Friends..." "you Were One Of Them," I Promised, "just Don't Tell Anybody, Okay? Or I'de Have To Kill You." A Faint Smile Flickered Across Her Face "see You Later." "see You

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.

Stars," She Whispered. "i Can See The Stars Again, My Lady." A Tear Trickled Down Artemis's Cheek. "yes, My Brave One. They Are Beautiful Tonight." Stars," Zoe Repeated. Her Eyes Fixed On The Night Sky. And She Did Not Move Again.

Zia Turned Toward Us, Her Expression Grim. “i Will Show You To Your Quarters. In The Morning, Your Testing Begins. We Will See What Magic You Know, And How You Know It.” I Wasn’t Sure What She Meant By That, But I Exchanged An Uneasy Look With Sadie. “sounds Fun,” Sadie Ventured. “and It We Fail This Test?” Zia Regarded Her Coldly. “this Is Not The Sort Of Test You Fail, Sadie Kane. You Pass Or You Die.

Percy," My Father Said, "what Exactly Do You Mean?" "kronos Couldn't Have Risen If It Hadn't Been For A Lot Of Demigods Who Felt Abandoned By Their Parents," I Said. "they Felt Angry, Resentful, And Unloved, And They Had A Good Reason.

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!

As We Rose Over The Rooftops I Caught My Breath-well, If You Can Catch Your Breath Underwater.

They Both (thalia And Hera) Glared At Her, And For Three Long Seconds, Piper Wasn’t Sure Which One Of Them Was Going To Kill Her First.

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

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.

Oh, Lord. I Was Beginning To Think Like Neith. Soon I'd Be Huddled In An Underground Bunker Eating Army Rations And Cackling As I Sewed Together The Pockets Of All The Boys Who'd Jilted Me.

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.

Even From Far Away, I Could See People Being Chased By Hellhounds, Burned At The Stake, Forced To Run Naked Through Cactus Patches Or Listen To Opera Music.

Annabeth's Face, Her Blond Hair And Gray Eyes, The Way She Laughed, Threw Her Arms Around Him, And Gave Him A Kiss Whenever He Did Something Stupid. She Must Have Kissed Me A Lot, Percy Thought.

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

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

Aphrodite: Pfft. That's Not The Point. Follow Your Heart. Percy: But... I Don't Know Where It's Going. My Heart, I Mean.

He Was Dressed Just Like On Tv, With Lots Of Silver Chains And Bracelets, Ripped Jeans, And A Black Muscle Shirt (which Was Kind Of Stupid, Since He Didn't Have Any Muscles).

I Tried To Think Of Something To Say. Excuse Me? Hello? Marry Me? Anything Would Have Done.

That Is Exactly How People Beat Chinese Handcuffs. They Turn Into Iguanas.

There Will Be Guards,” Bast Said. “and Traps. And Alarms. You Can Bet The House Is Heavily Charmed To Keep Out Gods.” “magicians Can Do That?” I Asked. I Imagined A Big Can Of Pesticide Labeled God-away.

Hazel Screamed At The Top Of Her Lungs, But It Was A Scream Of Delight. For The First Time In Her Life-in Her Two Lives-she Felt Absolutely Unstoppable.

Was That Amazing?” She Demanded. “that Was Amazing,” I Agreed. It’s Hard To Pull Off A Romantic Kiss When You’re Both Drenched In Muck, But We Gave It Our Best Shot.

Their Goal Was In Sight. They Had A Titan With A Very Loud Kitten On Their Side. That Had To Count For Something.

I Love Teaching. I Love Working With Kids... Maybe Some Day I'll Go Back To The Classroom. I'm Not Ready To Say It'll Never Happen.

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!

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

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

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

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

[my Mom's] Funny That Way, Celebrating Special Occasions With Blue Food. I Think It's Her Way Of Saying Anything Is Possible. Percy Can Pass Seventh Grade. Waffles Can Be Blue. Little Miracles Like That.

Good Job On Percy Jackson I Read All Of Them 8 Times And Have Listened 42 Times And Still Not Bored Thanks.

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

How Do We Beat Her? I Asked. You Pretty Much Don’t, Horus Said. She Is The Incarnation Of The Sun’s Wrath. Back In The Day When Ra Was Active, She Would Have Been Much More Impressive, But Still. .she’s Unstoppable. A Born Killer. A Slaying Machine— “okay, I Get It!” I Yelled.

Percy Was Getting Tired Of Water. If He Said That Aloud, He Would Probably Get Kicked Out Of Poseidon’s Junior Sea Scouts, But He Didn’t Care.

Do You Always Try To Kill People When They Blow Their Nose?

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

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

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?]

Okay," I Said. "just A Normal Afternoon And Two Normal People." She Nodded. "and So...hypothetically, If These To People Likes Each Other, What Would It Take To Get The Stupid Guy To Kiss The Girl, Huh?" "oh..." I Felt Like One Of Apollo's Sacred Cows-slow, Dumb, And Bright Red. "um.

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.

Makes Us Appreciate Blessing, Not Be Greedy And Mean And Fat Like Polyphemus.

Briefly, The Nymphaeum Glowed With A Softer Light, Like A Full Moon. Piper Smelled Exotic Spices And Blooming Roses. She Heard Distant Music And Happy Voices Talking And Laughing. She Guessed She Was Hearing Hundreds Of Years Of Parties And Celebrations That Had Been Held At This Shrine In Ancient Times, As If The Memories Had Been Freed Along With The Spirits. 'what Is That?' Jason Asked Nervously. Piper Slipped Her Hand Into His. 'the Ghosts Are Dancing.

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

A Telkhine Was Hunched Over A Console, But He Was So Involved With His Work, He Didn't Notice Us. He Was About Five Feet Tall, With Slick Black Seal Fur And Stubby Little Feet. He Had The Head Of A Doberman, But His Clawed Hands Were Almost Human. He Growled And Muttered As He Tapped On His Keyboard. Maybe He Was Messaging His Friends On Uglyface.com.

"yeah, Flattering." Percy Raised Riptide. "but Actually I'm The Son Of Poseidon. I'm From Camp Half-blood."

I Do Like To Wrap Things Up And Leave Some Things To The Readers' Imagination.

I Should've Blown More Stuff Up." -coach Gleeson Hedge

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

Nico Started To Crawl Away, Groaning. Percy Wanted Him To Move Faster And Groan Less. He Considered Throwing His Wonder Bread At Him.

Nico, You Can Do This," Jason Said. "it Might Be Embarrassing, But It's For The Scepter." Nico Didn't Look Convinced. In Fact He Looked Like He Was Going To Be Sick. But He Squared His Shoulders And Nodded. "you're Right. I- I'm Not Afraid Of A Love God." Favonius Beamed. "excellent! Would You Like A Snack Before You Go?

I Didn't Answer, But, Please - Nothing Is Obvious With Boys. For Such Simple Creatures, They Are Quite Baffling.

Terminus Sniffed. “i Guard Borders. I Don’t Kill Giants. It’s Not In My Job Description.

Great Victory Requires Great Risk. -hera

I'm Calm," Rachel Insisted. "every Time I'm Around You, Some Monsters Attack Us. What's To Be Nervous About?" "look," I Said. "i'm Sorry About The Band Room. I Hope They Didn't Kick You Our Or Anything." "nah. They Asked Me A Lot Of Questions About You. I Played Dumb." "was It Hard?" Annabeth Asked.

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

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!

Staplers--- Excellent Source Of Iron

Seven Half-bloods Shall Answer The Call To Storm Or Fire The World Must Fall An Oath To Keep With A Final Breath And Foes Bear Arms To The Doors Of Death

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

He [nico] Regarded Jason, As If Waiting For An Attack. 'if The Others Found Out-' 'if The Others Found Out,' Jason Said, 'you'd Have That Many More People To Back You Up, And To Unleash The Fury Of The Gods On Anybody Who Gives You Trouble.

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

So Let Me Get This Straight,” Carter Said. “the Two Guys You Liked—one Who Was Dying And One Who Was Off-limits Because He’s A God—are Now One Guy, Who Isn’t Dying And Isn’t Off-limits. And You’re Complaining.

I've Always Liked The Idea That Writing Is A Form Of Travel. And I Started My Writing Career As A Mystery Novelist For Adults.

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