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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

-Rick Riordan

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When Luke Had Descended

Rick Riordan

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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

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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.

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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

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

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

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Oh, I Wouldn't Say Love Always Makes You Happy. Sometimes It Makes You Incredibly Sad.

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Frank Held Up The Chinese Handcuffs. “keep It Simple.

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She Tied Her Blond Hair Back With A Strip Of Denim Torn From Her Pants Leg, And In The Fiery Light Of The River, Her Grey Eyes Flickered. Despite Being Beat-up, Sooty, And Dressed Like A Homeless Person, She Looked Great To Percy. 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.

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Entertain Me, Heroes Of Olympus. Give Me A Reason To Do More." Bacchus To Percy And Jason

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It's Not Easy. I Got Lots Of Rejections When I First Started Out. If You Want To Write, You Have To Believe In Yourself And Not Give Up. You Have To Do Your Best To Practice And Get Better.

Zoe Readied Her Arrows. Grover Lifted His Pipes. Thalia Raised Her Shield And I Noticed A Tear Running Down Her Cheek. Suddenly It Occurred To Me: This Had Happened To Her Before.she Had Been Cornered On Half- Blood Hill. She'd Willingly Given Her Life For Her Friends. But This Time She Couldn't Save Us.

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

This Is Graceland. Home Of The Most Famous Musician In The World.” “michael Jackson Lived Here?” “no, Dummy,” Carter Said. “elvis Presley.

Sugar And Caffeine. My Willpower Crumbled.

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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.

There Were A Lot Of Answers I Might've Given, From "i Knew That" To "liar!" To "yeah Right, And I'm Zeus." - Percy, After Quintus Says That He Is Daedalus

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.

So Which Way Now, Sacagawea?" - Annabeth To Rachel

Don't Stay In One Place Too Long. It Was The Only Way To Stay Ahead Of The Sadness.

[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.

Sure, Sis!' Then He Raised His Hands In A Stop Everything Gesture. 'i Feel A Haiku Coming On.

Yes I Remember My Sixteenth." Vitellius Said "wonderful Omen! Happily Chicken In My Underpants." "excuse Me.

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After All The Dangerous Adventures I'd Had, I Couldn't Die Like This. Sadie Would Be Devastated. Then, Once She Got Over Her Grief, She'd Track Down My Soul In The Egyptian Afterlife And Tease Me Mercilessly For How Stupid I'd Been.

Boys Are Usually Forbidden To Have Any Contact With The Hunters. The Last One To See This Camp..." She Looked At Zoe. "which One Was It?" That Boy In Colorado," Zoe Said. "you Turned Him Into A Jackalope." Ah, Yes." Artemis Nodded, Satisfied. "i Enjoy Making Jackalopes.

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.

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'll Let You And Zia Have Some Quality Time," She Told Me. "just The Two Of You And Your Coat.

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.

The Wood Nymph Instructors Left Me In The Dust. They Told Me Not To Worry About It. They'd Had Centuries Of Practice Running Away From Lovesick Gods. But Still, It Was A Little Humiliating To Be Slower Than A Tree.

They [percy And Annabeth] Held The Doors Shut As The Elevator Shuddered And The Music Played, While Somewhere Below Them, A Titan And A Giant Sacrificed Their Lives For Their Escape.

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).

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You're A Stalker With Hooves." "i Am Not! I Followed Her To The Big House And Hid In A Bush And Watched The Whole Thing.

Whats Up, Seaweed Brain?

Imagine Jumping Into A Pit Of Boiling Acid. Now Multiply That Pain Times Fifty." -percy

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

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

You Weren't Able To Talk Sense Into Him?" Well, We Kind Of Tried To Kill Each Other In A Duel To The Death." I See. You Tried The Diplomatic Approach.

Far, Far Below, Red Liquid Bubbled. Blood? Lava? Evil Ketchup? None Of The Posibilities Were Good.

Nut Shrugged. "set Had Always Been Set, For Better Or Worse. But He Is Still Part Of Our Family. It Is Difficult To Lose Any Member Of Your Family . . . Is It Not?

Poseidon Raised His Eyebrows As They Shook Hands. “blowfish, Did You Say?” "ah, No. Blofis, Actually.” "oh, I See,” Poseidon Said. “a Shame. I Quite Like Blowfish. I Am Poseidon.” "poseidon? That’s An Interesting Name.” "yes, I Like It. I’ve Gone By Other Names, But I Do Prefer Poseidon.” "like The God Of The Sea.” "very Much Like That, Yes.

Yeah, Well,” Nico Said, “not Giving People A Second Thought…that Can Be Dangerous.

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!

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

Carter Pulled Out Several Lengths Of Brown Twine, A Small Ebony Cat Statue, And A Thick Roll Of Paper. No, Not Paper. Papyrus. I Remember Dad Explaining How The Egyptians Made It From A River Plant Because They Never Invented Paper. The Stuff Was So Thick And Rough, It Made Me Wonder If The Poor Egyptians Had Had To Use Toilet Papyrus. If So, No Wonder They Walked Sideways.

Sadie, I Can't Intervene." He Turned Up His Palms In Frustration. "i Told You When We First Met, This Isn't An Actual Physical Body." "shame," I Mumbled. "what?" "nothing. Go On.

I Looked At Thalia. "you're Afraid Of Heights." Now That We Were Safely Down The Mountain, Her Eyes Had Their Usual Angry Look. "don't Be Stupid." That Explains Why You Freaked Out On Apollo's Bus. Why You Didn't Want To Talk About It." She Took A Deep Breath. Then She Brushed The Pine Needles Out Of Her Hair. "if You Tell Anyone, I Swear—" No, No," I Said. "that's Cool. It's Just… The Daughter Of Zeus, The Lord Of The Sky, Afraid Of Heights?

I Seriously Needed An Extra-strength Magic Pillow, Because My Ba Refused To Stay Put. [and No, Sadie, I Don't Think Wrapping My Head In Duct Tape Would've Worked Either.]

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.

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

Stop!" He Yelled At The Others. "multigrain Fighting Is Not Allowed!

So, Great. This Is Camp…what Do You Call It? Camp Fish-blood?” Aphros Frowned. “i Hope That Was A Joke. This Is Camp __________.” He Made A Sound That Was A Series Of Sonar Pings And Hisses.

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

Carter Kane, 14, Died Tragically In Paris When He Was Eaten By His Sister’s Cat Muffin.

I Have Strong Feelings For You, I Just Haven't Decided If Their Positive Or Negitive Yet.a

I Tried To Tell Them That Things Would Be Okay, But I Didn't Believe It.

So, Yeah. Our Cat Was A Goddess. What Else Is New?

The Minotaur Unstrapped His Axe And Swung It Around. It Was Beautiful In A Harsh I’m~going~togut~you~like~a~fish Kind Of Way. Each Of Its Twin Blades Was Shaped Like An Omega: Ω—the Last Letter Of The Greek Alphabet. Maybe That Was Because The Axe Would Be The Last Thing His Victims Ever Saw

It's Funny How Humans Can Wrap Their Mind Around Things And Fit Them Into Their Version Of Reality.

Red Cattle," Annabeth Said. "the Cattle Of The Sun." "what?" I [percy] Asked. "they're Sacred To Apollo." "holy Cows?

Is A Knife Evil? Only If The Wielder Is Evil.

But Yes. Come, Faulty Dragon People. Follow Us.

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.

I Felt Like One Of Apollo's Sacred Cows- Slow, Dumb, And Bright Red.

Um," Grover Said. "percy?" "yeah?" "i Thought You'd Want To Know." "yeah?" "cerberus? He's Saying We've Got Ten Seconds To Pray To The God Of Our Choice.after That...well...he's Hungry.

The Driver Got Out Smiling. He Looked About Seventeen Or Eighteen, And For A Second, I Had The Uneasy Feeling It Was Luke, My Old Enemy. This Guy Had The Same Sandy Hair And Outdoorsy Good Looks. But It Wasn't Luke. His Smile Was Brighter And More Playful. (luke Didn't Do Much More Than Scowl And Sneer These Days.) The Maserati Driver Wore Jeans And Loafers And A Sleeveless T-shirt. "wow" Thalia Muttered. Apollo Is Hot." "he's The Sun God," I Said. "that's Not What I Meant.

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.

Gods Forbid If She Ever Broke Up With Him. She'd Never Be Able To Visit The Sea Again Without Remembering Her Broken Heart. Annabeth About Percy

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.

The Right Choice Is Hardly Ever The Easy Choice.

Nothing Like Adhd And A Good Fight To The Death To Make Time Fly

So I Took Her Hand, And I Don't Know What Everybody Else Heard, But To Me It Sounded Like A Slow Dance: A Little Sad, But Maybe A Little Hopeful, Too.

Always, Always Have A Plan

Just Sit Tight. Reinforcements Should Be Here Soon. Hopefully Nothing Happens Before-" Lightning Crackled Overhead. The Wind Picked Up With A Vengeance. Worksheets Flew Into The Grand Canyon, And The Entire Bridge Shuddered. Kids Screamed, Stumbling And Grabbing The Rails. "i Had To Say Something," Hedge Grumbled. He Bellowed Into His Megaphone: "everyone Inside! The Cow Says Moo! Off The Skywalk!" "i Thought You Said This Thing Was Stable!" Jason Shouted Over The Wind. "under Normal Circumstances," Hedge Agreed, "which These Aren't.

Glad You're Back To Normal. The Makeup And The Dress Were A Lot More Intimidating Than The Dagger." "get Going, Sparky, Before I Skewer You." "sparky?

We'd Just Released A Zebra In Las Vegas.

Frank Heard A Laugh Behind Him. He Glanced Back And Couldn't Believe What He Saw. Nico Di Angelo Was Actually Smiling. "that's More Like It," Nico Said. "let's Turn This Tide!

The Dead Are Hard To Look At. Their Faces Shimmer. They All Look Slightly Angry Or Confused. They Will Come Up To You And Speak, But Their Voices Sound Like Chatter, Like Bats Twittering. Once They Realize You Can't Understand Them, They Frown And Move Away. The Dead Aren't Scary. They're Just Sad.

Never Bet Against A Cat.

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

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

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

Percy Was Not Feeling The Love.

Are You Kidding?" She Looked At Me As If I'd Just Dropped From The Moon. Her Cheeks Were Bright Red. "what's The Problem Now?" I Demanded. "me, Go With You To The...the 'thrill Ride Of Love'? How Embarrassing Is That? What If Somebody Saw Me?" "who's Going To See You?" But My Face Was Burning Now, Too. Leave It To A Girl To Make Everything Complicated. "fine," I Told Her. "i'll Do It Myself." But When I Started Down The Side Of The Pool, She Followed Me, Muttering About How Boys Always Messed Things Up.

We Stepped Back And Looked At The King Of The Gods, Slumped In His Chair Snoring, And Cradling His Crook Like A Teddy Bear. I Placed The War Flail Across His Lap, Hoping It Might Make A Difference—maybe Complete His Powers Or Something. No Such Luck. "sick Weasels," Ra Muttered. "behold," Sadie Said Bitterly. "the Glorious Ra.

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

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.

Two Hundred Romans, And No One’s Got A Pen? Never Mind!" He Slung His M16 Onto His Back And Pulled Out A Hand Grenade. There Were Many Screaming Romans. Then The Hand Grenade Morphed Into A Ballpoint Pen, And Mars Began To Write. Frank Looked At Percy With Wide Eyes. He Mouthed: Can Your Sword Do Grenade Form? Percy Mouthed Back, No. Shut Up.

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