I’m sorry I can’t do more. But happy birthday, Sadie.” He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.

everybody-even monsters-needed a little attention once in a while.

A hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve.

They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

I am turning into a crazy dolphin.”He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the...

Do you have a pen?” she asked him.

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.

Fish gathered to look at us – a school of baracudas, some curious marines. SCRAM! I told them. They swam off, but I could tell they went reluctantly. I swear I understood their intencions. They...

This belonged to my sister-in-law,” Prometheus explained. “Pandora.”A lump formed in my throat. “As in Pandora’s box?”Prometheus shook his head. “I don’t know how this box business got started. It was never a box. It...

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.

Getting eaten by a giant crocodile was bad enough.The kid with the glowing sword only made my day worse.

Okay, do not call me Aquaman. That’s even worse than waterboy.

Doubtful, but it did work…”Annabeth?” Percy said again. “You’re planning something. You’ve got that I’m-planning-something look.””I don’t have an I’m-planning-something look.””Yeah, you totally do. Your eyebrows knit and your lips press together and —“”Do you...

Why won’t you drown?” he wailed, pummeling me with his fists.”I’m Poseidon’s son,” I said.”Curse that upstart! I was here first!

The Romans always wanted bread and circuses-food and entertainement! As we destroy their city, I will offer them both. Behold, a sample!”Someething dropped from the ceiling and landed at Percy’s feet: a loaf of sandwich...

Beautiful people never lie.

Don’t feel bad, I’m usually about to die.

What about a compromise? I’ll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I’ll apologize.

People usually asked her if she had a belly button. Of course she had a belly button. She couldn’t explain how. She didn’t really want to know.

We were just looking at maps…

Nico knew something about ghosts. Letting them get inside your head was dangerous. He wanted to help Reyna, but since his own strategy was to deal with his problems alone, spurning anyone who tried to...

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.

Always happens with men. They promise friendship. They promise to treat you as an equal. In the end, all they want is to possess you.

A general never shows despair. He instills confidence in his troops. He leads them forward, even into the mouth of death.

It takes strength and courage to admit the truth.

Zoë threw up her hands in exasperation. “I hate this language. It changes too often!

It’s useless to lecture a human.

Also … the plan sounded exactly like the sneaky, twisted, ridiculously annoying and noble sort of thing Leo Valdez would do.

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...

No,” I said. “I choose the prophecy. It will be about me.””Why are you saying that?” she cried. “You want to be responsible for the whole world?”It was the last thing I wanted, but I...

The throne rumbled. A wave of gale-force anger slammed into me. WHO DARES-The voice stopped abruptly, The anger retreated, which was a good thing, because just those two words had almost blasted my mind to...

There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it.

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...

I’ve been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain,” she said. “Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you’re going to save the world, I’m the best person to keep you from...

If the statue engulfs people in fire, we should send Leo.’ ‘I love you too, man.’ ‘You know what I mean. You’re immune. Or, heck, give me some of those nice water grenades and I’ll...

I tried to imagine how things could get much worse. The gods were in the Midwest fighting a huge monster that had almost defeated them once before. Poseidon was under siege and losing a war...

Sphinx on Seventy-second Street. Big Bully. I prayed to Daddy for help. Soon the people at Meriwether found me. Mey you. Biggest blessing ever. Sorry I said Poseidon was mean. He sent me a brother.

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.

Ah, Senor Zhang,” Leo said, “you know how you’re always saying, ‘Leo, you are the only true genius among demigods’?””I’m pretty sure I never said that.

Nico di Angelo ran up to me with a big grin on his face.”Percy, this is awesome!” His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big....

Where’s the dam water fountain I’m thirsty?

Percy glanced over. He saw the fallen giant and seemed to understand what was happening. He yelled something that was lost in the wind, probably: Go!Then he slammed Riptide into the ice at his feet....

Afterward, I had the last laugh. I made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Our friends kept waiting for us to come up, but hey-when you are the son of Poseidon, you...

My mother made a squeaking sound that might of been either “yes” or “help”.Poseidon took it as a yes and came in.Paul was looking back and forth between us, trying to read our expressions.Finally he...

Wow. When he started looking back on the war with Kronos as the good old days–that was sad.

I stared at him (Dionysus). “You’re…you’re married? But I thought you got in trouble for chasing a wood nymph-

Don’t dwell on things. Don’t stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of sadness.

Nico found a sort of freedom in knowing that eventually, no matter what happened, he would end up at the foot of his father’s throne.

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.

Intelligence won wars, not brute force.