Uh, normally she doesn’t judo-flip people.

Three quarters, two dimes, a rubber band and—score! A piece of celery.”He started munching on the celery, eyeing the change and the rubber band like they might be next.

That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas.

We need to hurry.

It’s Bacchus, please. Or Mr. Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don’t-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus.

You trained Bill? Impressive.

Twins snuff out the angel’s breath, Who holds the key to endless death. Giants’ bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail.

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.

I missed you, Percy.”Percy wanted to tell her the same thing, but it seemed too small a comment. While he had been on the Roman side, he’d kept himself alive almost solely by thinking of...

Please?

Because I’m not kissing you until you do. And brush your hair while you’re at it.

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...

Gods, Percy, that’s so sweet.

Piper had a new entry in her top-ten list of Times Piper Felt Useless. Fighting Shrimpzilla with a dagger and a pretty voice? Not so effective.

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...

Annabeth wanted to sob. She wanted someone, anyone to be here for her. She wanted Leo with his fire skills, or Jason with his lightning, or Hazel to collapse the tunnel. Most of all she...

One false step, and you’ll fall all the way to Tartarus—and believe me, unlike the Doors of Death, this would be a one-way trip, a very hard fall! I will not have you dying before...

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...

Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies

Jump in the harbor,” he said casually, like another kid might say, I’m going to get a snack.

Forget the chicken-nugget smoke screen. Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dream hat.

How about you start from the top—of the story, not the backpack.

Oh, yeah? Me too. Let’s see whose friend gets here first.

That makes absolutely no sense.

Swords can’t solve every problem.

No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they’re Roman!

Once the others were below, Hazel and Leo faced each other awkwardly. They were alone except for Coach Hedge, who was back on the quarterdeck singing the Pokémon theme song. The coach had changed the...

Percy?” Annabeth gripped his arm.”Oh, bad,” he muttered. “Bad. Bad.” He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. “You guys remember Polybotes?””The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter,” Hazel said. “The anti-Poseidon you whacked in...

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.

[Piper] rushed to get dressed. By the time she got up on deck, the others had already gathered—all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch. Frank’s Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt...

Tempting,” Percy called down.

Come on.

He’d learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly side of things. After Tyson the Cyclops adopted him as a brother, Percy decided...

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...

Please, Percy…change your clothes. You smell like you’ve been run over by an electric horse.

Because I’m looking at it.

I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!

I still don’t understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta.”Leo snorted. “What’s a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird.

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...

If we can’t repair things with the Romans—well, the two sets of demigods have never gotten along. That’s why the gods kept us separate. I don’t know if we could ever belong there.”Percy didn’t want...

Dude, that sucks for you.

We’re together.” He didn’t say you’re okay, or we’re alive. After all they’d been through over the last year, he knew that the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for...

Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic; but Percy found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall.”Never in my life!” Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate...

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.

Now, leave.” All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face-first into his pizza. “Percy!” Annabeth grabbed him.