chapter 2
"AHHH" I screamed.

"PERCY?" a voice said from close by said... Wait, hold up was that Thalia?

"Thalia?" I shouted over the noise of the wind in my ears.

"AWESOME!" said another familiar voice I was about to speak but Thalia beat me to it.

"Nico?" she yelled.

"That's me!" He replied as if we were not falling into darkness.

"What's goi-" I started but then...

THUD!

I landed in a straddle position on the hard floor facing the couch where Thalia and Nico landed. Not that it hurt after bathing in the Styx and stuff but still! Life Sucks!

"You have got to be kidding me!" I said. "You guys get a nice soft landing on the sofa whereas I land about two inches in front of it!"

Chuckling Nico replied "Thal and I are just cool that way! But surely you Perce, of all people, didn't find that excruciatingly painful."

I grunted in response which caused Thalia and Nico to smirk. Thalia smirk turned into a frown as she said " Where the heck are we?" Great question I thought as I looked around the room past the Gods and onto... Wait! The Gods?

"Eeep!" I said as I jumped up. Nico looked as if he was about to comment on my very feminine noise but when he noticed the Gods, and he too made a similar noise. Both Nico and Thalia jumped up off the couch and stood next to me in perfect unison. Together we stood facing a bunch of dumbfounded Gods, Chiron and some campers.

Zeus' PoV

The bright light disappeared and I saw 3 new figures, a boy and a girl, both wearing black had a appeared on the couch and another boy with messy black hair and green eyes was sitting on the foor in front of them. What in Hades name are these people and, more importantly, What do they think they are doing, appearing on Olympus, interrupting my speech that took me 2 hours to reherse!

"You have got to be kidding me!" The green eyed boy said. "You guys get a nice soft landing on the sofa whereas I land about two inches in front of it!"

Fair point I thought, but then I remembered I was furious with them and opened my moth to speak but the dark eyed boy interrupted me by saying

"Thal and I are just cool that way! But surely you Perce, of all people, didn't find that excruciatingly painful."

What the Heck is he talking about! How could that not be sore, that mere mortal should be in pain, unable to speak, with every bone broken in his body! There girl with bright blue eyes ooked ready to also comment on the matter, but at the last minute she appeared to change her mind and said instead

"Where the heck are we?"

I was about to tell them that they were in MY throne room and were to leave immediately unless they wanted certain death! But then I was cut out once again by the idiotic mortals when the green eyed boy finally noticed where he was and a name a noise similar to the ones I hear from Apollo when Artemis is mad at him. After a few seconds they noticed us and jumped up in surprise. Togher they stood facing the all powerful Zeus, the rest of his family, Chiron and a few of the campers.

No ones PoV

"Who are you?" Zeus boomed "I demand you tell me EXACTLY what you think your doing interrupting the Winter Solstice and the introducings of these campers!"

All the demigods cowered in fear and the blue eyed girl was about to reply when a large back packaged dropped out of nowhere and hit the green eyed boy on the head.

Completely forgetting the situation he said

"SERIOUSLY! Why in Hades does everything that is supposed to be painful and completely humiliating happen to me?"

Apollo, Hermes, Ares, Nico, Thalia and the twins from camp, looked like they were about to laugh but with one quick glance at Zeus's face , the quickly changed their minds.

"SILENCE MORTAL!" Once again Zeus boomed "I DEMAND YOU-"

"Perhaps we should have a look at the package first, this might be something important," Athena interrupted.

Zeus looked from the package to cowering Percy, to Athena then back again.

"Hermes!" Zeus ordered "As God of Messengers, go and open this package and report back what's in it!"

Hermes smartly obeyed and went over to the 3 demigods to pick up the package. He opened it up and inside was a note and a book.

"WELL?" Zeus said with a harsh tone still glaring at the mortals for interrupting his speech.

"Th-h-here is a n-n-note and a-a b-book" Hermes stuttered in fear.

"What are you waiting for then Hermes? Read it out!" in the same harsh tone.

"Dear Olympus and Apollo" Hermes began. "I am aware that your are completely shocked and in Zeus's case furious that 3 young people, well bar Nico he isn't that young, have interrupted this year's (well your years) Winter Solstice meeting and if I'm correct the beginning of the tour for some of the campers. Oh where to begin, ah I think I will start...here...no wait...here, yes here. These demigods are from the future and have recently ended the next big war, with hep of yours truly of course, I will let them handle the introductions, though I wish I was there to see your reactions, well technically i will be there but that's beside the point. These books will be of your future but at the same time, the demigods past. I am sure you will find these books truly fascinating and humorous and maybe shape the future to reduce the bloodshed resulting from the war BUT you must not try change the future too much as it may change the outcome completely. After you have read the first book, if you wish to continue, the next book will appear and so on and so forth, if not you shall return to whatever you were doing before and your memories will be modified. Do not, I repeat DO NOT do anything to harm the demigods or their parents after they are introduced or there will be Certain. Death, cue dramatic gasp from listeners. I hope you enjoy the books and get a good laugh, I certainly did!

Yours Awesomely, The one and only, all powerful, all mighty, God of the Sun, APOLLO!

Everyone's mouth was hanging open, including the 3 demigods. Athena was the first to speak

"Well this is truly amazing, we get to read into the future and learn all about what's going to come! I am for reading these books, this will be extremely benefitial! Zeus, you owe these demigods an apology, they didn't come here on their own account, it was infact Apollo who brought them here!"

Percy stared opened mouthed at Athena, this is probably the first, and only time Athena has been nice to me he thought to himself.

"Very well," Zeus muttered "I apologise."

Athena nodded in approval while Hades and Poseidon looked smug towards Zeus.

"Now! Introductions!" Athena said loudly.

The three demigods looked at each other, then together, Thalia and Percy pushed Nico forward.

"Hey!" Nico screeched "I am not going first! You do it Perce!"

"Ha Ha! You wish!" Percy said.
"Wait!" Thalia said before she dragged Nico and Percy into a private huddle. Together they agreed that they would follow the coarse of the book. arriving the conclusion. two elder demigods quickly pushed Nico to deliver the verdict.
"Ummmm....i think you'll know as we read the books."he gulped silently."though we'll tell you our names. I'm Nico di Angelo. the she's Thalia and thats Percy jackson". Poseidon's eyes widened, that couldn't be my son he was only nine now.Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hades eyes widen. But as soon as thalia's name was announced all the hades broke loose.
"But you're a TREE-"

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" Guess who said that.

"Hows this possible."

"Thialia your alive!"a girl cried, then the room fell silent.

I watched as a girl about nine years old with curly blonde hair went up to Thialia and tearfully hugged her.

"Hows this possible." The girl tearfully cried.
"it'll all be explained in the books"
Athena looked at the demigods sharply before speaking,"well since we're already going to read about them, we'll let that pass for now."All the gods murmured their agreement. "well, i think others should introduce them selves."
The campers nodded and Chiron, in wheel chair form, wheeled over to beside the couches.

Two identical twins stepped forward and said in unison "Connor and Travis Stoll, Sons of Hermes" Hermes beamed at them as they went and sat down on one of the free sofas. A buff boy stepped forward next and said

"Charles Beckendorf, Son of Hephaestus" As he sat down next to the twins no one noticed the trio wince. Next a burly girl stepped forward and grunted

"Clarrise La Rue, Daughter of Ares" As she took a seat on the other free couch, Ares smiled and Nico winked at Percy who scowled in return. Again no one noticed the winces the trio gave as the next camper, Silena Beugaud was introduced. She took a seat next to Clarisse and next Chris took a seat on the floor in front of the boys couch. The last of the campers looked around shyly before introducing herself. She had blonde hair and intense grey eyes.

"Im Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena" Percy choked and everyone stared at him. Thalia and Nico smirked at their shocked and concerned expression. Nico thumped Percy hard on the back.

"Something wrong there Perce?" He chuckled knowingly.

"N-n-nothing" Percy stammered "Just... Choked, That's all" Annabeth gave Percy an uncertain and scared look before going to sit down beside Silena.

"It's called Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." Thalia said.
At this Nico and Thalia burst into laughter and Percy had another choking fit. At first everyone looked totally bewildered but then it dawned on them that Percy Jackson was sitting in the room!

"Oh Yes!" Thalia said between laughs "We get to read about Percy's adventures and what he thinks about us!"

"More important what he thinks about-" Nico started

"SHUT UP" Percy shouted and Nico and Thalia continued to laugh.

"EEK!" Aphrodite squeaked "Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked excitedly.

"NO!" Percy said, a little too quickly.

"Yes he does!" Apollo said "Who's that special someone Percy?"

Percy turned scarlet as the campers chuckled.

"SILENCE!" Zeus boomed and immediately everyone shut up "I am sure we will find out during the books so Hestia if you please, start reading"
"I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre – Algebra Teacher"Hestia read.

"Chapter one," Hestia read, "I Accidently Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher."
"Dude I like you already!" Apollo laughed.
All the demi-gods except Thialia and Nico looked at Percy incredulously.
Look I didn't want to be a half blood.
"No one does." Thialia sighed, every other demi-god nodded.
Some gods looked down.
If your reading this because you think you might be one my advice is:
"Oh gods!" Nico screamed, "Percy giving advice! Alert the media."
"This ought to be good." Thialia snorted.
"I hate you guys." Percy said scowling.
Hestia laughed quietly then read on.
Close the book right now. Believe whatever lie you mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
"The advice wasn't half bad." Annabeth said thoughtfully.
Thialia smirked while Nico waggled his eye brows at Percy, who blushed a color that should have been impossible.
"What are you guys doing?" Annabeth asked.
"Nothing Annie." Thialia said ruffling Annabeths hair, "Please read on Hestia."
Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.
"To true." All the demi-gods said.
If you're a normal kid and think all this is fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if something is stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
"You didn't warn us!" Travis and Connor Stoll laughed in unison.
Katie and Silena hit them on the head, and they stopped laughing.
"But you seriously didn't warn me." Nico said.
"I didn't have time too. And it was just a tad late to warn you."
"True." Nico said.
"Do I want to know?" Hades and Poseidon asked.
"Probably not." Nico and Percy said.
"My name is Percy Jackson."
"Really!" Nico said, "I thought it was Peter Johnson."
Dionysius nodded in agreement.
I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
Am I a troubled kid?
"Yes." Thialia and Nico said.
Percy made a face at them while the other demi-gods laughed.
Yeah. You could say that.
"You even admit it!" Thialia laughed.
"Shut up!" Percy huffed.
I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan— twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.
"That sounds like great!" Annabeth said.
Athena nodded in agreement.
I know—it sounds like torture
"Hey!" Annabeth huffed as almost everyone laughed.
Most Yancy field trips were.
But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.
Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair.
Everyone looked at Chiron.
He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.
"I'm glad to be so entertaining to you Percy." Chiron laughed.
"You sleep during class!" Annabeth asked astounded.
Percy blushed while Thialia and Nico snickered.
I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.
Boy, was I wrong.
"When are you not?" Thialia asked.
"I'm right sometimes!" Percy said.
"No you just take answers from your girlfriend." Nico laughed.
"NICO!" Thialia screamed hitting him on the back of the head.
Aphrodite squealed, "You have a girlfriend."
"No!" Percy yelled, "Read on Hestia!"
Hestia was curious, but decided to keep reading, because of Percy's pleading expression.
See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon.
I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.
Hermes gave Percy a high five, while Apollo laughed.
"How do you accidently fire a war cannon? "Athena asked.
"Who cares man, your freaking awesome!" Travis laughed.
"I have a new prank idea!" Connor exclaimed with an evil glint in his eyes.
Katie, Annabeth, and Silena groaned.
"Wanna help Bekandorf?"
'Sure!"
Charlie!"
"Please read Hestia!" Ares yelled, "I need some action.
And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.
Apollo and Hermes were on the floor laughing with Travis and Connor.
And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.
"No Percy tell us more!" Hermes cried.
"No more!" Apollo yelled, "My stomach can'ttake it.
This trip, I was determined to be good.
"No Percy don't break the record!"
All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover
"I'm your best friend!" Grover asked.
"You sure are G-man!"
"Cool!"
in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.
"Gross!" Silena and Aphrodite said wrinkling there noses.
Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.
"Gee Percy that was a very nice description of me. I feel so flattered." Grover pouted.
Percy smile sheepishly while the gods laughed, and demi-gods laughed.
He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.
"Way to blow cover Grover!" Annabeth wheezed.
Grover blushed.
Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death.
by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.
"Ahh." Apollo pouted, "Nobody is going for a swim."
"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.
Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."
"Only you would say that Grover!" Travis laughed.
He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.
"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.
"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."
Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there.
In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.
At this all the gods and demigods straitened.
Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.
He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.
It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.
"Longer than that."Annabeth said awed.
"Much longer." Athena added.
He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.
Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker.
Travis and Connor laughed at the mental image.
Hades winced.
She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.
From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.
Athena looked at Hades figuring it out.
One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."
Poseidon blinked then realization dawned on him.
"YOU SENT A FUR-"
"Why do you look so concerned" Zeus asked suspiciously.
“I…what…umm……I thought….he learned his lesson from last time”
Entire council staredv at Posiedon suspiciously
Poseidon made a our dead sign at Hades then sat down. (Irony anyone?)
Annabeth blinked getting it, Katie and Silena looked at each other in understanding. While Travis, Connor, Grover, and Bekandorf only looked a little confused.
Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.
Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"
It came out louder than I meant it to.
"Nice one Perce!" Nico laughed.
The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.
"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"
My face was totally red.
"Like it is now!" Silena said chuckling.
Percy glared half-heartedly at Silena.
I said, "No, sir."
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?
I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"
The gods groaned.
"You had to pick that one Chiron?" Hades asked.
"Sorry Lord Zeus.".
"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied.
"And he did this because ..."
"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god,
"God!" All the gods said in unison.
"I didn't know back then! I'll probably be corrected." Percy said defending himself. Then squeaked, "Sorry."
and—"
"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.
"See!"
"Nobody argued with you Percy." Annabeth sighed.
Percy blushed.
"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead.
And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"
"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.
"You didn't have to live in his stomach." Hera said wrinkling her nose. "It's disgusting.
For once everyone agreed with her.
"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."
"Good job at simplifying a hundred year war!" Apollo laughed.
Some snickers from the group.
Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'
"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"
"Busted!" Grover laughed.
"Busted," Grover muttered.
The demi-gods laughed.
"Creepy." Bekandorf said, surprising some people. He was so quiet they forgot he was there.
"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.
At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.
"More like horse ears." Connor muttered to Travis.
"Say something Connor?" Chuiron asked.
Connor bushed, "No sir."
I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."
"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach.
Demether groaned and said, "Not good memories."
The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note,
Everyone snorted.
it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"
The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.
"When are boys not doofuses?" Artemis inquired.
"You know you love us!" Apollo said. "Wait I feel a poem coming."
Everyone groaned.
"There once was a goddess from Sparta who."
"Read Hestia please." Dionysius begged.
"It's worse in the future." Percy said, "He does haikus."
Apollo looked thoughtful, "Not a bad idea."
"Read Hestia!" Artemis yelled.
Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."
I knew that was coming.
I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"
Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old
"Older than that." Travis snorted.
"I'm not that old," Chiron laughed.
and had seen everything.
"He pretty much has," Katie said.
"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.
"About the Titans?"
"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."
Oh."
"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."
I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.
"Sorry." Chiron said, "I needed to prepare you."
Percy shrugged, "I understand that now."
I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped.
But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C— in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.
I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.
"He's been to a lot of girls funerals," Silena said sadly.
All the demi-gods looked down remembering there lost comrades.
He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.
The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.
Overhead, a huge storm was brewing,
Everyone looked at Zeus.
with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York State had been weird since Christmas.
We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.
Athena raised and eyebrow at Zeus who shrugged.
Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers.
Grovers expression turned angry.
Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse,
"That girl needs to be taught a lesson." Artes mumbled.
and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.
Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.
"Detention?" Grover asked.
"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."
"Not even close." Thialia scoffed.
"Thanks cuz. I feel the love." Percy said sarcastically.
Annabeth chuckled making Percy blush a bit.
Ahrodite raised an eyebrow, whats going on here.
Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"
Everyone laughed, even Hera.
Grover blushed, "Sorry."
didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.
"Thanks." Grover said sheepishly.
I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment,
Poseidon smiled. He still missed Sally.
only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.
Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.
Thialia snorted, "Apt description Perce."
I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.
Grover flinched, while Annabeth looked murderous, no one messes with her friends.
"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.
"She can't be that ugly." Aphrodite said flinching at the mental image.
"She is that ugly," Percy shuddered.
I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.
Ares sat up in his throne, finally some action.
I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.
"She probably was waiting for you to use your powers." Annabeth said.
"What ?" Travis asked confused.
Everyone except Grover, Connor, and Bekandorf face palmed.
"You don't know what she is?" Annabeth asked in disbelief.
"No…"
"Hey we don't knw either Connor said gesturing to Grover, Bekandorf, and him.
"She's a kindly One."
"Ohhhh…"
Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"
"—the water—"
"—like it grabbed her”
"POSEIDON! I can't believe you broke the oath! You will suffer severely!"
Athena's eyes widened. "Percy, you look six-teen. Does that mean you're-" she was cut off
"YES! She didn't call me sea spawn! I'm one step closer to being accepted!"
“YOU DESERVED TO DIE VERMIN “Hades roared.
“DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SON’’ Posiedon thundered and even Zues and Hades backed off quickly.
“Hestia read” posiedon commanded.
I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.
As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy
Everyone snorted.
was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"
"She was waiting for it all semester." Thialia sighed. "Believe me I know."
Hades and Zeus looked uncomfortable.
"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."
That wasn't the right thing to say.
"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.
"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."
"Thanks for trying man." Percy sighed.
"Grover smiled weakly, "Don't mention it."
I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.
"Don't blame you." Annabeth sighed, "She scared me too."
She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.
"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.
"But—"
"You—will—stay—here."
Grover looked at me desperately.
"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."
"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."
Nancy Bobofit smirked.
"If I ever meet her I'll beat her up for you Perce," Thialia growled.
"Yeah no one messes with our cousin."Nico said.
"Thanks guys." Percy said.
Thialia smirked while Nico smiled mischievously, "That's our job!"
"Hey!"
I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.
"She was probably trembling with fear!" Apollo said dramatically.
Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.
How'd she get there so fast?
I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something,
"No Percy that's all the time." Nico said.
Percy made a face.
"No offense I mean I just met you and hour ago," Annabeth said, "I have to agree with Nico."
Percy looked horrified while Thialia laughed.
and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.
"Don't we know about it." All the demi-gods sighed.
I wasn't so sure.
I went after Mrs. Dodds.
Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.
"Like he is now." Artemis said raising an eyebrow at Chiron.
"What?" Chiron asked holding a Twilight book. "Mortals can right good inaccurate things."
Artemis chuckled, "Pay attention now Chiron."
I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.
Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.
Poseidon started to wish that was it.
But apparently that wasn't the plan.
"Shit!" Poseidon yelled.
"Language brother." Zeus said.
I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.
Except for us, the gallery was empty.
Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.
Ares sat up in anticipation, while Poseidon looked like he wanted to faint.
Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...
"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.
"She could drop the honey." Travis said trying to lighten up the tension.
I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."
She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"
The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.
Poseidon looked as if his head was about to blow.
She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.
Everyone looked at Percy.
"I didn't know ok!"
I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."
Thunder shook the building.
Now everyone was looking at Zues.
"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."
I didn't know what she was talking about.
All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.
The girls face palmed, while some of the guys got a dreamy look.
Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.
Annabeth and Athena gave Percy an identical look.
Artemis sighed, "Boys."
"Well?" she demanded.
"Ma'am, I don't..."
"Your time is up," she hissed.
Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.
Poseidon looked ready to burst.
Percy smiled at him sheepishly.
Then things got even stranger.
Poseidon began to sweat even more.
Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.
"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.
Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.
With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.
"thank you Chiron." Poseidon sighed relaxing once again.
Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.
My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.
Poseidon looked panicked again.
"Wimp!" Ares laughed.
He got splashed with salt water.
She snarled, "Die, honey!"
And she flew straight at me.
Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.
"Thank the gods!" Poseidon said.
"You're welcome Uncle P." Apollo said.
Artemis hit Apollo over the head.
The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!
Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.
Thialia, Grover, and Annabeth shivered.
"She's not so bad." Nico shrugged.'
The gods and demi-gods gave Nico a look of disbelief.
"What!" Nico yelled.
"Nico you are just... just…"Thialia trailed off trying to find the right word.
"Such a boy." Artemis offered smiling at her future lieutenant.
"Exactly." Thialia smiled.
I was alone.
There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.
Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.
"You sound so lonely." Aphrodite sniffled with Silena.
My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something
Everyone laughed.
"I'm sure that was it!" Travis laughed.
Had I imagined the whole thing?
I went back outside.
It had started to rain.
Cue looks at Zues.
Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."
"Umm… Who?" Nico asked.
I said, "Who?"
Annabeth looked from Nico to Percy, "Creepy…"
"Our teacher. Duh!"
I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.
She just rolled her eyes and turned away.
I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.
He said, "Who?"
But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.
"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."
Thunder boomed overhead.
I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.
I went over to him.
He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."
Everyone chuckled.
I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.
"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"
He stared at me blankly. "Who?"
"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."
He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"
"He's never feeling alright." Thialia sighed.
Percy made a face.
Poseidon sighed thank the gods that's over, with my sons luck he'll be fighting the minotaur, but that's impossible. The minotaur is still reforming…
"Who reads next?" Zues asked.
"I will." Aphrodite said.


pls comment

cool i like your fanfictin but when do you post.

Kewl story, post soon!!
Love,
Aphrodite

I luv luv luv luv * a billion

Omg that's awesome post soon please

Awesome please post soon,please.

Please please please
post post post post post post post post post post post post

Really really good, post soon.

you post or die

"Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death" Aphrodite read raising a perfect eyebrow.
"You have some weird titles." Hephaestus said.
Poseidon looked worried, "Are you in danger again?"
Percy grinned sheepishl
I was used to the occasional weird experience,
"Being with Percy IS a weird experience!" Nico laughed.
Percy made a face at Nico while everyone laughed, even Poseidon cracked a smile.
but usually they were over quickly.
This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.
Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody,
"It won't work." Athena tsked at Percy.
"The Mist is very powerful." Chiron said.
Percy blushed and said, "I know that now.
just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.
"You are!" Travis laughed.
"Even Travis from the past teases me!" Percy yelled.
It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.
Almost.
But Grover couldn't fool me.
Grover blushed.
While the Stolls snickered.
When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, and then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.
"Grover my friend." Connor said in a teachers voice, "you need lying lessons.
"We'll give them to you for five drachmas." Travis smiled.
Grover looked deep in thought then handed Travis five drachmas.
"As soon as this book is over give me lessons."
"No problem."
Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum.
I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.
Poseidon glared at Hades who shrugged.
The freak weather continued,
"That would be Zeus's fault." Poseidon said.
which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room.
More looks at Zues.
A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy.
Now Poseidon glared at Zues.
One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.
I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs.
Athena and Annabeth looked horrified.
"F's" Annabeth said looking terrified, "I think you need to be tutored."
Athena turned to Poseidon, "Your son's brain is full of kelp."
"He takes after his dad!" Hades laughed.
"Yeah…" Poseidon said, "Wait! Hey!"
"Please read Aphrodite!" Dionysius said bored.
I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends.
"Don't blame you." Thialia said sympathetically, "I would beat them up too."
I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.
Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot.
"Nice insult Percy!" Connor laughed.
I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.
Everyone laughed at this statement.
"This book!" Apollo gasped, "Is killing me!"
Even Silena, Katie, and Bekandorf were on the floor laughing.
The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.
Fine, I told myself. Just fine.
I was homesick.
"Does Percy want his mommy!" Travis lughed.
Percy stuck out his tongue and said, "My mommy is the best in the world."
"Even I have to agree." Thialia smiled, "Your mom is really nice."
Poseidon beamed at the thought of Sally.
I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather
Poseidon raised a brow.
and his stupid poker parties.
And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods outside my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend,
Grover smiled, while some goddesses cooed.
even if he was a little strange.
Grover stopped smiling and made a face at Percy.
Everyone laughed good naturally at Grover.
I worried how he'd survive next year without me.
I'd miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.
"Thanks for that." Percy said to Chiron.
Chiron smiled back, "It's probably was no trouble, you seem like a nice young man."
Percy beamed.
"Even though you're not the smartest young man." Thialia said, "You're pretty reliable."
"Thanks cousin." Percy said dryly.
"Don't mention it."
As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for.
"I'm so proud Perce!" Nico exclaimed, "You studied for something!"
Percy stuck out his tongue at Nico.
I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.
"It's hard not to believe Chiron." Katie said.
Everyone even the gods agreed.
The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.
"How could you throw a textbook!" Athena scolded, "All that useful information."
Percy smiled sheepishly as Athena scolded him. He was used to it.
Annabeth tried to keep a stern face, but she did once throw a text book by "accident", so she couldn't blame Percy. And beside Percy was a nice person, and easy going.
Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon,
Chiron looked a bit offended.
or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.
"Don't blame you." All the demi-gods minus Annabeth said.
I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.
Travis's eyes lit up another good prank idea!
He turned to his brother who had the same evil look. Everyone scooted away from the Stoll brothers a little bit.
I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.
I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.
Athena nodded in approval.
I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.
Annabeth nodded, "That's a good idea. I guess you do sometimes use your brain."
Percy smirked.
Thialia internally smiled for him.
I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.
I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said,
"... worried about Percy, sir."
I froze.
"eavesdropper!" Hermes laughed.
I'm not usually an eavesdropper,
"Right." Thialia snorted.
but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.
Thialia looked thoughtful.
"I guess I would too…"
I inched closer.
"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too—"
"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."
"Much more!" Nico exclaimed.
"Shut up!"
"But he may not have time. The summer solstice dead line— "
"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."
"Percy and ignorance." Thialia said making a joining hand motion, "Chiron he still has a lot of ignorance, AND stupidity."
Percy stuck out his tongue while everyone laughed.
"Sir, he saw her..."
"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."
"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."
Grover put his head down, while Annabeth patted his back.
"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"
The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.
"Again you drop a text book." Athena sighed.
Mr. Brunner went silent.
My heart hammering, I picked up the book
"Thank you." Guess who said that.
and backed down the hall.
A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.
"Actually…" Annabeth said thoughtfully, "You can be very observant."
Percy blushed a bit, "Thanks."
Annabeth smiled a bit at him, making him blush just a bit more.
Aphrodite raised a brow at Percy and the love pulsating from him.
I'll find out later…
I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.
A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, and then moved on.
A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.
Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."
"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."
"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."
"Don't remind me."
"It gets tiring having to be in the same grade over and over again." Grover sighed.
"I've been in high school for ten thousand years!" Apollo declared.
Everyone sighed.
Oh Apollo what are we going to do with you…
The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.
I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.
Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.
Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.
"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"
I didn't answer.
"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"
"Just... tired."
I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.
I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.
But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.
The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam,
Athena sighed, this kelphead was definetli the son of Poseidon.
my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.
For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.
"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."
His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.
Thiailias eyes became murderous.
"That girl is starting to really piss me off." Hephaestus said.
"You didn't even have to meet her." Percy sighed.
I mumbled, "Okay, sir."
"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."
My eyes stung.
"Wimp!" Ares laughed.
Cue more salt water.
Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.
"Right," I said, trembling.
"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—"
"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."
"Sorry Percy…" Chiron said sincerely.
"It's ok… I understand now…"
"Percy—"
But I was already gone.
On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.
The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.
"I wouldn't call your dad a nobody." Hermes said.
"I didn't know." Percy sighed then smiled, "My dad is definitely not a nobody."
Poseidon gave him a smile and a wink.
They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.
What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.
"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."
They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.
The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover,
Grover smiled at Percy who smiled back.
but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had,
"I wonder why." Travis said sarcastically.
so there we were, together again, heading into the city.
During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen.
Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.
Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.
I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"
Grover jumped a bit in his seat, "You probably scared my hooves off."
"Sorry."
Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"
I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.
Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"
"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"
He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers …"
"Grover—"
"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."
"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."
"All satyrs are." Dionysius sighed, though there was some love in his voice.
His ears turned pink.
Connor laughed, "Like they are now."
Grover punched him mockily on the shoulder.
From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.
The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:
Grover Underwood
Keeper
Half-Blood Hill
Long Island, New York
(800) 009-0009
"What's Half—"
"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."
My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.
"Whats wrong with being rich?" THialia asked, "As I remember before you like rich Percy."
Percy blushed.
Aphrodite stopped reading and tried her hardest to detect who Percy loved.
Percy and Thialia stopped talking when they noticed everyone staring.
"What do you mean by he liked rich?" Annabeth asked curious.
"I never liked her in that way Thialia!" Percy pouted. "No more discussing my freaking love life."
Aphrodite even though she wanted to know more decided she could wait and read on.
"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."
He nodded. "Or...or if you need me."
"Why would I need you?"
It came out harsher than I meant it to.
"Sorry." Percy said blushing.
Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."
I stared at him.
All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying
"Aww!" all the girls cooed while Percy blushed.
Even Athena had to admit Percy was a very loyal young man.
But she did find his one weakness.
that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.
"Grover," I said, "What exactly are you protecting me from?"
There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs.
The driver cursed and steered the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.
After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.
We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter
Grover made an angry Blaa-aa-haa noise.
from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.
The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.
Poseidons eyes widened in fright, "Please don't look at him. Please don't look at him." Poseidon begges.
I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.
All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.
The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.
"NOOOO!" Poseidon yelled
I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.
"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—"
"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"
"They're not looking at him!" Travis and Connor laughed trying to ease the tension.
Again Katie and Silena hit them on the back of the head.
"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"
Cue face palms.
"You're such a seaweed brain!" Annabeth said.
Percy's eyes widened.
"In fact." Annabeth said thoughtfully, "I'll call you that from now on."
Thialia and Nico smiled at Percy who looked a bit shocked that younger Annabeth made the same nickname older Annabeth had.
"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."
The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.
"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."
"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."
"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.
Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic.
Annabeth eyes widened, she knew who they were.
Even the Stolls eyes filled with understanding.
Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.
Annabeth hit Percy over the head which was pretty funny to look at considering she was nine and he was sixteen.
'You are such a Seaweed Brain!"
Percy smiled sheepishly at the younger version of his girlfriend.
At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.
The passengers cheered.
"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"
Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.
Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.
"Grover?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you not telling me?"
He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"
"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"
"In a way." Katie said, "But they can be much worse."
His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."
"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."
He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.
He said, "You saw her snip the cord."
"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.
"It's a huge deal!" Bekandorf said worriedly.
He barey met this guy, but he seemed to be a very good and loyal friend.
"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."
Thialia closed her eyes, while Percy put a hand on her shoulder.
"What last time?"
"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."
Thialia gripped her arm rest.
"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"
"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."
This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.
"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.
No answer.
"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"
Percy winced, and so did Thialia…
Luke…
He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.
"I think you need daisies and roses on your coffin." Travis said thoughtfully.
Percy stuck out his tongue.
"Aright let's take a short break." Zeus ordered.

tell me what you think abt it. should i continue???????

Amazing and yes continue

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Post please

AWESOME MAN AND YOU SHOULD CONTINUE,if you don't then you will face the wrath of trickster,just kidding.

Cool and please please continue.

I love it! I was laughing the whole time! Please continue! I know they take forever, but don't give up :)

Keep posting!

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pooostpooooooostpostpostpooostpostpostpost­pos­tpo­stp­ost­poo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­ooo­sss­sss­sss­ttt­ttt­ttt­ttt­ttt­tt

"Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants"Apollo read.

"Grover," Annabeth tsked good naturally, "didn't your mama goat teach you not to run around without pants?"

Grover stuck his tongue out at Annabeth.

Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.

Percy hung his head and said, "I really regret it. And sorry Grover."

Grover smiled slightly at Percy.

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"

Thialia put her head in her hands and Annabeth scooted over to put comfort her best friend.

Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up,

Grover blushed while everyone snickered.

so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him,

"You really keep your promises Percy." Grover muttered.

Percy smiled sheepishly.

then made a beeline for the restroom.

Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

"Shes the best woman in the world." Poseidon sighed.

Hera and Aphrodite cooed at him.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world,

The demi-gods laughed and sais in perfect unison, "Creepy!"

which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck.

Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program.

Everyone went wide eyed hearing what Percy's mom had to go through.

Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

"You chose a good woman Poseidon…" Athena said.

Poseidon looked surprised, but then smiled a bit, "Thanks…"

The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

"Awww!" the goddess's cooed while Poseidon blushed happily.

I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile.

Poseidon and Percy both smiled at each other.

My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad.

Poseidon looked down guiltily.

She has no pictures.

See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.

"she didn't lie…" Hera said sympathetically.

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.

Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano,

Poseidon frowned at this.

who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him,

"If he hurt you!" Poseidon threatened gripping his trident so hard his hand to white.

"Dad don't worry he is taken care of!" Percy said smiling.

then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nick named him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

Demeter, Hera, and Aphrodite wrinkled there noises.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.

I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

Poseidon's eyes darkened.

Aphrodite gasped at what a pigsty it sounded like.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom?"

"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"

"He asked you for money!" Poseidon growled lowly.

"If I ever meet him I'll beat him up for you Perce!" Thialia said lowly.

"Me too." Nico said angrily.

"Thanks guys."

Everyone scooted away from the mad sea god and the three most powerful demi-gods in the world.

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.

Aphrodite made a disgusted face, "Bad image to imagine." She said.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.

"He punched you!" Poseidon yelled making the whole Mount Olympus shake.

It took all the male gods minus Apollo who was reading to hold him down.

Poseidon got up angrily and cussed in Ancient Greek all the way to his thrown. Then sat down angrily.

"I don't have any cash," I told him.

He raised a greasy eyebrow.

Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Poseidon looked on the verge of madness.

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.

Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.

The goddesses made disgusted faces and all the demi-gods looked at Percy sympathetically.

"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

Poseidon gipped his trident while, Thialia gripped her spear, and Nico his sword.

It was a scary scene…

I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.

Everyone wrinkled there nose.

I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.

Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

Everyone shivered.

But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic—how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone—something—was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.

Ares sat forward in anticipation of a fight.

Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"

"Aww man no fight!" Ares exclaimed.

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.

"Aww!" Aphrodite squealed.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room.

"She sure does." Poseidon said.

"Aww." Demeter, and Hera cooed.

Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad.

I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe.

"Even though she should say a few cuss words to Gabe!" Thailia growled.

"Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop

Artemis shook her head at the boys drooling faces as they thought of candy.

in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.

"I want free samples!" Travis exclaimed.

We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?

"Aww is Peter a mama's boy?" Dionysius asked teasingly.

"I sure am!" Percy said proudly.

I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.

From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?"

Poseidon gritted his teeth.

I gritted my teeth.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire,

"She should be married to a billionaire!" Thialia said.

not to some jerk like Gabe.

"Definitely not Gabe!" Silena said wrinkling her nose.

For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself.

"Of course you almost convinced yourself." Travis said rolling his eyes.

Percy half-heartedly glared at him.

I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.

"But I still dislike her." Percy said.

Until that trip to the museum ...

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

"Don't lie." Athena warned.

I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.

She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.

"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

My eyes widened. "Montauk?"

Poseidon smiled at the memories.

"Three nights—same cabin."

"When?"

She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."

I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

"Maybe is he didn't gamble there would be!" Annabeth said angrily.

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm going to kill him!" Poseidon roared.

It took half an hour to calm him down.

Poseidon sat back down with a huff.

I wanted to punch him,

"Punch him Percy!" Ares growled, "Punch him good I need action!"

He again got soaked.

but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.

"Please do I don't think uncle could stand it if you stayed there another second." Artemis sighed glancing at fuming Poseidon.

"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your step father is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Hermes gulped, "That sounds good."

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

Aphrodite fumed then started to rant, "You dare make her use money out of her clothes budget when she's busting her butt to make you happy! You deserve to rot in the Fields of Punishment till the end of time. You no good dirty rotten son of a-"

"Ok Aphrodite!" shouted Zeus. "Please watch your language we are in the presence of children."

Aphrodite huffed and sat down looking as mad as Poseidon.

"Yes, honey," my mother said.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip

Aphrodite fumed.

... 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.

But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.

Why did she put up with this guy?

"That's what we all want to know!" Athena growled.

I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain

Everyone snorted.

"Does he even have a brain?" Hera said angrily.

was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.

"Yeah, whatever," he decided.

He went back to his game.

"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes—the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride—as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.

But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.

An hour later we were ready to leave.

Poseidon sighed, "Please get out of there!"

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking—and more important, his '78 Camaro—for the whole weekend.

Poseidon growled lowly.

Even Zeus was outraged that someone could treat a lady this badly.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."

"You're not even driving!" Annabeth said incredulously.

Like I'd be the one driving.

Some gods and half-bloods chuckled and Annabeth blushed a bit.

I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.

Again Poseidon looked murderous.

Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the stair case as if he'd been shot from a cannon

Everyone laughed at this.

"Hade?" Poseidon asked darkly.

"Yes?"
"When that man dies caould you send him to the Fields of Punishment?"

"I already put him on the list." Hades said smugly.

Everyone slid away from the plotting brothers.

Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.

I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders

Annabeth looked ready to pee in her pants, while Athena paled.

Percy put hand on Annabeths shoulder to comfort her as a force of habit.

She looked at it for a while then smiled gratefully a Percy. She really didn't like spiders.

in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

I loved the place.

Everyone chuckled a bit.

We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.

"Aww." The goddesses cooed.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.

We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

"What's with all the blue food?" Annabeth asked confused.

Athena looked over to Annabeth and saw Percy's hand on her shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Percy looked at Athena then at his hand and warily took it off Annabeths shoulder.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

"Yes you should." Annabeth said she hated not knowing things.

See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This—along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano—was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.

"Uncle P likes rebels." Hermes said then waggled his eyebrows at Poseidon, "You have good taste."

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk—my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.

Poseidon smiled at Percy who smiled back sadly.

"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."

"She still likes you Poseidon," Aphrodite sniffled with Silena.

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."

"I am proud." Poseidon smiled.

I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.

"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"

She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But... he knew me as a baby."

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.

Poseidon beamed at Percy who smiled back.

I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me...

I felt angry at my father.

Poseidon hung his head in shame. "I would visit you, but someone," he glared at Zeus, "Made that stupid law."

"I understand that now." Percy smiled.

Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom.

"Percy I would marry your mom if I could." Poseidon said sadly.

"I know…"

He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.

Poseidon winced.

"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?"

"Percy!" Aphrodite screamed.

"Sorry, sorry!" Percy said, "I was really confused!"

"You still are!" Connor laughed.

Percy made a face at him.

I regretted the words as soon as they were out.

"See I regretted my words!" Percy said.

My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I—I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."
"It must hurt to always send your kid away…" Grover said sadly.

Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said—that it was best for me to leave Yancy.

"Because I'm not normal," I said.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are.

"You still don't realize how important you are." Thialia sighed. "You may have an ego, but you're not proud enough…"

I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"Safe from what?"

She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me—all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.

During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.

"A Cyclops!" Travis said surprised.

"No it was a hellhound!" Katie said sarcastically.

"Oh… Hey wait it is a Cyclops!"

Cue face palms.

Percy, Thialia, and Nico watched the exchange chuckling, who would've thought they would get together in the end.

`Before that—a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.

Annabeth looked at Percy with whole new respect, "Like Hercules!"

"Percy is even greater then Hercules!" Nico chuckled.

Zues opened his mouth to say something but Nico interrupted him by saying, "Even Zues admitted it!"

Percy blushed at the attention. Then blushed even redder at Annabeth's awed look.

In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.

I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."

Some Olympians looked down.

They caused mortals a lot of pain.

"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."

My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born— talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?

"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."

She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.

That night I had a vivid dream.

It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf.

Everyone looked at Zeus and Poseidon.

They just shrugged.

The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

Everyone looked at Hades who shrugged, "I don't know it's in the future."

I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion.

I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes,

"I win!" Zeus yelled, "I win! I win!"

"The fights not over yet!" Poseidon said sticking his tongue out.

The demi-gods smiled at the gods childish behavior.

and I screamed, No!

I woke with a start.

Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

Cue looks at Poseidon.

I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.

Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.

My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.

"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"

"Percy not thinking… Well that's new." Thialia said sarcastically.

"Your such a Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth laughed.

Percy blushed.

My mother looked at me in terror—not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.

"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on—

"If he was human not a nice mental image." Hera said.

and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be...

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"

I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"

"At least someone stays cool in this situation!" Athena said.

Grover ran for the Camaro—but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.

Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.

"Dun dun dun!" Travis said dramatically.

"Who reads next?"

"I will." Dionysius said.

Everyone looked at him shocked.

"What?"

"You want to participate?" Hera said astonished.

"Just give me the book!"

Apollo gave Dionysius the book.

my mother teaches Me Bullfighting," Dionysius read.
"Oh goody you go to Spain!" Apollo cheered.

"Sally is a bullfighter?" Athena asked confused.

"No." Poseidon said worried.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

"Good get out of there!" Poseidon said.

Every time there was a flash of lightning,

"Someone needs a chill pill." Apollo whispered to Hermes.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Apollo yelled his hair standing straight up. "I was kidding!"

I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.

But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

"I'm not a barnyard animal!" Grover pouted.

"Yeah you're just half a barnyard animal." Silena laughed.

All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"

Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"STALKER!" Exclaimed Travis.

Katie hit his head again.

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."

"Urm ... what are you, exactly?"

"That doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"

"Blaa-haa-haa! I'm not a donkey!" Grover yelled.

Everyone laughed at Grovers horrified expression.

Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"

"You don't change much Grover!" Annabeth laughed.

I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.

"Goat!" he cried.

"What?" Nico asked.

"What?"

Nico blushed.

"Hey we are more alike than I thought we were!" Percy laughed.

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"Didn't you just say it didn't matter?" Annabeth asked Grover.

Grover blushed.

"You just said it didn't matter."

"No Annabeth!" Thialia yelled, "don't go into the dark side."

Annabeth blushed.

Nico sighed, "At least I won't be the only one that thinks like Percy."

"I don't think like a Seaweed Brian!"

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you under hoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"

"Wow…" was all Athena could say.

"Of course."

"Then why—"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"

"Percy you are the chosen one." Connor said in a deep voice.

Silena hit him over the head.

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.

"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after me?"

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment.

"I still am miffed!" Grover yelled mad.

"Sorry dude!" Percy said blushing.

"Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

"Very comforting Grover." Thialia said sarcastically.

"You better have not something like the Minotuar after them Hades!" threatened Poseidon.

Hades not nowing what he sent got in full battle armor.

"Grover!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

"Yes Please!" Poseidon begged, "I don't have any more Advil."

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.

My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."

"The place you didn't want me to go."

"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn."

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates."

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates.

"Grover seriously man stop repeating yourself!" Connor laughed.

Do you know what it means—the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."

"Whoa. You said 'you.'"

"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"

"You meant 'you.' As in me."

"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."

"This argument makes no sense!" Annabeth yelled. "Stupid Seaweed Brain."

Percy blushed.

"Boys!" my mom said.

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid—a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.

"What was that?" I asked.

"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question.

"Another mile. Please. Please. Please."

"Yes please!"

I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.

Outside, nothing but rain and darkness—the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.

Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom, and our car exploded.

Poseidon got out of his thrown and yelled at Hades, "If you hurt a hair on any of there heads I'll-"

"This didn't happen yet!" Hades squeaked scared.

"Sit down Poseidon!" Zeus ordered, "Now read Dionysius.

I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.

I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."

"Percy!" my mom shouted.

"I'm okay..."

I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.

Lightning.

Poseidon glared at Zeus.

That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"

Grover took a breath in, "please tell me I'm alive!" he squeaked.

He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!

Grover smiled weakly at Percy who smiled back.

The goddesses cooed.

Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.

Grover blushed.

"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.

I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.

"I jinxed it you did send the Minotaur Hades!" yelled Poseidon.

"Calm down brother Percy is alive see." Zeus said pointing to Percy.

I swallowed hard. "Who is—"

"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."

My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.

"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy—you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

"What?"

Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.

"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"Mom, you're coming too."

Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.

"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me.

"You're very loyal." Aphrodite said smiling at Percy.

Help me carry Grover."

"Thanks." Grover said sheepishly.

"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.

The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands—huge meaty hands—were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns…

"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

"But..."

"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."

I got mad, then—mad at my mother,

Ares sat at the edge of the seat sensing action about to come.

at Grover the goat,

"I thought he was a donkey!" Travis said trying again to lighten the tension.

Grover through a tin can at him, while Katie hit him in the head.

at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.

"He's half bull." Apollo said.

I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."

"I told you—"

"Mom! I am not leaving you.

"That's so sweet!" Hera cooed with the rest of the goddess.

Help me with Grover."

Grover smiled at Percy.

I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.

Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine—bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except under wear— I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms—which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns—enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.

"You make the worse analogys at the worst times!" Annabeth laughed.

Percy blushed.

Aphrodite sensed a wave of pure love coming from him and going to… shoot he just stopped.

Percy smirked at Aphrodite and she stuck out her tongue back angry she couldn't find who he liked.

I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.

I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's—"

"Pasiphae's son," my mother said.

"You chose a good and smart woman Poseidon!" Athena said surprised.

Poseidon smirked.

"I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."

"But he's the Min—"

"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."

"How does she know so much?" Bekandorf asked.

"she can see through the mist." Poseidon and Percy said in unison.

They looked at each other then smiled.

Everyone was laughing.

The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least.

I glanced behind me again.

The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows—or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.

"Food?" Grover moaned.

Grover blushed.

"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

"She knows a lot." Hephaestus said.

As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.

Not a scratch,

I remembered Gabe saying.

"Opps!" Travis laughed.

Oops.

"No Travis too!" yelled Thialia, "They're taking over."

Everyone chuckled warily.

"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

"A plan worthy of Athena." Hephaestus said.

"Unfortunately it is." Athena sighed.

"How do you know all this?"

"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."

"Keeping me near you? But—"

Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.

He'd smelled us.

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.

The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.

Poseidon looked ready to die.

My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."

I didn't want to split up,

"So loyal." Aphrodite sniffled.

but I had the feeling she was right—it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.

He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.

The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing.

So I held my ground,

Poseidon closed his eyes and prayed to umm…. Himself that his son wouldn't get hurt.

and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.

Poseidon let out a sigh of relief.

The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.

We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.

The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.

"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"

But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.

"NO!" Poseidon screamed.

"Mom!"

She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"

Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.

Poseidon looked absolutely horrified. His face lost all of its color and he let out a sob.

Percy went over to his dad and whispered into his eye.

Poseidon's eyes brightened and he sighed with relief.

"Read on Dionysius," Poseidon said.

"No!"

Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs—the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.

Ares sat up in anticipation.

The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.

Grover stiffened.

I couldn't allow that.

Grover shot a smile at Percy.

I stripped off my red rain jacket.

"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"

"Come up with better insults kid!" Apollo laughed.

"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.

I had an idea—a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all.

"When do you not have stupid ideas?" Nico asked.

Percy mock punched him.

I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.

But it didn't happen like that.

The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.

Time slowed down.

"Dun. Dun. Dun!" surprisenly Bekandorf said this.

Silena hit him over the head.

My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.

How did I do that?

"How should we know?" Connor said.

Silena hit him over the head again.

I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.

The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.

Aphrodite wrinkled her nose.

The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.

Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up,

Grover blushed.

but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.

"Food!" Grover moaned.

"Sorry."

The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then—snap!

The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.

The monster charged.

Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.

The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate—not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.

The monster was gone.

"Good job!" Ares said impressed.

"Wow!" Annabeth said her eyes shown admiration.

Percy blushed tomato red.

The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief. I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm house. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover—I wasn't going to let him go.

"Thanks man."

"No problem, your my best friend."

"Next to Annabeth." NIco whispered to Thialia.

Thialia smirked.

The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's.

Thialia and Nico burst out laughing.

"I wonder who that is!" Nico exclaimed sarcastically.

"She's going to be pissed if I tell her you called her a princess!" Thialia laughed.

Percy blushed all the way to his roots.

"Whoever this is I'm going to have fun making your relationship!" Aphrodite squealed.

Percy became pale. Oh no…

Athena is going to kill me!

They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."

"This is going to be so much fun!" Aphrodite squealed.

"Silence, Annabeth,"

Silence then.

"You called me a freaking princess!" Annabeth fumed.

"No!" Travis laughed, "He called you a PRETTY princess!"

Percy blushed deep red.

"Shut up Travis!"

Athena glared at Percy, while Aphrodite smiled a very sly smile.

"You stay away from her!" Athena warned.

Percy paled.

"Oh I must already be at work!" Aphrodite sighed dreamily. "You two make a good couple."

I don't know who was redder Annabeth or Percy.

"You better not be at work!" Athena threatened Aphrodite, "My favorite daughter is not falling for old Seaweed rat!"

"I don't want your daughter even being in contact with my son!" Poseidon yelled.

"Umm…" Percy said uncertainly, "We are still here."

Athena glared at Percy then turned to Dionysuis, "Continue."

the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

"The end!" Dionysius said

"We read more tomorrow." Zues said.

All the gods flashed out.

The demi-gods left till there was only Annabeth, and Percy.

Annabeth shifted a bit uncomfortably on her feet.

"Umm… I need to go to my room… Bye!"

"Wait Annabeth!" Percy said grabbing her nine year old wrist.

funny hilarus

dam you cliffhannger

Wow... Amazing.. Post soon..

post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post post

Gosh!!! Ur soooo mean!!! How am I to make my parents believe I'm asleep if u write such a funny fanfic!!! I'm doing my best not to laugh loudly but ur not helping!!! And now I'll be wondering what Percy tells Annabeth till u post again!!!
Never mind. POST SOON!

that was so funny. wonder what percy is going to say to annabeth.POST SOON PLEASE!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pleaseeeeee post post

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Post soon plss

Hahaha! That was amazing! I would post all my favorite parts, but that would take forever :)

Keep posting!

oh just idea, but you can get annabeth to come in (the big one.)

Pls Post soon

Yeah the older Annabeth should come too

Pls post soon

That was hilarious! Please post!

Percy is pedo hahahahahahahahahahah....sorry just kidding post soon

wow!!!!! post soon!! ahahaha percy! U CREEPER XD lol nooott... ;D great storyyy!!

LUV THE Conner

I agree! Older Annabeth should appear! That would be soooooo funny!!!!! (of course its only if u want to)
POST SOON!!!!!

cough OLDER ANNABETH cough :) post asayc!!! :D

I don't want the older Annabeth to come! It would be way too awkward and weird...

Of course if she did come, I'm sure rjain, the amazing writer, would make it perfect and funny :)