The Titan's Curse - Chapter 4

Chapter 4


 THALIA TORCHES NEW ENGLAND
 
 Artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled me. It was colder and darker and
snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely lightless. I wondered if the
teachers had even noticed the di Angelos and Dr. Thorn were missing yet. I didn't want to be around
when they did. With my luck, the only name Mrs. Gottschalk would remember was "Percy Jackson," and
then I'd be the subject of a nationwide manhunt… again.
 The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. I stood shivering in the snow (unlike the Hunters,
who didn't seem to feel at all uncomfortable), and Artemis stared into the east like she was expecting
something. Bianca sat off to one side, talking with Nico. I could tell from his gloomy face that she was
explaining her decision to join the Hunt. I couldn't help thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her
brother like that.
 Thalia and Grover came up and huddled around me, anxious to hear what had happened in my audience
with the goddess.
 When I told them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't go well."
 "How'd they even show up here?" I wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of nowhere."
 "And Biancajoined  them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoe's fault. That stuck-up, no good—"
 "Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?"  He heaved a big sigh.
 Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs.  You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that she'll never love
you back?"
 "But she's so… into nature," Grover swooned.
 "You're nuts," said Thalia.
 "Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."
 
 Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."
 "You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" I asked.
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 "For my brother. Yes."
 I didn't want to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo—or sometimes Helios—driving a big
sun chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star about a zillion miles away. I'd
gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still… I didn't see how Apollo could drive the
sun.
 "It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said, like she was reading my mind.
 "Oh, okay." I started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"
 There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.
 "Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
 Parks?
 I averted my eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified
until my winter coat felt like it was melting off of me. Then suddenly the light died.
 I looked. And I couldn't believe it. It was my car. Well, the car I wanted, anyway. A red convertible
Maserati Spyder. It was so awesome it glowed. Then I realized it was glowing because the metal was
hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why I was now
standing on green grass and my shoes were wet.
 The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I had the uneasy
feeling it was Luke, my old enemy. This guy had the same sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks. But it
wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like Luke's. His smile was brighter and more
playful. (Luke didn't do much more than scowl and sneer these days.) The Maserati driver wore jeans
and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
 "Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."
 "He's the sun god," I said.
 "That's not what I meant."
 "Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded us without the sun car.
"What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
 Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little  sister."
 "Hey, I was born first."
 "We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"
 "So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
 Artemisgrit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do,alone . I need you to take my
companions to Camp Half-Blood."
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 "Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
 The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before.
 He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
 
 "Green grass breaks through snow.
 Artemis pleads for my help.
 I am so cool."
 
 He grinned at us, waiting for applause.
 "That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.
 Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
 "Yes. What aboutI am so big-headed  ?"
 "No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself.
 Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited
Japan. ' Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with,
Thereonce was a goddess from Sparta  —"
 "I've got it!" Apollo announced. " I am so awesome . That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very
pleased with himself.
 "And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
 "These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers."
 "No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see… Thalia, right?  I've heard all about you."
 Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
 "Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister.Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it
when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"
 "Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."
 "Oh, right." Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"
 "Yeah. I mean… yes, sir."
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 It seemed weird calling a teenager "sir," but I'd learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to get
offended easily. Then they blew stuff up.
 Apollo studied me, but he didn't say anything, which I found a little creepy.
 "Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it,
you miss it."
 I looked at the Maserati, which would seat two people max. There were about twenty of us.
 "Cool car," Nico said.
 "Thanks, kid," Apollo said.
 "But how will we all fit?"
 "Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of
sports-car mode, but I suppose…"
 He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp .
 For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by
one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like we used for school basketball games.
 "Right," he said."Everybody in."
 Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here,
sweetheart. Let me get that."
 Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
 "Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my
Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
 Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
 "Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."
 "I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
 Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo.And no messing around!"
 "No, no! I never mess around."
 Artemis rolled her eyes,then  looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the
Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
 Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady."
 Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So
much danger. The beast must be found."
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 She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
 Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"
 
 The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible
from Apollo and the rest of us highly infectious males, Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to
hang in the front with us, which seemed cold to me, but Nico didn't seem to mind.
 "This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought
Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you
and Artemis?"
 "Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so
they laid  off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I
got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."
 "But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
 Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call
me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy.
You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humansthink about the
sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun… er, so to speak. It keeps them
warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of
humandreams  about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky
from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's
power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
 Nico shook his head. "No."
 "Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
 "Can I drive?"
 "No.Too young."
 "Oo!Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
 "Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry."  He looked past me and focused on Thalia.
 "Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
 "Oh, no." Thalia shook her head."No, thanks."
 "C'mon," Apollo said. "How old are you?"
 Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."
 It was sad, but true. She'd been turned into a tree when she was twelve, but that had been seven years
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ago. So she should be nineteen, if you went by years. But she still felt like she was twelve, and if you
looked at her, she seemed somewhere in between. The best Chiron could figure, she had kept aging
while in tree form, but much more slowly.
 Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
 "How do you know that?"
 "Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."
 "That's my birthday! December twenty-second."
 " Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"
 Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"
 "I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun
chariot."
 "That's not what I was going to say."
 "Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened  to the
last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blastyou out of the sky."
 Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest of us didn't join him.
 Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button
on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. I had to read it backward
(which, for a dyslexic, really isn't that different than reading forward). I was pretty sure it said
WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
 "Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"
 
 I'll admit I was jealous. I couldn't wait to start driving. A couple of times that fall, my mom had taken me
out to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she'd let me try out her Mazda. I mean, yeah, that
was a Japanese compact, and this was the sun chariot, but how different could it be?
 "Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before
you really open her up."
 Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick.
 "What's wrong?" I asked her.
 "Nothing," she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."
 She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast I fell back and crashed
against something soft.
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 "Ow" Grover said.
 "Sorry."
 "Slower!" Apollo said.
 "Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"
 I managed to get to my feet. Looking out the window, I saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing
where we'd taken off.
 "Thalia," I said, "lighten up on the accelerator."
 "I've got it, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.
 "Loosen up," I told her.
 "I'm loose!" Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.
 "We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."
 Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw me into Grover, who yelped.
 "The other left," Apollo suggested.
 I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were at airplane height now—so high the sky
was starting to look black.
 "Ah…" Apollo said, and I got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower,
sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."
 Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat. Something was
definitely wrong. I'd never seen her like this.
 The bus pitched down and somebody screamed. Maybe it was me. Now we were heading straight
toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right. And it
was getting hot in the bus.
 Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.
 "Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.
 "No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—WHOA!"
 I saw what he was seeing. Down below us was a little snow-covered New England town. At least, it
used to be snow-covered. As I watched, the snow melted off the trees and the roofs and the lawns. The
white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder. Little plumes of smoke, like birthday
candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and rooftops were catching fire.
 "Pull up!" I yelled.
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 There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, and I held on this time. As we
zoomed up, I could see through the back window that the fires in the town were being snuffed out by the
sudden blast of cold.
 "There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead.  Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an
expression."
 Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp Half-Blood: the
valley, the woods, the beach. I could see the dining pavilion and cabins and the amphitheater.
 "I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."
 We were only a few hundred yards away now.
 "Brake," Apollo said.
 "I can do this."
 "BRAKE!"
 Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle,
slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a hugeFLOOOOOOSH ! Steam billowed up,
sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets.
 The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.
 "Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control!
Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

Categories: The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse - Chapter 3

Chapter 3


 BIANCA DI ANCELO MAKES A CHOICE
 
 After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think
nothing else could shock me. But when this twelve-year-old girl told me she was the goddess Artemis, I
said something real intelligent like, "Um… okay."
 That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering,
"Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so… you're so… Wow!"
 "Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"
 "Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up.Time out."
 Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of us in turn, like she was trying to connect the
dots. "Who… who are you people?"
 Artemis's expression softened."It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you!Who are
your parents?"
 Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.
 Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school,
but…"
 She faltered. I guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her.
 "What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."
 "You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old-fashioned,
like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an
Olympian."
 "An Olympian… athlete?"
 "No," Zoe said."One of the gods."
 "Cool!" said Nico.
 "No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"
 Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do
six hundred damage  ? Does he get extra movement points for— "
 "Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay?
There are no gods!"
 As anxious as I felt about Annabeth—all I wanted to do was search for her—I couldn't help feeling
sorry for the di Angelos. I remembered what it was like for me when I first learned I was a demigod.
 Thalia must've been feeling something similar, because the anger in her eyes subsided a little bit. "Bianca,
I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they
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have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… Our lives are dangerous."
 "Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."
 Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained.
 "Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall
find her."
 "Then why won't you let us go look for her?" I asked.
 "She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how
or why, but your friend has vanished."
 I still wanted to jump off the cliff and search for her, but I had a feeling that Artemis was right. Annabeth
was gone. If she'd been down there in the sea, I thought, I'd be able to feel her presence.
 "Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows!
Is he dead?"
 "He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die.
They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."
 "Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.
 Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains… Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to
attack us in the alley in DC?"
 "And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I told  you that was real."
 "That's why Grover has been watching you," I said. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be
half-bloods."
 "Grover?"Bianca stared at him. "You're a demigod?"
 "Well, a satyr, actually."He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. I thought Bianca was
going to faint right there.
 "Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."
 "Hey, my hooves are clean!"
 "Bianca," I said, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be
the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."
 "Camp?" she asked.
 "Camp Half-Blood," I said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there
year-round if you like."
 "Sweet, let's go!" said Nico.
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 "Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"
 "There is  another option," Zoe said.
 "No, there isn't!" Thalia said.
 Thalia and Zoe glared at each other. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I could tell there
was bad history between them. For some reason, they seriously hated each other.
 "We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours.
Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."
 "Yes, my lady."
 "And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."
 "What about me?" Nico asked.
 Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm
sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?"
 Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "You bet! Come on, Nico!"
 Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armor ratings and a bunch
of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking
their knapsacks and making camp.
 Zoe gave Thalia one more evil look, then left to oversee things.
 As soon as she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those Hunters!  They think
they're so… Argh!"
 "I'm with you," I said. "I don't trust—"
 "Oh, you're with me?" Thalia turned on me furiously. "What were you thinking back there in the gym,
Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? Youknew he was a monster!"
 "If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved. Annabeth might still
be here. Did you think of that?"
 My jaw clenched. I thought of some harsh things to say, and I might've said them too, but then I looked
down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at my feet. Annabeth's New York Yankees baseball
cap.
 Thalia didn't say another word. She wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched off, leaving me
alone with a trampled cap in the snow.
 
 The Hunters set up their camping site in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in
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a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white
wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp like guard dogs. The Hunters walked
among them and fed them  treats, completely unafraid, but I decided I would stick close to the tents.
Falcons watched us from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight, and I got the feeling they were on
guard duty, too. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the
wind died down and the snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant sitting by the fire.
 Almost… except for the pain in my shoulder and the guilt weighing me down. I couldn't believe
Annabeth was gone. And as angry as I was at Thalia, I had a sinking feeling that she was right. Itwas my
fault.
 What had Annabeth wanted to tell me in the gym?Something serious , she'd said. Now I might never
find out. I thought about how we'd danced together for half a song, and my heart felt even heavier.
 I watched Thalia pacing in the snow at the edge of camp, walking among the wolves without fear. She
stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark, looming on the hillside
beyond the woods. I wondered what she was thinking.
 Seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine tree by her father, to prevent her from dying. She'd
stood her ground against an army of monsters on top of Half-Blood Hill in order to give her friends Luke
and Annabeth time to escape. She'd only been back as a human for a few months now, and once in a
while she would stand so motionless you'd think she was still a tree.
 Finally, one of the Hunters brought me my backpack. Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and
Grover helped me fix up my wounded arm.
 "It's green!" Nico said with delight.
 "Hold still," Grover told me. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."
 I winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. It tasted like homemade brownie,
dissolving in my mouth and sending a warm feeling through my whole body. Between that and the magic
salve Grover used, my shoulder felt better within a couple of minutes.
 Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how
they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, I didn't know. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the
snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. I recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a
spear,Apollo with his sun chariot.
 "Big collection," I said.
 Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare
ones."
 "You've been playing this game a long time?"
 "Just this year. Before that…" He knit his eyebrows.
 "What?" I asked.
 "I forget. That's weird."
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 He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"
 I showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.
 "Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"
 "Um, well, I don't actually write with it."
 "Are you really the son of Poseidon?"
 "Well, yeah."
 "Can you surf really well, then?"
 I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.
 "Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried."
 He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't
answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth
know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth my
girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the
wolves.)
 I figured any second he was going to ask me how many hit points I had, and I'd lose my cool
completely, but then Zoe Nightshade came up to us.
 "Percy Jackson."
 She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her proud expression,
she looked so much like royalty that I had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes, ma'am." She
studied me distastefully, like I was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch.
 "Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."
 
 Zoe led me to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved me inside. Bianca di
Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, who I still had trouble thinking of as Artemis.
 The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the floor. In the center,
a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the goddess, on a polished oak
display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with
animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't recognize. I figured an animal rights activist
would've had a heart attack looking at all those rare skins, but maybe since Artemis was the goddess of
the hunt, she could replenish whatever she shot. I thought she had another animal pelt lying next to her,
and then I realized it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting
contentedly in Artemis's lap.
 "Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said.
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 I sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied me, which made me uncomfortable. She had
such old eyes for a young girl.
 "Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.
 "Uh… a little."
 "I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is what I prefer.
This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am patron, before they go
astray."
 "Go astray?" I asked.
 "Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied,insecure . Forget themselves ."
 "Oh."
 Zoe sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at me as if all the stuff Artemis had just said was my fault,
like I'd invented the idea of being a guy.
 "You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very rare that we would
have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to
see this camp…" She looked at Zoe. "Which one was it?"
 "That boy in Colorado," Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope."
 "Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy, I've asked you
here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported some of the… mmm,
disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I'd like to hear them from
you."
 And so I told her.
 When I was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this was the answer."
 Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
 "Yes."
 "What scent?" I asked.
 "Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so old I have nearly
forgotten."
 She stared at me intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek.
Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."
 "Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"
 "No, no. After that."
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 "He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."
 Zoe's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand.
 "Go on, Percy," the goddess said.
 "Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"
 "Stirring," Bianca corrected.
 "Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring
about the downfall of Olympus.'"
 The goddess was so still she could've been a statue.
 "Maybe he was lying," I said.
 Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."
 Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will leave right away,
my lady."
 "No, Zoe. I must do this alone."
 "But, Artemis—"
 "This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot
go there with me."
 "As… as you wish, my lady."
 I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice. It will
be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."
 "You know what the monster is?" I asked.
 Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong."
 "Can goddesses pray?" I asked, because I'd never really thought about that.
 A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a small task for
you."
 "Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"
 "Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety
until I return."
 " What?" Zoe' blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there—"
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 "Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah,
misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt
the cabins you burned down."
 Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.
 "And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you made up your mind,
my girl?"
 Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."
 "Wait," I said. "Thinking about what?"
 "They… they've invited me to join the Hunt."
 "What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way
you can learn to survive."
 "It is not the only way for a girl," Zoe said.
 I couldn't believe I was hearing this. "Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting
arena and… I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"
 "To begin with," Zoe said, "immortality."
 I stared at her, then at Artemis. "She's kidding, right?"
 "Zoe rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my
maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed
immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."
 "What oath?" I said.
 "To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a
maiden eternally."
 "Like you?"
 The goddess nodded.
 I tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middle-school girls forever.
I couldn't get my mind around it. "So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"
 "Not just half-bloods," Zoe interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the
goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"
 "Which are you, then?"
 Anger flashed in Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It
is her choice."
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 "Bianca, this is crazy," I said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."
 "Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."
 "Hey!" I protested.
 "You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of responsibility. He
will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."
 "A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."
 "Bianca, you can't do this," I said. " It'snuts."
 She looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?"
 Zoe nodded. "It is."
 "What do I have to do?"
 "Say this," Zoe told her," 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"
 "I… I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."
 "'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"
 Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"
 Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."
 "I accept it," Artemis said.
 The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked no different, but
she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel… stronger."
 "Welcome, sister," Zoe said.
 "Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."
 I couldn't speak. I felt like a trespasser.And a complete failure.  I couldn't believe I'd come all this way
and suffered so much only to lose Bianca to some eternal girls' club.
 "Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di Angelos your camp.
And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."
 "Great," I said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there?"
 Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to Long Island quickly
and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."
 Zoe didn't look real happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her. As she was
leaving, Bianca paused in front of me. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really, really do."
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 Then she was gone, and I was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.
 "So," I said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"
 Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one with an annoying
brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."

Categories: The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse - Chapter 2

Chapter 2


 THE VICE PRINCIPAL GETS A MISSILE LAUNCHER
 
 I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.
 Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of my
wrist-watch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I needed help, and there was only one
way I could think to get it.
 I closed my eyes.
 "What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"
 I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound miserable, which
wasn't hard. "It burns."
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 "Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"
 Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I focused on my feelings of
fear and danger. Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between us. He'd sent me visions in
my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I knew, we were still linked, but I'd never
tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it would work while Grover was awake.
 Hey, Grover! I thought.Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing maniac! Help  !
 Thorn inarched us into the woods.We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights. My
shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold that I felt like a Percysicle.
 "There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."
 "What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"
 "Silence, you insufferable girl!"
 "Don't talk to my sister that way.'" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was impressed that he had the
guts to say anything at all.
 Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of
my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a good little captive. Meanwhile, I
projected my thoughts like crazy—anything to get Grover's attention: Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get
your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends !
 "Halt," Thorn said.
 The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, Isensed  the sea was
down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could smell the cold salty
froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.
 Dr. Thorn pushed us toward the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.
 "Thanks," I murmured.
 "What is  he?" she whispered. "How do we fight him?"
 "I… I'm working on it."
 "I'm scared," Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind.
 "Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"
 We turned.
 Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first I thought it
was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is
ready to deliver."
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 There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too
modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.
 I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.
 Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon.Jump!There  is the sea. Save yourself."
 "What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.
 "I'll explain later," I said.
 "You do have a plan, right?"
 Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me  !
 Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived the fall, I could
use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a good mood, and listening,
he might help.Maybe.
 "I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my thoughts. "You do
not realize who I am, do you?"
 A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it nicked my ear.
Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible… almost like a tail.
 "Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."
 "Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't
have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."
 "Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then
you will have a brand-new family."
 "Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."
 Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a former friend who'd
tried to kill me several times. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the
General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting
you."
 "The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean… who's the General?"
 Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
 I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the chopping of
helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
 "Where are you taking us?" Nico said.
 "You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly
game you play with cards and dolls."
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 "They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"
 "Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do
not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great
Stirring is underway."
 "The Great what?"I asked.Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a plan.
 "The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now
waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction
the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of
all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
 "Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."
 "We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."
 "Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."
 I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into me.
 
 Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the di
Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his
first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to
advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
 If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She uses a huge spear
that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket, but that's not the scary part.
Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield
has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone,
it's sohorrible, most people will panic and run at the sight of it.
 Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
 Thalia moved in with her spear."For Zeus!"
 I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside.
His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he
slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she
managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
 The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.
 Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how he did it. He had a
tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but
the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
 Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded
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like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds
were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.
 Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still
human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.
 "A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had come off when
she'd plowed into us.
 "Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that  ?"
 "A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"
 I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The manticore clawed
Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.
 "Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I remembered my
own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment
too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift
from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't sure it would even stop a second volley.
 I heard a thwack  and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.
 "Yield!" the monster roared.
 "Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, I thought she
would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The
helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style
gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be
manned by mortals, but what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster? The
searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the
snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.
 "No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. I raised my shield
over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
 Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."
 We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.
 Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.
 
 The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the
chopping of the helicopter blades.
 "No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"
 His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver
arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.
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 He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
 "Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the
arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows
had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but my eyes must've been playing tricks on
me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could shoot with that much accuracy.
 The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. I tried
to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged my attack and
slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.
 Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was
maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all
armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.
 "The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
 Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."
 I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.
 One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery
colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so
she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"
 I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.
 The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."
 "Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had
auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so
beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all
wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl
with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."
 The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"
 He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed.
 "No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.
 "Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
 But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled,
turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
 "Fire!" Zoe ordered.
 "No!" I screamed.
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 But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The
manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"
 And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and
tumbled into the darkness.
 "Annabeth!" I yelled.
 I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us. There was a snap-snap-snap from the
helicopter—the sound of gunfire.
 Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn
hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
 "Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."
 She thrust out her hand, and thehelicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust . The black metal dissolved
into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.
 The Hunters advanced on us.
 The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.
 "Zoe Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."
 Zoe scanned the rest of us. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
 "Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
 "Annabeth!" I yelled. "You have to let us save her!"
 The auburn-haired girl turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."
 I tried to struggle to my feet, but a couple of the girls held me down.
 "You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.
 "Let me go!" I demanded. "Who do you think you are?"
 Zoe stepped forward as if to smack me.
 "No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not
understand."
 The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she
said. "Goddess of the Hunt."

Categories: The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 MY RESCUE OPERATION GOES VERY WRONG

 The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and
took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.
 It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the
highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between the blizzard and the
thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much. Except for my mom.  She talks
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more when she's nervous. By the time we finally got to Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told
Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.
 Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."
 Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows
and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one
side and the gray churning ocean on the other.
 "Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.
 "No, thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
 "But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
 I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.
 " It'sokay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her
gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
 My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most levelheaded demigod ever to hit eighth
grade. She's sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting killed. She's right, but that doesn't mean I have
to like it.
 "All right, dears," my mom said. "Do you have everything you need?"
 "Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
 "Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"
 "Mom—"
 "Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"
 "Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."
 She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car. If my mom told
one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years old, I was going to
burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.
 Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my coat like ice daggers.
 Once my mother's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
 "She's pretty okay," I admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"
 As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with the punk clothes
she always wears—the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner
and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me now was a perfect evil "ten."
 "If that was any of your business, Percy—"
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 "We'd better get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."
 Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send
the distress call."
 I stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," I guessed.

 The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.
 All I could say was, "Whoa."
 The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle
axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew Westover was a military school and all, but the
decorations seemed like overkill.Literally.
 My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. I could already sense
something wrong in this place.Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite
magic item. I knew we were thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.
 Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"
 The doors slammed shut behind us.
 "Oo-kay," I mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."
 I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.
 We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We hadn't gone very far when I
heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept us.
 They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy
mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to me. They both walked
stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.
 "Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
 "Um…" I realized I hadn't planned for this. I'd been so focused on getting to Grover and finding out
what was wrong, I hadn't considered that someone might question three kids sneaking into the school at
night. We hadn't talked at all in the car about how we would get inside. I said, "Ma'am, we're just—"
 "Ha!" the man snapped, which made me jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be
eee-jected !"
 He had an accent—French, maybe. He pronounced hisJ like in Jacques, He was tall, with a hawkish
face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare up his nose, and his eyes
were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.
 I figured he was about to toss us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something very
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weird.
 She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt a
gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room. It washed over all of us, making the banners
rustle on the walls.
 "Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this
is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."
 The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didn't know what Thalia was thinking. Now we'd
probably get punished for lying and thrown into the snow. But the man seemed to be hesitating.
 He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"
 Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher namedGot
Chalk ? He had to be kidding.
 The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I… yes. I believe I do, sir."
She frowned at us."Annabeth.Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"
 Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You—"
 He stopped short when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh—"
 "What is  it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. "What do
you mean, they made it? These students live here."
 Grover swallowed. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant ,I'm so glad they made… the punch for
the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"
 Dr. Thorn glared at us. I decided one of his eyes had to be fake  . The brown one?The blue one? He
looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs. Gottschalk said dreamily,
"Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"
 We didn't wait to be told twice. We left with a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of
salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.
 Grover hustled us down the hall in the direction of the music.
 I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked closely to Thalia and asked in a low voice,
"How did you do that finger-snap thing?"
 "You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"
 An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our head trainer at camp, but he'd never shown
me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?
 Grover hurried us to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia, I could read that
much.
 "That was close!" Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here!"
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 Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. I gave him a big high five.
 It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more
whiskers, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human—a red cap on his curly
brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and
hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt that took me a few seconds to read. It said WESTOVER
HALL: GRUNT. I wasn't sure whether that was, like, Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.
 "So what's the emergency?" I asked.
 Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."
 "Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"
 Grover nodded.
 Finding one half-blood was rare enough. This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime
and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible
recruits. These were desperate times. We were losing campers. We needed all the new fighters we could
find. The problem was ,there just weren't that many demigods out there.
 "A brother and a sister," he said. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage, but they're
strong. We're running out of time, though. I need help."
 "Monsters?"
 One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term.
I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to
get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do!"
 Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel upset by that. Used to be, Grover looked to me
for answers, but Thalia had seniority. Not just because her dad was Zeus. Thalia had more experience
than any of us with fending off monsters in the real world.
 "Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"
 Grover nodded.
 "Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"
 "Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

 Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get
to be out of uniform. I guess it's because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've
got to overcompensate or something.
 There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each others
faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved
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around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and
brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround
some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy
would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face. Some of the older guys
looked more like me—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any
minute they might have to fight for their lives. Of course, in my case, it was true…
 "There they are." Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and
Nico di Angela"
 The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little
brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The
boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She
kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.
 Annabeth said, "Do they …I mean, have you told them?"
 Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize
who they are, their scent becomes stronger."
 He looked at me, and I nodded. I'd never really understood what half-bloods "smell" like to monsters
and satyrs, but I knew that your scent could get you killed. And the more powerful a demigod you
became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch.
 "So let's grab them and get out of here," I said.
 I started forward, but Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out
of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in our
direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.
 Judging from his expression, I guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist after all.
He suspected who we were. He was just waiting to see why we were here.
 "Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend
we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."
 "How?"
 "We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some
dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."
 "Dancing?" Annabeth asked.
 Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse
McCartney?"
 Grover looked hurt. "I did."
 "Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"
 "Green who?"
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 "Never mind. Let's dance."
 "But I can't dance!"
 "You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."
 Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.
 Annabeth smiled.
 "What?" I asked.
 "Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."
 Annabeth had grown taller than me since last summer, which I found kind of disturbing. She used to
wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings
shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blond hair
tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason.
 "So…" I tried to think of something to say. Act natural , Thalia had told us. When you're a half-blood
on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural? "Um, design any good buildings lately?"
 Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, Percy.
At my new school, I get to take 3-D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program…"
 She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero
in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and I tried to listen. I knew she
wanted to be a super architect when she grew up—she loves math and historical buildings and all
that—but I hardly understood a word she was saying.
 The truth was I was kind of disappointed to hear that she liked her new school so much. It was the first
time she'd gone to school in New York. I'd been hoping to see her more often. It was a boarding school
in Brooklyn, and she and Thalia were both attending, close enough to Camp Half-Blood that Chiron
could help if they got in any trouble. Because it was an all-girls school, and I was going to MS-54 in
Manhattan, I hardly ever saw them.
 Yeah, uh, cool," I said. "So you're staying there the rest of the year, huh?"
 Her face got dark. "Well, maybe, if I don't—"
 "Hey!" Thalia called to us. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking
Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die. At least his feet were fake  . Unlike me, he had an
excuse for being clumsy.
 "Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
 I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym.
 "Well?" Annabeth said.
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 "Um, who should I ask?"
 She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain."
 "Oh. Oh, right."
 So we went onto the dance floor, and I looked over to see how Thalia and Grover were doing things. I
put one hand on Annabeth's hip, and she clasped my other hand like she was about to judo throw me.
 "I'm not going to bite," she told me. "Honestly, Percy. Don't you guys have dances at your school?"
 I didn't answer. The truth was we did. But I'd never, like, actually danced  at one. I was usually one of
the guys playing basketball in the corner.
 We shuffled around for a few minutes. I tried to concentrate on little things, like the crepe-paper
streamers and the punch bowl—anything but the fact that Annabeth was taller than me, and my hands
were sweaty and probably gross, and I kept stepping on her toes.
 "What were you saying earlier?" I asked. "Are you having trouble at school or something?"
 She pursed her lips. "It's not that. It's my dad."
 "Uh-oh." I knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father. "I thought it was getting better with
you two. Is it your stepmom again?"
 Annabeth sighed. "He decided to move. Just when I was getting settled in New York, he took this
stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In San Francisco  !'
 She said this the same way she might say Fields of Punishment orHades's gym shorts .
 "So he wants you to move out there with him?" I asked.
 "To the other side of the country," she said miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He
should know that."
 "What?Why not?"
 Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe she thought I was kidding. "You know. It's right there !'
 "Oh," I said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to sound stupid. "So… you'll go
back to living at camp or what?"
 "It's more serious than that, Percy. I… I probably should tell you something."
 Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."
 "What?"
 I followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there.
The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.
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 "We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off
to? Come on!"
 She ran through the crowd. I was about to follow when a mob of girls got in my way. I maneuvered
around them to avoid getting the ribbon-and-lipstick treatment, and by the time I was free, Annabeth had
disappeared. I turned a full circle, looking for her or Thalia and Grover. Instead, I saw something that
chilled my blood.
 About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one Bianca di Angelo
had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards. Then I caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He
was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their
necks, like kittens.
 I still couldn't see Annabeth, but I knew she'd be heading the other way, looking for Thalia and Grover.
 I almost ran after her, and then I thought, Wait  .
 I remembered what Thalia had said to me in the entry hall, looking at me all puzzled when I asked about
the finger-snap trick: Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet ? I thought about the way Grover
had turned to her, expecting her to save the day.
 Not that I resented Thalia. She was cool. It wasn't her fault her dad was Zeus and she got all the
attention… Still, I didn't need to run after her to solve every problem. Besides, there wasn't time. The di
Angelos were in danger. They might be long gone by the time I found my friends. I knew monsters. I
could handle this myself
 I took Riptide out of my pocket and ran after Dr. Thorn.

 The door led into a dark hallway. I heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt. I uncapped
Riptide.
 The pen grew in my hands until I held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with a leather-bound
grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.
 I jogged down the corridor, but when I got to the other end, no one was there. I opened a door and
found myself back in the main entry hall. I was completely turned around. I didn't see Dr. Thorn
anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in
horror, staring right at me.
 I advanced slowly, lowering the tip of my sword. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
 They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear. What was wrong with them? Where was Dr. Thorn?
Maybe he'd sensed the presence of Riptide and retreated. Monsters hated celestial bronze weapons.
 "My name's Percy," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I'm going to take you out of here, get you
somewhere safe."
 Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did I realize what her look meant. She wasn't
afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.
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 I whirled around and something wentWHI1ISH ! Pain exploded in my shoulder. A force like a huge
hand yanked me backward and slammed me to the wall.
 I slashed with my sword but there was nothing to hit.
 A cold laugh echoed through the hall.
 "Yes, Perseus Jackson"  Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the J in my last name. "I know who you
are."
 I tried to free my shoulder. My coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black
dagger-like projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of my shoulder as it passed through my
clothes, and the cut burned. I'd felt something like this before.Poison.
 I forced myself to concentrate. I would not pass out.
 A dark silhouette now moved toward us. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human,
but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of my
sword.
 "Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."
 I tried to swing my sword again, but he was just out of reach.
 WHIIIISH! A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It
was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.
 Next to me, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face.
 "All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly.Obediently. If you make a single noise, if
you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."

Categories: The Titan's Curse

The Sea of Monsters - Chapter 19

Chapter 19



 THE CHARIOT RACE
 ENDS WITH A BANG
 
 We arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. I rode on Chiron's
back, but we didn't talk much, especially not about Kronos. I knew it had been difficult for Chiron to tell
me. I didn't want to push him with more questions. I mean, I've met plenty of embar-rassing parents, but
Kronos, the evil titan lord who wanted to destroy Western Civilization? Not the kind of dad you invited
to school for career day.
 When we got to camp, the centaurs were anxious to meet Dionysus. They'd heard he threw some really
wild par-ties, but they were disappointed. The wine god was in no mood to celebrate as the whole camp
gathered at the top of Half-Blood Hill.
 The camp had been through a hard two weeks. The arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from
an attack by aDraco Aionius  (which as near as I could figure was Latin for
"really-big-lizard-with-breath-that-blows-stuff-up"). The Big House's rooms were overflowing with
wounded. The kids in the Apollo cabin, who were the best healers, had been working overtime
performing first aid. Everybody looked weary and battered as we crowded around Thalia's tree.
 The moment Clarisse draped the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough, the moonlight seemed to
brighten, turn-ing from gray to liquid silver. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the
grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus—the glow of the fireflies down in
the woods, the smell of the straw-berry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.
 Gradually, the needles on the pine tree started turning from brown to green.
 Everybody cheered. It was happening slowly, but there could be no doubt—the Fleece's magic was
seeping into the tree, filling it with new power and expelling the poison.
 Chiron ordered a twenty-four/seven guard duty on the hilltop, at least until he could find an appropriate
monster to protect the Fleece. He said he'd place an ad inOlympus Weekly right away.
 In the meantime, Clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where
she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.
 Nobody gave Annabeth or me a second look. It was as if we'd never left. In a way, I guess that was the
best thank-you anyone could give us, because if they admitted we'd snuck out of camp to do the quest,
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they'd have to expel us. And really, I didn't want any more attention. It felt good to be just one of the
campers for once.
 Later that night, as we were roasting s'mores and listen-ing to the Stoll brothers tell us a ghost story
about an evil king who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries, Clarisse shoved me from behind
and whispered in my ear, "Just because you were cool one time, Jackson, don't think you're off the hook
with Ares. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you."
 I gave her a grudging smile.
 "What?" she demanded.
 "Nothing," I said. "Just good to be home."
 
 The next morning, after the party ponies headed back to Florida, Chiron made a surprise announcement:
the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled. We'd all figured they were history now that Tantalus was
gone, but completing them did feel like the right thing to do, especially now that Chiron was back and the
camp was safe.
 Tyson wasn't too keen on the idea of getting back in a chariot after our first experience, but he was
happy to let me team up with Annabeth. I would drive, Annabeth would defend, and Tyson would act as
our pit crew. While I worked with the horses, Tyson fixed up Athena's chariot and added a whole bunch
of special modifi-cations.
 We spent the next two days training like crazy. Annabeth and I agreed that if we won, the prize of no
chores for the rest of the month would be split between our two cabins. Since Athena had more
campers, they would get most of the time off, which was fine by me. I didn't care about the prize. I just
wanted to win.
 The night before the race, I stayed late at the stables. I was talking to our horses, giving them one final
brushing, when somebody right behind me said, "Fine animals, horses. Wish I'd thought of them."
 A middle-aged guy in a postal carrier outfit was leaning against the stable door. He was slim, with curly
black hair under his white pith helmet, and he had a mailbag slung over his shoulder.
 "Hermes?" I stammered.
 "Hello, Percy. Didn't recognize me without my jogging clothes?"
 "Uh ..." I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to kneel or buy stamps from him or what. Then it
occurred to me why he must be here. "Oh, listen, Lord Hermes, about Luke ..."
 The god arched his eyebrows.
 "Uh, we saw him, all right," I said, "but—"
 "You weren't able to talk sense into him?"
 "Well, we kind of tried to kill each other in a duel to the death."
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 "I see. You tried the diplomatic approach."
 "I'm really sorry. I mean, you gave us those awesome gifts and everything. And I know you wanted
Luke to come back. But ... he's turned bad.Really bad. He said he feels like you abandoned him."
 I waited for Hermes to get angry. I figured he'd turn me into a hamster or something, and I did not want
to spend any more time as a rodent.
 Instead, he just sighed. "Do you ever feel your father abandoned you,  Percy?"
 Oh, man.
 I wanted to say, "Only a few hundred times a day." I hadn't spoken to Poseidon since last summer.  I'd
never been to his underwater palace. And then there was the whole thing with Tyson—no warning, no
explanation. Justboom, you have a brother. You'd think that deserved a little heads-up phone call or
something.
 The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I realized I did want recognition for the quest I'd
completed, but not from the other campers. I wanted my dad to say something. To notice me.
 Hermes readjusted the mailbag on his shoulder. "Percy, the hardest part about being a god is that you
must often act indirectly, especially when it comes to your own children. If we were to intervene every
time our children had a problem … well, that would only create more problems and more resentment.
But I believe if you give it some thought, you will see that Poseidonhas been paying attention to you. He
has answered your prayers. I can only hope that some day, Luke may realize the same about me.
Whether you feel like you succeeded or not, you reminded Luke who he was. You spoke to him."
 "I tried to kill him."
 Hermes shrugged. "Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we
can do is to remind each other that we're related, for better or worse … and try to keep the maiming and
killing to a minimum."
 It didn't sound like much of a recipe for the perfect family. Then again, as I thought about my quest, I
realized maybe Hermes was right. Poseidon had sent the hippocampi to help us. He'd given me powers
over the sea that I'd never known about before. And there was Tyson. Had Poseidon brought us
together on purpose? How many times had Tyson saved my life this summer?
 In the distance, the conch horn sounded, signaling curfew.
 "You should get to bed," Hermes said. "I've helped you get into quite enough trouble this summer
already. I really only came to make this delivery."
 "A delivery?"
 "I am the messenger of the gods, Percy." He took an electronic signature pad from his mailbag and
handed it to me. "Sign there, please."
 I picked up the stylus before realizing it was entwined with a pair of tiny green snakes. "Ah!" I dropped
the pad.
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 Ouch, said George.
 Really, Percy, Martha scolded.Would you want to be dropped on the floor of a horse stable?
 "Oh, uh, sorry." I didn't much like touching snakes, but I picked up the pad and the stylus again. Martha
and George wriggled under my fingers, forming a kind of pencil grip like the ones my special ed teacher
made me use in second grade.
 Did you bring me a rat? George asked.
 "No …" I said. "Uh, we didn't find any."
 What about a guinea pig?
 George! Martha chided.Don't tease the boy.
 I signed my name and gave the pad back to Hermes.
 In exchange, he handed me a sea-blue envelope.
 My fingers trembled. Even before I opened it, I could tell it was from my father. I could sense his power
in the cool blue paper, as if the envelope itself had been folded out of an ocean wave.
 "Good luck tomorrow," Hermes said. "Fine team of horses you have there, though you'll excuse me if I
root for the Hermes cabin."
 And don't be too discouraged when you read it, dear, Martha told me.He doeshave your interests at
heart.
 "What do you mean?" I asked.
 Don't mind her, George said. And next time, remember, snakes work for tips.
 "Enough, you two," Hermes said. "Good-bye, Percy. For now."
 Small white wings sprouted from his pith helmet. He began to glow, and I knew enough about the gods
to avert my eyes before he revealed his true divine form. With a brilliant white flash he was gone, and I
was alone with the horses.
 I stared at the blue envelope in my hands. It was addressed in strong but elegant handwriting that I'd
seen once before, on a package Poseidon had sent me last summer.
 
 Percy Jackson
 c/o Camp Half-Blood
 Farm Road 3.141
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 Long Island, New York 11954
 
 An actual letter from my father. Maybe he would tell me I'd done a good job getting the Fleece. He'd
explain about Tyson, or apologize for not talking to me sooner. There were so many things that I wanted
that letter to say.
 I opened the envelope and unfolded the paper.
 Two simple words were printed in the middle of the page:
 
 Brace Yourself
 
 The next morning, everybody was buzzing about the chari-ot race, though they kept glancing nervously
toward the sky like they expected to see Stymphalian birds gathering. None did. It was a beautiful
summer day with blue sky and plenty of sunshine. The camp had started to look the way it should look:
the meadows were green and lush; the white columns gleamed on the Greek buildings; dryads played
happily in the woods.
 And I was miserable. I'd been lying awake all night, thinking about Poseidon's warning.
 Brace yourself.
 I mean, he goes to the trouble of writing a letter, and he writes two words?
 Martha the snake had told me not to feel disappointed. Maybe Poseidon had a reason for being so
vague. Maybe he didn't know exactly what he was warning me about, but he sensed something big was
about to happen—something that could completely knock me off my feet unless I was prepared. It was
hard, but I tried to turn my thoughts to the race.
 As Annabeth and I drove onto the track, I couldn't help admiring the work Tyson had done on the
Athena chariot. The carriage gleamed with bronze reinforcements. The wheels were realigned with
magical suspension so we glided along with hardly a bump. The rigging for the horses was so perfectly
balanced that the team turned at the slightest tug of the reins.
 Tyson had also made us two javelins, each with three buttons on the shaft. The first button primed the
javelin to explode on impact, releasing razor wire that would tangle and shred an opponent's wheels. The
second button pro-duced a blunt (but still very painful) bronze spearhead designed to knock a driver out
of his carriage. The third button brought up a grappling hook that could be used to lock onto an enemy's
chariot or push it away.
 I figured we were in pretty good shape for the race, but Tyson still warned me to be careful. The other
chariot teams had plenty of tricks up their togas.
 "Here," he said, just before the race began.
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 He handed me a wristwatch. There wasn't anything spe-cial about it—just a white-and-silver clock face,
a black leather strap—but as soon as I saw it I realized that this is what I'd seen him tinkering on all
summer.
 I didn't usually like to wear watches. Who cared what time it was? But I couldn't say no to Tyson.
 "Thanks, man." I put it on and found it was surprisingly light and comfortable. I could hardly tell I was
wearing it.
 "Didn't finish in time for the trip," Tyson mumbled. "Sorry, sorry."
 "Hey, man. No big deal."
 "If you need protection in race," he advised, "hit the button."
 "Ah, okay." I didn't see how keeping time was going to help a whole lot, but I was touched that Tyson
was con-cerned. I promised him I'd remember the watch. "And, hey, um, Tyson ..."
 He looked at me.
 "I wanted to say, well ..." I tried to figure out how to apologize for getting embarrassed about him before
the quest, for telling everyone he wasn't my real brother. It wasn't easy to find the words.
 "I know what you will tell me," Tyson said, looking ashamed. "Poseidon did care for me after all."
 "Uh, well—"
 "He sent you to help me. Just what I asked for."
 I blinked. "You asked Poseidon for ... me?"
 "For a friend," Tyson said, twisting his shirt in his hands. "Young Cyclopes grow up alone on the streets,
learn to make things out of scraps. Learn to survive."
 "But that's so cruel!"
 He shook his head earnestly. "Makes us appreciate blessings, not be greedy and mean and fat like
Polyphemus. But I got scared. Monsters chased me so much, clawed me sometimes—"
 "The scars on your back?"
 A tear welled in his eye. "Sphinx on Seventy-second Street. Big bully. I prayed to Daddy for help. Soon
the peo-ple at Meriwether found me. Met you. Biggest blessing ever. Sorry I said Poseidon was mean.
He sent me a brother."
 I stared at the watch that Tyson had made me.
 "Percy!" Annabeth called. "Come on!"
 Chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch.
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 "Tyson ..." I said.
 "Go," Tyson said. "You will win!"
 "I—yeah, okay, big guy. We'll win this one for you." I climbed on board the chariot and got into position
just as Chiron blew the starting signal.
 The horses knew what to do. We shot down the track so fast I would've fallen out if my arms hadn't
been wrapped in the leather reins. Annabeth held on tight to the rail. The wheels glided beautifully. We
took the first turn a full chariot-length ahead of Clarisse, who was busy trying to fight off a javelin attack
from the Stoll brothers in the Hermes chariot.
 "We've got 'em!" I yelled, but I spoke too soon.
 "Incoming!" Annabeth yelled. She threw her first javelin in grappling hook mode, knocking away a
lead-weighted net that would have entangled us both. Apollo's chariot had come up on our flank. Before
Annabeth could rearm her-self, the Apollo warrior threw a javelin into our right wheel. The javelin
shattered, but not before snapping some of our spokes. Our chariot lurched and wobbled. I was sure the
wheel would collapse altogether, but we somehow kept going.
 I urged the horses to keep up the speed. We were now neck and neck with Apollo. Hephaestus was
coming up close behind. Ares and Hermes were falling behind, riding side by side as Clarisse went
sword-on-javelin with Connor Stoll.
 If we took one more hit to our wheel, I knew we would capsize.
 "You're mine!" the driver from Apollo yelled. He was a first-year camper. I didn't remember his name,
but he sure was confident.
 "Yeah, right!" Annabeth yelled back.
 She picked up her second javelin—a real risk consider-ing we still had one full lap to go—and threw it
at the Apollo driver.
 Her aim was perfect. The javelin grew a heavy spear point just as it caught the driver in the chest,
knocking him against his teammate and sending them both toppling out of their chariot in a backward
somersault. The horses felt the reins go slack and went crazy, riding straight for the crowd. Campers
scrambled for cover as the horses leaped the corner of the bleachers and the golden chariot flipped over.
The horses galloped back toward their stable, dragging the upside-down chariot behind them.
 I held our own chariot together through the second turn, despite the groaning of the right wheel. We
passed the starting line and thundered into our final lap.
 The axle creaked and moaned. The wobbling wheel was making us lose speed, even though the horses
were respond-ing to my every command, running like a well-oiled machine.
 The Hephaestus team was still gaining.
 Beckendorf grinned as he pressed a button on his com-mand console. Steel cables shot out of the front
of his mechanical horses, wrapping around our back rail. Our chariot shuddered as Beckendorf's winch
system started working—pulling us backward while Beckendorf pulled himself forward.
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 Annabeth cursed and drew her knife. She hacked at the cables but they were too thick.
 "Can't cut them.'" she yelled.
 The Hephaestus chariot was now dangerously close, their horses about to trample us underfoot.
 "Switch with me!" I told Annabeth. "Take the reins!"
 "But—"
 "Trust me!"
 She pulled herself to the front and grabbed the reins. I turned, trying hard to keep my footing, and
uncapped Riptide.
 I slashed down and the cables snapped like kite string. We lurched forward, but Beckendorf's driver
just swung his chariot to our left and pulled up next to us. Beckendorf drew his sword. He slashed at
Annabeth, and I parried the blade away.
 We were coming up on the last turn. We'd never make it. I needed to disable the Hephaestus chariot
and get it out of the way, but I had to protect Annabeth, too. Just because Beckendorf was a nice guy
didn't mean he wouldn't send us both to the infirmary if we let our guard down.
 We were neck and neck now, Clarisse coming up from behind, making up for lost time.
 "See ya, Percy!" Beckendorf yelled. "Here's a little part-ing gift!"
 He threw a leather pouch into our chariot. It stuck to the floor immediately and began billowing green
smoke.
 "Greek fire!" Annabeth yelled.
 I cursed. I'd heard stories about what Greek fire could do. I figured we had maybe ten seconds before it
exploded.
 "Get rid of it!" Annabeth shouted, but I couldn't. Hephaestus's chariot was still alongside, waiting until the
last second to make sure their little present blew up. Beckendorf was keeping me busy with his sword. If
I let my guard down long enough to deal with the Greek fire, Annabeth would get sliced and we'd crash
anyway. I tried to kick the leather pouch away with my foot, but I couldn't. It was stuck fast.
 Then I remembered the watch.
 I didn't know how it could help, but I managed to punch the stopwatch button. Instantly, the watch
changed. It expanded, the metal rim spiraling outward like an old-fashioned camera shutter, a leather
strap wrapping around my forearm until I was holding a round war shield four feet wide, the inside soft
leather, the outside polished bronze engraved with designs I didn't have time to examine.
 All I knew: Tyson had come through. I raised the shield, and Beckendorf's sword clanged against it. His
blade shat-tered.
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 "What?" he shouted. "How—"
 He didn't have time to say more because I knocked him in the chest with my new shield and sent him
flying out of his chariot, tumbling in the dirt.
 I was about use Riptide to slash at the driver when Annabeth yelled, "Percy!"
 The Greek fire was shooting sparks. I shoved the tip of my sword under the leather pouch and flipped it
up like a spatula. The firebomb dislodged and flew into the Hephaestus chariot at the driver's feet. He
yelped.
 In a split second the driver made the right choice: he dove out of the chariot, which careened away and
exploded in green flames. The metal horses seemed to short-circuit. They turned and dragged the burning
wreckage back toward Clarisse and the Stoll brothers, who had to swerve to avoid it.
 Annabeth pulled the reins for the last turn. I held on, sure we would capsize, but somehow she brought
us through and spurred the horses across the finish line. The crowd roared.
 Once the chariot stopped, our friends mobbed us. They started chanting our names, but Annabeth yelled
over the noise: "Hold up! Listen! It wasn't just us!"
 The crowd didn't want to be quiet, but Annabeth made herself heard: "We couldn't have done it without
somebody else! We couldn't have won this race or gotten the Fleece or saved Grover or anything! We
owe our lives to Tyson, Percy's ..."
 "Brother!" I said, loud enough for everybody to hear. "Tyson, my baby brother."
 Tyson blushed. The crowd cheered. Annabeth planted a kiss on my cheek. The roaring got a lot louder
after that. The entire Athena cabin lifted me and Annabeth and Tyson onto their shoulders and carried us
toward the winner's platform, where Chiron was waiting to bestow the laurel wreaths.

Categories: The Sea of Monsters