Percy: I thought I’d lost my mom forever, and I was stuck on a hill in a thunderstorm fighting this huge bull dude while Grover was passed out wailing. “Food!” It was terrifying, man.

Images flashed through his mind. He saw Nico and his sister on a snowy mountain cliff in Maine, Percy Jackson protecting them from the manticore. Percy's sword gleamed in the dark. He'd been the first demigod Nico had ever seen in action. Later at Camp Half-Blood, Percy took Nico by the arm, promising to keep his sister Bianca safe. Nico believed him. Nico looked into his sea-green eyes and though, How can he possibly fail? This is a real hero.

So you can't live in Manhattan?' she asked. Amos's brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building. 'Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate.

Our baboon was going completely sky goddess - which is to say, nuts.

Frank: "I wish I was ADHD or dyslexic. All I got is lactose intolerance." Percy: "Seriously?" Frank: "And I love ice cream too.

"Boys," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now you need some rest."

Great, I thought. We just blowtorched a national monument.