Narcissus turned and scowled at Leo. “Who are you?” “I’m the Super-sized McShizzle, man!” Leo said. “I’m Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies love a bad boy.

I tried to think of something to say. Excuse me? Hello? Marry me? Anything would have done.

I may be biased, but I think jackals are cute and cuddly, even if they were known for digging up graves in Ancient Egypt.

I do like to wrap things up and leave some things to the readers' imagination.

Before I could lose my courage, I said, "Don't I get a kiss for luck? It's kind of a tradition, right?" I figured she would punch me. Instead, she drew her knife and stared at the army marching toward us. "Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then, we'll see.

I (Percy) set Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, figuring he'd be safely out of the way. ... "What's happening?" Nico demanded, trying to climb up next to me.

You mean a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense." -Percy