That was so completely unfair that I told Tantalus to go chase a donut, which didn't help his mood.

It isn’t easy being a brilliant inventor, always alone. Always misunderstood. Easy to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes. People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can’t be fixed. -Hephaestus

Then she did something that really surprised me. She blinked back tears and put out her arms. I stepped forward and hugged her. Butterflies started turning my stomach into a mosh pit. "Hey, it's... it's okay." I patted her back. I was aware of everything in the room. I felt like I could read the tiniest print on any book on the shelves. Annabeth's hair smelled like lemon soap. She was shivering.

My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.

Tyson thought Annabeth was just about the coolest thing since peanut butter, and he SERIOUSLY loved peanut butter.

Daddy will explain. Come, he is blowing up monsters.

I was wishing I'd bought some of that Camp Half Blood orange thermal underwear..." ?!?!