Sometimes, it takes us a while to appreciate something new, something that might change us for the better.

It was almost enough to make me turn vegetarian, except for the pesky fact that I loved cheeseburgers.

Leo felt trapped. He’d once been stuck in a cave on top of Pikes Peak, surrounded by a pack of werewolves. Another time he’d been stuck in an abandoned factory with a family of evil Cyclopes. But this — standing in an open clearing with a dozen pretty girls — was much worse.

Egyptians believe in the power of the sunrise. They believe each morning begins not just a new day, but a new world.

Most helmsmen would’ve been satisfied with a pilot’s wheel or a tiller. Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii. He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast. Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Oh, did you expect me to play fair?" Cupid laughed. "I am the god of love. I am never fair.

We choose to believe in Ma'at. We create order out of chaos, beauty out of ugly randomness. That's what Egypt is all about.