Of course, Annabeth wouldn't be able to breathe, but at the moment, that seemed like a minor problem.

He scowled at Jason. "And please, I don't like being touched. Don't ever grab me again.

Frank stared at her. "But you throw Ding Dongs at monsters." Iris looked horrified. "Oh, they're not Ding Dongs." She rummaged under the counter and brought out a package of chocolate covered cakes that looked exactly like Ding Dongs. "These are gluten-free, no-sugar-added, vitamin-enriched, soy-free, goat-milk-and-seaweed-based cupcake simulations." "All natural!" Fleecy chimed in. "I stand corrected." Frank suddenly felt as queasy as Percy.

Thoth's beak! You are impossibley stubborn." "Yeah, it's a gift.

When I was young, my favorite picture book was 'Fletcher and Zenobia,' written by Edward Gorey and illustrated by Victoria Chess. It's long out of print now, but its mix of macabre humor and 1960s psychedelia made it a perfect children's book for the times.

A real man's weapon is his mind.

Knowledge of any value can't be given. It must be sought and earned