And if I was humming "Happy Birthday" and smiling stupidly as I fled for my life—well, that was nobody's business, was it?

I had nightmares about what Poseidon might turn me into if I were on the verge of death-plankton maybe." -Percy Jackson

Who are you?" Ethan Nakamura. I have to kill you." ??

Armed with my sword and wand, I was all set for a stroll through the swamp to look for a hungry monster. Oh, joy!

We'd spent maybe ten minutes together, during which time I'd accidentally swung a sword at her, she'd saved my life, and I'd run away chased by a band of supernatural killing machines. You know, your typical chance meeting.

Can you surf really well, then?" I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried." He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (I didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth my girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)

It was beautiful in a harsh I'm-going-to-gut-you-like-a-fish kind of way.