Percy Jackson," Hermes said, "because you have taken on the curse of Achilles, I must spare you. You are in the hands of the Fates now. But you will never speak to me like that again. You have no idea how much I have sacrificed, how much—" His voice broke, and he shrank back to human size. "My son, my greatest pride . . . my poor May . . ." He sounded so devastated I didn't know what to say. One minute he was ready to vaporize us. Now he looked like he needed a hug.

I want to build some thing permanent.

My brother broke into a toothy grin. "Yay! Your brain works!

You'd think getting chopped into a million pieces and cast into the darkest part of the Underworld would give him a subtle clue that nobody wanted him around.

He could't have survied a hundred foot drop. I'm sorry Annabeth.

Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil.

But if she'd realized that nine desiccated zombie nymphs would be waiting for her, she never would have come down here.