After all the dangerous adventures I'd had, I couldn't die like this. Sadie would be devastated. Then, once she got over her grief, she'd track down my soul in the Egyptian afterlife and tease me mercilessly for how stupid I'd been.

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

Don't decide yet," Hephaestus advised. "Wait until daybreak. Daybreak is a good time for decisions.

You mean a bad heel?" I said. "Couldn't I just, like, wear something besides sandals? No offense." -Percy

so mortals tend to see only what they can understand.

You sure about this?" I asked Thalia. She turned to me. "Amaltheia leads me to good things. The last time she appeared, she led me to you." The compliment warmed me like a cup of hot chocolate. I'm a sucker that way. Thalia can flash those blue eyes, give me one kind word, and she can get me to do pretty much whatever.

It seemed weird calling a teenager 'sir' but I'd learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to get offended easily. Then, they blew stuff up.