"We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."
Only then did she understand what would happen. A one way trip. A very hard fall.
"As long as we're together," she said.
As long as he had his tool belt, Leo Valdez wasn't going to sit around helplessly watching the Demigod Death Channel.
"I've got an idea," he said.
Once he'd even reprogrammed the electronic billboards in Times Square to read: ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO...accidentally, of course.
Whenever Percy stopped by to see her, she was so lost in thought that the conversation went something like this:
Percy: "Hey, how's it going?"
Annabeth: "Uh, no thanks."
Percy: "Okay...have you eaten anything today?"
Annabeth: "I think Leo is on duty. Ask him."
Percy: "So, my hair is on fire."
Annabeth: "Okay. In a while."
"Behold!" Percy shouted.
"The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"
Annabeth hadn't seen much of Buford during the trip. He mostly stayed in the engine room. (Leo insisted that Buford had a secret crush on the engine.)
Bacchus scrached his stubbly chin.
"Ah...yes. John Green."
"Jason Grace."
"Whatever," the god said.
"I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said. "I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies LOVE a bad boy."
"They don't kill you unless you light them," he said as mom arrived at the curb. "And I've never lit one. It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to it's killing."
He shook his head, just looking at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Augustus half smiled. "Because you're beautiful."
Leo got up and brushed himself off. 'I hate that guy.' He offered Jason his arm, like they should go skipping inside together. ' ''I'm Dylan. I'm so cool, I want to date myself, but I can't figure out how! You want to date me instead? You're so lucky!'' '
'Leo,' Jason said, 'you're weird.'
'Yeah, you tell me that a lot.' Leo grinned.
He yelled something to his fellow blacksmiths - probably 'for Poseidon!' - but with his mouth full of peanut butter it sounded like, 'PUH PTEH BUN.' His brethren all grabbed hammers and chisles, yelled, 'PEANUT BUTTER!' and charged behind Tyson into battle.
'Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please...let me come with you. I want to fight.'
'You'll be more help down here.'
'You mean you don't trust me any more,' he said miserably.
I didn't answer. I didn't know what I meant. I was to stunned by what I'd just done in battle to think clearly.
'Just go back to your father,' I said, trying not to sound to harsh.
'Hey, why do pegasi gallops as they fly, anyway?'
Blackjack whinned. Why do humans swing their arms as they walk? I dunno, boss. It just feels right.
'Your powers drain you to much,' I noted.
He nodded sleepily. 'With great power...comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.'
~Nico
Annabeth handed me the parchment. It felt dry and old, and my fingers fumbled with the string. I uncurled the paper, trying not to rip it, and began to read:
'A half-blood of the eldest dogs...'
'Er, Percy?' Annabeth interrupted. 'That`s gods. Not dogs.'
'Oh, right,' I said. Being dyslxic is one mark of a demigod, and sometimes I really hate it. The more nervous I am, the worse my reading gets.
The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.
"No!" she insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."
I nodded, looking at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."
Rachel looked embrassed. "It was the only thing I had."
"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Begone!"
Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The gohst king!"
"No." Nico drew his sword. "I am."
Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.
"Be careful, Seaweed Brain." She put on her hat and vanished.