“I can do it,” I told my mom. “One look inside this box, and he’ll never bother you again.” She glanced at the package, and seemed to understand immediately. “No, Percy,” she said, stepping away. “You can’t.” “Poseidon called you a queen,” I told her. “He said he hadn’t met a woman like you in a thousand years.” Her cheeks flushed. “Percy—” “You deserve better than this, Mom. You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don’t need to protect me anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him.”
