The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)

by Rick Riordan

“To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life. I do not trust you, Perseus Jackson. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live.” “Um…thank you, sir.”

“Your uncle,” Poseidon sighed, “has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would’ve done well as the god of theater.”

He raised his hand, and my mother flinched. For the first time, I realized something. Gabe had hit my mother. I didn’t know when, or how much. But I was sure he’d done it. Maybe it had been going on for years, when I wasn’t around.

Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.

“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.”

“You sound so much like your father,” she said. “He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand.”

“Wherever you’re going—I hope they make good enchiladas.”

You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. “You,” I said. He stood calmly and brushed off his jeans.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Chiron promised. “Argus will watch over you.” He glanced at Annabeth. “Oh, and, my dear…whenever you’re ready, they’re here.”

“I’m fine,” I insisted. I didn’t want to lie in bed like an invalid while Luke was out there planning to destroy the Western world.

“I wrote him a letter when we got back,” Annabeth said. “Just like you suggested. I told him…I was sorry. I’d come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided…we’d give it another try.”

“When I get back next summer,” she said, “we’ll hunt down Luke. We’ll ask for a quest, but if we don’t get approval, we’ll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?” “Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena.”

I wondered, if Poseidon were watching, would he approve of my choice? “I’ll be back next summer,” I promised him. “I’ll survive until then. After all, I am your son.” I asked Argus to take me down to cabin three, so I could pack my bags for home.