- Prey
- Sphere
- Black Rose
- The Great Train Robbery
- Blue Dahlia
- Carnal Innocence
- Dance Upon the Air
- High Noon
- Lawless
- Sacred Sins
- Tribute
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- A Man for Amanda
- All the Possibilities
- Next
- Prey
- Sphere
- Black Rose
- The Great Train Robbery
- Blue Dahlia
- Carnal Innocence
- Dance Upon the Air
- High Noon
- Lawless
- Sacred Sins
- Tribute
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- A Man for Amanda
The Demigod DiariesPage 12
“Aahhhhhhhhh!” The giant sailed over the rooftops, straight over Chelsea Piers, and began falling toward the Hudson River. “George, Martha,” I said. “Do you think you could manage laser mode just once more for me?” With pleasure, George said. The caduceus turned into a wicked high-tech bazooka. I took aim at the falling giant and yelled, “Pull!” The caduceus blasted its beam of blue light, and the giant disintegrated into a beautiful starburst. That, George said, was excellent. May I have a rat now? I have to agree with George, Martha said. A rat would be lovely. “You’ve earned it,” I said. “But first we’d better check on Annabeth.” She met me at the steps of the park, grinning like crazy. “Was that amazing?” she demanded. “That was amazing,” I agreed. It’s hard to pull off a romantic kiss when you’re both drenched in muck, but we gave it our best shot. When I finally came up for air, I said, “Rats.” “Rats?” she asked. “For the snakes,” I said. “And then—” “Oh, gods.” She pulled out her phone and checked the time. “It’s almost five. We have to get the caduceus back to Hermes!” The surface streets were clogged with emergency vehicles and minor accidents, so we took the subway back. Besides, the subway had rats. Without going into gruesome details, I can tell you that George and Martha helped out with the vermin problem. As we traveled north, they curled around the caduceus and dozed contentedly with bulging bellies. We met Hermes by the Atlas statue at Rockefeller Center. (The statue, by the way, looks nothing like the real Atlas, but that’s another story.) “Thank the Fates!” Hermes cried. “I’d just about given up hope!” He took the caduceus and patted the heads of his sleepy snakes. “There, there, my friends. You’re home now.” Zzzzz, said Martha. Yummy, George murmured in his sleep. Hermes sighed with relief. “Thank you, Percy.” Annabeth cleared her throat. “Oh, yes,” the god added, “and you, too, girl. I just have time to finish my deliveries! But what happened with Cacus?” We told him the story. When I related what Cacus had said about someone else giving him the idea to steal the caduceus, and about the gods having other enemies, Hermes’s face darkened. “Cacus wanted to cut the gods’ communication lines, did he?” Hermes mused. “That’s ironic, considering Zeus has been threatening…” His voice trailed off. “What?” Annabeth asked. “Zeus has been threatening what?” “Nothing,” Hermes said. It was obviously a lie, but I’d learned that it’s best not to confront gods when they lie to your face. They tend to turn you into small fuzzy mammals or potted plants. “Okay…” I said. “Any idea what Cacus meant about other enemies, or who would want him to steal your caduceus?” Hermes fidgeted. “Oh, could be any number of enemies. We gods do have many.” “Hard to believe,” Annabeth said. Hermes nodded. Apparently he didn’t catch the sarcasm, or he had other things on his mind. I got the feeling the giant’s warnings would come back to haunt us sooner or later, but Hermes obviously wasn’t going to enlighten us now. The god managed a smile. “At any rate, well done, both of you! Now I must be going. So many stops—” “There’s the small matter of my reward,” I reminded him. Annabeth frowned. “What reward?” “It’s our one-month anniversary,” I said. “Surely you didn’t forget.” She opened her mouth and closed it again. I don’t leave her speechless very often. I have to enjoy those rare moments. “Ah, yes, your reward.” Hermes looked us up and down. “I think we’ll have to start with new clothes. Manhattan sewage is not a look you can pull off. Then the rest should be easy. God of travel, at your service.” “What is he talking about?” Annabeth asked. “A special surprise for dinner,” I said. “I did promise.” Hermes rubbed his hands. “Say good-bye, George and Martha.” Good-bye, George and Martha, said George sleepily. Zzz, said Martha. “I may not see you for a while, Percy,” Hermes warned. “But…well, enjoy tonight.” He made that sound so ominous, I wondered again what he wasn’t telling me. Then he snapped his fingers, and the world dissolved around us. Our table was ready. The ma?tre d’ seated us on a rooftop terrace with a view of the lights of Paris and the boats on the River Seine. The Eiffel Tower glowed in the distance. I was wearing a suit. I hope someone got a picture, because I don’t wear suits. Thankfully, Hermes had magically arranged this. Otherwise I couldn’t have tied the tie. Hopefully I looked okay, because Annabeth looked stunning. She wore a dark green sleeveless dress that showed off her long blond hair and her slim athletic figure. Her camp necklace had been replaced by a string of gray pearls that matched her eyes. |
- The Loners
- The Saints
- Switched
- Fangtastic!
- Re-Vamped!
- Vampalicious!
- Tome of the Undergates
- Black Halo
- The Skybound Sea
- If You Stay
- If You Leave
- Until We Burn
- Before We Fall
- Every Last Kiss
- Fated
- Suspiciously Obedient
- Random Acts of Crazy
- Random Acts of Trust
- Her First Billionaire
- Her Second Billionaire
- Her Two Billionaires
- Her Two Billionaires and a Baby
- His Majesty's Dragon
- Throne of Jade
- Black Powder War
- Victory of Eagles
- Tongues of Serpents
- Empire of Ivory
- Crucible of Gold
- Delirium