The Demigod Diaries

Page 13

The waiter brought fresh-baked bread and cheese, a bottle of sparkling water for Annabeth, and a Coke with ice for me (because I’m a barbarian). We dined on a bunch of stuff I couldn’t even pronounce—but all of it was great. It was almost half an hour before Annabeth got over her shock and spoke.

“This is…incredible.”

“Only the best for you,” I said. “And you thought I forgot.”

“You did forget, Seaweed Brain.” But her smile told me she wasn’t really mad. “Nice save, though. I’m impressed.”

“I have my moments.”

“You certainly do.” She reached across the table and took my hand. Her expression turned serious. “Any idea why Hermes acted so nervous? I got the feeling something bad was happening on Olympus.”

I shook my head. I may not see you for a while, the god had said, almost like he was warning me about something to come.

“Let’s just enjoy tonight,” I said. “Hermes will be teleporting us back at midnight.”

“Time for a walk along the river,” Annabeth suggested. “And Percy…feel free to start planning our two-month anniversary.”

“Oh, gods.” I felt panicky at the thought, but also really good. I’d survived a month as Annabeth’s boyfriend, so I guess I hadn’t screwed things up too badly. In fact, I’d never been happier. If she saw a future for us—if she was still planning to be with me next month, then that was good enough for me.

“How about we go for that walk?” I pulled out the credit card Hermes had tucked in my pocket—a black metal Olympus Express—and set it on the table. “I want to explore Paris with a beautiful girl.”

Interview with George and Martha, Hermes's Snakes

It’s such an honor to speak with you. You’re quite famous, you know.

GEORGE: That’s right, buddy. We are VISs—very important snakes. Without us, Hermes’s staff would be nothing but a boring old branch.

MARTHA: Shhhh…he might hear you. Hermes, if you’re listening, we think you’re wonderful.

GEORGE: Yes, we’re very glad you caught us, Hermes. Please don’t stop feeding us.

What’s it like to work for Hermes?

MARTHA: We work with Hermes, dear. Not for.

GEORGE: Yeah, just because he caught us and made us part of his caduceus doesn’t mean he owns us. We’re his constant companions and he’d be bored without us. And he’d look quite silly without his caduceus, now, wouldn’t he?

What’s the best part of your job?

MARTHA: I like talking with the young demigods. So sweet, those children. It’s sad to see when they turn bad, though.…

GEORGE: That Kronos business was a mess, but let’s not talk about the sad stuff. Let’s talk about the fun stuff, like lasers and traveling the world with Hermes.

Yes, what do you do while Hermes is off delivering packages, acting as a patron to travelers and thieves, and being a messenger of the gods?

GEORGE: Well, it’s not like we’re useless, you know. What, you think we just hang around and sunbathe on the caduceus all day?

MARTHA: George, hush, you’re being rude.

GEORGE: But he should know that we’re quite indispensible.

MARTHA: What George means is that we do a lot for Hermes. First of all, we provide moral support to Hermes, and I’d like to think that our soothing presence helps young demigods when Hermes is delivering so-so news.

GEORGE: We do cooler stuff than that. Hermes can use the caduceus as a cattle prod, a laser, even a cell phone, and when he does, yours truly is the antennae.

MARTHA: And when he delivers packages and customers need to sign their receipts, I—

GEORGE: She’s the pen, I’m the notepad.

MARTHA: George, don’t interrupt.

GEORGE: All I’m saying is that Hermes couldn’t do his job without us!

Phone, notepad, pen—it sounds like you guys wear a lot of hats.

GEORGE: Did you say rats?

MARTHA: No, no, he said hats. Because we do a lot of different things, we wear a lot of different hats.

GEORGE: Rats are delicious.