(no subject)

[unrestrained]

Shard: 01 / Memory
What it is: Staff of Hermes shortstory
What he learns:

The story is here in the comments!. It's long but ridiculous to cut up since he has like four other short stories and nine books. But the down and dirty is:
» At the time of this memory Annabeth and him have been dating for one month and shared their first kiss on his birthday (also exactly a month ago, August 18). Apparently he promised her a special one month date, but he doesn't remember that so he's banking on some god playing a trick on them about that.
» The messenger of the gods, Hermes, appears and he and Annabeth sort of duke it out??? For reasons Percy can't play right now, but Percy intervenes and winds up with a quest from Hermes to find his staff. He also says he will only help him if Hermes does the same for him. So Hermes ruins their day off by making them go find and fight the giant Cacus-- business as usual.
» Annabeth has a magical shield that gives them visions of places, but it seems to like to play jokes. That's cool, he guesses. They find Cacus in the meat packing district which he had set on fire the day before-- not that the mortals know that and just deem it was a freak accident.
» "We climb down," she said. "We find the giant. We get the caduceus." "Wow," I said. "Both wise and strategic." "Shut up."
» Cacus is hording a bunch of stuff (all knock-offs) and thinks that Percy and Annabeth are customers. Percy asks for the staff, Cacus refuses and then deems they'll be good for breakfast. In which case the couple, being themselves, start sassing the giant throughout their battle. They work as a well-oiled machine knowing the other's every move and thought from experience.
» It wasn't Cacus' idea to steal the staff. Then who's was it?
» Percy drowns them in sewer water to escape, Annabeth uses a crane to play Cacus like a grabber-arm game, and then Percy has Martha and George go into laser beam mode and they send Cacus back to Tartarus.

I smiled at the giat. “Actually, Cacus, I have another secret weapon.”
The giant’s eyes lit up with greed. “Another weapon? I will steal it! I will copy it and sell the knockoffs for a profit! What is this secret weapon?”
"Her name is Annabeth,"I said. "And she’s one of a kind."

» Cacus was trying to cut down the gods communication lines which is ironic to Hermes since Zeus as trying to do something???
» Percy and Annabeth go on the best date ever in Paris~

SIGNIFICANT PARTS:
» Annabeth is no longer a faded memory, he remembers her. He remembers her importance to him and that they've been fighting together since they were children-- if only by their reactions-- and that she's his girlfriend. He already knows he's in love with her due to memory one as that was his whole reason to try and travel (to remember her). But now this is just more Annabeth dere.
» Something happened between Hermes and Annabeth. Possibly something to do with the big thing that happened last month??
» Cacus is working for someone to try and cut down the Gods connections. Apparently Zeus was already thinking about this???
» Hermes looks at him like he's a dead man walking :| (this memory is literally just before his first one, so I wonder why)
» He doesn't really care about all this??? Only Annabeth. Annabeth is the most important must make her happy at all times.
» Annabeth calls him Seaweed Brain

Comments

[unrestrained]

Annabeth and I were relaxing on the Great Lawn in Central Park when she ambushed me with a question.

"You forgot, didn’t you?"

I went into red-alert mode. It’s easy to panic when you’re a new boyfriend. Sure, I’d fought monsters with Annabeth for years. Together we’d faced the wrath of the gods. We’d battled Titans and calmly faced death a dozen times. But now that we were dating, one frown from her and I freaked. What had I done wrong?

I mentally reviewed the picnic list: Comfy blanket? Check. Annabeth’s favorite pizza with extra olives? Check. Chocolate toffee from La Masion du Chocolat? Check. Chilled sparking water with twist of lemon? Check. Weapons in case of sudden Greek mythological apocalypse? Check.

So what had I forgotten?

I was tempted (briefly) to bluff my way through. Two things stopped me. First, I didn’t want to lie to Annabeth. Second, she was too smart. She’d see right through me. So I did what I do best. I stared at her blankly and acted dumb. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Percy, today is September 18th. What happened exactly one month ago?"

"It was my birthday," I said.

That was true: August 18th. But judging from Annabeth’s expression, that wasn’t the answer she’d been hoping for.

It didn’t help my concentration that Annabeth looked so good today. She was wearing her regular orange camp t-shirt and shorts, hair swept over her shoulders. Around her neck hung a leather cord with colorful beads from our demigod training camp- Camp Half-Blood. Her stormy-gray eyes were as dazzling as ever. I just wished that their fierce look wasn’t directed at me.

I tried to think. One month ago we’d defeated the Titan Kronos. Was that what she meant? Then Annabeth set my priorities straight.

"Our first kiss, Seaweed Brain," she said. "It’s our one month anniversary."

"Well … yeah!" i thought: Do people celebrate stuff like that? I have to remember birthdays, holidays, and all anniversaries?

I tried for a smile. “That’s why we’re having this great picnic, right?”

She tucked her legs underneath her. “Percy … I love the picnic. Really. But you promised to take me out for a special dinner tonight. Remember? It’s not that I expect it, but you said you had something planned. So … ?”

I could hear hopefulness in her boice, but also doubt. She was waiting for me to admit the obvious: I’d forgotten. I was toast. I was boyfriend roadkill.

Just because I forgot, you shouldn’t take that as a sign I didn’t care about Annabeth. Seriously, the last month with her had been awesome. I was the luckiest demigod ever. But a special dinner … when had I mentioned that? Maybe I’d said it after Annabeth kissed me, which sort of sent me into a fog. Maybe a Greek god has disguised himself as me and made her a promise as a prank. Or maybe I was just a rotten boyfriend.

Time to fess up. I cleared my throat. “Well-“

A sudden streak of light made me blink, as if someone had flashed a mirror in my face. I looked around and I saw a brown delivery truck parked in the middle of the Great Lawn where no cars were allowed. Lettered on the side were the words:

HERNIAS ARE US

Wait . . . sorry. I’m dyslexic. I squinted and decided it probably read:

HERMES EXPRESS

"Oh, good," I muttered. "We’ve got mail."

"What?" Annabeth asked.

I pointed at the truck. The driver was climbing out. He wore a brown uniform shirt and knee-length shorts along with stylish black socks and cleats. His curly sal-and-pepper hair stuck out around the edges of his brown cap. He looked like a guy in his mid-thirties, but I knew from experience he was actually in his mid-five-thousands.

Hermes. Messenger of the gods. Personal friend, dispenser of heroic quests, and frequent cause of migrane headaches.

He looked upset. He kept patting his pockets and wringing his hands. Either he’d lost something important or he’d had too many espressos at the Mount Olympus Starbucks. Finally he spotted me and beckoned, Get over here!

That could of meant severl things. If he was delivering a message in person from the gods, it was bad news. If he wanted something from me, it was also bad news. But seeing as he’d just saved me from explaining myself to Annabeth, I was too relieved to care.

"Bummer." I tried to sound regretful, as if my rump hadn’t just been pulled from the barbecue. "We’d better see what he wants."

How do you greet a god? If there’s an etiquette guide for that, I haven’t read it. I’m never sure if I’m supposed to shake hands, kneel, or bow and shout, “We’re not worthy!”

I knew Hermes better than most of the Olympians. Over the years, he’d helped me out several times. Unfortunately last summer I’d also fought his demigod son Luke, who’d been corrupted by the Titan Kronos, in a mortal combat smack-down for the fate of the world. Luke’s death hadn’t been entirely my fault, but it still put a damper on my relationship with Hermes.

I decided to start simple. “Hi.”

Hermes scanned the park as if he were afriad of being watched. I’m not sure why he bothered. Gods are usually invisible to mortals. Nobody else on the Great Lawn was paying any attention to the delivery van.

Hermes glanced at Annabeth, then back at me. “I didn’t know the girl would be here. She’ll have to swear to keep her mouth shut.”

Annabeth crossed her arms. “The girl can hear you. And before I swear to anything, maybe you’d better tell us what’s wrong.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a god look so jittery. Hermes tucked a curl of gray hair behind his ear. He patted his pockets again. His hands didn’t seem to know what to do.

He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I mean it, girl. If word gets back to Athena, she’ll never stop teasing me. She already thinks she’s so much cleverer than I am.”

"She is," Annabeth said. Of course, she’s prejudice. Athena is her mom.

Hermes glared at her. “Promise. Before I explain the problem, both of you must promise to keep silent.”

Suddenly it dawned on me. “Where’s your staff?”

Hermes’s eye twitched. He looked like he was about to cry.

"Oh, gods," Annabeth said. "You lost your staff?"

"I didn’t lose it!" Hermes snapped. "It was stolen. And I wasn’t asking for your help, girl!"

"Fine," she said. "Solve your own problem. Come on, Percy. Let’s get out of here."

Hermes snarled. I realized I might have to break up a fight between an immortal god and my girlfriend, and I didn’t want to be on either side of that.

A little background: Annabeth used to adventure with Hermes son Luke. Over time, Annabeth developed a crush on Luke. As Annabeth got older, Luke developed feelings for her, too. Luke turned evil. Hermes blamed Annabeth for not preventing Luke from turning evil. Annabeth blamed Hermes for being a rotten dad and giving Luke the capacity to become evil in the first place. Luke died in war. Hermes and Annabeth blame each other.

Confused? Welcome to my world.

Anyway, I figured things would go badly if these two went nuclear, so I risked stepping between them. “Annabeth, tell you what. This sounds important. Let me hear him out, and I’ll meet you back at the picnic blanket, okay?”

I gave her a smile that I hoped conveyed something like: Hey, you know I’m on your side. Gods are such jerks! But what can you do?

Probably my expression actually conveyed: It’s not my fault! Please do not kill me!

Before she could protest or cause me bodily harm, I grabbed Hermes’s arm. “Let’s step into your office.”

Hermes and I sat in the back of the delivery truck on a couple of boxes labeled TOXIC SERPENTS. THIS END UP. Maybe that wasn’t the best place to sit, but it was better than some of his other deliveries, which were labeled EXPLOSIVES, DO NOT SIT ON, and DRAKON EGGS, DO NOT STORE NEAR EXPLOSIVES.

"So what happened?" I asked him.

Hermes slumped on his delivery boxes. He stared at his empty hands. “I only left them alone for a minute.”

"Them …" I said. "Oh, George and Martha?"

Hermes nodded dejectedly.

George and Martha were the two snakes that wrapped around his caduceus- his staff of power. You’ve probably seen pictures of the caduceus at hospitals, since it’s often used as a symbol for doctors. (Annabeth would argue and say that whole thing is a misconception. It’s supposed to be the staff of Asclepius the medicine god, blah, blah, blah. But whatever.)

I was kind of fond of George and Martha. I got the feeling Hermes was too, even though he was constatly arguing with them.

"I made a stupid mistake," he muttered. "I was late with a delivery. I stopped at Rockfeller Center and was delivering a box of doormats to Janus-"

"Janus," I said. "The two-faced guy, god of doorways."

"Yes, yes. He works there. Network television."

"Say what?" The last time I’d met Janus he’d been in a deadly magical labyrinth, and the experience hadn’t been pleasant.

Heremes rolled his eyes. “Surely you’ve seen network TV lately. It’s clear they don’t know whether they’re coming or going. That’s because Janus is in charge of programming. He loves ordering new shows and cenceling them after two episodes. God of beginnings and endings, after all. Anyway, I was bringing him some magic doormats, and I was double-parked-“

"You have to worry about double-parking?"

"Will you let me tell the story?"

"Sorry."

"So I left my caduceus on the dashboard and ran inside with the box. Then I realized I needed to have Janus sign for the delivery, so I ran back to the truck-"

"And the caduceus was gone."

Hermes nodded. “If that ugly brute has harmed my snakes, I swear by the Styx-“

"Hold on. You know who took the staff?"

Hermes snorted. “Of course. I checked the security cameras in the area. I talked with the wind nymphs. The thief was clearly Cacus.”

"Cacus." I’d had years of practice looking dumb when people threw Greek names I didn’t know. It’s a skill of mine. Annabeth keeps telling me to read a book of Greek myths, but I don’t see the need. It’s easier just to have folks explain stuff.

"Good old Cacus," I said. "I should probably know who that is-"

"Oh, he’s a giant," Hermes said dismissively. "A small giant, not one of the big ones."

"A small giant."

"Yes. Maybe ten feet tall."

"Tiny, then." I agreed.

"He’s well-known for thief. Stole Apollo’s cattle once."

"I thought you stole Apollo’s cattle.”

"Well, yes. But I did it first, and with much more stlye. At any rate, Cacus is always stealing things from the gods. Very annoying. He used to hide out in a cave on Capitoline Hill, where Rome was founded. Nowadays, he’s in Manhattan. Underground somewhere, I’m sure."

I took a deep breath. I saw where this was going. “Now you’re going to explain to me why you, a superpowerful god, can’t just go get your staff back yourself, and why you need me, a sixteen-year-old kid, to do it for you.”

Hermes tilted his head. “Percy, that almost sounded like sarcasm. You know very well the gods can’t go around busting heads and ripping up mortal cities looking for our lost items. If we did that, New York would be destroyed everytime Aphrodite lost her hairbrush, and believe me, that happens a lot. We need heros for that sort of errand.”

"Uh-huh. And if you went looking for the staff yourself, it might be a little embarrassing."

Hermes pursed his lips. “All right. Yes. The other gods would certainly take notice. Me, the god of thieves, being stolen from. And my caduceus, no less, symbol of my power! I’d be ridiculed for centuries. The idea is too horrible. I need this resolved quickly and quietly before I become the laughingstock of Olympus.”

"So … you want us to find the giant, get back your caduceus, and return it to you. Quietly."

Hermes smiled. “What a fine offer! Thank you. And I’ll need it before five o’clock this evening so I can finish my deliveries. The caduceus serves as my signature pad, GPS, my phone, my parking permis, my iPod shuffle- really, I can’t do a thing without it.”

"By five." I didn’t have a watch, but I was pretty sure it was at elast one o’clock already. "Can you be more specific about where Cacus is?"

Hermes shrugged. “I’m sure you can figure that out. And just a warning. Cacus breaths fire.”

"Naturally." I said.

"And do be mindful of the caduceus. The tip can turn people to stone. I had to do that once with this horrible tattletale named Battus … but I’m sure you’ll be careful. And of course you’ll keep this our little secret.

He smiled winningly. Maybe I was imagining that he’d just threatened to petrify me if I told anyone about the theft.

I swalloed the sawdust taste out of ym mouth. “Of course.”

"You’ll do it, then?"

An idea occured to me. Yes- I do get ideas occasionally.

"How about we trade favors?" I suggested. "I help you with your embarrassing situation, you help me with mine."

Hermes raised an eyebrow. “What did you have in mind?”

"You’re the god of travel, right?"

"Of course."

I told him what I wanted for my reward.

I was in better spirit when I rejoined Annabeth. I’d made arragements to meet Hermes at Rockfeller Center no later than five, and his delivery truck had disappeared in a flash of light. Annabeth waited by out picnic site with her arms folded indignantly.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Good news." I told her what we had to do.

[unrestrained]

She didn’t slap me, but she looked like she wanted to. “Why is tracking down a fire-breathing giant good news? Any why do I want to help out Hermes?”

"He’s not so bad," I said. "Besides, two innocent snakes are in trouble. George and Martha must be terrified-"

"Is this an elaborate joke?" she asked. "Tell me you planned this with Hermes, and we’re really going to a surprise party for our anniversary."

"Um … Well, no. But afterward, I promise-"

Annabeth raised her hand. “You’re cute and you’re sweet, Percy. But please- no more promises. Let’s just find this giant.”

She stowed our blanket in her backpack and put away the food. Sad … since I’d barely tasted any of the pizza. The only thing she kept out was her shield.

Like a lot of magic items, it was designed to morph into a smaller item for easy carrying. The shield shrinks to plate size, which is what we’d been using it for. Great for cheese and crackers.

Annabeth brushed off the crumbs and tossed the plate into the air. It expanded as it spun. When it landed in the grass it was a full-sized bronze shield, it’s highly polished surface reflecting the sky. The shield had come in handy during out war with the Titans, but I wasn’t sure how it could help us now.

"That thing only shows aerial images, right?" I asked. "Cacus is supposed to be underground."

Annabeth shrugged. “Worth a try. Shield, I want to see Cacus.”

Light rippled across the bronze shield.

Instead of a reflection, we were looking down at a landscape of dilapidated warehouses and crumbling roads. A rusty water tower rose above the urban blight.

Annabeth snorted. “This stupid shield has a sense of humor.”

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"That’s Seacacus, New Jersey. Read the sign on the water tower."

She rapped her knuckles on the bronze surface. “Okay, very funny, shield. now I want to see- I mean, show me the location of fire-breathing giant Cacus.”

The image changed.

This time I saw a familiar part of Manhattan: renovated warehouses, brick-paved streets, a glass hotel, and an elevated train track that had been turned into a park with trees and wildflowers. I remembered my mom and stepdad taking me there a few years ago when it first opened.

"That’s the High Line park," I said. "In the Meatpacking District."

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. "But where’s the giant?"

She frowned in concentration. The shield zoomed in on an intersection blocked off with ornge barricades and detour signs. Construction equipment sat idle in the shadow of the High Line. Chiseled in the street was a big square hole, cordoned off with yellow police tape. Steam billowed from the pit.

I scratched my head. “Why would the polic seal off hole in the street?”

"I remember this," Annabeth said. "It was on the news yesterday."

"I don’t watch the news."

"A construction worker got hurt. Some freak accident way below the surface. They were digging a new service tunnel or something, and a fire broke out."

"A fire," I said. "As in, maybe a fire-breathing giant?"

"That would make sense," she agreed. "The mortals wouldn’t understand what was happening. The Mist would obscure what they really saw. They’d thing the giant was just like- I don’t know- a gas explosion or something."

"So let’s catch a cab."

Annabeth gazed wistfully across the Great Lawn. “First sunny day in weeks, and my boyfriend wants to take me to a dangerous cave to fight a fire-breathing giant.”

"You’re awesome," I said.

"I know," Annabeth said. "You’d better have something good planned for dinner."

The cab dropped us off on West 15th. The streets were bustling with a mix of sidewalk vendors, workers, sjoppers and tourists. Why a place called the Meatpacking District was suddenly a hot area to hang out, i wasn’t sure. But that’s the cool thing about New York. It’s always changing. Apparently even monsters wanted to stay here.

We made our way to the construction site. Two police officers stood at the intersection, but they didn’t pay us any attention as we turned up the sidewalk and then doubled back, ducking behind the barricades.

The hole in the street was about the size of a garage door. Pipe scaffolding hung over it with a sort of winch system, and metal climbing rungs had been fastened into the side of the pit, leading down.

"Ideas?" I asked Annabeth.

I figured I’d ask. Being the adughter of the goddess of wisdom and strategy, Annabeth likes making plans.

"We climb down," she said. "We find the giant. We get the caduceus."

"Wow," I said. "Both wise and strategic."

"Shut up."

We climbed over the barricade, ducked under the police tape, and crept toward the hole. I kept a wary eye on the police, but they didn’t turn around. Sneaking into a dangerous steaming pit in the middle of a New York intersection proved disturbingly easy.

We descended. And descended.

The rungs seemed to go down forever. The square of daylight above us got smaller and smaller until it was like size of a postage stamp. I couldn’t hear the city traffic anymore, just the echo of trickling water. Every twenty feet or so, a dim light flickered next to the ladder, but the descent was still gloomy and creepy.

I was vaguely aware that the tunnel was opening up behind me into a much larger space, but I stayed focused on the ladder trying not to step on Annabeth’s hands as she climbed below me. I didn’t realize we’d reached the bottom until I heard Annabeth’s feet splash.

"Holy Hephaestus," she said, "Percy, look."

I dropped next to her in the shallow puddle of muck. I turned and found that we were standing in a factory-sized cavern. Our tunnel emptied into it like a narrow chimney. The rock walls bristled with old cables, pipe, and lines of brickwork- maybe the foundations of old buildings. Busted water pipes, possibly old sewer lines, sent a steady drizzle of water down the walls, turning the floor muddy. I didn’t want to know what was in that water.

There wasn’t much light, but the cavern looked like a cross between a construction zone and a flea market. Scattered across the cave were crates, toolboxes, pallets of timber, and stacks of steel pipe. There was even a bulldozer half-sunken in the mud.

Even stranger: several old cars had somehow been brought from the surface, each filled with suitcases and mounds of purses. Racks of clothing had been carelessly tossed around like somebody had cleaned out a department store. Worst of all, hanging from meat gooks on a stainless steel scaffold was a row of cow carcasses- skinned, gutted, and ready for butchering. Judging from the smell and the flies, they weren’t very fresh. It was almost enough to make me turn vegetarian, except for the pesky fact that I loevd cheeseburgers.

No sign of a giant. I hoped he wasn’t home. Then Annabeth pointed to the far end of the cave. “Maybe down there.”
Leading into the darkness was a twenty-foot-diameter tunnel, perfectly round, as if made by a huge snake. Oh … bad thought.
I didn’t like the idea of walking to the other side of the cave, especially though the flea market of heavy machinery and cow carcasses.
"How did all this stuff get down here?" I felt the need to whisper, but my voice echoed anyway.
Annabeth scanned the scene. She obviously did’t like what she saw. “They must’ve lowered the bulldozer in pieces and assembled it down here,” she decided. “I think that’s how they dug the subway system a long time ago.”
"What about the other junk?" I asked. "The cars and, um, meat products?"
She furrowed her eyebrows. “Some of it looks like street vendor merchandise. Those purses and coats … the giant must’ve brought them down here for some reason.” She gestured toward the bulldozer. “That thing looks like it’s been through combat.”
As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I saw what she meant. The machines caterpillar treads were busted. The driver’s seat was charred to a crisp. In front of the rig, the big shovel blade was dented as if it had run into something … or been punched.
The silence was eerie. Looking up at the tiny speck of daylight above us, I got vertigo. How could a cave this big exsit under Manhattan without the city block collapsing, or the Hudson River flooding in? We had to be hundreds of feet below sea level.
What really disturbed me was the tunnel on the far side of the cave.
I’m not saying I can smell monsters the way my friend Grover, the satyr can. But suddenly I understood why he hated being underground. It felt oppresive and dangerous. Demigods didn’t belong here. Something was waiting down that tunnel.
I glanced at Annabeth, hoping she had a great idea- like running away. Instead, she started toward the bulldozer.
We’d just reached the middle of the cave when a groan echoed from the far tunnel. We ducked behind the bulldozer just as the giant appeared from the darkness, stretching his massive arms.
"Breakfast." he rumbled.
I could see him clearly now, and I wish I couldn’t.
How ugly was he? Let’s put it this way: Seacacus, New Jersey, was a lot nicer-looking than Cacus the giant, and that’s not a compliment to anybody.
As Hermes had said, the giant was about ten feet tall, which made him small compared to some other giants I’d seen. But Cacus made up for it by being bright and gaudy. He had curly orange hair, pale skin, and orange freckles. His face was smeared upward with a permanent pout, upturned nose, wide eyes, and arched eyebrows, so he appeared both startled and unhappy. He wore a red velour housecoat with matching slippers. The hosuecoat was open, revealing silky Valentine-patterened boxer shorts and luxurious chest hair of a red/pink/orange color not found in nature.
Annabeth made a small gagging sound. “It’s the ginger giant.”
Unfortunately, the giant had extremely good hearing. He frowned and scanned the cavern, zeroing in on our hiding place.
"Who’s there?" he bellowed. "You-you behind the bulldozer."
Annabeth and I looked at each other. She mouthed, Oops.
"Come on!" the giant said. "I don’t appreciate sneaking about! Show yourself."
That sounded like a really terrible idea. Then again, we were pretty much busted anyway. Myabe the giant would listen to reason, despite the fact that he wore Valentine boxer shorts.
I took out my ballpoint pen and uncapped it. My bronze sword Riptide sprang to life. Annabeth pulled out her shield and dagger. None of our weapons looked very intimidating against a dude that big, but together we stepped into the open.
The giant grinned. “Well! Demigods, are you? I call for breakfast, and you two appear? That’s quite accomodating.”
"We’re not breakfast." Annabeth said.
"No?" The giant stretched lazily. Twin wisps of smoke escaped his nostrils. "I imagine you’d taste wonderful with tortillas, salsa and eggs. Huevos semidios. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!"
he sauntered over to the row of fly-specked cow carcasses.
My stomach twisted. I muttered, “Oh, he’s not really gonna-“
Cacus snatched one of the carcasses off a hook. He blew fire over it- a red-hot torrent of flame that cooked the meat in seconds but didn’t seem to hurt the giant’s hand at all. Once the cow was crispy and sizzling, Cacus unhinged his jaw, opening his mouth impossibly wide, and downed the carcass in three massive bites, bones and all.
"Yep," Annabeth said. "He really did it."
The giant belched. He wiped his steaming greasy hands on his robe and grinned at us. “So if you’re not breakfast, you must be customers. What can I intrest you in?”
He sounded relaxed and friendly, like he was happy to talk with us. Between that and the red velour housecoat, he almost didn’t seem dangerous. Except of course that he was ten feet tall, blew fire, and ate cows in three bites.
I stepped forward. Call me old-fashioned, but I wanted to keep his focus on me and not Annabeth. I think it’s polite for a guy to protect his girlfriend from instant incineration.
"Um, yeah," I said. "We might be customers. What do you sell?"
Cacus laughed. “What do I sell? Everything, demigod! At bargain basement prices, and you can’t find a basement lower than this!” He gestured around the cavern. “I’ve got designer handbags, Italian suits, um … some construction equipment, apparently, and if you’re in the market for a Rolex …”
He opened his robe. Pinnd to the inside was a glittering array of gold and silver watched.
Annabeth snapped her fingers. “Fake! I knew I’d seen that stuff before. You got all this froom street merchants, didn’t you? They’re designer knockoffs.”
The giant looked offended. “Not just any knockoffs, young lady. I steal only the best! I’m a son of Hephaestus. I know quality fakes when I see them.”
I frowned. “A son of Hephaestus? Then shouldn’t you be making things rather than stealing them?”
Cacus snorted. “Too much work! Oh, sometimes if I find a high-quality item I’ll make my own copies. But mostly it’s easier to steal things. I started with cattle thieving, you know, back in the old days. Love acttle! that’s why I settled in the Meatpacking District. Then I discovered they have more than meat here!”
He grinned as if this was an amazing discovery. “Street vendors, high-end boutiques- this is a wonderful city, even better then Ancient Rome! And the workers were very nice to make me this cave.”
"Before you ran them off," Annabeth said. " and almost killed them."
Cacus stifled a yawn. “Are you sure you’re not breakfast? Because you’re beginning to bore me. If you don’t want to buy something. I’ll go get the salsa and tortillas-“
"We were looking for something special," I interrupted. "Something real. And magic. But I guess you don’t have anything like that."
"Ha!" Cacus clapped his hands. "A high-end shopper. If I haven’t got what you need in stock, I can steal it, for the right price of course."
"Hermes’s staff," I said. "The caduceus."
The giant’s face turned as red as his hair. his eyes narrowed. “I see. I should’ve known Hermes would send someone. Who are you two? Children of the thief god?”
Annabeth raised her knife. “Did he just call me Hermes’s kid? I’m going to stab him in the-“
"I’m Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," I told the giant. I put out my arm to hold Annabeth back. "This is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. We help out the gods sometimes with little stuff like- oh, killing Titans, saving Mount Olympus, things like that. Perhaps you’ve heard stories. So about that caduceus … it would be easier just to hand it over before things get unpleasant."
I looked at him in the eyes and hoped my threat would work. I know it seems ridiculous, a sixteen-year-old trying to stare down a fire-breathing giant. But I had battled some pretty serious monsters before. Plus, I’d bather in the River of Styx, which made me immune to most physical attacks. That should be worth a little street cred, right? Maybe Cacus had heard of me. Maybe he would tremble and whimper, Oh Mr.Jackson. I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize!
Instead he threw back his head and laughed. “Oh I see! That was supposed to scare me! But alas, the only demigod who ever defeated me was Hercules himself.”
I turned to Annabeth and shook my head in exasperation.
"Always Hercules. What is it with Hercules?"
Annabeth shrugged. “He had a good publicist.”
The giant kept boasting. “For centuries, I was the terror of Italy! I stole many cows- more than any other giant. Mothers used to scare their children with my name. They would say, ‘Mind your manners, child, or Cacus will come and steal your cows!’”
"Horrifying." Annabeth said.
The giant grinned. “I know! Right? So you may as well give up, demigods. You’ll never get the caduceus. I have plans for that!”
He raised his hand and the staff of Hermes appeared in his grip. I’d seen it many times before, but it still sent a shiver down my back. Godly items just radiated power. The staff was smooth white wood about three feet long, topped with a silver sphere and dove’s wings that fluttered nervously. Intertwined around the staff were two live, very agitated serpents.

[unrestrained]

Percy! A reptilian voice spoke in my mind. Thank the gods!
Another snaky voice, deeper and grumpier, said, Yes, I haven’t been fed in hours.
"Martha, George,"I said. "Are you guys all right?"
Better if I got some food, George complained. There are some rats down here. Could you catch us some?
George stop! Martha chided. We have bigger problems. This giant wants to keep us!
Cacus looked back and forth from me to the snakes. “Wait … You can speak with the snakes, Percy Jackson? That’s excellent! Tell them they’d better start cooperating. I’m their new master, and they’ll only get fed when they start taking orders.”
The nerve! Martha shrieked. You tell that ginger jerk-
"Hold on," Annabeth interrupted. "Cacus, the snakes will never obey you. They only work for Hermes. Since you can’t use the staff, it doesn’t do you any good. Just give it back and we’ll pretend this never happened.
"Great idea." I said.
The giant snarled. “Oh, I’ll figure out the staff’s powers, girl. I’ll MAKE the snakes cooperate!”
Cacus shook the caduceus. Geroge and Martha wriggled and hissed, but they seemed stuck to the staff. I knew the caduceus could turn into all sorts of helpful things- a sword, a cell phone, a price scanner for easy comparison-shopping. And once George had mentioned something disturbing about “laser mode.” I really didn’t want Cacus figuring out that feature.
Finally the giant growled in frustration. He slammed the staff against the nearest cow carcass and instantly the meat turned to stone. A wave of pertrification spread from carcass to carcass until the rack because so heavy in collapsed. Half a dozen granite cows broke the pieces.
"Now, that’s interesting!" Cacus beamed.
"Uh-oh." Annabeth took a step back.
The giant swung the staff in our direction. “Yes! Soon I will master this thing and be as powerful as Hermes. I’ll be able to go anywhere! I’ll steal anything I want, make high-quality knockoffs, and sell them around the world. I will be the lord of traveling salesmen!”
"that," I said. "is truly evil."
"Ha-ha!" Cacus raised the caduceus in triumph. "I had my doubts, but now I’m convinced. Stealing this staff was an excellent idea! Now let’s see how I can kill you with it."
"Wait!" Annabeth said. "You mean it wasn’t your idea to steal the staff?"
"Kill them!" Cacus ordered the snakes. He pointed the caduceus at us, but the silver tip only spewed slips of paper. Annabeth picked on up and readit.
"You’re trying to kill us with Groupons," she announced. "Eighty-five percent off piano lessons."
"Gah!" Cacus glared at the snakes and breathed a fiery warning over their heads. "Obey me!"
George and Martha squirmed in alarm.
Stop that! Martha cried.
We’re cold-blooded! George protested. Fire is not good!
"Hey Cacus!"I shouted, trying to get back his attention. "Answer our questions. Who told you to steal the staff?"
The giant sneered. “Foolish demigod. When you defeated Kronos, did you think you eliminated all the enemies of the gods? You only delayed the fall of Olympus for a little while longer. Without the staff, Hermes will be unable to carry messages. Olympian communication lines will be disrupted, and that’s only the first bit of chaos my friends have planned.”
"Your friends?" Annabeth asked.

Cacus waved off the questions. “Doesn’t matter. You won’t live that long, and I’m only in it for the money. With this staff, I’ll make millions! Maybe even thousands! Now hold still. Perhaps I can get a good price on two demigod statues.”
I wasn’t fond of threats like that. I’d had enough of them a few years ago when I fought Medusa. I wasn’t anxious to fight this guy, but i also knew I couldn’t leave George and Martha at his mercy. Besides, the world had enough traveling salesmen. Nobody deserved to answer their door and find a fire-breathing giant with a magic staff and collection of knockoff Rolexes.
I looked at Annabeth. “Time to fight?”
She gave me a sweet smile. “Smartest thing you’ve said all morning.”
You’re probably thinking: Wait, you just charged in without a plan?
But Annabeth and I had been fighting together for years. We knew each other’s abilities. We could anticipate each other’s moves. I might have felt awkward and nervous about being her boyfriend, but fighting with her? That came naturally.
Hmm … that sounded wrong. Oh, well.
Annabeth veered to the giants left. I charged him head-on. I was still out of sword-reach when Cacus unhinged his jaw and blew fire.
My next startling discovery: flamming breath is hot.
I managed to leap to one side, but i could feel my arms startingto warm up and my clothes igniting. I rolled through the mud to douse the flames and knocked over a rack of women’s coats.
The giant roared. “Look what you’ve done! Those are genuine fake Prada!”
Annabeth used the distraction to strike. She lunged at Cacus from behind and stabbed him in the back of the knee- usually a nice soft spot on a monster. She leaped away as Cacus swung the caduceus, barely missing her. The silver tip slammed into the bulldozer and the entire machine turned to stone.
"I’ll kill you!" Cacus stumbled, golden ichor pouring from his wounded leg.
He blew fire at Annabeth but she dodged the blast. I lunged with Riptide and slashed my blad across the giants other leg.
You’d think that would be enough, right? But no.
Cacus bellowed in pain. He turned with surprising speed smacking me with the back of his hand. I went flying and crashing into a pile of broken stone cows. My vision blurred. Annabeth yelled “Percy!” but her voice sounded as though it were underwater.
Move! Martha’s voice spoke in my mind. He’s about to strike.
Roll left! George said, which was on of the more helpful suggestions he’d ever made. I rolled to the left as the caduceus smashed into the pile of stone where I’d been lying.
I heard a CLANG! and the giant screamed, “Gah!”
I staggered to my feet. Annabeth had just smacked her shield across the giant’s backside. Being an expert at school expulsion, I’d gotton kicked out of several military academies where they still believed paddling was good for the soul. I had a fair idea how it felt to get spanked with a large flat surface, and my rump clenched in sympthay.
Cacus staggered, but before Annabeth could discipline him again, he turned and snatched the shield from her. He crumpled the Celestial bronze like paper and tossed it over his shoulder.
So much for that magic item.
"Enough!" Cacus leveled the staff at Annabeth.
I was still dizzy. My spine felt like it had been treated to a night at Crusty’s Water Bed Palace, but I stumbled forward, determined to help Annabeth. Before I could get there, the caduceus changed form. It became a cell phone and rang to the tune of “Macarena.” George and Martha, now the size of earthworms, curled around the screen.
Good one, George said,
We danced to this at our wedding, Martha said. Remember,dear?
"Stupid snakes!" Cacus shook the cell phone violently.
Eek! Martha said.
Help-me! George’s voice quivered. Must-obey-red-bathrobe!
The phone grew back into a staff.
"Now, behave!" Cacus warned the snakes. "Or I’ll turn you two into a fake Gucci handbag!"
Annabeth ran to my side. Together we backed up until we were next to the ladder.
"Our tag game strategy isn’t working so well," she noticed. She was breathing heavily. The left sleeve of her T-shirt was smolding, but otherwise she looked okay. "Any suggestions?"
My ears were ringing. Her voice still sounded like she was underwater.
Wait … under water.
I looked up at the tunnel- all those broken pipes embedded in the rock: waterlines, sewer ducts. Being the song of the sea god. I could sometimes control water. I wondered …
"I don’t like you!" Cacus yelled. He stalked toward us, smoke pouring from his nostrils. "It’s time to end this."
"Hold on," I told Annabeth. I wrapped my free hand around her waist.
I concentrated on finding water above us. It wasn’t hard. I felt a dangerous amount of pressure in the city’s waterlines, and I summoned it all into the broken pipes.
Cacus towered over us, his mouth glowing like a furnace. “Any last words, demigod?”
"Look up," I told him.
He did.
Note to self: When causing the sewer system of Manhattan to explode, do not stand underneath it.
The whole cavern rumbled as a thousand water pipes burst overhead. A not-so-clean waterfall slammed Cacus in the face. I yanked Annabeth out of the way, then leaped back into the edge of the torrent, carrying Annabeth with me.
"What are you-?" she made a strangling sound. "Ahhh!"
I’d never attempted this before, but I willed myself to travel upstream like a salmon, jumping from current to current as the water gushed into the cavern. If you’ve ever tried running up a wet slide, it was kind of like that, except at a ninth-degree angle and with no side-just water.
Far below I heard Cacus bellowing as millions, maybe even thousands of filthy gallons of water slammed into him. Meanwhile Annabeth alternately shouted, gagged, hit me, called me endearing pet names like, “Idiot! Stupid-dirty-moron-” and topped it all off with, “Kill you!”
Finally we shot out of the ground atop a disgusting geyser and landed safely on the pavement. Pedestrians and cops backed away, yelling in alarm at our sewafe version of Old Faithful. Brakes screeched and cars rear-ended each other as drivers stopped to watch the chaos.
I willed myself dry-a handy trick- but I still smelled pretty bad. Annabeth had old cotton balls stuck in her hair and a west candy wrapper plastered to her face.
"That," she said." was horrible!"
"On the bright side," I said. "We’re alive."
"Without the caduceus!"
I grimaced. Yeah … minor detail. Maybe the giant would drown. Then he’d dissolve and return to Tartarus the way most defeated monsters do, and we could go collect the caduceus.
That sounded reasonable enough.
The greyser receded, followed by the horrendous sound of water draining down the tunnel, like somebody up on Olympus flushed the godly toilet.
Then a distant snaky voice spoke in my mind. Gag me, said George. Even for me that was disgusting, and I eat rats.
Incoming! Martha warned. Oh no! I think the giant has figured out-
An explosion shook the street. A beam of blue light shot out of the tunnel, carving a trench up the side of a glass office building, melting windows and vaporizing concrete. The giant climbed from the pit., his velour housecoat steaming, and his face spattered with slime.
He did not look happy. In his hands, the caducues now resembled a bazooka with snakes wrapped around the barrel and a glowing blue muzzle.
"Okay," Annabeth said faintly. "Um, what is that?"
"That," I guessed, "would be laser mode."
To all of you who live in the Meatpacking District, I apologize. Because of the smoke, debris, and chaos, you probably just call it the Packing District now, since so many of you had to move out.
Still, the real surprise is that we didn’t do more damage.
Annabeth and I fled as another laser bolt gouged a ditch through the street to our left. Chunks of asphalt rained down like confetti.
Behind us, Cacus yelled, “You ruin my fake Rolexes! They aren’t waterproof, you know! For that, you die!”
We kept running. My hope was to get this monster away from innocent mortals, but that’s kind of hard to do in the middle of New York. Traffic clogged the streets. Pedestrians screamed and ran in every direction. The two police officers I’d seen earlier were nowhere in sight, maybe swept away by the mob.
"The park!" Annabeth pointed to the elevated tracks of the High Line. "If we can get him off street level-"
BOOM! The laster cut through a nearby food truck. The vendor dove out of his service window with a fistful of shish kebabs.
Annabeth and I sprinted for the park stairs. Sirens screamed in the distance, but I didn’t want more police involved. Mortal law enforcement would only make things more complicated, and through the Mist, the police might even think Annabeth and I were the problem. You just never knew.
We climbed up to the park. I tried to get my beearings. Under different circumstances, I would’ve enjoyed the view of the glistening Husdon River and the rooftops of the surrounds neighborhood. The weather was nice. The park’s flower beds were bursting with color.
The High Line was empty, though- maybe because it was a workday, or maybe because the visitors were smart and ran when they heard the explosions.
Somewhere below us, Cacus was roaring, cursing, and offering panicked mortals deep discounts of slightly damp Rolexes. I figured we only had a few seconds before he found us.
I scanned the park, hoping for something that would help. All I saw were benches, walkways, and a lot of plants. I wished we had a child of Demeter with us. Maybe they could entangle the giant in vines, or turn flowers into ninja stars. I’d never actually seen a child of Demeter do that, but it would be cool.
I looked at Annabeth. “Your turn for a brilliant idea.”
"I’m working on it." She was beautiful in combat. I know that’s a crazy thing to say, especially after we’d just climbed a sewage waterfall, but her gray eyes sparkled when she was fighting for her life. Her face shone like a goddess’s, and believe me, I’ve seen goddesses. The way her Camp Half-Blood beads rested against her throat-Okay, sorry. Got a little distracted.
She pointed. “There!”
A hundred feet away, the old railroad tracks split and the elevated platform formed a Y. The shorter piece of the Y was a dead end-part of the park that was still under construction. Stacks of potting soil bags and plant flats sat on the gravel. Jutting over the edge of the railing was the arm of a crane that must’ve been sitting down at ground level. Far above us, a big metal claw hung from the crane’s arm- probably what they’d been using to hoist garden supplies.
Suddenly I understood what Annabeth was planning, and I felt like I was trying to swallow a quarter. “No.” I said. “Too dangerous.”
Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “Percy, you know I rock at grabber-arm games.”
That was true. I’d taken her to the arcade at Coney Isaldn, and we’d come back with a sackful of stuffed animals. But this crane was massive.
"Don’t worry," she promised. "I’ve supervised bigger quipment on Mount Olympus."
My girlfriend: sophmore honors student, demigod, and-oh, yeah- head architect for redesigning the palace of the gods on Mount Olympus in her spare time.
"But can you operate it?" I asked.
"Cakewalk. Just lure him over there. Keep him occupied while I grab him."
"And then what."

[unrestrained]

She smiled in a way that made me glad I wasn’t the giant.
"You’ll see. If you can snag the caduceus while he’d distracted, that would be great."
"Anything else?" I asked. "Would you like fries and a drink, maybe?"
"Shut up, Percy."
"DEATH!" Cacus stormed up the steps and onto the High Line. He spotted us and lumbered over with slow, grim determination. Annabeth ran. She reached the crane and leaped over the side of the railing, shinnying down the metal arm like it was a tree branch. She disappeard from view.
I raised my sword and faced the giant. His red velour robe was in tatters. He’d lost his slippers. His ginger hair was plastered to his head like a greasy shower cap. He aimed his glowing bazooka.
"George, Martha." I called, hoping they could hear me. "Please change out of laser mode."
We’re trying, dear! Martha said.
My stomach hurts, George said. I think I bruised my tummy.
I backed up slowly down the dead end tracks, edging toward the crane. Cacus followed. Now that he had me trapped, he seemed in no hurry to kill me. He stopped twenty feet away, just beyond the shadow of the crane’s hook. I tried to look corner and panicked. It wasn’t hard.
"So," Cacus growled. "Any last words?"
"Help," I said. "Yikes, Ouch. How are those? Oh, and Hermes is a way better salesman than you."
"Gah!" Cacus lowered the caduceus laser.
The crane didn’t move. Even if Annabeth could get it started, I wondered how she could see her target from down below. I probably should’ve thought of that sooner.
Cacus pulled the trigger, and suddenly the caduceus changed form. The giant tried to zap me with a credit card-swiping machine, but the only thing that came out was a paper receipt.
Oh yeah! George yelled in my mind. One for the snakes!
"Stupid staff!" Cacus threw down the caduceus in disgust, which was the chance I’d been waiting for. I launched myself forward, snatched the staff, and rolled under the giant’s legs.
When I got to my feet, we’d changed positions. Cacus had his back to the crane. Its arm was right behind him, the claw perfectly positioned about his head.
Unfortunately, the crane still wasn’t moving. And Cacus still wanted to kill me.
"You put out my fire with that cursed sewage," he growled. "Now you steal my staff."
"Which you wrongfully stole," I said,
"It doesn’t matter." Cacus cracked his knuckles. "You can’t use the staff either. I’ll simply kill you will my bare hands."
The crane shifted, slowly and almost silently. I realized there were mirrors fixed along the side of the arm- like rearview mirrors to guide the operator. And reflected in one of those mirrors were Annabeth’s gray eyes.
The claw opened and it began to drop.
I smiled at the giat. “Actually, Cacus, I have another secret weapon.”
The giant’s eyes lit up with greed. “Another weapon? I will steal it! I will copy it and sell the knockoffs for a profit! What is this secret weapon?”

"Her name is Annabeth,"I said. "And she’s one of a kind."

The claw dropped, smacking Cacus on the head and knocking him to the ground. While the giant was dazed, the claw closed around his chest and listed him into the air.

"Wh-what is this?" The giant came to his senses twenty feet up. "Put me down!"

He squirmed uselessly and tried to blow fire, but he only managed to cough up some mud.

Annabeth swung the cran arm back and forth, building momentum as the giant cursed and struggled. I was afraid the whole crane would tip over, but Annabeth’s control was perfect. She swung the arm one last time and opened the claw when the giant was at the top of his arc.

"Aahhhhhhhhhh!" 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 it’s 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 check the time. "It’s almost five. We have to get the caduceus back to Hermes!"

The surface streets were clogged with emergency vechiles and minor accidents, so we took the subway back. Besides, the subway had rats. Without going into gruesome detailsm I can tell you that George and Martha helped out with the vermin problem.

As we traveled north, the curled around the caduceus and dozzed contentedly with bulging bellies.

We met Hermes by the Atlas statue at Rockfeller Center. (The statue, by the way, looks nothing like the real Atla, 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, yea," 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 had 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 potter 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 a 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 these moments.

"Ah, yes, yor 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 maitre 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 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 and hou 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.