“Annabeth: Hey, Seaweed Brain.
Percy: Will you stop calling me that?
Annabeth: You know you love it.”

“Um, dad?" I called "How's it going?"
"Percy!" Annabeth whispered. "We're in a hurry!”

“Annabeth pressed her lips to Percy’s ear. “I love you.”
She wasn’t sure he could hear her—but if they died, she wanted those to be her last words.”

“Atlantis?' Jason asked.
'That's a myth,' Percy said.
'Uh… don't we deal in myths?'
'No, I mean it's a MADE-UP myth. Not like, an actual true myth.'

'So this is why Annabeth is the brains of the operation, huh?”

“Good fighting with you, Seaweed Brain."
Ditto.”

“Annabeth finished her note and folded the napkin. On the outside, she wrote: Connor, Give this to Rachel. Not a prank. Don’t be a moron. Love, Annabeth”

“You've got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"
"You'd probably kick my butt."
"You know I'd kick your butt.”

“You promised, Seaweed brain. We would not get separated! Ever again!”

“She raised an eyebrow. "You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"

You'd probably kick my butt."

YouI'd kick your butt."

I brushed the cake off my hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable… Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."

Annabeth kept her eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"

Then up on Olympus," I said, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"

Oh, you so wanted to."

Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought-I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking…" My throat felt really dry.

Anyone in particular?" Annabeth asked, her voice soft.

I looked over and saw that she was trying not to smile.

You're laughing at me," I complained.

I am not!"

You arenot making this easy."

Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands
around my neck. "I am never, going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.”

“Hello George. Hey Martha (Percy) Did you bring us a rat? (George) George, stop it! He's busy! (Martha) Too busy for rats? That's just sad. (George)”