“But once I'd come up with it, I realized it really was the perfect plan. Instead of waiting for Maria to come to me, I was simply going to go to her and, well...Send her back to where she came.Or reduce her to a mound of quivering gelatinous goo. Whichever came first.”

“Mama said if I didn't stop reading helpful quotes, she was going to come after me with a switch. I said I'd have to help her up from the sofa first.”

“Annabeth came up to me. She was dressed in black camouflage with her Celestial bronze knife strapped to her arm and her laptop bag slung over her shoulder—ready for stabbing or surfing the Internet, whichever came first.”

“I once met Death, but she told me that she was on her period. Because of that, I couldn't sleep with her. When she came back to me the second time, I simply ignored her, which really pissed her off. Now, Death has become my enemy. I love the fact that Death is my enemy, and yet I trust her more than anyone else.”

“[...] Tess and I are a good match. She understands intimately where I came from. She can cheer me up on my darkest days. It's as if she came perfectly happy home instead of what Kaede just told me. I feel a relaxing warmth at the thought, realizing suddenly how much I'm anticipating meeting up with Tess again. Where she goes, I go, and vice versa. Peas in a pod.Then there's June.Even the thought of her name makes it hard for me to breathe. I'm almost embarrassed by my reaction. Are June and I a good match? No. It's the first word to pop into my mind.And yet, still.”

“Why didn't you call?" Taylor asked."I did. No one answered." Roo bent to refill her handbag.Ah. "So how were going to get in the house?""I thought I'd just wait for you to come back." She started to tap her foot."Why didn't you go home and call a locksmith?" Taylor asked.Roo glared. "What is this? The Spanish Inquisition?" Then she grinned. "Oh, I've waited years to say that."Taylor bit back his laugh.”