“I'm surprised you're not freaking.""I don't freak'" he said bluntly."You kinda did when I burst into flames earlier.""You caught me by surprise. Next time, I'll just whip out the marshmallows.”

“Thanks for not freaking out," I said."Oh, I'm freaking out," Paul promised, his eyes wide. "I just think it's awesome!”

“Frank stared at him. "Unfair? You can breathe underwater and blow up glaciers and summon freaking hurricanes-and it's unfair that I can be an elephant?"Percy considered. "Okay. I guess you got a point. But the next time I say you're totally beast-""Just shut up," Frank said. "Please."Percy cracked a smile.”

“They all think I'm some kinda freak." Ethan laughed and put his arms around me. "You're my kinda freak," he said, and kissed me until I didn't care anymore.”

“I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell 'Flame on!'"Leo snorted. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!”

“What if it lines up like it did in the Trojan War ... Athena versus Poseidon?""I don't know. But I just know that I'll be fighting next to you.""Why?""Because you're my friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?”

“I looked at Thalia. "You're afraid of heights."Now that we were safely down the mountain, her eyes had their usual angry look. "Don't be stupid."That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."She took a deep breath. Then she brushed the pine needles out of her hair. "If you tell anyone, I swear—"No, no," I said. "That's cool. It's just… the daughter of Zeus, the Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?”