“something inside me clicked, like an engine shifting into higher gear. My thinking suddenly became faster and clearer. The anger and fear didn't go away, but I realized they weren't important. They weren't going to help me...”

“I found that things weren't going well upstairs. Carter was a crumpled heap of chicken warrior on the slope of the pyramid.”

“All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorms room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my Essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.”

“Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. But she did something that surprised me even more...She kissed me.”

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Thalia demanded.Zoe glared at her. “I cannot control traffic.”You both sound like my mother,” I said.Shut up!” they both said in union.”

“That was so completely unfair that I told Tantalus to go chase a donut, which didn't help his mood.”

“But you'll be killed!""I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.”