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"I wanted to hate her," Piper ado back to Camp Jupiter"

Jason looked surprised "That would never happen Not unless you came with ed a s: Another promise An oath to keep with a final breath

She tried to put those thoughts out of her mind She knew she should just enjoy this quiet moment with Jason But as she looked over the side of the ship, she couldn’t help reht looked like dark water--like the drowning room she’d seen in the blade of her knife

Chapter 13

Forget the chicken-nugget smoke screen Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dreahtmares First he dreale He was hiking along a mountain road, but as soon as he stepped off the shoulder he ed by the bog-- in mud, unable to move or see or breathe For the first time in his life, he understood what it was like to drown

It’s just a dream, he told himself I’ll wake up

But that didn’t

Percy had never been scared of water It was his father’s ele experience, he’d developed a fear of suffocation He could never adoing in the water He knew that was silly He couldn’t drown But he also suspected that if he didn’t control the fear, it ht about his friend Thalia, as scared of heights even though she was the daughter of the sky god Her brother, Jason, could fly by su the winds Thalia couldn’t, maybe because she was too afraid to try If Percy started to believe he could drown…

The s wanted to burst

Stop panicking, he told himself This isn’t real

Just when he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, the drealooe Rows of stone pillarsabout twenty feet above Freestanding braziers cast a dilow over the floor

Percy couldn’t see very far in the shadows, but hanging fros, and rows of dark theater lights Piled around the chamber, wooden crates were labeled PROPS, WEAPONS, and COSTUMES One read: ASSORTED ROCKET LAUNCHERS

Percy heard , and water rushing through pipes

Then he saw the giant…or at least Percy guessed that he was a giant

He was about twelve feet tall--a respectable height for a Cyclops, but only half as tall as other giants Percy had dealt with He also looked s of his larger kin Nevertheless, his long purple hair was braided in a ponytail of dreadlocks, woven with gold and silver coins, which struck Percy as a giantish hairstyle He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back--a giantish weapon

He wore the largest black turtleneck Percy had ever seen, black pants, and black leather shoes with points so long and curly, they ht have been jester slippers He paced back and forth in front of a raised platfor a bronze jar about the size of Percy

"No, no, no," the giant muttered to himself "Where’s the splash? Where’s the value?" He yelled into the darkness, "Otis!"

Percy heard soiant appeared out of the glooht down to the curly shoes The only difference between the two giants was that the second one’s hair was green rather than purple

The first giant cursed "Otis, why do you do this tothe black turtleneck today You could wear anything but the black turtleneck!"

Otis blinked as if he’d just woken up "I thought you earing the yellow toga today"

"That was yesterday! When you showed up in the yellow toga!"

"Oh Right Sorry, Ephie"

His brother snarled They had to be twins, because their faces were identically ugly

"And don’t call me Ephie," Ephie demanded "Call e narie name"

"Nonsense! It’s perfect No are the preparations co?"

"Fine" Otis didn’t sound very enthusiastic "Theblades…But I still think a few ballerinas would be nice"

"No ballerinas!" Ephialtes snapped "And this thing" He waved at the bronze jar in disgust "What does it do? It’s not exciting"

"But that’s the whole point of the show He dies unless the others rescue him And if they arrive on schedule--"

"Oh, they’d better!" Ephialtes said "July First, the Kalends of July, sacred to Juno That’s when Mother wants to destroy those stupid deods and really rub it in Juno’s face Besides, I’hosts!"

"Well, then, they all die," Otis said, "and we start the destruction of Rome Just like Mother wants It’ll be perfect The croill love it Ro"

Ephialtes looked unconvinced "But the jar just stands there Couldn’t we suspend it above a fire, or dissolve it in a pool of acid or so?"

"We need him alive for a few more days," Otis reminded his brother "Otherwise, the seven won’t take the bait and rush to save him"

"H This slow death is boring Ah, well, what about our talented friend? Is she ready to receive her visitor?"

Otisto her She makes me nervous"

"But is she ready?"

"Yes," Otis said reluctantly "She’s been ready for centuries No one will be re that statue"