Rick Riordan

“Wow,” Thalia muttered. “Apollo is hot.”

“He's the sun god,” I said.

“That's not what I meant.”

June chuckled. “All roads lead there, child. You should know that.”

“Detention?” Percy asked.

“It doesn’t matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-“

“Whoa. You said ‘you.’”

I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you’re my best friend and I don’t want you to die!

“Food!” Grover moaned, a little louder.

and a pretty girl

It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.

Annabeth’s face, her blond hair and gray eyes, the way she laughed, threw her arms around him, and gave him a kiss whenever he did something stupid.

She must have kissed me a lot, Percy thought.

He imagined holding hands with Annabeth at a café. Maybe when they were older, watching their own kid chase seagulls across the forum…