The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)(37)

Jason smiled. “Anything for you, Valdez. You sure the Argo II will be safe now?”

“Safe? No. But she’s not in danger of exploding. Probably.”

Piper laughed. “Great. I feel much better.”

They sat quietly, enjoying each other’s company, but Leo knew this was just a brief moment of peace. The Argo II had to be finished by the summer solstice. Then they would sail off on their great adventure—first to find Jason’s old home, the Roman camp. After that…the giants were waiting. Gaea the earth mother, the most powerful enemy of the gods, was marshaling her forces to destroy Olympus. To stop her, Leo and his friends would have to sail to Greece, the ancient homeland of the gods. At any point along the way, Leo knew he might die.

For now, though, he decided to enjoy himself. When your life is on a timer to an inevitable explosion, that’s about all you can do.

He raised his goblet of hot chocolate. “To friends.”

“Friends,” Piper and Jason agreed.

Leo stayed at the campfire until the song leader from Apollo cabin suggested they all do the Hokey Pokey. Then Leo decided to call it a night.

Word Scramble

Unscramble the words below to find out which seven half-bloods must band together to fulfill the prophecy’s quest!

(answer key here)

SNOJA  __ __ __ __ __

ELO  __ __ __

IEPRP  __ __ __ __ __

FANKR  __ __ __ __ __

ZLAHE  __ __ __ __ __

ERYPC  __ __ __ __ __

NHNETABA  __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

OLYMPIAN WORD SEARCH

Discover the hidden words lurking in this puzzle!

(answer key here)

AEGIS DAGGER LEO AMALTHEIA DIARY LEUCROTAE ANNABETH FESTUS LUKE ARGO HALCYON MAENAD BUFORD HALF BLOOD PERCY CACUS HERMES PIPER CELESTIAL JASON THALIA

ANSWER KEY WORD SCRAMBLE ANSWERS Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth must unite to answer the prophecy’s call.

(

return to word scramble

)

OLYMPIAN WORD SEARCH ANSWERS

(return to word search)

A Note From Rich Riordan

PERCY JACKSON began as a bedtime story for my son Haley. In the spring of 2002, when Haley was in first grade, he began having trouble at school. We soon found out he had ADHD and dyslexia. This made reading difficult for him, but he did enjoy Greek mythology, which I had taught in middle school for many years. To keep him interested in reading, I began telling Haley myths at home. When I ran out, he asked me to make up a new one. The result was Percy Jackson, the modern ADHD/dyslexic demigod, inspired by my son’s own struggle.

Over the years, Haley and Percy have grown up together. Percy became a hero. Haley did some pretty heroic things too. He learned to overcome his learning disabilities, excelled in school, became a voracious reader, and—much to my astonishment—decided he wanted to write books of his own. He recently completed his first manuscript for a novel, which is longer than anything I’ve ever written! I also have to admit his writing skills are light-years beyond where mine were at age sixteen.

At the time of this writing, Haley and Percy are the same age—sixteen. It’s amazing to me how far both of them have come. When I was planning this book of stories, it occurred to me that Haley might have something to say about Percy’s world. After all, he inspired it. If not for his encouragement, I never would’ve written down The Lightning Thief.

I asked Haley if he’d like to contribute a story for Demigod Diaries. He immediately took up the challenge. The result is “Son of Magic,” in which Haley carves out new territory in Percy’s world. His story hinges on an intriguing question: After The Last Olympian, what happened to the demigods who fought in Kronos’s army?

You’re about to meet one of those demigods. You’re also going to get some answers about how the Mist works, and why monsters can “smell” heroes. I wish I’d come up with these ideas!

It seems only fitting that Haley and I have come full circle. The boy who inspired me to create Percy Jackson is now writing about Percy’s world himself. It’s my pleasure to introduce “Son of Magic,” the debut story from Haley Riordan.

Son of Magic

by Haley Riordan

“NORMALLY I INVITE PEOPLE to ask me questions when I’m finished, but this time I have one I’d like to ask you all instead.” He took a step back, trying to make eye contact with each and every one of the thousand audience members. “When you die, what happens? The question seems so childish, doesn’t it? But do any of you know the answer?”

There was silence, just like there was supposed to be.…

Dr. Claymore didn’t expect anyone to answer the question after the speech he’d just given. He didn’t think anyone would even dare to try.

But as always, someone dashed his hopes.

This time it was the brown-haired, freckle-faced boy in the front of the auditorium. Claymore recognized him—it was the same kid who had run up to him in the parking lot, telling him what a big fan he was and how he’d read all his books.…

“Yes?” Dr. Claymore asked him. “You think you know? Then please, we are all dying to hear you.”

The boy who had been so energetic before now seemed tongue-tied.

Claymore knew it was cruel to make a fool out of this innocent child. But he also knew it was necessary.