The Demigod Files(7)

She wrapped the reins around her hand. ‘About what you saw, Percy. What I was afraid of, I mean –’

‘I won’t tell anybody.’

She looked at me uncomfortably. ‘Did Phobos scare you?’

‘Yeah. I saw the camp in flames. I saw my friends all pleading for my help and I didn’t know what to do. For a second, I couldn’t move. I was paralysed. I know how you felt.’

She lowered her eyes. ‘I, uh… I guess I should say…’ The words seemed to stick in her throat. I wasn’t sure Clarisse had ever said thank you in her life.

‘Don’t mention it,’ I told her.

I started to walk away, but she called out, ‘Percy?’

‘Yeah?’

‘When you, uh, had that vision about your friends…’

‘You were one of them,’ I promised. ‘Just don’t tell anybody, okay? Or I’d have to kill you.’

A faint smile flickered across her face. ‘See you later.’

‘See you.’

I headed off towards the subway. It had been a long day, and I was ready to go home.


   

Interview with

PERCY JACKSON,

Son of Poseidon

What’s your favourite part about summers at Camp Half-Blood?

Percy: Seeing my friends, for sure. It’s so cool to come back to camp after a year at school. It’s like coming home. The first day of summer, I’ll walk down to the cabins and Connor and Travis are stealing stuff from the camp store, and Silena is arguing with Annabeth trying to give her a makeover, and Clarisse is still sticking the new kids’ heads into the toilets. It’s nice that some things never change.

You’ve attended quite a few different schools. What’s the hardest part about being the new kid?

Percy: Making your rep. I mean everybody wants to fit you into a box, right? Either you’re a geek or a jock or whatever. You’ve got to make it clear right away that you’re not somebody they can pick on, but you also can’t be a jerk about it. I’m probably not the best person to give advice, though. I can’t get through the year without getting kicked out or blowing something up.

If you had to trade Riptide for another magic item, whose item would you choose?

Percy: Hard one, because I’ve really got used to Riptide. I can’t imagine not having that sword. I guess it would be cool to have a set of armour that melted into my regular clothes. Wearing armour is a pain. It’s heavy. It’s hot. And it doesn’t exactly make a fashion statement, you know? So having clothes that morphed into armour would be really useful. I’m still not sure I’d trade my sword for that, though.

You’ve had a lot of close calls, but what’s been your scariest moment?

Percy: I’m going to have to say my first fight with the Minotaur, up on Half-Blood Hill, because I didn’t know what the heck was going on. I didn’t even know I was a demigod at that point. I thought I’d lost my mom forever, and I was stuck on a hill in a thunderstorm fighting this huge bull dude while Grover was passed out wailing, ‘Food!’ It was terrifying, man.

Any advice for kids who suspect they may be demigods, too?

Percy: Pray you are wrong. Seriously, this may sound fun to read about, but it is bad news. If you do think you’re a demigod, find a satyr fast. You can usually spot them at any school. They laugh weirdly and they eat anything. They might walk funnily because they’re trying to hide their hooves inside fake feet. Find your school satyr and get his help. You need to make it to Camp Half-Blood right away. But again, you do not want to be a demigod. Do not try this at home.

  Interview with

CLARISSE LA RUE,

Daughter of Ares

Who do you most want to pick a fight with at Camp Half-Blood?

Clarisse: Whoever gets in my face, loser. Oh, you mean specifically? So many choices. There’s this new guy in Apollo cabin, Michael Yew. I would love to break his bow over his head. He thinks Apollo is so much better than Ares just because they can use ranged weapons and stand far away from the battle like cowards. Give me a spear and shield any day. Some day, mark my words, I’m going to pulverize Michael Yew and his whole wimpy cabin.

Aside from your father, who do you think is the bravest god or goddess on the Olympian Council?

Clarisse: Well, nobody comes close to Ares, but I guess Lord Zeus is pretty brave. I mean he took on Typhon and fought Kronos. Of course, it’s easy to be brave when you’ve got an arsenal of super powerful lightning bolts. No disrespect intended.

Did you ever get revenge on Percy for soaking you with toilet water?

Clarisse: Oh, that little punk has been bragging again, huh? Don’t believe him. He exaggerated that whole thing. Believe me, revenge is coming. One of these days, he’s going to be sorry. Why am I waiting? Just strategy. Biding my time and waiting for the right moment to strike. I am not scared, okay? Anybody says different, I’ll rearrange their dental work.

PERCY

JACKSON

AND THE

BRONZE DRAGON

One dragon can ruin your whole day.

Trust me, as a demigod I’ve had my share of bad experiences. I’ve been snapped at, clawed at, blowtorched and poisoned. I’ve fought single-headed dragons, double-headed, eight-headed, nine-headed and the kind with so many heads that if you stopped to count them you’d be pretty much dead.