Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan Read Free Book Online Page A

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.

Interview with
ANNABETH CHASE,
Daughter of Athena
    If you could design a new structure
for Camp Half-Blood what would it be?
    Annabeth: I’m glad you asked. We seriously need
a temple. Here we are, children of the Greek gods,
and we don’t even have a monument to our parents.
I’d put it on the hill just south of Half-Blood Hill,
and I’d design it so that every morning the rising
sun would shine through its windows and make a different god’s emblem on the floor: like one day an eagle,
the next an owl. It would have statues for all the
gods, of course, and golden braziers for burnt offerings. I’d design it with perfect acoustics, like
Carnegie Hall, so we could have lyre and reed pipe
concerts there. I could go on and on, but you probably
get the idea. Chiron says we’d have to sell four million
truckloads of strawberries to pay for a project like that,
but I think it would be worth it.
    Aside from your mom, who do you think
is the wisest god or goddess on the Olympian Council?
    Annabeth: Wow, let me think . . . um. The thing
is, the Olympians aren’t exactly known for wisdom, and
I mean that with the greatest possible respect.
Zeus is wise in his own way. I mean he’s kept the
family together for four thousand years, and that’s
not easy. Hermes is clever. He even fooled Apollo
once by stealing his cattle, and Apollo is no
slouch. I’ve always admired Artemis, too. She
doesn’t compromise her beliefs. She just does her
own thing and doesn’t spend a lot of time arguing
with the other gods on the council. She spends
more time in the mortal world than most gods, too,
so she understands what’s going on. She doesn’t
understand guys, though. I guess nobody’s perfect.
    Of all your Camp Half-Blood friends,
who would you most like to have with you in battle?
    Annabeth: Oh, Percy. No contest. I mean, sure
he can be annoying, but he’s dependable. He’s
brave and he’s a good fighter. Normally, as long
as I’m telling him what to do, he wins in a fight.
    You’ve been known to call Percy
“Seaweed Brain” from time to time.
What’s his most annoying quality?
    Annabeth: Well, I don’t call him that because
he’s so bright, do I? I mean he’s not dumb . He’s
actually pretty intelligent, but he acts so dumb
sometimes. I wonder if he does it just to annoy
me. The guy has a lot going for him. He’s courageous. He’s got a sense of humor. He’s good-looking,
but don’t you dare tell him I said that.
    Where was I? Oh yeah, so he’s got a lot going
for him, but he’s so . . . obtuse. That’s the word.
I mean he doesn’t see really obvious stuff, like
the way people feel, even when you’re giving him
hints, and being totally blatant. What? No, I’m not
talking about anyone or anything in particular!