The Demigods of Olympus: An Interactive Adventure by Rick Riordan Read Free Book Online Page B

patterns… words , I realized, as if her clothes were woven from e-reader screens. Dark hair curled around her timeless face. Her eyes bored right through me.
    Sam bowed. “Your—Your Greatness. Your Most Well-Read Majesty.”
    “Mnemosyne,” I guessed. “The goddess of memory.”
    The goddess inclined her head. “And you are the hero I have heard so much about.”
    I realized I was pointing my weapon at the goddess, which probably wasn’t a smart idea. I lowered it. “You’ve heard about me?”
    “Oh, yes.” Mnemosyne sighed. “I never forget a story, or a name, or a face. Actually, I never forget anything. Being the memory goddess can be quite annoying. I saw this horrible Ben Stiller movie fifteen years ago and I still can’t get the dialogue out of my mind.”
    “Uh, okay,” I said. “But getting back to me…”
    “Yes,” the goddess agreed. She scanned the ruins of the library. “You did me a service, cleansing this place of the monster’s filth. Once, this was a holy site of learning, reading, and free Internet. Alas, the mortals consider such things of little value. You, my young hero, have many adventures ahead of you. Your quest will be remembered for centuries, written about in many books…assuming, of course, you survive. To aid in your journey, I offer you a gift.” The goddess swept her white robes aside to reveal a small wooden lectern with three items on top of it. “Depending on how well you know yourself, it may help you. Or not. Choose wisely.”
    What kind of gifts would a goddess give? I thought. Gold? Frankincense? An iPod? I walked excitedly over to the lectern, but my heart sank when I scanned the items: an old library card, a battered pair of glasses, and a small section of white cloth.
    I looked to Sam, but he only nodded encouragingly and echoed her words, “Choose wisely, Zane.”
    Very helpful , I thought. I guess he was serious about me making all the decisions.
    Slowly, I extended my hand and took the library card.
    The goddess nodded and her robes swung forward, enveloping the lectern. “An excellent choice, my young hero,” she said. “I wish you well.”
    “Wait!” I gulped. “Do you—do you know who my godly parent is?”
    “Ah…” The lines around the goddess’s eyes tightened, almost as if she felt sorry for me. “That you must learn for yourself. I can only set you on the path.”
    She turned to Sam. “My young satyr Greenwood, you must lead your friend to Austin. There you will find the answers you seek.”
    “Austin, Texas…?” Sam’s face blanched. “But Austin has, um, those special monsters…”
    “Yes, it does,” said the goddess. “Your quest will not be easy, but it is necessary.” She looked at me again. “If you would know your true parentage, go to Austin. Seek out the river god Barton. Do not forget me, hero. Rest assured, I will not forget you.”
    The goddess dissolved into sunlight.
    Sam made a small whimpering noise. “Austin…oh, I still have nightmares about Austin.”
    I tried to control my racing heartbeat. I couldn’t quite believe I’d had a conversation with an immortal goddess. “What—what happened to you in Austin? What kind of river god is named Barton ? And what are those special monsters you mentioned?”
    His lower lip quivered. “I’ll tell you all that when we get closer. I promise. If I have to talk about it now…”
    His eyes welled with tears. I realized Sam was even more shaken up about today’s events than I was. So yeah, maybe he knew all about this weird world of gods and monsters. And maybe the gods had assigned him to protect me. But he was still my friend, and I would have to step up and protect him, too.
    I looked around at all the scattered books, covered with dust. Mnemosyne had claimed that my deeds would be written about someday, assuming I survived. I didn’t care about being famous. I did care about surviving. If I had to be in a story, I didn’t want the ending to read: And he