She’d felt more pain from Nico in their brief connection than she had from her entire legion during the battle against the giant Polybotes.

Nico studied his face – his sea-green eyes, his grin, his ruffled black hair. Somehow Percy Jackson seemed like a regular guy now, not a mythical figure. Not someone to idolize or crush on.

You will suffer, son of Hades!’ What else is new? Nico thought.

A wind that blows aimlessly is no good to anyone.

So, ’ Nico said, ‘since we’re going to be spending at least a year seeing each other at camp, I think I should clear the air.’ Percy’s smile wavered. ‘What do you mean?

We’re fine.’ A few feet away, Aurum snarled quietly, which meant Nico was lying.

He hated when his own advice applied to himself.

Nico found a sort of freedom in knowing that eventually, no matter what happened, he would end up at the foot of his father’s throne.

Then Thalia Grace became their leader and started recruiting even more young women to their cause, which grated on Nico – as if Bianca’s death could be forgotten. As if she could be replaced.

He'd gone from sixteen to seventy-five in a matter of seconds, but the old-man smell happened instantly, like boom. Congratulations! You stink!

Jason hated being an old man.

Maybe he wasn’t there to lead so much as to provide an illusion to the others that they were being led.

When the going gets tough: the poor close their eyes, the rich open their wallets.

Cats - a standing rebuke to behavioural scientists . . . least human of all creatures.

That was cool.' You're psychotic.

Safety and happiness can only come from individuals, classes, and nations being honest and fair and kind to each other.

I became an optimist when I discovered that I wasn't going to win any more games by being anything else.

Year by year we are learning that in this restless, strenuous American life of ours vacations are essential.

We need a regime change in this country.... If we launch a pre-emptive strike on Iraq we lose all moral authority.

China is a civilization pretending to be a nation.

What is deservedly suffered must be borne with calmness, but when the pain is unmerited, the grief is resistless.