03 - The Titan's Curse.pdf

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ONE
MY RESCUE OPERATION GOES VERY WRONG
The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a
few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends
Annabeth and Thalia on the way.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and
snow pounded the highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadnÓt seen each other in
months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we
were too nervous to talk much.
Except for my mom. She talks more when sheÓs nervous. By the time we
finally got to Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and sheÓd told Annabeth and Thalia
every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.
Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. ÐOh, yeah. ThisÓll
be fun.Ñ
Westover Hall looked like an evil knightÓs castle. It was all black stone, with
towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy
cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the
other.
ÐAre you sure you donÓt want me to wait?Ñ my mother asked.
ÐNo, thanks, Mom,Ñ I said. ÐI donÓt know how long it will take. WeÓll be
okay.Ñ
ÐBut how will you get back? IÓm worried, Percy.Ñ
I hoped I wasnÓt blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to
drive me to my battles.
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ÐItÓs okay, Ms. Jackson.Ñ Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was
tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. ÐWeÓll keep
him out of trouble.Ñ
My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most levelheaded
demigod ever to hit eighth grade. SheÓs sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting
killed. SheÓs right, but that doesnÓt mean I have to like it.
ÐAll right, dears,Ñ my mom said. ÐDo you have everything you need?Ñ
ÐYes, Ms. Jackson,Ñ Thalia said. ÐThanks for the ride.Ñ
ÐExtra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?Ñ
ÐMomÏÑ
ÐYour ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to
contact camp?Ñ
ÐMom, seriously! WeÓll be fine. Come on, guys.Ñ
She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of
that car.
If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I
was three years old, I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.
Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my
coat like ice daggers.
Once my motherÓs car was out of sight, Thalia said, ÐYour mom is so cool,
Percy.Ñ
ÐSheÓs pretty okay,Ñ I admitted. ÐWhat about you? You ever get in touch with
your mom?Ñ
As soon as I said it, I wished I hadnÓt. Thalia was great at giving evil looks,
what with the punk clothes she always wearsÏthe ripped-up army jacket, black
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leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner and those intense blue eyes. But
the look she gave me now was a perfect evil Ðten.Ñ
ÐIf that was any of your business, PercyÏÑ
ÐWeÓd better get inside,Ñ Annabeth interrupted. ÐGrover will be waiting.Ñ
Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. ÐYouÓre right. I wonder what he
found here that made him send the distress call.Ñ
I stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. ÐNothing good,Ñ I guessed.
The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a
swirl of snow.
All I could say was, ÐWhoa.Ñ
The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon
displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew
Westover was a military school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill.
Literally.
My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. I
could already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Thalia was
rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I knew we were thinking the
same thing. A fight was coming.
Annabeth started to say, ÐI wonder whereÏÑ
The doors slammed shut behind us.
ÐOo-kay,Ñ I mumbled. ÐGuess weÓll stay awhile.Ñ
I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like
dance music.
We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We
hadnÓt gone very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman
marched out of the shadows to intercept us.
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They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim.
The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed
kind of backward to me. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to
their spines.
ÐWell?Ñ the woman demanded. ÐWhat are you doing here?Ñ
ÐUmÈÑ I realized I hadnÓt planned for this. IÓd been so focused on getting to
Grover and finding out what was wrong, I hadnÓt considered that someone might
question three kids sneaking into the school at night. We hadnÓt talked at all in the
car about how we would get inside. I said, ÐMaÓam, weÓre justÏÑ
ÐHa!Ñ the man snapped, which made me jump. ÐVisitors are not allowed at the
dance!
You shall be eee-jected!Ñ
He had an accentÏFrench, maybe. He pronounced his J like in Jacques, He
was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really
hard not to stare up his nose, and his eyes were two different colorsÏone brown, one
blueÏlike an alley catÓs.
I figured he was about to toss us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped
forward and did something very weird.
She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my
imagination, but I felt a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room. It
washed over all of us, making the banners rustle on the walls.
ÐOh, but weÓre not visitors, sir,Ñ Thalia said. ÐWe go to school here. You
remember: IÓm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. WeÓre in the eighth grade.Ñ
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didnÓt know what Thalia
was thinking. Now weÓd probably get punished for lying and thrown into the snow.
But the man seemed to be hesitating.
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