How Do You Say Gods- Titan's Curse

17: I PUT ON A FEW MILLION EXTRA POUNDS

Happy Fourth of July! Almost! I celebrated it by writing the chapter of Artemis's freedom from the sky and then had to work overtime and passed out! I hope my fellow Americans enjoyed the day off, and I hope everybody reading this enjoys their day!

PJOPJOPJO

"All those cheeseburgers and pizza finally caught up to you?" Alex nodded without surprise when Percy read the new chapter title.

Percy prodded his stomach for a moment in confusion with his pen before shrugging.

... I could see the family resemblance.

"And here I thought you liked Zoe now," Thalia smacked his shoulder.

"So you don't want to hear you've got some of your dad in you too?" Percy said.

"No! I don't!" She snapped, not even remotely joshing now.

... all I'd originally disliked, with none of the good I'd come to appreciate.

Thalia let her seething annoyance of Percy wash away just as fast, as usual. She found that a pretty good comparison of her thoughts, again, as usual. The asshole.

... Artemis said, "Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you."

Thalia's eyes glimmered with a shared knowledge she, Zoe, and the Hunters all would have felt at that moment. How much Artemis valued them, her family away from that counsel. Enough to forcibly stop them from giving her but a moment of freedom, a chance to escape or fight Atlas at his choosing. Any of them would have offered it for their Goddess in that moment, and she would have given each of them the same response.

...the goddess bit at him, almost taking off a finger.

"I love her," Alex declared.

"You will get your heart broken," Thalia said with pride.

"Won't stop me from imagining her taking a few fingers and spitting them back in his face," Alex said gleefully.

"I've heard it's as easy as biting a carrot, is that true?" Magnus asked, trying his best not to sound jealous. He realized he'd never asked if Alex was attracted to guys or girls, or how that even worked with the whole gender fluid thing.

"No, that's a myth," Alex said with complete confidence. Magnus felt a strange jolt that wasn't fear as he decided he believed her.

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled.

"What is he, Santa Claus?" Will scoffed.

"Maybe, if Chris Cringle stole that from Krampus," Alex scoffed.

"That wouldn't work, if he's normally trapped under the sky he couldn't deliver coal," Nico said.

"Yes, that was the part that made no sense," Magnus sighed.

...I will have the Olympians take turns carrying my burden...

Percy imagined his dad under there, and felt the anger flash through him like liquid inferno. He quelled it quickly this time, but then the image of Zeus under there next made him wince. With guilt. Because the idea had some perverse appeal. Thalia was so afraid of her own dad she'd believe he'd kill her rather than let her make a choice. He'd ignored and dismissed everybody who tried to warn him of this moment. He was worse than Gabe, a power hungry moron who deserved some humility.

But Percy wasn't like Luke. Letting Kronos win for that petty satisfaction would never be more than a fleeting thought.

... Her blond hair was now streaked with gray.