Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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A rusty old swing set stood under an apple tree .
I couldn ' t imagine living in a house like this , with an actual yard and everything . I ' d lived in a tiny apartment or a school dorm my whole life . If this was Luke ' s home , I wondered why he ' d ever wanted to leave .
Mrs . O ' Leary staggered . I remembered what Nico had said about shadow travel draining her , so I slipped off her back . She let out a huge toothy yawn that would ' ve scared a T . rex , then turned in a circle and flopped down so hard the ground shook .
Nico appeared right next to me , as if the shadows had darkened and created him . He stumbled , but I caught his arm . " I ' m okay ," he managed , rubbing his eyes . " How did you do that ?" " Practice . A few times running into walls . A few accidental trips to China ." Mrs . O ' Leary started snoring . If it hadn ' t been for the roar of traffic behind us , I ' m sure she would ' ve woken up the whole neighborhood . " Are you going to take a nap too ?" I asked Nico . He shook his head . " The first time I shadow traveled , I passed out for a week . Now it just makes me a little drowsy , but I can ' t do it more than once or twice a night . Mrs . O ' Leary won ' t be going anywhere for a while ."
" So we ' ve got some quality time in Connecticut ." I gazed at the white Colonial house . " What now ?" " We ring the doorbell ," Nico said .
If I were Luke ' s mom , I would not have opened my door at night for two strange kids . But I wasn ' t anything like Luke ' s mom .
I knew that even before we reached the front door . The sidewalk was lined with those little stuffed beanbag animals you see in gift shops . There were miniature lions , pigs , dragons , hydras , even a teeny Minotaur in a little Minotaur diaper . Judging from their sad shape , the beanbag creatures had been sitting out here a long time — since the snow melted last spring at least . One of the hydras had a tree sapling sprouting between its necks .
The front porch was infested with wind chimes . Shiny bits of glass and metal clinked in the breeze . Brass ribbons tinkled like water and made me realize I needed to use the bathroom . I didn ' t know how Ms . Castellan could stand all the noise .
The front door was painted turquoise . The name CASTELLAN was written in English , and below in Greek : ∆ιοικητής φρουρίου . Nico looked at me . " Ready ?" He ' d barely tapped the door when it swung open . " Luke !" the old lady cried happily . She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets . Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head . Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash . When she smiled , her face looked unnaturally stretched , and the high-voltage light in her eves made me wonder if she was blind .
" Oh , my dear boy !" She hugged Nico . I was trying to figure out why she thought Nico was Luke ( they looked absolutely nothing alike ), when she smiled at me and said , " Luke !"
She forgot all about Nico and gave me a hug . She smelled like burned cookies . She was as thin as a scarecrow , but that didn ' t stop her from almost crushing me . " Come in !" she insisted . " I have your lunch ready !" She ushered us inside . The living room was even weirder than the front lawn . Mirrors and candles filled every available space . I couldn ' t look anywhere without seeing my own reflection . Above the mantel , a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock . I tried to imagine the god of messengers ever falling in love with this old woman , but the idea was too bizarre .
Then I noticed the framed picture on the mantel , and I froze . It was exactly like Rachel ' s sketch — Luke around nine years old , with blond hair and a big smile and two missing teeth . The lack of a scar on his face made him look like a different person — carefree and happy . How could Rachel have known about that picture ?