Rick Riordan The Sea Monsters - 02 division wilted . " Just tell her I ' m in a meeting !" The jogger rolled his eyes . " Sorry again , Percy . You were saying ..." " Um ... who are you , exactly ?" " Haven ' t you guessed by now , a smart boy like you ?" Show him ! Martha pleaded . I haven ' t been full-size for months . Don ' t listen to her ! George said . She just wants to show off ! The man took out his phone again . " Original form , please ." The phone glowed a brilliant blue . It stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top . George and Martha , now full-sized green snakes , coiled together around the middle . It was a caduceus , the symbol of Cabin Eleven .
My throat tightened . I realized who the jogger reminded me of with his elfish features , the mischievous twinkle in his eyes .... " You ' re Luke ' s father ," I said . " Hermes ." The god pursed his lips . He stuck his caduceus in the sand like an umbrella pole . "' Luke ' s father .' Normally , that ' s not the first way people introduce me . God of thieves , yes . God of messengers and travelers , if they wish to be kind ." God of thieves works , George said . Oh , don ' t mind George . Martha flicked her tongue at me . He ' s just bitter because Hermes likes me best . He does not ! Does too ! " Behave , you two ," Hermes warned , " or I ' ll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate ! Now , Percy , you still haven ' t answered my question . What do you intend to do about the quest ?" " I — I don ' t have permission to go ." " No , indeed . Will that stop you ?" " I want to go . I have to save Grover ." Hermes smiled . " I knew a boy once ... oh , younger than you by far . A mere baby , really ." Here we go again , George said . Always talking about himself Quiet ! Martha snapped . Do you want to get set on vibrate ? Hermes ignored them . " One night , when this boy ' s mother wasn ' t watching , he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo ." " Did he get blasted to tiny pieces ?" I asked . " Hmm ... no . Actually , everything turned out quite well . To make up for his theft , the boy gave Apollo an instrument he ' d invented — a lyre . Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry ." " So what ' s the moral ?" " The moral ?" Hermes asked . " Goodness , you act like it ' s a fable . It ' s a true story . Does truth have a moral ?" " Um ..." " How about this : stealing is not always bad ?" " I don ' t think my mom would like that moral ." Rats are delicious , suggested George . What does that have to do with the story ? Martha demanded . Nothing , George said . But I ' m hungry . " I ' ve got it ," Hermes said . " Young people don ' t always do what they ' re told , but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful , sometimes they escape punishment . How ' s that ?" " You ' re saying I should go anyway ," I said , " even without permission ." Hermes ' s eyes twinkled . " Martha , may I have the first package , please ?" Martha opened her mouth ... and kept opening it until it was as wide as my arm . She belched out a stainless steel canister — an old-fashioned lunch box thermos with a black plastic top . The sides of the thermos were enameled with red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes — a hero killing a lion ; a hero lifting up Cerberus , the three-headed dog . " That ' s Hercules ," I said . " But how —"
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