Rick Riordan Percy Jackson and the Olympians
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" Never question a gift ," Hermes chided . " This is a collector ' s item from Hercules Busts
Heads . The first season ." " Hercules Busts Heads ?" " Great show ." Hermes sighed . " Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming . Of course , the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box —" Or if it hadn ' t been in Martha ' s mouth , George added . I ' ll get you for that . Martha began chasing him around the caduceus . " Wait a minute ," I said . " This is a gift ?" " One of two ," Hermes said . " Go on , pick it up ." I almost dropped it because it was freezing cold on one side and burning hot on the other . The weird thing was , when I turned the thermos , the side facing the ocean — north — was always the cold side .... " It ' s a compass !" I said . Hermes looked surprised . " Very clever . I never thought of that . But its intended use is a bit more dramatic . Uncap it , and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way . Not now ! And please , when the time comes , only unscrew the lid a tiny bit . The winds are a bit like me — always restless . Should all four escape at once ... ah , but I ' m sure you ' ll be careful . And now my second gift . George ?" She ' s touching me , George complained as he and Martha slithered around the pole . " She ' s always touching you ," Hermes said . " You ' re intertwined . And if you don ' t stop that , you ' ll get knotted again ! The snakes stopped wrestling . George unhinged his jaw and coughed up a little plastic bottle filled with chewable vitamins . " You ' re kidding ," I said . " Are those Minotaur-shaped ?" Hermes picked up the bottle and rattled it . " The lemon ones , yes . The grape ones are Furies , I think . Or are they hydras ? At any rate , these are potent . Don ' t take one unless you really , really need it ." " How will I know if I really , really need it ?" " You ' ll know , believe me . Nine essential vitamins , minerals , amino acids ... oh , everything you need to feel yourself again ." He tossed me the bottle . " Um , thanks ," I said . " But Lord Hermes , why are you helping me ?" He gave me a melancholy smile . " Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest , Percy . Not just your friend Grover ." I stared at him . " You don ' t mean ... Luke ?" Hermes didn ' t answer . " Look ," I said . " Lord Hermes , I mean , thanks and everything , but you might as well take back your gifts . Luke can ' t be saved . Even if I could find him ... he told me he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone . He betrayed everybody he knew . He — he hates you especially ."
Hermes gazed up at the stars . " My dear young cousin , if there ' s one thing I ' ve learned over the eons , it ' s that you can ' t give up on your family , no matter how tempting they make it . It doesn ' t matter if they hate you , or embarrass you , or simply don ' t appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet —" " You invented the Internet ?" It was my idea , Martha said . Rats are delicious , George said . " It was my idea !" Hermes said . " I mean the Internet , not the rats . But that ' s not the point .
Percy , do you understand what I ' m saying about family ?" " I — I ' m not sure ." " You will some day ." Hermes got up and brushed the sand off his legs . " In the meantime , I must be going ." You have sixty calls to return , Martha said . And one thousand-thirty-eight e-mails , George added . Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia . " And you , Percy ," Hermes said , " have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your