Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
63
63
"Now, Percy," C.C. chided. "The hardest part of the makeover process is giving up control.
You have to decide: do you want to trust your judgment about what you should be, or my
judgment?"
My throat felt dry. I heard myself say, "Your judgment."
C.C. smiled and handed me the glass. I lifted it to my lips.
It tasted just like it looked—like a strawberry milk shake. Almost immediately a warm feeling
spread through my gut: pleasant at first, then painfully hot, searing, as if the mixture were coming to
a boil inside of me.
I doubled over and dropped the cup. "What have you ... what's happening?"
"Don't worry, Percy," C.C. said. "The pain will pass. Look! As I promised. Immediate results."
Something was horribly wrong.
The curtain dropped away, and in the mirror I saw my hands shriveling, curling, growing long
delicate claws. Fur sprouted on my face, under my shirt, in every uncomfortable place you can
imagine. My teeth felt too heavy in my mouth. My clothes were getting too big, or C.C. was getting
too tall—no, I was shrinking.
In one awful flash, I sank into a cavern of dark cloth. I was buried in my own shirt. I tried to
run but hands grabbed me—hands as big as I was. I tried to scream for help, but all that came out
of my mouth was, "Reeet, reeet, reeet!"
The giant hands squeezed me around the middle, lifting me into the air. I struggled and
kicked with legs and arms that seemed much too stubby, and then I was staring, horrified, into the
enormous face of C.C.
"Perfect!" her voice boomed. I squirmed in alarm, but she only tightened her grip around my
furry belly. "See, Percy? You've unlocked your true self!"
She held me up to the mirror, and what I saw made me scream in terror, "Reeet, reeet,
reeet!" There was C.C., beautiful and smiling, holding a fluffy, bucktoothed creature with tiny claws
and white and orange fur. When I twisted, so did the furry critter in the mirror. I was ... I was ...
"A guinea pig," C.C. said. "Lovely, aren't you? Men are pigs, Percy Jackson. I used to turn
them into real pigs, but they were so smelly and large and difficult to keep. Not much different than
they were before, really. Guinea pigs are much more convenient! Now come, and meet the other
men."
"Reeet!" I protested, trying to scratch her, but C.C. squeezed me so tight I almost blacked
out.
"None of that, little one," she scolded, "or I'll feed you to the owls. Go into the cage like a
good little pet. Tomorrow, if you behave, you'll be on your way. There is always a classroom in need
of a new guinea pig."
My mind was racing as fast as my tiny little heart. I needed to get back to my clothes, which
were lying in a heap on the floor. If I could do that, I could get Riptide out of my pocket and ... And
what? I couldn't uncap the pen. Even if I did, I couldn't hold the sword.
I squirmed helplessly as C.C. brought me over to the guinea pig cage and opened the wire
door.
"Meet my discipline problems, Percy," she warned. "They'll never make good classroom
pets, but they might teach you some manners. Most of them have been in this cage for three
hundred years. If you don't want to stay with them permanently, I'd suggest you—"
Annabeth's voice called: "Miss C.C.?"
C.C. cursed in Ancient Greek. She plopped me into the cage and closed the door. I squealed
and clawed at the bars, but it was no good. I watched as C.C. hurriedly kicked my clothes under the
loom just as Annabeth came in.
I almost didn't recognize her. She was wearing a sleeveless silk dress like C.C.'s, only white.
Her blond hair was newly washed and combed and braided with gold. Worst of all, she was wearing
makeup, which I never thought Annabeth would be caught dead in. I mean, she looked good. Really
good. I probably would've been tongue-tied if I could've said anything except reet, reet, reet. But
there was also something totally wrong about it. It just wasn't Annabeth.
She looked around the room and frowned. "Where's Percy?"
I squealed up a storm, but she didn't seem to hear me.
C.C. smiled. "He's having one of our treatments, my dear. Not to worry. You look wonderful!