"Um ..."
I can't pretend I hadn't thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be
around than . . . well, than some other girls I knew. I didn't have to work
hard, or watch what I said, or rack my brain trying to figure out what she was
thinking. Rachel didn't hide much. She let you know how she felt.
I'm not sure what I would have done next — but I was so distracted, I didn't
notice the huge black form swooping down from the sky until four hooves landed
on the hood of the Prius with a WUMP- WUMP-
C PUNCH!
Hey, boss, a voice said in my head. Nice car!
Blackjack the pegasus was an old friend of mine, so I tried not to get too
annoyed by the craters he'd just put in the hood; but I didn't think my stepdad
would be real stoked.
"Blackjack," I sighed. "What are you — "
Then I saw who was riding on his back, and I knew my day was about to get a lot
more complicated.
" 'Sup, Percy."