and ducked inside, closing his shutters.

 

We passed under a big marble archway with statues of Zeus and Hera on either

side. Annabeth made a face at the queen of the gods.

 

"Hate her," she muttered.

 

"Has she been cursing you or something?" I asked. Last year Annabeth had gotten

on Hera's bad side, but Annabeth hadn't really talked about it since.

 

"Just little stuff so far," she said. "Her sacred animal is the cow, right?"

 

"Right."

 

"So she sends cows after me."

 

I tried not to smile. "Cows? In San Francisco?"

 

"Oh, yeah. Usually I don't see them, but the cows leave me little presents all

over the place — in our backyard, on the sidewalk, in the school hallways. I

have to be careful where I step."

 

"Look!" Pollux cried, pointing toward the horizon. "What is that?"

 

We all froze. Blue lights were streaking across the evening sky toward Olympus