"You would've done the same for me."

 

It was true. I guess we both knew it. Still, I felt like somebody was poking my

heart with a cold metal rod. "How did you know?"

 

"Know what?"

 

I looked around to make sure we were alone. Then I leaned in close and

whispered: "My Achilles spot. If you hadn't taken that knife, I would've died."

 

She got a faraway look in her eyes. Her breath smelled of grapes, maybe from the

nectar. "I don't know, Percy. I just had this feeling you were in danger. Where

. . . where is the spot?"

 

I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But this was Annabeth. If I couldn't trust

her, I couldn't trust anyone.

 

"The small of my back."

 

She lifted her hand. "Where? Here?"

 

She put her hand on my spine, and my skin tingled. I moved her fingers to the

one spot that grounded me to my mortal life. A thousand volts of electricity

seemed to arc through my body.