“
I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts -Leo Valdez
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
I'm the Super-sized McShizzle, man!" Leo said. "I'm Leo Valdez, bad boy supreme. And the ladies love a bad boy.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo: Rainbows. Very macho.
Annabeth: Butch is our best equestrian, he gets along great with the pegasi.
Leo: Rainbows, ponies...
Butch: I'm gonna toss you off this chariot.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Leo: “I can’t believe I thought you were hot.”
Khione’s face turned red. “Hot? You dare insult me? I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Correct." Kekrops sounded bitter, like he regretted his decision. "My people were the original Athenians--the gemini."
"Like your zodiac sign?" Percy asked. "I'm a Leo."
"No, stupid," Leo said. "I'm a Leo. You're a Percy.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Gaea?” Leo shook his head. “Isn’t that Mother Nature? She’s supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and dear and rabbits doing her laundry.”
“Leo, that’s Snow White,” Piper said.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
You must forge your own path for it to mean anything.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
This is Leo. I'm the... What's my title? Am I like, admiral, or captain, or..."
"Repair boy."
"Very funny, Piper.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2))
“
Gods of Olympus.” Piper stared at Leo. “What happened to you?”
His hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.
“Long story,” he said.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Survive first. Figure out crayon drawing of destiny later.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Piper gripped his hand and followed him, “If I fall, you’re catching me.” “Uh, sure.” Jason hoped he wasn’t blushing.
Leo stepped out next. “You’re catching me, too, Superman. But I ain’t holding your hand.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Lots of death, huh? Personally, I'm trying to avoid lots of death, but you guys have fun!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Leo: "So...giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the best time to bring up my psycho babysitter."
Piper: "Is that another joke?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."
"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."
Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo couldn't help smiling. "That could be fun."
"Fun" she said unhappily.
"Blue elephants."
"Blue elephants."
"Kiss me you fool."
"You fool.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
I'm the son of Jupiter, I'm a child of Rome, consul to demigods, praetor of the First Legion. I slew the Trojan sea monster, I toppled the black throne of Kronos, and destroyed Titan Krios with my own hand. And now I'm going to destroy you Porphyrion, and feed you to your own wolves."
"Wow, dude," Leo muttered, "You been eating red meat?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
[Jason] faltered when he looked at Leo, who was mimicking taking notes with an air pencil.
“Go on, Professor Grace!” he said, wide-eyed. “I wanna get an A on the test.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
He had no idea where the stereotype of dumb giggly blondes came from. Ever since he'd met Annabeth at the Grand Canyon last winter,when she'd marched toward him with that Give me Percy Jackson or I’ll kill you expression, Leo had thought of blondes as much too smart and much too dangerous.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo dropped into the pool and approched the cage. "Hola, Tia. Little bit of trouble?"
She [Hera] crossed her arms and sighed in exasperation. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez. Get me out of here!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
He forced his fists to unclench. "Look, lady, we're not going to go all Hunger Games on each other. Isn't going to happen.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
She wanted me to betray you guys, and I was like, 'Pfft, right, I'm gonna listen to a face in the potty sludge'.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
You’re that lady,” Leo said. “The one who was named after Caribbean music.”
Her eyes glinted murderously. “Caribbean music.”
“Yeah. Reggae?” Leo shook his head. “Merengue? Hold on, I’ll get it.”
He snapped his fingers. “Calypso!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Don't stay in one place too long. It was the only way to stay ahead of the sadness.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
The first time Calypso came to check on [Leo], it was to complain about the noise.
“Smoke and fire,” she said. “Clanging on metal all day long. You’re scaring away the birds!”
“Oh, no, not the birds!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
We’ve arrived,” Leo announced. “Time to Split.”
Frank groaned. “Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Once the others were below, Hazel and Leo faced each other awkwardly. They were alone except for Coach Hedge, who was back on the quarterdeck singing the Pokémon theme song. The coach had changed the words to: Gotta Kill ’Em All, and Leo really didn’t want to know why.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Aphros nodded, a glint of pride in his eyes. “We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a famous mer-hero, and we have trained him or her!”
“Oh, sure,” Leo said. “Like…um, the Little Mermaid?”
Aphros frowned. “Who? No! Like Triton, Glaucus, Weissmuller, and Bill!”
“Oh. ”Leo had no idea who any of those people were. “You trained Bill? Impressive.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
This is Buford,” Leo announced.
“You name your furniture?” Frank asked.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, which effectively shut him up.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
I figure the world is basically a machine. I don't know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or the capital-G god or whatever. But it chugs along the way it's supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break off and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly... things happen for a reason.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
The eidolons started pounding on the door.
'Who is it?' Leo called.
'Valdez!'
'Valdez who?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
He turned to Frank who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs…
“Okay,” Frank relented. “Sure.” He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. “Uh, how do you—”
Leo chuckled. “Man, you’ve never seen those before? There’s a simple trick to getting out.”
Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh.
Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he’d been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.
“Well done, Frank Zhang,” Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron the centaur. “That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight.”
Piper leaned over the console. “Are you sure they’re Roman?”
Leo rolled his eyes. “No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they’re Roman!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
She held up her calloused, grimy fingers. Leo couldn't help thinking there was nothing hotter than a girl who didn't mind getting her hands dirty. But of course, that was just a general comment. Didn't apply to Calypso. Obviously.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Forget the chicken-nugget smoke screen. Percy wanted Leo to invent an anti-dream hat.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo drummed his fingers. “Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time.”
Hazel frowned. “What is a chicken nugget?”
“Oh, man…” Leo shook his head in amazement. “That's right. You’ve missed the last, like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Annabeth interrupted.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. “A bounty on our heads . . . as if we didn’t attract enough monsters already.”
“Do we get WANTED posters?” Leo asked. “And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?”
Hazel wrinkled her nose. “What are you talking about?”
“Just wondering how much I’m going for these days,” Leo said. “I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe . . . but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2))
“
Coach Hedge yelled,“Thar she blows! Kansas, ahoy!”
“Holy Hephaestus,” Leo muttered. “He really needs to work on his shipspeak.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
I know, I'm an idiot!" Leo moaned. "A brilliant idiot, but still an idiot.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus))
“
We’ve all got weaknesses. Me, for instance. I’m tragically funny and good-looking.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Rainbows. Very Macho! ~Leo Valdez
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Huh," Leo said. "Well, if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know. You're not a total klutz."
She smirked. "A job, eh?" Making things in your forge?"
"Nah, we could start our own shop," Leo said, surprising himself. Starting a machine shop had always been one of his dreams, but he'd never told anyone about it. "Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Will they cower?' Kym asked.
'Tons of cowering! Plus your name in the summer programme. A custom-designed banner. A cabin at Camp Half-Blood. Two shrines. I'll even throw in a Kymopoleia action figure.'
'No!' Polybotes wailed. 'Not merchandising rights!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
What in the world are you thinking?” She sounded pretty flustered.
“I try not to think,” Leo admitted. “It interferes with being nuts. Just concentrate on moving that Celestial bronze. Echo, you ready?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"
Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."
"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo scratched his head. “Well I dunno about Enchiladas—”
“Enceladus,” Piper corrected.
“Whatever. But Old Potty Face mentioned another name. Porpoise Fear, or something?”
“Porphyrion?” Piper asked. ”He was the giant king, I think.
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Let's boogie,' he (Leo) said. 'Before I come to my senses
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Thunder boomed overhead. Lightning flashed, and the bars on the nearest window burst into sizzling, melted stubs of iron.
Jason flew in like Peter Pan, electricity sparking around him and his gold sword steaming.
Leo whistled appreciatively. “Man, you just wasted an awesome entrance.”
Jason frowned. He noticed the hog-tied Kerkopes. “What the—”
“All by myself,” Leo said. “I’m special that way.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
If the statue engulfs people in fire, we should send Leo.’
‘I love you too, man.’
‘You know what I mean. You’re immune. Or, heck, give me some of those nice water grenades and I’ll go. Ares and I have tangled before.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Leo had seen Tia Callida in action; she liked knives, snakes and putting babies in roaring fires. Yeah, definitely let's unleash her rage. Great idea.
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
The way Leo figured it, he spent more time crashing than he did flying. If there was a rewards card for frequent crashers, he'd be, like, double platinum level.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Like the zodiac sign?' Percy asked. 'I'm a Leo.'
'No, stupid,' Leo said, 'I'm a Leo. You're a Percy.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
[Piper] rushed to get dressed. By the time she got up on deck, the others had already gathered—all hastily dressed except for Coach Hedge, who had pulled the night watch.
Frank’s Vancouver Winter Olympics shirt was inside out. Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate, which was an interesting fashion statement. Hazel’s hair was all blown to one side as though she’d walked through a cyclone; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters. His arms were smoking.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Then there was Nico di Angelo. Dang, that kid gave Leo the freaky-deakies. He sat back in his leather aviator jacket, his black T-shirt and jeans, that wicked silver skull ring on his finger, and the Stygian sword at his side. His tufts of black hair struck up in curls like baby bat wings. His eyes were sad and kind of empty, as if he’d stared into the depths of Tartarus—which he had.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Leo’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker: ‘SURRENDER! YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY ONE SPANKING HOT WAR MACHINE!’
The giant Enceladus howled in outrage. ‘Valdez!’
‘WHAT’S UP, ENCHILADAS?’ Leo’s voice roared back. ‘NICE DAGGER IN YOUR FOREHEAD.’
‘GAH!’ The giant pulled Katoptris out of his head. ‘Monsters: destroy that ship!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
I try very hard to be annoying. Don’t insult my ability to annoy.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Leo took out a pen and autographed the arm of one of the nymphs. “Narcissus is a loser! He’s so weak, he can’t bench-press a Kleenex. He’s so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it’s got a picture of Narcissus—only the picture’s so ugly, no one ever checks it out.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Want to hit Leo?
That is understandable
Hunk muffin earned it
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, #1))
“
Indeed, "Hera said. ―Porphyrion, the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again —my power. For weeks I‘ve grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."
―So you‘re like a heat lamp,"Leo guessed. ―Or fertilizer.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
Stop!" Narcissus got to his feet. "This is not right! This person is obviously not awesome, so he must be..." He struggled for the right words. It had probably been a long time since he'd talked about anything other than himself. "He must be tricking us."
Apparently Narcissus wasn't completely stupid.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Leo lowered his screwdriver. He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, What am I gonna do with this guy?
"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."
"Lord of the Universe?" (Jason)
"Sure, you're all-bam! Lightning man. And 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars-" (Leo)
"Shut up, Valdez." (Jason)
Leo managed a little smile. "Yeah, see. I do annoy you."
"I apologize for apologizing." (Jason)
"Thank you." He went back to work, but the tension had eased between them. Leo still looked sad and exhausted-just not quite so angry.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
As for Percy, he held his magic ballpoint pen like he was trying to decide whether to bust out some sword moves or autograph Nike’s chariot.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Hey.” [Leo] squeezed her hand, though Hazel sensed nothing romantic in the gesture. “Machines are designed to work.”
“Uh, what?”
“I figure the universe is basically like a machine. I don’t know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or capital-G God, or whatever. But it chugs along the way it’s supposed to most of the time. Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in a while, but mostly . . . things happen for a reason. Like you and me meeting.”
“Leo Valdez,” Hazel marveled, “you’re a philosopher.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
We still should have enough time to reach Rome.”
Hazel scowled. “When you say should have enough…”
Leo shrugged. “How do you feel about barely enough?”
Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. “Sounds about typical for us.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
This is the Valdezinator, of course!’ He puffed out his chest. ‘It works by, um, translating your feelings into music as you manipulate the gears. It’s really meant for me, a child of Hephaestus, to use, though. I don’t know if you could –’
‘I am the god of music!’ Apollo cried. ‘I can certainly master the Valdezinator. I must! It is my duty!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Leo didn't usually think of the ukulele as a sad instrument. (Pathetic, sure. But not sad.) Yet the tune Apollo strummed was so melancholy it broke Leo's feels.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Dude." Jason gave Percy a bear hug.
"Back from Tartarus!" Leo whooped. "That's my peeps!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Scrawny? Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
When I was alive, I mean the first time, Mussolini was in charge. We were at war.”
“Mussolini?” Leo frowned. “Wasn’t he like BFFs with Hitler?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Yes!" Narissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver. "The first one who get that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!"
"Oh my gods!" the nymphs squealed.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
They would find this House of Hades. They'd take the Doors of Death. And by the gods, if Leo had to design a grabber arm long enough to snatch Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus, then that's what he would do.
Nemesis wanted him to wreak vengeance on Gaea? Leo would be happy to oblige. He was going to make Gaea sorry she had ever messed with Leo Valdez.
"Yeah." He took one last look at the cityscape of Rome, turning bloodred in the sunset. "Festus, raise the sails. We've got some friends to save.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
No!" Leo yelled.
"Uhhh," Nico groaned from the floor.
"Piper!" Jason cried.
"Monkey!" Frank yelled.
"Not monkeys," Hazel grumbled. "I think those are dwarfs."
"Stealing my stuff!" Leo yelled, and ran for the stairs.
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
As his raft skimmed over the water, taking him back to the mortal world, he understood a line from the Prophecy better-an oath to keep with a final breath.
He understood how dangerous oaths could be. But Leo didn't care.
"I'm coming back for you, Calypso," he said to the night wind. "I swear it on the River Styx.
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Akmon squealed with delight. “I knew you were as smart as Hercules! I will call you Black Bottom, the Sequel!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Leo had recently discovered how to change the display, like the Times Square JumboTron,so now the banner read: Merry Christmas! All your presents belong to Leo!
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Ah, Senor Zhang," Leo said, "you know how you're always saying, 'Leo, you are the only true genius among demigods'?"
"I'm pretty sure I never said that.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Oh, by the way…” Jason glanced at Percy. “I resigned my office, gave Frank a field promotion to praetor. Unless you want to contest that ruling.”
Percy grinned. “No argument here.”
“Praetor?” Hazel stared at Frank.
He shrugged uncomfortably. “Well… yeah. I know it seems weird.” She tried to throw her arms around him, then winced as she remembered her busted ribs. She settled for kissing him. “It seems perfect.”
Leo clapped Frank on the shoulder. “Way to go, Zhang. Now you can order Octavian to fall on his sword.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
He was making a brave attempt, but Jason could see the sadness lingering in his eyes. Something had happened to him... something to do with Calypso.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Leo!” Jason was shaking his shoulder. “Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?”
Leo’s eyes fluttered open. His arms were wrapped around the human-sized statue in Athena’s hand. He must have been thrashing in his sleep. He clung to the victory goddess like he used to cling to his pillow when he had nightmares as a kid. (Man, that had been so embarrassing in the foster homes.)
He disentangled himself and sat up, rubbing his face.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “We were just cuddling.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
One basketball to rule them all.
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Shut up, me" Leo said out loud.
"What?" Piper asked.
"Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
She led him past the engine room, which looked like a very dangerous, mechanized jungle gym, with pipes and pistons and tubes jutting from a central bronze sphere. Cables resembling giant metal noodles snaked across the floor and ran up the walls.
“How does that thing even work?” Percy asked.
“No idea,” Annabeth said. “And I’m the only one besides Leo who can operate it.”
“That’s reassuring.”
“It should be fine. It’s only threatened to blow up once.”
“You’re kidding, I hope.”
She smiled. “Come on.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
At the end of the hall stood a walnut door with a bronze plaque:
ASCLEPIUS
MD, DMD, DME, DC, DVS, FAAN, OMG, EMT, TTYL, FRCP, ME, IOU, OD, OT, PHARMD, BAMF, RN, PHD, INC., SMH
There may have been more acronyms in the list, but by that point Leo's brain had exploded.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
All aboard for one last trip.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Leo smiled nervously. Maybe he and Percy did share something else – a stupid sense of humour.
‘Yeah, I bet that would totally be against her sponsorship deal. THOSE ARE NOT THE OFFICIAL SHOES OF THE OLYMPICS! YOU WILL DIE NOW!’
Hazel rolled her eyes. ‘You’re both impossible.’
Behind Leo, a thunderous voice shook the ruins: ‘YOU WILL DIE NOW!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
Percy says be talked to a Nereid in Charleston Harbor!”
“Good for him!” Leo yelled back.
“The Nereid said we should seek help from Chiron’s brothers.”
“What does that mean? The Party Ponies?” Leo had never met Chiron’s crazy centaur relatives, but he’d heard rumors of Nerf sword-fights, root beer-chugging contests, and Super Soakers filled with pressurized whipped cream.
“Not sure,” Annabeth said. “But I’ve got coordinates. Can you input latitude and longitude in this thing?”
“I can input star charts and order you a smoothie, if you want. Of course I can do latitude and longitude!
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
Akmon pulled a ratchet wrench from the tool belt and spun it like a noisemaker. “Oh, very nice! I’m definitely keeping this! Thanks, Blue Bottom!”
Blue Bottom?
Leo glanced down. His pants had slipped around his ankles again, revealing his blue undershorts. “That’s it!” he shouted. “My stuff. Now. Or I’ll show you how funny a flaming dwarf is.”
His hands caught fire.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
The raft finally got here," he said.
Calypso snorted. Her eyes might have been red, but it was hard to tell in the moonlight. "You just noticed?"
"But if it only shows up for guys you like-"
"Don't push your luck, Leo Valdez," she said. "I still hate you."
"Okay."
"And you are not coming back here," she insisted. "So don't give me any empty promises."
"How about a full promise?" he said. "Because I'm definitely-"
She grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss, which effectively shut him up.
For all his joking and flirting, Leo had never kissed a girl before. Well, sisterly pecks on the cheeck from Piper, but that didn't count. This was a real, full-contact kiss. If Leo had had gears and wires in his brain, they would've short-circuited.
Calypso pushed him away. "That didn't happen."
"Okay." His voice sounded an octave higher than usual.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
According to Festus, our flying table, Buford, made it back safely while we were in Charleston, so those eagles didn't get him. Unfortunately, he lost the laundry bag with your pants."
"Dang it!" Frank Barked, which Leo figured was probably severe profanity for him.
No doubt Frank would've cursed some more -busting out the golly gees and the gosh darns- but Percy interrupted by doubling over and groaning.
"Did the world just turn upside down?" he asked.
Jason pressed his hands to his head. "Yeah, and it's spinning. Everything is yellow. Is it supposed to be yellow?
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, “Awesome. Awesome.” Percy was covered in nicks and scratches, like he’d jumped through a window. He didn’t say anything but he grasped Annabeth’s hand weakly as if to say, Be right with you as soon as the world stops spinning.
Leo, Piper, and Jason, who’d been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.
“What? What?” Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. “Can’t a guy even take a lunch break? What’s wrong?”
“Followed!” Frank yelled again.
“Followed by what? Jason asked.
“I don’t know!” Frank panted. “Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!”
Annabeth wanted to strangle the guy, but she wasn’t sure her hands would fit around his thick neck. “That makes absolutely no sense.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
He was the class clown, the court jester, because he'd learn early that if you cracked jokes and pretended you weren't scared, you usually didn't get beat up. Even the baddest gangster kids would tolerate you, keep you around for laughs. Plus, humor was a good way to hide the pain
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
A tinkerer,” snapped Pasiphaë. “Even worse. I knew Daedalus. His inventions brought me nothing but trouble.”
Leo blinked. “Daedalus…like, the Daedalus? Well, then, you should know all about us tinkerers. We’re more into fixing, building, occasionally sticking wads of oilcloth in the mouths of rude ladies—
”
”
Rick Riordan
“
Why would Gaia be back at camp?’ Leo asked. ‘Percy’s nosebleed was here.’
‘Dude,’ Percy said, ‘first off, you heard Athena – don’t blame my nose. Second, Gaia’s the earth. She can pop up anywhere she wants. Besides, she told us she was going to do this. She said the first thing on her to-do list was destroying our camp. Question is: how do we stop her?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus, #5))
“
I tried to help you make better choices. You could have saved yourself. But you defied me at every step. You built your ship. You joined that foolish quest. Now you are trapped here, helpless, while the mortal world dies.
Leo's hands burst into flame. He wanted to melt Gaea's sandy face to glass. Then he felt Calypso's hand on his shoulder.
"Gaea." Her voice was stern and steady. "You are not welcome.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))
“
Jason turned to Leo. “Do you think you can fly this thing?”
“Um…” Leo put his hand on the side of the helicopter, concentrating hard, as if listening to the machine.
“Bell 412HP utility helicopter,” Leo said. “Composite four-blade main rotor, cruising speed twenty-two knots, service ceiling twenty-thousand feet. The tank is near full. Sure, I can fly it.”
Piper smiled at the ranger again. “You din’t have a problem with an under-aged unlicensed kid borrowing your copter, do you? We’ll return it.”
“I-“ The pilot nearly choked on the words, but she got them out: “I don’t have a problem with that.”
Leo grinned. “Hop in kids, Uncle Leo’s gonna take you for a ride.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, #1))
“
[Hazel] hissed in frustration. 'I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away.'
'Oh...' Frank said, like he'd just had his own daily happy thought. 'Piper made them promise to stay off the ship and not possess any of us. But if they followed us, and used other bodies to attack us, then they're not technically breaking their vow...'
'Great,' Leo muttered. 'Eidolons who are also lawyers. Now I really want to kill them.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3))
“
The Romans move east from New York. They advance in your camp, and nothing can slow them down.
"Nothing can slow them down," Leo mused. "I wonder..."
"What?" Jason asked.
Leo looked at the dwarfs. "I'll make you a deal."
Akmon's eyes lit up. "Thirty percent?"
"We'll leave you all the treasure," Leo said, "except the stuff that belongs to us, and the astrolabe, and this book, which we'll take back to the dude in Venice."
"But he'll destroy us!" Passolos wailed.
"We won't say where we got it," Leo promised. "And we won't kill you. We'll let you go free."
"Uh, Leo...?" Jason asked nervously.
Akmon squealed in delight. "I knew you were as smart at Hercules! I will call you Black Bottom, the Sequel!"
"You, no thanks," Leo said. "But in return for us sparing your lives, you have to do something for us. I'm going to send you somewhere to steal from some people, harass them, make life hard for them any way you can. You have to follow my directions exactly. You have to swear on the River Styx."
"We swear!" Passalos said. "Stealing from people is our specialty!"
"I love harassment!" Akmon agreed. "Where are we going?"
Leo grinned. "Ever heard of New York?
”
”
Rick Riordan (The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4))