Athena stood in the middle of the road with her arms crossed and a look on her face that made me think <i>Uh-oh</i>. She'd changed out of her armor, into jeans and a white blouse, but she didn't look any less warlike. Her gray eyes blazed.<br />"Well, Percy," she said. "You will stay mortal."<br />"Um, yes, ma'am."<br />"I would know your reasons."<br />"I want to be a regular guy. I want to grow up. Have, you know, a regular high school experience."<br />"And my daughter?"<br />"I couldn't leave her," I admitted, my throat dry. "Or Grover," I added quickly. "Or-"<br />"Spare me." Athena stepped close to me, and I could feel her aura of power making my skin itch. "I once warned you, Percy Jackson, that to save a friend you would destroy the world. Perhaps I was mistaken. You seem to have saved both your friends and the world. But think very carefully about how you proceed from here. I have given you the benefit of the doubt. Don't mess up."<br />Just to prove her point, she erupted in a column of flame, charring the front of my shirt.