A 1

Percy was glad she had said we. He didn’t want to leave her yet. In fact, he wasn’t sure he could
make himself do it when the time came. Gaea’s words came back to him: Will you fall alone?
He stared at the river, wondering how they could make contact with the god Tiberinus. He didn’t
really want to jump in. The Tiber didn’t look much cleaner than the East River back home, where
he’d had too many encounters with grouchy river spirits.
He gestured to a nearby café with tables overlooking the water. “It’s about lunchtime. How about
we try your credit card again?”
Even though it was noon, the place was empty. They picked a table outside by the river, and a
waiter hurried over. He looked a bit surprised to see them—especially when they said they wanted
lunch.
“American?” he asked, with a pained smile.
“Yes,” Annabeth said.
“And I’d love a pizza,” Percy said.
The waiter looked like he was trying to swallow a euro coin. “Of course you would, signor. And let
me guess: a Coca-Cola? With ice?”
“Awesome,” Percy said. He didn’t understand why the guy was giving him such a sour face. It
wasn’t like Percy had asked for a blue Coke.
Annabeth ordered a panini and some fizzy water. After the waiter left, she smiled at Percy. “I
think Italians eat a lot later in the day. They don’t put ice in their drinks. And they only do pizza for
tourists.”
“Oh.” Percy shrugged. “The best Italian food, and they don’t even eat it?”
“I wouldn’t say that in front of the waiter.”