Quotes from The Staff of Serapis

Rick Riordan ·  60 pages

Rating: (17.6K votes)


“This was a few weeks ago," Annabeth said. "Percy told me a crazy story about meeting a boy our near Moriches Bay. Apparently this kid used hieroglyphs to cast spells. He helped Percy battle a crocodile monsters."

"The Sob of Sobek!" Sadie blurted. "But my brother battled that monster. He didn't say anything about-"

"Is your brother's name Carter?" Annabeth asked.

An angry golden aura flickered around Sadie's head-a halo of hieroglyphs that resembled frowns, fists, and dead stick men.

"As of this moment," Sadie growled, "My brother's name is Punching Bag.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Oh, I believe you. It’s too ridiculous not to be true. It’s just that each time my world gets stranger, I think: Right. We’re at maximum oddness now. At least I know the full extent of it. First, I find out my brother and I are descended from the pharaohs and have magic powers. All right. No problem. Then I find out my dead father has merged his soul with Osiris and Why not? Then my uncle takes over the House of Life and oversees hundreds of magicians around the world. Then my boyfriend turns out to be a hybrid magician boy/immortal god of funerals. And all the while I’m thinking, Of course! Keep calm and carry on! I’ve adjusted! And then you come along on a random Thursday, la-di-da, and say, Oh, by the way, Egyptian gods are just one small part of the cosmic absurdity. We’ve also got the Greeks to worry about! Hooray! ”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“[Annabeth]I might have a plan. It’ll be your turn to keep Serapis distracted.’

Sadie frowned. ‘Did I mention I’m out of magic?’

‘That’s okay,’ Annabeth said. ‘How are you at bluffing, lying and trash-talking?’

Sadie raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ve been told those are my most attractive qualities.’

‘Excellent,’ Annabeth said. ‘Then it’s time I taught you some Greek.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“No one is like me," Sadie agreed. "My amazingness is unique.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Intelligence won wars, not brute force.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis



“Suit yourself.’ Sadie shouldered her pack, then helped Annabeth up. ‘You say Carter drew a hieroglyph on your boyfriend’s hand. All well and good, but I’d rather stay in touch with you directly.’

Annabeth smirked. ‘You’re right. Can’t trust boys to communicate.’

They exchanged cell-phone numbers.

‘Just don’t call unless it’s urgent,’ Annabeth warned. ‘Cell-phone activity attracts monsters.’

Sadie looked surprised. ‘Really? Never noticed. I suppose I shouldn’t send you any funny-face selfies on Instagram, then.’

‘Probably not.’

‘Well, until next time.’ Sadie threw her arms round Annabeth.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Awkward. Sorry."

"Don't be," Sadie said. "I'll rather enjoy bashing my brother's face in.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“That wasn’t my future I destroyed,’ she assured herself. ‘I make my own future.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“I don't recall meeting Greek demigods in any of those places. Still, when one has dealt with magical baboons, goddess cats and dwarfs in Speedos, one can’t be surprised very easily.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Annabeth nodded. "That's right.Alexander conquered Egypt.After he died, his general Ptolemy took over. He wanted the Egyptians to accept him as their pharaoh, so he mashed the Egyptian gods and the Greek gods together and made up new ones."
"Sounds messy," Sadie said. "I prefer my gods unmashed.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis



“She gripped her new bronze dagger, realizing it was too small and too short to provide much offensive power. But that's why Annabeth liked daggers: they kept her focused. A child of Athena should never rely on a blade if she could use her wits instead. Intelligence won wars, not brute force.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“She didn’t like taking credit for other people’s camels,”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Excuse me,” she said. “Is that a flowerpot on your head?”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Well, until next time.' Sadie threw her arms around Annabeth. Annabeth was a little shocked to be getting a hug from a girl she'd just met - a girl who could just as easily have seen Annabeth as an enemy. But the gesture made her feel good. In life-and-death situations, Annabeth had learned, you could make friends pretty quickly. She patted Sadie's shoulder. 'Stay safe.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“Oh, I believe you. It’s too ridiculous not to be true. It’s just that each time my world gets stranger, I think: Right. We’re at maximum oddness now. At least I know the full extent of it. First, I find out my brother and I are descended from the pharaohs and have magic powers. All right. No problem. Then I find out my dead father has merged his soul with Osiris and become the lord of the dead. Brilliant! Why not? Then my uncle takes over the House of Life and oversees hundreds of magicians around the world. Then my boyfriend turns out to be a hybrid magician boy/immortal god of funerals. And all the while I’m thinking, Of course! Keep calm and carry on! I’ve adjusted! And then you come along on a random Thursday, la-di-da, and say: Oh, by the way, Egyptian gods are just one small part of the cosmic absurdity. We’ve also got the Greeks to worry about! Hooray!”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis



“The storm isn’t completely random,” Annabeth said. “See there? And there? Bits of material are coming together, forming some kind of structure inside the building.” Sadie frowned. “Looks like bricks in a blender to me.” Annabeth”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“What Were the Gods Thinking?” list.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


“goddess must have had a herd of stealth cows patrolling Manhattan.”
― Rick Riordan, quote from The Staff of Serapis


About the author

Rick Riordan
Born place: in San Antonio, Texas, The United States
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