The Real Hero of the Story

Spoiler alert: If you are reading the Percy Jackson series (starts with the Lightning Thief and ends with the Last Olympian) and don't want to know how it all ends, stop reading now.

The kids and I have been reading the Percy Jackson series (read the spoiler alert above if you want to know what books are in it) as part of our bedtime ritual. This chronicles the adventures of Percy Jackson who, as the son of Poseidon, is one of a group of children called "Half Bloods" or "Demigods" who are the offspring of the mythological gods with mortals. I know, it sounds a little racy, but if you read the Greek myths (as many children do), they didn't exactly take place in a convent.

Anyway, Percy Jackson is kind of like a modern-day Hercules, and we are about two-thirds of the way through the fifth and final book. Like the last Harry Potter book (oops! another spoiler alert!), people -- and half-bloods and mythological creatures -- are dropping like flies, and the kids were getting a little apprehensive about how this is all going to end.

When we called bedtime, I caught Gwen trying to smuggle the book to her room. I took it back and said, "No reading ahead! It's not fair!"

"I wasn't, Mommy!" she replied, but it didn't escape my notice that she didn't tell me what she planned to do.

"Besides, Daddy is reading the book," I added. "I don't want him to have to go looking for it."

"I've already finished it," Adam replied.

"You have?" Xavier asked. "Does it have a happy ending?"

"You want me to spoil the ending?" Adam asked jokingly. "Yes, it has a happy ending."

"Does anyone die?" Gwen asked anxiously.

"Well, sure," Adam replied.

"Who?!?" the kids asked.

"Monsters, titans, Kronos ... you know, bad guys."

"But do any more good guys die?"

Trying to get Adam off the hook a little, I said, "Well, Percy Jackson is the narrator -- you know he can't die."

"What about Grover?" Xavier pressed.

"Yeah, what about Grover?"

Adam hesitated. "Grover makes it to the end."

"What about Annabeth?" Xavier asked.

Adam hesitated again. "Well, okay, Annabeth lives, too."

"What about --"

Exasperated, Adam said, "All of the 'good' major characters make it to the end of the book. See? Now I've gone and spoiled the ending."

This was followed by a momentary silence, then the kids started applauding. "Yay! Yay for Daddy!"

I don't think they could have been more excited had Adam announced he was Poseidon himself.