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RIPTIDE

Written By Joseph Maron

Febuary 31 2012 $3.50

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PROLOGUE Taken Place In The 21st Century “You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze...

The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise... You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand... The child of Athena’s final stand... Destroy with a hero’s final breath.”

Percy Jackson is a Demi-God or a Half-Blood, meaning he is half mortal and half god. He found out that he was a DemiGod when he was twelve years old, now he is fifteen. He is the son of Poseidon (god of water).

His best friends are Annabeth, the daughter of Athena (god of wisdom), and Grover. Grover is a satyr (half mortal, half goat).

They all stay at Camp HalfBlood where all the other Demi Gods stay.

The three have been on several different lifethreatening tasks such as, confronting Hades in the Underworld, fighting an evil giant

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Cyclops, rescuing the moon god Artemis, and many more. Whenever someone is about to go on a task, they have to confront the Oracle where it tells prophecy of what will happen in the task. Later on he found out that he has a brother named Tyson who is a Cyclops.

His friend Luke (the son of Hermes) turned evil and started the Titan army.

His goal was to gather enough Demi-Gods and Monsters who would join their side so the Titan Lord Kronos could rise again.

Early on in staying at Camp Half-Blood, the “Boss” Chiron (he is half horse – a centaur) told him that there a prophecy that said a son or daughter of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) when they turn sixteen years old will either protect or take over Olympus (place where all the gods live).

S T N E T N CO -God: i m e D A s A e Lif terview n I n o s k c a J y Perc

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One... h t i W s t r a t S It lysis a n A d n a g n So

rom Where I’m F h Poem t n i r y b a L e Battle Of Th

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ry Inch e v E h g u o r Th view e R k o o B y a s Es Feature Long

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LIFE AS A DEMI-GOD Percy Jackson Interview

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Percy Jackson, the son of Sally Jackson and the stepson of Gabe Ugliano, he had never met his biological father. Every since grade one, he had been kicked out of every school he’d ever attended due to a series of bizarre incidents including fighting giants and Vampires that only he could see. When he was twelve years old, he learned he is a DemiGod; later on, he was claimed as Poseidon’s son. Today, he has come to talk to us about his life as a Demi-God and the challenges he has to overcome such as keeping away from monsters, and fighting the evil Lord Kronos’ ever growing Titan army.

I N T E R V I E W Me: Recently, you and your friends were sent on a task to find Daedalus in the Labyrinth.

How do you feel about having to do that?

Percy: At first I was all for it because I guess when Annabeth told me she wanted me to come, it made me feel that she needed me

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and all that, but now… after learning more about the Labyrinth, I’m not quite sure I want to go. But I can’t turn back now; I’ve already been chosen to go. I am really worried about going into the Labyrinth because the prophecy isn’t really… positive. Plus, I don’t want to end up like that guy that Clarisse found in the Labyrinth last summer.

Me: You will be the first ones in Greek history that will go on a mission with more that three people. How do you think that will affect your luck?

Percy: Oh, I haven’t really thought about that much, but even though three is a very sacred number, I think we can pull it off. We are four of the most powerful people in the camp; I think we will all make it out alive. I’m am a bit worried about all four of us going, but I’m just going to stay positive and believe in myself.

Me: Do you think you will get to Daedalus’ layer before the Titan’s army does?

Percy: (Thinks) I want to say yes, but I don’t think we will. I want to keep my hopes up but the Titan army has been search-

ing everywhere for Demi-Gods. There are just too many people on their side for us to stop them from persuading people. Are only choice is to fight them.

Me: Do you think you are the child of the Big Three who will either defend or take over Olympus when you turn sixteen– like the prophesy said?

Percy: (Sighs) I’ve thought about this for a very long time, but it seems to me that I

am the one. I think that because my brother Tyson couldn’t be the one… for one, I don’t think a Cyclops will be able to make a decision; and for two, I think he might be older than sixteen years old. Nico’s the son of Hades but he’s not even close to sixteen years old. Plus, the Titan army is growing by the second and would probably take over before Nico turned sixteen. So yes, I do believe I am the one to make the decision. But I vow that I will protect Olympus and not take it over.

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It Starts With One...

Song “In The End” Linkin Park It starts with one One thing I don’t know why It doesn’t even matter how hard you try Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme To explain in due time All I know Time is a valuable thing Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings Watch it count down to the end of the day The clock ticks life away It’s so unreal Didn’t look out below Watch the time go right out the window Trying to hold on but didn’t even know Wasted it all just to Watch you go I kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn’t even matter I had to fall To lose it all But in the end It doesn’t even matter 6

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Review

fter deeply contemplating about the theme the author is trying to convey, I believe that there is only one overall theme of the song, In The End. The theme was not clear by reading the lyrics line by line, it was much more than that. You had to understand what the author was feeling and how the figurative language gives hints of what he is feeling. If you deeply think about how all of the figurative language relate you will find that the theme is much like a hidden message. From my understanding and how I have sought, I strongly believe that the theme of this song is that you shouldn’t squander your life because it will pass by too quickly and all of a sudden it’s gone.

Time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings, watch it count down to the end of the day, the clock ticks life away. In this way, the author is showing that time flies by so quickly, and once it’s gone you can never live that precise moment ever again. The author of the song explains that he was so unaware that he was wasting time and he never noticed it until it backfired on him and he lost it all. I had to fall, to lose it all. This quote could describe any situation: (it’s hidden in the deeply figurative metaphors of the song).

I knew that the song, In the End and the book, Battle of the Labyrinth were strongly connected because Percy and his friends have to enter the Labyrinth where the time is accelerated. I am sure that that event in the story strongly relates to the song because the lyrics talk about how time flies by. The song explains that if you waste your time, it will backfire in the end, so since the Labyrinth’s time is faster, they cannot waste any time or else they will be lost in the Labyrinth forever. This is shown when Annabeth says, It didn’t seem possible that we could’ve popped out of the Labyrinth on the other side of the country, and, How can you walk from New York to California in a day? Also in the book, they know that if they stay in the Labyrinth long enough, they will eventually go crazy. That relates to the song because the lyrics talk about how he’s trying to keep together but then everything falls apart.

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Where I’m From By: Percy Jackson

I’m from the Empire State Building scraping against the sky And the even larger, Mount Olympus tearing a rupture through the heavens Hovering over us... Contemplating I am from the Ocean From the salty water to the aquatic wonderland dipping beneath the surface I’m from my mortal mother, Sally And Olympian father, Poseidon I’m from the camp of twelve cabins Where vast amounts of Half Bloods live to train From the tough Demi-Gods who are always acting rambunctious To the tranquil Tree Nymphs who stay hidden I am from Camp Half-Blood … home I am from accidently causing bad things at schools Battling my Demon math teacher…

Playing the dodge ball game of death with giants…

Fighting Vampire cheerleaders…

I am from throwing food into a fire pit so the gods can smell God’s relax, free from stress The love the smell of burning food so much, they will reward you Guidance, opinions, and wisdom they will give I am from the monsters around every corner Strategy, wisdom, and backup you will need An automatic arena is formed around you Your only way out is in I am from swords, bows, knives and shields CLINK. CLANK. I am from the kids with ADHD and dyslexia I function like a god ADHD lets me never get tired Dyslexia lets me read Ancient Greek I am the one who will decide which side dies in the end The Olympians or the Titans?

The Good or the Evil?

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Through Every Inch Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, all of those other Greek God’s too, they’re not real they say. The brutal, cunning, homicidal Monsters such as Kampè and Cerberus, all of those ancient tales … they’re all just myths they tell me. But am I really going to believe everything they say? Percy Jackson knew everything about Greek God’s, but he knew that they weren’t actually real. Until Greek monsters kept trying to kill him, and were fixated on lacerating him apart! Even after that he still never believed it was true, he thought his brain was playing tricks on him. He didn’t want to talk to other people about it because he was scared other people would think he was perturbed. But that’s exactly why this book should be part of the grade eight Language Arts curriculum. You might not want to tell other people about this book because people might say it’s infantile; just like how Percy didn’t want to tell others about the Greek monsters.

This cryptic themed book has a beginning that sucks you into the core of the book itself, you become so engaged in the book, you won’t want to stop reading. It has a wide variety of descriptive figurative language and imagery, but still has an easy plot to follow that has an extraordinary flux that engages you through every inch of this sublime story.

My first point of why this book should be part of the grade eight Language Arts curriculum states that the story

has a great commencement that draws you so much into the book, you forget about everything around you. It starts out with; “the last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school.” If that sentence doesn’t draw you in, keep reading; “staring up at the fancy stone archway, I wondered how long it would take me to get kicked out of this place.” This gives hints that this kid is either a troublemaker, or he’s always in the wrong place at the wrong time. “He’s managed to convince Goode High School to accept me for ninthgrade; despite the fact that I’ve gotten

kicked out of every school I’d ever attended.” Now in the back of your mind you know that something abysmal is going to happen right off the bat. I strongly believe that the beginning of the story is one of the most crucial parts of the book because it introduces the story in a lot of different ways. Some will be more exciting than others and draw you in faster; the beginning is kind of like a long hook statement that’s trying to pursue you to read more of this book.

Expanding off of my second point, this book has an extensive variety of de-

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scriptive, figurative language and imagery; because of this I believe that this book should be part of the grade eight Language Arts curriculum. I think this because the author shows an abundant amount of figurative language. Because the book is in first person perspective through a teenager, the author’s best choice for figurative language would be hyperboles. I think that because kids are noted to exaggerate in such a way that no one would ever regard it as being true.

“The heat was horrible. Geryon’s Ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this.” And, “Yeah, I know what they are, but…that was when my mom was little, like a million years ago.” Vast amounts of imagery are inscribed by the author of this book, because it is fiction themed, the author would unequivocally want to use a lot of imagery, I think that because in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy Jackson can communicate with horses, tread in the water and not get wet, hold his breath longer than any other human ever could, and much more. “Seafood! The other horses chimed in as they waded through the field.” By this, I conclude that the story uses a lot of imagery because as we all know, horses can’t talk.

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I strongly believe that this book should be part of the grade eight Language Arts curriculum because it doesn’t have a very perplexing plot to follow and has a great flow that engages you into every bit of the story.

I assure you of that because the foremost focus of the book is that Percy and his friends enter the Labyrinth, find the creator of the Labyrinth, Daedalus, and get out.

Having an enjoyable book for a grade eight that has a good flow and has an easy plot to follow from front to back is very rare in a sense because for one, not a lot of good books have an intriguing and simple plot. For two, very few grade eights become engaged in books. The Battle of the Labyrinth succeeds in both of those two points; all they have to do is navigate through the Labyrinth, “Well,” Grover said nervously, “goodbye sunshine.”

“Hello rocks,” Tyson agreed. And together, the four of us descended into the darkness.” Then quickly find the creator, “It is crucial that we find Daedalus before the Titan’s army.” And lastly, get out of the Labyrinth before its too late and will be stuck in there forever, “I ducked into a tunnel and saw light up ahead. By the time Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover caught up with me, I was staring at daylight streaming through a set

of bars above my head.” By this, I conclude that the story uses a lot of imagery because as we all know, horses can’t talk.

This stupefying book has a stupendous beginning that makes you become so engaged in the book, you won’t want to ever stop reading it, and you’ll be sad when you finished. This book has a tremendous amount of figurative language, imagery, an easy plot of follow, and a flow in the book that engages you through every bit of the story. The beginning of this book is great because it introduces the story to you in a fun and interesting way, The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school. Figurative language is a crucial part of a book because it captivates you in an entire different way than if it didn’t have any examples of descriptive, figurative language, “Yeah, I know what they are, but…that was when my mom was little, like a million years ago.” Imagery is a big part of a story because without it, you wouldn’t know what anyone looked like, sounded like, and so on. An easy plot to follow and a good flow in a book are good to have, especially in a book in the genre of fiction.

“It is crucial that we find Daedalus before the Titan’s army.” All of these reasons are why I strongly presume that The Battle of the Labyrinth should be part of the grade eight Language Arts curriculum.

“It’s a very good read for people that like history, and is suitable for most ages because it’s funny and interesting. And with all the ancient monsters and gods, in our modern day world it’s interesting to see what they act like and do every day. Not to mention the exciting battles and bumps along the way. A very good book.”

Writes Leone, 14, New Zealand

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i’m lovin’ it Rock ‘n’ Fries

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