Rick Riordan, dubbed 'storyteller of the gods' by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five New York Times number-one bestselling book series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson, the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase, based on Norse mythology. Rick lives in Boston with his wife, Becky, and their two sons, and when he's not writing, he enjoys traveling the world. He's even been known to go scuba diving on occasion. To learn more about Rick and his books, you can visit him at www.rickriordan.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @RickRiordan. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Prologue Never have I doubted my soundness of mind as often as I did on that first night, when the bird-woman and her wards came to save me from the madhouse. That’s where I was going, pinned between beefy uncles in the back seat of my parents’