Ch. 2 Percy was asleep in his bed. Tomorrow would be a big day, and he needed the rest. Suddenly, Nico had launched himself onto the bed. "Wake up, Bubba!" Nico exclaimed. Percy opened his eyes. "Hey, buddy," he said, reaching out and running his fingers through Nico's hair. "Mama's taking us to the zoo!" the little demon said happily. "Sounds awesome," Percy yawned. He got up and rubbed his eyes. Nico followed suit, stretching out like a cat. "Come on, buddy," Percy said, "I'll give you a piggyback ride." Nico jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah! Let's go!"
Ch.3 On the way to the zoo, Nico kept giggling and talking about the animals he wanted to see. "I wanna see the tigers and the birdies and the elephants," he said, "what do you wanna see, Bubba?" Percy thought for a moment. "Probably the bears and the snakes," he said. When they arrived, Nico said he was hungry. "Don't worry, sweetheart," Mom said, "there's plenty of food here." Nico smiled. "Okay, Mama. I want some popcorn." After getting Nico his popcorn, they stopped at the reptile house. "Check out that snake," Percy said, "it's huge." Nico's hands were pressed against the glass. "I think he's cute," he declared, "and I'm calling him Chompy." Mom smiled. "Chompy the snake," she said. "It sounds perfect." Nico crossed his arms, looking extremely pleased with himself. The family walked on to the giraffe enclosure. Mom paid a few dollars for the boys to feed the animals. Nico laughed when one of the giraffes licked his face. From there, they went to the flamingos, then the lions, then the polar bears. By then, Nico was so tired, Percy had to carry him to the tiger enclosure. "Wake up, buddy," Percy whispered. "Mmm..." Nico mumbled into his shoulder. "We're at the tigers," Percy said. Immediately, Nico's head jerked up. "Tigers!" he squealed happily, running and putting his face on the glass. One tiger cub came along and pawed at the spot Nico's hand was. "Hi, kitty!" he giggled. Eventually, it got late and they went home. Nico lay in bed, tossing his plush tiger into the air. The plush was from the gift shop. "Ready for bed, buddy?" Percy asked him. Nico nodded. Soon, the young demon fell asleep. Percy wrapped his arms around him and drifted off as well.
