The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly
weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and
Thalia on the way.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow
pounded the highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between
the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much.
Except for my mom. She talks more when she's nervous. By the time we finally got to
Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing
baby story there was to tell about me.
Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and
slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this
big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.
"No, thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to
my battles.
"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into
a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most levelheaded demigod
ever to hit eighth grade. She's sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting killed. She's right,
but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
"All right, dears," my mom said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"
"Mom—"
"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact
camp?"
"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."
She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car.
If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years
old, I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.
Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my coat like
ice daggers.
Once my mother's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
"She's pretty okay," I admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your
mom?"
As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with
the punk clothes she always wears—the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain
jewelry, the black eyeliner and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me now was a
perfect evil "ten."
"If that was any of your business, Percy—"
"We'd better get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."
Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that
made him send the distress call."
I stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," I guessed.
The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of
snow.
All I could say was, "Whoa."
The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays:
antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew Westover was a military
school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.
My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. I could
already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her
silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I knew we were thinking the same thing. A fight was
coming.
Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"
The doors slammed shut behind us.
"Oo-kay," I mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."
I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.
We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We hadn't gone
very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the
shadows to intercept us.
They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The
woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of
backward to me. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.
"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Um…" I realized I hadn't planned for this. I'd been so focused on getting to Grover and
finding out what was wrong, I hadn't considered that someone might question three kids
sneaking into the school at night. We hadn't talked at all in the car about how we would get
inside. I said, "Ma'am, we're just—"
"Ha!" the man snapped, which made me jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance!
You shall be eee-jected!"
He had an accent—French, maybe. He pronounced his J like in Jacques, He was tall,
with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare
up his nose, and his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.
I figured he was about to toss us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did
something very weird.
She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my
imagination, but I felt a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room. It washed
over all of us, making the banners rustle on the walls.
"Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm
Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didn't know what Thalia was
thinking. Now we'd probably get punished for lying and thrown into the snow. But the man
seemed to be hesitating.
He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"
Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher
named Got Chalk? He had to be kidding.
The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I… yes. I
believe I do, sir." She frowned at us. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away
from the gymnasium?"
Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You
made it! You—"
He stopped short when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh—"
"What is it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested
Grover. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."
Grover swallowed. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant, I'm so glad they
made… the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"
Dr. Thorn glared at us. I decided one of his eyes had to be fake. The brown one? The
blue one? He looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs.
Gottschalk said dreamily, "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not
to leave the gymnasium again!"
We didn't wait to be told twice. We left with a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and
a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.
Grover hustled us down the hall in the direction of the music.
I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked closely to Thalia and asked in a
low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"
"You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"
An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our head trainer at camp, but
he'd never shown me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?
Grover hurried us to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia,
I could read that much.
"That was close!" Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here!"
Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. I gave him a big high five.
It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted
a few more whiskers, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human—
a red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake
feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt that took me a few
seconds to read. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. I wasn't sure whether that was, like,
Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.
"So what's the emergency?" I asked.
Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."
"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"
Grover nodded.
Finding one half-blood was rare enough. This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on
emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade
through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. We were losing
campers. We needed all the new fighters we could find. The problem was, there just weren't
that many demigods out there.
"A brother and a sister," he said. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage,
but they're strong. We're running out of time, though. I need help."
"Monsters?"
One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the
last day of term. I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our
last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know
what to do!"
Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel upset by that. Used to be, Grover
looked to me for answers, but Thalia had seniority. Not just because her dad was Zeus. Thalia
had more experience than any of us with fending off monsters in the real world.
"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"
Grover nodded.
"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"
"Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal,
Dr. Thorn."
Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special
event and they get to be out of uniform. I guess it's because everything's so strict the rest of
the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.
There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them
in each others faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to
the walls. Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of
makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture
devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas,
shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his
hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face. Some of the older guys looked more like
me—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute
they might have to fight for their lives. Of course, in my case, it was true…
"There they are." Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the
bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angela"
The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was
obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their
hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister
seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed
something was wrong.
Annabeth said, "Do they… I mean, have you told them?"
Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once
they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."
He looked at me, and I nodded. I'd never really understood what half-bloods "smell"
like to monsters and satyrs, but I knew that your scent could get you killed. And the more
powerful a demigod you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch.
"So let's grab them and get out of here," I said.
I started forward, but Thalia put her hand on my shoulder. The vice principal, Dr.
Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo
siblings. He nodded coldly in our direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.
Judging from his expression, I guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with
the Mist after all. He suspected who we were. He was just waiting to see why we were here.
"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We
need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."
"How?"
"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act
natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."
"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.
Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the
Jesse McCartney?"
Grover looked hurt. "I did."
"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"
"Green who?"
"Never mind. Let's dance."
"But I can't dance!"
"You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."
Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.
Annabeth smiled.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."
Annabeth had grown taller than me since last summer, which I found kind of disturbing.
She used to wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she
wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off
her ski cap, and her long blond hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for
some reason.
"So…" I tried to think of something to say. Act natural, Thalia had told us. When you're
a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural? "Um, design any good
buildings lately?"
Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh
my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3-D design as an elective, and there's this
cool computer program…"
She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build
at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and I
tried to listen. I knew she wanted to be a super architect when she grew up—she loves math
and historical buildings and all that—but I hardly understood a word she was saying.
The truth was I was kind of disappointed to hear that she liked her new school so much.
It was the first time she'd gone to school in New York. I'd been hoping to see her more often.
It was a boarding school in Brooklyn, and she and Thalia were both attending, close enough
to Camp Half-Blood that Chiron could help if they got in any trouble. Because it was an allgirls
school, and I was going to MS-54 in Manhattan, I hardly ever saw them.
Yeah, uh, cool," I said. "So you're staying there the rest of the year, huh?"
Her face got dark. "Well, maybe, if I don't—"
"Hey!" Thalia called to us. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all
over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die. At least his feet
were fake. Unlike me, he had an excuse for being clumsy.
"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
I looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym.
"Well?" Annabeth said.
"Um, who should I ask?"
She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh. Oh, right."
So we went onto the dance floor, and I looked over to see how Thalia and Grover were
doing things. I put one hand on Annabeth's hip, and she clasped my other hand like she was
about to judo throw me.
"I'm not going to bite," she told me. "Honestly, Percy. Don't you guys have dances at
your school?"
I didn't answer. The truth was we did. But I'd never, like, actually danced at one. I was
usually one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.
We shuffled around for a few minutes. I tried to concentrate on little things, like the
crepe-paper streamers and the punch bowl—anything but the fact that Annabeth was taller
than me, and my hands were sweaty and probably gross, and I kept stepping on her toes.
"What were you saying earlier?" I asked. "Are you having trouble at school or
something?"
She pursed her lips. "It's not that. It's my dad."
"Uh-oh." I knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father. "I thought it was
getting better with you two. Is it your stepmom again?"
Annabeth sighed. "He decided to move. Just when I was getting settled in New York, he
took this stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In San Francisco!'
She said this the same way she might say Fields of Punishment or Hades's gym shorts.
"So he wants you to move out there with him?" I asked.
"To the other side of the country," she said miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San
Francisco. He should know that."
"What? Why not?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe she thought I was kidding. "You know. It's right
there!'
"Oh," I said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to sound stupid.
"So… you'll go back to living at camp or what?"
"It's more serious than that, Percy. I… I probably should tell you something."
Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."
"What?"
I followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no
longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.
"We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd
they dance off to? Come on!"
She ran through the crowd. I was about to follow when a mob of girls got in my way. I
maneuvered around them to avoid getting the ribbon-and-lipstick treatment, and by the time I
was free, Annabeth had disappeared. I turned a full circle, looking for her or Thalia and
Grover. Instead, I saw something that chilled my blood.
About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one
Bianca di Angelo had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards. Then I caught
a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering
the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.
I still couldn't see Annabeth, but I knew she'd be heading the other way, looking for
Thalia and Grover.
I almost ran after her, and then I thought, Wait.
I remembered what Thalia had said to me in the entry hall, looking at me all puzzled
when I asked about the finger-snap trick: Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet? I
thought about the way Grover had turned to her, expecting her to save the day.
Not that I resented Thalia. She was cool. It wasn't her fault her dad was Zeus and she
got all the attention… Still, I didn't need to run after her to solve every problem. Besides,
there wasn't time. The di Angelos were in danger. They might be long gone by the time I
found my friends. I knew monsters. I could handle this myself
I took Riptide out of my pocket and ran after Dr. Thorn.
The door led into a dark hallway. I heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful
grunt. I uncapped Riptide.
The pen grew in my hands until I held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with
a leather-bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.
I jogged down the corridor, but when I got to the other end, no one was there. I opened
a door and found myself back in the main entry hall. I was completely turned around. I didn't
see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids.
They stood frozen in horror, staring right at me.
I advanced slowly, lowering the tip of my sword. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."
They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear. What was wrong with them? Where
was Dr. Thorn? Maybe he'd sensed the presence of Riptide and retreated. Monsters hated
celestial bronze weapons.
"My name's Percy," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I'm going to take you out of
here, get you somewhere safe."
Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did I realize what her look
meant. She wasn't afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.
I whirled around and something went WHI1ISH! Pain exploded in my shoulder. A force
like a huge hand yanked me backward and slammed me to the wall.
I slashed with my sword but there was nothing to hit.
A cold laugh echoed through the hall.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson" Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the J in my last name. "I
know who you are."
I tried to free my shoulder. My coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of
spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of my shoulder
as it passed through my clothes, and the cut burned. I'd felt something like this before. Poison.
I forced myself to concentrate. I would not pass out.
A dark silhouette now moved toward us. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still
looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes
reflected the light of my sword.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."
I tried to swing my sword again, but he was just out of reach.
WHIIIISH! A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't
appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.
Next to me, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an
inch from her face.
"All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you
make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately
I can throw."
I didn't know what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.
Maybe I could defend myself if I could get my shield activated. All that it would take
was a touch of my wrist-watch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. I
needed help, and there was only one way I could think to get it.
I closed my eyes.
"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"
I opened my eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," I lied, trying to sound
miserable, which wasn't hard. "It burns."
"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"
Thorn herded us outside, and I tried to concentrate. I pictured Grover's face. I focused
on my feelings of fear and danger. Last summer, Grover had created an empathy link between
us. He'd sent me visions in my dreams to let me know when he was in trouble. As far as I
knew, we were still linked, but I'd never tried to contact Grover before. I didn't even know if it
would work while Grover was awake.
Hey, Grover! I thought. Thorn's kidnapping us! He's a poisonous spike-throwing
maniac! Help!
Thorn inarched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned
lamplights. My shoulder ached. The wind blowing through my ripped clothes was so cold that
I felt like a Percysicle.
"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."
"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"
"Silence, you insufferable girl!"
"Don't talk to my sister that way.'" Nico said. His voice quivered, but I was impressed
that he had the guts to say anything at all.
Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand
up on the back of my neck, but I forced myself to keep walking and pretend I was being a
good little captive. Meanwhile, I projected my thoughts like crazy—anything to get Grover's
attention: Grover! Apples! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some
heavily armed friends!
"Halt," Thorn said.
The woods had opened up. We'd reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, I sensed
the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. I could hear the waves churning and I could
smell the cold salty froth. But all I could see was mist and darkness.
Dr. Thorn pushed us toward the edge. I stumbled, and Bianca caught me.
"Thanks," I murmured.
"What is he?" she whispered. "How do we fight him?"
"I… I'm working on it."
"I'm scared," Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier
of some kind.
"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"
We turned.
Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At
first I thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and
said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."
There was a garbled reply, and I realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed
way too modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.
I glanced behind me, wondering how far the drop was.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump!There is the sea. Save
yourself."
"What did he call you?" Bianca muttered.
"I'll explain later," I said.
"You do have a plan, right?"
Grover! I thought desperately. Come to me!
Maybe I could get both the di Angelos to jump with me into the ocean. If we survived
the fall, I could use the water to protect us. I'd done things like that before. If my dad was in a
good mood, and listening, he might help. Maybe.
"I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading my
thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"
A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to me that it
nicked my ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more
flexible… almost like a tail.
"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would
already be dead."
"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're
wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I…" Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one
but each other."
"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer
soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."
"Luke," I said. "You work for Luke."
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when I said the name of my old enemy—a
former friend who'd tried to kill me several times. "You have no idea what is happening,
Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service
tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."
"The General?" I asked. Then I realized I'd said it with a French accent. "I mean…
who's the General?"
Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
I turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then I heard the
chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.
"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army!
Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."
"They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"
"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy.
And if you do not, well… there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous
mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."
"The Great what?" I asked. Anything to keep him talking while I tried to figure out a
plan.
"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most
powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will
cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall
have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of
Olympus!"
"Okay," Bianca whispered to me. "He's completely nuts."
"We have to jump off the cliff," I told her quietly. "Into the sea."
"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too."
I never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed
into me.
Looking back on it, Annabeth's move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she
plowed into the di Angelos and me, knocking us to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn
was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over our heads. This
gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield,
Aegis.
If you've never seen Thalia run into battle, you have never been truly frightened. She
uses a huge spear that expands from this collapsible Mace canister she carries in her pocket,
but that's not the scary part. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called
Aegis—a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the
bronze, and even though it won't turn you to stone, it's so horrible, most people will panic and
run at the sight of it.
Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"
I thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted
the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked
against Thalia's shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for Aegis, Thalia would've been sliced
like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind me, but I didn't dare look.
Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and this time I could see how
he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The
missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig
that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within
seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.
Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his
face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly
thorns in all directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth said, now visible. Her magical New York Yankees cap had
come off when she'd plowed into us.
"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to
saving throws!"
I didn't know what he was talking about, but I didn't have time to worry about it. The
manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, I
remembered my own shield. I hit my wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick
bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they
dented the metal. The beautiful shield, a gift from my brother, was badly damaged. I wasn't
sure it would even stop a second volley.
I heard a thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to me with a thud.
"Yield!" the monster roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second,
I thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of
light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs.
It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like
laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by mortals, but what was it doing here?
How could mortals be working with a monster? The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the
manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in
the other direction.
"No!" I ran out to help her. I parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. I
raised my shield over us, but I knew it wouldn't be enough.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."
We were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. We had no chance.
Then I heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.
The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow
and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.
"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"
His sentence was cut short when something shot past me like a streak of moonlight. A
glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.
He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the
woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It
almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but
my eyes must've been playing tricks on me. No one, not even Apollo's kids at camp, could
shoot with that much accuracy.
The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing
was heavy. I tried to swipe at him with my sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He
dodged my attack and slammed his tail into my shield, knocking me aside.
Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The
youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. They wore silvery ski parkas
and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with
determined expressions.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
Next to me, Thalia muttered, "Oh, wonderful."
I didn't have a chance to ask what she meant.
One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful
with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top
of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill,
my lady?"
I couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.
The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient
Laws."
"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger than me, maybe twelve or
thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like
the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made me catch my breath, but her expression was stern
and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature,
are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."
The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"
He lunged at Thalia and me, knowing we were weak and dazed.
"No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.
"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The
manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
"Fire!" Zoe ordered.
"No!" I screamed.
But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another
hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You
shall pay!"
And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped
over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.
"Annabeth!" I yelled.
I started to run after her, but our enemies weren't done with us. There was a snap-snapsnap
from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.
Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the
girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black
metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.
The Hunters advanced on us.
The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.
"Zoe Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."
Zoe scanned the rest of us. "Four half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
"Annabeth!" I yelled. "You have to let us save her!"
The auburn-haired girl turned toward me. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is
beyond help."
I tried to struggle to my feet, but a couple of the girls held me down.
"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.
"Let me go!" I demanded. "Who do you think you are?"
Zoe stepped forward as if to smack me.
"No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He
does not understand."
The young girl looked at me, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am
Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."
After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with
Annabeth, you'd think nothing else could shock me. But when this twelve-year-old girl told
me she was the goddess Artemis, I said something real intelligent like, "Um… okay."
That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and
started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so… you're so… Wow!"
"Get up, goat boy!" Thalia snapped. "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is
gone!"
"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."
Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at all of us in turn, like she was trying
to connect the dots. "Who… who are you people?"
Artemis's expression softened."It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who
are you!Who are your parents?"
Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.
Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for
our school, but…"
She faltered. I guess she could tell from our faces that we didn't believe her.
"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."
"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded
old-fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal.
The other was an Olympian."
"An Olympian… athlete?"
"No," Zoe said. "One of the gods."
"Cool!" said Nico.
"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"
Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have
lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for—"
"Nico, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic
game, okay? There are no gods!"
As anxious as I felt about Annabeth—all I wanted to do was search for her—I couldn't
help feeling sorry for the di Angelos. I remembered what it was like for me when I first
learned I was a demigod.
Thalia must've been feeling something similar, because the anger in her eyes subsided a
little bit. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're
immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… Our lives
are dangerous."
"Dangerous," Bianca said, "like the girl who fell."
Thalia turned away. Even Artemis looked pained.
"Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can
be found, I shall find her."
"Then why won't you let us go look for her?" I asked.
"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not
know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."
I still wanted to jump off the cliff and search for her, but I had a feeling that Artemis
was right. Annabeth was gone. If she'd been down there in the sea, I thought, I'd be able to
feel her presence.
"Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot
him with arrows! Is he dead?"
"He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters
never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they
reappear."
"Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.
Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains… Nico, you remember last summer, those
guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"
"And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was
real."
"That's why Grover has been watching you," I said. "To keep you safe, if you turned out
to be half-bloods."
"Grover?" Bianca stared at him. "You're a demigod?"
"Well, a satyr, actually." He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. I
thought Bianca was going to faint right there.
"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."
"Hey, my hooves are clean!"
"Bianca," I said, "we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr.
Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."
"Camp?" she asked.
"Camp Half-Blood," I said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can
join us, stay there year-round if you like."
"Sweet, let's go!" said Nico.
"Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"
"There is another option," Zoe said.
"No, there isn't!" Thalia said.
Thalia and Zoe glared at each other. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I
could tell there was bad history between them. For some reason, they seriously hated each
other.
"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced. "Zoe, we will rest here
for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the
school."
"Yes, my lady."
"And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."
"What about me?" Nico asked.
Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game
you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?"
Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "You bet! Come on, Nico!"
Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armor
ratings and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the
cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.
Zoe gave Thalia one more evil look, then left to oversee things.
As soon as she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. "The nerve of those
Hunters! They think they're so… Argh!"
"I'm with you," I said. "I don't trust—"
"Oh, you're with me?" Thalia turned on me furiously. "What were you thinking back
there in the gym, Percy? You'd take on Dr. Thorn all by yourself? You knew he was a
monster!"
"If we'd stuck together, we could've taken him without the Hunters getting involved.
Annabeth might still be here. Did you think of that?"
My jaw clenched. I thought of some harsh things to say, and I might've said them too,
but then I looked down and saw something navy blue lying in the snow at my feet. Annabeth's
New York Yankees baseball cap.
Thalia didn't say another word. She wiped a tear from her cheek, turned, and marched
off, leaving me alone with a trampled cap in the snow.
The Hunters set up their camping site in a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of
silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of a bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog
whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out of the woods. They began circling the camp
like guard dogs. The Hunters walked among them and fed them treats, completely unafraid,
but I decided I would stick close to the tents. Falcons watched us from the trees, their eyes
flashing in the firelight, and I got the feeling they were on guard duty, too. Even the weather
seemed to bend to the goddess's will. The air was still cold, but the wind died down and the
snow stopped falling, so it was almost pleasant sitting by the fire.
Almost… except for the pain in my shoulder and the guilt weighing me down. I couldn't
believe Annabeth was gone. And as angry as I was at Thalia, I had a sinking feeling that she
was right. It was my fault.
What had Annabeth wanted to tell me in the gym? Something serious, she'd said. Now I
might never find out. I thought about how we'd danced together for half a song, and my heart
felt even heavier.
I watched Thalia pacing in the snow at the edge of camp, walking among the wolves
without fear. She stopped and looked back at Westover Hall, which was now completely dark,
looming on the hillside beyond the woods. I wondered what she was thinking.
Seven years ago, Thalia had been turned into a pine tree by her father, to prevent her
from dying. She'd stood her ground against an army of monsters on top of Half-Blood Hill in
order to give her friends Luke and Annabeth time to escape. She'd only been back as a human
for a few months now, and once in a while she would stand so motionless you'd think she was
still a tree.
Finally, one of the Hunters brought me my backpack. Grover and Nico came back from
their walk, and Grover helped me fix up my wounded arm.
"It's green!" Nico said with delight.
"Hold still," Grover told me. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."
I winced as he dressed the wound, but the ambrosia square helped. It tasted like
homemade brownie, dissolving in my mouth and sending a warm feeling through my whole
body. Between that and the magic salve Grover used, my shoulder felt better within a couple
of minutes.
Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for
him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, I didn't know. Nico laid out a
bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. I recognized
Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.
"Big collection," I said.
Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for
a few really rare ones."
"You've been playing this game a long time?"
"Just this year. Before that…" He knit his eyebrows.
"What?" I asked.
"I forget. That's weird."
He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"
I showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by
uncapping it.
"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?"
"Um, well, I don't actually write with it."
"Are you really the son of Poseidon?"
"Well, yeah."
"Can you surf really well, then?"
I looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh.
"Jeez, Nico," I said. "I've never really tried."
He went on asking questions. Did I fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of
Zeus? (I didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom,
then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (I tried not to strangle Nico for
asking that one.) Was Annabeth my girlfriend? (At this point, I was ready to stick the kid in a
meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)
I figured any second he was going to ask me how many hit points I had, and I'd lose my
cool completely, but then Zoe Nightshade came up to us.
"Percy Jackson."
She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her
proud expression, she looked so much like royalty that I had to resist the urge to sit up straight
and say "Yes, ma'am." She studied me distastefully, like I was a bag of dirty laundry she'd
been sent to fetch.
"Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."
Zoe led me to the last tent, which looked no different from the others, and waved me
inside. Bianca di Angelo was seated next to the auburn-haired girl, who I still had trouble
thinking of as Artemis.
The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable. Silk rugs and pillows covered the
floor. In the center, a golden brazier of fire seemed to burn without fuel or smoke. Behind the
goddess, on a polished oak display stand, was her huge silver bow, carved to resemble gazelle
horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts: black bear, tiger, and several others I didn't
recognize. I figured an animal rights activist would've had a heart attack looking at all those
rare skins, but maybe since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, she could replenish
whatever she shot. I thought she had another animal pelt lying next to her, and then I realized
it was a live animal—a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting contentedly in
Artemis's lap.
"Join us, Percy Jackson," the goddess said.
I sat across from her on the tent floor. The goddess studied me, which made me
uncomfortable. She had such old eyes for a young girl.
"Are you surprised by my age?" she asked.
"Uh… a little."
"I could appear as a grown woman, or a blazing fire, or anything else I want, but this is
what I prefer. This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young maidens for whom I am
patron, before they go astray."
"Go astray?" I asked.
"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget
themselves."
"Oh."
Zoe sat down at Artemis's right. She glared at me as if all the stuff Artemis had just said
was my fault, like I'd invented the idea of being a guy.
"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very
rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact
with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp…" She looked at Zoe. "Which one was it?"
"That boy in Colorado," Zoe said. "You turned him into a jackalope."
"Ah, yes." Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes. At any rate, Percy,
I've asked you here so that you might tell me more of the manticore. Bianca has reported
some of the… mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood
them. I'd like to hear them from you."
And so I told her.
When I was done, Artemis put her hand thoughtfully on her silver bow. "I feared this
was the answer."
Zoe sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"
"Yes."
"What scent?" I asked.
"Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia," Artemis murmured. "Prey so
old I have nearly forgotten."
She stared at me intently. "We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not
the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."
"Um, 'I hate middle school dances.'"
"No, no. After that."
"He said somebody called the General was going to explain things to me."
Zoe's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised
her hand.
"Go on, Percy," the goddess said.
"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot—"
"Stirring," Bianca corrected.
"Yeah. And he said, 'Soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one
that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus.'"
The goddess was so still she could've been a statue.
"Maybe he was lying," I said.
Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been too slow to see the signs. I must
hunt this monster."
Zoe looked like she was trying very hard not to be afraid, but she nodded. "We will
leave right away, my lady."
"No, Zoe. I must do this alone."
"But, Artemis—"
"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my
search. You cannot go there with me."
"As… as you wish, my lady."
I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by
winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how
much danger we are in."
"You know what the monster is?" I asked.
Artemis gripped her bow. "Let us pray I am wrong."
"Can goddesses pray?" I asked, because I'd never really thought about that.
A flicker of a smile played across Artemis's lips. "Before I go, Percy Jackson, I have a
small task for you."
"Does it involve getting turned into a jackalope?"
"Sadly, no. I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay
there in safety until I return."
"What?" Zoe' blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed
there—"
"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because
of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need.
Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."
Zoe muttered something about foolish campers.
"And now there is one last decision to make." Artemis turned to Bianca. "Have you
made up your mind, my girl?"
Bianca hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."
"Wait," I said. "Thinking about what?"
"They… they've invited me to join the Hunt."
"What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you.
It's the only way you can learn to survive."
"It is not the only way for a girl," Zoe said.
I couldn't believe I was hearing this. "Bianca, camp is cool! It's got a pegasus stable and
a sword-fighting arena and… I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"
"To begin with," Zoe said, "immortality."
I stared at her, then at Artemis. "She's kidding, right?"
"Zoe rarely kids about anything," Artemis said. "My Hunters follow me on my
adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear
loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or
break their oath."
"What oath?" I said.
"To foreswear romantic love forever," Artemis said. "To never grow up, never get
married. To be a maiden eternally."
"Like you?"
The goddess nodded.
I tried to imagine what she was saying. Being immortal. Hanging out with only middleschool
girls forever. I couldn't get my mind around it. "So you just go around the country
recruiting half-bloods—"
"Not just half-bloods," Zoe interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth.
All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"
"Which are you, then?"
Anger flashed in Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join
if she wishes. It is her choice."
"Bianca, this is crazy," I said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter."
"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys
can do."
"Hey!" I protested.
"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured Bianca. "But you will be free of
responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new
family. Us."
"A new family," Bianca repeated dreamily. "Free of responsibility."
"Bianca, you can't do this," I said. "It's nuts."
She looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?"
Zoe nodded. "It is."
"What do I have to do?"
"Say this," Zoe told her, " 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"
"I… I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."
"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the
Hunt.'"
Bianca repeated the lines. "That's it?"
Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."
"I accept it," Artemis said.
The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca looked
no different, but she took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. "I feel… stronger."
"Welcome, sister," Zoe said.
"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."
I couldn't speak. I felt like a trespasser. And a complete failure. I couldn't believe I'd
come all this way and suffered so much only to lose Bianca to some eternal girls' club.
"Do not despair, Percy Jackson," Artemis said. "You will still get to show the di
Angelos your camp. And if Nico so chooses, he can stay there."
"Great," I said, trying not to sound surly. "How are we supposed to get there?"
Artemis closed her eyes. "Dawn is approaching. Zoe, break camp. You must get to
Long Island quickly and safely. I shall summon a ride from my brother."
Zoe didn't look real happy about this idea, but she nodded and told Bianca to follow her.
As she was leaving, Bianca paused in front of me. "I'm sorry, Percy. But I want this. I really,
really do."
Then she was gone, and I was left alone with the twelve-year-old goddess.
"So," I said glumly. "We're going to get a ride from your brother, huh?"
Artemis's silver eyes gleamed. "Yes, boy. You see, Bianca di Angelo is not the only one
with an annoying brother. It's time for you to meet my irresponsible twin, Apollo."
Artemis assured us that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled me. It was colder
and darker and snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely
lightless. I wondered if the teachers had even noticed the di Angelos and Dr. Thorn were
missing yet. I didn't want to be around when they did. With my luck, the only name Mrs.
Gottschalk would remember was "Percy Jackson," and then I'd be the subject of a nationwide
manhunt… again.
The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. I stood shivering in the snow
(unlike the Hunters, who didn't seem to feel at all uncomfortable), and Artemis stared into the
east like she was expecting something. Bianca sat off to one side, talking with Nico. I could
tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the Hunt. I couldn't help
thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her brother like that.
Thalia and Grover came up and huddled around me, anxious to hear what had happened
in my audience with the goddess.
When I told them, Grover turned pale. "The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn't
go well."
"How'd they even show up here?" I wondered. "I mean, they just appeared out of
nowhere."
"And Bianca joined them," Thalia said, disgusted. "It's all Zoe's fault. That stuck-up, no
good—"
"Who can blame her?" Grover said. "Eternity with Artemis?" He heaved a big sigh.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "You satyrs. You're all in love with Artemis. Don't you get that
she'll never love you back?"
"But she's so… into nature," Grover swooned.
"You're nuts," said Thalia.
"Nuts and berries," Grover said dreamily. "Yeah."
Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during
the winter."
"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" I asked.
"For my brother. Yes."
I didn't want to be rude. I mean, I knew the legends about Apollo—or sometimes
Helios—driving a big sun chariot across the sky. But I also knew that the sun was really a star
about a zillion miles away. I'd gotten used to some of the Greek myths being true, but still… I
didn't see how Apollo could drive the sun.
"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said, like she was reading my mind.
"Oh, okay." I started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"
There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.
"Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."
Parks?
I averted my eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and
warmth intensified until my winter coat felt like it was melting off of me. Then suddenly the
light died.
I looked. And I couldn't believe it. It was my car. Well, the car I wanted, anyway. A red
convertible Maserati Spyder. It was so awesome it glowed. Then I realized it was glowing
because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle,
which explained why I was now standing on green grass and my shoes were wet.
The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, and for a second, I
had the uneasy feeling it was Luke, my old enemy. This guy had the same sandy hair and
outdoorsy good looks. But it wasn't Luke. This guy was taller, with no scar on his face like
Luke's. His smile was brighter and more playful. (Luke didn't do much more than scowl and
sneer these days.) The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.
"Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot."
"He's the sun god," I said.
"That's not what I meant."
"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded us without
the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on
archery?"
Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to
take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming
on."
The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before.
He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
He grinned at us, waiting for applause.
"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.
Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"
"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself.
Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase
ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear
one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta—"
"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed,
looking very pleased with himself.
"And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about
ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's
campers."
"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see… Thalia, right? I've heard all about
you."
Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're
back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"
"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."
"Oh, right." Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. I mean… yes, sir."
It seemed weird calling a teenager "sir," but I'd learned to be careful with immortals.
They tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up.
Apollo studied me, but he didn't say anything, which I found a little creepy.
"Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And
if you miss it, you miss it."
I looked at the Maserati, which would seat two people max. There were about twenty of
us.
"Cool car," Nico said.
"Thanks, kid," Apollo said.
"But how will we all fit?"
"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to
change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose…"
He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. Chirp, chirp.
For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had
been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like we used for school basketball
games.
"Right," he said. "Everybody in."
Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo
said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."
Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously.
"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or
flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."
Apollo spread his hands. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"
"Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."
"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."
Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"
"No, no! I never mess around."
Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you
are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."
Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady."
Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she
looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."
She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.
Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who
wants to drive?"
The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away
as possible from Apollo and the rest of us highly infectious males, Bianca sat with them,
leaving her little brother to hang in the front with us, which seemed cold to me, but Nico
didn't seem to mind.
"This is so cool!" Nico said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the
sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's
them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"
"Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those
temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job
descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I
got this cool car."
"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because
Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're
talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You
want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've
got a lot riding on the sun… er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers
engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams
about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from
east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the
sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
Nico shook his head. "No."
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no," Apollo said. "Too furry." He looked past me and focused on Thalia.
"Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."
"C'mon," Apollo said. "How old are you?"
Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."
It was sad, but true. She'd been turned into a tree when she was twelve, but that had
been seven years ago. So she should be nineteen, if you went by years. But she still felt like
she was twelve, and if you looked at her, she seemed somewhere in between. The best Chiron
could figure, she had kept aging while in tree form, but much more slowly.
Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."
"How do you know that?"
"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."
"That's my birthday! December twenty-second."
"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"
Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"
"I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like
driving the sun chariot."
"That's not what I was going to say."
"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what
happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of
the sky."
Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest of us didn't join him.
Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer.
He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. I had
to read it backward (which, for a dyslexic, really isn't that different than reading forward). I
was pretty sure it said WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.
"Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"
I'll admit I was jealous. I couldn't wait to start driving. A couple of times that fall, my
mom had taken me out to Montauk when the beach road was empty, and she'd let me try out
her Mazda. I mean, yeah, that was a Japanese compact, and this was the sun chariot, but how
different could it be?
"Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good
altitude before you really open her up."
Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was
going to be sick.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"Nothing," she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."
She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast I fell back
and crashed against something soft.
"Ow" Grover said.
"Sorry."
"Slower!" Apollo said.
"Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"
I managed to get to my feet. Looking out the window, I saw a smoking ring of trees
from the clearing where we'd taken off.
"Thalia," I said, "lighten up on the accelerator."
"I've got it, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.
"Loosen up," I told her.
"I'm loose!"Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.
"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."
Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw me into Grover, who yelped.
"The other left," Apollo suggested.
I made the mistake of looking out the window again. We were at airplane height now—
so high the sky was starting to look black.
"Ah…" Apollo said, and I got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A
little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."
Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat.
Something was definitely wrong. I'd never seen her like this.
The bus pitched down and somebody screamed. Maybe it was me. Now we were
heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England
coastline off to our right. And it was getting hot in the bus.
Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up
the rows of seats.
"Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.
"No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—
WHOA!"
I saw what he was seeing. Down below us was a little snow-covered New England
town. At least, it used to be snow-covered. As I watched, the snow melted off the trees and
the roofs and the lawns. The white steeple on a church turned brown and started to smolder.
Little plumes of smoke, like birthday candles, were popping up all over the town. Trees and
rooftops were catching fire.
"Pull up!" I yelled.
There was a wild light in Thalia's eyes. She yanked back on the wheel, and I held on
this time. As we zoomed up, I could see through the back window that the fires in the town
were being snuffed out by the sudden blast of cold.
"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is
only an expression."
Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. There was Camp
Half-Blood: the valley, the woods, the beach. I could see the dining pavilion and cabins and
the amphitheater.
"I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."
We were only a few hundred yards away now.
"Brake," Apollo said.
"I can do this."
"BRAKE!"
Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-fivedegree
angle, slamming into the Camp Half-Blood canoe lake with a huge FLOOOOOOSH!
Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling out of the water with halfwoven
wicker baskets.
The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.
"Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything
under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"
I'd never seen Camp Half-Blood in winter before, and the snow surprised me.
See, the camp has the ultimate magic climate control. Nothing gets inside the borders
unless the director, Mr. D, wants it to. I thought it would be warm and sunny, but instead the
snow had been allowed to fall lightly. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry
fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they
seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire
flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt, imprisoned in an old
mummified body. I wondered if the spirit of Delphi was roasting marshmallows up there or
something.
"Whoa," Nico said as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Why is there lava pouring down it?"
"Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, have you met—"
"I know Chiron," Zoe said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow
me."
"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.
"We know the way."
"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't"—he tripped over a
canoe and came up still talking—"like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"
Zoe rolled her eyes, but I guess she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The
Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins. As Bianca di
Angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brothers ear. She looked
at him for an answer, but Nico just scowled and turned away.
"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He winked at me. "Watch out
for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon."
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be
good!"
He gave her a wicked smile, as if he knew something she didn't. Then he closed the
doors and revved the engine. I turned aside as the sun chariot took off in a blast of heat. When
I looked back, the lake was steaming. A red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter
and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.
Nico was still looking grumpy. I wondered what his sister had told him.
"Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."
"Our activities director," I said. "He's… well, you'll see.
"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's
go."
The second thing that surprised me about camp was how empty it was. I mean, I knew
most half-bloods only trained during the summer. Just the year-rounders would be here—the
ones who didn't have homes to go to, or would get attacked by monsters too much if they left.
But there didn't even seem to be many of them, either.
I spotted Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin stoking the forge outside the
camp armory. The Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor, from the Hermes cabin, were picking
the lock on the camp store. A few kids from the Ares cabin were having a snowball fight with
the wood nymphs at the edge of the forest. That was about it. Even my old rival from the Ares
cabin, Clarisse, didn't seem to be around.
The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the
porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air
smelled like hot chocolate. Mr. D, the camp director, and Chiron were playing a quiet game of
cards in the parlor.
Chiron's brown beard was shaggier for the winter. His curly hair had grown a little
longer. He wasn't posing as a teacher this year, so I guess he could afford to be casual. He
wore a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that almost
hid his wheelchair completely.
He smiled when he saw us. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be—"
"Nico di Angelo," I said. "He and his sister are half-bloods."
Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."
"Well…"
His smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"
"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."
I'd been trying not to pay attention to Mr. D, but he was kind of hard to ignore in his
neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and his purple running shoes. (Like Mr. D had ever
run a day in his immortal life.) A golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly black
hair, which must've meant he'd won the last hand of cards.
"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"
Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red
lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"
Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He glanced at
Nico. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our
orientation film."
"But… Oh, right. Yes, sir."
"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"
"It's PG-13," Grover said.
"Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room.
"Now," Chiron said to Thalia and me, "perhaps you two should sit down and tell us the
whole story."
When we were done, Chiron turned to Mr. D. "We should launch a search for Annabeth
immediately."
"I'll go," Thalia and I said at the same time.
Mr. D sniffed. "Certainly not!"
Thalia and I both started complaining, but Mr. D held up his hand. He had that purplish
angry fire in his eyes that usually meant something bad and godly was going to happen if we
didn't shut up.
"From what you have told me," Mr. D said, "we have broken even on this escapade. We
have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell—"
"Annabeth," I snapped. She'd gone to camp since she was seven, and still Mr. D
pretended not to know her name.
"Yes, yes," he said. "And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no
point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this
Annie girl is dead."
I wanted to strangle Mr. D. It wasn't fair Zeus had sent him here to dry out as camp
director for a hundred years. It was meant to be a punishment for Mr. D's bad behavior on
Olympus, but it ended up being a punishment for all of us.
"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron said, but I could tell he was having trouble sounding
upbeat. He'd practically raised Annabeth all those years she was a year-round camper, before
she'd given living with her dad and stepmom a second try. "She's very bright. If… if our
enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."
"That's right," Thalia said. "Luke would want her alive."
"In which case" said Mr. D, "I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on
her own."
I got up from the table.
"Percy." Chiron's tone was full of warning. In the back of my mind, I knew Mr. D was
not somebody to mess with. Even if you were an impulsive ADHD kid like me, he wouldn't
give you any slack. But I was so angry I didn't care.
"You're glad to lose another camper," I said. "You'd like it if we all disappeared!"
Mr. D stifled a yawn. "You have a point?"
"Yeah," I growled. "Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you
have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!"
For a second, there was no sound except the crackle of the fire. The light reflected in
Mr. D's eyes, giving him a sinister look. He opened his mouth to say something—probably a
curse that would blast me to smithereens—when Nico burst into the room, followed by
Grover.
"SO COOL!" Nico yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're… you're a centaur!"
Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer
to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."
"And, whoa!" He looked at Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"
Mr. D turned his eyes away from me and gave Nico a look of loathing. "The wine
dude?"
"Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."
"My figurine."
"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got
like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think
your powers are sweet!"
"Ah." Mr. D seemed truly perplexed, which probably saved my life. "Well, that's…
gratifying."
"Percy," Chiron said quickly, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the
campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" I asked. "But we don't have enough—"
"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."
"Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."
Chiron jerked his head toward Mr. D, who was still frowning as Nico talked about how
many defense points all the gods had in his game. "Run along now," Chiron told us.
"Oh, right," Thalia said. "Come on, Percy."
She hauled me out of the Big House before Dionysus could remember that he wanted to
kill me.
"You've already got Ares on your bad side," Thalia reminded me as we trudged toward
the cabins. "You need another immortal enemy?"
She was right. My first summer as a camper, I'd gotten in a fight with Ares, and now he
and all his children wanted to kill me. I didn't need to make Dionysus mad, too.
"Sorry," I said. "I couldn't help it. It's just so unfair."
She stopped by the armory and looked out across the valley, toward the top of Half-
Blood Hill. Her pine tree was still there, the Golden Fleece glittering in its lowest branch. The
tree's magic still protected the borders of camp, but it no longer used Thalia's spirit for power.
"Percy, everything is unfair," Thalia muttered. "Sometimes I wish…"
She didn't finish, but her tone was so sad I felt sorry for her. With her ragged black hair
and her black punk clothes, an old wool overcoat wrapped around her, she looked like some
kind of huge raven, completely out of place in the white landscape.
"We'll get Annabeth back," I promised. "I just don't know how yet."
"First I found out that Luke is lost," she said. "Now Annabeth—"
"Don't think like that."
"You're right." She straightened up. "We'll find a way."
Over at the basketball court, a few of the Hunters were shooting hoops. One of them
was arguing with a guy from the Ares cabin. The Ares kid had his hand on his sword and the
Hunter girl looked like she was going to exchange her basketball for a bow and arrow any
second.
"I'll break that up," Thalia said. "You circulate around the cabins. Tell everybody about
capture the flag tomorrow."
"All right. You should be team captain."
"No, no," she said. "You've been at camp longer. You do it."
"We can, uh… co-captain or something."
She looked about as comfortable with that as I felt, but she nodded.
As she headed for the court, I said, "Hey, Thalia."
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about what happened at Westover. I should've waited for you guys."
'"S okay, Percy. I probably would've done the same thing." She shifted from foot to
foot, like she was trying to decide whether or not to say more. "You know, you asked about
my mom and I kinda snapped at you. It's just… I went back to find her after seven years, and I
found out she died in Los Angeles. She, um… she was a heavy drinker, and apparently she
was out driving late one night about two years ago, and…" Thalia blinked hard.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well. It's… it's not like we were ever close. I ran away when I was ten. Best two
years of my life were when I was running around with Luke and Annabeth. But still—"
"That's why you had trouble with the sun van."
She gave me a wary look. "What do you mean?"
"The way you stiffened up. You must've been thinking about your mom, not wanting to
get behind the wheel."
I was sorry I'd said anything. Thalia's expression was dangerously close to Zeus's, the
one time I'd seen him get angry—like any minute, her eyes would shoot a million volts.
"Yeah," she muttered. "Yeah, that must've been it."
She trudged off toward the court, where the Ares camper and the Hunter were trying to
kill each other with a sword and a basketball.
The cabins were the weirdest collection of buildings you've ever seen. Zeus and Hera's
big white-columned buildings, Cabins One and Two, stood in the middle, with five gods'
cabins on the left and five goddesses' cabins on the right, so they all made a U around the
central green and the barbecue hearth.
I made the rounds, telling everybody about capture the flag. I woke up some Ares kid
from his midday nap and he yelled at me to go away. When I asked him where Clarisse was
he said, "Went on a quest for Chiron. Top secret!"
"Is she okay?"
"Haven't heard from her in a month. She's missing in action. Like your butt's gonna be if
you don't get outta here!"
I decided to let him go back to sleep.
Finally I got to Cabin Three, the cabin of Poseidon. It was a low gray building hewn
from sea stone, with shells and coral fossils imprinted in the rock. Inside, it was just as empty
as always, except for my bunk. A Minotaur horn hung on the wall next to my pillow.
I took Annabeth's baseball cap out of my backpack and set it on my nightstand. I'd give
it to her when I found her. And I would find her.
I took off my wristwatch and activated the shield. It creaked noisily as it spiraled out.
Dr. Thorn's spikes had dented the brass in a dozen places. One gash kept the shield from
opening all the way, so it looked like a pizza with two slices missing. The beautiful metal
pictures that my brother had crafted were all banged up. In the picture of me and Annabeth
fighting the Hydra, it looked like a meteor had made a crater in my head. I hung the shield on
its hook, next to the Minotaur horn, but it was painful to look at now. Maybe Beckendorf
from the Hephaestus cabin could fix it for me. He was the best armorsmith in the camp. I'd
ask him at dinner.
I was staring at the shield when I noticed a strange sound—water gurgling—and I
realized there was something new in the room. At the back of the cabin was a big basin of
gray sea rock, with a spout like the head of a fish carved in stone. Out of its mouth burst a
stream of water, a saltwater spring that trickled into the pool. The water must've been hot,
because it sent mist into the cold winter air like a sauna. It made the room feel warm and
summery, fresh with the smell of the sea.
I stepped up to the pool. There was no note attached or anything, but I knew it could
only be a gift from Poseidon.
I looked into the water and said, "Thanks, Dad."
The surface rippled. At the bottom of the pool, coins shimmered—a dozen or so golden
drachma. I realized what the fountain was for. It was a reminder to keep in touch with my
family.
I opened the nearest window, and the wintry sunlight made a rainbow in the mist. Then
I fished a coin out of the hot water.
"Iris, O Goddess of the Rainbow," I said, "accept my offering."
I tossed a coin into the mist and it disappeared. Then I realized I didn't know who to
contact first.
My mom? That would've been the "good son" thing to do, but she wouldn't be worried
about me yet. She was used to me disappearing for days or weeks at a time.
My father? It had been way too long, almost two years, since I'd actually talked to him.
But could you even send an Iris-message to a god? I'd never tried. Would it make them mad,
like a sales call or something?
I hesitated. Then I made up my mind.
"Show me Tyson," I requested. "At the forges of the Cyclopes."
The mist shimmered, and the image of my half brother appeared. He was surrounded in
fire, which would've been a problem if he weren't a Cyclops. He was bent over an anvil,
hammering a red-hot sword blade. Sparks flew and flames swirled around his body. There
was a marble-framed window behind him, and it looked out onto dark blue water—the bottom
of the ocean.
"Tyson!" I yelled.
He didn't hear me at first because of the hammering and the roar of the flames.
"TYSON!"
He turned, and his one enormous eye widened. His face broke into a crooked yellow
grin. "Percy!"
He dropped the sword blade and ran at me, trying to give me a hug. The vision blurred
and I instinctively lurched back. "Tyson, it's an Iris-message. I'm not really here."
"Oh." He came back into view, looking embarrassed. "Oh, I knew that. Yes."
"How are you?" I asked. "How's the job?"
His eye lit up. "Love the job! Look!" He picked up the hot sword blade with his bare
hands. "I made this!"
"That's really cool."
"I wrote my name on it. Right there."
"Awesome. Listen, do you talk to Dad much?"
Tyson's smile faded. "Not much. Daddy is busy. He is worried about the war."
"What do you mean?"
Tyson sighed. He stuck the sword blade out the window, where it made a cloud of
boiling bubbles. When Tyson brought it back in, the metal was cool. "Old sea spirits making
trouble. Aigaios. Oceanus. Those guys."
I sort of knew what he was talking about. He meant the immortals who ruled the oceans
back in the days of the Titans. Before the Olympians took over. The fact that they were back
now, with the Titan Lord Kronos and his allies gaining strength, was not good.
"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.
Tyson shook his head sadly. "We are arming the mermaids. They need a thousand more
swords by tomorrow." He looked at his sword blade and sighed. "Old spirits are protecting the
bad boat."
"The Princess Andromeda?" I said. "Luke's boat?"
"Yes. They make it hard to find. Protect it from Daddy's storms. Otherwise he would
smash it."
"Smashing it would be good."
Tyson perked up, as if he'd just had another thought. "Annabeth! Is she there?"
"Oh, well…" My heart felt like a bowling ball. Tyson thought Annabeth was just about
the coolest thing since peanut butter (and he seriously loved peanut butter). I didn't have the
heart to tell him she was missing. He'd start crying so bad he'd probably put out his fires.
"Well, no… she's not here right now."
"Tell her hello!" He beamed. "Hello to Annabeth!"
"Okay." I fought back a lump in my throat. "I'll do that."
"And, Percy, don't worry about the bad boat. It is going away."
"What do you mean?"
"Panama Canal! Very far away."
I frowned. Why would Luke take his demon-infested cruise ship all the way down
there? The last time we'd seen him, he'd been cruising along the East Coast, recruiting halfbloods
and training his monstrous army.
"All right," I said, not feeling reassured. "That's… good. I guess."
In the forges, a deep voice bellowed something I couldn't make out. Tyson flinched.
"Got to get back to work! Boss will get mad. Good luck, Brother!"
"Okay, tell Dad—"
But before I could finish, the vision shimmered and faded. I was alone again in my
cabin, feeling even lonelier than before.
I was pretty miserable at dinner that night.
I mean, the food was excellent as usual. You can't go wrong with barbecue, pizza, and
never-empty soda goblets. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, but we
all had to sit with our cabin mates, which meant I was alone at the Poseidon table. Thalia sat
alone at the Zeus table, but we couldn't sit together. Camp rules. At least the Hephaestus,
Ares, and Hermes cabins had a few people each. Nico sat with the Stoll brothers, since new
campers always got stuck in the Hermes cabin if their Olympian parent was unknown. The
Stoll brothers seemed to be trying to convince Nico that poker was a much better game than
Mythomagic. I hoped Nico didn't have any money to lose.
The only table that really seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table. The
Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family. Zoe sat at the head like she was
the mama. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her
silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair. I thought she looked a lot nicer
when she smiled. Bianca di Angelo seemed to be having a great time. She was trying to learn
how to arm wrestle from the big girl who'd picked a fight with the Ares kid on the basketball
court. The bigger girl was beating her every time, but Bianca didn't seem to mind.
When we'd finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally
welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced
the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.
Afterward, we all trailed back to our cabins for an early, winter lights out. I was
exhausted, which meant I fell asleep easily. That was the good part. The bad part was, I had a
nightmare, and even by my standards it was a whopper.
Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. It almost seemed like the
Underworld, because I immediately felt claustrophobic and I couldn't see the sky above—just
a close, heavy darkness, as if I were in a cave.
Annabeth struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were
scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to rums.
"Thorn!" Annabeth cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?" She
scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill.
She gasped.
There was Luke. And he was in pain.
He was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be
thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was
scratched and drenched with sweat,
"Annabeth!" he called. "Help me! Please!"
She ran forward.
I tried to cry out: He's a traitor! Don't trust him!
But my voice didn't work in the dream.
Annabeth had tears in her eyes. She reached down like she wanted to touch Luke's face,
but at the last second she hesitated.
"What happened?" she asked.
"They left me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."
I couldn't see what was wrong with him. He seemed to be struggling against some
invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.
"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.
"You shouldn't," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, I'll die."
Let him die, I wanted to scream. Luke had tried to kill us in cold blood too many times.
He didn't deserve anything from Annabeth.
Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake.
Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the
whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow—tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her
and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to do
that.
Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks," he managed.
"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.
Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily.
"I knew I could count on you." He began to walk away as the trembling blackness
threatened to crush Annabeth.
"HELP ME!" she pleaded,
"Oh, don't worry," Luke said. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the
meantime, try not to die."
The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.
I sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets. There was no sound in my cabin except
the gurgle of the saltwater spring. The clock on my nightstand read just after midnight.
Only a dream, but I was sure of two things: Annabeth was in terrible danger. And Luke
was responsible.
The next morning after breakfast, I told Grover about my dream. We sat in the meadow
watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to
kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the
satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr
would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.
When I told Grover my nightmare, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.
"A cave ceiling collapsed on her?" he asked.
"Yeah. What the heck does that mean?"
Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoe dreamed—"
"Whoa. What do you mean? Zoe had a dream like that?"
"I… I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and
demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."
"Wait, how do you know this?"
Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."
"What for?"
"Just to be, you know, near them."
"You're a stalker with hooves."
"I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the
whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous
scene.
I tried to imagine that. Argus was the head of security for camp—a big blond dude with
eyes all over his body. He rarely showed himself unless something serious was going on. I
wouldn't want to place bets on a fight between him and Zoe Nightshade.
"What did she say?" I asked.
Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so
it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing
the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout… I think that's a bad thing. And
then he called her—"
"Whoa, wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?"
"I… well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and—"
"He wears curlers in his tail?"
Grover covered his mouth.
"Sorry," I said. "Go on."
"Well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He
reminded Zoe that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from
Artemis. And she said…" Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis if
Artemis is lost?'"
"What do you mean lost? Like she needs directions?"
"No. I think she meant gone. Taken. Kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" I tried to get my mind around that idea. "How would you kidnap an
immortal goddess? Is that even possible?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, it happened to Persephone."
"But she was like, the goddess of flowers."
Grover looked offended. "Springtime."
"Whatever. Artemis is a lot more powerful than that. Who could kidnap her? And
why?"
Grover shook his head miserably. "I don't know. Kronos?"
"He can't be that powerful already. Can he?"
The last time we'd seen Kronos, he'd been in tiny pieces. Well… we hadn't actually seen
him. Thousands of years ago, after the big Titan—God war, the gods had sliced him to bits
with his own scythe and scattered his remains in Tartarus, which is like the gods' bottomless
recycling bin for their enemies. Two summers ago, Kronos had tricked us to the very edge of
the pit and almost pulled us in. Then last summer, on board Luke's demon cruise ship, we'd
seen a golden coffin, where Luke claimed he was summoning the Titan Lord out of the abyss,
bit by bit, every time someone new joined their cause. Kronos could influence people with
dreams and trick them, but I didn't see how he could physically overcome Artemis if he was
still like a pile of evil bark mulch.
"I don't know," Grover said. "I think somebody would know if Kronos had re-formed.
The gods would be more nervous. But still, it's weird, you having a nightmare the same night
as Zoe. It's almost like—"
"They're connected," I said.
Over in the frozen meadow, a satyr skidded on his hooves as he chased after a
redheaded tree nymph. She giggled and held out her arms as he ran toward her. Pop! She
turned into a Scotch pine and he kissed the trunk at top speed,
"Ah, love," Grover said dreamily.
I thought about Zoe's nightmare, which she'd had only a few hours after mine.
"I've got to talk to Zoe," I said.
"Um, before you do…" Grover took something out of his coat pocket. It was a threefold
display like a travel brochure. "You remember what you said—about how it was weird
the Hunters just happened to show up at Westover Hall? I think they might've been scouting
us."
"Scouting us? What do you mean?"
He gave me the brochure. It was about the Hunters of Artemis. The front read, A WISE
CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! Inside were pictures of young maidens doing hunter stuff,
chasing monsters, shooting bows. There were captions like: HEALTH BENEFITS:
IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW!
"I found that in Annabeth's backpack," Grover said.
I stared at him. "I don't understand."
"Well, it seems to me… maybe Annabeth was thinking about joining."
I'd like to say I took the news well.
The truth was, I wanted to strangle the Hunters of Artemis one eternal maiden at a time.
The rest of the day I tried to keep busy, but I was worried sick about Annabeth. I went to
javelin-throwing class, but the Ares camper in charge chewed me out after I got distracted and
threw the javelin at the target before he got out of the way. I apologized for the hole in his
pants, but he still sent me packing.
I visited the pegasus stables, but Silena Beauregard from the Aphrodite cabin was
having an argument with one of the Hunters, and I decided I'd better not get involved.
After that, I sat in the empty chariot stands and sulked. Down at the archery fields,
Chiron was conducting target practice. I knew he'd be the best person to talk to. Maybe he
could give me some advice, but something held me back. I had a feeling Chiron would try to
protect me, like he always did. He might not tell me everything he knew.
I looked the other direction. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Mr. D and Argus were
feeding the baby dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece.
Then it occurred to me: no one would be in the Big House. There was someone else…
something else I could ask for guidance.
My blood was humming in my ears as I ran into the house and took the stairs. I'd only
done this once before, and I still had nightmares about it. I opened the trap door and stepped
into the attic.
The room was dark and dusty and cluttered with junk, just like I remembered. There
were shields with monster bites out of them, and swords bent in the shapes of daemon heads,
and a bunch of taxidermy, like a stuffed harpy and a bright orange python.
Over by the window, sitting on a three-legged stool, was the shriveled-up mummy of an
old lady in a tie-dyed hippie dress. The Oracle.
I made myself walk toward her. I waited for green mist to billow from the mummy's
mouth, like it had before, but nothing happened.
"Hi," I said. "Uh, what's up?"
I winced at how stupid that sounded. Not much could be "up" when you're dead and
stuck in the attic. But I knew the spirit of the Oracle was in there somewhere. I could feel a
cold presence in the room, like a coiled sleeping snake.
"I have a question," I said a little louder. "I need to know about Annabeth. How can I
save her?"
No answer. The sun slanted through the dirty attic window, lighting the dust motes
dancing in the air.
I waited longer.
Then I got angry. I was being stonewalled by a corpse.
"All right," I said. "Fine. I'll figure it out myself."
I turned and bumped into a big table full of souvenirs. It seemed more cluttered than the
last time I was here. Heroes stored all kinds of stuff in the attic: quest trophies they no longer
wanted to keep in their cabins, or stuff that held painful memories. I knew Luke had stored a
dragon claw somewhere up here—the one that had scarred his face.
There was a broken sword hilt labeled: This broke and Leroy got killed. 1999.
Then I noticed a pink silk scarf with a label attached to it. I picked up the tag and tried
to read it:
SCARF OF THE GODDESS APHRODITE
RECOVERED AT WATERLAND, DENVER, CO.,
BY ANNABETH CHASE AND PERCY JACKSON
I stared at the scarf. I'd totally forgotten about it. Two years ago, Annabeth had ripped
this scarf out of my hands and said something like, Oh, no. No love magic for you!
I'd just assumed she'd thrown it away. And yet here it was. She'd kept it all this time?
And why had she stashed it in the attic?
I turned to the mummy. She hadn't moved, but the shadows across her face made it look
like she was smiling gruesomely.
I dropped the scarf and tried not to run toward the exit.
That night after dinner, I was seriously ready to beat the Hunters at capture the flag. It
was going to be a small game: only thirteen Hunters, including Bianca di Angelo, and about
the same number of campers.
Zoe Nightshade looked pretty upset. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, like she
couldn't believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either.
Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the
dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of
them even looked like they'd been crying. I guess Zoe had told them about her nightmare.
On our team, we had Beckendorf and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares
cabin (though it still seemed strange that Clarisse wasn't around), the Stoll brothers and Nico
from Hermes cabin, and a few Aphrodite kids. It was weird that the Aphrodite cabin wanted
to play. Usually they sat on the sidelines, chatted, and checked their reflections in the river
and stuff, but when they heard we were fighting the Hunters, they were raring to go.
"I'll show them 'love is worthless,'" Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her
armor. "I'll pulverize them!"
That left Thalia and me.
"I'll take the offense," Thalia volunteered. "You take defense."
"Oh." I hesitated, because I'd been about to say the exact same thing, only reversed.
"Don't you think with your shield and all, you'd be better defense?"
Thalia already had Aegis on her arm, and even our own teammates were giving her a
wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.
"Well, I was thinking it would make better offense," Thalia said. "Besides, you've had
more practice at defense."
I wasn't sure if she was teasing me. I'd had some pretty bad experiences with defense on
capture the flag. My first year, Annabeth had put me out as a kind of bait, and I'd almost been
gored to death with spears and killed by a hellhound.
"Yeah, no problem," I lied.
"Cool." Thalia turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble
suiting up their armor without breaking their nails. Nico di Angelo ran up to me with a big
grin on his face.
"Percy, this is awesome!" His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and
his breastplate was about six sizes too big. I wondered if there was any way I'd looked that
ridiculous when I'd first arrived. Unfortunately, I probably had.
Nico lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"
"Well… no."
"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"
"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides—"
"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we
could keep fighting, and—"
"Nico, this is serious. Real swords. These can hurt."
He stared at me, a little disappointed, and I realized that I'd just sounded like my
mother. Whoa. Not a good sign.
I patted Nico on the shoulder. "Hey, it's cool. Just follow the team. Stay out of Zoe's
way. We'll have a blast."
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.
"Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team—
Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the
east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All
magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
"Sweet," Nico whispered next to me. "What kind of magic items? Do I get one?"
I was about to break it to him that he didn't, when Thalia said, "Blue team! Follow me!"
They cheered and followed. I had to run to catch up, and tripped over somebody's
shield, so I didn't look much like a co-captain. More like an idiot.
We set our flag at the top of Zeus's Fist. It's this cluster of boulders in the middle of the
west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the
ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings,
but Chiron wouldn't let us call the place the Poop Pile, especially after it had been named for
Zeus, who doesn't have much of a sense of humor.
Anyway, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and
really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't
matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it.
I set Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, figuring he'd be safely
out of the way.
"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Thalia told the team. "Silena, you lead that."
"Got it!"
"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters,
attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them
by surprise."
Everybody nodded. It sounded good, and Thalia said it with such confidence you
couldn't help but believe it would work.
Thalia looked at me. "Anything to add, Percy?"
"Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got four guards, two scouts. That's not much
for a big forest. I'll be roving. Yell if you need help."
"And don't leave your post!" Thalia said.
"Unless you see a golden opportunity," I added.
Thalia scowled. "Just don't leave your post."
"Right, unless—"
"Percy!" She touched my arm and shocked me. I mean, everybody can give static
shocks in the winter, but when Thalia does, it hurts. I guess it's because her dad is the god of
lightning. She's been known to fry off people's eyebrows.
"Sorry," Thalia said, though she didn't sound particularly sorry. "Now, is everybody
clear?"
Everybody nodded. We broke into our smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game
began.
Silena's group disappeared into the woods on the left. Thalia's group gave it a few
seconds, then darted off toward the right.
I waited for something to happen. I climbed Zeus's Fist and had a good view over the
forest. I remembered how the Hunters had stormed out of the woods when they fought the
manticore, and I was prepared for something like that—one huge charge that could
overwhelm us. But nothing happened.
I caught a glimpse of Silena and her two scouts. They ran through a clearing, followed
by five of the Hunters, leading them deep into the woods and away from Thalia. The plan
seemed to be working. Then I spotted another clump of Hunters heading to the right, bows
ready. They must've spotted Thalia.
"What's happening?" Nico demanded, trying to climb up next to me.
My mind was racing. Thalia would never get through, but the Hunters were divided.
With that many on either flank, their center had to be wide open. If I moved fast…
I looked at Beckendorf. "Can you guys hold the fort?"
Beckendorf snorted. "Of course."
"I'm going in.
The Stoll brothers and Nico cheered as I raced toward the boundary line.
I was running at top speed and I felt great. I leaped over the creek into enemy territory. I
could see their silver flag up ahead, only one guard, who wasn't even looking in my direction.
I heard fighting to my left and right, somewhere in the woods. I had it made.
The guard turned at the last minute. It was Bianca di Angelo. Her eyes widened as I
slammed into her and she went sprawling in the snow.
"Sorry!" I yelled. I ripped down the silver silk flag from the tree and took off.
I was ten yards away before Bianca managed to yell for help. I thought I was home free.
ZIP. A silvery cord raced across my ankles and fastened to the tree next to me. A trip
wire, fired from a bow! Before I could even think about stopping, I went down hard,
sprawling in the snow.
"Percy!" Thalia yelled, off to my left. "What are you doing?"
Before she reached me, an arrow exploded at her feet and a cloud of yellow smoke
billowed around her team. They started coughing and gagging. I could smell the gas from
across the woods—the horrible smell of sulfur.
"No fair!" Thalia gasped. "Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!"
I got up and started running again. Only a few more yards to the creek and I had the
game. More arrows whizzed past my ears. A Hunter came out of nowhere and slashed at me
with her knife, but I parried and kept running.
I heard yelling from our side of the creek. Beckendorf and Nico were running toward
me. I thought they were coming to welcome me back, but then I saw they were chasing
someone—Zoe Nightshade, racing toward me like a cheetah, dodging campers with no
trouble. And she had our flag in her hands.
"No!" I yelled, and poured on the speed.
I was two feet from the water when Zoe bolted across to her own side, slamming into
me for good measure. The Hunters cheered as both sides converged on the creek. Chiron
appeared out of the woods, looking grim. He had the Stoll brothers on his back, and it looked
as if both of them had taken some nasty whacks to the head. Connor Stoll had two arrows
sticking out of his helmet like antennae.
"The Hunters win!" Chiron announced without pleasure. Then he muttered, "For the
fifty-sixth time in a row."
"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yelled, storming toward me. She smelled like rotten eggs, and
she was so mad that blue sparks flickered on her armor. Everybody cringed and backed up
because of Aegis. It took all my willpower not to cower.
"What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?" she bellowed.
I balled my fists. I'd had enough bad stuff happen to me for one day. I didn't need this.
"I got the flag, Thalia!" I shook it in her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"
"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia yelled. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted
in, we would've won."
"You had too many on you!"
"Oh, so it's my fault?"
"I didn't say that."
"Argh!" Thalia pushed me, and a shock went through my body that blew me backward
ten feet into the water. Some of the campers gasped. A couple of the Hunters stifled laughs.
"Sorry!" Thalia said, turning pale. "I didn't mean to—"
Anger roared in my ears. A wave erupted from the creek, blasting into Thalia's face and
dousing her from head to toe.
I stood up. "Yeah," I growled. "I didn't mean to, either."
Thalia was breathing heavily.
"Enough!" Chiron ordered.
But Thalia held out her spear. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"
Somehow, it was okay when Annabeth called me that—at least, I'd gotten used to it—
but hearing it from Thalia was not cool.
"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"
I raised Riptide, but before I could even defend myself, Thalia yelled, and a blast of
lightning came down from the sky, hit her spear like a lightning rod, and slammed into my
chest.
I sat down hard. There was a burning smell; I had a feeling it was my clothes.
"Thalia!" Chiron said. "That is enough!"
I got to my feet and willed the entire creek to rise. It swirled up, hundreds of gallons of
water in a massive icy funnel cloud.
"Percy!" Chiron pleaded.
I was about to hurl it at Thalia when I saw something in the woods. I lost my anger and
my concentration all at once. The water splashed back into the creekbed. Thalia was so
surprised she turned to see what I was looking at.
Someone… something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as
it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped.
"This is impossible," Chiron said. I'd never heard him sound so nervous. "It… she has
never left the attic. Never."
And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in
the center of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green.
None of us dared move. Then her voice hissed inside my head. Apparently everyone
could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.
I am the sprit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo,
slayer of the mighty Python.
The Oracle regarded me with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward
Zoe Nightshade. Approach, Seeker, and ask.
Zoe swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. I saw the vague image of a
mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in
chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker,
and it looked like she was in pain. The Oracle spoke:
Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.
Then, as we were watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into
the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the
attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.
The least the Oracle could've done was walk back to the attic by herself.
Instead, Grover and I were elected to carry her. I didn't figure that was because we were
the most popular.
"Watch her head!" Grover warned as we went up the stairs. But it was too late.
Bonk! I whacked her mummified face against the trapdoor frame and dust flew.
"Ah, man." I set her down and checked for damage. "Did I break anything?"
"I can't tell," Grover admitted.
We hauled her up and set her on her tripod stool, both of us huffing and sweating. Who
knew a mummy could weigh so much?
I assumed she wouldn't talk to me, and I was right. I was relieved when we finally got
out of there and slammed the attic door shut.
"Well," Grover said, "that was gross."
I knew he was trying to keep things light for my sake, but I still felt really down. The
whole camp would be mad at me for losing the game to the Hunters, and then there was the
new prophecy from the Oracle. It was like the spirit of Delphi had gone out of her way to
exclude me. She'd ignored my question and walked half a mile to talk to Zoe. And she'd said
nothing, not even a hint, about Annabeth.
"What will Chiron do?" I asked Grover.
"I wish I knew." He looked wistfully out the second-floor window at the rolling hills
covered in snow. "I want to be out there."
"Searching for Annabeth?"
He had a little trouble focusing on me. Then he blushed. "Oh, right. That too. Of
course."
"Why?" I asked. "What were you thinking?"
He clopped his hooves uneasily. "Just something the manticore said, about the Great
Stirring. I can't help but wonder… if all those ancient powers are waking up, maybe… maybe
not all of them are evil."
"You mean Pan."
I felt kind of selfish, because I'd totally forgotten about Grover's life ambition. The
nature god had gone missing two thousand years ago. He was rumored to have died, but the
satyrs didn't believe that. They were determined to find him. They'd been searching in vain for
centuries, and Grover was convinced he'd be the one to succeed. This year, with Chiron
putting all the satyrs on emergency duty to find half-bloods, Grover hadn't been able to
continue his search. It must've been driving him nuts.
"I've let the trail go cold," he said. "I feel restless, like I'm missing something really
important. He's out there somewhere. I can just feel it."
I didn't know what to say. I wanted to encourage him, but I didn't know how. My
optimism had pretty much been trampled into the snow out there in the woods, along with our
capture-the-flag hopes.
Before I could respond, Thalia tromped up the stairs. She was officially not talking to
me now, but she looked at Grover and said, "Tell Percy to get his butt downstairs."
"Why?" I asked.
"Did he say something?" Thalia asked Grover.
"Um, he asked why."
"Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy," she said.
"Unfortunately, that includes Percy."
The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus waved his
hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. Then Chiron
reminded him that wine was against his restrictions and most of us were underage. Mr. D
sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke. Nobody drank that either.
Mr. D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe and Bianca di
Angelo (who had kind of become Zoe's personal assistant) took the other end. Thalia and
Grover and I sat along the right, and the other head councilors—Beckendorf, Silena
Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers—sat on the left. The Ares kids were supposed to send a
representative, too, but all of them had gotten broken limbs (accidentally) during capture the
flag, courtesy of the Hunters. They were resting up in the infirmary.
Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."
"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasped. He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and
spraying them with topping.
"There is no time for talk," Zoe continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must
leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron asked.
"West!" Bianca said. I was amazed at how different she looked after just a few days
with the Hunters. Her dark hair was braided like Zoe's now, so you could actually see her
face. She had a splash of freckles across her nose, and her dark eyes vaguely reminded me of
someone famous, but I couldn't think who. She looked like she'd been working out, and her
skin glowed faintly, like the other Hunters, as if she'd been taking showers in liquid
moonlight. "You heard the prophecy. Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get
five hunters and go."
"Yes," Zoe agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."
"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "Campers and Hunters combined
prevail. We're supposed to do this together."
"No!" Zoe said. "The Hunters do not need thy help."
"Your" Thalia grumbled. "Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoe. Get
with the times."
Zoe hesitated, like she was trying to form the word correctly. " Yerrr. We do not need
yerrr help."
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Forget it."
"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters
must cooperate."
"Or do they?" Mr. D mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine
bouquet. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if
you fail because you try to cooperate?"
"Mr. D," Chiron sighed, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"
Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."
"We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either, Zoe,
but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"
Zoe grimaced, but I could tell Thalia had scored a point.
"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December
twenty-first, is the winter solstice."
"Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."
"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe said. "She has been one of the most vocal
on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will
decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."
"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus
asked.
"Yes, Lord Dionysus."
Mr. D nodded. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."
"I must agree with Zoe," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is
critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the
monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."
"Three and two," I said.
Everybody looked at me. Thalia even forgot to ignore me.
"We're supposed to have five," I said, feeling self-conscious. "Three Hunters, two from
Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair."
Thalia and Zoe exchanged looks.
"Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."
Zoe grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."
"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No
doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You
will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What
would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."
Zoe picked up a Ping-Pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted
to whack first. "This monster—the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for
many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."
Everybody looked at Dionysus, I guess because he was the only god present and gods
are supposed to know things. He was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone
got silent he glanced up, "Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep
track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party
conversation."
"Chiron," I said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"
Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them
quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of
Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it.
They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have
sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."
"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said. (I liked how he said you
and not we.) "It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die."
"One shall be lost in the land without rain" Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay out
of the desert."
There was a muttering of agreement.
"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena said. "What could that mean?"
I saw Chiron and Zoe exchange a nervous look, but whatever they were thinking, they
didn't share it.
"One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and
Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"
There was heavy silence around the table.
I glanced at Thalia and wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was. Years ago,
Chiron had had a prophecy about the next child of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, or
Hades—who turned sixteen. Supposedly, that kid would make a decision that would save or
destroy the gods forever. Because of that, the Big Three had taken an oath after World War II
not to have any more kids. But Thalia and I had been born anyway, and now we were both
getting close to sixteen.
I remembered a conversation I'd had last year with Annabeth. I'd asked her, if I was so
potentially dangerous, why the gods didn't just kill me.
Some of the gods would like to kill you, she'd said. But they're afraid of offending
Poseidon.
Could an Olympian parent turn against his half-blood child? Would it sometimes be
easier just to let them die? If there were ever any half-bloods who needed to worry about that,
it was Thalia and me. I wondered if maybe I should've sent Poseidon that seashell pattern tie
for Father's Day after all.
"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."
"Oh, goody!" Dionysus said.
Everyone looked at him. He glanced up innocently from the pages of Wine Connoisseur
magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."
"Percy is right," Silena Beauregard said. "Two campers should go."
"Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"
Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"
"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," Zoe scoffed. "What would thy
mother say?"
Silena started to get out of her chair, but the Stoll brothers pulled her back.
"Stop it," Beckendorf said. He was a big guy with a bigger voice. He didn't talk much,
but when he did, people tended to listen. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will
go?"
Zoe stood. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."
"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis Stoll asked cautiously.
Zoe nodded.
"The one who put the arrows in my helmet?" Connor added..
"Yes," Zoe snapped. "Why?"
"Oh, nothing," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store." He
held up a big silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING
TOUR 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "It's a collector's item.
She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?"
I knew the Stolls were up to something. They always were. But I guess Zoe didn't know
them as well as I did. She just sighed and took the T-shirt. "As I was saying, I will take
Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go."
Bianca looked stunned. "Me? But… I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."
"You will do fine," Zoe insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."
Bianca closed her mouth. I felt kind of sorry for her. I remembered my first quest when
I was twelve. I had felt totally unprepared. A little honored, maybe, but a lot resentful and
plenty scared. I figured the same things were running around in Bianca's head right now.
"And for campers?" Chiron asked. His eyes met mine, but I couldn't tell what he was
thinking.
"Me!" Grover stood up so fast he bumped the Ping-Pong table. He brushed cracker
crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"
Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."
"But he is a camper," Thalia said. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic.
Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"
"Absolutely!"
Zoe wavered. I didn't know what a tracker's song was, but apparently Zoe thought it was
a good thing.
"Very well," Zoe said. "And the second camper?"
"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.
Now, okay, maybe my math skills weren't the best, but it suddenly occurred to me that
we'd reached the number five, and I wasn't in the group. "Whoa, wait a sec," I said. "I want to
go too."
Thalia said nothing. Chiron was still studying me, his eyes sad.
"Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to
go. I didn't mean… I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."
"He cannot," Zoe said. "He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy."
"You traveled here with me," I reminded her.
"That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go
across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy."
"What about Grover?" I demanded.
Zoe shook her head. "He does not count. He's a satyr. He is not technically a boy."
"Hey!" Grover protested.
"I have to go," I said. "I need to be on this quest."
"Why?" Zoe asked. "Because of thy friend Annabeth?"
I felt myself blushing. I hated that everyone was looking at me."No! I mean, partly.I just
feel like I'm supposed to go!"
Nobody rose to my defense. Mr. D looked bored, still reading his magazine. Silena, the
Stoll brothers, and Beckendorf were staring at the table. Bianca gave me a look of pity.
"No," Zoe said flatly. "I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male
hero."
Chiron sighed. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve
their companions."
My ears were ringing as I sat down. I knew Grover and some of the others were looking
at me sympathetically, but
I couldn't meet their eyes. I just sat there as Chiron concluded the council.
"So be it," he said. "Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You
shall leave at first light. And may the gods"—he glanced at Dionysus—"present company
included, we hope—be with you."
I didn't show up for dinner that night, which was a mistake, because Chiron and Grover
came looking for me.
"Percy, I'm so sorry!" Grover said, sitting next to me on the bunk. "I didn't know
they'd—that you'd—Honest!"
He started to sniffle, and I figured if I didn't cheer him up he'd either start bawling or
chewing up my mattress. He tends to eat household objects whenever he gets upset.
"It's okay," I lied. "Really. It's fine."
Grover's lower lip trembled. "I wasn't even thinking… I was so focused on helping
Artemis. But I promise, I'll look everywhere for Annabeth. If I can find her, I will."
I nodded and tried to ignore the big crater that was opening in my chest.
"Grover," Chiron said, "perhaps you'd let me have a word with Percy?"
"Sure," he sniffled.
Chiron waited,
"Oh," Grover said. "You mean alone. Sure, Chiron." He looked at me miserably. "See?
Nobody needs a goat."
He trotted out the door, blowing his nose on his sleeve.
Chiron sighed and knelt on his horse legs. "Percy, I don't pretend to understand
prophecies."
"Yeah," I said. "Well, maybe that's because they don't make any sense."
Chiron gazed at the saltwater spring gurgling in the corner of the room. "Thalia would
not have been my first choice to go on this quest. She's too impetuous. She acts without
thinking. She is too sure of herself"
"Would you have chosen me?"
"Frankly, no," he said. "You and Thalia are much alike."
"Thanks a lot."
He smiled. "The difference is that you are less sure of yourself than Thalia. That could
be good or bad. But one thing I can say: both of you together would be a dangerous thing."
"We could handle it."
"The way you handled it at the creek tonight?"
I didn't answer. He'd nailed me.
"Perhaps it is for the best," Chiron mused. "You can go home to your mother for the
holidays. If we need you, we can call."
"Yeah," I said. "Maybe."
I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and set it on my nightstand. It didn't seem that I'd be
using it for anything but writing Christmas cards.
When he saw the pen, Chiron grimaced. "It's no wonder Zoe doesn't want you along, I
suppose. Not while you're carrying that particular weapon."
I didn't understand what he meant. Then I remembered something he'd told me a long
time ago, when he first gave me the magic sword: It has a long and tragic history, which we
need not go into.
I wanted to ask him about that, but then he pulled a golden drachma from his saddlebag
and tossed it to me. "Call your mother, Percy. Let her know you're coming home in the
morning. And, ah, for what it's worth… I almost volunteered for this quest myself. I would
have gone, if not for the last line."
"One shall perish by a parent's hand. Yeah."
I didn't need to ask. I knew Chiron's dad was Kronos, the evil Titan Lord himself. The
line would make perfect sense if Chiron went on the quest. Kronos didn't care for anyone,
including his own children.
"Chiron," I said. "You know what this Titan's curse is, don't you?"
His face darkened. He made a claw over his heart and pushed outward—an ancient
gesture for warding off evil. "Let us hope the prophecy does not mean what I think. Now,
good night, Percy. And your time will come. I'm convinced of that. There's no need to rush."
He said your time the way people did when they meant your death. I didn't know if
Chiron meant it that way, but the look in his eyes made me scared to ask.
I stood at the saltwater spring, rubbing Chiron's coin in my hand and trying to figure out
what to say to my mom. I really wasn't in the mood to have one more adult tell me that doing
nothing was the greatest thing I could do, but I figured my mom deserved an update.
Finally, I took a deep breath and threw in the coin. "O goddess, accept my offering."
The mist shimmered. The light from the bathroom was just enough to make a faint
rainbow.
"Show me Sally Jackson," I said. "Upper East Side, Manhattan."
And there in the mist was a scene I did not expect. My mom was sitting at our kitchen
table with some… guy. They were laughing hysterically. There was a big stack of textbooks
between them. The man was, I don't know, thirty-something, with longish salt-and-pepper
hair and a brown jacket over a black T-shirt. He looked like an actor—like a guy who might
play an undercover cop on television.
I was too stunned to say anything, and fortunately, my mom and the guy were too busy
laughing to notice my Iris-message.
The guy said, "Sally, you're a riot. You want some more wine?"
"Ah, I shouldn't. You go ahead if you want."
"Actually, I'd better use your bathroom. May I?"
"Down the hall," she said, trying not to laugh.
The actor dude smiled and got up and left.
"Mom!" I said.
She jumped so hard she almost knocked her textbooks off the table. Finally she focused
on me. "Percy! Oh, honey! Is everything okay?"
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
She blinked. "Homework." Then she seemed to understand the look on my face. "Oh,
honey, that's just Paul—um, Mr. Blofis. He's in my writing seminar."
"Mr. Blowfish?"
"Blofis. He'll be back in a minute, Percy. Tell me what's wrong."
She always knew when something was wrong. I told her about Annabeth. The other
stuff too, but mostly it boiled down to Annabeth.
My mother's eyes teared up. I could tell she was trying hard to keep it together for my
sake. "Oh, Percy…"
"Yeah. So they tell me there's nothing I can do. I guess I'll be coming home."
She turned her pencil around in her fingers. "Percy, as much as I want you to come
home"—she sighed like she was mad at herself—"as much as I want you to be safe, I want
you to understand something. You need to do whatever you think you have to."
I stared at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you really, deep down, believe that you have to help save her? Do you think
it's the right thing to do? Because I know one thing about you, Percy. Your heart is always in
the right place. Listen to it."
"You're… you're telling me to go?"
My mother pursed her lips. "I'm telling you that… you're getting too old for me to tell
you what to do. I'm telling you that I'll support you, even if what you decide to do is
dangerous. I can't believe I'm saying this."
"Mom—"
The toilet flushed down the hall in our apartment.
"I don't have much time," my mom said. "Percy, whatever you decide, I love you. And I
know you'll do what's best for Annabeth."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because she'd do the same for you."
And with that, my mother waved her hand over the mist, and the connection dissolved,
leaving me with one final image of her new friend, Mr. Blowfish, smiling down at her.
I don't remember falling asleep, but I remember the dream.
I was back in that barren cave, the ceiling heavy and low above me. Annabeth was
kneeling under the weight of a dark mass that looked like a pile of boulders. She was too tired
even to cry out. Her legs trembled. Any second, I knew she would run out of strength and the
cavern ceiling would collapse on top of her.
"How is our mortal guest?" a male voice boomed.
It wasn't Kronos. Kronos's voice was raspy and metallic, like a knife scraped across
stone. I'd heard it taunting me many times before in my dreams. But this voice was deeper and
lower, like a bass guitar. Its force made the ground vibrate.
Luke emerged from the shadows. He ran to Annabeth, knelt beside her, then looked
back at the unseen man. "She's fading. We must hurry."
The hypocrite. Like he really cared what happened to her.
The deep voice chuckled. It belonged to someone in the shadows, at the edge of my
dream. Then a meaty hand thrust someone forward into the light—Artemis—her hands and
feet bound in celestial bronze chains.
I gasped. Her silvery dress was torn and tattered. Her face and arms were cut in several
places, and she was bleeding ichor, the golden blood of the gods.
"You heard the boy," said the man in the shadows. "Decide!"
Artemis's eyes flashed with anger. I didn't know why she just didn't will the chains to
burst, or make herself disappear, but she didn't seem able to. Maybe the chains prevented her,
or some magic about this dark, horrible place.
The goddess looked at Annabeth and her expression changed to concern and outrage.
"How dare you torture a maiden like this!"
"She will die soon," Luke said. "You can save her."
Annabeth made a weak sound of protest. My heart felt like it was being twisted into a
knot. I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't move.
"Free my hands," Artemis said.
Luke brought out his sword, Backbiter. With one expert strike, he broke the goddess's
handcuffs.
Artemis ran to Annabeth and took the burden from her shoulders. Annabeth collapsed
on the ground and lay there shivering. Artemis staggered, trying to support the weight of the
black rocks.
The man in the shadows chuckled. "You are as predictable as you were easy to beat,
Artemis."
"You surprised me," the goddess said, straining under her burden. "It will not happen
again."
"Indeed it will not," the man said. "Now you are out of the way for good! I knew you
could not resist helping a young maiden. That is, after all, your specialty, my dear."
Artemis groaned "You know nothing of mercy, you swine."
"On that," the man said, "we can agree. Luke, you may kill the girl now."
"No!'" Artemis shouted.
Luke hesitated. "She—she may yet be useful, sir.. Further bait."
"Bah! You truly believe that?"
"Yes, General. They will come for her. I'm sure."
The man considered. "Then the dracaenae can guard her here. Assuming she does not
die from her injuries, you may keep her alive until winter solstice. After that, if our sacrifice
goes as planned, her life will be meaningless. The lives of all mortals will be meaningless."
Luke gathered up Annabeth's listless body and carried her away from the goddess.
"You will never find the monster you seek," Artemis said. "Your plan will fail."
"How little you know, my young goddess," the man in the shadows said. "Even now,
your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. They shall play directly into my hands.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a long journey to make. We must greet your Hunters and
make sure their quest is… challenging."
The man's laughter echoed in the darkness, shaking the ground until it seemed the whole
cavern ceiling would collapse.
I woke with a start. I was sure I'd heard a loud banging. I looked around the cabin. It
was dark outside. The salt spring still gurgled. No other sounds but the hoot of an owl in the
woods and the distant surf on the beach. In the moonlight, on my nightstand was Annabeth's
New York Yankees cap. I stared at it for a second and then:BANG BANG.
Someone, or something, was pounding on my door. I grabbed Riptide and got out of
bed.
"Hello?" I called. THUMP. THUMP.I crept to the door.
I uncapped the blade, flung open the door, and found myself face-to-face with a black
pegasus.
Whoa, boss! Its voice spoke in my mind as it clopped away from the sword blade. I
don't wanna be a horse-ke-bob!
Its black wings spread in alarm, and the wind buffeted me back a step,
"Blackjack," I said, relieved but a little irritated. "It's the middle of the night!"
Blackjack huffed. Ain't either, boss. It's five in the morning. What you still sleeping for?
"How many times have I told you? Don't call me boss."
Whatever you say, boss. You're the man. You're my number one. I rubbed the sleep out
of my eyes and tried not to let the pegasus read my thoughts. That's the problem with being
Poseidon's son: since he created horses out of sea foam, I can understand most equestrian
animals, but they can understand me, too. Sometimes, like in Blackjacks case, they kind of
adopt me.
See, Blackjack had been a captive on board Luke's ship last summer, until we'd caused a
little distraction that allowed him to escape. I'd really had very little to do with it, seriously,
but Blackjack credited me with saving him.
"Blackjack," I said, "you're supposed to stay in the stables."
Meh, the stables. You see Chiron staying in the stables?
"Well… no."
Exactly. Listen, we got another little sea friend needs your help.
"Again?"
Yeah. I told the hippocampi I'd come get you.
I groaned. Anytime I was anywhere near the beach, the hippocampi would ask me to
help them with their problems. And they had a lot of problems. Beached whales, porpoises
caught in fishing nets, mermaids with hangnails—they'd call me to come underwater and
help.
"All right," I said. "I'm coming."
You're the best, boss.
"And don't call me boss!"
Blackjack whinnied softly. It might've been a laugh.
I looked back at my comfortable bed. My bronze shield still hung on the wall, dented
and unusable. And on my nightstand was Annabeth's magic Yankees cap. On an impulse, I
stuck the cap in my pocket. I guess I had a feeling, even then, that I wasn't coming back to my
cabin for a long, long time.
Blackjack gave me a ride down the beach, and I have to admit it was cool. Being on a
flying horse, skimming over the waves at a hundred miles an hour with the wind in my hair
and the sea spray in my face—hey, it beats waterskiing any day.
Here. Blackjack slowed and turned in a circle. Straight down.
"Thanks." I tumbled off his back and plunged into the icy sea.
I'd gotten more comfortable doing stunts like that the past couple of years. I could pretty
much move however I wanted to underwater, just by willing the ocean currents to change
around me and propel me along, I could breathe underwater, no problem, and my clothes
never got wet unless I wanted them to.
I shot down into the darkness.
Twenty, thirty, forty feet. The pressure wasn't uncomfortable. I'd never tried to push
it—to see if there was a limit to how deep I could dive. I knew most regular humans couldn't
go past two hundred feet without crumpling like an aluminum can. I should've been blind, too,
this deep in the water at night, but I could see the heat from living forms, and the cold of the
currents. It's hard to describe. It wasn't like regular seeing, but I could tell where everything
was.
As I got closer to the bottom, I saw three hippocampi—fish-tailed horses—swimming in
a circle around an overturned boat. The hippocampi were beautiful to watch. Their fish tails
shimmered in rainbow colors, glowing phosphorescent. Their manes were white, and they
were galloping through the water the way nervous horses do in a thunderstorm. Something
was upsetting them.
I got closer and saw the problem. A dark shape—some kind of animal—was wedged
halfway under the boat and tangled in a fishing net, one of those big nets they use on trawlers
to catch everything at once. I hated those things. It was bad enough they drowned porpoises
and dolphins, but they also occasionally caught mythological animals. When the nets got
tangled, some lazy fishermen would just cut them loose and let the trapped animals die.
Apparently this poor creature had been mucking around on the bottom of Long Island
Sound and had somehow gotten itself tangled in the net of this sunken fishing boat. It had
tried to get out and managed to get even more hopelessly stuck, shifting the boat in the
process. Now the wreckage of the hull, which was resting against a big rock, was teetering
and threatening to collapse on top of the tangled animal.
The hippocampi were swimming around frantically, wanting to help but not sure how.
One was trying to chew the net, but hippocampi teeth just aren't meant for cutting rope.
Hippocampi are really strong, but they don't have hands, and they're not (shhh) all that smart.
Free it, lord! A hippocampus said when it saw me. The others joined in, asking the
same thing.
I swam in for a closer look at the tangled creature. At first I thought it was a young
hippocampus. I'd rescued several of them before. But then I heard a strange sound, something
that did not belong underwater:
"Mooooooo!"
I got next to the thing and saw that it was a cow. I mean… I'd heard of sea cows, like
manatees and stuff, but this really was a cow with the back end of a serpent. The front half
was a calf—a baby, with black fur and big, sad brown eyes and a white muzzle—and its back
half was a black-and-brown snaky tail with fins running down the top and bottom, like an
enormous eel.
"Whoa, little one," I said. "Where did you come from?"
The creature looked at me sadly. "Moooo!"
But I couldn't understand its thoughts. I only speak horse.
We don't know what it is, lord, one of the hippocampi said. Many strange things are
stirring.
"Yeah," I murmured. "So I've heard."
I uncapped Riptide, and the sword grew to full length in my hands, its bronze blade
gleaming in the dark.
The cow serpent freaked out and started struggling against the net, its eyes full of terror.
"Whoa!" I said. "I'm not going to hurt you! Just let me cut the net."
But the cow serpent thrashed around and got even more tangled. The boat started to tilt,
stirring up the muck on the sea bottom and threatening to topple onto the cow serpent. The
hippocampi whinnied in a panic and thrashed in the water, which didn't help.
"Okay, okay!" I said. I put away the sword and started speaking as calmly as I could so
the hippocampi and the cow serpent would stop panicking. I didn't know if it was possible to
get stampeded underwater, but I didn't really want to find out. "It's cool. No sword. See? No
sword. Calm thoughts. Sea grass. Mama cows. Vegetarianism."
I doubted the cow serpent understood what I was saying, but it responded to the tone of
my voice. The hippocampi were still skittish, but they stopped swirling around me quite so
fast.
Free it, lord! they pleaded.
"Yeah," I said. "I got that part. I'm thinking."
But how could I free the cow serpent when she (I decided it was probably a "she")
panicked at the sight of a blade? It was like she'd seen swords before and knew how
dangerous they were.
"All right," I told the hippocampi. "I need all of you to push exactly the way I tell you."
First we started with the boat. It wasn't easy, but with the strength of three horsepower,
we managed to shift the wreckage so it was no longer threatening to collapse on the baby cow
serpent. Then I went to work on the net, untangling it section by section, getting lead weights
and fishing hooks straightened out, yanking out knots around the cow serpent's hooves. It took
forever—I mean, it was worse than the time I'd had to untangle all my video game controller
wires. The whole time, I kept talking to the cow fish, telling her everything was okay while
she mooed and moaned.
"It's okay, Bessie," I said. Don't ask me why I started calling her that. It just seemed like
a good cow name. "Good cow. Nice cow."
Finally, the net came off and the cow serpent zipped through the water and did a happy
somersault.
The hippocampi whinnied with joy. Thank you, lord!
"Moooo!"The cow serpent nuzzled me and gave me the big brown eyes.
"Yeah," I said. "That's okay. Nice cow. Well… stay out of trouble."
Which reminded me, I'd been underwater how long? An hour, at least. I had to get back
to my cabin before Argus or the harpies discovered I was breaking curfew.
I shot to the surface and broke through. Immediately, Blackjack zoomed down and let
me catch hold of his neck. He lifted me into the air and took me back toward the shore.
Success, boss?
"Yeah. We rescued a baby… something or other. Took forever. Almost got stampeded."
Good deeds are always dangerous, boss. You saved my sorry mane, didn't you?
I couldn't help thinking about my dream, with Annabeth crumpled and lifeless in Luke's
arms. Here I was rescuing baby monsters, but I couldn't save my friend.
As Blackjack flew back toward my cabin, I happened to glance at the dining pavilion. I
saw a figure—a boy hunkered down behind a Greek column, like he was hiding from
someone.
It was Nico, but it wasn't even dawn yet. Nowhere near time for breakfast. What was he
doing up there?
I hesitated. The last thing I wanted was more time for Nico to tell me about his
Mythomagic game. But something was wrong. I could tell by the way he was crouching.
"Blackjack," I said, "set me down over there, will you? Behind that column."
I almost blew it.
I was coming up the steps behind Nico. He didn't see me at all. He was behind a
column, peeking around the corner, all his attention focused on the dining area. I was five feet
away from him, and I was about to say What are you doing? real loud, when it occurred to me
that he was pulling a Grover: he was spying on the Hunters.
There were voices—two girls talking at one of the dining tables. At this ungodly hour of
the morning? Well, unless you're the goddess of dawn, I guess.
I took Annabeth's magic cap out of my pocket and put it on.
I didn't feel any different, but when I raised my arms I couldn't see them. I was
invisible.
I crept up to Nico and sneaked around him. I couldn't see the girls very well in the dark,
but I knew their voices: Zoe and Bianca. It sounded like they were arguing.
"It cannot be cured," Zoe was saying. "Not quickly, at any rate."
"But how did it happen?" Bianca asked.
"A foolish prank," Zoe growled. "Those Stoll boys from the Hermes cabin. Centaur
blood is like acid. Everyone knows that. They sprayed the inside of that Artemis Hunting
Tour T-shirt with it."
"That's terrible!"
"She will live," Zoe said. "But she'll be bedridden for weeks with horrible hives. There
is no way she can go. It's up to me… and thee."
"But the prophecy," Bianca said. "If Phoebe can't go, we only have four. We'll have to
pick another."
"There is no time," Zoe said. "We must leave at first light. That's immediately. Besides,
the prophecy said we would lose one."
"In the land without rain," Bianca said, "but that can't be here."
"It might be," Zoe said, though she didn't sound convinced. "The camp has magic
borders. Nothing, not even weather, is allowed in without permission. It could be a land
without rain."
"But—"
"Bianca, hear me." Zoe's voice was strained. "I… I can't explain, but I have a sense that
we should not pick someone else. It would be too dangerous. They would meet an end worse
than Phoebe's. I don't want Chiron choosing a camper as our fifth companion. And… I don't
want to risk another Hunter."
Bianca was silent. "You should tell Thalia the rest of your dream."
"No. It would not help."
"But if your suspicions are correct, about the General—"
"I have thy word not to talk about that," Zoe said. She sounded really anguished. "We
will find out soon enough. Now come. Dawn is breaking."
Nico scooted out of their way. He was faster than me.
As the girls sprinted down the steps, Zoe almost ran into me. She froze, her eyes
narrowing. Her hand crept toward her bow, but then Bianca said, "The lights of the Big House
are on. Hurry!"
And Zoe followed her out of the pavilion.
I could tell what Nico was thinking. He took a deep breath and was about to run after
his sister when I took off the invisibility cap and said, "Wait."
He almost slipped on the icy steps as he spun around to find me. "Where did you come
from?"
"I've been here the whole time. Invisible."
He mouthed the word invisible. "Wow. Cool."
"How did you know Zoe and your sister were here?"
He blushed. "I heard them walk by the Hermes cabin. I don't… I don't sleep too well at
camp. So I heard footsteps, and them whispering. And so I kind of followed."
"And now you're thinking about following them on the quest," I guessed.
"How did you know that?"
"Because if it was my sister, I'd probably be thinking the same thing. But you can't."
He looked defiant. "Because I'm too young?"
"Because they won't let you. They'll catch you and send you back here. And… yeah,
because you're too young. You remember the manticore? There will be lots more like that.
More dangerous. Some of the heroes will die."
He shoulders sagged. He shifted from foot to foot. "Maybe you're right. But, but you
can go for me."
"Say what?"
"You can turn invisible. You can go!"
"The Hunters don't like boys," I reminded him. "If they find out—"
"Don't let them find out. Follow them invisibly. Keep an eye on my sister! You have to.
Please?"
"Nico—"
"You're planning to go anyway, aren't you?"
I wanted to say no. But he looked me in the eyes, and I somehow couldn't lie to him.
"Yeah," I said. "I have to find Annabeth. I have to help, even if they don't want me to."
"I won't tell on you," he said. "But you have to promise to keep my sister safe."
"I… that's a big thing to promise, Nico, on a trip like this. Besides, she's got Zoe,
Grover, and Thalia—"
"Promise," he insisted.
"I'll do my best. I promise that."
"Get going, then!" he said. "Good luck!"
It was crazy. I wasn't packed. I had nothing but the cap and the sword and the clothes I
was wearing. I was supposed to be going home to Manhattan this morning. "Tell Chiron—"
"I'll make something up." Nico smiled crookedly. "I'm good at that. Go on!"
I ran, putting on Annabeth's cap. As the sun came up, I turned invisible. I hit the top of
Half-Blood Hill in time to see the camp's van disappearing down the farm road, probably
Argus taking the quest group into the city. After that they would be on their own.
I felt a twinge of guilt, and stupidity, too. How was I supposed to keep up with them.
Run?
Then I heard the beating of huge wings. Blackjack landed next to me. He began casually
nuzzling a few tufts of grass that stuck through the ice.
If I was guessing, boss, I'd say you need a getaway horse. You interested?
A lump of gratitude stuck in my throat, but I managed to say, "Yeah. Let's fly."
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