Nothing cops off the perfect morning like a long taxi ride with an old angry married couple.

Percy tried to talk to Annabeth, but she was acting like he punched her grandmother. All he'd managed to get out of her was that she'd had a monster-infested spring in San Francisco; she'd come back to camp twice since Christmas but wouldn't tell us why (which really ticked him off since she didn't even tell us she was in New York); and she'd learned nothing about the whereabouts of Nico di Angelo, almost another younger brother to me.

"Any word on Luke?" I asked.

I had my headphones in, one shared with Lee. Percy sat in the passenger seat in the front, Annabeth back right, me in the middle, and Lee in the last seat. So American was blasting in our ears.

God I'm so bored

And so rude!

Can't hold a conversation if its not about you.

Annabeth shook her head. I knew it was a touch subject for her. Annabeth had always admired Luke, the former head counselor for Hermes who had betrayed us and joined the evil Titan Lord Kronos. She wouldn't admit it, but I knew she still liked him. When we'd fought Luke on Mount Tamalpais last winter, he'd somehow survived a fifty-foot fall off a fucking cliff. Now, as far as I knew, he was still sailing on his lil boat while his cute chopped up Lord Kronos reformed, bit by bit, bidding his time until he had enough power to challenge the Olympian gods. In demigod-speak, we call this a "problem".

Cute, right?

"Mount Tam is still overrun with monsters," Annabeth said. "I didn't dare go close, but I don't think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was."

That didn't make me feel much better. "What about Grover?"

"He's at camp," she said. "We'll see him today."

Percy spoke up, "Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?"

Annabeth fingered her bead necklace, the way she does when she's worried.

"You'll see," she said. But she didn't explain.

I remembered something she taught me at the rest of time at camp, a way to speak to her without Percy knowing, you know, a cute little thing for just us girls.

. .  / . . . .   .-   . . .-   . / .-    -.  /  . .-   .- -.   -. .   .- -   .  / - - -   -.  /  . . . .   . .   - -* (I have an update on him.) I tapped on my right thigh.

Her eyes snapped down to my hand, watching carefully as I tapped out my message. Once I finished, her eyebrows were knit.

-. .   .-.   .   .-   - -? (Dream?) she tapped back.

I shook my head and continued when I made sure that Lee and Percy weren't paying attention to us.

. .   -.  /  .- -.   .   .-.   . . .   - - -   -. (In person.) I said.

Annabeth nodded, and I saw the gears in her head start turning, thinking of something to say, but she shook her head and tapped something else.

.- -   .   .-. .-.   .-. .   .-. .  /  -   .-   .-. .   -.-  /  .-   -  /  -.-.   .-   - -   .- -. (We'll talk at camp.)  I did a single head nod to let her know I understood.

Lee nudged me. "You okay?"

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Now what's on your nasty ol mind?

All by yourself, sittin' alone

I hope were still friends, yeah, I hope you don't mind

All by yourself, sittin' alone

I hope were still friends, yeah, I hope you don't mind.

"I don't know, something just seems off with you." He said. "Something happen at orientation?"

"Yeah, fucking empousai." I grumbled.

"Other than them?" Lee asked.

"No." I snapped. "Sorry, just. . .just tired."

Lee nodded, "You can sleep on my shoulder if you want."

I took the chance to relax, and put my head down. As we headed through Brooklyn, Percy used Annabeth's phone to call mom. We don't really use cell phones, because broadcasting our voices is Ike sending up a flare to the monsters: Here! Come eat me! But I figured the call was important. He left a message on voice mail, trying to explain what happened at Goode. He wasn't too good at it, but she was gonna understand. The only people at camp who did  use electronics, used iPods, and the Hephaestus cabin was working on making computers that don't summon monsters, because the Aphrodite cabin demanded them because they wanted to play Dress To Impress on Roblox. I couldn't disagree, have you seen  inside of Cabin Ten? 

We rode in silence after that. The city melted away until we were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards and wineries and rest produce stands.

I looked down at the phone number Rachel Dare scrawled on my hand. I just sighed and decided to wash it off later. 

We'll get in your car and you'll lean to kiss me

We'll talk for hours and lie on the backseat

The taxi exited on Route 25A. We headed through the woods along the North Shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on our left. Annabeth told the driver to pull over on Farm Road 3.141, at the base of Half-Blood Hill.

And then one random night when everything changes

You won't reply and we'll go back to strangers.

The driver frowned. "There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?"

"Yes, please." Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash and the driver decided not to argue.

Annabeth, Lee, Percy, and I hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as we approached and let Annabeth and I scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle.

"Hey, Peleus," I said. "Keeping everything safe for me?" 

He nuzzled my hand. The last time I'd seen him he'd been six feet long. Now he was at least twice that, and as thick around as the tree itself. Above his head, the lowest branch of the pine tree held the Golden Fleece. The dragon seemed to relax, like everything was okay. Below us Camp Half-Blood looked peaceful—green fields, forest, shiny white Greek buildings. The four-story farmhouse we called the Big House sat proudly in the midst of the strawberry fields. To the north, past the beach, the Long Island Sound glittered in the sunlight.

Still. . .something felt wrong. There was tension in the air, as if the hill itself were holding its breath, waiting for something bad to happen.

We walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing. Most of the campers arrived last Friday, so we were late. The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. Campers were having pegasi lessons. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as the kids were making their own weapons, reminding me of Festus back in Bunker Nine, being prepped for show. Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. A typical day at camp. I was home.

"I need to talk to Clarisse," Annabeth said.

I gasped, "My Pookie is back!? Where is she!?" I demanded.

Annabeth shrugged as Percy asked; "What for?"

Clarisse from the Ares cabin was one of his least favorite people, though she was one of my top  favorite. Her dad, the war god, was beaten by me, and she saw that as cool and befriend me. "We're working on something," Annabeth said. "I'll see you later."

"Working on what?" I asked. "Can I please come?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I'll tell Chiron you're both here," she said. "He'll want to talk to you before the hearing."

"What hearing?"

But she jogged down the path toward the archery field without looking back.

"Yeah," Percy muttered. "Great talking with you, too."

————————☁︎ ✯  ☾ ✯ ☁︎————————

As we made our was through camp, we said hi to some of our friends. In the Big House's driveway, Connor and Travis Stoll from the Hermes cabin were hot-wiring the camp's SUV. Silena Beauregard, the head counselor for Aphrodite, waved at me from her picnic with Beckendorf, head counselor of Hephaestus cabin, a fire user, and the other owner of Festus. Teqi and her twin, Tony, were sneaking shots to kids and handed out stickers to know which ones they'd have to ignore after a while. Percy went to go to the arena, and I said I'd follow him as soon as Lee fixed up my neck.

Lee led me into Cabin Seven, where Kayla Knowles and her brother, Austin Lake were playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo and blasting Taylor Swift. I groaned as I flopped down on his bed while Lee went to get first-aid stuff.

Kayla bounded up to me, wearing a plastic laurel wreath because she won that round. "Hey!"

"Sup," I said, voice muffled from the comforter.

My iPod was still playing music, and the song changed due to the presence of Apollo's children. It would change the song to whatever was a strong emotion you felt. Gilded Lily was playing, and I wanted to tear out the headphones, but the music wouldn't stop playing until you left the cabin, so you might as well buckle up for the ride.

Haven't I given enough, given enough?

Haven't I given enough, given enough?

Always the fool with the slowest heart

But I know you'll take me with you

We'll live in spaced between walls

Lee sat down on his bed and pulled me up into a sitting position. Kayla and Austin smirked at me as they left Cabin Seven. I made a mental note to 'accidentally' stab them during the next capture the flag.

Lee held my head up, and used his thumb to lift my chin up to get a better reach at the wound. "Four minor puncture wounds from her nails, bruising from strangulation. Kiera, you have to be more careful."

I laughed. "You don't think I know that?"

He stopped cleaning out the small scratches for a second, but continued when he thought of something to say. "How many more rock bottoms are you gonna have to hit before you start taking care of yourself?"

I knit my eyebrows. "I'm thinking of a number between. . .eleven. . .twenty-five."

Lee let go of me and my head moved back down to see him scowling at me. "I'm serious, Kiera."

"Okay? You think I want to get hurt?" I asked. 

"Sure seems like it with the amount of times its happened."

"No, that's not what that is," I said. "I get chosen for those kind of things."

"Then don't. Refuse it."

"It isn't that easy." I stood up from the bed and Lee followed, putting away his medical stuff.

"I bet it is."

"I can't just say 'oh, by the way, I can't help fight because I'm gonna refuse it.' They'd be in trouble."

"Then let them fight their own battles."

"I can't just do that, Lee."

Lee slammed the drawer closed. "Yes, yes you fucking can! Just let them fight for once, you can attack with your powers, it is so much easier than you think."

"I can't keep using them like that, it doesn't work like that." I murmured, feeling anger rising in my chest. A lump formed in my throat. I hated it when people yelled at me, it reminded me too much of Gabe.

"You have the  life! The life almost every half-blood here wants, they want to be powerful, they want to be acknowledged!"

I whirled on him. "You think I wanted this life!?"

"Kie—"

"Don't 'Kie' me! I'm serious, too. You actually think I wanted this power? To be born with the curse  of being a half-blood."

"It isn't a curse!" 

"For me it sure as hell is!"

"Kiera, you have to take care of yourself! You aren't going to make it past seventeen if you act like this!"

I balled my fists and took deep breaths. I wanted to hit something or smash something, but I had to refrain myself. I can do it later.

"I do take care of myself!" I screamed. "Every damned minute of my life is me taking care of Percy, of my mom, of Tyson, of campers, I'm last on that fucking list, but I sure as hell try to get there!"

"That isn't what I meant." He protested. "I just tried to say that you have to be more careful."

"Then say that!" 

Tears were clouding my vision. I couldn't believe him. He thought I wanted to get hurt, thought I wanted to be chosen to be the Moiraio, to be a daughter of Poseidon, to be a half-blood.

"Jeez, just let me talk." He argued.

"I did!" A tear slipped from my eye and fell to the floor. "And this shit is what you say! You expect that everything is easier than it is. You go on a quest. You go the the Underworld. You watch gods discuss your life like its nothing. You go to the Sea of Monsters. You go hold the sky. You get a mark permanently burned into your skin, and then, come talk to me."

He grabbed onto my wrist, stopping me from moving. "Kiera, please."

"No. . ." I said as I closed my eyes. "No, Lee. I have to take care of everyone on that list before me, you want to know why? Because I can't die without making sure they'll be okay. What if I didn't do that, and I died the next day? Percy and Mom and all those people on my list would struggle, so while I am  here, I fucking try my hardest." I shook him off and walked out of the door, electricity arcing around me till I calmed down. My powers had barely gotten better, even with the rune. It was supposed to keep me and the people around me alive, but I still had small outbursts like sparks being thrown off of me. 

Kayla was outside, cleaning her arrows, and her eyes widened as she stared at me. "Oh, gods, Kiera. . .What happened in there?"

I forgot that Cabin Seven has soundproof walls, so they can blare music as loud as they want.

"It's nothing." I sniffled. "Just allergies plus antiseptic."

"You sure?" She asked.

I nodded and walked to the box I made right outside of Cabin Three. When I arrived, I changed out of my school clothes and into sports shorts and a white tank top—I shadow traveled to my bathroom and back out once I was changed—I quickly tugged on my running shoes and grabbed a bottle of water. By the time I arrived in the sword arena, I noticed Percy was still there. There was a huge hellhound and a man in Greek armor. They seemed to be talking while the hellhound sat next to Percy, chewing on a training dummy.

"Kiera!" Percy waved me over. "This is Mrs. O'Leary—"he waved a hand at the monster "—and this is her owner, Quintus."

I studied the man. He was in his fifties, I assumed, with short gray hair and a clipped gray beard. he was in good shape for an older guy. He wore black mountain climbing pants and a bronze breastplate strapped over an orange camp T-shirt. At the base of his neck was a strange mark, a purplish blotch like a birthmark or a tattoo, but before I could say anything, he shifted his armor straps and the mark disappeared under his collar.

"'Kay," I said. "Why does Quintus have a hellhound?"

"She's my pet." He explained.

"Yeah, I uh—I already know. But why?" I wasn't in the mood to deal with him, so I just decided to try and be nicer.

Quintus shrugged. "Why not?"

I sighed and put my hand out. "Kiera Jackson."

Quintus's eyes gleamed. "You look much like your brother, twins?"

Gods, I'm tired of hearing that. "Mhm."

"Ah! So that makes you the first demigod daughter of Poseidon!" He said. "And, the Moiraio."

I gave a forced smile. All I wanted to do at the moment was train, but I was getting caught up in someone's conversation. "Yeah. You are. . ?"

"Oh, right," he said. "New sword instructor, by the way. Helping out Chiron while Mr. D is away."

I frowned. "Mr. D is away?"

"Yes, well. . .busy times. Even Dionysus must help out. He's gone to visit some old friends. Make sure they're on the right side."

Right.

Off to my left, there was a loud BUMP. Some wooden crates the size of picnic tables were stacked nearby, and they were rattling. Mrs. O'Leary cocked her head and bounded toward them.

"Whoa, girl!" Quintus said. "Those aren't for you." He threw a bronze shield like a frisbee.

The crates thumped and shook. There were words printed on the sides, but with my dyslexia they took me a bit to decipher:

TRIPLE G RANCH

FRAGILE

THIS END UP

Along the bottom, in smaller letters: OPEN WITH CARE. TRIPLE G RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.

"What's in the boxes?" Percy asked.

"A little surprise," Quintus said. "Training activity for tomorrow night. You'll love it."

"Uh, okay," we said, though I wasn't sure about the painful death part.

Quintus threw the bronze shield, and Mrs. O'Leary lumbered after it. "You young ones need more challenges. They didn't have camps like this when I was a boy."

"You—you're a half-blood?" Percy asked. I slapped the back of his head, but he was right. We'd never seen an old demigod before.

Quintus chuckled. "Some of us do  survive into adulthood, you know. Not all of us are the subject of terrible prophecies."

"Must be nice." I grumbled. "You know about our prophecy?"

"I've heard a few things."

I wanted to ask what  few things, but Chiron clip-clopped into the arena. "Percy, Kiera, there you two are!"

He must've just come from teaching archery. He had a quiver and bow slung over his #1 CENTAUR T-shirt. He'd trimmed his curly brown hair and beard for the summer, and his lower half, which was a white stallion, was flecked with mud and grass.

"I see you've met our new instructor." Chiron's tone was light, but something was off. "Quintus, do you mind if I borrow Percy and Kiera?"

"Not t all, Master Chiron."

"No need to call me 'Master'" Chiron said, thought he sounded sort of pleased. "Come, children. We have much to discuss."

I shrugged as Percy told Quintus we'd see him later. As we were walking away, I asked Chiron, "Quintus seems kind of—"

"Mysterious?" Chiron suggested. "Hard to read?"

"Yep."

Chiron nodded. "A very qualified half-blood. Excellent swordsman. I just wish I understood. . ."

Whatever he was going to say he changed his mind. "First things first, kids. Annabeth and Lee told me you two met some empousai."

"Yeah." We told him abut the fight at Goode, and how Kelli exploded into flames.

"Mm," Chirons aid. "The more powerful ones can do that. She did not die, though. She simply escaped. It is not good that the she-demons are stirring."

"What were they doing there?" I asked. "Waiting for Percy and I?"

"Possible." Chiron frowned. "It is amazing you survived. Their powers of deception. . .almost any male hero would've fallen under their spell and been devoured."

I almost did.

"We would've been," Percy admitted. "Except for Rachel."

Chiron nodded. "Ironic to be saved by a mortal, yet we owe her. What the empousa  said about an attack on camp—we must speak of this further. But for now, come, we should get to the woods. Grover will want you there."

"Where?"

"At his formal hearing," Chiron said grimly. "The Council of Cloven Elders is meeting now to decide his fate."

————————☁︎ ✯  ☾ ✯ ☁︎————————

Chiron said we needed to hurry, so we got on his back. As we galloped past the cabins, I glanced at the dining hall—an open-air Greek pavilion on a hill overlooking the sea. It was the first time I'd seen the place since last summer, and it brought back bad memories.

Chiron plunged into the woods. Nymphs peeked out of the trees to watch us pass. Large shapes rustled in the shadows—monsters that were stocked in here as a