¹On This Spring Day.

005.

"Nothing," the son of Poseidon said quickly. "I just didn't expect you to ..."

"Talk to you?" Violet finished for him. She rolled her eyes at the assumption. "I need to tell you guys something."

As she told Percy and Grover her nightmare, the satyr started twirling his finger around the shaggy fur on his legs. Percy leaned forward, as if examining Violet's face for any hints of lying.

"You think I'm lying?" she asked the black-haired boy furiously. "I'm not."

Percy shook his head. "I don't think you're lying. It's just ..." He looked between Grover and Violet, as if making sure they wouldn't make fun of him. "I had the same dream."

Grover looked even more nervous after that. "And a cave ceiling collapsed on Annabeth?"

"Yeah. What the hell does that mean?" asked Percy.

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoë dreamed—"

"Whoa. What do you mean? Zoë 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."

Violet held out her hand, in a pause everything manner. "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."

Violet stared at the satyr in disbelief. "You're a stalker!"

"With hooves," Percy added with a snicker.

"I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got really upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene."

"You said you followed Zoë to the Big House," Violet started, poking Grover in the chest, "and you have the gall to say you're not a stalker?"

"I'm really not!" insisted the satyr, shaking his head.

"I'm not buying it." She crossed her arms.

Whether Grover was being a stalker or not, Argus showing up meant something serious was going down. Argus was the head of security for camp—a big, blond dude with eyes all over his body.

"What did she say?" Percy 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—"

"Hold on," Violet broke in. "Artemis is in trouble?"

"I ... Well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horsetail in curlers and—"

"He wears curlers in his tail?" Violet leaned forward. "I knew those weren't natural!"

Grover covered his mouth.

"Sorry," said the daughter of Eros. "Go on."

"Well, Zoë said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoë 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?'"