¹On This Spring Day.

015.

               Annabeth looked queasy, as if she'd slept even worse than AJ.

               "Bad dreams?" Percy asked at last.

               She shook her head. "An Iris Message from Eurytion."

               "Eurytion?" AJ frowned. "Who's that?"

               "Eurytion was a half-blood we met down in the Labyrinth," Annabeth explained. "He helps run the Triple G Ranch."

               "So why'd he call?" asked AJ.

               "He called to say that Nico left the ranch some nights ago—maybe two, three?" Annabeth pursed her lips.

               "What? Didn't Eurytion try to stop him?"

               "Nico was gone before he woke up. Orthus, Eurytion's dog, tracked his scent as far as the back of the house. Then the scent just disappeared. Eurytion said he'd been hearing Nico talk to himself the last few nights. Only now he thinks Nico was talking with the ghost again, Minos. But ..."

               "But what?" AJ raised his eyebrows.

               "Eurytion also mentioned he thought he heard a girl talking, too. And that Orthus kept getting whiffs of other scents."

               Percy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Look, guys, while I was on Ogygia I had dreams—about Violet and Nico."

               "And you didn't say anything before?" AJ frowned.

               "Because I was hoping that Violet and Nico were at Camp," Percy replied. "The first one was of them, on the Big House porch. They had this sword that belonged to Elain Nevitt."

               Annabeth frowned. "I've never heard of Elain Nevitt."

               "Neither have I," answered Percy. "But what's even weirder was the second dream I had ..." He explained to AJ and Annabeth what he saw; Violet and Nico in the Garden of Persephone and them receiving audience with Lord Hades.

               "Persephone's garden?" AJ repeated. "Why would they be down there?"

               Percy shrugged. "You think I have any clue? Besides, they might not even be down there anymore. Last night, I had a dream about Luke in the Labyrinth. They mentioned having a deal with Quintus and how Luke's men found a half-blood alone in the maze."

               "You think Violet and Nico could've gotten separated?" AJ asked.

               "For their sakes, I hope not," Annabeth spoke up. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Look—let's just go over everything here; Eurytion sent me and Iris Message saying that Nico left Triple G Ranch and that he heard a girl's voice before Nico left. That could be Violet."

               "We're hoping it's Violet, yeah," said Percy. "Otherwise, Nico has another ghostly friend."

               "It's Violet." Annabeth sent him a look. "And you had a dream where Violet and Nico were on the front porch of the Big House with a sword that belonged to Elain Nevitt. And the next time you saw them, they were in the Underworld—in Persephone's garden specifically."

               "Yeah." Percy nodded. "And that Hades found them."

               "Hopefully Hades was nice that day, considering Nico's his kid and all," AJ murmured.