¹On This Spring Day.

004.

His shoulders deflated. "Okay, fine. I'm scared. I would like to keep my soul instead of having it reaped. But ... Forget it."

"What?" Violet asked.

He shook his head. "It's nothing."

Before she could pry more, Mrs. O'Leary started barking—a sound that was only slightly louder than an artillery gun. It was her way of saying ( barking? ) that she needed to get out of the arena. Violet gave Percy one more glance before turning and letting the hellhound through the gates to the place. The monster bounded straight towards the woods.

Percy and Violet trailed after Mrs. O'Leary, their arms barely brushing together before Violet hurried forward. If the prophecy was right, Percy's soul would get reaped. She didn't want to think of what would happen to him, so it was better to ignore him the best she could. And she couldn't stop being jealous, and this wasn't the time for jealousy. But like any other emotion, Violet couldn't stop feeling it. As sick as it was, she was jealous of the recognition Percy received. He was the son of Poseidon, he was the hero of the Great Prophecy, and he would ( hopefully ) be the one to save the world. But what was Violet?

She found the hellhound in a familiar clearing—the clearing the Council of Cloven Elders had put Grover on trial. The place didn't look so good. The grass had turned yellow. The three topiary thrones had lost all their leaves. But that's not what surprised Violet. In the middle of the glade stood the weirdest trio she had ever seen: Juniper the tree nymph, Nico di Angelo, and a very old, very fat satyr.

Nico was the only one who didn't seem freaked out by Mrs. O'Leary's appearance. He looked pretty much like Violet had last seen him on her sixteenth birthday—an aviator's jacket, black jeans, and a T-shirt with dancing skeletons on it like one of those Day of the Dead pictures. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side. He was only twelve, though he looked much older and much sadder.

When he looked at Violet, she knew there was no backing out.

He nodded when he saw her, then went back to scratching Mrs. O'Leary's ears. She sniffed his legs like he was the most interesting thing since rib-eye steaks. Being the son of Hades, he'd probably been traveling in all sorts of hellhound-friendly places.

The old satyr didn't look nearly so happy. "Will someone—What is this Underworld creature doing in my forest!" He waved his arms and trotted on his hooves like the grass was hot. "You there, Violet Beaumont! Is this your beast?"

Mrs. O'Leary barked happily, shaking some birds from their nests.

"Um, yes, Leneus." Violet hooked her finger under the hellhound's pink collar. Though, she knew if Mrs. O'Leary took off, that wasn't going to stop her. "Sorry about her. She really is harmless."

The satyr scoffed and rolled his eyes, and she knew he didn't believe her. His fur was dust-bunny grey and a spider web grew between his horns. His belly would've made him an invincible bumper car. "Harmless? Highly unlikely. She is an Underworld monster! Things from there are the worst of the worst. Now, call of this beast!"

Mrs. O'Leary barked happily again. She couldn't tell the satyr was insulting.

The old satyr gulped. "Make it go away! Juniper, I will not help you under these circumstances!"

Juniper turned towards Violet and Percy. She was pretty in a dryad-y way, with her purple gossamer dress and her elfish face, but her eyes were green-tinted with chlorophyll from crying. "Percy, Violet," she sniffled, rubbing her pointy nose. "I was just asking about Grover. I know something's happened. He wouldn't stay gone this long if he wasn't in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus—"