THERE WERE ONLY A FEW THINGS Naomi missed about life outside of Camp Half-Blood, and one of them was Sally Jackson.
In seventh grade, Percy's mom had been the closest thing to a mother Naomi had ever known, and while she'd since come to terms with the fact that her real mother was the queen of the Underworld, that hadn't dulled the light Mrs. Jackson had shone in Naomi's life.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. Naomi hadn't seen her friends in months, but it was clear they were all too nervous about the mission to talk much. Luckily, Mrs. Jackson was more than willing to fill the silence with every embarrassing story she had from Percy's childhood.
Thalia wiped the fog off the car window as they approached Westover Hall. Apparently she'd call shotgun before they picked up Naomi, leaving Annabeth, Percy, and Naomi to share the back seat. And, of course, Percy and Annabeth had stuck Naomi in the middle seat because she was the smallest. The joys of being short.
"Oh, yeah," Thalia said. "This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked like an evil queen's castle. It was all black stone with towers and slit windows and wooden double doors like a mouth ready to swallow them whole. 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?" Sally asked.
"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
"It's okay, Mrs. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blonde 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."
Percy's mom seemed to relax. Naomi couldn't blame her—Annabeth had a reputation for getting Percy out of bad situations.
"All right, dears," Sally said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Mrs. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"
"Mom—" Percy said.
"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."
"Bye, Mrs. Jackson!" Naomi said before she stepped out. "It was good seeing you."
"Oh, it was good seeing you, too, Naomi." Sally reached back and squeezed her hand. "Talk to Chiron about you coming to stay with us for Christmas. I'll make a call if I need to."
"I will," Naomi promised.
She got out with the rest of her friends. The wind blew straight through Naomi's coat and sweater like ice daggers. She sneezed into her elbow, groaning unhappily.
Being Persephone's kid was not fun during the winter. Not only did she get sick more easily, but as she'd discovered recently, her ability to summon flowers and plants was weaker, too, all because her mom was in the Underworld. It was seriously unfair.
Once Sally's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
"She's pretty okay," Percy admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"
As soon as he said it, Thalia stiffened. She gave him an evil look. "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 that distress call."
"I doubt it's anything good," Naomi muttered.
❊
The oak doors opened with a displeased groan, and the four half-bloods stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.
"Whoa," Percy said.
Naomi couldn't help but agree. The school was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battleaxes, and a bunch of other stuff.
Naomi twisted her ring, already uneasy. There was definitely something wrong about this place.
Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"
The doors slammed shut behind them.
"Oo-kay," Percy mumbled. "Guess we'll stay a while."
Naomi could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.
They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. They hadn't gone very far when Naomi heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them.
They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. They walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.
"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Um..." Percy scrambled for an explanation. "Ma'am, we're just—"
"Ha!" the man snapped, which made Naomi 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 flaring when he spoke. His eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue.
Naomi figured he was about to kick them out, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something strange.
She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Naomi felt a gust of wind ripple out of her hand, across the room. It washed over all of them, 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, Naomi, and Percy. We're in the ninth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes, but he seemed hesitant.
He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"
She blinked, like she'd just woken from a trance. "I... yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at the teenagers. "Annabeth. Naomi. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"
Before anyone could answer, Naomi 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?" the man said. His tone made it clear he despised 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 Naomi and her companions. He looked like he wanted to pitch them 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!"
They didn't need to be told twice. They left with a lot of Yes, ma'am's and Yes, sir's and a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the smart thing to do.
Grover hustled them down the hall in the direction of the music. He hurried them to a door labeled GYM.
"That was close!" Grove said. "Thank the gods you got here!"
Annabeth, Thalia, and Naomi hugged him. Percy gave him a high five.
It was good to see him after so long. 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 trainers to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black t-shirt that took Naomi a moment to decipher: WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. She wasn't sure whether that was his rank or just the school motto.
"So, what's the emergency?" Percy 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. With the campers that they were losing, they needed all the fighters they could find.
The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.
"A brother and a sister," Grover 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?" Naomi asked.
"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.
"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."
❊
The gym floor was covered in black and red balloons. Guys were kicking them into each other's faces, or trying to strangle each other with the streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved around in groups, talking and giggling amongst themselves.
"There they are." Grover nodded toward a pair of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."
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."
Percy nodded. "So, let's grab them and get out of here.
He started forward, but Thalia put a hand on his 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 the teenagers' direction, his blue eye almost glowing.
He was definitely suspicious. Great.
"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?" Percy asked.
"We're four 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?" Percy asked.
"Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."
Annabeth had somehow gotten taller since last summer—now, she was taller than Naomi and Percy. She didn't usually wear jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, somehow.
"So..." Percy seemed to be trying to think of something to say. "Um, design any good buildings lately?"
Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh my gods, guys. At my new school, I get to take 3D design, and there's this cool computer..."
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—all things Naomi didn't have a chance of understanding, but she liked how Annabeth's eyes sparkled when she talked about architecture.
If Naomi was being completely honest, she was a little jealous of Annabeth and her new school. With Luke's Kronos-sponsored mission to kidnap her, Naomi was rarely able to leave camp—even this mission was pushing it. Despite the proximity of Annabeth and Thalia's boarding school to camp, Chiron still didn't think it was safe enough for Naomi to risk going to any school outside of camp.
Naomi understood—she wasn't keen on getting kidnapped by the Titan Lord and his traitorous minions—but it still sucked. She never imagined she'd feel this way, but she missed going to school.
She tried to push her negative thoughts away, refocusing on Annabeth. "So, you're staying there for the rest of the year?"
Annabeth's face grew dark. "Well, maybe, if I don't—"
"Hey!" Thalia called to them. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and just generally looking like he wanted to die.
Naomi fought a laugh at her friend's expense.
"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
"But there's three of us," Percy protested.
"Make that one of you," Annabeth said, grabbing Naomi's hand. "C'mon—I doubt you'll step on my feet as much as Percy would."
Annabeth pulled Naomi out onto the dance floor, leaving Percy with his mouth open in shock and mild offense.
"It's a slow dance," Naomi said, looking around at the other couples dancing—girls who looked like they were forcing smiles and boys who looked like they'd rather be anywhere else in the world. She didn't see any girls dancing together, and she didn't see any boys dancing together, either.
"Nothing gets past you, Nay," Annabeth teased.
"But—"
"It'll be fine," Annabeth told her, seeming to realize what Naomi was nervous about. She'd always been able to read people like open books—especially Naomi. "Girls dance together all the time. No big deal."
Of course, Naomi knew that. She'd danced with girls before. Silena had once tried to teach her and Drew how to waltz, leading to about half a minute of actual effort and a full five minutes of uncontrollable giggling to the soundtrack of Chopin's "Spring Waltz."
But the idea of dancing with Annabeth felt different than dancing with Drew or Silena. It felt like a big deal. It made Naomi feel like her stomach was performing its own waltz, leaving her lightheaded and maybe a tad nauseous.
Annabeth didn't give her any longer to psych herself out. She maneuvered Naomi's hands onto her shoulders and placed her own on Naomi's waist.
They swayed to the music. Naomi tried to focus on anything but the army of mutant butterflies that had come to life in her stomach—the streamers hanging from the rafters, the punch bowl, the music.
She was only a little successful.
"What were you saying earlier?" Naomi asked, hoping for a distraction. "Is everything okay at your school?"
Annabeth pursed her lips. "It's not that. It's my dad."
"Uh-oh." Naomi knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father. "I thought things were getting better between 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 a World War I book. In San Francisco."
She said this the same way Naomi would say St. Monica's.
"So, he wants you to move out there with him?" Naomi asked.
"To the other side of the country," Annabeth said miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."
Naomi frowned. "Why not?"
"It's right there," Annabeth said, as if the problem was obvious. To a seasoned half-blood and walking encyclopedia like her, it probably was, but to Naomi—not so much.
Naomi decided she'd just ask someone else later. She didn't like looking dumb in front of Annabeth (no matter how easy it was). Instead, she just nodded like she understood. "Right. So... you'll go back to living at camp?"
"It's more serious than that, Nay," Annabeth said. "I... I should tell you something."
Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."
Naomi blinked. "What?"
She followed Annabeth's gaze to the bleachers—the empty bleachers. The door next to the bleachers was wide open, Dr. Thorn and the two kids, Bianca and Nico, nowhere in sight.
"We have to get the others!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off to? Come on!"
"Find Grover and Thalia, I'll get Percy," Naomi said, scanning the gymnasium. After a few seconds, she spotted a familiar head of black hair in the middle of a gang of lipstick-wielding girls. Weaving through the crowd, she grabbed Percy's wrist and dragged him toward the bleachers, ignoring his startled yelp at being abruptly manhandled.
"What's wrong?" he asked, already reaching for his pen with the hand that wasn't held hostage by Naomi.
"The kids are gone, and so is Dr. Thorn," Naomi said. "Annabeth's looking for Grover and Thalia now. Do you see them anywhere?"
Percy looked around, starting to shake his head when he stopped, his eyes trained on something. He jerked his chin toward the bleachers.
Naomi followed his gaze. About fifteen meters 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 she caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out of a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.
Naomi couldn't see Annabeth anywhere, or Grover and Thalia.
"We need to get the others," Naomi said.
Percy looked back, as if trying to spot one of their companions. His brow pinched together—a telltale sign he was torn between two opposing ideas.
"There's no time," he decided. "Come on."
"We can't go in there alone!" Naomi protested. "We don't know what that monster even is. What if he's too much for us to take on our own?"
"We can handle it," Percy insisted. "Come on!"
Naomi didn't have much choice in the matter—Percy grabbed her hand again and they ran after Dr. Thorn.
❊
The door took them out into a dark hallway. Naomi heard the sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a pained grunt. She summoned Hemlock as Percy uncapped Riptide.
They jogged down the corridor, but when they reached the end, no one was there. Percy pushed open a door and they found themselves back in the main entry hall. They'd gone in a full circle. Dr. Thorn wasn't anywhere in sight, but there on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in horror, staring right at Naomi and Percy.
Naomi lowered her sword, advancing slowly. "It's okay. We're here to help."
They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear, but of what? Naomi and Percy? And where was Dr. Thorn?
"My name's Percy," Percy said calmly. "This is my friend Naomi. We're going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."
Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Too late, Naomi realized what she was trying to say without words—she wasn't afraid of Naomi and Percy.
She was trying to warn them.
The two whirled around and Naomi heard the sound of something like a giant whip hissing through the air. Percy was thrown to the side, slamming into the wall.
Naomi raised Hemlock, slashing with the blade, but all it made contact with was empty air.
A cold laugh echoed through the hall.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr. Thorn said. "I know who you are. You and your little bastard friend."
Naomi looked in the direction of the monster masquerading as a vice principal, scowling at the wholly unnecessary insult.
She risked a brief glance at Percy, who was pinned to the wall by some sort of black projectile. He couldn't seem to free himself, and his face was pinched with pain.
"Show yourself, coward!" Naomi called, hoping to stall long enough for Percy to free himself or for Annabeth and the others to catch up with them—whichever came first.
A dark silhouette moved toward them, and Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked relatively human, but his face had taken on a gaunt, almost ghoulish appearance. His perfect white teeth and brown/blue eyes reflected the light from Naomi's sword.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle-school dances."
Naomi charged, trying to get a clean cut through his neck like Clarisse had taught her during training, but he moved faster than her eyes could keep up with. He sent his elbow into the crook of her own, hitting it just right to force her fingers to uncurl. Hemlock fell noisily onto the linoleum floor, and he kicked it behind them.
Before Naomi could come up with a Plan B, a hand gripped almost too tightly around her throat, and another projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn.
A few feet away, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, a millimeter from her face.
"All four 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..." His fingers tightened just a little more around Naomi's throat, forcing her breath to stutter. "You'll be seeing that stepfather of yours within the hour."
❊