𝒊. 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊.

They camped out in the woods, a hundred yards from the main road, in a marshy clearing that local kids had obviously been using for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers.

They'd taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but didn't dare light a fire to dry their damp clothes. The Furies and Medusa had provided enough excitement for one day. They didn't want to attract anything else.

They decided to sleep in shifts. Percy volunteered to take first watch.

Annabeth and Noelle curled up on the blankets. Annabeth and Noelle bundle up close together for warmth. They were both snoring as soon as their heads hit the ground.

Noelle's dream was weird. It wasn't the same nightmare she'd been having repetitively.

Instead, she was back in Cabin Eight. She was standing with her back to the door, looking down the middle of the bunks towards the bathroom.

There was a girl illuminated in silver light that came from the bathroom. The girl was shorter than Noelle and looked to be about age twelve.

The girl had auburn hair and silvery grey eyes-- the same color as the specks in Noelle's eyes. Draped around the girl's shoulders was a silver ski parka. A quiver of arrows were on her back to provide ammo for the silver bow in her hands.

"Artemis," Noelle said flatly.

"Noelle Grove." The goddess stepped forward until she was in the exact center of the cabin. "You've grown into a beautiful young lady."

"Why did you break your vow of maidenhood for my father?"

Noelle expected the goddess to grow angry, instead she sighed. "Your father was one of the few mortal men to ever witness my Hunt. The three to have witnessed it before him were all killed or turned into wild animal. And of course there's the giant Orion--"

"My father," Noelle reminded Artemis. "Why is he so special?"

"Your father never asked anything of me, but he gave so much. He entranced me and I found myself developing and interest in him. You look so much like him." The goddess smiled at her daughter. "All you really need to know is your father is such a kind man. I hope Emily treats him well."

"I hope so, too." Noelle's eyebrows scrunched together. "But since you're no longer a maiden, will you have more children?"

Artemis smiled sadly. "Fortunately, no. Zeus has made it pretty clear that he doesn't even want you alive."

"Looks like Percy and I are floating in the same boat," she said.

"What a shame to be classified with a boy." For a moment Noelle thought Artemis was joking, but the look on her face said otherwise.

"Percy is a good friend. I'm glad we're in the same boat."

Artemis ignored her statement. "At any rate I served double the years of punishment to appeal to Zeus and have you stay alive."

"Why keep me alive? I'm no one special."

"I think not, Noelle. You're much more dangerous than you think, and this is only the beginning of your story."

"What does that even mean?" Noelle asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. Goodbye, Noelle."

The goddess melted into the moonlight and Noelle woke. The sun was already a quarter of the way through the sky by the time her eyes were open. Percy was still sleeping and Annabeth was staring into the woods. Grover had a pink poodle sitting in his lap.

Apparently Grover found the poodle on his attempt to run away.

He introduced Noelle to the poodle, "Gladiola this is Noelle. Noelle say hello."

Noelle mustered up a friendly and not at all disturbed smile. "Hello, Gladiola."

Gladiola leaned toward Noelle and she stuck her hand out. He nuzzled into her hand, whimpering something to Grover.

"He says you remind him of the wilderness," Grover translated.

Noelle decided not to comment and instead said a simple 'thank you'.

After that short conversation there was nothing much left to do. So, Noelle decided to wake up Percy, who's eyebrows were furrowed and looked like he was in pain.

Annabeth sat a few feet away from Percy and Noelle. She was crumpling her bag of corn chips. Noelle's bag remained uneaten on top of her blanket.

Percy's eyes opened after Noelle had shaken his shoulder for a few moments.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

He was trembling. "How long was I asleep?"

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast." Annabeth tossed him a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from Aunty Em's snack bar. "And Grover went exploring. Look, he found a friend."

Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with Gladiola in his lap.

Even though Gladiola seemed nice enough, Noelle decided she wouldn't want him sitting on her. He was dirty and had an unnaturally pink fur coat.

The poodle yapped at Percy suspiciously. Grover said, "No, he's not."

He blinked. "Are you... talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled.

"This thing," Grover warned, "is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

Grover ignored the question. "Percy, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."

He stared at Annabeth and Noelle, probably thinking they were pranking him, but they looked deadly serious.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," He said. "Forget it."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. Noelle said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

The poodle growled.

He said hello to the poodle.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"Of course," he said. "Silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, "we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

"Not another bus," Noelle said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed.

She pointed downhill, toward train tracks none of them had seen last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the west-bound train leaves at noon."