𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

Jealousy jealousy

The Council of the Cloven Elders, a bunch of overweight satyrs, were sitting in a circle in the grass. Grover stood in the middle of them, facing three of the fattest satyrs, all three of whom sat on topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes.

Grover was telling them the story of Pan and New Mexico, horribly, he never was a good storyteller; twisting the bottom of his T-shirt until it was wrinkled, shifting nervously on his goat hooves, and gnawing on his bottom lip.

Standing off to one side of the circle were Evangeline, Annabeth, Clarrise, and Juniper, Grover's girlfriend. The brunette heard the sound of galloping hooves and saw Chiron dropping Percy off next to Annabeth.

Clarisse was quick to glare at the son of Poseidon, muttering, "Punk." Her dirty blonde hair was tied back with a camouflage bandana. Annabeth had her arms around Juniper, who looked like she'd been crying.

Juniper was petite with wispy hair the colour of amber and a pretty, elfish face. She wore a green chiton and laced sandals. Her ears with slightly pointed, and instead of her eyes being tinged red from crying, they were green, the color of chlorophyll. She was a tree nymph- a dryad.

"It's going terribly," The tree nymph sniffled.

The blonde patted her shoulder. "He'll be fine, Juniper." The daughter of Athena promised.

Percy quickly went behind the three girls, he stood beside the brunette and elbowed her in the side. "Who?" he whispered to her.

"Grover's girlfriend." She grumbled.

"Master Underwood!" The council member on the right shouted, cutting off whatever Grover was trying to say. "Do you seriously expect us to believe this?"

"But-but, Silenus," The satyr stammered. "It's the truth!"

Silenus turned to his colleagues and muttered something. Chiron cantered up to the front and stood next to them, the elders didn't look very impressed with the honorary member.

Silenus tugged his yellow polo shirt over his belly and adjusted himself on his rosebush throne. "Master Underwood, for six months-six months- we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak."

"But I did!" Grover insisted.

"impudence!" said the elder on the left.

"Naw, Maron," Chiron said. "Patience."

"Patience, indeed!" Maron said. "I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak to... to him."

Juniper looked like she wanted to charge the old satyr and beat him up, but Annabeth and Clarisse held her back. Evangeline wanted to see what that would look like but much to her dismay it didn't happen. "Wrong fight, girlie," Clarisse muttered. "Wait."

"For six months," Silenus continued, "We have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher's license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?"

"I just need more time," the younger satyr pleaded.

"Nothing!" The elder in the middle chimed in. "You have found nothing."

"But, Leneus-"

Silenus raised his hand. Chiron leaned in and said something to the satyrs. They didn't look happy. They muttered and argued among themselves, but the centaur said something else, and Silenus sighed. He nodded reluctantly.

"Master Underwood," Silenus announced. "We will give you one more chance."

The young protector brightened. "Thank you!"