𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄

𝐗𝐈𝐕

And all I've seen since 18 hours ago
Is green eyes, and freckles, and your smile
In the back of my mind, making me feel like
I just wanna know you better

𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝, taylor swift & ed sheeran

As soon as the Sun appeared, Selene grabbed the backpack she'd stolen from Camp Store and climbed up the hill.

She put on normal clothing Zoe had lent her the day before, saying it'd be quite weird walking around the city with a tunic. She didn't oppose, of course. Selene put her cellphone on the backpack, though no one could know she still had it, and managed to fold her tunic and tuck it there with the mask. She also included ten pairs of underwear, as you never know.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping." Thalia told her as soon as she met them near the white van, right over the cliff.

"I was too busy with your father."

"That's my line!"

"I came up with it first!"

"You stole it!"

"Alright, we shall go now." Zoe Nightshade interjected. "We're all here."

There were five of them—Zoe, Bianca, Grover, Thalia and Selene. One person missing.

Selene tilted her head sideways, "Shouldn't we wait for Phoebe?"

Zoe's eyes lit up with anger. "Phoebe isn't coming anymore. She was poisoned by Connor and Travis Stoll and is currently under treatment."

"Lady Selene! I brought this for you!" Grover practically skated on his hooves as he approached.

Her entire face lit up at the sight of it—a rose freshly plucked from the woods.

"Thank you, Grover," Selene caught the delicate blossom and sealed her appreciation with a gentle, yet quick kiss on his cheek.

Grover, utterly taken by the small kiss, seemed to melt into a puddle of sheer bliss. His eyes sparkled, and a dreamy smile spread across his face as he stood there, momentarily enchanted.

"Come on!" Zoe exclaimed as she'd already taken her place on the driver's seat. Bianca sat by her side, on the passenger's.

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You driving?"

"What do thee think?"

"It's you. Not thee, not thy. You!"

Zoe glanced at Selene, who just shrugged. They sat at the back, Selene in the middle. As soon as the door was closed, the van started rushing down the farm road, straight to the city.

"Where are we going?" Selene asked.

"First stop in Manhattan, m'Lady." Bianca glanced over her shoulder, "In about two hours."

"Can we sing a song?"

Thalia and Zoe screamed at the same time, "NO!"

Selene crossed her arms. "Y'all are so lame." Her eyebrows went up, and her eyes widened. "Can we at least make a pit stop for some donuts?"

Thalia leaned over and patted on her head, "You seem so tired. You better stop talking and take a little nap, huh? Like Grover over there." She gestured to him, already drooling and fast asleep by Selene's side.

She smiled. "You're so considerate, Thalia, thank you!"

Thalia wrinkled her nose, "Anytime."

As far as Thalia's irony, Selene was, indeed, too tired. She didn't even notice when she fell asleep on Thalia's shoulder. This time, her dream was lighter. She dreamt of the small conversation she had with Dionysus earlier, before meeting the group on the hill.

"Already packing up?" Dionysus casually plucked a cookie from the counter, turning to face Selene.

"Um, yea?"

"Thought you'd go for another swim..." His eyebrow went up.

"Oh. How did you..."

"I'm a god? I know things, unlike you." He tossed the rest of the cookie into his mouth, chewed it up, and dusted his hands on the knees of his pants. "Honestly, I couldn't care less. But there's something I was hoping to discuss before your departure."

Selene had to look at anything other than his face, for how much she was embarrassed. "Ok. Spill it."

"Did I ever tell you why Artemis roped me into helping you?" Dionysus asked, not waiting for her response. "Before I became this immortal, all-powerful god, I was a demigod. You know, half-human and all."

She casually leaned over the counter, snatching a cookie and taking a nonchalant bite. "Cool... I guess."

He rolled his eyes. "What I mean is—took me hundreds and hundreds of years before I got used to who I became, learning all by myself. I'm the only god who has some humanity, hence why I can understand what you're going through."

"Wow. You're the one with humanity?"

"Quiet, brat. Now, listen up: feeling frustrated, not always controlling who you are or what you can do, and failing to save the people you care about—those are things you'll learn to accept. Don't push yourself too far, brat. There are things we cannot control, even if we're gods, and in the end all we can do is mourn."

"That's it?"

"I wish I could feed you to the harpies."

Selene gestured with a 'One sec' finger, placing the half-eaten cookie back on the plate. She strolled over and hugged Dionysus, who stood there with a wrinkled nose.

"What do you think you're doing?" he grumbled.

"Thank you for helping me, Mr. D. When I get back, I expect you to teach me some other tricks—shadow travel, Mist control, shapeshifting—"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Get off."

"Ok!"

"My point is—you're full of humanity, and humanity holds us back. After centuries of losing people, watching heroes fall and getting your heart broken, you'll learn to block such foolish feelings like sadness, sorrow and passion..."

"Seems like you're speaking from experience."

"...but hold on, humanity isn't all doom and gloom. Even if you were to recover your memories one day, you won't revert to the old Titan Selene. Because now, you've savored what it's like to be like them, and let me tell you— you'll come to understand why every god secretly envies humans. As a wise friend of mine once said, everything is more beautiful simply because they're all doomed."

"Who said that? Shakespeare?"

"Brad Pitt!"

"Oh..." She chuckled, but her eyes quickly lowered."You think I'll ever become as powerful as I once was?"

"Definitely not. But at the same time, who you were would also never be as powerful as you are right now."

Traffic was bad with the holidays and all. It was mid morning before they got into the city. Zoe drove south like a crazy person, and they were already into Maryland before she finally pulled over at a rest stop. Selene wondered if she happened to have a drivers' license, because if so, they might as well let Blackjack drive a firetruck too.

"You drool when you sleep," Thalia observed, giving Selene's head a playful pat.

Waking up with a blurred vision, Selene looked around with confusion. "Where are we?"

"Convenience store," Zoe replied, marching out of the van. "Quick in and out. Let's move."

Thalia leaned over to Selene, "Why does she speak as if she's the leader?"

"Maybe 'cause she's the oldest."

"You are the oldest. Do you give out leader vibes?"

Selene pondered for a solid minute. "You've got a point." She shrugged, walking out of the van.

She followed Zoe and Bianca inside the convenience store, Grover and Thalia coming right behind her. Selene just dazed out while choosing snacks—though there wasn't a huge variety. Stuck between a couple of week-old donuts and the smelliest pack of Hot Cheetos someone could find, she sighed. Naturally, she opted for the Hot Cheetos. May the gods have mercy on her, because Zoe Nightshade and Thalia Grace wouldn't.

"I would've just gone for the blue donuts."

A voice piped up over her shoulder. Without turning, Selene retorted, "Oh no. Those were pretty tragic."

Thalia, busy searching for her own snacks, glanced over. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"You mentioned you'd choose the blue donuts, and I said no, they were pretty bad."

Thalia straightened up. "I never said that, Mene."

Selene glanced around, finding no one near them. "Oh. Right." She shook her head, blaming it on a severe lack of sleep.

While they were checking out and exiting the store, Selene dozed off again. She kept thinking about the things Dionysus told her earlier, how she'd undoubtedly lose people and there was nothing she could do about it. She looked around, seeing all of their faces.

Thalia, the closest to a girl friend she'd ever had, seemed ridiculously cool to Selene. Grover, the sweetest satyr ever, and also Percy's best boy friend. Zoe Nightshade, the person Selene admired the most—strong, respected, and skilled. Lastly, Bianca. The image of Bianca taking off a dagger from her chest, back when they were being chased by Dr. Thorn, remained carved in Selene's mind—no kid should have gone through that. If she were to fail in saving someone, let it be anyone but Bianca. It was unfair enough that she was dragged into this quest.

"Grover, are you sure?" Thalia was saying. Selene shook her head, and started paying attention to their conversation.

"Well... pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent."

"And you did this with acorns?" Bianca asked, like she couldn't believe it.

Grover looked offended. "It's a time-honored tracking spell. I mean, I'm pretty sure I did it right."

"D.C. is about sixty miles from here," Bianca said. "Nico and I..." She frowned. "We used to live there. That's... that's strange. I'd forgotten."

"I dislike this," Zoe said. "We should go straight west. The prophecy said west."

"Oh, like your tracking skills are better?" Thalia growled.

Zoe stepped toward her. "You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know nothing of being a Hunter!"

"Oh, scullion You're calling me a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?"

"Whoa, you two," Grover said nervously. "Come on. Not again!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Not now, Selene..." Bianca said. "Grover's right. D.C. is our best bet."

Zoe didn't look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. "Very well. Let us keep moving."

"You're going to get us arrested, driving," Thalia grumbled. "I look closer to sixteen than you do."

"Perhaps," Zoe snapped. "But I have been driving since automobiles were invented. Let us go."

Selene raised her hand, "Guys I drove a Mazda last summer! Maybe I can..."

"NO!"

"Y'all are so boring."

The van was crossing Potomac River into central Washington, and to everyone's sadness, Grover and Selene had found a common interest—acapella. The rest seemed about to kill themselves.

"AND I NEED YOU!" Selene belted out.

Grover chimed in, "AND I MISS YOU!"

"AND NOW I WOOOONDER..."

They harmonized on the next part, "IF I COULD FALL INTO THE SKY... DO YOU THINK TIME WOULD PASS ME BY..."

Zoe parked at the curb. Both she and Bianca turned back, seeing Thalia in the middle seat with hands clamped on her ears, tears pooling on the lower lids of her eyes.

"I can't take it anymore... This torture..."

"M'Lady." Zoe called her, and Selene quit singing, looking at her with a wide smile. "Shut thy fuck up."

"Oh."

"Something we can finally agree on." Thalia turned to Selene, "I hate you for it."

They walked off the van. Grover pointed toward one of the big buildings lining the Mall.

"There. I can feel it."

Selene was the last one to exit the van. When she looked back, over the street, she froze.

A block away, the door of a black sedan opened. A man with gray hair and a military buzz cut got out. He was wearing dark shades and a black overcoat. Now, maybe in Washington, you'd expected guys like that to be everywhere. Yet something was lingering in her mind, telling her it wasn't alright.

Then, Selene looked behind him. She narrowed her eyes, seeing that same tall idiot with sandy hair and flannels landing on a black flying horse. Percy.

"Hey," she turned to the group. "Can I buy some donuts? Like, very quickly."

"Are you for real?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"It'll be, like, very quickly. Plus there ain't much I can help you on right now."

"Be back in five."

"Yes, Boss!"

Thalia nodded, and the four of them trudged off into the cold wind.

Selene turned around and before walking to Percy's direction, all she could hear was Thalia and Zoe discussing because, apparently, Thalia shouldn't have let her separate from the group without asking Zoe first.

The guy took out his mobile phone and said something into it. Then he looked around, like he was making sure the coast was clear, and started walking down the Mall in their direction.

The worst of it was: when he turned toward Selene, she recognized his face. It was Dr. Thorn, the manticore from Westover Hall.

"Hi, Poseidon Junior," Selene whispered into Percy's ear, watching Blackjack circling twice around the monument before disappearing into the clouds. "Can't get enough of me, huh?"

He, with Riptide, his sword-pen drawn in her direction, looked baffled. "The heck? How did you...?"

"You're not the most graceful Pegasus rider. I saw you landing. Also spotted our pretty friend over there." She pointed at Dr. Thorn.

"Smooth," Percy muttered, rolling his eyes. "We should probably follow him."

"Yea, we should..." she sighed. "Kinda sounds like a stupid plan, to be honest."

"I'm used to stupid plans. They all work out in the end."

"Sure. All due to the power of friendship."

"You're getting the spirit pretty fast." He untucked a blue Yankee cap from his belt—the same cap Selene saw Annabeth taking off when they were fighting Dr. Thorn in Maine. "Is there a slight possibility that you can turn yourself invisible?"

"Not at all. But hey, I'm immortal. So I guess it's fine."

It wasn't fine.

"I can try to... I don't know. Maybe hold your hand? It can make us both turn invisible."

"Is that the only way?" Selene hesitated this time. Underwater, she hadn't thought twice about holding his hand or grabbing his shoulders. But now, in broad daylight and in the midst of a crucial quest, she hesitated for the first time.

"I think so, yea."

"...Fine."

Percy put on the cap, instantly vanishing from her sight. Selene couldn't help but feel a sudden chill as he intertwined their fingers (did he really need to do that? Wasn't simply holding it just as fine?). She shimmered out of visibility just like him, and they started following Dr. Thorn from a distance.

Thorn kept well back from their friends, careful not to be seen.

Finally, Grover stopped in front of a big building that said NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM.

Thalia checked the door. It was open, but there weren't many people going in. Too cold, and school was out of session. They slipped inside.

Dr. Thorn hesitated. Selene wasn't sure why, but he didn't go into the museum. He turned and headed across the Mall. Percy slightly pressed her hand, and she pressed it back. It was their silent way of telling each other they'd seen the same thing. They made a split-second decision and followed him.

Thorn crossed the street and climbed the steps of the Museum of Natural History. There was a big sign on the door.

"Closed for... Pirate event?" Percy muttered, reading it with a quizzical expression.

Selene's mouth curved up into a smile, "Private. Private event, Perce."

"That makes much more sense."

They followed Dr. Thorn inside, through a huge chamber full of mastodons and dinosaur skeletons. There were voices up ahead, coming from behind a set of closed doors. Two guards stood outside. They opened the doors for Thorn, and Percy and Selene had to sprint to get inside before they closed them again.

Inside, what Selene saw was so terrible she almost gasped out loud, which probably would've gotten them killed.

Percy wasn't far behind, yet she couldn't see it. She just felt by how tightly he pressed his hand onto hers.

They were in a huge round room with a balcony ringing the second level. At least a dozen mortal guards stood on the balcony, plus two monsters—reptilian women with double-snake trunks instead of legs.

"I'd seen them before. Annabeth had called them Scythian dracaenae." He had to whisper on Selene's ear so they wouldn't be heard.

Her entire body shivered up. Not because of his whisper, of course. Just due to the Scythian dracanae.

But that wasn't the worse of it. Standing between the snake women—Selene could swear she was looking straight down at her—was the boy she'd only seen in her worst nightmares, and heard about in Percy's stories. He looked terrible. His skin was pale and his black hair curls looked almost gray, as if he'd aged ten years in just a few months. He also had an angry line in his eyes, and so was the scar down the side of his face. But the scar was ugly red, as though it had recently been reopened. He looked exactly the same from her nightmares, just more exhausted.

Next to him, sitting down so that the shadows covered him, was another man. All she could see were his knuckles on the gilded arms of his chair, like a throne.

"Well?" asked the man in the chair. His voice was just like the one she'd heard in her dream—deep and strong, like the earth itself was talking. It filled the whole room even though he wasn't yelling.

Dr. Thorn took off his shades. His two-colored eyes, brown and blue, glittered with excitement. He made a stiff bow, then spoke in his weird French accent: "They are here, General."

"I know that, you fool," boomed the man. "But where?"

"In the rocket museum."

"The Air and Space Museum," Luke corrected irritably.

Dr. Thorn glared at Luke. "As you say, sir."

"How many?" Luke asked.

Thorn pretended not to hear.

"How many?" the General demanded.

"Four, General," Thorn said. "The satyr, Grover Underwood. And the girl with the spiky black hair and the—how do you say—punk clothes and the horrible shield."

"Thalia," Luke said.

"And two other girls—Hunters. One wears a silver circlet."

"That one I know," the General growled.

Luke raised an eyebrow, "How about Selene?"

She felt Percy pressing her hand once again. Selene thought of asking how did he know her, then it fell upon her they'd met earlier on her dream—so, it did happen. It wasn't just a nightmare.

"That ridiculous Goddess?" Thorn gave a cold laugh. "Haven't seen this one."

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably. This time, Selene was the one to press Percy's hand.

"Let me find Selene and take them," Luke said to the General. "We have more than enough—"

"Patience," the General said. "They'll have their hands full already. I've sent a little playmate to keep them occupied."

"But—"

"We cannot risk you, my boy."

"Yes, boy," Dr. Thorn said with a cruel smile. "You are much too fragile to risk. Let me finish them off."

"No." The General rose from his chair, and Selene got her first look at him.

He was tall and muscular, with light brown skin and slicked-back dark hair. He wore an expensive brown silk suit like the guys on Wall Street wear, but you'd never mistake this dude for a broker. He had a brutal face, huge shoulders, and hands that could snap a flagpole in half. His eyes were like stone. She felt as if she was looking at a living statue. It was amazing he could even move. Listen—not saying with all letters that he's kinda hot, but...

"You have already failed me, Thorn," he said.

"But, General—"

"No excuses!"

Thorn flinched. She'd thought Thorn was scary when she first saw him in his black uniform at the military academy. But now, standing before the General, Thorn looked like a silly wannabe soldier. The General was the real deal. He didn't need a uniform. He was a born commander.

"I should throw you into the pits of Tartarus for your incompetence," the General said. "I send you to capture a child of the three elder gods, and you bring me a scrawny daughter of Athena."

"But you promised me revenge.'" Thorn protested. "A command of my own!"

"I am Lord Kronos's senior commander," the General said. "And I will choose lieutenants who get me results! It was only thanks to Luke that we salvaged our plan at all. Now get out of my sight, Thorn, until I find some other menial task for you."

Thorn's face turned purple with rage. She thought he was going to start frothing at the mouth or shooting spines, but he just bowed awkwardly and left the room.

"Now, my boy." The General turned to Luke. "The first thing we must do is isolate the half-blood Thalia. The monster we seek will then come to her."

"The Hunters will be difficult to dispose of," Luke said. "Zoe Nightshade—"

"Do not speak her name!"

Luke swallowed. "S—sorry, General. I just—"

The General silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Let me show you, my boy, how we will bring the Hunters down."

He pointed to a guard on the ground level.

"Do you have the teeth?" The guy stumbled forward with a ceramic pot.

"Yes, General!"

"Plant them," he said.

In the center of the room was a big circle of dirt, where Selene guessed a dinosaur exhibit was supposed to go. They both watched nervously as the guard took sharp white teeth out of the pot and pushed them into the soil. He smoothed them over while the General smiled coldly.

The guard stepped back from the dirt and wiped his hands. "Ready, General!"

"Excellent! Water them, and we will let them scent their prey."

The guard picked up a little tin watering can with daisies painted on it, which was kind of bizarre, because what he poured out wasn't water. It was dark red liquid.

The soil began to bubble.

"Soon," the General said, "I will show you, Luke, soldiers that will make your army from that little boat look insignificant."

Luke clenched his fists. "I've spent a year training my forces! When the Princess Andromeda arrives at the mountain, they'll be the best—"

"Ha.'" the General said. "I don't deny your troops will make a fine honor guard for Lord Kronos. And you, of course, will have a role to play—"

Selene swore Luke turned paler when the General said that.

"—but under my leadership, the forces of Lord Kronos will increase a hundredfold. We will be unstoppable. Behold, my ultimate killing machines."

The soil erupted. They both stepped back nervously, still holding hands.

In each spot where a tooth had been planted, a creature was struggling out of the dirt. The first of them said:

"Mew?"

It was a kitten. A little orange tabby with stripes like a tiger. Then another appeared, until there were a dozen, rolling around and playing in the dirt.

Everyone stared at them in disbelief. The General roared, "What is this? Cute cuddly kittens? Where did you find those teeth?"

The guard who'd brought the teeth cowered in fear. "From the exhibit, sir! Just like you said. The saber-toothed tiger—"

"No, you idiot! I said the tyrannosaurus! Gather up those... those infernal fuzzy little beasts and take them outside. And never let me see your face again."

The terrified guard dropped his watering can. He gathered up the kittens and scampered out of the room.

"You.'" The General pointed to another guard. "Get me the right teeth. NOW!"

The new guard ran off to carry out his orders.

"Imbeciles,' muttered the General.

"This is why I don't use mortals," Luke said. "They are unreliable."

"They are weak-minded, easily bought, and violent," the General said. "I love them. Remind me of my great-great auntie—my princess."

A minute later, the guard hustled into the room with his hands full of large pointy teeth.

"Excellent," the General said. He climbed onto the balcony railing and jumped down, twenty feet.

Where he landed, the marble floor cracked under his leather shoes. He stood, wincing, and rubbed his shoulders. "Curse my stiff neck."

"Another hot pad, sir?" a guard asked. "More Tylenol?"

"No! It will pass." The General brushed off his silk suit, then snatched up the teeth. "I shall do this myself."

He held up one of the teeth and smiled. "Dinosaur teeth—ha! Those foolish mortals don't even know when they have dragon teeth in their possession. And not just any dragon teeth. These come from the ancient Sybaris herself! They shall do nicely."

He planted them in the dirt, twelve in all. Then he scooped up the watering can. He sprinkled the soil with red liquid, tossed the can away, and held his arms out wide. Rise!

The dirt trembled. A single, skeletal hand shot out of the ground, grasping at the air.

"You know what those are?" Percy whispered in her ear.

She shook her head, though he couldn't see. "Percy, I don't even remember what I had for breakfast today."

"Hot Cheetos."

The General looked up at the balcony. "Quickly, do you have the scent?"

"Yesssss, lord," one of the snake ladies said. She took out a sash of silvery fabric, like the kind the Hunters wore.

"Excellent," the General said. "Once my warriors catch its scent, they will pursue its owner relentlessly. Nothing can stop them, no weapons known to half-blood or Hunter. They will tear the Hunters and their allies to shreds. Toss it here!"

As he said that, skeletons erupted from the ground. There were twelve of them, one for each tooth the General had planted. They were nothing like Halloween skeletons, or the kind you might see in cheesy movies. These were growing flesh as Percy and Selene watched, turning into men, but men with dull gray skin, yellow eyes, and modern clothes—gray muscle shirts, camo pants, and combat boots. If you didn't look too closely, you could almost believe they were human, but their flesh was transparent and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images.

One of them looked straight at Selene, regarding her coldly, and she knew that no cap of invisibility or the power of friendship would fool it. Another one did the same, but with Percy.

The snake lady released the scarf and it fluttered down toward the General's hand. As soon as he gave it to the warriors, they would hunt Zoe and the others until they were extinct.

They didn't have time to think. Selene held Percy's hand as tight as she coud, and they ran and jumped with all their might, plowing into the warriors and snatching the scarf out of the air.

"What's this?" bellowed the General.

They both landed at the feet of a skeleton warrior, who hissed.

"An intruder," the General growled. "One cloaked in darkness. Seal the doors!"

"It's the Goddess Selene!" Luke yelled. "It has to be."

Oh, great. What about Percy Jackson? Always the goddess, never the Lord of the Bathroom. He'll feel left out... she thought.

"And Percy Jackson!"

Thank you, Luke. You're a real one.

Selene and Percy sprinted for the exit, but heard a ripping sound and realized the skeleton warrior had taken a chunk out of Percy's sleeve.

When she glanced back, he was holding the fabric up to his nose, sniffing the scent, handing it around to his friends. She wanted to scream and cut their arms out with her fan, but couldn't. They managed to squeeze through the door just as the guards slammed it shut behind her.

And then, they ran.

They both tore across the Mall, not daring to look behind them. They burst into the Air and Space Museum and Percy took off his invisibility cap once they were through the admissions area.

The main part of the museum was one huge room with rockets and airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Three levels of balconies curled around, so you could look at the exhibits from all different heights. The place wasn't crowded, just a few families and a couple of tour groups of kids, probably doing one of those holiday school trips.

"We need to tell them to leave!" Selene exclaimed. "The skeleton freaks will invade the museum at any minute!"

"Let me catch my breath."

"We need to find Grover, Thalia and the Hunters first! Percy, I don't think those guys would settle for an audio tour."

"Where do we go?" They resumed running by that point.

"How the heck will I kno—" Selene was abruptly interrupted as she literally collided with Thalia. They were barreling up the ramp to the top-floor balcony and slammed into her, knocking her into an Apollo space capsule. Their intertwined hands had to separate as Selene crashed hard on the floor. "Ah, my butt..."

Grover yelped in surprise.

Before she could regain her balance, Zoe and Bianca had arrows notched, aimed at Percy's chest. Their bows had just appeared out of nowhere.

"Hi guys. Look who I found at the donut shop..."

When Zoe realized who was by Selene's side, she didn't seem anxious to lower her bow. "You! How dare you show thy face here?"

"Percy! Lady Selene" Grover said. "Thank goodness." Zoe glared at him, and he blushed. "I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here!"

Selene sat up on the floor, brushing the fabric of her pants.

"Let me help you, my dear lady Selene..." Grover extended his hand to her.

"Luke," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "He's here."

The anger in Thalia's eyes immediately melted. She put her hand on her silver bracelet. "Where?"

Selene told them about the Natural History Museum, Dr. Thorn, Luke, and the General.

"The General is here?" Zoe looked stunned. "That is impossible! You lie." She widened her eyes noticing she'd told Selene she was lying. "I beg your pardon, m'Lady. I just believe it is too absurd to be true."

"Why would she lie? We were both there!" Percy exclaimed. "Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—"

"What?" Thalia demanded. "How many?"

"Twelve," Percy said. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."

Thalia and Grover exchanged looks.

"We were following Artemis's trail," Grover said. "I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent... She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet."

"Zoe," Bianca said nervously, "if it is the General—"

"It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

"Illusions don't crack marble floors," Selene told her. "I've seen Iris messages before. This was definitely not an Iris message."

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Selene didn't know why she was taking it so personally, or how she knew this General guy, but she figured now wasn't the time to ask. "If m'Lady isn't mistaken about the skeleton warriors," she said, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible... We must leave now."

"Good idea," Percy said.

"I was not including thee, boy," Zoe said. "You are not part of this quest."

"Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"

You shouldn't have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

"That is not thy decision!" Zoe snapped.

Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

"You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," Zoe growled. "You never could leave them behind!"

Thalia looked like she was about to hit Zoe. Then everyone froze, and Selene heard a growl so loud she thought one of the rocket engines was starting up. Below them, a few adults screamed. A little kid's voice screeched with delight: "Kitty!"

Something enormous bounded up the ramp. It was the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur.

"The Nemean Lion," Thalia said. "Don't move."

The lion roared so loud it parted Selene's hair. Its fangs gleamed like stainless steel.

"Separate on my mark," Zoe said. "Try to keep it distracted."

"Until when?" Grover asked.

She turned to Selene, "M'Lady, how capable arst thee to help us?"

"Five percent capable."

"Five out of five?"

"Five out of a hundred."

Zoe turned back to them, "Until Selene thinks of a way to kill it. Now go!"

Selene? Kill it? She must be kidding.

Percy uncapped Riptide and rolled to the left. Arrows whistled past him, and Grover played a sharp tweet-tweet cadence on his reed pipes. Selene turned and saw Zoe and Bianca climbing the Apollo capsule as she ripped her own necklace from her neck, transforming it into the double iron war-fans.

They were firing arrows, one after another, all shattering harmlessly against the lions metallic fur. The lion swiped the capsule and tipped it on its side, spilling the Hunters off the back. Grover played a frantic, horrible tune, and the lion turned toward him, but Thalia stepped into its path, holding up Aegis, and the lion recoiled. "ROOOAAAR!"

"Hi-yah!" Thalia said. "Back!"

The lion growled and clawed the air, but it retreated as if the shield were a blazing fire.

For a second, Selene thought Thalia had it under control. Then she saw the lion crouching, its leg muscles tensing. She'd seen enough cat fights in the alleys around St. Michael's Institute in New York. Selene knew the lion was going to pounce.

"Hey, Garfield!" She yelled. Selene didn't know what she was thinking, but she lunged atthe beast. She just wanted to get it away from her friends while she thought of a way to kill it.

Selene directed both fans at him, and as if charged with moonlight, a streak of lightning struck the monster's flank. It should've sliced through the creature like it was made of Meow Mix, but instead, the bolt just clanged against its fur, erupting in a burst of sparks.

The lion raked her with its claws, ripping off a chunk of her coat. Selene backed against the railing. It sprang at her, one thousand pounds of monster, and she had no choice but to turn and jump.

Landing on the wing of an old-fashioned silver airplane, Selene struggled to maintain her balance as it pitched, threatening to spill her three stories below. An arrow whizzed past her head, and the lion jumped onto the aircraft, causing the cords holding the plane to groan.

"Percy!" Selene screamed, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

In a flash faster than the moonlight bolt she had unleashed, Percy charged at the monster. He slashed with Riptide, but the lion remained unfazed. The creature swiped at him, providing Selene with the opportunity to drop onto the next exhibit—a peculiar spacecraft with blades resembling a helicopter. Looking up, she saw the lion roaring at Percy, revealing a pink tongue and throat within its maw.

Its mouth, she thought. Its fur was completely invulnerable, but if Percy could strike it in the mouth... The only problem was, the monster moved too quickly. Between its claws and fangs, he wouldn't manage get close without getting sliced to pieces.

She turned to him, and Percy seemed to understand it instantly.

"Zoe!" Selene shouted. "Target the mouth!"

The monster lunged at Selene, but Percy was faster. He used his own body to shield her. An arrow zipped past it, missing completely, and they both dropped from the spaceship onto the top of a floor exhibit, a huge model of the earth. Selene and Percy slid down Russia and dropped off the equator.

The Nemean Lion growled and steadied itself on the spacecraft, but its weight was too much. One of the cords snapped. As the display swung down like a pendulum, the lion leaped off onto the model earth's North Pole.

"Grover!" Percy yelled, still holding Selene. "Clear the area!"

Groups of kids were running around screaming. Grover tried to corral them away from the monster just as the other cord on the spaceship snapped and the exhibit crashed to the floor. Thalia dropped off the second-floor railing and landed across from Selene, on the other side of the globe. The lion regarded them both, trying to decide which of them to kill first.

Zoe and Bianca were above them, bows ready, but they kept having to move around to get a good angle.

"No clear shot!" Zoe yelled. "Get it to open its mouth more!"

The lion snarled from the top of the globe.

Percy looked around, his eyes landing on the gift shop. "Thalia," he said, "keep it occupied."

She nodded grimly.

"Hi-yah!" She pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lion in the tail.

"ROOOOOOOAR!" The lion turned and pounced. Thalia rolled out of its way, holding up Aegis to keep the monster at bay.

"Percy, you're crushing me..." Selene muttered.

He seemed to remember it, "Ouch. Sorry." Percy grabbed her hand, "Come on, Mene! To the gift shop!"

"This is no time for souvenirs, boy!" Zoe yelled. "M'Lady, don't let him drag you there!"

Percy dashed into the shop with Selene right behind, knocking over rows of T-shirts, jumping over tables full of glowin-the-dark planets and space ooze. The sales lady didn't protest. She was too busy cowering behind her cash register.

"There!" Percy pointed out. On the far wall—glittery silver packets. Whole racks of them. He brought Selene there and they scooped up every kind he could find and ran out of the shop with an armful.

"What the fuck are you trying to do?"

He turned to her with a lopsided grin, "Shouldn't gods know everything?"

Zoe and Bianca were still showering arrows on the monster, but it was no good. The lion seemed to know better than to open its mouth too much. It snapped at Thalia, slashing with its claws. It even kept its eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

Thalia jabbed at the monster and backed up. The lion pressed her.

"Thalia! Aim your lightning to the ceiling! Break the roof open!"

"Percy," she screamed back, "whatever you're going to do—"

The lion roared and swatted her like a cat toy, sending her flying into the side of a Titan rocket. Her head hit the metal and she slid to the floor.

"Hey!" Percy yelled at the lion. They was too far away to strike. He hurled Riptide like a throwing knife. It bounced off the lion's side, but that was enough to get the monster's attention. It turned toward him and Selene and snarled. "Mene, when Thalia breaks the roof, you'll charge yourself and aim at its mouth. Right?"

"But Percy, it isn't a full moon yet, and I can't control it!"

"I trust you, Mene."

Percy charged, and as the lion leaped to intercept him, he chunked a space food pouch into its maw—a chunk of cellophane-wrapped, freeze-dried strawberry parfait.

The lion's eyes got wide and it gagged like a cat with a hairball.

"Selene, get ready!" Percy yelled. "Thalia, now!"

Thalia raised her spear, aiming it at the glass ceiling above. The moon, at its highest point, cast an ethereal glow upon them. With a surge of power, a lightning bolt arced through the air, shattering the glass into a cascade of glinting shards and tossing her body to the ground.

Behind her, Selene could hear people screaming. Grover was playing another horrible song on his pipes. Percy scrambled away from the lion. It managed to choke down the space food packet and looked at him with pure hate.

"Snack time!" Percy yelled.

It made the mistake of roaring at him, and Percy got an ice-cream sandwich in its throat. Before the lion could stop gagging, Percy shot in two more flavors of ice cream and a freeze-dried spaghetti dinner.

The lion's eyes bugged. It opened its mouth wide and reared up on its back paws, trying to get away from me.

"Now!" Percy yelled.

Selene closed her eyes, feeling the energy in the air course through her entire body. Her fans lay forgotten somewhere in the museum, so she relied on the power in her hands. Pointing both palms at the lion, she channeled the building energy, a burst of silvery lightning emanating from her fingertips and shooting directly into the monster's open maw. Selene's eyes glowed even brighter with the amplified power she channeled, transforming from its black regular color to the same silver hue from the moonlight bolt.

The lion convulsed, thrashing wildly, before toppling backward. In an instant, it lay still, defeated.

Alarms wailed throughout the museum. People were flocking to the exits. Security guards were running around in a panic with no idea what was going on.

Grover knelt at Thalia's side and helped her up. She seemed okay, just a little dazed. Zoe and Bianca dropped from the balcony and landed next to Selene.

"M'Lady!" Zoe screamed as both she and Bianca held Selene's body before collapsed on the ground. She was still conscious, though extremely weak. Zoe eyed Percy cautiously. "That was... an interesting strategy."

"Hey, it worked."

She didn't argue.

The lion seemed to be melting until there was nothing left but its glittering fur coat, and even that seemed to be shrinking to the size of a normal lion's pelt.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm really fine," Selene managed to mutter, though her voice still crackled with residual energy. Percy came running in her direction as Bianca and Zoe stepped aside. "Hey, Percy?"

"Yea?"

Selene lunged at him, pushing him with all the strength she had. "Are you fucking crazy?" Everyone looked at them in silence.

Percy was unfazed, standing in the same place, even suppressing a chuckle. "What?"

"Ugh! Why did you do that? When you jumped to save me? Percy, I'm immortal. I couldn't get hurt, but yo—"

He didn't say anything. Instead, Percy took a step closer and hugged her once again. He was strangely delicate, as if afraid to hold her too tight.

He leaned slightly back, just enough for his lips to barely touch her ear. "You're the strongest person I've ever seen." He whispered loud enough for only Selene to hear.

Selene felt a shock go through her body as she let her hands slide around his shoulders, and thought maybe it was the moonlight above them. "Haven't you seen Zeus before?"

"Yes."

She leaned her body back a few inches and looked up, meeting his eyes. Selene noticed how he was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling. When their eyes locked, she observed that she couldn't see his sea-blue eyes due to how much his pupils were dilated.

Time seemed to slow down. Selene rose on her tiptoes, closing the gap between them. Percy stood frozen on the spot. With one hand, she supported herself on his shoulder, while the other went to Percy's chin, gently holding it. Selene leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. It wasn't like the one she'd given Grover earlier, it lasted way longer. She felt his skin through her lips and realized her suspicions were right; his skin tasted like wet sand—which was weird enough that she had pondered it before.

Zoe cleared her throat. "Um, hey?" Startled, they both shoved away from each other. "Take it," Zoe told them.

Selene's eyes darted around. She saw Grover and Thalia eyeing each other, eyebrows raised.

Percy stared at her. "What, the lion's fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?"

"It is a spoil of war," she told him. "It is rightly thine."

He turned to Selene, "You killed it."

But she shook her head, suppressing a silly smile, "I think your ice-cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."

As they watched, the pelt shifted and changed into a coat—a full-length golden-brown duster.

"Not exactly my style," Percy murmured. "Could this be your birthday present, Mene?"

She grinned. "You'll have to do better than this, Poseidon Junior."

"Better?"

"We have to get out of here," Grover said. "The security guards won't stay confused for long."

Selene noticed for the first time how strange it was that the guards hadn't rushed forward to arrest them. They were scrambling in all directions except theirs, like they were madly searching for something. A few were running into the walls or each other.

"You did that?" Selene asked Grover.

He nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "A minor confusion song. I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds."

"The security guards are not our biggest worry," Zoe said. "Look."

Through the glass walls of the museum, she could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Gray men in gray camouflage outfits. They were too far away for them to see their eyes, but she could feel their gaze aimed straight at Percy.

"Go," he said. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

"No!" Selene exclaimed as fast as she heard what he'd said. "We go together."

Percy stared at her. "But, Zoe said—"

"You are part of this quest now," Zoe said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the sixth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind."