ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter three

━━━━━ THERE HAD BEEN a certain dream following Violet around as if it was a bad omen. As if it was some warning.

She had seen it first last winter, flying on the cold metal shoulders of Hank. They were flying towards San Francisco, hoping to save Artemis and Annabeth. ( Luckily, they had succeeded. ) But this dream would not stop tormenting Violet.

The first time she saw it, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Now, six months later, Violet still wasn't sure what to make of it. She didn't know what to make of the blonde girl who couldn't be older than eighteen fighting for her life. She didn't know what to make of the sword made out of iron darker than midnight. She didn't know what to make of the clothing that looked like it came straight out of the late 1910s.

And Violet especially didn't know how to take a monster shrouded in a veil of gloom. A monster that spoke exactly like Ms. Aarden.

The blonde gripped her sword tightly, darkness swirling around her. She scowled at the monster, cuts leaking blood and staining her clothing. Her green top with grills stained with red blotches in her abdomen, her dark skirt flowing down to her ankles was ripped and stained with mud, and her black jacket lay torn twenty feet away, blood blotching the pearly white snow.

The girl was coated in blood, cut in several places, and a blow to her head had blood trickling down and staining her hay-blonde hair. Her teeth chattered as she hissed, "I will never!" Just like last time, the accent was impossible for Violet to place; the most she could come up with was that it wasn't a modern accent from the Americas.

The monster shifted, struggling to pick a form. It was shrouded with darkness. Violet never understood why it was. Maybe for the monster to conceal itself from her prying eyes. "You have no choice." It sounded exactly like Ms. Aarden, except for the fact the voice crackling, as if talking through a broken walkie-talkie.

The blonde straightened. "Yes, I do." But her voice wavered, and she looked exhausted. She didn't have much of a fight left to give.

"There is no point in fighting any longer, Elain." Violet shivered at the name; Ms. Aarden had called her that two summers ago. "You don't like the gods as much as me."

"Maybe I don't like the gods," said Elain. "But I refuse to help you."

Before the monster shrouded in darkness could retaliate, Elain stabbed her sword into the ground, and a fissure opened. Violet's vision shook, the monster wailed, and Elain cried out in pain.

Violet woke up in a film of her own sweat. Her eyes stung, and her head pounded.

Elain. That's what Ms. Aarden had called her. But how? Why? It wasn't like Violet and Elain looked remotely similar; Violet had dark, coily hair and darker skin, and Elain's hair was the color of hay and her skin was practically the color of the pearly snow.

It just didn't make sense to confuse the two.

But how did Ms. Aarden know Elain?

🌷

Hours later, Violet was still feeling shaky when Chiron called for a war council meeting. Technically, Violet wasn't supposed to go as she wasn't head counselor for Cabin Eleven, but since she was one of two who found the Labyrinth, she demanded. ( And Chiron didn't seem to care to put up much of a fight last night. )

Oddly enough, the meeting was held in the sword arena. Violet found it strange—trying to discuss the fate of Camp while Mrs. O'Leary chewed on a life-sized squeaky pink rubber toy yak.

Violet sat down next to Connor as Travis sat on the other side of his younger brother. Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Percy, who sent the daughter of Eros a look as he shuffled over, Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, and even Argus, Camp's hundred-eyed security chief. That's how Violet knew it was serious—Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard, his whole body turned bloodshot.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about Camp."

Violet thought she might've heard a little pride in Annabeth's voice, like the daughter of Athena still respected that asshole, as evil as he was.

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell Violet and Percy last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

It felt like Juniper had dunked Violet's head in a tub of ice water. Silently, Violet prayed to any god that'd listen that Juniper had never seen Nico and her use the entrance. ( They had only ever used it once, but still, Juniper lived close by. )

Silena Beauregard frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said, nodding.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except ... well, it was Luke." The nymph blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting." Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because ... because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

"Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the ... Yes. I understand."

"The one in the what?" Percy spoke up.

Clarisse glared at the son of Poseidon. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

Percy frowned. "The guy who created the maze."

"Yes," Annabeth said. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted—quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then ... to Olympus."

The arena was silent except for Mrs. O'Leary's toy yak getting disemboweled: SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

Finally, Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table. "Back up a sec. Annabeth, you said 'convince Daedalus'. Isn't Daedalus dead?"

Quintus grunted. "I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And, even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"

Chiron clopped restlessly on his hooves. "That's the problem, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumors ... well, there are many disturbing rumors about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth towards the end of his life. He might still be down there."

"We need to go in," Annabeth announced. "We have to find the workshop before Luke does. If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne's string still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke's hands."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "If we're worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?"

"Great idea!" Grover said. "I'll get the dynamite!"

"It's not so easy, dumbass," Clarisse growled. "We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn't go well."

Annabeth nodded. "The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Percy. It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet away. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth."

"We could fight," Lee Fletcher said. "We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they'll find us waiting with our bows."

"We will certainly set up defenses," Chiron agreed. "But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If Luke manages to get a large army of monsters into the center of Camp, bypassing our boundaries ... we may not have the strength to defeat them."

Nobody looked very happy about that news. Chiron usually tried to be upbeat and optimistic. If he was predicting they couldn't hold off an attack, that wasn't good.

"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Annabeth insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it."

"But, Annabeth, it's nearly impossible to navigate the Labyrinth," Violet protested. "Unless you have Ariadne's string" —or some ghost who's probably as old as the maze by your side, but she didn't add that part— "it's like going in blind. What chances would we have at beating Luke?"

"I've been studying architecture for years," said Annabeth. "I know Daedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody."

Violet blinked. "By reading books?"

The daughter of Athena faltered. "Well, yes."

"That won't be enough." The daughter of Eros shook her head.

"It has to be!"

"Reading about the Labyrinth will never be enough to get through that alive."

"You talk as if you know!" Annabeth snapped.

Violet stiffened. "Maybe I've done some of my own reading, Annabeth. You're not the only smart one around here."

"Look, Violet, are you going to help me or not? Or are you just going to keep arguing?" Annabeth demanded, frowning heavily.

The daughter of Eros realized everyone was watching Annabeth and her like a tennis match. Mrs. O'Leary's squeaky yak went EEK! as the hellhound ripped off its pink rubber head.

Chiron cleared his throat. "First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this Camp."

"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Annabeth."

There was a murmur of agreement. Violet knew Annabeth had been waiting for her own quest since she was a little kid, but the daughter of Athena looked uncomfortable.

"You've done as much as I have, Clarisse," she said, looking at the daughter of Ares. "You should go, too."

The brunette shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

Travis Stoll laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared. Clarisse, chicken?"

Clarisse got to her feet. Violet thought she was going to pulverize Travis, but she said in a shaky voice: "You don't understand anything, asshole. I'm never going in there again. Never!"

And then the daughter of Ares stormed out of the arena.

"Good job, dumbass," Connor grumbled.

Travis looked at his younger brother sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—"

Chiron raised his hand. "The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?"

Everyone nodded together. Violet noticed how Quintus hadn't nodded along; instead, he folded his arms and stared down at the table.

"Very well." Chiron turned to Annabeth. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

🌷

Waiting for Annabeth was harder than watching Camp's Oracle-mummy travel across snowy land to deliver a deadly prophecy.

And that was saying something considering just how much that prophecy had turned Violet's life upside down.

All Violet could do while she waited was stare at the table, tapping her finger against her folded arms. Connor grabbed her hand, giving her a look.

"That's stressing me out," he told her.

"Maybe that's because I'm stressed out?" she countered, feeling her knee start to bounce.

Connor rolled his eyes. "Forget it. I'm gonna go over to Travis and Tyson." He stood up, his chair scraping against the floor.

From the corner of her eye, Violet caught sight of Percy pacing the arena, having spoken a couple of words as he stalked by her. Mrs. O'Leary ate her lunch, which consisted of a hundred pounds of ground beef and several dog biscuits the size of trash-can lids.

Chiron and Quintus were in a deep conversation with Argus. To Violet, it looked like the three were disagreeing about something; Quintus kept shaking his head. On the other side of the arena, Tyson, Travis, and Connor were racing miniature bronze chariots that Tyson had made out of armor scraps.

Violet glanced up as Percy approached her. His face was set into uneasy lines.

"Hey," he greeted.

She gave him an uncomfortable smile. "What's up?"

"I can't just wait here anymore," he admitted. "I'm leaving."

An obvious invite for Violet to go with him. She didn't need to be some mega-genius to figure that out.

"Um ... sure," she said, sliding away from the table. "I'll go with you."

Just please don't ask any questions I don't want to answer.

The pair left the arena. Violet stopped in line with Percy, following his line of sight across the fields of Camp. He was looking at the Big House's attic windows, which were dark and still. Violet had never been up there herself, and never wanted to go up from all the stories she'd heard about the Oracle and her fatal prophecies.

Was Annabeth okay? Violet had heard stories of campers dying from actual fright after hearing prophecies. She knew people had gone insane after visiting the old corpse.

"Percy! Violet!" a girl whispered out to them.

Juniper was standing in the bushes. It was weird how she almost turned invisible when she was surrounded by plants.

She gestured them over urgently. "You need to know: Luke wasn't the only one I saw around that cave."

Violet stiffened. "Wh-who else did you see?"

She expected the nymph to pull some Gotcha moment, and reveal the fact she had seen Violet and Nico entering the Labyrinth via that entrance. The daughter of Eros waited in fear, watching as Juniper glanced back at the arena. "I was trying to say something, but he was right there."

Percy frowned. "Who?"

"The sword master," she said. Oh, thank the gods Juniper hadn't seen Violet. "He was poking around the rocks."

But the fact that Quintus had been poking around the entrance was still horrible news. "Quintus?" Violet asked, hoping her expression didn't look too relieved. "When?"

"I don't know. I don't pay attention to time. Maybe a week ago, when he first showed up."

Long after Violet and Nico had used that entrance.

"What was he doing?" she asked. "Did he go in?"

"I—I'm not sure. He's creepy, Violet. I didn't even see him come into the glade. Suddenly he was just there. You have to tell Grover it's too dangerous—"

"Juniper?" Grover called from inside the arena. "Where'd you go?"

Juniper sighed. "I'd better go in. Just remember what I said. Don't trust that man!"

She ran into the arena. Violet stared off after her. "We should tell Chiron. About what Juniper saw."

"What could he do?" Percy countered. "It's not like we know Quintus was doing anything suspicious."

"Isn't him poking around that entrance suspicious enough?" Violet asked.

Hypocrite, her voice rang in her mind.

"Maybe ..." Percy looked off to the Big House. Violet knew what he was about to do. "The Oracle shouldn't be taking this long, right?"

Violet frowned. "You're the one who's gone to the Oracle for a prophecy, not me."

That non-answer seemed to answer Percy's question. He grabbed Violet's hand, pulling her along as he ran across the hills for the Big House.

🌷

The front parlor of the Big House was strangely quiet. Violet had grown accustomed to seeing Dionysus by the fireplace, playing cards and eating grapes, and griping at satyrs, but Mr. D was still away.

Violet and Percy walked down the hallway, floorboards creaking under their feet. When they got to the base of the stairs, Percy hesitated in front of Violet. Four floors above would be a little trapdoor leading to the attic. Annabeth would be up there somewhere. They stood quietly and listened. But somewhere below, Violet heard something she didn't expect.

Sobbing. She heard sobbing. And it was coming from below the floor.

Percy glanced at her, and the two had a silent exchange. Silently, they two crept around the back of the stairs. The basement door was open. Violet didn't even know the Big House had a basement. She peered inside and saw two figures in the far corner, sitting amid a bunch of stockpiled cases of ambrosia and strawberry preserves. One was Clarisse. The other was a teenage Hispanic guy in tattered camouflage combats and a dirty black T-shirt. His hair was greasy and matted. He was hugging his shoulders and sobbing. It was Chris Rodriguez, the half-blood who'd gone to work for Luke. It had to be him. But he looked so different from the last time Violet had seen him ...

"It's okay," Clarisse was telling him. "Try a little more nectar."

"You're an illusion, Mary!" Chris backed further into the corner. "G-get away."

The daughter of Ares's voice was gentle, but incredibly sad: "My name's not Mary. My name is Clarisse. Remember. Please."

"It's dark!" Chris wailed, sounding close to tears. "So dark!"

"Come outside," Clarisse coaxed. "The sunlight will help you."

"A ... a thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him."

"Chris," Clarisse pleaded. It sounded like she was close to tears, too. "You have to get better. Please. Mr. D will be back soon. He's an expert in madness. Just hang on."

Chris's eyes were like a cornered rat's—wild and desperate. "There's no way out, Mary. No way out."

Then he caught a glimpse of Percy and made a strangled, terrified sound from the back of his throat. "The son of Poseidon! He's horrible!"

Percy backed away, bumping into Violet, who grabbed his arm. The two waited with baited breath to see if Clarisse would come charging up those stairs, in pursuit of what Chris had yelled at. Instead, the daughter of Ares kept talking to Chris in a said, pleading voice to drink more nectar. Maybe she thought it was part of Chris's hallucination, but ... son of Poseidon? Chris had been looking at Percy, but Violet had the gut feeling Chris wasn't talking about Percy.

And if Violet had learned anything over the last six months, it was to follow her gut feelings.

🌷

She and Percy had heard a creek above them that sent them running back to the arena. Just in time, too, as Annabeth walked in five minutes after, her face blank.

"My dear," Chiron said. "You made it."

The daughter of Athena sat on a stone bench and stared at the floor.

"Well?" Quintus asked.

Annabeth looked at Violet and Percy first. She looked terrified. Something not even Violet had seen from the blonde on Mount Othrys as Kronos's palace was rising around them. Slowly, the blonde looked back to Quintus. "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop."

She had finally received a prophecy, and was finally going to lead a quest, but for such a task? Nobody cheered for her; nobody said 'Congratulations'; and nobody looked relieved. In fact, people were staring at her as if they just received the news she had passed and were attending her funeral.

Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. "What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I, ah ... well, it said, You shall delve into the darkness of the endless maze ..."

They waited.

"The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise."

Grover perked up. "The lost one! That must mean Pan. That's great!"

"With the dead and the traitor," Percy added. "Not so great."

"What's the rest, Annabeth?" Violet asked.

Annabeth licked her lips. "The gloom shall pass, the mislead shall stray."

People glanced around.

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," said Annabeth. "The child of night's first command."

Violet shifted in her seat. That line had to be about Nico. There was no other explanation.

"And?" prompted Chiron as Annabeth stalled. "What is the rest?"

The blonde glanced around. "The child of Athena's final stand."

Violet practically heard the sighs of silent shock escape everyone. Everyone looked around uncomfortably. Annabeth was a daughter of Athena, and a final stand never sounded like a fun time.

"Hey ... we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Silena said. "Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena, right?"

"But who's the ghost king?" Beckendorf asked.

"And the mislead?" Connor said. "I mean, that line about the mislead ... the stray part ..."

Violet understood where he was going. It sounded like someone would stray from Camp's side, and aline with Kronos and Luke. Gods, if that was the case—

"Are there more lines?" Chiron asked. "The prophecy does not sound complete."

Annabeth hesitated. "I don't remember exactly."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. Annabeth was known for her memory. She never forgot something she had heard.

Annabeth shifted on her bench. "Something about ... Destroy with a hero's final breath."

"And?" Chiron asked.

The daughter of Athena stood. "Look, the point is, I have to go in. I'll find the workshop and stop Luke. And ..." She turned to Violet, who straightened.

Before Annabeth could even ask, she answered, "I'll go."

Annabeth gave her a smile full of relief. It was the first time the blonde had smiled in days. She turned to Percy. "What about you?"

He didn't hesitate. "I'm in."

Violet found herself unsettled. On on hand, she was glad Percy was going. As much as her skin tingled and her heart pounded every time he was near, he was still a comforting presence for her. But on the other hand, the prophecy ... Well, it wasn't a prophecy about rainbows and happiness. Percy could be any of the people mentioned; the lost, the traitor, the dead, or even the mislead.

"Grover, you too?" said Annabeth. "The wild god is waiting."

The satyr seemed to forget how much he hated the underground. The line about the 'lost one' had completely energized him. "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!"

"And Tyson," Annabeth added. "I'll need you, too."

"Yay! Blow-things-up time!" Tyson clapped so hard he woke up Mrs. O'Leary, who was dozing off in the corner.

"Wait, Annabeth," Chiron said. "This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is allowed only two companions."

"I need them all," she insisted. "Chiron, it's important."

"Annabeth." Chiron flicked his tail nervously. "Consider well. You would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Think on that. Three is a sacred number. There are three Fates, three Furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Five ... this is risky."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to. Please."

Violet could tell Chiron didn't like it. Quintus was studying the five, like he was trying to decide which of them would come back alive.

Chiron sighed. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."

As Violet was leaving the arena, Connor pulled her aside. "Violet." His expression was worried. "Are you sure about this?"

She gave him an offended look. "'Course I am."

He stared, as if he couldn't believe she was intentionally putting her life on the line all over again for a quest. "Vi, you don't have to go on quests to prove yourself. I promise no one looks down on you for—"

"That's not it," she said coldly.

"Then what is it?" he asked.

She swallowed. His question had stunned her, not because she didn't know, but because she didn't know how to tell Connor, or what lies to tell him instead.

She was going for Nico, and for herself. Nico was exploring the maze when Violet wasn't with him. That was dangerous enough. To make it much more dangerous, he was exploring it with a ghost that had ulterior motives.

But so did she. Violet wanted to go back into the maze to try and find paths to the Underworld. That was her biggest lead to an answer as to why she and darkness had some connection.

"For Annabeth," she told Connor. It wasn't an entire lie. "She needs help."

Connor frowned at her. "How could you help?"

Violet blinked at him for a moment, and the son of Hermes seemed to realize his mistake. "Hey—I didn't mean it like that! Vi—"

But the daughter of Eros brushed past him without another word and stomped toward the cabins.

🌷

Annabeth grabbed Violet's arm on the way to Cabin Eleven. "Come with me," she said before dragging Violet to Cabin Six, Annabeth's cabin.

Cabin Six looked like the perfect place for the children of Athena to live inside. It was a brainiac workshop, having everything Athena's children could ever want. As Violet shuffled inside after Annabeth, she noticed one desk covered in scrolls. She frowned and walked over.

"What's this?" she asked.

"The maps we have about the Labyrinth," said Annabeth, stopping beside Violet.

The daughter of Eros glanced at the blonde, unfurling one scroll. The map was half-complete, with more deadends than actual paths. She frowned, thinking back to if she ever came across a part of the maze similar to this.

"What's on your mind?" Annabeth asked.

"The Labyrinth," Violet answered honestly.

The blonde pursed her lips. "We could've really used your help investigating. If I had known you knew so much ..."

"I didn't know you were investigating," Violate admitted with a shrug. She let the scroll curl back into place and laid it down on the desk. "I would've helped if I had known."

"Chiron said I wasn't allowed to tell anyone." Annabeth leaned against the desk, crossing her arms and staring at Violet. She was doing her studying thing, when she stared someone down with a calculating look.

Violet shifted, picking up another scroll. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"Percy and I talked," Annabeth started, "and we've been thinking that you've been acting distance lately."

The daughter of Eros glanced up. "No, I haven't."

Annabeth uncrossed her arms and stared. "You're not gonna fucking gaslight me, Vi."

"What do you want me to say, then?" she asked. "I'm not trying to be distant, if that's what you want."

"But is there something wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"No." Violet shook her head. "Nothing's wrong."

Annabeth stared like she didn't believe her. But she said, "Okay, then. See you tomorrow."

That was code for: Get the hell out.

Violet took the hint and left Cabin Six, leaving behind Annabeth, who started rifling through the messy desk. On her way to Cabin Eleven, she spotted Percy walking over. He called out and Violet stalled for him outside of Cabin Eight.

"What's up?" she asked as he shuffled closer.

Percy tucked his hands into his pockets. "I just wanted to ask if you were alright. You seem really ..."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Distant?"

He blinked. "Yeah. I guess so. That and distracted. What, did Annabeth talk to you?"

She tried, at least.

"Yeah," Violet admitted. "Look, I'm fine."

"But what's got you so worried?" Percy asked. "I know there's something. You've been really spacey since January. You've bailed on me for stuff all the time. I just wanna know ..." He shrugged. "I dunno. It's not anything to do with your mom, right?"

"It's not," Violet replied, but she wasn't so sure. "It's not anything to do with Mom. It's just adjusting to life outside of Camp. Yeah, that's it."

Percy watched her for a moment. "Okay, then."

Her expression dropped and she sighed. "You don't believe me."

"Well, no." Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "You're not a very good liar, Love Bug."

Violet scowled at the nickname. "I'm fine, Fish Face. What gives with you and Annabeth hounding me about this?"

Percy looked shocked. "'Cause we care. We're your friends. We're gonna care."

She glared coldly at him. "Right, friends. 'Course that's what I am to you." She stood up taller, some lame attempt at intimidation. "I'm fine, Percy. Stop asking or there will be a problem."

Before Percy could come up with a response, Violet stomped towards Cabin Eleven, her heart heavy with anger and lies.

🌷 JULY 7TH, 2023 / quintus during the meeting:

i'm not happy with this chapter but idk what to add to it

i guess prophecy reveal

what do you think of the lines? what do you think the new lines mean?

not edited & not proofread so typos i'm sure - just ignore them pls lol

anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??