ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter eight

━━━━━ VIOLET STUMBLED OUT of the shadows, feeling as if her insides were being stretched and pulled. She crouched to the floor, holding her head and gasping for air. The daughter of Eros stared at the shadows she had just escaped from, her mind running with all sorts of questions.

Before anything else, a black-haired boy shimmered into air next to her, mid-run. Percy grabbed Violet by the arm, pulled her off the ground, and tore across the mall. She never once asked questions, knowing what he had seen inside that dark room with Luke Castellan, Thorn, and the General. Neither of them dared to look behind them as they ran all the way into the Air and Space Museum.

Percy and Violet skidded to a stop through the admissions area, breathing heavily and exchanging nervous glances with one another. She wanted to ask if he had thought anything was weird about the shadows in the room; if Percy had seen anything odd poking around in the darkness; but Violet could bring herself to bring up the topic. It was like the words died at her lips, unable to be said.

A small—albeit screaming—part of her senses knew why she couldn't bring it up. If she brought up the shadows and what she had been able to do, that would make it more than real. She would have to confront the fact she was able to blend into the shadows and move through them as if walking through a field of grass.

Maybe it was better to stay unknowing, but ... Well, Violet had never been okay without knowing any questions. She was curious, and to a fault—as her mother always liked to point out.

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 that visitors 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. Violet wanted to yell at them all to leave, but she figured that would only get her in more trouble than it was worth. She and Percy had to find Thalia and Grover and the Hunters. Any minute, the skeleton warriors would invade the museum, and she didn't think they would settle for an audio tour.

The daughter of Eros held the throbbing pain in her ribcage. It felt like a sharp knife was piercing her side. "What were those things?"

The black-haired boy looked at her, his eyes wild. "You saw them?"

Violet's eyes widened. "I mean—I saw them as you were running out of that dark hallway! I wasn't, like, in the room or anything. You had the invisibility cap and all."

Percy looked like he wanted to grill her for more answers but he jumped like a frightened animal as a door slammed nearby. Violet grabbed his arm, her insides still feeling twisted and churned, and said, "We need to find them and warn them—find Thalia and Zoë. They'll know what to do."

The two hurried around the museum, searching wildly for any sign of the four quest members. When there was another loud sound, one that was harder to identify, Violet and Percy exchange another nervous look before breaking into another sprint. As they were running up the ramp to the top-floor balcony, Percy slammed into Thalia—literally. The daughter of Zeus knocked back into the Apollo space capsule behind her, shaking all the dust that had gathered on the metal.

Grover yelped in surprise at the sight of Percy and Violet, the duo sweaty and scared-looking. Before they could do anything, Zoë and Bianca had arrows notched, aimed at Percy and Violet's chests. Their bows had just appeared out of nowhere—some magical Hunter thing.

Bianca's dark eyes widened. "Violet?" she asked. "Wha-what are you doing here? I thought you were staying back at Camp with Nico!"

When Zoë realized who the two were, she didn't seem anxious to lower her bow. "You!" she spat at Percy, her face curled with anger. "How dare you show thy face here?"

"Percy! Violet!" Grover bleated. "Thank goodness."

Zoë glared at him, and the satyr blushed. "I mean, um, gosh. You guys aren't supposed to be here!"

Violet waved her hand, leaning over at the waist to try and catch her breath. "Luke—" she sputtered. "He's here. Some skelet—"

All the anger in Thalia's eyes immediately melted at the mention of the son of Hermes. She put her hand on her silver bracelet. "Where?"

Percy and Violet tried to best to explain what they had seen; it was confusing, surely, to hear two out-of-breath, ADHD-riddled kids sputter about the Natural History Museum, Dr. Thorn, Luke, and the General.

"The General is here?" Zoë looked stunned. "That is impossible! You lie."

Percy grew offended. "Why would we lie? Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—"

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

"Twelve," he 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. Violet itched to ask what the looks were for.

"We were following Artemis's trail," the satyr 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."

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

"It cannot be!" the lieutenant snapped. "These two must have seen an Iris Message or some other illusion."

"Illusions can't crack floors, Zoë," Violet said hotly. "We're not lying. These skeleton warrior things are on their way right now. The General said they're basically impossible to kill."

Zoë took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Violet 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 Violet and Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, shooting the two a sour look, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible ... We must leave now."

"Good idea," Percy agreed eagerly, sounding almost excited at the idea to get as far away from the museum as possible.

"I was not including thee, boy," Zoë said, her eyes cold as volcanic rock. "You are not part of this quest. And neither is thee!" She pointed a finger at the daughter of Eros by Percy's side.

"What?" the daughter of Eros demanded, her voice shrill with anger. "We're here to warn you about that playmate, and you give a shit about quest members?"

Thalia's eyes were grim as she stared at the duo. "You shouldn't have come, Percy, and you shouldn't have brought Violet, either ... But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

Violet gave the daughter of Zeus an offended look, as if she hated the idea of only being a burden. "He didn't bring me anywhere," she spoke up. "I told him I was going on this quest."

"I thought she was going to skewer me with an arrow if I didn't let her," Percy admitted, looking over his shoulder nervously.

"I wasn't going to skewer you," said Violet, shaking her head. "I mean, I might if—"

"Silence!" Zoë snapped, glaring at Violet and Percy. She turned to Thalia, her hands shaking with rage. "That is not thy decision if these two," she glared resentfully as the hijackers, who shuffled their feet and avoided eye contact, "join us."

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

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

The daughter of Zeus looked like she was shaking with rage. She looked ready to hit Zoë with all her might. Violet looked between the two nervously, wondering if she could break up a fight if someone started swinging punches.

Then everyone froze. Violet heard a growl so loud she thought one of the rocket engines was starting up.

Below the six, 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 pickup truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur. Violet turned so fast, her back bumped Percy's shoulder, who grabbed her arm for support.

"The Nemean Lion," Thalia whispered with awe and fear. "Don't move."

The lion roared so loudly that the braids falling in front of Violet's face flew backward. The monster's fangs gleamed like stainless steel. She flinched as droplets of the lion's spit splattered across her face.

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

"Until when?" Grover asked.

"Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

Violet slung her bow off her back, pulling out an arrow. She jumped to her left, ducking under the Nemean Lion's gigantic paw. Arrows whistled past her, and Grover played a sharp tweet-tweet cadence on his reed pipes. She saw from the corner of her eye that Zoë and Bianca were climbing the Apollo capsule. They were firing arrows, one after another, all shattering harmlessly against the lion's 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 towards him, but Thalia stepped into its path, holding up Aegis, and the lion recoiled with a ferocious roar.

Thalia yelled, "Back!"

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

For a second, Violet thought Thalia had it under control. Then she saw the lion crouching, its leg muscles tensing. She had seen enough cat fights in the alleys around the apartments she and her mother had bounced from, year to year. She knew the lion was going to pounce.

"Hey!" Percy yelled. Violet had no idea what he was doing, but he charged the beast. He slashed with Riptide, a good strike to the flank that should've cut the monster into Meow Mix, but the blade just clanged against its fur in a burst of sparks.

Percy stumbled backward, holding his arm with a pained expression. The lion raked for him with its claws, but Violet grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back. Unfortunately, she stumbled back, too, after avoiding the lion's second swipe. She and Percy's backs slammed into the railing behind them.

"Good going, Percy," she grumbled angrily, quickly notching an arrow and aiming. The lion roared at them for a split second, dodging the arrow flying straight toward its mouth. The lion swatted the arrow out of its way and pounced for them.

"It's mouth ..." he muttered. "Good idea, Vi."

The daughter of Eros squawked unceremoniously as Percy grabbed the hood of her stolen sweatshirt and pulled her over the railing. The two landed on the wing of an old-fashioned silver airplane, which pitched and almost spilled them to the floor, three stories below.

Another arrow whizzed past their heads. The lion jumped onto the airplane, and the cords holding it began to groan. The lion swiped at them, and Violet dropped onto the next exhibit, a weird-looking spacecraft with blades like a helicopter, Percy right behind her.

She looked up and saw the lion roar—inside its maw, a pink tongue and throat. She glanced at the son of Poseidon, who nodded to the bow in her hands. That's what he was talking about. The Nemean Lion's fur was completely invulnerable, and it was hard to get any close strikes with any sword or dagger, but bows were far-range weapons ...

Violet raised her bow, an arrow notched. But before she could shoot, the lion pounced and Percy pulled her along. "Zoë!" he shouted. "Target the mouth!"

An arrow zipped past it, missing completely, and Violet and Percy dropped from the spaceship onto the top of a floor exhibit, a huge model of the earth. They 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. Violet pulled her bowstring taut, one eye closed as she watched the lion.

"Grover!" Percy yelled. "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 Violet and Percy, on the other side of the globe. The lion regarded them, trying to decide which one to kill first.

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

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

The lion snarled from the top of the globe. Violet shifted, snapping angrily about the lion moving around too much.

"Keep it occupied," Percy told Thalia and Violet.

The daughter of Zeus nodded grimly. She pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lion in the tail.

The lion roared angrily, then turned and pounced. Thalia rolled out of its way, holding up Aegis to keep the monster at bay, and Percy ran for the gift shop. Violet narrowed her eyes at the monster, her bow raised and ready to fire.

"This is no time for souvenirs, boy!" Zoë yelled to the son of Poseidon as he dashed across the mall again and into a shop nearby.

Zoë 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. Every time Violet tried to shift, trying to get a better angle, the lion would snarl and pounce at her. The daughter of Eros had no time to aim any arrows, too busy dancing out of the monster's way. 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.

"Percy," she called, "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. The gleam of Celestial bronze flew past Violet's head; Percy's sword, Riptide, was hurling toward the Nemean Lion like a throwing knife. It bounced off the lion's side, but that was enough to get the monster's attention. It turned towards the boy and snarled.

Percy kept running, and the beast leapt to try and intercept him. The boy chucked one of the silver packets in his hands and it landed in the lion's maw. The lion's eyes got wide and it gagged like a cat with a hairball.

"Violet—get ready!" he yelled.

Behind them, she could hear people screaming. Grover was playing another horrible song on his pipes. Percy scrambled away from the lion, grabbing another silver packet just in case. It managed to choke down the packet and looked at him with pure hate.

"Snack time!" Percy yelled.

The lion made the same mistake, roaring at Percy for a second time. He chucked the packet, and it landed in its throat. Before the lion could stop gagging, he shot in two more packets. The lion's eyes bugged. It opened its mouth wide and reared up on its back paws, trying to get away from the son of Poseidon.

"Now!" he yelled.

Immediately, arrows sprouted from the lion's maw—three, six, nine. The lion thrashed wildly, turned, and fell backward with a loud thud! And then it was still. Violet lowered her bow, tucking away the arrow she had in her hand.

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. Zoë and Bianca dropped from the balcony and landed on the ground next to Violet and Percy.

Zoë eyed the son of Poseidon cautiously. "That was ... an interesting strategy."

Percy shrugged. "Hey, it worked."

The daughter of Eros slung her bow over her shoulder. She stopped next to Percy, nudging him with her elbow. "What did you throw at the lion?"

"That astronaut food; the freeze-dried stuff," he said. "I remember hating it when I tried it. Figured the lion would also hate it."

Violet didn't say anything more. Her expression was amused, maybe some part impressed, too.

The lion seemed to be melting, the way dead monsters do sometimes. The Nemean Lion melted 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.

"Take it," Zoë told Percy.

He 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 corrected him. "It is rightly thine."

"But you guys killed it," he protested. "With the arrows."

Zoë shook her head, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "I think thy ice cream sandwich did that. Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."

He lifted it off the ground, scanning it over, as if inspecting it for any damage. The fur looked smooth and soft. As Violet watched, the pelt shifted and changed into a full-length golden-brown coat.

"Not exactly my style," Percy murmured.

"What style?" Violet responded without missing a beat. It seemed she hadn't meant to, as her eyes widened and she clamped her own hand over her mouth.

Percy's face flushed. He rolled his eyes and tossed the coat to her. Violet caught it, giving him a questioning look.

"Since you think I don't have any style," he said, waving his hand, "maybe it'll fit your style, Love Bug."

Violet's eyes widened at the nickname. Then they narrowed and she scowled. "But it doesn't fit my style, Fish Face. Besides, fur like this hasn't been in style since, like, the Stone Age."

"Fine, give it back," Percy said, reaching for the duster.

Zoë scowled, slapping his hands away. "I will take the spoil if neither of you will wear it."

Violet shrugged and put the duster on. Percy frowned and rubbed his hands, where the Hunter had slapped him.

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

The daughter of Eros 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?" Percy asked Grover.

The satyr 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," Zoë said. "Look."

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

"Go," Percy said, trying to usher them away. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

"No," Zoë said. "We go together."

The black-haired boy stared at her. "But you said—"

"You and Violet are part of this quest now," Zoë said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You two are the fifth and sixth quest members. And we are not leaving anyone behind."

🌷  APR. 3RD, 2023  /  short chapter - especially after like three weeks of no updates

my bad lol 🤭

i was kinda nervous about how to start this chapter and avoided it but it was actually really easy so that was all for nothing

and i guess bc i also knew this would be a very lame/unimportant chapter (especially after the previous chapter)

i still want to know what you think is going on. especially with the shadows

anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??