“I’m glad,” I said. “And your parents’ destroyed house?”
She laughed. “Turned out to be a good thing. Before, my dad had wanted me to stay around here in the fall. Now, he says maybe it’s a good idea if I do what I wanted to begin with. Gonna take a gap year in Paris to study art while they rebuild the house.”
“Oh, Paris!” Will said.
Rachel grinned. “Right? But don’t worry, I’ll be back here next summer to dish out more oracular awesomeness.”
“And if we need you in the meantime,” Nico said, “there’s always shadow-travel.”
Will sighed. “I’d love to think you’re suggesting a date night in Paris, Mr. Dark Lord. But you’re still thinking about Tartarus, aren’t you? Hoping for some prophetic guidance?”
Nico shrugged. “Unfinished business…”
I frowned. It seemed like so long ago they had mentioned this to me—Nico’s compulsion to explore the depths of Tartarus, the voice he had heard, calling for help.
I didn’t want to open fresh wounds, but I asked as gently as I could, “You’re sure it’s not…Jason?”
Nico picked at his blackened marshmallow. “I won’t lie. I’ve wondered about that. I’ve thought about trying to find Jason. But, no, this isn’t about him.” He snuggled a little closer to Will. “I have a sense that Jason made his choice. I wouldn’t be honoring his sacrifice if I tried to undo it. With Hazel…She was just drifting in Asphodel. I could tell she wasn’t supposed to be there. She needed to come back. With Jason, I have a feeling he’s somewhere better now.”
“Like Elysium?” I wondered. “Rebirth?”
“I was hoping you could tell me,” Nico admitted.
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I’m clueless about after-death matters. But if it’s not Jason you’re thinking about…?”
Nico twirled his s’more stick. “When I was in Tartarus the first time, somebody helped me. And I—we left him down there. I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Should I be jealous?” Will asked.
“He’s a Titan, dummy,” Nico said.
I sat up straight. “A Titan?”
“Long story,” Nico said. “But he’s not a bad guy. He’s…Well, I feel like I should look for him, see if I can figure out what happened. He might need my help. I don’t like it when people are overlooked.”
Rachel bunched up her shoulders. “Hades wouldn’t mind you traipsing down to Tartarus?”
Nico laughed without humor. “He’s expressly forbidden it. After that business with the Doors of Death, he doesn’t want anybody in Tartarus ever again. That’s where the troglodytes come in. They can tunnel anywhere, even there. They can get us in and out safely.”
“Safely being a relative term,” Will noted, “given that the whole idea is bonkers.”
I frowned. I still didn’t like the idea of my sunshiny son skipping off into the land of monster nightmares. My recent tumble to the edge of Chaos had reminded me what a terrible travel destination it was. Then again, it wasn’t my place to tell demigods what to do, especially those I loved the most. I didn’t want to be that kind of god anymore.
“I wish I could offer you help,” I said, “but I’m afraid Tartarus is outside my jurisdiction.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Will said. “You’ve done your part. No story ever ends, does it? It just leads into others.” He laced his fingers through Nico’s. “We’ll handle whatever comes next. Together. With or without a prophecy—”
I swear I had nothing to do with it. I did not press a button on Rachel’s back. I did not prearrange a surprise gift from Delphic Deliveries.
But as soon as Will said the word prophecy, Rachel went rigid. She inhaled sharply. A green mist rose from the earth, swirling around her and coiling into her lungs. She tipped over sideways while Nico and Will lunged to catch her.
As for me, I scrambled away in a very ungodlike manner, my heart beating like a frightened Lester. I guess all that green gas reminded me too much of my recent quality time with Python.
By the time my panic subsided, the prophetic moment had passed. The gas had dissipated. Rachel lay comfortable on the ground, Will and Nico both standing over her with perturbed looks.
“Did you hear it?” Nico asked me. “The prophecy she whispered?”
“I—I didn’t,” I admitted. “Probably better if…if I let you two figure this one out.”
Will nodded, resigned. “Well, it didn’t sound good.”
“No, I’m sure it didn’t.” I looked down fondly at Rachel Dare. “She’s a wonderful Oracle.”
THE WAYSTATION FELT SO DIFFERENT IN the summer.
Emmie’s rooftop garden was bursting at the seams with tomatoes, peas, cabbage, and watermelon. The great hall was bursting at the seams with old friends.
The Hunters of Artemis were in residence, having taken quite a beating on their most recent excursion to catch the Teumessian Fox.
“That fox is murder,” said Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, rubbing her bruised neck. “Led us right into a den of werewolves, the little punk.”
“Ugh,” agreed Thalia Grace, pulling a werewolf tooth out of her leather cuirass. “TF spreads destruction everywhere he goes.”
“TF?” I asked.
“Easier than saying Teumessian Fox twenty times a day,” Thalia told me. “Anyway, the fox runs through a town and stirs up every monster within twenty miles. Peoria is pretty much in ruins.”
This sounded like a tragic loss, but I was more concerned with my Hunter buddies.
“Are you regretting your decision to join up?” I asked Reyna.
She grinned. “Not for a minute. This is fun!”
Thalia punched her in the shoulder. “Great Hunter, this one. I knew she would be. We’ll get that fox one of these days.”
Emmie called to them from the kitchen to help with dinner, because the carrots weren’t going to dice themselves. The two friends strode off together, laughing and sharing stories. It did my heart good to see them so happy, even if their version of fun was a never-ending foxhunt that destroyed large portions of the Midwest.
Jo was
