Page 46 of The Chalice of the Gods

“Okay, I get it,” she said, pushing me away gently. “Messenger’s staff. Nice work!”

“Yeah, I totally planned it.”

“You totally had no idea.”

“Just because you’re right doesn’t mean I don’t resent it.”

She kissed me back. “I love you, too, Seaweed Brain.”

Grover cleared his throat. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Love you too, G-man,” I assured him. “That was some fine panpiping.”

“Hmph.” He tried to look grumpy, but from the way his ears reddened, I could tell he was secretly pleased. “Let’s just get back to Manhattan before things get weird.” He hesitated. “I meaneven weirder.”

Going back on the train, we looked like three normal kids who’d been rolling around in a muddy field in Yonkers all day, except I was carrying the cleanest, shiniest staff in the universe. And every time I burped, I let out a little cloud of violet or chartreuse.

The next afternoon we returned the staff to Iris.

I was glad to get it out of my room, because it tended to glow and shoot rainbows around the apartment whenever I thought of a message I needed to tell someone, or whenever a mail truck drove by. That morning, my mom had gotten a special delivery of books from her publisher, and the staff nearly beat up the FedEx guy. I guess it thought he was competition.

Anyway, I met up with Annabeth after school. Grover wasn’t with us, since he was downtown doing his photo shoot with Blanche. Apparently, she was going to dress him in a kilt of withered palm leaves, drape him across a burnt log, and photograph him surrounded by dead insects. Grover planned to frame the photo and present it to Juniper as a gift on her bloom day in January. I don’t understand a single part of what I just said, but nobody asked my opinion.

Finding Iris was the easy part. I just willed the staff to take me to her. I was afraid it might turn Annabeth and me into a rainbow and beam us to Wisconsin. Then we’d be coughing in twenty different colors all evening, and we’d also be in Wisconsin. Instead, the staff just pointed north and started pulling me along First Avenue like a dowsing rod.

It led us into lower Harlem, where we found the goddess hawking her crystals among a row of sidewalk produce sellers. I wondered if the dude selling cucumbers and the lady selling dried-pepper wreaths knew that the person between them was actually the immortal goddess of the rainbow. Probably not, but I doubt they would’ve been surprised. When you’re a street vendor in Manhattan, you’ve seen pretty much everything.

“Oh, my!” Iris gasped when she saw us. She took the staff and gave it a full inspection like it was a samurai blade just back from the sword-repair shop. “Mercedes, you look amazing!”

“You named your staff Mercedes?” Annabeth asked. Then she quickly added, “That’s a beautiful name.”

“She seems so happy!” Iris gushed, rainbow tears trickling from her eyes. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

Foolish me. I was about to accept her apology when I realized she was talking to Mercedes.

“Oh, my sweet.” She cradled the staff and continued weeping. “I should have had you cleaned years ago! I will never use you as a display rack again!”

“The quest went well,” I offered. “Completely cruelty-free.”

“What?” Iris stirred slightly. “Oh, yes. Cruelty-free. Of course. Good.”

I got the feeling that I could have destroyed acres of snakes and Iris never would have known the difference. Then again, I was glad it didn’t go down like that, since the horned serpents were cute in a deadly,eat your face offkind of way.

“So,” Annabeth said, keeping her tone upbeat, “does this mean you’ll do some of your Iris-messaging in person again?”

“Hmm?” Iris pulled her eyes away from her beautiful herald’s stick. “No, no. Those days are over, though it’s wonderful seeing Mercedes in such good condition again. I appreciate your help!” She began humming to herself as she arranged her crystal displays around the table, slowly covering up Mercedes.

I glanced at Annabeth, who gestured for me to be patient.

“Did you have a chance to ask around?” Annabeth prompted the goddess.

Iris looked startled that we were still there. “Ask around?”

My heart sank. If Iris hadn’t honored her part of the deal, we really had gone to the River Elisson for nothing—except to start a Percy-based religious cult among the reptiles of Yonkers.

“About Ganymede?” I asked. “The missing cup?”

Iris blinked. “Yes. Of course. I... asked around. But are you sure you wouldn’t rather have a crystal for your reward? Perhaps a package of cleansing sage bath salts?”

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