Page 92 of Wrath of the Triple Goddess

The puddle rippled. It bubbled, then seeped together into a waterspout that got taller and taller until Eudora stood before me, fully herself again. I wondered how her shell-do liquefied, not to mention her glasses.

“I—I can’t believe this,” she sobbed. “Did you actually—Did I hear you right?”

“Yeah. I convinced her to give it another shot. Like you said, there are so many potential students in the world, and they don’t all belong at camp.”

I suppressed a shudder, thinking about the Aeaean naiads, who I definitely wouldn’t want showing up at our campfire sing-along with their spritz bottles of Fancy Water.

“They need the school,” I said. “And Hecate needs the school. The manse hasn’t been right since she shut it down. What’s more, Hecate could use the help. She’s great at offering a crossroads. She’s not so great at ushering people through them. She needs somebody who can advise her students, guide their choices, let them move on when they finish their studies.”

“Does that mean…?” Eudora’s voice was no more than a squeak.

“She’s rehiring you as her admissions director. Full-time.” Then I added quickly, “But only after you’re done helping me out with this semester, of course.”

“EEP!” Eudora forgot about etiquette and personal boundaries. She came around the desk to hug me. She picked me up, swung me around, then put me down and did a happy jig. “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”

“It’s okay.” I grinned. “Totally fine. Just, uh, keep doing a great job helping me get into college, okay?”

“Oh, I will! I will get you intoallthe colleges!”

“Just New Rome would be great.”

“New Rome it is! Oh! Oh!”

She danced around the room, hugged her office chair, and then tried to hug Sicky Frog. She seemed to have forgotten all about me. That was okay. I figured my work there was done, so I headed to first period, where I doubted the teacher would be so happy to see me.

I made it through my day somehow, though I may have fallen asleep in class once. Okay, three times.

After dismissal, I started heading back to Gramercy Park, thinking I should walk a certain flatulent polecat and two hellhounds who would really need to pee. I was kind of sad when I realized I didn’t have to do that anymore. On the bright side, I could go home…but first, I stopped by the Cracked Teapot.

My mom was standing by her usual table, rubbing her back. She was staring at her computer screen as if it had offended her.

“Writer’s block?” I asked.

“Percy!”

She hugged me tight, though she did not pick me up and spin me around, which wouldn’t have been good for her or me or the baby. With Grover’s help, I’d sent her a note by wind spirit on Saturday morning, just to let her know I was alive, but still, it was great to see her in person.

“Not writer’s block,” she said. “Writer’s back.” She rubbed her lower spine. “How did it go with Hecate? Tell me everything!”

I gave her the rundown while we ordered another pot of tea and I ate a cookie. Again, I felt lucky I didn’t spend every day writing here, or I’d eat way too much sugar, which, to be honest, I did anyway.

When I finished my story, my mom beamed. “You did something wonderful, Percy.”

“Yeah, well…if you ever change your mind about studying witchcraft, I know a goddess.”

She laughed. “Not likely. I’m happy with my choices. But what you did for Eudora, and Hecate, and the animals…You left them in a better place than you found them. And happier. That’s a very Percy thing to do, and I’m proud of you.”

I was way too old and cool to be affected by a compliment from my mom. I didn’t blush or fidget or anything. I tried to say something, but I had a lump in my throat. Probably just a piece of cookie.

“So, are you coming home tonight?” my mom asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Is it okay to have Grover and Annabeth over? And maybe Juniper? She discovered that plants ride free on the Long Island Rail Road because nobody notices them.”

“Of course!” my mom said. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen Juniper. But you might want to do your laundry before they come over.”

“Oh. Right.”

My mom had stopped doing my laundry this year. She said I needed practice doing it myself. So far, I was getting a lot of practice letting it pile up. I was probably also getting practice letting new life-forms develop in the hamper.

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