Page 4 of The Court of the Dead
“Protect others?” asked Oludare. “From what?”
“One of the other kids told me we have to fight monsters.” Noah shrank even farther into his puffer. “Are monsters real?”
“Of course,” said Ananya. “If the gods are real, why wouldn’t the monsters be?”
“Butarethe gods real?” Noah snapped back. “I’ve never met this so-called Hermes. How do I know he’s not fictional?”
“I truly hope Hermes hears all this,” Nico muttered.
Noah frowned. “Sorry. It’s just…I’m confused. My mom said Ineededto be here, but I still don’t understand why.”
“It’s okay.” Will reached across the table to lay his hand on top of Noah’s. “We’re going to help you.”
“Well, I’m excited,” said Oludare. “Gods and monsters? Sign me up!”
“I could always learn how to fight better,” said Ananya. “I do throw hands already, though.”
Noah pulled back his hand, which disappeared into his sleeve. “How are you both accepting all this supernatural stuff so quickly?” He pointed at a dryad serving drinks to the other campers. “I mean, she’s supposed to be a tree spirit? How do we know that’s not cosplay or something?”
“You really don’t believe?” asked Olu.
“Why should I?” Noah’s voice crept higher in panic. He looked like a turtle retreating into his puffy quilted polyester shell. “I’ve never seen anything supernatural in my life!”
At that exact moment, a sphere of light burst over their table, spinning with the vibrant colors of a rainbow. The newcomers yelped. Noah nearly fell off the bench. Even more seasoned campers turned and stared in amazement, as this was not something that normally happened at the dinner table.
Nico knew exactly what this was: an Iris-message, though he’d never seen one so large and bright before.
A voice spoke from the glowing portal: “Nico! Are you there?”
His heart leaped. “Hazel? Is that you?”
The image shimmered into focus: his half sister Hazel Levesque, looking regal in her purple robes and Roman-style armor, her dark hair braided with gold laurel leaves. Nico was delighted, but her grim expression told him this was not a social call.
“Of course it’s me,” she said. “And I’m in trouble. I need your help.”
It wasn’t easy to calm Noah, who thought he was hallucinating a floating head. Ananya scowled like she was ready to throw said hands at the apparition, while Oludare bounced up and down excitedly.
“That’s so cool!” he shouted. “Will we be able to do this? Do we havemagic?”
“That’s a lesson for later,” said Nico. “Will, could you, um—”
“Got it,” Will said. “Come on, you three. Let’s give Nico some space.”
He helped Noah, Oludare, and Ananya gather their food and move to another table full of whispering demigods.
Inside her sphere of rainbow light, Hazel raised an eyebrow. “New campers?” she asked.
“We’ve gotten quite a few recently,” said Nico.
“Ah, well…that’s sort of why I’m calling.”
Before she could elaborate, Will rejoined the party, grinning. “It’s good to see you, Hazel! I know your brother has been meaning to reach out.” He elbowed Nico. “Haven’t you?”
Nico winced. “Totally.”
Hazel smirked. She knew Nico wasn’t always the best about keeping in touch. “It’s fine. I should’ve called earlier. I heard about your little adventure in the Underworld.”
“It was definitely an adventure,” Will said. “Maybe not so little.” He squeezed Nico’s hand. “But I think we did pretty well.”
