Page 51 of The Court of the Dead
“That’s socool!” said Will, his eyes alight with awe. “Quick, change into a blueberry muffin!”
“He can’t shape-shift into food, only living creatures,” said Hazel.
“Well, not with that attitude,” said Nico, grinning.
“One time he destroyed the barracks by morphing into a large, angry hippopotamus.” She shook her head. “Certainly no Moo Deng.”
“Not the point!” said Frank, and he gazed at Johan and Asterion again. “What I was trying to say is that I remember how hard it was to be different, especially when I couldn’t control my changes. It was so isolating andlonely.”
“Yes,” said Asterion somberly. “That is…how most of us feel. This is why Arielle wants us to leave.”
“And…what do you think of that idea?” asked Will. He was probably the best of them to ask that question. He was able to make it sound simply interested, rather than hopeful or disapproving.
Asterion’s hesitation filled Nico with dread. “I do not believe she is right. There is nowhere for us to go. We have been rejected by our own kind. We would not be welcomed back to Tartarus.”
Johan had been trying to savor Will’s hamburger, eating it in small bites, but this was difficult since his mouth was so enormous. Finally, he emptied the whole plate into his abdominal cavity and chewed with gusto.
“Yum!” he said. “I will now eat everyone else’s food.”
“No,” Will said gently. “Because I am setting boundaries.”
“Oh!” Johan looked delighted. “That was very good, Will Solace! We are learning together!”
Nico was hesitant to bring down the one person who was enjoying himself, but he felt like he needed to ask. “Johan…yesterday Semele told me you might know more about, er, the threats you would face if you left camp. Is there anything you can tell us?”
The blemmyae turned his huge blue eyes toward Asterion.
“Speak freely.” The bull-man sounded melancholy.
Johan dabbed his mouth with Will’s napkin. “This may be difficult for you to understand, but we mythics often see and hear things while we sleep. Sometimes these experiences are quite vivid. We call themdreams.”
The demigods all looked at one another like,Who’s going to tell him?
“We have those too,” Nico said at last.
Johan gasped.
Asterion looked startled. “Truly?”
“Fascinating,” Johan said. “It seems demigod brains are almost mythic-like in their complexity! But perhaps your dreams are not glimpses of actual events, or omens, or voices of enemies taunting you.”
“No,” Hazel said. “For demigods, they are.”
Johan’s entire chest transformed in an expression of wonder. “I should be writing this down. This is groundbreaking!”
“Tell them about the warnings,” Asterion urged.
Johan looked around nervously, as if spies might be eavesdropping. “Ever since we began our climb from Tartarus, we have been hearing a voice in our dreams—a man’s voice, issuing dire threats.”
Nico’s mouth felt dry. “Does this voice say you’ll be judged? Found guilty?”
Everyone at the table stared at him.
“How did you know that?” Johan asked.
“I’m curious too,” said Will, a hint of reprimand in his voice.
“I’ve had similar dreams,” Nico admitted. “Ever since I got here. I didn’t think…Well, I didn’t know what to make of them, so I haven’t mentioned them. Also, we’ve been kind of busy.”
