Page 56 of The Court of the Dead
Nico thought that was an understatement. Before he could ask any follow-up questions—likeCan I have one?—the horn sounded for breakfast.
“Thanks for listening,” Savannah said, taking back her bracelet. “And…not hating me.”
She jogged off to rejoin the Second Cohort, leaving Nico with a lot to think about. If nothing else, maybe he had set an example for not hating. He felt like he deserved some breakfast tacos for that.
At the officers’ table, Nico brought Will, Hazel, and Frank up to speed on all the news, including his conversation with Savannah.
Will leaned over and gave him a kiss. “You did a good job.Mr. Dwould be proud.”
Nico wasn’t sure about that. Listening and empathizing were hard. If he were Dionysus, he would’ve been sorely tempted to sic an army of drunken leopards on everyone who annoyed him. He appreciated the kiss, though, even if Will’s breath smelled like pico de gallo.
“Maybe she can help quash some of the rumors, at least,” Nico said. “Any news from the searches?”
Frank forked scrambled eggs into a tortilla. “Nothing. Orcus flew around the valley until his wings gave out. He says he can spot a mouse from two hundred feet in the air, but he saw no sign of Arielle. The search teams on the ground also came up empty.”
“Terminus wasn’t much help, either,” Hazel reported. “He didn’t sense any incursions last night, or any mythics leaving our borders. But he’s not infallible.”
Will took a bite of migas. “This Terminus guy—”
“He’s a statue with no arms,” Hazel explained, “who is also a minor god.”
“Okay…” Will said this in a way that indicated he had heard of weirder security systems. “And he protects you all, kind of like the Golden Fleece at Camp Half-Blood?”
“Kind of,” Frank said. “But he can’t be everywhere at once. If an army marched up to our borders, yeah, he would sense that. But one person sneaking in or out, whether it was a monster or something else…maybe, maybe not.”
Nico frowned. His bacon-and-egg tacos were excellent, but he found it hard to enjoy them. “What do we do now?”
“The best we can,” Frank said. “Keep looking. Hope for the best.”
Nico glanced around the mess hall. The atmosphere seemed calmer at the moment, at least, but Nico wasn’t sure if that was a sign of improvement. The legionnaires might just be relieved that the mythics were sequestered in their quarters.
He looked at Will. “I wonder if this is how Chiron feels—sitting helplessly at the head table, trying to look calm and collected, hoping the campers can solve their own problems without killing each other.”
“Are we becoming the adults?” Hazel wondered.
Nico shuddered. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”
Hazel gave him a rueful smile. “Yeah. It’s a horrifying thought.”
“Quests and battles are easy,” Nico said. “This”—he swept his arm toward the rest of the room—“thisresponsibilityis exhausting. Constantly having to make decisions that are going to impact a bunch of other people, you know?”
“I am familiar,” Frank grumbled.
Hazel dipped a chip in her guacamole. “I didn’t thinkanyof this would happen when I took in Asterion and his friends. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but…gods.”
“And we started it,” Nico said, putting his hand on Will’s. “Unknowingly, when we went to Tartarus. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that.”
“We’re going to figure it out,” Will promised.
His optimism was such a superpower that Nico felt reassured. He remembered sheltering with Will in Tartarus, holding on to him in that dark, poisonous landscape, and being certain that they would survive, becauseWillwas certain. Their relationship had only gotten stronger since then.
Even if there was no end to this race, like Mr. D had said, Nico had the best partner at his side. That had to be enough.
“You’re right,” he decided. “So we just keep searching?”
“Leave that to me,” said Frank. “I’ll do a sweep with the Second Cohort. I think it’s important to keep a normal schedule going for the rest of the legion as much as possible. Let them see we’re working on the problem, but we’re also not freaking out.” He smiled at Will and Nico. “That meansyou, my friends, need to get back to training with the Fifth Cohort.”
“Aw, Dad,” Will complained.
