“I can’t believe it was that easy,” said Will.
The legionnaires glared at Nico, maybe wondering why he hadn’t done that sooner, or at least offeredthemtreat-treats.
“All right, everyone!” Frank called out. “Lose the butterfly nets and gather round.”
He said this in English, probably becauseLose the butterfly netswas not a typical command you’d bark in Latin at your Roman legion.
A handful of demigods had gathered for the rescue mission: Savannah, Deion, and Yazan from the Second Cohort, since they’d worked with Puffs before; Lavinia from the Fifth; and Lucius Silver, the prankster from the First Cohort who was now Johan’s self-appointed bodyguard. Johan and Semele would be joining the mission too, but they were presently in the principia, searching for more information about Pirithous.
Many more demigods had volunteered. After all, their beloved praetor Hazel was missing. But Frank had insisted that a small group was better. Plus, a larger party wouldn’t fit in the legion’s Chevy Express van, and he didn’t like the idea of taking the entire herd of Puffs on the BART. Frank was nothing if not practical.
As the Puffs ate their chocolate, Nico watched Frank explain how the harnesses worked. The group seemed a bit nervous, shifting from one foot to the other, but that was no surprise. Nico remembered how strange and frightening it had been when he was preparing to head to Manhattan to fight Kronos and his army.
He was especially glad Savannah had turned up. After Laverna had short-circuited her tesserae, Nico had been afraid that Savannah would take the failure hard and retreat back into herself. Instead, she looked more determined than ever.
She still stood apart, though. Nico imagined her tragic history wrapped around her like a dampening field—a swirl of anger, grief, and frustration that dulled the entire world. He could relate. You could still feel alone in a crowd because your life was so unlike that of those around you.
He hoped she’d be up for the possible fight to come. Then he chided himself.Don’t underestimate her.She’s making the choice to be here.
“Nico?”
He glanced over at Frank. “Huh?”
“We’re ready for you,” he said.
The legionnaires were now all wearing their harnesses, looking like a squad of babysitter commandos. Even Orcus had a tiny harness across his back.
“Right.” Nico sucked in a deep breath. “I think you all know me—”
“You’re my boyfriend,” said Will, winking at him.
Nico blushed. Why was he blushing? Why did Will always make him blush?
“Anyway…” Nico said. “A little review on cacodemons and why we need to use them.”
He launched into a brief summary of how Nyx had created the demon personifications of his core emotions and experiences. He explained how contact with a Cocoa Puff allowed it to bring forth a similar emotion in someone else.
“It’s disorienting at first,” he warned. “Many of you already know that. But Hazel discovered something before she—” He faltered and then moved on as quickly as possible. “Um, she found out that a Cocoa Puff can heighten your awareness, give you a better chance of seeing through the Mist, even when someone is actively trying to manipulate it against you. It’s not perfect—”
“Can confirm,” Yazan muttered, getting some nervous laughter from the others.
“But we’ll need every advantage,” Nico continued. “And after our experience with that terrible court, I’m pretty sure that the more you use the Puffs, the more help they can offer.”
Lavinia raised her hand. “Have you figured out how they do it?”
“Maybe they’re not of this world,” said Deion. He made some beeping UFO sounds. Lavinia kicked his shin.
“They’re notaliens,” said Nico. “Best explanation I can give you? They show you the truth.”
“The truth?” Lucius inched closer to the pack of Puffs. “What doesthatmean?”
“This,” said Savannah. She reached down and scooped up Grief. It snuggled against her, and tears began streaming down her face.
Lavinia frowned. “Are you okay?”
“I am,” Savannah said, her lower lip quivering. “I’m also sad. I miss my parents so much. Ever since I’ve come to camp, I’ve been doing everything I could to ignore that feeling. But when I’m holding this Puff…I can’t run from the truth. I see my feelings soclearly. And that makes everything easier to accept. It’s sort of like, I don’t know, like when I’m denying my feelings, I’m using the Mist againstmyself, and the Puff doesn’t let me do that.” She knit her eyebrows. “That probably doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s fascinating,” said Will. “And it actually makes perfect sense.”
