“I know.” Nico’s shoulders drooped. “It’s just so…newfor me. Learning to breathe, being still, and all that. We haven’t had a single quest or conflict in months.”
“And I am sure you feel antsy, Nico. But after what you and Will experienced this past fall, you deserve a break.” Mr. D was quiet for a moment, and then he added, “There’s nothing wrong with slowing down.”
Nico wasn’t so sure about that. The last time his life had “slowed down,” he’d gotten stuck in the magical Lotus Hotel and Casino and missed most of the twentieth century.
He and Mr. D cut to the west of the canoe lake and walked past the cabins. Soon, they heard the sound of a whizzing arrow thumping into a hay-bale target. Will Solace stood with Juniper, one of the camp’s dryads, staring down range at the shot he’d just taken.
They made quite a pair, wwlike she might get blown away by a strong breeze, but she carried herself with confidence. She was clearly the one giving the lessons.
Will was taller, built like a surfer. Today he wore faded jeans and a blue hoodie that contrasted nicely with his mop of shaggy blond hair. He held a bow against his right side and frowned at the target, obviously not happy with his aim.
Seeing them together, Nico felt an irrational twinge of jealousy.Hey, that’s my incredibly handsome boyfriend. Back off!Then Will saw him approaching and gave him a huge grin, and Nico’s misgivings melted into plain joy.
“Nico!” Will called.
My gods, Nico thought. He still couldn’t believe there was someone in the world who always looked so delighted to see him. How had he gotten so lucky?
“I’ll make the shot this time,” Will told him. “Watch!”
He nocked another arrow and pulled back the string.
“That’s right,” said Juniper at his shoulder. “Picture where you want it to go with your mind’s eye.”
Will loosed the arrow. It flew through the air and penetrated the outermost ring of the target.
“I imagined it that way,” he said quickly. “Totally intended it.”
“It’s better than last week.” Nico gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. “You weren’t hitting the target at all then.”
Will blushed. “I know. I can’t believe it’s taking so long for my archery skills to improve. Hopefully my dad isn’t too embarrassed by me.”
“I’m sure he’s rooting for you,” said Juniper. “Soon you’ll be hitting a bull’s-eye! Or…if not soon, eventually.”
Will grunted. “Not that comforting, Juniper.”
“Join us for dinner, child of Apollo,” Mr. D boomed. “Your presence will help the new campers adjust.”
“New ones?” Will handed his bow to Juniper. “You mean the ones from last week?”
“Sadly, no,” said Dionysus. “According to Chiron, three more demigods arrived just this afternoon.”
“Three more?” asked Nico. “Already? And it’s not even summer.”
“You can blame Percy Jackson for that.” Mr. D threw his hands in the air. “If he hadn’t made his dramatic little speech up in Olympus about all the minor gods deserving respect and their own cabins,Iwouldn’t have to be dealing with this influx of offspring! All of you would have grown up and left, and I could have turned Camp Half-Blood into Camp Me Time.”
Will grinned. “You love us, and you miss us when we’re gone.”
“Not you, Solace,” Mr. D shot back. “Never you. Not once, not ever.”
Will booped him on the nose. “You’re so cute when you pretend to hate us.”
Nico gulped, waiting for Mr. D to transform into a fiery pillar of wrath and disintegrate them all, but Dionysus just harrumphed. Somehow, Will could get away with booping the nose of a major Olympian god and still live to see another day.
During their short jaunt to the dining pavilion, Mr. D kept up his complaints about the latest demigod arrivals. Over the past few months, new kids had been showing up at Camp Half-Blood almost every week. Chiron had his hands full because of it. Since Nico and Will were the most “veteran” demigods around, they had taken on some of the orientation duties. Will had suggested they work up a song-and-dance routine. Nico had suggested Will never speak of that again.
Actually, Nico was glad to help, but something about the increasing numbers of new arrivals made him uneasy. It felt to him like part of a pattern, as if the world’s magical climate had changed, forcing mass migrations in advance of some catastrophe. He hoped he was wrong….
Upon entering the dining pavilion, Nico saw the usual crowds scattered across a dozen picnic tables. It had once been the rule to sit with your own cabin, but last summer Nico had started a nonviolent resistance movement (i.e., he wanted to sit with Will). The idea caught on without much pushback from Chiron or Mr. D, and now the campers sat wherever they wanted. Some were laughing and tossing pieces of bread at one another. Others made burnt offerings to their godly parents at the firepit. Mr. D ambled over to join Chiron at the head table, where a nervous-looking satyr waited with a platter of chilled, peeled Concord grapes for the wine god.
