MY C00KIES GET SC0RCHED
I donโt recommend shadow travel if youโre scared of:
- The dark
- Cold shivers up your spine
- Strange noises
- Going so fast you feel like your face is peeling off
In other words, I thought it was awesome. One minute I couldnโt see anything. I could only feel Mrs. OโLearyโs fur and my fingers wrapped around the bronze links of her dog collar.
The next minute the shadows melted into a new scene. We were on a cliff in the woods of Connecticut. At least, it looked like Connecticut from the few times Iโd been there: lots of trees, low stone walls, big houses.
Down one side of the cliff, a highway cut through a ravine. Down the other side was someoneโs backyard. The property was hugeโmore wilderness than lawn. The house was a two-story white Colonial. Despite the fact that it was right on the other side of the hill from a highway, it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. I could see a light glowing in the kitchen window. A rusty old swing set stood under an apple tree.
I couldnโt imagine living in a house like this, with an actual yard and everything. Iโd lived in a tiny apartment or a school dorm my whole life. If this was Lukeโs home, I wondered why heโd ever wanted to leave.
Mrs. OโLeary staggered. I remembered what Nico had said about shadow travel draining her, so I slipped off her back. She let out a huge toothy yawn that wouldโve scared a T. rex, then turned in a circle and flopped down so hard the ground shook. Nico appeared right next to me, as if the shadows had darkened and created him. He stumbled, but I caught his arm.
โIโm okay,โ he managed, rubbing his eyes.
โHow did you do that?โ
โPractice. A few times running into walls. A few accidental trips to China.โ
Mrs. OโLeary started snoring. If it hadnโt been for the roar of traffic behind us, Iโm sure she wouldโve woken up the whole neighborhood.
โAre you going to take a nap too?โ I asked Nico.
He shook his head. โThe first time I shadow traveled, I passed out for a week. Now it just makes me a little drowsy, but I canโt do it more than once or twice a night. Mrs. OโLeary wonโt be going anywhere for a while.โ
โSo weโve got some quality time in Connecticut.โ I gazed at the white Colonial house. โWhat now?โ
โWe ring the doorbell,โ Nico said.
If I were Lukeโs mom, I would not have opened my door at night for two strange kids. But I wasnโtย anythingย like Lukeโs mom.
I knew that even before we reached the front door. The sidewalk was lined with those little stuffed beanbag animals you see in gift shops. There were miniature lions, pigs, dragons, hydras, even a teeny Minotaur in a little Minotaur diaper. Judging from their sad shape, the beanbag creatures had been sitting out here a long timeโsince the snow melted last spring at least. One of the hydras had a tree sapling sprouting between its necks.
The front porch was infested with wind chimes. Shiny bits of glass and metal clinked in the breeze. Brass ribbons tinkled like water and made me realize I needed to use the bathroom. I didnโt know how Ms. Castellan could stand all the noise.
The front door was painted turquoise. The name CASTELLAN was written in English, and below in Greek:
Nico looked at me. โReady?โ
Heโd barely tapped the door when it swung open. โLuke!โ the old lady cried happily.
She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets. Her white hair stuck out in tufts all over her head. Her pink housedress was covered in scorch marks and smears of ash. When she smiled, her face looked unnaturally stretched, and the high-voltage light in her eyes made me wonder if she was blind.
โOh, my dear boy!โ She hugged Nico. I was trying to figure out why she thought Nico was Luke (they looked absolutely nothing alike), when she smiled at me and said, โLuke!โ
She forgot all about Nico and gave me a hug. She smelled like burned cookies. She was as thin as a scarecrow, but that didnโt stop her from almost crushing me.
โCome in!โ she insisted. โI have your lunch ready!โ
She ushered us inside. The living room was even weirder than the front lawn. Mirrors and candles filled every available space. I couldnโt look anywhere without seeing my own reflection. Above the mantel, a little bronze Hermes flew around the second hand of a ticking clock. I tried to imagine the god of messengers ever falling in love with this old woman, but the idea was too bizarre.
Then I noticed the framed picture on the mantel, and I froze. It was exactly like Rachelโs sketchโLuke around nine years old, with blond hair and a big smile and two missing teeth. The lack of a scar on his face made him look like a different personโcarefree and happy. How could Rachel have known about that picture?
โThis way, my dear!โ Ms. Castellan steered me toward the back of the house. โOh, I told them you would come back. I knew it!โ
She sat us down at the kitchen table. Stacked on the counter were hundredsโI mean hundredsโof Tupperware boxes with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches inside. The ones on the bottom were green and fuzzy, like theyโd been there for a long time. The smell reminded me of my sixth grade lockerโand thatโs not a good thing.
On top of the oven was a stack of cookie sheets. Each one had a dozen burned cookies on it. In the sink was a mountain of empty plastic Kool-Aid pitchers. A beanbag Medusa sat by the faucet like she was guarding the mess.
Ms. Castellan started humming as she got out peanut butter and jelly and started making a new sandwich. Something was burning in the oven. I got the feeling more cookies were on the way.
Above the sink, taped all around the window, were dozens of little pictures cut from magazines and newspaper adsโpictures of Hermes from the FTD Flowers logo and Quickie Cleaners, pictures of the caduceus from medical ads.
My heart sank. I wanted to get out of that room, but Ms. Castellan kept smiling at me as she made the sandwich, like she was making sure I didnโt bolt.
Nico coughed. โUm, Ms. Castellan?โ โMm?โ
โWe need to ask you about your son.โ
โOh, yes! They told me he would never come back. But I knew better.โ She patted my cheek affectionately, giving me peanut butter racing stripes.
โWhen did you last see him?โ Nico asked. Her eyes lost focus.
โHe was so young when he left,โ she said wistfully. โThird grade.
Thatโs too young to run away! He said heโd be back for lunch. And I waited. He likes peanut butter sandwiches and cookies and Kool-Aid. Heโll be back for lunch very soonโฆ.โ Then she looked at me and smiled. โWhy, Luke, there you are! You look so handsome. You have your fatherโs eyes.โ
She turned toward the pictures of Hermes above the sink. โNow thereโs a good man. Yes, indeed. He comes to visit me, you know.โ
The clock kept ticking in the other room. I wiped the peanut butter off my face and looked at Nico pleadingly, likeย Can we get out of here now?
โMaโam,โ Nico said. โWhat, uhโฆwhat happened to your eyes?โ
Her gaze seemed fracturedโlike she was trying to focus on him through a kaleidoscope. โWhy, Luke, you know the story. It was right before you were born, wasnโt it? Iโd always been special, able to see through theโฆwhatever-they-call-it.โ
โThe Mist?โ I said.
โYes, dear.โ She nodded encouragingly. โAnd they offered me an important job. Thatโs how special I was!โ
I glanced at Nico, but he looked as confused as I was. โWhat sort of job?โ I asked. โWhat happened?โ
Ms. Castellan frowned. Her knife hovered over the sandwich bread. โDear me, it didnโt work out, did it? Your father warned me not to try. He said it was too dangerous. But I had to. It was my destiny! And nowโฆI still canโt get the images out of my head. They make everything seem so fuzzy. Would you like some cookies?โ
She pulled a tray out of the oven and dumped a dozen lumps of chocolate chip charcoal on the table.
โLuke was so kind,โ Mrs. Castellan murmured. โHe left to protect me, you know. He said if he went away, the monsters wouldnโt threaten me. But I told him the monsters are no threat! They sit outside on the sidewalk all day, and they never come in.โ She picked up the little stuffed Medusa from the windowsill. โDo they, Mrs. Medusa? No, no threat at all.โ She beamed at me. โIโm so glad you came home. I knew you werenโt ashamed of me!โ
I shifted in my seat. I imagined being Luke sitting at this table, eight or nine years old, and just beginning to realize that my mother wasnโt all there.
โMs. Castellan,โ I said. โMom,โ she corrected.
โUm, yeah. Have you seen Luke since he left home?โ โWell, of course!โ
I didnโt know if she was imagining that or not. For all I knew, every time the mailman came to the door he was Luke. But Nico sat forward expectantly.
โWhen?โ he asked. โWhen did Luke visit you last?โ
โWell, it wasโฆOh goodnessโฆโ A shadow passed across her face. โThe last time, he looked so different. A scar. A terrible scar, and his voice so full of painโฆโ
โHis eyes,โ I said. โWere they gold?โ
โGold?โ She blinked. โNo. How silly. Luke has blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes!โ
So Luke really had been here, and this had happened before last summerโbefore heโd turned into Kronos.
โMs. Castellan?โ Nico put his hand on the old womanโs arm. โThis is very important. Did he ask you for anything?โ
She frowned as if trying to remember. โMyโmy blessing. Isnโt that sweet?โ She looked at us uncertainly. โHe was going to a river, and he said he needed my blessing. I gave it to him. Of course I did.โ
Nico looked at me triumphantly. โThank you, maโam. Thatโs all the information weโโ
Mrs. Castellan gasped. She doubled over, and her cookie tray clattered to the floor. Nico and I jumped to our feet.
โMs. Castellan?โ I said.
โAHHHH.โย She straightened. I scrambled away and almost fell over the kitchen table, because her eyesโher eyes were glowing green.
โMy child,โย she rasped in a much deeper voice.ย โMust protect him!
Hermes, help! Not my child! Not his fateโno!โ
She grabbed Nico by the shoulders and began to shake him as if to make him understand.ย โNot his fate!โ
Nico made a strangled scream and pushed her away. He gripped the hilt of his sword. โPercy, we need to get outโโ
Suddenly Ms. Castellan collapsed. I lurched forward and caught her before she could hit the edge of the table. I managed to get her into a chair.
โMs. C?โ I asked.
She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head. โGoodness. IโฆI dropped the cookies. How silly of me.โ
She blinked, and her eyes were back to normalโor at least, what they had been before. The green glow was gone.
โAre you okay?โ I asked.
โWell, of course, dear. Iโm fine. Why do you ask?โ I glanced at Nico, who mouthed the wordย Leave.
โMs. C., you were telling us something,โ I said. โSomething about your son.โ
โWas I?โ she said dreamily. โYes, his blue eyes. We were talking about his blue eyes. Such a handsome boy!โ
โWe have to go,โ Nico said urgently. โWeโll tell Lukeโฆuh, weโll tell him you said hello.โ
โBut you canโt leave!โ Ms. Castellan got shakily to her feet, and I backed away. I felt silly being scared of a frail old woman, but the way her voice had changed, the way sheโd grabbed Nicoโฆ
โHermes will be here soon,โ she promised. โHeโll want to see his boy!โ
โMaybe next time,โ I said. โThank you forโโ I looked down at the burned cookies scattered on the floor. โThanks for everything.โ
She tried to stop us, to offer us Kool-Aid, but I had to get out of that house. On the front porch, she grabbed my wrist and I almost jumped out of my skin. โLuke, at least be safe. Promise me youโll be safe.โ
โI willโฆMom.โ
That made her smile. She released my wrist, and as she closed the front door I could hear her talking to the candles: โYou hear that? He will be safe. I told you he would be!โ
As the door shut, Nico and I ran. The little beanbag animals on the sidewalk seemed to grin at us as we passed.
Back at the cliff, Mrs. OโLeary had found a friend.
A cozy campfire crackled in a ring of stones. A girl about eight years old was sitting cross-legged next to Mrs. OโLeary, scratching the hellhoundโs ears.
The girl had mousy brown hair and a simple brown dress. She wore a scarf over her head so she looked like a pioneer kidโlike the ghost ofย Little House on the Prairieย or something. She poked the fire with a stick, and it seemed to glow more richly red than a normal fire.
โHello,โ she said.
My first thought was: monster. When youโre a demigod and you find a sweet little girl alone in the woodsโthatโs typically a good time to draw
your sword and attack. Plus, the encounter with Ms. Castellan had rattled me pretty bad.
But Nico bowed to the little girl. โHello again, Lady.โ
She studied me with eyes as red as the firelight. I decided it was safest to bow.
โSit, Percy Jackson,โ she said. โWould you like some dinner?โ
After staring at moldy peanut butter sandwiches and burned cookies, I didnโt have much of an appetite, but the girl waved her hand and a picnic appeared at the edge of the fire. There were plates of roast beef, baked potatoes, buttered carrots, fresh bread, and a whole bunch of other foods I hadnโt had in a long time. My stomach started to rumble. It was the kind of home-cooked meal people are supposed to have but never do. The girl made a five-foot-long dog biscuit appear for Mrs. OโLeary, who happily began tearing it to shreds.
I sat next to Nico. We picked up our food, and I was about to dig in when I thought better of it.
I scraped part of my meal into the flames, the way we do at camp. โFor the gods,โ I said.
The little girl smiled. โThank you. As tender of the flame, I get a share of every sacrifice, you know.โ
โI recognize you now,โ I said. โThe first time I came to camp, you were sitting by the fire, in the middle of the commons area.โ
โYou did not stop to talk,โ the girl recalled sadly. โAlas, most never do. Nico talked to me. He was the first in many years. Everyone rushes about. No time for visiting family.โ
โYouโre Hestia,โ I said. โGoddess of the Hearth.โ She nodded.
Okayโฆso she looked eight years old. I didnโt ask. Iโd learned that gods could look any way they pleased.
โMy lady,โ Nico asked, โwhy arenโt you with the other Olympians, fighting Typhon?โ
โIโm not much for fighting.โ Her red eyes flickered. I realized they werenโt just reflecting the flames. They were filled with flamesโbut not like Aresโs eyes. Hestiaโs eyes were warm and cozy.
โBesides,โ she said, โsomeone has to keep the home fires burning while the other gods are away.โ
โSo youโre guarding Mount Olympus?โ I asked.
โโGuardโ may be too strong a word. But if you ever need a warm place to sit and a home-cooked meal, you are welcome to visit. Now eat.โ
My plate was empty before I knew it. Nico scarfed his down just as
fast.
โThat was great,โ I said. โThank you, Hestia.โ
She nodded. โDid you have a good visit with May Castellan?โ
For a moment Iโd almost forgotten the old lady with her bright eyes
and her maniacal smile, the way sheโd suddenly seemed possessed. โWhatโs wrong with her, exactly?โ I asked.
โShe was born with a gift,โ Hestia said. โShe could see through the Mist.โ
โLike my mother,โ I said. And I was also thinking,ย Like Rachel. โBut the glowing eyes thingโโ
โSome bear the curse of sight better than others,โ the goddess said sadly. โFor a while, May Castellan had many talents. She attracted the attention of Hermes himself. They had a beautiful baby boy. For a brief time, she was happy. And then she went too far.โ
I remembered what Mrs. Castellan had said:ย They offered me an important jobโฆIt didnโt work out.ย I wondered what kind of job left you like that.
โOne minute she was all happy,โ I said. โAnd then she was freaking out about her sonโs fate, like she knew heโd turned into Kronos. What happened toโฆto divide her like that?โ
The goddessโs face darkened. โThat is a story I do not like to tell. But May Castellan saw too much. If you are to understand your enemy Luke, you must understand his family.โ
I thought about the sad little pictures of Hermes taped above May Castellanโs sink. I wondered if Ms. Castellan had been so crazy when Luke was little. That green-eyed fit couldโve seriously scared a nine-year- old kid. And if Hermes never visited, if heโd left Luke alone with his mom all those yearsโฆ
โNo wonder Luke ran away,โ I said. โI mean, it wasnโt right to leave his mom like that, but stillโhe was just a kid. Hermes shouldnโt have abandoned them.โ
Hestia scratched behind Mrs. OโLearyโs ears. The hellhound wagged her tail and accidentally knocked over a tree.
โItโs easy to judge others,โ Hestia warned. โBut will you follow Lukeโs path? Seek the same powers?โ
Nico set down his plate. โWe have no choice, my lady. Itโs the only way Percy stands a chance.โ
โMmm.โ Hestia opened her hand and the fire roared. Flames shot thirty feet into the air. Heat slapped me in the face. Then the fire died back down to normal.
โNot all powers are spectacular.โ Hestia looked at me. โSometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding. Do you believe me?โ
โUh-huh,โ I said. Anything to keep her from messing with her flame powers again.
The goddess smiled. โYou are a good hero, Percy Jackson. Not too proud. I like that. But you have much to learn. When Dionysus was made a god, I gave up my throne for him. It was the only way to avoid a civil war among the gods.โ
โIt unbalanced the Council,โ I remembered. โSuddenly there were seven guys and five girls.โ
Hestia shrugged. โIt was the best solution, not a perfect one. Now I tend the fire. I fade slowly into the background. No one will ever write epic poems about the deeds of Hestia. Most demigods donโt even stop to talk to me. But that is no matter. I keep the peace. I yield when necessary. Can you do this?โ
โI donโt know what you mean.โ
She studied me. โPerhaps not yet. But soon. Will you continue your quest?โ
โIs that why youโre hereโto warn me against going?โ
Hestia shook her head. โI am here because when all else fails, when all the other mighty gods have gone off to war, I am all thatโs left. Home.
Hearth. I am the last Olympian. You must remember me when you face your final decision.โ
I didnโt like the way she saidย final.
I looked at Nico, then back at Hestiaโs warm glowing eyes. โI have to continue, my lady. I have to stop LukeโฆI mean Kronos.โ
Hestia nodded. โVery well. I cannot be of much assistance, beyond what I have already told you. But since you sacrificed to me, I can return you to your own hearth. I will see you again, Percy, on Olympus.โ
Her tone was ominous, as though our next meeting would not be happy.
The goddess waved her hand, and everything faded.
Suddenly I was home. Nico and I were sitting on the couch in my momโs apartment on the Upper East Side. That was the good news. The bad news was that the rest of the living room was occupied by Mrs.
OโLeary.
I heard a muffled yell from the bedroom. Paulโs voice said, โWho put this wall of fur in the doorway?โ
โPercy?โ my mom called out. โAre you here? Are you all right?โ โIโm here!โ I shouted back.
โWOOF!โย Mrs. OโLeary tried to turn in a circle to find my mom, knocking all the pictures off the walls. Sheโs only met my mom once before (long story), but she loves her.
It took a few minutes, but we finally got things worked out. After destroying most of the furniture in the living room and probably making our neighbors really mad, we got my parents out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, where we sat around the kitchen table. Mrs. OโLeary still took up the entire living room, but sheโd settled her head in the kitchen doorway so she could see us, which made her happy. My mom tossed her a ten-pound family-size tube of ground beef, which disappeared down her gullet. Paul poured lemonade for the rest of us while I explained about our visit to Connecticut.
โSo itโs true.โ Paul stared at me like heโd never seen me before. He was wearing his white bathrobe, now covered in hellhound fur, and his
salt-and-pepper hair was sticking up in every direction. โAll the talk about monsters, and being a demigodโฆitโs really true.โ
I nodded. Last fall Iโd explained to Paul who I was. My mom had backed me up. But until this moment, I donโt think he really believed us.
โSorry about Mrs. OโLeary,โ I said, โdestroying the living room and
all.โ
Paul laughed like he was delighted. โAre you kidding? This is
awesome! I mean, when I saw the hoofprints on the Prius, I thought maybe. But this!โ
He patted Mrs. OโLearyโs snout. The living room shookโBOOM, BOOM, BOOMโwhich either meant a SWAT team was breaking down the door or Mrs. OโLeary was wagging her tail.
I couldnโt help but smile. Paul was a pretty cool guy, even if he was my English teacher as well as my stepdad.
โThanks for not freaking out,โ I said.
โOh, Iโm freaking out,โ he promised, his eyes wide. โI just think itโs awesome!โ
โYeah, well,โ I said, โyou may not be so excited when you hear whatโs happening.โ
I told Paul and my mom about Typhon, and the gods, and the battle that was sure to come. Then I told them Nicoโs plan.
My mom laced her fingers around her lemonade glass. She was wearing her old blue flannel bathrobe, and her hair was tied back.
Recently sheโd started writing a novel, like sheโd wanted to do for years, and I could tell sheโd been working on it late into the night, because the circles under her eyes were darker than usual.
Behind her at the kitchen window, silvery moon lace glowed in the flower box. Iโd brought the magical plant back from Calypsoโs island last summer, and it bloomed like crazy under my motherโs care. The scent always calmed me down, but it also made me sad because it reminded me of lost friends.
My mom took a deep breath, like she was thinking how to tell me no. โPercy, itโs dangerous,โ she said. โEven for you.โ
โMom, I know. I could die. Nico explained that. But if we donโt try
โโ
โWeโll all die,โ Nico said. He hadnโt touched his lemonade. โMs.
Jackson, we donโt stand a chance against an invasion. And thereย willย be an invasion.โ
โAn invasion of New York?โ Paul said. โIs that even possible? How could we not see theโฆthe monsters?โ
He said the word like he still couldnโt believe this was real.
โI donโt know,โ I admitted. โI donโt see how Kronos could just march into Manhattan, but the Mist is strong. Typhon is trampling across the country right now, and mortals think heโs a storm system.โ
โMs. Jackson,โ Nico said, โPercy needs your blessing. The processย hasย to start that way. I wasnโt sure until we met Lukeโs mom, but now Iโm positive. This has only been done successfully twice before. Both times, the mother had to give her blessing. She had to be willing to let her son take the risk.โ
โYou want me to bless this?โ She shook her head. โItโs crazy. Percy, pleaseโโ
โMom, I canโt do it without you.โ
โAnd if you survive thisโฆthisย process?โ
โThen I go to war,โ I said. โMe against Kronos. And only one of us will survive.โ
I didnโt tell her the whole prophecyโabout the soul reaping and the end of my days. She didnโt need to know that I was probably doomed. I could only hope Iโd stop Kronos and save the rest of the world before I died.
โYouโre my son,โ she said miserably. โI canโt justโฆโ
I could tell Iโd have to push her harder if I wanted her to agree, but I didnโt want to. I remembered poor Ms. Castellan in her kitchen, waiting for her son to come home. And I realized how lucky I was. My mom had always been there for me, always tried to make things normal for me, even with the gods and monsters and stuff. She put up with me going off on adventures, but now I was asking her blessing to do something that would probably get me killed.
I locked eyes with Paul, and some kind of understanding passed between us.
โSally.โ He put his hand over my motherโs hands. โI canโt claim to know what you and Percy have been going through all these years. But it sounds to meโฆit sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage.โ
I got a lump in my throat. I didnโt get compliments like that too much.
My mom stared at her lemonade. She looked like she was trying not to cry. I thought about what Hestia had said, about how hard it was to yield, and I figured maybe my mom was finding that out.
โPercy,โ she said, โI give you my blessing.โ
I didnโt feel any different. No magic glow lit the kitchen or anything. I glanced at Nico.
He looked more anxious than ever, but he nodded. โItโs time.โ โPercy,โ my mom said. โOne last thing. If youโฆif you survive this
fight with Kronos, send me a sign.โ She rummaged through her purse and
handed me her cell phone.
โMom,โ I said, โyou know demigods and phonesโโ
โI know,โ she said. โBut just in case. If youโre not able to callโฆ maybe a sign that I could see from anywhere in Manhattan. To let me know youโre okay.โ
โLike Theseus,โ Paul suggested. โHe was supposed to raise white sails when he came home to Athens.โ
โExcept he forgot,โ Nico muttered. โAnd his father jumped off the palace roof in despair. But other than that, it was a great idea.โ
โWhat about a flag or a flare?โ my mom said. โFrom Olympusโthe Empire State Building.โ
โSomething blue,โ I said.
Weโd had a running joke for years about blue food. It was my favorite color, and my mom went out of her way to humor me. Every year my birthday cake, my Easter basket, my Christmas candy canes always had to be blue.
โYes,โ my mom agreed. โIโll watch for a blue signal. And Iโll try to avoid jumping off palace roofs.โ
She gave me one last hug. I tried not to feel like I was saying good- bye. I shook hands with Paul. Then Nico and I walked to the kitchen doorway and looked at Mrs. OโLeary.
โSorry, girl,โ I said. โShadow travel time again.โ
She whimpered and crossed her paws over her snout. โWhere now?โ I asked Nico. โLos Angeles?โ
โNo need,โ he said. โThereโs a closer entrance to the Underworld.โ