This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―ix. percy gets accused of grand larceny

MR. D'S SUMMONS TO THE BIG HOUSE didn't surprise Percy in the slightest. Neither did his threats to turn him into a dolphin.

After the god disappeared into thin air, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes in his wake, Chiron smiled at Percy. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."

They sat, and Chiron laid his playing cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name made Percy shudder. He suspected Chiron wanted him to say something along the lines of, Heck, that was nothing, or I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But Percy didn't feel like lying.

"It scared me," he admitted. "If Naomi hadn't sent it away, I'd be dead." He looked at Chiron, taking note of the deceptively calm expression on the centaur's face. "How... how did she send it away?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Chiron said, though Percy wasn't sure how much he believed that. He'd seen the way Chiron had looked at her at the creek, the same way he tended to look at Percy since his father claimed him—like they'd both been saddled with awful, near-impossible destinies, and all Chiron could do was watch and pray they survived long enough to fulfill them. "It could have just been luck."

"You don't believe that," Percy said.

Chiron looked at him. "I want to," he said quietly. "If what she did the other day has anything to do with her godly parent... I fear she may be in more danger than even you."

Percy tensed. He didn't like the sound of that—the way everyone looked at him, it was like they were waiting for his tragic end. He didn't want Naomi to be in that position. She was his best friend, he didn't want her to get hurt—especially not because of some godly parent who still hadn't gotten around to claiming her in the first place.

"Unfortunately, you'll meet worse than the hellhound, Percy," Chiron told him. "Far worse, before you're done."

"Done... with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

Percy glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as Percy could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable... something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

Percy's face grew hot. He wished he hadn't opened his mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth and she'd overheard something about a theft. And... I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it's his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."