This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―vii. a mummy crashes a not-so-friendly game of capture the flag

AS IT TURNED OUT, Morpheus had opted out of creativity for the night and decided to give Naomi and Percy the same dream of their best friend being crushed until a ceiling of darkness.

After breakfast, they talked to Grover about the shared dream. They sat in the meadow watching satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the satyr would slam into it head first and get covered in snow.

When Naomi and Percy told Grover about their nightmare, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.

"A cave ceiling collapsed on her?" he asked.

"Yeah. What the hell does that mean?" Percy asked.

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoë dreamed—"

"Whoa. What do you mean? Zoë had a dream like that?"

"I... I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."

Naomi frowned. "Wait, how do you know this?"

Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."

"What for?" Percy asked.

"Just to be, you know, near them."

Naomi stared at him. "Grover, that's creepy."

"You're a stalker with hooves," Percy said.

"I am not!" Grover insisted. "Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene."

Naomi tried to imagine that. She wouldn't want to place bets on a fight between the camp's hundred-eyed head of security and Zoë Nightshade.

"What did she say?" Percy asked.

Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout... I think that's a bad thing. And then he called her—"

"Wait, go back. How could Artemis be in trouble?" Naomi asked.

"I... well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and—"

"He wears curlers in his tail?" Percy asked.

Naomi glared at him to shut up.

"Sorry," he said. "Go on."

"Well, Zoë said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoë that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said..." Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?'"

"What do you mean lost?" Percy asked. "Like she needs directions?"

"No. I think she meant gone. Taken. Kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Percy looked bewildered. "How would you kidnap an immortal goddess? Is that even possible?"

Naomi stared at him. "My mother was literally kidnapped by Hades. That's her biggest myth—the kidnapping of Persephone."

"But she's, like... the goddess of flowers. Artemis is a lot more powerful than that."

He winced as soon as he said it.