This Dark Night ― Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase¹

―xi. zoe offers some unsolicited advice

BY THE TIME THE TRAIN STOPPED, they'd reached the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. The sign said WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. The air was cold and thin. The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.

As they walked through the small town, Percy told Naomi and Grover about his conversation with Apollo (disguised as a homeless guy named Fred, naturally) the night before—how he'd said to seek out Nereus in San Francisco.

Grover looked uneasy. "That's good, I guess. But we've got to get there first."

The winter solstice was in four days—four days to free Artemis, save Annabeth, and stop whoever this awful General was.

They stopped in the middle of town, where they had a few of just about everything: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, a couple of ski cabins, and a local grocery store instead of one of those chains Naomi remembered in Manhattan.

"Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

"There's a coffee shop!" Grover said.

"Yes," Zoë said. "Coffee is good."

"And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."

Thalia sighed. "Fine. How about you two and Naomi go get us some food. Percy, Bianca, and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."

They all agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes.

The café was, predictably, empty. From the looks of it, there were only two employees working today—a teenage boy leaning against the counter next to the cash register, scrolling on his phone with a bored expression and a teenage girl glaring at one of the fancy coffee machines like it had called her mother a rude name.

The boy stood up slowly, still looking bored. "Welcome to Cloudcroft Café, how can I serve you today?"

"Can we get a moment, please?" Naomi asked, smiling politely.

"Whatever."

Zoë sneered none-too-subtly at his laissez-faire attitude.

Grover gasped, shaking Naomi's arm excitedly. "They have macarons!"

"I can see that."

They figured out what they wanted (guessing for the rest of the group) and Grover volunteered to give the order, leaving Naomi and Zoë to wait at one of the two tables inside of the small café.

It was as awkward as Naomi anticipated.

After a full minute of the most tense silence Naomi had ever experienced, Zoë spoke. "I am... sorry, if I have offended thee on this quest. I realize I may have been a bit... harsh toward you."

May? A bit? Naomi let it go. "I know you're worried about Artemis," she mumbled. "I just wish you wouldn't take it out on the rest of us. Especially Percy."

Annoyance crossed the Hunter's face. "Thou must be careful of him."

Naomi frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"He will break thy heart," Zoë said, her tone as sure as the shift from winter to spring.

Naomi's cheeks felt warm. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Zoë looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "I have not been a maiden so long as to forget the look of love on a naïve girl's face," she said. "It will only end in thy misery."