VIDEO GAMES! (p. jackson) (#1)

- two

NOTHING CAPS OFF THE PERFECT MORNING LIKE A CAR RIDE WITH YOUR ANGRY BROTHER.

Rose tried to talk to Mitchell, but he refused to listen.

"God," Rose said. "Could you at least let me explain?"

This resulted in lots of French yelling for about twenty minutes, with Percy listening awkwardly from the front seat of the taxi.

They rode in silence after that. The city melted away until they were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards and wineries and fresh produce stands.

The driver exited on Route 25A. They headed through the woods along the north shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on their left. Rose had to tell the driver where to pull over, since he was mortal and couldn't see camp.

Rose tossed the driver a wad of cash, not bothering to check how much.

"Tu ne peux pas continuer à commettre des crimes," Mitchell said. "Papa va te tuer."

"You say one word to him and I'll light all your shit on fire," Rose said.

"Good luck with her," Mitchell said to Percy before storming off.

She and Percy hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as they approached and let Rose scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.

"Your brother looks different," Percy said, trying to make conversation as they walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing.

"He's got a new scar by his eyebrow," Rose said, and their conversation ended there.

The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. Campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. A typical day at camp.

"I'm supposed to teach archery later," Rose said. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Um, I'll call my mom and ask her to drop your bag off at the border, okay?"

"Thanks."

percy :)
where is annabeth i need to talkto her

percy :)
i have your bag btw

rosie
we're all at the council ?

percy :)
council??

rosie
of the cloven elders
the one that decides if grover keeps
his searching license or not

percy :)
where is it

rosie
ill come get you meet me at the docks

A bunch of satyrs were sitting in a circle in the grass. Grover stood in the middle, facing three really old, really fat satyrs who sat on topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes.

Grover was telling them a story when Rose got back with Percy. Grover twisted the bottom of his shirt, shifting nervously on his goat hooves. He hadn't changed much since last winter, maybe because satyrs age half as fast as humans. His acne had flared up. His horns had gotten a little bigger so they just stuck out over his curly hair. Standing off to one side of the circle were Annabeth, a girl Percy had never seen before, and Clarisse. Rose and Percy stopped by them. Rose dropped her bag behind a tree.