{BOOK 3} Percy Jackson's Sister

Don't Anger the Goats or You'll Start Growing Weeds

      Chiron said we needed to hurry, so he picked us up and plopped us on his back. Centaurs had special powers that allowed them to travel way faster than we could. If he felt the need to give us a ride, Grover must've been in serious trouble.

   We plunged into the woods. Tree nymphs peeked out of their homes to watch us pass. Some shadows lurked, rustling the leaves. Monsters placed as a challenge for the campers.

   The woods were huge, I doubted I had explored even a quarter of it all, so when things started to look unfamiliar I wasn't surprised. Chiron galloped through a tunnel of old willow trees, past a little waterfall, and into a glade blanketed with wildflowers.

    A bunch of satyrs were sitting in a circle in the grass. Grover stood in the middle, with three really old, really fat satyrs all glowering down at him. Each of them sat on topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes.

    "Who are those guys?" I asked Chiron.

     Instead of answering my question, he shushed me and pointed to Grover.

   Grover seemed to be telling them a story. He twisted the bottom of his T- shirt, shifting nervously on his goat hooves. His horns had grown since the last time I had seen him, they stuck out from his curly hair. His voice cracked and he turned about three shades redder than he already was. He looked about ready to pass out.

      Chiron dropped us down next to Annabeth and Juniper, Grover's girlfriend. When Annabeth had told me Grover had a girlfriend, I could hardly believe it. Grover can't even speak to a sheep without getting nervous. Imagining him asking someone out was nearly impossible. But somehow, he had gotten Juniper to like him.

   Juniper was a resident nymph of Camp Half Blood. As given by her name, she lived in a juniper bush. Her amber hair complimented her pale complexion. She was pretty, but her eyes were tinged green from crying. Her elfish ears drooped in worry for her boyfriend.

     Annabeth had her arm around her, comforting her. When we landed next to them, she lifted her head and gave me a big smile. I would've hugged her if her arms weren't occupied. Then her gaze shifted to Percy and her angry expression returned. She faced away from us.

     I hadn't noticed Clarisse standing there until she spoke to Percy. "Punk."

     She turned to me and nodded grudgingly. She must've been in a good mood because she didn't immediately start a fight.

   A camouflage bandana was wrapped around her stringy brown hair. She looked buffer than last year, which was terrifying because she was already pretty big.

    "It's going terribly," Juniper sniffled.

    "No, no," Annabeth patted her shoulders. "He'll be fine, Juniper."

     Juniper glanced up for a moment and met my eyes.

    "Cassidy!" She hugged me and continued to sob.

    "Hey, it's okay," I reassured her. "Who are those dudes anyway?"

    She looked at me, baffled. "Don't call the Council of Cloven Elders 'dude'. They might turn you into a corpse flower!"

   "Oh, sorry." I pretended to know who the Council of Cloven Elders was. I also pretended to know what a corpse flower was.

    "Master Underwood!" the council member on the right shouted, cutting off whatever Grover was trying to say. "Do you seriously expect us to believe this?"

    "B-but Silenus," Grover stammered. "It's the truth!"

    Silenus, I guessed, turned to his his fellow royal satyrs and muttered something. Chiron clomped his way up to them. He must've been respected among the half goat folks because they turned their full attention to him.

    Compared to Chiron, the elders didn't look very impressive. They looked like they hadn't moved from their thrones in centuries, each of them wore a sleepy expression, as if they hadn't slept in even longer.

   Silenus adjusted himself in his seat, pulling down his shirt to cover his potbelly. "Master Underwood, for six months—six months— we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god Pan speak."

    "But I did!"

    "Impudence!" said the satyr on the left.

    "Now, Maron," Chiron said. "Patience."

    "Patience, indeed!" Maron said. "I've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. As if the wild god would speak to...to him."

   Juniper's expression turned from sad to angry. She stomped forward but Annabeth and Clarisse grabbed her arms and held her in place.

     "Wrong fight, girlie," Clarisse muttered. "Wait."

    It shocked me to hear Clarisse, daughter of the war god, to hold someone back from a fight. Something about her expression was different, she looked worn. Anguished, almost.

   "For six months," Silenus continued, "we have indulged you, Master Underwood. We let you travel. We allowed you to keep your searcher's license. We waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. And what have you found in six months of travel?"

    "I just need more time," Grover pleaded.

    "Nothing!" the elder in the middle chimed in. "You have found nothing." "But, Leneus—"

     Silenus raised his hand, causing Grover to bow his head in shame. Now I was starting to want to pick a fight, too. I must've subconsciously stood forward because Percy grabbed my arm and held me in place.

    "How about you don't get yourself turned into an ugly flower?" He loosened his grip on me but didn't let go, not trusting that I wouldn't run up and punch Silenus.

   I sighed in defeat but Chiron intervened, saying something to the council that I couldn't hear. The satyrs frowned. They muttered and argued among themselves, but Chiron said something else, and Silenus sighed. Hesitantly, he nodded.

    "Master Underwood," Silenus announced, "we will give you one more chance."

    Grover almost broke his neck looking up so suddenly. "Thank you!"

    "One more week."

    "What? But sir! That's impossible!"

    "One more week, Master Underwood. And then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. Something to suit your dramatic talents. Puppet theater, perhaps. Or tap dancing."

    "But sir, I—I can't lose my searcher's license. My whole life—"

    "This meeting of the council is adjourned," Silenus said. "And now let us enjoy our noonday meal!"

    The old satyr clapped his hands twice. Immediately, a horde of nymphs melted out of the trees with platters of vegetables, fruits, tin cans, and other goat delicacies. The satyrs broke out of their circle and dove for the food. Every satyr, except for Grover. He glumly made his way towards our small group. His faded blue T-shirt had a picture of a satyr on it. It read GOT HOOVES?

  "Hi, Percy, Cassidy," he said, not even offering a high five. "That went well, huh?"

   "Those old goats!" Juniper said. "Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!"

   "There is another option," Clarisse said darkly. She was nervously biting her thumbnail.

    "No. No." Juniper shook her head. "Grover, I won't let you."

    His face was pale and sickly. "I—I'll have to think about it. But we don't even know where to look."

     "What are you talking about?" Percy asked.

    I was just as lost as he was. Annabeth told me a lot, but not everything. This was one of these things. Everyone seemed to know what they were talking about except my brother and I.

    In the distance, a conch horn sounded.

    Annabeth pursed her lips. "I'll fill you guys in later. We'd better get back to our cabins. Inspection is starting."