❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝒳𝒳𝒱𝐼𝐼. 𝐸𝓃𝒹 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇

𝒪𝓃 the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. Zoe knew the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. She loved it every single year and always helped make the fireworks. This year, she helped make them but decided to sit with her friends on the beach and watch the finale that was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth and Percy were spreading a picnic blanket, Zoe returned with smuggled food just as Grover showed up to tell them good-bye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say... well, you know."

Annabeth and Zoe both gave him a hug. They told him to keep his fake feet on.

Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan..."

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" Zoe added.

"Jeez, guys," he grumbled. "You're like old mama goats."

But he didn't really sound annoyed.

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway-nothing like the little runty boy Zoe met when she was seven. Or even the slightly less runty boy she had gone on a quest with.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave one more hug to Annabeth and Zoe, clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.

Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

He turned at the edge of the woods.

"Wherever you're going-I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"Yeah," Zoe smiled, "he's strong. If anyone can find Pan, it's Grover."

On July 12th, Annabeth turned 13. Zoe, Annabeth and Percy sat by the water, eating cake Zoe had made with Annie. The blond didn't want a party, so the three friends hung out then Annabeth had dinner with her siblings.

July 21st rolled around and Zoe's 13th birthday was a bright summer day. Zoe went to breakfast and came back to a small pink box on her bed with a small note. The only words on it were:

𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝑀𝑜𝓂

Zoe was stunned. This was the second birthday gift she had ever gotten from her mom. The first being Thorn. She opened it up to find a golden dagger. The cross guard was shaped like two leaves, with a golden rose in between them. The grip was wrapped in red leather with a simple, rounded pommel. Engraved into the base of the blade was Darkheart in Ancient Greek. When she picked it up, it transformed into a clip identical to the scallop shell one in her hair except for the golden rose that was where the scallop shell was in her first clip.