Just Add Water

hide behind a mask of steel

They asked him about where he'd been. They yelled at him that they were worried sick.

What if you'd been attacked by a monster? What if you got lost in these near-endless woods?

You can't just do that, Percy!

And Percy this, and Percy that. He told them that he was fine, that he'd just went out for a walk. Everyone seemed to buy it, fortunately—except for Landon. His eyes never left him, not even once.

"Ni—Nicole?"

"What's up?"

"How can I..."

"Spit it out."

"How can I IM someone? The one time I had an Iris Message was with my mom, and Chiron did it for me."

Nicole's pen paused in its motion. She'd been doodling on her sketchbook as everyone prepared for dinner, laid back on her bunk bed, when Percy had walked up to her. She pushed her sketchbook aside.

"It's simple. I'll show you, come on."

In the making of an Iris Message, the only thing needed was a prism to make a rainbow. Oh, and also a drachma.

"Okay, so hold the prism into the light like this—yeah, Percy, great job! There's the rainbow, see?"

"Uh-huh."

It was a small, simple thing on the far wall, but it was there just the same.

"Usually it works better if the rainbow's made by water mist, but this'll do," she said, and afterward ordered him to throw in the drachma.

"Woah," he said, as he watched the golden coin disappear.

"Now repeat after me: 'O, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering.'"

He did as he was told. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Nicole said. "You're doing great. The last part is to say: 'show me,' and just tell her the person's name. Preferably with the address, but it's okay if you don't know."

"Um...so like, I say...Show me Ximena Fuentes?"

"Yep. But as a command. Not a question."

Percy squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"Show me Ximena Fuentes."

A pregnant pause ensued. Both Nicole and Percy stared into the rainbow intently. His arm began to shake from holding the prism for too long.

Nicole pursed her lips. "Let's try again."

She rummaged inside her night drawer, and Percy sighed, his arm that had been holding the glass prism falling to his side. When she stood next to him once more, there was another drachma blinking at him from her palm.

"It's okay. I always have an infinite amount, 'cause I'm lucky that way."

He took it, and tried again. This time, the rainbow flickered out of existence all together.

Nicole wrinkled her forehead. "Huh. That's so weird. It's almost like Iris doesn't want you to call this person. Or that the person doesn't want you to call them."

Clearly, Xime didn't want to be found. They gave up on the third try.

But not all was lost. He asked Nicole if he could IM someone else, and when she said yes, he was ready.