Death Girl || Leo Valdez (RTB)

MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULLFIGHTING

Once everyone walked into the main room Hestia made more couches show up so all the witches and wizards could sit.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and George sat on one couch. While Bill, Charlie, Percy, Luna, Draco and Rigel sat on the other couch.

Once everyone was settled down Frank picked up the book and began to read.

4. MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULL FIGHTING

"What?" Hermione asked.

"You'll see." Percy said.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind-shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas. Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo---lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

All I could say was, "So, you and my mom...know each other?"

Summer snorted.

Grover's eyes flitted to the rear-view mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "No not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"Way to sound like a stalker, Grover." Conner told him.

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."

"Um....what are you exactly?"

"Percy that's rude." Annabeth scolded.

"That doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey---"

Grover let out a sharp, throaty, "Blaa-ha-ha!"

I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.

"Goat!" he cried.

"What?"

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter."

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean....like Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"

"Of course."

"Then why---"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the human's eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

"Who I---wait a minute, what do you mean?"

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.

"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after me?"