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They tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. Marlowe was surprised Sally could even see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.
Every time there was a flash of lightning, Percy looked at Grover sitting next to him in the backseat. Percy wondered if he was going insane, or if Grover was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.
He would look over at Marlowe, expecting her to be just as confused, but she just gripped onto the seat, glancing behind them. It was as if she were expecting something to pop up and scare them.
All Percy could think to say was, "So, you and my mom...know each other?"
Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind them. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."
"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."
Percy glanced down to his friend's legs. "Um...what are you, exactly?"
"That doesn't matter right now," Grover said, focusing back on the road.
"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"
"Goat," Marlowe inputted.
At the same time, Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"
Percy stared, wide eyed, at Marlowe. How did she know what he was?
Marlowe sighed, her grip on the seat never letting up. She was trying hard to stay in her place and not fall into the black haired boy. "Percy, he's a satyr. And I would suggest not disrespecting them, because they would trample you."
"Trample you!" Grover repeated, shaking his friend's shoulders.
Percy ripped himself free from Grover's grasp. "Woah. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like...Mr. Brunner's myths?" He turned to Marlowe. "How do you know all of this?"
"I just paid attention in class," the blonde said. She didn't need Percy to be freaking out about her perfect knowledge of the future.
"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy?" Grover asked. "Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"
"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!" Percy exclaimed, pointing a finger accusingly at his friend.
"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 humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."
