me.â
I couldnât see what was wrong with him. He seemed to be struggling against some invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.
âWhy should I trust you?â Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.
âYou shouldnât,â Luke said. âIâve been terrible to you. But if you donât help me, Iâll die.â
Let him die, I wanted to scream. Luke had tried to kill us in cold blood too many times. He didnât deserve anything from Annabeth.
Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehowâtons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldnât have been able to do that.
Luke rolled free, gasping. âThanks,â he managed.
âHelp me hold it,â Annabeth groaned.
Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily.
âI knew I could count on you.â He began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth.
âHELP ME!â she pleaded.
âOh, donât worry,â Luke said. âYour help is on the way. Itâs all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die.â
The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.
I sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets. There was no sound in my cabin except the gurgle of the saltwater spring. The clock on my nightstand read just after midnight.
Only a dream, but I was sure of two things: Annabeth was in terrible danger. And Luke was responsible.
SIX
AN OLD DEAD FRIEND COMES TO VISIT
The next morning after breakfast, I told Grover about my dream. We sat in the meadow watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then sheâd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.
When I told Grover my nightmare, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.
âA cave ceiling collapsed on her?â he asked.
âYeah. What the heck does that mean?â
Grover shook his head. âI donât know. But after what Zoë dreamedââ
âWhoa. What do you mean? Zoë had a dream like that?â
âI . . . I donât know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked.â
âWait, how do you know this?â
Grover blushed. âI was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin.â
âWhat for?â
âJust to be, you know, near them.â
âYouâre a stalker with hooves.â
âI am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldnât let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene.â
I tried to imagine that. Argus was the head of security for campâa big blond dude with eyes all over his body. He rarely showed himself unless something serious was going on. I wouldnât want to place bets on a fight between him and Zoë Nightshade.
âWhat did she say?â I asked.
Grover grimaced. âWell, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout . . . I think thatâs a bad thing. And then he called herââ
âWhoa, wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?â
âI . . . well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers andââ
âHe wears curlers in his
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