"Ms. Castellan?" I said.

 

"AHHHH, " She straightened. I scrambled away and almost fell over the kitchen

table, because her eyes — her eyes were glowing green.

 

"My child, " she rasped in a much deeper voice. "Must protect him! Hermes, help!

Not my child! Not his fate — no!"

 

She grabbed Nico by the shoulders and began to shake him as if to make him

understand. "Not his fate!"

 

Nico made a strangled scream and pushed her away. He gripped the hilt of his

sword. "Percy, we need to get out — "

 

Suddenly Ms. Castellan collapsed. 1 lurched forward and caught her before she

could hit the edge of the table. I managed to get her into a chair.

 

"Ms. C?" I asked.

 

She muttered something incomprehensible and shook her head. "Goodness. I ... I

dropped the cookies. How silly of me."

 

She blinked, and her eyes were back to normal — or at least, what they had been

before. The green glow was gone.