one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume

smoke drifted into the sky.

 

Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud — black silk with a logo of swords

crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, I hoped Ethan

knew he had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but

the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved.

 

Dinner at the pavilion was low-key. The only highlight was Juniper the tree

nymph, who screamed, "Grover! " and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug,

making everybody cheer. They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and

I was happy for them, though the scene reminded me of Silena and Beckendorf,

which made me sad.

 

Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at

the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of

place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his

fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool. Hey, show up

with an army of undead warriors to save the day, and suddenly you're everybody's

best friend.

 

Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away. Some went to the campfire for a

sing-along. Others went to bed. I sat at the Poseidon table by myself and

watched the moonlight on Long Island Sound. I could see Grover and Juniper at

the beach, holding hands and talking. It was peaceful.