They had arrived on the outskirts of a little ski town nestled in the mountains. The sign said WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. The air was cold and thin. The roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting pitch-black shadows, though the morning was sunny.

Even with his lion-skin coat, Percy was shivering violently by the time they got to Main Street, which was about half a mile from the train tracks. As they walked, Percy told them about his conversation with Apollo the night before—how he'd told him to seek out Nereus in San Francisco.

Grover looked uneasy. "That's good, I guess. But we've got to get there first."

They stopped in the middle of town. They could pretty much see everything from there: a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.

"Great," Thalia said, looking around. "No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out."

"There's a coffee shop!" said Grover.

"Yes," Zoë said. "Coffee is good."

"And pastries," Grover said dreamily. "And wax paper."

Thalia sighed. "Fine. How about you two go get us some food. Percy, Sasha, Bianca, and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions."

They agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes. Bianca was a little uncomfortable going with the campers, but she did anyway.

Inside the store, they found out a few valuable things about Cloudcroft: there wasn't enough snow for skiing, the grocery store sold rubber rats for a dollar each, and there was no easy way in or out of town unless you had your own car.

"You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo," the clerk said doubtfully. "That's down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars."

The clerk looked so lonely, Percy bought a rubber rat. Then they headed back outside and stood on the porch.

"Wonderful," Thalia grumped. "I'm going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion."

"But the clerk said—"

"I know," she told them. "I'm checking anyway."

They let her go. Bianca knew how it felt to be restless. So patently, all half-bloods had attention deficit problems because of their inborn battlefield reflexes. They couldn't stand just waiting around.

Sasha, Bianca, and Percy stood together awkwardly.

"Nice rat," Bianca said at last.

Percy set it on the porch railing. Maybe it would attract more business for the store. "So... how do you like being a Hunter so far?" he asked.

She pursed her lips. "You're not still mad at me for joining, are you?"

"Nah. Long as, you know... you're happy."

"I'm not sure 'happy' is the right word, with Lady Artemis gone. But being a Hunter is definitely cool. I feel calmer somehow. Everything seems to have slowed down around me. I guess that's the immortality."

Sasha and Percy stared at her, as if trying to see the difference. With a shock, Bianca realized that five hundred or a thousand years from now, she would look exactly the same as she did today. She might be having a conversation like this with some other half-blood long after Percy and Sasha were dead, but Bianca would still look twelve years old.

"Nico didn't understand my decision," she murmured. She looked at Sasha and Percy.

"He'll be all right," Sasha said. "Camp Half-Blood takes in a lot of young kids. They did that for Annabeth. For me when Percy's step-dad tried to get rid of me."

Bianca nodded. "I hope we find her. Annabeth, I mean. She's lucky to have friends like you."

"Lot of good it did her," Sasha muttered.

"Don't blame yourselves. You risked your lives to save my brother and me. I mean, that was seriously brave. If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have felt okay about leaving Nico at the camp. I figured if there were people like you there, Nico would be fine. You're a good guy."

The compliment took Percy by surprise. "Even though I knocked you down in capture the flag?"

She laughed. "Okay. Except for that, you're a good guy."

A couple hundred yards away, Grover and Zoë came out of the coffee shop loaded down with pastry bags and drinks. Bianca was surprised she didn't want them to come back yet. It was weird, but she realized she liked talking to Sasha and Percy.

"So what's the story with you and Nico?" Percy asked. "Where did you go to school before Westover?"

She frowned. "I think it was a boarding school in D.C. It seems like so long ago."

"You never lived with your parents? I mean, your mortal parent?"

"We were told our parents were dead. There was a bank trust for us. A lot of money, I think. A lawyer would come by once in a while to check on us. Then Nico and I had to leave that school."

"Why?"

She knit her eyebrows. "We had to go somewhere. I remember it was important. We traveled a long way. And we stayed in this hotel for a few weeks. And then... I don't know. One day a different lawyer came to get us out. He said it was time for us to leave. He drove us back east, through D.C., then up into Maine. And we started going to Westover."

It was a strange story. Then again, Bianca and Nico were demigods. Nothing would be normal for them.

"So you've been raising Nico pretty much all your life?" Sasha asked, though it had a knowing tone. "Just the two of you?"

She nodded. "That's why I wanted to join the Hunters so bad. I mean, I know it's selfish, but I wanted my own life and friends. I love Nico—don't get me wrong—I just needed to find out what it would be like not to be a big sister twenty-four hours a day."

"Zoë seems to trust you," Percy said."What were you guys talking about, anyway— something dangerous about the quest?"

"When?"

"Yesterday morning on the pavilion," Percy blurted. "Something about the General."

Her face darkened. "How did you... The invisibility hat. Were you eavesdropping?"

"No! I mean, not really. I just—"

He was saved from trying to explain when Zoë and Grover arrived with the drinks and pastries. Hot chocolate for Sasha, Bianca, and Percy. Coffee for them.

"We should do the tracking spell," Zoë said. "Grover, do you have any acorns left?"

"Umm," Grover mumbled. He was chewing on a bran muffin, wrapper and all. "I think so. I just need to—"

He froze.

Bianca was about to ask what was wrong, when a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime had gotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else—almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.

Zoë gasped. "Grover, thy cup."

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away—a flock of tiny doves. Percy's rubber rat squeaked. It scampered off the railing and into the trees—real fur, real whiskers.

Grover collapsed next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow. They gathered around him and tried to wake him up. He groaned, his eyes fluttering.

"Hey!" Thalia said, running up from the street. "I just... What's wrong with Grover?"

"I don't know," Percy said. "He collapsed."

"Uuuuuhhhh," Grover groaned.

"Well, get him up!" Thalia said. She had her spear in her hand. She looked behind her as if she were being followed. "We have to get out of here."

⚰️💀

They made it to the edge of the town before the first two skeleton warriors appeared. They stepped from the trees on either side of the road. Instead of gray camouflage, they were now wearing blue New Mexico State Police uniforms, but they had the same transparent gray skin and yellow eyes.

They drew their handguns and pointed them at Percy. Sasha tensed.

Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiraled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn't flinch. Their glowing yellow eyes bored right into Percy.

Percy drew his sword, though Bianca wasn't sure what good it would do against guns. Sasha drew her dagger.

Zoë and Bianca drew their bows, but Bianca was having trouble because Grover kept swooning and leaning against her.

"Back up," Thalia said.

They started to — but then Bianca heard a rustling of branches. Two more skeletons appeared on the road behind them. They were surrounded.

Bianca wondered where the other skeletons were. Sasha had reported a dozen at the Smithsonian. Then one of the warriors raised a cell phone to his mouth and spoke into it.

Except he wasn't speaking. He made a clattering, clicking sound, like dry teeth on bone. Suddenly she understood what was going on. The skeletons had split up to look for us. These skeletons were now calling their brethren. Soon they'd have a full party on their hands.

"It's near," Grover moaned.

"It's here," Percy said.

"No," he insisted. "The gift. The gift from the Wild."

Bianca didn't know what he was talking about, but she was worried about his condition. He was in no shape to walk, much less fight.

"We'll have to go one-on-one," Thalia said. "Four of them. Five of us. Maybe they'll ignore Grover that way."

"Agreed," said Zoë.

"The Wild!" Grover moaned.

"It's a bad idea," Sasha grumbled.

A warm wind blew through the canyon, rustling the trees, but Percy kept his eyes on the skeletons.

And he charged.

The first skeleton fired. He deflected the bullet off the edge of his blade and kept charging. Sasha tan after him, dagger held flat to deflect bullets.

The skeleton drew a baton and Sasha sliced off his arms at the elbows. Then Percy swung his sword through his waist and cut him in half.

His bones unknit and clattered to the asphalt in a heap. Almost immediately, they began to move, reassembling themselves. The second skeleton clattered his teeth at them and tried to fire, but Percy knocked his gun into the snow.

"Percy!" Thalia screamed. The other two skeletons had fires at him.

Percy landed facedown in the street.

The Nemean Lion's fur! His coat was bulletproof.

Thalia charged the second skeleton. Zoë and Bianca started firing arrows at the third and fourth. Grover stood there and held his hands out to the trees, looking like he wanted to hug them. Sasha charged at Bianca's skeleton, yelling at Percy... something about wings?

There was a crashing sound in the forest to Bianca's left, like a bulldozer. Maybe the skeletons' reinforcements were arriving. Percy got to his feet and ducked a police baton. The skeleton he'd cut in half was already fully re-formed, coming after him.

There was no way to stop them. Zoë and Bianca fired at their heads point-blank, but the arrows just whistled straight through their empty skulls. One lunged at Bianca, and she thought she was a goner, but she whipped out her hunting knife and stabbed the warrior in the chest. The whole skeleton erupted into flames, leaving a little pile of ashes and a police badge.

"How did you do that?" Zoë asked.

"I don't know," Bianca said nervously. "Lucky stab?"

"Well, do it again!"

Bianca tried, but the remaining three skeletons were wary of her now. They pressed them back, keeping them at baton's length.

"Plan?" Percy said as they retreated.

Nobody answered. The trees behind the skeletons were shivering. Branches were cracking.

"A gift," Grover muttered.

And then, with a mighty roar, the largest pig Bianca had ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brown hair, and its eyes were wild and angry.

"REEEEEEEEET!" it squealed, and raked the three skeletons aside with its tusks. The force was so great, they went flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain, where they smashed to pieces, thigh bones and arm bones twirling everywhere.

Then the pig turned on them.

Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, "Don't kill it!"

The boar grunted and pawed the ground, ready to charge.

"That's the Erymanthian Boar," Zoë said, trying to stay calm. "I don't think we can kill it."

"It's a gift," Grover said. "A blessing from the Wild!"

The boar said "REEEEEEET!" and swung its tusk. Zoë and Bianca dived out of the way. O etch had to push Grover so he wouldn't get launched into the mountain on the Boar Tusk Express.

"Yeah, I feel blessed!" Sasha yelled. "Scatter!"

They ran in different directions, and for a moment the boar was confused. "It wants to kill us!" Thalia said.

"Of course," Grover said. "It's wild!"

"So how is that a blessing?" Bianca asked.

It seemed a fair question, but the pig was offended and charged her. She was faster than she'd realized. She rolled out of the way of its hooves and came up behind the beast. It lashed out with its tusks and pulverized the WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT sign.

"Keep moving!" Zoë yelled. She and Bianca ran in opposite directions. Sasha darted after Bianca. Grover danced around the boar, playing his pipes while the boar snorted and tried to gouge him. But Thalia and Percy won the prize for bad luck. When the boar turned on them, Thalia made the mistake of raising Aegis in defense. The sight of the Medusa head made the boar squeal in outrage. The boar charged us.

Sasha screamed. "Percy!" She ran after the boar, eyes wide with horror.

Everyone gave chase after her. They found her staring at a rickety bridge.

Grover called, "Helloooooo?" to Percy and Thalia as they searched.

"Down here!" Percy shouted.

A few minutes later, Zoë, Bianca, Sasha, and Grover joined them. They stood watching the wild boar struggle in the snow.

"A blessing of the Wild," Grover said, though he now looked agitated.

"I agree," Zoë said. "We must use it."

"Hold up," Thalia said irritably. She looked like she'd just lost a fight with a Christmas tree. "Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing."

Grover looked over, distracted. "It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?"

"Fun," Percy said. "Like... pig cowboys."

"Pig-boys?" Sasha asked.

Grover nodded. "We need to get aboard. I wish... I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gone now."

"What's gone?"

Grover didn't seem to hear him. He walked over to the boar and jumped onto its back. Already the boar was starting to make some headway through the drift. Once it broke free, there'd be no stopping it. Grover took out his pipes. He started playing a snappy tune and tossed an apple in front of the boar. The apple floated and spun right above the boar's nose, and the boar went nuts, straining to get it.

"Automatic steering," Thalia murmured. "Great."

She trudged over and jumped on behind Grover, which still left plenty of room for the rest of us.

Zoë and Bianca walked toward the boar.

"Wait a second," Percy said. "Do you guys know what Grover is talking about — this wild blessing?"

"Of course," Zoë said. "Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong... I never thought I would sense that presence again."

"What presence?"

She stared at Sasha like she was an idiot. "The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, in the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan."

⚰️💀

And that's a wrap.