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Grover was having a snack in the living room He was dressed for battle in an armored shirt el and his reed pipes hanging from his belt

The Demeter cabin had whipped up a whole buffet in the hotel kitchens--everything from pizza to pineapple ice crea the furniture He'd already chewed the stuffing off a fancy chair and was noing the ar this place"

"Blah-ha-ha!" He had stuffing all over his face "Sorry, Percy It's justLouis the Sixteenth furniture Delicious Plus I always eat furniture when I get--"

"When you get nervous," I said "Yeah, I know So what's up?"

He clopped on his hooves "I heard about Annabeth Is she?"

"She's going to be fine She's resting"

Grover took a deep breath "That's good I've mobilized most of the nature spirits in the city--well, the ones that will listen to me, anyway" He rubbed his forehead "I had no idea acorns could hurt soout as much as we can"

He told me about the skir uptohere we didn't have enough deods Hellhounds had appeared in all sorts of places, shadow-traveling inside our lines, and the dryads and satyrs had been fighting theon had appeared in Harlem, and a dozen wood nymphs died before the monster was finally defeated

As Grover talked, Thalia entered the roorimly, went outside to check on Annabeth, and came back in She listened while Grover co worse and worse

"We lost twenty satyrs against so "Aliants in the end, but"

Thalia shouldered her bow "Percy, Kronos's forces are still gathering at every bridge and tunnel And Kronos isn't the only Titan One ofan army on the Jersey shore I'm not sure who he is, but he radiates power like only a Titan or god"

I reolden Titan from my dream--the one on Mount Othrys who erupted into flaood news?"

Thalia shrugged "We've sealed off the subway tunnels into Manhattan My best trappers took care of it Also, it seeht to attack I think Luke"--she caught herself--"I ht He's still not co a lot of his power to slow time around the city"

Grover nodded "Most of his forces are ht, too But they'll be back after sundown"

I tried to think clearly "Okay Any word froods?"

Thalia shook her head "I know Lady Artemis would be here if she could Athena, too But Zeus has ordered the the Ohio River valley He should reach the Appalachian Mountains by ot another two days before he arrives"

Jake Mason cleared his throat He'd been standing there so silently I'd alotten he was in the roo else," he said "The way Kronos showed up at the Willia there And he shifted his forces to our weakest points As soon as we deployed, he changed tactics He barely touched the Lincoln Tunnel, where the Hunters were strong He went for our weakest spots, like he knew"

"Like he had inside information," I said "The spy"

"What spy?" Thalia demanded

I told her about the silver charm Kronos had shown me, the communication device

"That's bad," she said "Very bad"

"It could be anyone," Jake said "We were all standing there when Percy gave the orders"

"But what can we do?" Grover asked "Frisk every deod until we find a scythe char for a decision I couldn't afford to sho panicked I felt, even if things see," I said "We can't obsess about this spy If we're suspicious of each other, we'll just tear ourselves apart You guys were awesoht I couldn't ask for a braver army Let's set up a rotation for the watches Rest up while you can We've got a long night ahead of us"

The dereement They went their separate ways to sleep or eat or repair their weapons

"Percy, you too," Thalia said "We'll keep an eye on things Go lie down We need you in good shape for tonight"

I didn't argue too hard I found the nearest bedrooht I was too wired to sleep, but my eyes closed alelo alone in the gardens of Hades He'd just dug a hole in one of Persephone's flower beds, which I didn't figure would oblet of wine into the hole and began to chant "Let the dead taste again Let theelo, show yourself!"

White sure forirl with dark hair, olive skin, and the silvery clothes of a Hunter

"Bianca," Nico said "But--"

Don't summon our mother, Nico, she warned She is the one spirit you are forbidden to see

"Why?" he de?"

Pain, Bianca said Hatred A curse that stretches back to the Great Prophecy