The Last Olympian

happened. He wouldn’t stay gone this long if he wasn’t in trouble. I was hoping that Leneus—”
    “I told you!” the satyr protested. “You are a better off without that traitor.”
    Juniper stamped her foot. “He is not a traitor! He’s the bravest satyr ever, and I want to know where he is!”
    “WOOF!”
    Leneus’s knees started knocking. “I . . . I won’t answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!”
    Nico looked like he was trying to not crack up. “I’ll walk the dog,” he volunteered.
    He whistled, and Mrs. O’Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.
    Leneus huffed indignantly and brushed the twigs off his shirt. “Now, as I was trying to explain, young lady, your boyfriend has not sent any reports since we voted him into exile.”
    “You tried to vote him into exile,” I corrected. “Chiron and Dionysus stopped you.”
    “Bah! They are honorary Council members. It wasn’t a proper vote.”
    “I’ll tell Dionysus you said that.”
    Leneus paled. “I only meant . . . Now see here, Jackson. This is none of your business.”
    “Grover’s my friend,” I said. “He wasn’t lying to you about Pan’s death. I saw it myself. You were just too scared to accept the truth.”
    Leneus’s lips quivered. “No! Grover’s a liar and good riddance. We’re better off without him.”
    I pointed at the withered thrones. “If things are going so well, where are your friends? Looks like your Council hasn’t been meeting lately.”
    “Maron and Silenus . . . I . . . I’m sure they’ll be back,” he said, but I could hear the panic in his voice. “They’re just taking some time off to think. It’s been a very unsettling year.”
    “It’s going to get a lot more unsettling,” I promised.
    “Leneus, we need Grover. There’s got to be a way you can find him with your magic.”
    The old satyr’s eye twitched. “I’m telling you, I’ve heard nothing. Perhaps he’s dead.”
    Juniper choked back a sob.
    “He’s not dead,” I said. “I can feel that much.”
    “Empathy links,” Leneus said disdainfully. “Very unreliable.”
    “So ask around,” I insisted. “Find him. There’s a war coming. Grover was preparing the nature spirits.”
    “Without my permission! And it’s not our war.”
    I grabbed him by the shirt, which seriously wasn’t like me, but the stupid old goat was making me mad. “Listen, Leneus. When Kronos attacks, he’s going to have packs of hellhounds. He’s going to destroy everything in his path— mortals, gods, demigods. Do you think he’ll let the satyrs go free? You’re supposed to be a leader. So LEAD. Get out there and see what’s happening. Find Grover and bring Juniper some news. Now, GO!”
    I didn’t push him very hard, but he was kind of top-heavy. He fell on his furry rump, then scrambled to his hooves and ran away with his belly jiggling. “Grover will never be accepted! He will die an outcast!”
    When he’d disappeared into the bushes, Juniper wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, Percy. I didn’t mean to get you involved. Leneus is still a lord of the Wild. You don’t want to make an enemy of him.”
    “No problem,” I said. “I’ve got worse enemies than overweight satyrs.”
    Nico walked back to us. “Good job, Percy. Judging from the trail of goat pellets, I’d say you shook him up pretty well.”
    I was afraid I knew why Nico was here, but I tried for a smile. “Welcome back. Did you come by just to see Juniper?”
    He blushed. “Um, no. That was an accident. I kind of . . . dropped into the middle of their conversation.”
    “He scared us to death!” Juniper said. “Right out of the shadows. But, Nico, you are the son of Hades and all. Are you sure you haven’t heard anything about Grover?”
    Nico shifted his weight. “Juniper, like I tried to tell you . . . even if Grover died, he would reincarnate into something else in nature. I can’t sense things like that, only mortal souls.”
    “But if you do hear anything?” she pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. “Anything at all?”
    Nico’s cheeks got even brighter red. “Uh, you bet. I’ll keep my ears open.”
    “We’ll find him, Juniper,” I promised. “Grover’s alive, I’m sure. There must be a simple reason why he hasn’t contacted us.”
    She nodded glumly. “I hate not being able to leave the forest. He could be anywhere, and I’m stuck here waiting. Oh, if that silly goat has gotten himself hurt—”
    Mrs. O’Leary