Empathy

It was a perfect day at camp.

  The sun sparkled brilliantly on the canoe lake, slices of golden light reaching through the branches of the trees. Campers went about normal activities. At the bottom of the lake, naiads were weaving baskets. The smell of warm strawberries was heavy on the air, sweet and summery. Nymphs chased each other through the forest and their laughter echoed throughout the valley.

  But if you looked closely, you could see the uneasiness. Campers held tension in their shoulders. Everyone was armed. Weapons were being stockpiled, and every spare moment was spent in the swordfighting arena, practicing. War was coming with Gaea.

  But no one was more uneasy than Grover.

  For over a week now, he’d been struggling with intense fear and dread, even though he’d recently received word from Annabeth that they’d arrived safely at Camp Jupiter, and Percy was fine. That was reassuring, but he still woke up most nights feeling he was falling, or rather, being dragged down, his arms aching like they’d been ripped in two different directions. He’d tried to contact Percy mentally, but there was little to no response.

  The empathy link he’d set up years ago had been weak at best lately, but he could still sense Percy’s moods somewhat. He had no choice but to come to the conclusion that those feelings were coming from Percy.

  But the falling? The pure terror and exhaustion that stabbed through Grover’s mind? What was that about? He knew enough to separate it from his own feelings.

  So what was wrong with Percy? He couldn’t place it.

  Once, when he tried to speak in Percy’s mind, he felt a stab of fear that lanced through his head and left him dizzy for several long minutes. There was a muffled shout in his thoughts that sounded like someone screaming, Annabeth!, an evil hiss, and silence. His concern grew. He didn’t know what was wrong, but something was clearly amiss.

  Since then, he’d been jumpy half the time, lethargic the rest of the time, paralyzed with worry constantly. Juniper sat with him by the lake most days, holding his hand and trying to reassure him.

  “Percy’s strong,” she said one day, trying for a smile, but it looked more like a nervous grimace. “You know he can handle himself.”

  Grover stared across the water.

  “Maybe you’re just sensing all the unease in nature right now. What with Gaea rising and all that.”

  It made sense, really. But Grover shook his head. “That isn’t it. I mean, I can feel that, too, but this is different. Separate.”

  Juniper didn’t try to argue. She rested her head on his shoulder and followed his gaze. He heaved a sigh that lifted her head.

  “I just wish…” Grover started, “I just wish I knew—“

  At that exact second, a shimmering mirage appeared over the sand two feet in front of Grover. He sat up so fast that Juniper almost fell over. She gave a startled shriek, but held her balance.

  “An Iris-message,” Grover muttered in awe as the image came into focus.

  It was Nico. He was standing on what looked like the deck of the Argo II, his black hair buffeted by the wind. His skin was paler than it used to be, almost transluscent. He’d lost too much weight.

  Grover’s heart sank when he saw it was Nico and not Percy.

  “Grover!” Nico announced. He sounded relieved, as if he’d been trying to get a message through for a while. “Thank the gods I reached you.”

  “What’s going on?” His heart was hammering. He just knew it was bad news.

  Sure enough, Nico’s face fell. The purple shadows under his eyes deepened. “Something’s happened.”

  Briefly, he explained what Percy had told him about the events at Camp Jupiter, how he’d been rescued from the giant twins after surviving Tartarus, and Annabeth’s quest for the Athena Parthenos.

  “Did she find it?” At this point, Grover was wringing his Rasta cap in his hands, almost tearing it to shreads. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Nico had said little about Percy.

  He nodded. “She did. We have it aboard. She had to take it from Arachne and it was a bit of a struggle…”

  Fear burned through Grover’s chest. He felt lightheaded, suddenly. “How was it a struggle?”

  Nico told him about the trap Annabeth had devised, and about the crevices in the floor of Arachne’s lair. “Apparently it’s a straight drop to Tartarus.” He hesitated, biting his lip. “She was able to push Arachne in. But the place was covered in spiderwebs…” His voice shook as if he couldn’t think of the right words. “One got caught on Annabeth’s ankle. Percy tried to grab her, but… whatever was pulling them was too strong. They… they fell in before any of us could do anything.”

  Grover’s heart stopped. He could do no more than gasp for breath. Tears filled his eyes.

  Nico dropped his gaze. “Grover, I’m really sorry. We tried to get them out, but there wasn’t enough time, and that pit is like a vacuum. Percy wasn’t strong enough to hold on.” He took a deep breath. “We’re sailing to another entrance. They’ll make it through Tartarus, they have to. We’ll be waiting for them on the other side, in Epirus.”

  The message ended abruptly because Nico could clearly think of nothing more to say, and the mist dissolved. Grover sat back on the sand with a thud.

  Green tears spilled out of Juniper’s eyes and onto her cheeks. Grover looked shocked; he could barely comprehend what he’d heard. A dark cloud seemed to settle over him, weighing him down like the weight of the sky.

  “Oh, Grover,” Juniper muttered, her voice choked with tears. “Grover, I’m so sorry.”

  She wrapped her arms around him as he sat, stunned, tears spilling down his face.

  Now, his and Percy’s emotions were the same: terror, pain, sorrow, worry. He finally knew where those feelings were coming from.

  But he also knew that if he let his own heavy emotions weigh Percy down, it wouldn’t help the demigod at all.

  He stood up, his resolve strengthened.

  Juniper wiped a green tear from her cheek. “Grover? What are you doing?”

  “I’m not just going to sit around here and wait for my best friend to… to die.” His voice caught, but he cleared his throat and pressed on, holding out a hand to help Juniper up. “We have work to do.”

  “What—what are you talking about?” She stumbled to her feet, still crying.

  Grover managed a grudging smile, the first of his in days. “We’re getting a message to the satyrs and nymphs in Epirus. If there’s anything they can do from over there, we’re going to make sure they do it.”