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I held up my bag of doggie goodies and tried again.Treaty treats!

Still nothing.

I wondered if Mrs. O’Leary was at Camp Jupiter in California, where she usually hung out these days. If so, she was probably romping around the Field of Mars, playing with her buddy Hannibal the elephant. I felt bad about calling to her, expecting her to shadow-travel all the way across the country. That took a lot of energy. If she got here at all, she might arrive too tired to help me. Then I’d end up with a massive, snoring pile of cuteness.

But I really needed her help.

Reluctantly, I got out my whistle. I blew it. I couldn’t hear anything because of the high-pitched sound waves or whatever, but the whistle’s inscription lit up in rainbow colors—LEO+PERCY4EVER♥. As I may have mentioned, Leo is a doofus.

I thought I was ready for what would happen next. Somehow, it still surprised me. A gust of wind ripped through the park, kicking up funnel clouds of leaves. The tree branches swayed. Their shadows wove together across the gravel path, turning into a pool of darkness. And out of that darkness burst Mrs. O’Leary.

A wall of furry black canine crashed into me, knocking me to the ground. She slathered me with kisses, which was like being wrapped in a wet sandpaper-textured sleeping bag. I made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a crushed grunt.

“Okay, girl,” I said. “I missed you, too.”

Thankfully, she always knew when it was time to stop so I didn’t suffocate or die from a collapsed rib cage. When I got to my feet, I was covered in dog drool and fur, but I was grinning.

I’d missed my dog.

Yes, I wanted to go to New Rome University to be with Annabeth. No doubt about that. But I also felt like part of my heart was already there. I had good friends among the Roman demigods. My half brother Tyson lived there. And Mrs. O’Leary spent most of her time at Camp Jupiter. She liked the food in the mess hall. She liked the elephant. She liked the whole package.

Maybe I should write an application essay about that.I want to go to your university because my dog lives there.Or maybe not.

Mrs. O’Leary gave me one more sloppy kiss across the side of my face; then she started to sniff me, inhaling every scent I had accumulated since we’d last seen each other. She didn’t seem pleased with my life choices.

She backed up, shook her head indignantly, and barked, “WOOF!”

Probable translation:Have you been seeing other hellhounds?

“It’s Hecuba,” I explained. “Hecate’s dog. We’re just dog-sitting, and she got away.”

I opened my backpack and pulled out Hecuba’s leash.

Mrs. O’Leary recoiled as soon as the scent hit her nose. She gave me a wounded stare.

“I know,” I said. “She’s not nearly as wonderful as you. But I really need your help finding her.”

Mrs. O’Leary growled.

“Why would I want to find her?” I interpreted. “Well…if I don’t, Hecate will kill me. And Grover. And Annabeth.”

Mrs. O’Leary snorted. I read this asYou are a marvel of foolishness, Percy. But fine, I’ll help you.

She snuffled at the leash, sniffed the air, then bounded off through the park.

I was hoping it would be a short chase. Maybe Mrs. O’Leary would lead me to the nearest corner, and we’d find Hecuba asleep behind a bush.

Of course it wasn’t that easy.

Mrs. O’Leary leaped the fence. She raced off down East 20th, bounding over the tops of cars like they were convenient stepping stones. I wasn’t as good at navigating obstacles, but I did my best to keep up, because I really didn’t want to lose two hellhounds in the same evening.

Unlike Hecuba, Mrs. O’Leary was laser-focused. She didn’t stop to pee on trash cans or assault food-truck vendors. She just kept running, pausing only long enough to sniff the pavement and confirm she was on the right trail.

Yeah! I thought. This is going to work!

That’s usually what I say just before something doesn’t work.

I followed Mrs. O’Leary west for a few blocks, then south, then west again. Finally, she ducked into an alley between a tattoo parlor and a Trader Joe’s. When I caught up with her, Mrs. O’Leary was sniffing around a pile of garbage bags, flattened boxes, and empty fruit crates.