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Nope whimpered. I imagine my pee-soaked pants were really helping to spread his scent around.

Grover stepped next to me. He whispered to Nope in a few soft whines, most likely sayingThis big, bad, scary hellhound will not kill you, probably! She might adopt you!

This would not have calmed me down, but it seemed to help Nope. He stopped struggling quite so much.

Hecuba licked the air, then raised her snout as if to say,Bring it here. It looks tasty.

“I’ll take him,” Annabeth said.

“Um…” If anyone got bitten in half by Hecuba, I wanted it to be me, not Annabeth, but she didn’t ask my opinion. She cradled the pup, while at the same time passing me Hecuba’s leash on the down-low. “When she’s calm enough,” she whispered. “Be cool about it.”

“Uh…” I said.

Annabeth bounced Nope in her arms, cooing and calling him a good boy. Hecuba sniffed and growled, watching.

“Annabeth’s smart,” Grover murmured. “She’s modeling being a loving mom. That should make Hecuba jealous.”

“Is that a good thing?” I asked.

“Watch,” Grover said.

Annabeth approached Hecuba and let her sniff the pup. Nope’s butt? Check. Nope’s face? Check. Drool, pee, earwax? Everything appeared to be in order. Nope squirmed, careful not to meet Hecuba’s eyes, but he seemed to be warming up to the big mama beast.

“There, now.” Annabeth glanced back at me. “What good dogs.”

Oh, right. That was my cue.

Grover and I moved closer.

For a moment, we all stood together like one big, happy, strange family. Maybe it was just an echo of my fever dream, but I felt like my own grief was unknotting. A hellhound-size lump of sadness that had been twisted in my chest was finally starting to loosen.

I realized how much pain Hecuba had been holding on to over the centuries. She’d only been able to express herself in growls, howls, and the occasional raising of the dead. Now, maybe she could remember the good parts of being a mom…the joy of caring for somebody small and cute—a son.

I caught a glance from Grover. He was beaming at me like,See? Annabeth will make a great mom!

Dude, I thought.One thing at a time. I’m still working on college applications.

But I couldn’t deny the feeling. It was nice to be gathered around little Nope, protecting him and showing him love, though I wasn’t going to sniff his butt. Sorry. I have limits.

Finally, Hecuba stuck her muzzle in Annabeth’s face and pushed her back a step. The message seemed to beBack off, Fake Mom. I got this.

“Okay, no problem,” Annabeth said. “I’ll just let Percy…”

She handed Nope back to me, while giving me a look that saidNOW.

I really don’t know what she expected of me. Maybe hand-eye coordination? I guess I was supposed to take Nope with one hand while cleverly moving in to attach Hecuba’s leash to her collar, all while making gentle cooing sounds and not letting on that I had an ulterior motive.

She should have known better. I can’t even chew gum and breathe underwater at the same time. Believe me, I tried. I ended up swallowing both the gum and the salt water.

I cradled Nope in my left arm and found the end of the leash with my right hand. I managed to click it into place on Hecuba’s collar, but I wasn’t exactly subtle about it.

I put just enough tug on Hecuba’s collar that she lurched back, realizing what I’d done, and fixed me with those big red eyes.Did you just—?

“Everything’s fine,” Annabeth promised the dog.

“Coo!” Grover added.

Everything was not fine, or coo.