Contents
XIX
Overview
Frank, Hazel, and Nico take refuge with Triptolemus after katoblepones poison Hazel. Triptolemus, hostile to Hades’s children, turns Nico into a corn plant and refuses aid.
Frank returns Triptolemus’s almanac and negotiates: he will repair the god’s crippled chariot in exchange for curing Hazel, restoring Nico, and guidance for the House of Hades. Triptolemus agrees only if Frank succeeds.
Summary
Frank carries the poisoned Hazel into a greenhouse-turned-workshop as katoblepones batter the door. Their denim-clad host explains the monsters’ Venetian origins and the potency of their poison. Hazel’s condition worsens while Frank struggles with burning lungs and the warring voices of Mars and Ares in his head.
When Nico identifies the katoblepones, the host reveals himself as Triptolemus, Demeter’s farming god. Offended by Nico’s Underworld parentage, Triptolemus transforms Nico into a corn plant and refuses help, citing Demeter’s feud with Hades and his own grudge, while boasting of his online “Triptolemus Farming University.”
Frank offers Triptolemus the recovered almanac, hoping for mercy. Triptolemus is pleased but demands Frank become his farming apprentice instead of aiding Hazel and Nico. Desperate, Frank notices the winged chariot crippled by a missing right python and pivots, promising to fix it in exchange for Hazel’s cure, Nico’s restoration, safe passage, and assistance against Gaea.
Invoking Hecate’s guidance and Hazel’s favor with her, Frank pressures Triptolemus. The name rattles the god, who admits he can help with knowledge for the House of Hades. He sets terms: if Frank successfully repairs the chariot, Triptolemus will heal Hazel, return Nico to human form, and provide aid; if Frank fails, Hazel and Nico die, and Frank becomes sorghum.
Who Appears
- Frank ZhangCarries poisoned Hazel, resists Mars/Ares voices, negotiates with Triptolemus, and vows to fix the chariot to save his friends.
- TriptolemusDemeter’s farming god; turns Nico into corn, demands fealty, and agrees to help only if his broken chariot is repaired.
- Hazel LevesquePoisoned by katoblepones; unconscious and greening as time-critical leverage in Frank’s bargain.
- Nico di AngeloIdentifies katoblepones; transformed into a corn plant by Triptolemus due to his Underworld lineage.