It was as if Blackjack knew the direness of our situation; faster than any horse I'd ever ridden in my life, he took off into town. I held onto his mane for dear life, praying to any deity I could think of that I wouldn't fall off.

I squinted as we approached Doctor Solace's office. I could see two figures on the porch and two more in the street.

It was some kind of confrontation, I realized as we grew nearer. Sheriff Chase and Mayor Castellan both pointed guns at the porch while Doctor Solace stood between them and someone I didn't recognize.

As Blackjack sped closer to the scene, the shouting between the two parties became clear.

"Don't hurt him!" Doctor Solace shouted from his perch on the porch.

"Doctor Solace," Sheriff Chase said in an even voice. "We don't want to hurt your friend. Just let us take him down to my office and nobody gets hurt."

"He isn't doing nothin' wrong!"

Mayor Castellan's gun clicked as he aimed it at the doctor. "Step aside."

Doctor Solace spread his arms. "Don't you dare touch him!"

"Your friend here is under arrest for the murder of Deputy Jason Grace," Mayor Castellan explained. "Do you really want to go to jail for helping a murderer?"

It was with those words that I realized I did recognize this man. I'd seen him in the photographs that spilled onto Doctor Solace's desk earlier this week.

He was much smaller than Doctor Solace or Mayor Castellan. He was dressed in all black and covered his pale face with a handkerchief and a black hat.

This small man was the Ghost King, and Doctor Solace was putting his life and his freedom on the line to protect him.

I slowed Blackjack so we could watch; maybe we wouldn't need to intervene after all.

"Doctor," Sheriff Chase said, "that man is dangerous. You need to step away."

So Rachel and Mr. Nakamura were right. Doctor Solace was an accomplice to the Ghost King.

"No, he isn't! I've been caring for him all week!" the doctor said. "He's the dangerous one!" He pointed at Mayor Castellan.

By now, a small crowd had gathered.

Doctor Solace continued, addressing the townsfolk. "Mayor Castellan has been scamming you all! He's taking your money out of the bank and using it on frivolous things! Can't y'all see that? Nico just wants to help."

"By killing Jason!" Thalia cried out from the crowd.

The Ghost King finally spoke. "I didn't kill nobody."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Why should any of y'all trust the mayor?"

Rachel and Mr. Nakamura snuck into the crowd to watch the spectacle. I recognized some other faces from around town. Piper McLean the bartender watched with Leo Valdez, the blacksmith. A woman covered the eyes of one of the children I'd met the other day with Sheriff Chase.

"Why would we trust you, Doc?" a man's voice rang out from the crowd. "You been acting weird since this whole damn thing started!"

The mob shouted in outrage. They shouted at Mayor Castellan. They shouted at the Ghost King. They even shouted at each other.

This whole situation had gotten out of hand; it was time for Blackjack and me to make our entrance.

Fast—too fast for my liking—Blackjack ran between the porch and the sheriff and the mayor, skidding to a halt right in front of Mayor Castellan's gun.

I swallowed. This could have gone a number of ways, and the optimist in me failed to see any positive outcomes.

"Wait!" I shouted, holding my hand out as if that would stop Mayor Castellan from firing. "Nobody shoot!"

The crowd fell silent.

"Percy," Sheriff Chase said, "this is a shootout. This is no place for a veterinarian."

"Listen, will ya?" I said. "Sheriff, I know it sounds crazy; I'm barely wrapping my head 'round it myself, but you have to trust me."

I took a deep breath and then told my story. I told everyone in the crowd that day about all I'd seen in Olympus that week. I told them about how something seemed wrong from the moment I got here. I was right in thinking Doctor Solace was hiding something. I was right when my gut told me not to trust Mayor Castellan.

I told the good people of Olympus about my work with Blackjack and how no cruel man would own a horse this loyal; the Ghost King had to have had a heart!

I told them about how the evidence disappeared, and how the Ghost King's note disappeared with it. "The Ghost King-"

"Nico di Angelo," the Ghost King interrupted. "It's time y'all use my real name."

"Right," I said. "Mr. Di Angelo wouldn't have taken his warning note accusing Mayor Castellan of corruption from the sheriff's office. He needed Mayor Castellan to feel intimidated into resigning."

"What about the rest of the evidence?" Sheriff Chase asked. "That bullet could have led us straight to Deputy Grace's killer!"

"What?" Mayor Castellan said. "The killer is right there!" he pointed to the Ghost King.

"Not so fast," said Sheriff Chase. "Innocent until proven guilty, or did you forget?"

It hadn't occurred to me yet that the Ghost King might not have killed Deputy Grace, but then again, it didn't make much sense for a doctor to be giving refuge to a murderer.

"What about Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Ethan Nakamura?" Sheriff Chase asked me.

Before I could answer, Rachel and Mr. Nakamura rushed to the front of the crowd.

"What about us?" Rachel shouted.

Mr. Nakamura filled everyone else in. "Miss Dare and I were taken hostage by the Ghost King. He wanted to steal the notes on the investigation into him, but he never got to because someone else did."

"I swear, I only wanted the notes," he said. "Not the evidence. That ain't my bullet you found. I didn't kill nobody."

"Is it true?" Rachel asked Mayor Castellan. "Are you cheating the prospectors outta their money?"

I thought back to the gold Frank found at the river only a little while ago. He wouldn't receive its full value if Mayor Castellan stayed in power. I thought about the other prospectors who left their lives back East to make it big out here. They were being cheated out of their livelihoods. They had so much at stake.

"No!" the mayor said, laughing off the accusation. "You folks know I'm an honest man."

"Then where did the fancy carriage come from?" Leo Valdez asked.

Sheriff Chase intervened. "Stoll!"

The banker I'd seen on my first day stepped forward, shaking. "I noticed he started taking taxes directly from the bank," he said. "Taxes for things like foreign mining and real-estate debts."

It was the Wild West. There was no real estate. Everything was fair game.

The crowd spoke amongst themselves. Some shouted at the mayor.

"Mayor Castellan is a crook!"

"Arrest him, Sheriff!"

"You!" Mayor Castellan shouted at me. "Just why does that horse listen to only you and the Ghost King?" He aimed his gun.

"Luke, don't," Thalia warned.

"He's been working with the Ghost King this entire time. Don't you see, Annabeth?" he asked the sheriff. "The two of them want us gone so they can run our town. We worked so hard to build this..."

"Luke, you're hysterical," the sheriff said, lowering her gun at last. She raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Drop the gun."

"No!" he screeched. "We will get justice for Jason!"

Mayor Castellan fired his gun at Blackjack. It all happened so fast.

Blackjack bucked, and I held onto his mane for dear life, simultaneously praying that I wasn't about to be shot.

Nico di Angelo tackled Doctor Solace to the ground, using his arms to protect his blond head.

A blood-curdling scream pierced my ears.

Blackjack's front hooves planted firmly on the ground, and a small crowd gathered around us.

"I'm fine," I said aloud, realizing nothing hurt. I looked at Blackjack's side for any sign of wounds, but I also figured we'd be taking off as fast as we came if he'd been hurt.

The crowd grew and stared down at the ground.

"Out of the way!" a voice yelled.

I scratched Blackjack's mane and descended, stumbling a little as I found my footing again.

"What is it?"

Piper McLean pushed her way through the crowd. "Move!" she shouted, shoving Leo out of the way. "Nobody touches her!"

The townsfolk dispersed, giving Piper room to crouch down in front of the sheriff. Her skirt fanned out around her as she helped prop Sheriff Chase up.

"C'mon," Piper said. "You're okay. You have to be okay."

"Pipes..."

"Save your energy," she said. "We'll get you to a doctor. Where's the... Is anyone here a... Oh! Doctor Solace!"

A disoriented Doctor Solace climbed down the staircase and pushed his way through the people, the Ghost King slowly in tow behind him. I noticed that Nico di Angelo had yet to put his gun away.

"Pipes..." the sheriff started again.

"Shh," she said. "I'm here. I'm here."

Doctor Solace dropped to the ground and started unrolling some bandages. "Where did it go in?"

Sheriff Chase used her head to gesture to her arm.

"Oh, thank goodness," Piper sighed in relief.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," the sheriff said weakly.

Piper took the sheriff's hat off and began fanning her with it. She laughed through her tears. "You're okay. You're okay." She repeated it like a mantra.

"If you let Doctor Solace do his job, I will be."

Piper kissed Sheriff Chase on the forehead and helped Doctor Solace carry her up the porch and into his office.

"He's getting away!" Leo shouted suddenly, pointing down the street.

"Get him!" another voice yelled.

The Ghost King—Nico di Angelo—had already sprung into action. He mounted Blackjack and the two of them were the strongest fastest team I'd ever seen in my life. They sped down the street while Mayor Castellan ran away on foot.

He fired his gun in a weak attempt to scare Blackjack, but nothing could shake the strong horse.

As Blackjack gained on him, the crowd watched. A few people staggered behind Blackjack and di Angelo, hoping to catch up.

What would happen when Blackjack caught up to the mayor? Di Angelo couldn't kill him; we needed to prove for certain that Mayor Castellan was stealing money from the prospectors.

Something flew into the path, and the mayor fell over.

Blackjack skidded to a stop.

Thalia Grace emerged from around a corner, tossing a second stong up and down in her hand. How she'd gotten there so fast, I had no idea.

"Mayor Castellan," she said, "you're under arrest for theft... And for the murder of Deputy Jason Grace."

A couple of people gasped, and the crowd formed once again, but further down the street.

Thalia locked eyes with me. "I had a feeling the Ghost King wasn't responsible for Jason's death. He fired a bunch of blanks outside the sheriff's office that night; little bullets. The hole in Jason was huge. I didn't want to believe it was Luke, but..."

Mayor Castellan—or the former mayor, I supposed—pulled his face off the ground. "Thalia-"

"Save it," she said. "Thank you, Mr. di Angelo. You're kinda strange, but you got justice for my brother."

Nico di Angelo tipped his hat.

"What do you suppose we do now?" Leo Valdez asked.

Thalia shrugged.

"We'll need a new mayor," Rachel Elizabeth Dare said.

Mr. Nakumara scoffed. "Well, you sure know how to prioritize."

"Right?" she agreed. "I nominate Thalia Grace to be the new mayor of Olympus. All in-"

"Hey!" Castellan groaned from the ground.

"Sorry," Rachel said. "All in favor of removing Luke Castellan as mayor?"

"Aye!"

"And all in favor of replacing him with Thalia Grace?"

I didn't even live in Olympus, but even I chimed in. "Aye!"

"Congratulations, Mayor Grace!" Rachel said as if she hadn't been a missing person just hours ago.

Thalia stood up straight and looked out into the crowd. "As my first order o' business... I declare this criminal officially exiled from Olympus."

"Thalia, we were family..." Castellan said, grabbing at her pant leg from the ground.

"I didn't throw that rock too hard, now. Go on. Get outta here!" She pointed her gun and gestured to the way out of town with her head. "Leave that fancy carriage; I wanna use its parts for something like... like a park for the kids."

I almost choked on saliva. Of course, Mayor Thalia Grace's first act as mayor would be to exile the old mayor, and her second act would be something wholesome like creating a public space for the children to play in.

Luke Castellan struggled to his feet and faked a limp to the opposite side of the street. I know he was faking it because the injured leg switched every couple of steps.

"Someone keep an eye," the newly elected mayor said. "I don't want him gettin' any ideas and comin' back."

Nico di Angelo took his gun from his pocket. "On it."

Mayor Grace smirked. "You let me know if you wanna job, Ghost King." She turned to the rest of us. "I'm goin' to check on the sheriff and give her the good news. You'd think she'd do her civic duty n' vote for me."

She started walking and then turned back to face me. "And thank you, Mr. Jackson. We wouldn't have figured all this out if not for you... and Blackjack."

"Just Percy is fine," I said.