Thalia's P.O.V.

I may think Leo is obnoxious, but I don't want Calypso to murder me if I have to break the news of his death to her. 

So as soon as Leo's hand slips, the four of us are the first ones to move.

Percy seizes control of the waves and forces them away from Leo, and I grab his hand before he can plummet. Together, the four of us haul him out of the chasm. 

Leo tries for a calm smile, but he is trembling all over. "Thanks, guys. I thought I was a goner."

Nico scowls. "Valdez, you idiot! You almost died!"

Leo wipes water on his pants. "Dying is my specialty," he says weakly. "But I never want to do it again."

Eric folds his arms and clears his throat. I want nothing more than to gouge out his eyes.

"Let that be a lesson to all of you. Now get ready and meet Four and I at the train tracks. We're going on a...field trip."

Piper's P.O.V.

I've been tricked.

It dawns on me why everyone at Amity seems so relaxed, so carefree. It's like hardships and problems are nonexistent here. Everyone stresses out over something, but these people don't, even when faced with a crisis.

It's because they've been brainwashed.

The food they serve at Amity is pretty basic-fruits, vegetables, water, bread. Except the menu is always different each day. And yet they serve bread every day. 

Bread that, when analyzed in Amity's labs, happens to have a chemical injected inside it.

A chemical that happens to tamper with a person's feelings. To make them constantly content.

I haven't gotten large doses of it, but others have. The ones that complain or argue or seem depressed. Their bread is poisoned more than others, and they look giddy a few minutes later. But I know the truth.

If word got out, the faction would be in chaos. They would turn against themselves and their former beliefs.

I can't expose Amity's secret just yet. I need to find the right moment.

The poison appears to be a serum. Serums contain ingredients. Amity's only resources are plants, wood, and materials brought in from the city. So last night, I'd sneaked into one of Amity's labs and studied the poisoned bread. Apparently, the main ingredient is a plant called a cyphrus flower. As Amity's plant study lab isn't accessible for me, I can't just waltz in and take a serum. I have to make my own and show it to my friends as proof.

We're all on gardening duty today. An Amity woman named Catherine Johnson is showing us the different flowers we'd be working with.

"These are our lilies," she was saying. "They grow to be a fantastic size, especially with our special fertilizers. They mostly come in white, but we have pink and yellow ones as well."

I try to pay attention, but I'm ADHD. Her words go into one ear and out the other.

Until she gestures to a group of small yellow flowers. "And here we have our cyphrus flowers. They may be tiny, but I hear they are valuable in Amity's labs. Our scientists use their pollen in their studies."

Catherine smiles. "Now, I want each of you to have planted your own flower by the end of this lesson. Choose a seed and a measuring cup and get started. Pick a nice patch of soil, dig a small hole into it, and place the seed in the hole. Lightly place dirt over the hole and bury the seed in the soil. Using the instructions in the seed's packet, you will sprinkle as much water as needed over the seed. The amount of water will depend on the flower you're planting. Remember, always plant a seed in the sunlight. Shady spots aren't as effective. I'm here to help you if you're having trouble."

The group disperses. I choose a packet of seeds labeled 'Sunflowers' and a measuring cup. But before I get started, I pluck a handful of cyphrus flowers and slip them into my pocket without anyone noticing. 

I continue planting my sunflower seed and contemplate how I'll make the serum.