I hadn't spoken in weeks. I hadn't seen anyone I knew. I walked alone, following the setting sun. I had a destination, and I was going to reach it.

Life since I had left camp was easy. After word got around of who I was and what I could do, monsters fled from me. "Percy Jackson's sister," they would whisper as I passed, "She is worse than he is,"

They were right, I was worse. Percy didn't ever stop to think about water and where it was. It was in the clouds. It was in the ground. It was in the plants. And it was in living things. Having the water sucked out of your body isn't a fun way to die. Its painful and cruel. And I relished in it. They fled from my path, a path of destruction and pain that only I walked. I hadn't had to use my weapons since I discovered the extent of my powers. There was no need to.

I was somewhere near New Rome, a stop along the way. Hazel deserved to know firsthand about Nico. Lupa had already found me and told me that I was on my own. But I already knew that.

I was nearing my destination, walking through a field of grass, when a black shape tackled me. I had forgotten about Mrs. O'Leary. She licked me repeatedly, wagging her tail and laying on top of me. I concentrated and flicked my wrist, sending her sprawling across the field. She barked at me, running back and nosing my hand. I patted her head, smiling and mounting her. Once on her back, I whispered, "Take me to New Rome, old girl,"

She barked and took off running to the shadows in the edge of the field. We emerged on the banks of the Little Tiber. I patted her and sent her to find Hannibal. Then I went to find Hazel. In the Jupiter Optimus Maximus, I could hear Octavian stabbing teddy bears and the thunder rumbling. I turned my gaze towards the black stone building.

Hazel was in the Temple of Pluto, polishing her father's altar when I walked in. She took one look at me before nearly tackling me. "Maria! It's so good to see you!" she said, hugging me and eyeing me with those gold eyes.

"Nico's dead," I said, quietly explaining what happened. She nodded, and said, "I know. I felt it when he died. He really loved you," I couldn't say another word. The feeling of absolute dread began to weigh on me. I couldn't deal with this. "Where's Reyna?" I asked, suddenly getting an idea. Hazel shrugged before putting down the cloth. "I don't know. Frank said that they had some kind of meeting this morning, but that was over by noon. They might be in the stables though."

I nodded, walking off to find the praetors. About half way down the hill, Hazel came running after me. "Wait!" she panted, having sprinted the while way, "Why do you need to see them?" I explained that I wanted to join the legion, as some of the other Greek demigods had done. Clarisse had lost a couple of sisters to the Romans, and now Percy was going to lose one himself. Hazel gave me a wary look that made me want to squirm. "You aren't trying to get yourself killed, are you?" she asked, those gold eyes unsettling. I held my ground and shook my head. With that settled, we began to walk to the barracks again.

"Wait!" another voice called. I growled and turned around, watching as a blond, skinny augur came running towards us, a freshly stabbed plush toy in his hand. "I had the oddest thing pop up in the fluff." he said, not winded at all. I raised an eyebrow and watched as he combed through the stuffing. "Aha!" Octavian said, pointing to a banana shaped piece of cotton. He looked back at us with an excited expression. I waited for him to explain, but he continued to look at us.

"Mors Eufraten, Octavian, what does it say?!" Hazel yelled. I snorted. (For those Greeks out there who haven't bothered to learn Latin, my friend had just said "Thantos's underpants," so yes, there was a reason to laugh.) Octavian turned a little red, either with embarrassment or anger, I couldn't tell, because the excitement won out.

"It says," he said, pointing to the banana shape again, "that the Legion will be changed by a daughter of the sea. Well," Octavian looked at it crookedly and poked it with his knife. "That, or the beans at dinner tonight will be cursed." I couldn't hold it in anymore. I began to laugh. Between Death's underpants and cursed beans and all the stress and anxiety I had experienced the past couple of days, I couldn't hold in a slightly psychotic laugh. Hazel cracked a grin and looked at Octavian. Finally, I had stopped the fit of giggles and we all walked together to find the praetors.

New Rome had changed since the last time I had been here. Or maybe I was paying more attention to the city than my companions. We crossed over the Little Tiber, a naiad waving at me from the depths. I looked to my right at the northern end of the valley. New Rome was still an amazing sight, even more so now. The sun was just peaking out of the overcastting clouds around the horizon. The sun broke through the grey overcast and shined through with a golden light, hitting the white stone the city was made of. The golden accents shone brightly in the setting sun, and it made me think of the simpler, more familiar Camp Half-blood.

I pushed the thought aside before the memories that came with that place ensued. I doubt I'd be able to cry and join the legion at the same time. Hazel and Octavian were talking about the expansion being planned for the university or something. I was caught up in my own world, thinking about nothing and everything all at the same time. Finally, we walked past the split in the roads and went on to the Praetorian Gate. I could see the Caldecott Tunnel just over the barracks.

The stables were almost full this time of year. Camp Half-Blood had sent half of their pegasi to Camp Jupiter in return for the same amount of unicorns. The horses were calling out greetings to me, most of them white, some silver, and a few brown and tawny ones scattered in the numbers. Reyna and Frank were tending to a pegasus with what seemed to be a broken leg. The poor thing was crying out every time they tried to touch it, moving away and only causing itself more pain.

Hey, it said in equestrian language, don't touch that! It hurts! I walked up to it, ignoring the praetors greeting me and laying a hand on the silver beast. "Calm down, sweetie, we're just trying to help," I said in the most soothing voice I could muster. I looked at the horse, seeing the muscles and the beautiful coloring. Her coat was silver, her feathers and hair tipped with black. All in all, I guessed she was about four, just at the perfect riding age.

Finally, someone who can understand me! she said, snorting and calling Reyna and Frank some unflattering names. I told the pegasus, named Stormlight, that we had to set the bone so that it could heal properly, and that it would hurt. After agreeing, she let the others set the broken leg while we spoke about the best kinds of grass and her favorite time of year. She liked alfalfa best and winter was her favorite season. Flying in the snow is just amazing, she told me after the leg was properly set. "You'll have to let me try that one day," I replied, giving her a sugar cube and saying goodbye. We walked outside into the light of the setting sun.

"Not that I'm upset to see you, but why are you here, Maria?" Reyna asked, getting straight to the point. I told her that, since Nico had died and Percy was caught up in the next prophecy, I wanted to join the legion. She turned to Octavian who held up the ripped teddy bear in response to the unspoken question.

"The gods approve. But, don't eat the beans at dinner tonight." he said, sending Hazel and I a conspirator's wink. I smiled back and looked at Reyna and Frank. "You're lucky, like your brother." Frank said with a smile.

Reyna sent Hazel to round up the centurions of the cohorts and we moved to the center of the Via Principallis. Hazel emerged with nine demigods and legacies, followed by the rest of the cohorts. I recognized Dakota with his flask and splotched clothes. Hank and Leila, Third, and Larry and Heather, Second, stood beside him. Nathan and Marcus, Fourth, and Kaylie, Octavian's fellow centurion, came up behind them.

"Maria, daughter of Neptune, wishes to join the Twelfth Legion. What do the auguries say?" Reyna said, turning to Octavian. He replied that the signs were favorable. The others replied with the "Ave! Hail!" and we moved on. The senior centurions came forward. Octavian, Dakota, Larry, Hank, and Marcus came up.

"Any credentials? Letters?" Dakota asked, taking a swig of his Kool-aid. I shook my head no. Larry tutted sadly and asked if anyone would stand for me. "I will," Hazel said, saying that she had seen my swordsmanship first hand. Reyna also stepped forward and said that I was as loyal and as skilled as Percy. Frank did likewise. Then a small fight broke out. Every one of the cohorts wanted me. The Fifth had gotten a bit of luck with Percy, and the others weren't going to miss this opportunity.

I was eventually placed in the First Cohort, Octavian having to rip open a teddy bear and ask the gods to settle the argument. I stood with the warriors that would soon become my family for about ten seconds until Reyna dismissed us to dinner. Octavian and Kaylie stuck beside me, guiding me to the mess hall. They gave me a prohibato plate to be worn around my neck, and we walked towards food.

Dinner was pretty cool, the food zipping around and people moving freely. The actual food was great. I sat beside Hazel and the very friendly Octavian. I didn't understand if he was grateful for me setting him up with Rachel or if he wanted me loyal to him since we were in the same cohort. Hazel had noticed the smiles and comments too, and she continued to give him a funny glance. Together, we talked about the miscellaneous things that really didn't matter. How the food was, what the weather for the next few days would be, how Hazel's curse was changing.

"Ever since the last battle," Hazel said, "the gems and stuff have been appearing more and more, even when I'm not nervous. But for some reason," She stirred her red beans and rice thoughtfully. "They don't seem to be cursed."

Octavian choked on his mashed potatoes, making me laugh. Hazel cracked a smile and explained how the fauns said that the "funky smell" the old gems had was gone. "I really need someone to experiment on, but no one wants to volunteer," she muttered, taking a long drink of her lemonade.

"I will," I said without looking up from my food. What did I have to lose anyway? Hazel and Octavian argued with me for the rest of dinner before the daughter of Pluto relented and gave me small shard of rose quartz to test the theory. For those of you who don't know your gemology, rose quartz is a very, very common gemstone that has little value. So if the theory was false, then the curse wouldn't be too terribly bad.

After dinner, everyone scattered some of them to go train, others to guard duty. I, however, went straight to the barracks to unpack. Kaylie told me that she was on her way, and so, we went together. She was short, skinny, and very pretty. She had blonde hair that was so light that it was almost white. Her eyes were bright green, the color of emeralds. I glanced at the inside of her arm and saw a lyre, the symbol of Apollo, along with seven lines. She must've been in the legion since she was a kid, because she seemed to be about seventeen.

When I asked, she replied, "My mom lived in the city for a long time, but she did go on one quest. She met my dad on it, and then she had me a while later. I've been in the legion since I was nine, since my mom died." I nodded in response, not really having anything to say to that. There really was nothing to say to that. Not having your mother was terrible, but "I'm sorry" doesn't really cover it.

"What about you? Where's your mother?" she asked. I replied, "She died when I was born. I don't know who she was, what her name was, or even what she looked like. I didn't have contact with the outside world. Well, other than Mercury stopping in for a visit,"

My reply was honest, but to come completely clean, I never was even curious about my mother. I didn't have a reason to. I didn't know what the feeling of motherly love was. I mean, I figure its just like any other kind of love. The way a mother bear protects her cubs, the way any other animal watches its young, that's the way a mother loves its child. But, I've never known that, so I never had anything to miss. I do wonder if we act the same, or if we look alike. Nothing else really crosses my mind about her though. Kaylie nodded, not pressing, just leading me to the barracks in silence.

The place was nice, all stone floors and walls and very bare beads and bunks. We definitely had the best view though, with the porch facing the eastern sky. Kaylie gave me a bed and walked back to her own room, telling me that the other girls would be here soon.

I set to unpacking, taking out my clothes and looking at what I had brought with me. My bow and arrows, my sword and shield, a knife, some clothes, the watch Tyson made for me, and one of Percy's camp shirts was all I had to my name. I had left Tsunami on Percy's note, willingly giving the ring up so that it wouldn't come to me anymore. That was part of my past, the past I had to let go of.

Hazel came in a little while later after I had put away all of my clothes. She was allowed to come into the First's barracks so long as she didn't stay the night. "Are you okay?" she asked me, those eyes so sympathetic and comforting. It made me want to barf. "I'm fine," I snapped back, pushing away the dark eyed memory that had plagued me since he died a month ago.

"Maria," she said carefully, as if tiptoeing around a giant, "I don't think that's true. I know how much Nico meant-" I cut her off with a glare.

"Don't say his name,"

"You have to come to terms with it eventually,"

"No, I don't. I don't have to do anything." I countered, reaching for my watch.

She grabbed my hand and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a warped sound. I knew that sound. It was something I had heard every day of my life when I was still in that cabin. I turned around to see a box sitting at the foot of my bed. It was medium sized and cardboard with Hermes Express stamped on the side. My name was on it, along with a note attached to it. Hazel glanced at me before taking the note. I took my knife and ripped open the box, shocked to see what was inside.

"Dear Maria," she read, "This was given to you by a certain demigod, who's father instructed me to deliver it to you himself. Nico di Angelo, who died of a poisoned blade, leaves you some of his prized possessions. His jacket," I picked up the worn black leather bomber jacket and stroked the fur collar. "And his ring," I reached in the pocket and pulled out his silver skull ring. "have been left to you. These instructions came from the boy's spirit, courtesy of Hades. Best wishes and most honest condolences, Uncle Hermes."

Hazel sat down on my bed, covering her mouth and trying to keep from sobbing. I stood there, his jacket clutched in one hand, his ring in another. Nico left me his favorite items in the world. Me, not Hazel. His girlfriend, not his sister. My knees hit the floor, jarring my body and sending pain up my legs. I hugged the jacket, inhaling deeply. His smell, the smell of spice and darkness, was still on his jacket. The ring, cold steel, pressed against my palm. He was wearing these things the first day he met me. Nico, my Nico, was gone. And this is what I had left.

I collapsed in on myself, pressing my head to my knees, sobbing softly, feeling Hazel kneel down beside me and hug my back. My sobs begin to get more violent, closer together as the memories hit. The first time he smiled at me. The first time he shadow traveled with me. When we won capture the flag together. When he asked me to the dance. The lock on the bridge. The whispers of Italian. I sobbed hard and loud now, the sounds of pure pain and grief filling the air. How in Hades was I going to live like this?

I stood, the tears still streaming down my face. Slipping on the jacket and ring, I ran outside. Hazel called after me, but I tuned her out. I ran past Octavian, Reyna, Frank, and so many others. But not the one I needed to see. Then, I found him.

Dakota was walking past the Pomerian line, taking his weapons from the little girl and bidding goodbye to Terminus. He saw me and an uneasy look crossed his face. I know he was probably thinking, Oh, gods, what does the hysterical female want with me? I stopped in front of him, trying to keep a harness on my emotions. "I need your help," I said.

Dakota held up a finger when I opened my mouth to explain. Then, he took out a flask and downed the whole thing, turning his mouth a bright shade of red. "Okay, hit me!" he said, wobbling a little bit. "I feel crazy, Dakota." I began, "Crazy with grief or anxiety or Bacchus knows what! Can you fix me?" He tilted his head before leading me up to the Temple Hill.

When we got there, my calves beginning to burn, he took me to the Temple of Bacchus. The tan stone temple had vines growing up the whole structure with all kinds of ripe grapes on the green plants. Inside, there was an altar. On it was different bottles of wine and packets of powdered Kool-Aid of all types. Dakota dug around in the pockets of his pants and pulled out another plastic container of grape Kool-Aid and set it down. He turned around and looked at me, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Now, if its any sort of madness at all, I should be able to fix it," Dakota said. He put one hand on my forehead and another on the small of my back. I felt the hum of divine energy and a warm feeling spread through my body. The floor and ceiling swapped places, and the ground crumbled beneath my feet. The vines grew into faces that began to grin evilly at me. The walls began to press in, creating something of my worst nightmares. I never was able to deal with tight spaces, but this was way worse. The light faded and my vision became dark. Slowly, the walls pressed in on me. Just when I thought I would scream, everything went back to normal. I staggered into Dakota's arms, breathing deeply and looking around wildly.

When I confirmed that it was all a vision, I stood up and asked Dakota if he had fixed me. "Well," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "it wasn't madness of Bacchus's control. This kind of madness is the work of Venus. This is heartbroken crazy, not crazy crazy."

I thanked him for trying, hiding my disappointment with a smile. When I walked outside, Hazel was waiting for me. "Terminus," she explained. I didn't speak to her, walking calmly past her and down the hill. I probably was a sight to see, ratty hair, silver skull ring, black jacket, prohibato plate, and on top of all that, crying. Reyna sent me a worried look when I passed her house on the way back to my barrack.

Inside was the other nine demigods that I had to share my space with. Three of them were huddled around a magazine, the other six dressing for bed. All of them were girls around my age. Finally, a girl with auburn hair noticed me. She grinned at me, revealing a bright white smile. Sadly, the thing that ruined her looks was her teeth. She was missing one of the front teeth. Her tattoo was that of a broken wheel, like a pacman along with four lines. She was a legacy of Nemesis, goddess of fairness.

The others smiled at me and showered me with names, apparently oblivious to the fact that I had been crying. Nina was the auburn haired girl. The three interested in the magazine were sisters, children of Venus. One was a legacy of Apollo. Alisha was a daughter of Iris, which I could tell just by looking at her. Compared to Butch, she seemed to show off her lineage way more. Her hair was a shimmery indigo, her eyes were peacock green. She was constantly changing the color of her clothes and basically anything around her.

I introduced myself and told them that I was from Camp Half-Blood. That caught the attention of the Venus girls. The brunette who had blonde streaks looked up from the magazine and said, "Wait a minute. You're the one who's boyfriend died to save her. What was his name? Cico? No, it was Nico! Hazel's brother." She began to babble about the romantic technicalities of our relationship, but she didn't get too far. I used my relatively new found control over life forms to make her close her mouth. To Hades with keeping it a secret. I'd use it when I wanted to. She didn't know what had happened, but she let it drop and turned back to her magazine.

Everyone kinda noticed that it was a touchy subject and no one spoke of it for the rest of the evening. It was way past dark, and the moon and stars were shining brightly. Hypnos was good to me that night, letting me fall into a deep and undisturbed sleep.

The next morning, I woke up before anyone of the other girls. I dressed in a short sleeve shirt and a dark pair of blue jeans. I slipped on Nico's jacket and his ring, a warm feeling shooting through me. I relished in it for a moment before deciding that I needed a new set of weapons. The silver belonged to Artemis, making me think of the maidenhood all the Hunters undertook, something that I had refused. Now, I was beginning to wonder what it would've been like if I had accepted her offer. But those were dangerous thoughts, and I wanted to push them aside.

Walking silently in the morning light, I went to the armory, stopping at the stables and saying hi to Stormlight. She was very happy to see me and offered to give me a test flight. I declined in fear of getting in trouble. Still, the pegasus told me that I could come and fly with her anytime.

In the armory, I met with someone I hadn't expected to find. Octavian was sitting inside, talking with one of the Lares and sharpening his knife. When the spirit saw me, he disappeared, leaving me with the augur.

"Maria," Octavian said, standing quickly and dropping the polishing cloth and oil in his lap. The substance splatters everywhere, ruining my shoes. "Sorry," he said, hitting the floor and beginning to mop up the liquid. I get down and help him, not saying a word.

"That's Nico's jacket, isn't it?" he asked me. I nodded without looking up.

"Why doesn't Hazel have it?"

I shrug.

"Well, I don't understand why you would want to wear the clothes of the dead," he said, infuriating me beyond description. I stood up quickly and unbuckled my belt, dropping my silver weapons and shield. He looked up and watched me with a worried expression. That made me even more angry.

"I don't know, Octavian, why don't you go eviscerate a child's toy and ask the gods why?!" I screamed at him, turning around and walking to the door. On the way out, I kicked over a bucket of spears just for effect. Octavian called after me, but he didn't physically come after me.

I was too mad to speak, pushing my way to the mess hall and sitting down at a random table. Everyone else was already eating, but stopped when I came in. I ignored the stares and began eating. The thing that caught my attention was the blue pancakes in front of me.

"Well," a familiar voice drawled over the silence, "that's one way to say hi to your brother,"

I looked beside me and saw Percy with a raised eyebrow and a small smile on his face. The whole Twelfth Legion broke into laughs. Even Reyna was smiling. Percy hugged me tightly, the scent of his ocean crashing against mine. The feeling of a boy hugging me, the familiar warmth and squeeze sent me into tears again.

Annabeth attacked at me from the other side, squishing me against Percy's chest. I kept my sobs quiet in the midst of the Romans. When I finally let go of my brother, I got the scolding of a lifetime.

"A note?! Leaving your sword?! Stealing my favorite shirt?! Unacceptable! You are so grounded!" he yelled. Annabeth snickered behind me, but was quiet other than that. After giving me Tsunami back, he rambled on for a little while, but I ignored him. Well, right up until he offered to let me move in with him.

"What did you say?" I asked quietly, not believing what I had just heard.

"I said that you would be more than welcome to move in with me and my mom. I know that you never really had a proper family, but-" I cut him off by raising a finger. Did he really just offer to share his mother with me? His home, his life? I couldn't speak. I was stunned. No one had ever spoke to me about my family or my lack of parental guidance. He waved a hand in front of my face a couple of times before I said, "But I joined the legion. I can't leave." Reyna, who had walked up behind me, had the answer to that.

"This letter came in through the Mercury Express. It has been signed by Venus and Mars Ultor. Here," she said, handing me the scroll and walking away. Percy and Annabeth pressured me to read it.

"'To my Roman children,'" I read. Mars really needed to work on his penmanship. "'On behalf of the Fates and Venus herself, I cannot allow Maria Chure to join the legion. My lovely girlfriend and the old ladies have,'" The writing changed here, going from black ink to swirling pink script. "'created a brainchild equal of Minerva. Combining romance and a good dose of tragedy, this plot will not stand for the Romanization of the girl. She will be named the Ambassador of Neptune, much like her late counterpart. Don't kill her or harm her pretty face. Hugs and kisses, Venus/Aphrodite and Mars Ultor.' Gods of Olympus, what have they done?" I said, tossing the scroll onto the table, knocking over my drink and Percy's bottle of syrup.

After Annabeth cleaned up the sticky mess, Percy read over the letter again, shaking his head. Then, the daughter of Athena went back over the letter, shaking her head also. "First off," she said as the dinning hall began to clear, "no one, NO ONE, could make a brainchild equal of Mother. Second, if Aphrodite and the Fates are in on it, I'd expect a-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, though. Frank came barreling into the now empty hall, screaming for Percy to come out there. Then, in a completely Jason Grace trademarked maneuver, part of the ceiling beam came down and knocked him out. Annabeth ran over to him, telling us to go.

Outside was chaos. A dragon, a full sized, bigger than Festus dragon, was attacking the legion. The creature was absolutely beautiful, in a fire-breathing death-machine kind of way. Its scales were bright red-bronze, a color that shimmered and blinded me for a moment. Then my battle instincts kicked in. I whistled loudly, calling out for Stormlight while Percy jumped on Blackjack. While I waited for my mount, I wondered if controlling the beast with my ability would be too much. The risks weren't enough for me to try it out, so I instead twisted the sapphire on my ring, feeling the familiar white leather grip fit itself into my hand. About that time, Hazel and Arion arrived on the scene, zipping through the crowd of Romans and helping the wounded.

The eagles and Reyna came next, the praetor riding on her replacement pegasus. This one was nicknamed Nutella, for its chocolaty brown coat. Beside it was Stormlight, who had spotted me and was circling down to meet me. The giant eagles and Percy were doing their best to keep the dragon from burning down the city, but they were badly outnumbered. I hopped onto the silvery pegasus, giving her orders to drop me on the dragon's back.

Uh, are you sure about that? What if it throws you off? she asked, skittering in the air for a moment. "That's what I'm betting on," I whispered. Reluctantly, she flew me over the dragon's wings, turning upside down and letting me fall through the air. I landed on my feet, the acrobatic training from Chiron kicking in. I twirled my sword in my hand before plunging it through the tender muscle that powered the wings. The beast screeched, loosing control of its body and beginning the far plunge back to the earth. I held onto the handle of my sword, trying and failing to pull it from the tough hide.

Finally, it came free, but that didn't leave me enough time to jump back to Stormlight. So, when the beast came crashing down, I followed suit. The impact jarred my bones, searing pain shooting through my body before I blacked out.

In my dream, I was back in Cabin 3 at Camp Half-Blood, everything just as I had left it. But I wasn't alone. Standing there, jacket- and ring-less, was mi amour, Nico di Angelo. "Maria," he breathed, and took a step towards me. I didn't cry, no. I hugged him and began to laugh, wondering if I was dead. He laughed too, pulling away to put his hands on my face. I felt the cool, calloused hands of my love touch my cheeks. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck. I closed my eyes, and he did the same. The kiss was unlike any other. This one conveyed all the hopes and sadness and love and tragedy we had felt for the past month back to one another. He pulled away first, touching our foreheads together. I tangled my fingers into his hair and smiled, my eyes still closed.

"Hi," I breathed, a slight giggle in my voice. "Hi," he answered back in his deep one. We kissed again, this time only for a short second.

"Am I dead?" I asked, keeping my eyes trained on him. I wanted to memorize every detail of his face. The way his nose curved, the shallow smile lines around his eyes, the dark lashes and eyes, and the feeling I got as chocolate met sea green. He smiled at me, and answered my question. "No," he sighed, "sadly, you aren't. You just happen to be unconscious, but close enough to death for me to visit you. Hades does allow for me to wander a little bit. After all," Nico stopped for a moment to brush a hair out of my face before smiling and continuing, "it isn't as if I plan on choosing rebirth or anything."

I looked at him in utter shock. I honestly expected him to choose to be reborn into life again, to get three other shots at being the kid he should've been. I understood that he would forget everything about this life, including me and Bianca and all the adventures he had, but I really thought that he would weigh the pros and cons and choose rebirth.

"You expected me to?" he asked in faked hurt. I nodded sheepishly and explained why. At the end of my explanation, Nico nodded.

"I can see why you would think that, but the cons outweigh the pros," he said, cupping my cheeks again, "But even another chance at a relatively good life wouldn't make me want to forget this absolutely extraordinary one."

I kissed him again, loving him now more than ever. He sat down with me on my bed and explained his arrangement that he had made with Hades. "In exchange for me being able to visit you in your dreams, I have to basically help run the Underworld. But you have to realize that no one, not even Hazel or Percy can find out about this. Because if Zeus found out, there would be another war of the gods."

I nodded, listening to him and understanding every word. I would hold this secret to the grave, and possibly beyond it. He asked what I had been doing and why I wasn't still at Camp Half-Blood. I answered honestly, telling him about the prophecy and how I couldn't live with all the memories the place held. Then, after telling him about Percy's offer of me moving in, Nico made me swear to accept it. Laughing, I told him that I would. Before we could get any further into the subject, I saw the colors begin to drain out of the room. Nico kissed me quickly, whispering, "I'll see you tonight," right before everything faded completely.

I sat straight up in the cot that I was lying in, looking around and trying to determine where I was. Judging by the purple sheets and curtains, I was still in Camp Jupiter. Kaylie was the only other person in the room, and she rushed over when she saw that I was awake. "You sure did give us a scare," she said, checking my vitals and joints. After deeming me fully healed, she walked me back to the barrack, telling me what had happened. After I brought the dragon out of the sky, Percy and Reyna finished it off. During the three days I was out, the two had also argued about whether or not I would be branded with the Legion's symbol. Thankfully, the choice would be left up to me.

The healer left me alone in the barrack, telling me that Percy would be over shortly. I began to pack my belongings into the Hermes's sack, keeping Nico's jacket and ring on along with my own. I had Tsunami on my left hand and Nico's skull ring on my right. I heard someone come in just as I was putting the last shirt into my backpack. I was shocked to look up and see Octavian, not Percy.

"Hey," he said, sitting down on the bed opposite to me. I ignored him, shoving my feet into my shoes.

"I wanted to say that I was sorry for the other day. You know, about the jacket." he said, turning red but keeping his gaze trained on me. I told him that I accepted his apology and got up, heading for the door. Octavian stopped me, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him. We were so close together, his body pressed against mine, that I was suddenly hit with the urge to spit in his face. But, I didn't get the chance. He roughly grabbed my chin and kissed me quickly. For about a half second, I was too shocked to do anything. And then the rage kicked in. I raised my arm and slung him away from me, using my power to slam him against the wall. I watched as the shock on his face was replaced by fear. Slowly and deliberately enunciating my words, I spoke.

"How dare you?" I said as forcefully as I could. "Just because Nico died doesn't mean that I want someone else. I will not ever want you, Octavian. And once I tell Rachel, neither will she. If I were you, I would run."

He couldn't do anything because I was still holding him to the wall. I released him, but stayed standing beside the door. Then, the Fates just got cruel with it. I looked at the porch and saw Percy standing there, his mouth wide open while the anger registered in his features. Octavian kept his eyes trained on me as he walked past, but that caused him to run smack into Percy. He looked up and saw that it was my brother who he had collided with. Then the fear kicked in, but not before Percy got his own shot in. For a moment, I felt bad for Octavian, because he had no idea what was coming. In a flash, Percy had reared back with his right arm and nailed Octavian right in the jaw.

"Don't touch her!" he yelled, and shoved him down the steps. The skinny blonde got up and took off running towards New Rome. I looked at Percy and he stared back. I grinned a little, and he smiled back at me. Perc ran a hand through his hair and asked how I was.

"I'm grand. I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend," I said, quoting a certain Augustus Waters. Percy obviously didn't get it.

"So, are you going to get a tat like mine?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows and flashing his forearm. I laughed and shook my head no. the tattoo reminded me of a dog peeing on a tree as if to mark it as if it the tree belonged to it. If I was going to ever get a permanent mark on my skin, it would be a real tattoo, not a brand.

Percy nodded, taking my prohibato plate and tossing it away from us. I laughed and we made our way to Reyna's house. Her and Annabeth were sitting on the porch, looking over blueprints. When they noticed us, Reyna sat back in her rocking chair.

"You know, I saw the weirdest sight a few minutes ago," she said, Annabeth shaking with laughter beside her. "I could've sworn that Octavian was running as fast as he could towards the city with a huge bruise on his face. You two wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?" Percy and I glanced at each other, silently asking what we should say. I shook my head yes and he shook his no. Then, we glared at each other and had a battle of wills. Reyna and Annabeth were laughing heartily now.

After telling Reyna my decision, she did something I didn't expect. "You should take that pegasus back with you," she said, telling me that Stormlight wouldn't let anyone else ride her now. I thanked her, and said goodbye to my friend. We walked to the stables and busted Blackjack and Stormlight out of there.

Yo, boss and boss-ett! Blackjack said. Stormlight said hi, and asked where we were going. When I explained where, she jumped for joy. Apparently, she had some friends that she had been separated from when we made the great equestrian trade. Annabeth and Percy got onto the black beast and I hopped onto my silver one. As they took off, I felt something I hadn't felt since Nico had died: love and a touch of belonging. And that alone made me smile.

As soon as we got back to the Camp, everyone swamped me. Jason and Piper were the first, Piper scolding me terribly. "YOU LEFT! Without telling anyone!" she said, hugging me tightly. Jason took a glance at my jacket and ring, nodding in approval. The rest of the camp greeted me warmly, including Travis and Conner. Annabeth had told me on the flight over that Katie broke poor Travis's heart when she dumped him. I saw the toll it had taken on him. But, even so, the both of them hugged me tightly.

Chiron suspended the scheduled game of capture the flag, which made every cabin except the Ares cabin cheer. Apparently, there was a malicious group of dryads on the loose. I could tell by the leaves growing out of some of the camper's ears that the woodland spirits were not happy.

I walked with Percy to Cabin 3, hesitating for a moment at the obsidian cabin. I felt a cold chill creep through the open doors of Cabin 13 that made me shiver. Without Nico in there, it didn't seem like it used to.

After unloading our stuff and Iris-messaging Tyson, Percy went to bed. I decided to take a walk instead. Changing into shorts and a camp shirt, I slipped Nico's jacket back on. I walked around the woods, not wanting a leaf-ear curse, and went to the beach. The cool fall breeze was blowing off of the water, and I waded out into the moonlit waves. I though of a poem that I had read when Nico was still here. It had read:

And the ocean taught her how to drown in all the things bigger than herself. The ocean loved her and knew everything that made her. And every time she'd walk to the shore, she'd smile at the ocean because the waves told her story.

R.M. Drake had written it, and I felt as though it perfectly described my thoughts. I closed my eyes, listening and feeling the tide push the waves onto the shore, letting them softly crash against the sand. I felt the footprints I left wash away at the never-ending cycle of the sea. In the distance, I felt the waves crest in the ocean, the damp and salty wind blowing my hair back. I didn't even bother to walk all the way out of the water before I lied in the sand, the sea's fingertips coming to stroke my hair, pulling it towards the deep and begging the rest of me to follow. Instead, I let sleep pull me out.