Nico di Angelo never wanted to be part of a huge group of friends. Well, he still doesn't, but he doesn't despise the idea like he used to. A couple friends were okay. Not, say, a camp of half- gods.

Alas, ever since Will Solace started making him participate in every social activity, he became more and more popular. Of course, the Seven – or rather, the three of the Seven currently present – were the stars. But because he was with them for a part of their quest, he was treated special, too. And, according to Jason and Will and other dumb blondes, he was fun when he wasn't conscious of it, especially when he was with Mrs O'Leary or Little Bob or Cerberus or any other Underworld pet.

Everyone talks about the "Seven". "I personally know the Seven." "It was the Seven that saved the world from Earth." "The Seven must have nightmares every night, from what they've seen." "Sure, the Seven did well. . . But I'm sure I could've done great."

Everyone thinks the Seven are now some kind of gang. Not the bad kind, necessarily – but a large group of friends, with some followers (Reyna, Will, Grover, Clarisse, and, yes, Nico).

But that isn't really true. Even the Seven are split. Not in a bad way, just that they're really good friends, but everyone has their besties.

Examples: Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia; Piper, Jason, Leo and Calypso; Frank, Hazel, and Reyna.

And Nico found himself constantly surrounded by Will (duh) and his friends, Cecil and Lou Ellen. Occasionally Kayla and/or Austin, and Jason always made sure he was never really alone. He realized that he went from being surrounded by mindless souls and dark walls to having someone (living) by his side at all times.

He wasn't really complaining.

All of this was going through Nico's head when it was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Nico had been lying in bed. Startled, he jolted upright. He instinctively leapt out of bed and answered the door that had beckoned him.

He opened the door and had to raise his head to see the summoner, they were so close.

"Oh!" The person who had knocked took a startled step back. "I hadn't expected you to come so quickly."

Nico stifled a smirk and frowned. It was Jason.

"What do you want so early in the morning?" Nico asked, yawning exaggeratedly.

"I was wondering if you were awake. I'm bored," Jason claimed.

Nico groaned. He stepped aside. "Fine, you can come in. But only because you'll get eaten if you stay out there any longer."

"Thanks," Jason said, stepping inside. The boys heard a screech from above that made them both jump. A harpy swooped down gracefully from the sky, looking angry. Nico slammed the door on her face.

Nico turned back to Jason, scowling, taken aback when he realized that Jason was grinning.

"What?" Nico asked suspiciously.

"Huh? Oh, nothing, just relief. She was going to claw my face off."

"Yeah, leaving your cabin while it's still dark outside isn't exactly a way to befriend those oh- so-friendly harpies," Nico said sarcastically. He went back to his bed and flopped over, staring at the ceiling.

The boys were silent for a minute.

Jason sighed and fell onto the other bed, the one that Hazel slept in whenever the Romans visited.

"Do you ever get lonely?" Jason asked. It was such an ironic question, Nico let out a quiet laugh. He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing hysterically.

"What?"

Nico turned to see that Jason had turned his intense, curious ice-blue eyes on him.

Nico bit his lip to keep from smirking. "Nothing. That was just a funny question since I was just thinking about that before you came, how I spend nine out of twenty-four hours every day alone. Well, except for today. Eight."

"Yeah, I know," Jason said, grinning. "I meant in the cabin. It's so empty and uninhabited."

"I inhabit it," Nico objected. "And besides, you have it worse. You're alone with a big statue of your dad staring down at you all night, the creep, and the cabin must be fifty-ish feet tall. Talk about lonely, especially with your sister's stuff right across the room."

"I'm not saying I don't get lonely. That's why I'm here," Jason said dismissively. "But you're avoiding the question. Do you get lonely?"

Nico pretended to think about it. "I find it relieving," he lied. "During the day, I'm constantly surrounded by blondes, being passed back and forth between you and your crowd and Will and his – uh, our crowd. At night, I'm dismissed from all the chaos and activities and . . . You know . . . ." he trailed off, observing Jason's face. He immediately knew he'd said something wrong, and that he wasn't fooling anyone.

"What'd I say?" Nico inquired.

Jason narrowed his eyes. "My . . . crowd?"

Oh, Nico thought. Whoops.

"Nico," Jason said slowly, "who, exactly, is in my crowd?"

"Uh . . ." Nico tried to find a way out of this conversation, but came up empty. "Leo, Piper? . . .And Drew, I guess, occasionally. . . ."

"My friends?"

"Well, yes, the friends that you hang out with the most," Nico snapped, playing defense now. "I would call that a crowd, dunno what you'd call it, but that's what I mean."

"If a crowd consists of the people I hang out with most," Jason ventured, "wouldn't that mean you're in my 'crowd', too?"

"Well, no, because . . . Umm. . . ." I have Will, Cecil, and Lou Ellen was what came to mind, but that just sounded mean. Instead, he, said (a bit sarcastically), "You think Will would let me? 'Doctor's orders', he'd say – "

"You and I both know that's not true,"Jason accused. "Will has only been trying to get you to make more friends, not confining you to a crowd."

Unable to argue any longer, Nico pulled his blanket over his head and pressed his hands to his ears.

"I'm tired," he lied. "You got me up early. I'm going back to sleep."

Jason responded, but his voice was inaudible through the blanket and Nico's hands.

Nico actually did fall asleep, after a while. He dreamed he was in a junkyard. The sky had a reddish hue to it, and there was a sense of danger in the air.

Nico turned around warily. Where am I? he wondered. Then he heard a sound; a loud noise, of steel and junk pressing into each other.

Nico blinked; When he opened his eyes, he was . . . taller? Yes, he was definitely taller. His head felt heavier, as if he had longer hair. He tried to reach up to check, but he couldn't move.

Then he saw a pair of familiar sea-green eyes resting on him. They flickered with – panic? Suspicion? Bewilderment? Possibly all three, before turning on something else.

He tried to follow Percy's gaze, and his eyes responded, but they seemed detached. As if he wasn't in control of his body. As if . . . he was in someone else's body.

Bianca.

Nico didn't have much time to ponder this before he saw what Percy and Bianca were looking at – A huge, angry giant made of junk. Nico vaguely remembered the name Talos.

Talos took an earth-shaking step forward.

A different, recognizable voice yelped, "Run!"

Grover. That was definitely Grover. So, Percy, Bianca, Grover. Junkyard . . . .

Nico suddenly realized where he was, and a Hunter's arrow flying by confirmed his suspicions. This was Hephaestus's junkyard.

The place Bianca died.