Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of Rick Riordan's works.

A/N: This takes place 8 years after TLO, making Nico 20 and Percy/Annabeth 24. In this, the Heroes of Olympus never happened.

Chapter 1

Nico's POV

For some reason, I really didn't feel like going back to camp. Sure, I had a place there now ever since the war, but spending the past 8 years in the same two places was pretty boring. I had spent most of my time at camp, but sometimes either my dad or Demeter would insist on having me in the Underworld for a little while. The only one that didn't want me there was Persephone. I understood why though, how would you feel if the one who love goes off and has kids with other people over their entire existence. No one else sees it I guess.

That's how I found myself here, in the middle of a small town watching a marching band practice from the shadows. I was passing by when I heard a voice. It was the prettiest voice I've ever heard and the owner of that voice was just as beautiful. She had light skin and a few freckles. Her hair was brown with gorgeous hints of red when the sun hit it and her eyes. . . I looked into them and I lost myself inside. I can't even tell what color they are. It's like someone took grey, green, and blue mixed them in the perfect way and created a brand new color. I sat down to watch.

She was playing the piano now with the band. She was really good at it too. Then, a man said, "Okay now take it from the top." She walked away from the piano and towards the podium. As she climbed up her pant leg lifted a little and I noticed a knife strapped to her ankle.

Even better, I thought to myself, beautiful, has a passion, and dangerous.

That's when all Hades broke loose.

A hell-hound jumped from the underbrush towards her. Damn, I should have noticed it, but I was too distracted. Just as I was about to run over to her, she pulled the knife out and stabbed the monster in the snout. It wasn't dead yet, but it looked at her like it couldn't believe what happened. As it was staring at her she took her chance and cut off its head. She had to be a demigod.

She turned around and looked directly at me and winked. Oh gods, what was the feeling I had in my stomach?

"Rose, stop messing around and get started," the man told her. Interrupting my train of thought.

"Okay, sorry Mr. Rodriguez," she told him.

-O-

So I was being a little creepy, when the practice was over, I followed her to her house. When I got there I was a little surprised. The house was small, but still absolutely breathtaking. It had a homey feel to it and just seemed right.

I was such a creep. A big, stupid, just find a way to talk to her creep.

I had just looked into the window when I saw her. The girl I had just seen take out a hell-hound without a bit of fear on her face was cowering against the wall.

"DADDY! DAD... DAD..." she yelled.

"What is it sweetie?" a man with dark brown hair responded from a doorway of another room.

"Spider," she whispered pointing at the wall. She was afraid of spiders.

"Okay, okay," he told her and walked over and killed the spider. "You know, I will never understand why the kids of Athena are so terrified of spiders." That explained the spider and her ability to think quickly. A daughter of Athena, I needed to bring her back to camp.

"I've already told you the story, Dad, like five times now." She told him.

Rose's POV

I sat in my chair shuddering at the thought of that spider. You think that at 17 I would be use to them, but the arachnid subject still freaked me out.

The other day I was in science class and our teacher, Ms Holt, was showing us pictures of different frogs and there was this one where the frog was eating a spider. Ok, so the spider wasn't that big or anything, but I still screamed and almost fell out of my chair.

Sorry about that, as a daughter of Athena, I tend to ramble a bit.