Nico had tried to give him a short explanation as Piper welcomed them in. "She's an old friend of mine. She and her friends Leo and Jason showed up around December one year at Camp Half-Blood. I only knew her for a little while before she left on her quest, but she's still one of my only real friends."

"So you haven't seen her in years?" Will asked.

"Oh, no, of course we've seen her," Nico said. "She has the power of charmspeak, so she can get away with lying about almost anything. She's been talking with her old friends in secret for months now. Knowing her, she wouldn't be able to stay away from Leo and her boyfriend Jason for any extended period of time."

Reyna smirked. "Just like a true daughter of Aphrodite."

After introductions were made and lots of hugs were exchanged between old friends, Piper flitted around her kitchen, setting the table and filling plates to the rim with what seemed to be an endless supply of junk food. The conversations all blended into each other. One second they were discussing travel plans, and the next they were catching up with the events that had happened in the past few years, most of which Will was still completely clueless about. Doors of Death? Tartarus? Most of their discussion didn't seem to make any sense.

"No, the Doors are still open, sadly. The quest can't continue without me," said Piper. "But according to Jason and Leo's letters, Percy's back with Annabeth at Camp for the summer."

"Good for him," Nico grunted. "But without you, Hazel and Frank, the prophecy still can't come true. All seven of you are needed."

"I know," Piper sighed, "but with Frank and Hazel being tracked down by Jupiter's army, its hard for us to make any progress. They've been on the run for months. At least now that you and Reyna have the statue, one piece of the puzzle is in place."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way," Reyna said. "If I'd known it wasn't Leo's fault for firing on Camp-"

"Don't worry about that," Piper interrupted. "There's nothing we can do about it now."

When they mentioned things Will was knowledgeable about, like Gaea and the Titans, he kept quiet, silently staring down at his place. Eventually, that conversation died out too, which Will was grateful for.

"If I'd been expecting you guys I would have prepared better," Piper said.

Reyna gratefully feasted on the bowl of green grapes in front of her. "Don't worry about it. You know we're used to a little chaos. Have you settled in here alright?"

Earlier, Piper had explained how she had come ("More like 'got forcibly dragged'," she explained) to Paris with her dad. The McLean family was extremely wealthy and could easily afford a vacation home or two or five. Their current home was massive. Will had tried not to stare in awe as they'd entered the main hallway. Lofty white curtains covered the two-story windows, which looked out onto a cobblestone-lined courtyard and private garden. The dining table was pure cherry wood, covered in a satin tablecloth and set for a complete five-course meal. It almost felt like a crime to be eating snacks in such an elegant atmosphere.

"We've managed well enough so far," she sighed, taking the seat next to Will. "I miss it back home, but knowing my dad, we'll be somewhere new in less than a year. Dad's never really home, so he won't know you guys were ever here. And the place is huge, so we have lots of spare bedrooms. Each with their own private bathrooms. You can make yourselves at home."

"I call dibs on the biggest shower," Reyna said immediately. "Mind showing me the way?"

Piper stood and jokingly curtsied in her direction, waving her hand in a flourish towards the staircase. "Right this way, m'lady."

The girls left the room, which left Will and Nico sitting alone at the dining table. It was so silent, Will might have thought Nico was asleep if the other boy hadn't been sitting up and poking at his plate with his fork.

"So..." Will began, "No offense or anything, but I thought the people from Camp all hated you."

"Piper is my friend from the Greek camp," said Nico, sighing and rubbing his fingers against his temples. "Though neither side likes me very much anymore."

Will tiled his head in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Everyone is after me. The Romans are against me because they think I'm a double agent," Nico explained. "I blended in with them and lived among them for a few months. Once they found out I'm Greek, they didn't take it well. Greeks and Romans don't exactly get along. Having Reyna at my side only makes the grudge between the two sides even worse. Everyone thinks I'm a traitor."

"Oh..." Will stared down at his lap. "I... I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing for everything," said Nico. "Have you noticed you do that a lot? Not everything is your fault. You don't have to say you're sorry."

"I'm sor-" Will began, then quickly stopped himself. "I'll try to stop."

It was then Will realized he would have preferred the silence. It seemed to be every conversation he had with the di Angelo boy would leave him feeling angry, upset, guilty, or an odd combination of all three.

Luckily, Piper reentered the room at that moment and helped diffuse the tension. "Nico, do you want me to show you to your room?"

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I can find it myself," said Nico. "Thanks for dinner by the way."

"You're welcome," Piper said. "It's right upstairs, second door to the left."

Without another word, Nico stood, dropped his empty plate in the sink, and made his way upstairs. The sound of his footsteps faded as he closed the door to his bedroom for the night.

Piper sat down next to Will again and twirled the end of her braid between her fingers. "So how exactly did the infamous lost son of Apollo end up with Nico and Reyna of all people?"

"You too?" Will asked.

"'Me too' what?"

"You think I'm Apollo's son," Will explained. "Everyone thinks that."

"Actually, I really only thought that because Reyna told me," Piper admitted. "But now that I get a good look at you, I think she's right. Blonde hair, blue eyes, slight tan. Aside from the hint of freckles across your nose, you look just like him."

"It could be a coincidence," Will muttered, bringing a hand to his face. He'd never felt self-conscious about his appearance, but now he suddenly felt the need to hide his hair and face and freckles from everyone.

"Do you really believe that?" asked Piper. "Will, one of my first nights at Camp Half-Blood before I left for my quest, the kids were sitting around the campfire telling your story. At first I thought it was something they'd made up until Mr. D told me it was true."

"Mr. D?"

"Dionysus. You know, the god of wine," Piper shrugged. "He's a counselor at camp."

Will blinked at her like she'd just grown an extra head, but she ignored him and continued.

"Not only did he say the story about Gaea kidnapping Apollo's son was true, but he said that Apollo still regularly visited camp undercover just to check and see if his son somehow made it there."

"Doesn't Apollo have lots of other kids though? Why would this one be so special?"

"No one knows," said Piper. "But we know that, for whatever reason, Gaea wanted him for herself. Wanted you for herself."

For my powers, Will though. For a moment he almost felt inclined to tell her. But if that was Gaea's true reason behind kidnapping him, then it'd only put him in even more danger if more people knew about it.

"Gaea's the reason I'm stuck here in Paris instead of staying at Camp, you know."

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

Piper sighed. "You're not the only person whose life was ruined by her. Her Giant son Enceladus held my dad captive to try to lure Jason, Leo and I into a trap. We were able to defeat him, but my dad was nearly driven insane after being trapped and tortured for so long."

Will placed a comforting hand on hers as she continued, "He knew nothing about the immortal world before that happened. He didn't even know I was a demigod, or that my mother was Aphrodite. He wanted to be okay with my new life, he really did. But once I set off on my most recent quest and we were attacked at Camp Jupiter that was the last straw. I was supposed to be one of seven demigods to fulfill an ancient prophecy about destroying Gaea once and for all, but we failed. The Romans attacked us. Our ship was destroyed. We barely made it out alive. Hazel and Frank, the two demigods I mentioned earlier, were supposed to be part of the quest too, but they're still considered Roman traitors and neither side will welcome them."

"Is Reyna considered a traitor too?" Will asked.

Piper nodded. "She ran away from Camp Jupiter when she was fifteen, a little while after Jason left. She abandoned her position as Praetor. She and Nico met up not too long after and vowed to work together to unite the two sides. They're really the only reason why I can still talk to my old friends. They're the only reason the prophecy of the seven still has a chance to succeed. If only I could get back to Camp. Now that my dad knows how dangerous it is out there for me... well, lets just say I won't ever be returning if he has any say in it. Gaea and her army are too much of a threat on my life. He doesn't want to risk losing me again."

Will shook his head in disbelief. "This is all Gaea's fault... How could anyone be so cruel?"

"If you think that's bad, you should hear what she did to Leo…" Piper took a deep breath to regain her composure. "My point is, Will, Gaea is bad news. She's a liar. She will manipulate you into trusting her and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Reyna and Nico really do have good intentions behind taking you away from home, as hard as that is to believe. I'll admit, I didn't really trust Nico when I first met him, either. A lot of people don't. But I have proof that he has good intentions. You'll grow to love him and trust him, eventually."

That seemed highly unlikely. Nico couldn't even stand him. As hard as he tried, he didn't think he and Nico would ever get along, let alone be friends. Then again, it had only been a day. Maybe they could make some progress with time. At least Will hoped they would.

Piper squeezed Will's hand, then let go. "Please believe me, Will. I wouldn't lie to you." She stood, the chair scraping against the floor as she did. "You can stay in the room next to mine, third door to the right. You have a tough journey to make. But with Nico and Reyna at your side, you won't have any problem getting to Camp Half-Blood. Get some rest tonight, okay?"

With that, Piper left the room, turning to give Will one last encouraging smile before walking upstairs into her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

Will's thoughts kept him awake into the early hours of the morning.

At first he'd been wary around Piper. That charmspeak of hers wasn't the most trustworthy thing. But the way she had almost started tearing up while talking about her dad, and the slight break in her voice every time she said Jason's name... Heartbreak like that couldn't be faked.

Gaea was a threat, Will was almost sure of that. Too many signs pointed to the truth of her wickedness. But Will's entire childhood was shrouded in memories of Gaea's love and care and generosity.

And, on a few occasions, anger and frustration and rage. Though she very rarely showed that side of herself, it was enough to make him sure that she wasn't who she said she was. Piper, Nico, and Reyna only proved that point further.

He padded his way up the stairs as quietly as he could. Despite how late it was, lights still shone through the space under Piper's door, which made him think he wasn't the only one keeping himself awake tonight.

The first thing he noticed in his guest room was the king-sized bed covered with more pillows than he could count. Sitting at the foot of the bed was his bag, his copy of Sleeping Beauty sticking out of the top. This book that'd he'd grown up loving and reading every day suddenly left a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been his first gift from her. Reading it planted the idea in his head that he'd one day marry a prince and live happily ever after. Now that dream had crashed and burned and he realized the truth behind his "grandmother's" lies. She'd been telling him stories all his life, but they were just as fake as his fairytales.

Will grabbed the book and threw it across the room, not caring whether or not it would get ruined. The front cover skidded across the wood floor, the gold lettering peeling off on the corners.

He tossed the blankets back and buried his head into the pillows, trying his hardest not to let the negative thoughts get to him.

Tomorrow, he'd be traveling with Nico and Reyna again. Tomorrow they'd be further away from the tower and further away from Gaea. Their travels will bring them closer to Camp Half-Blood, closer to uniting the Greeks and Romans, closer to freedom.