First and foremost before we get started, I have to thank everyone who's made this story a success. I'm pleased to announce that there have been over 9,000 hits, 66 reviews and not only that but this story has been added to "The Best Couple from PJO" community! :D Thank you, thank you, thank you! :D

Another note, I have a poll up on my profile of who you think are the best couples of the PJO and HoO series – you can pick up to nine couples. Please, if you get a chance, take the poll. I want to know your opinions! :) Also, I know some of you like the idea of LeoxReyna, but how many of you don't like it? I want to hear from you, so please review, thank you B-)

Now for the part at least some of you look forward to, the reply to the anonymous reviewers:

Lubi – Glad someone else was confused besides me ;) Lol I always love hearing your comments, they make my day :) Thanks again

Monthgirl – Thanks for the review, I can understand your math too, but I'm sticking with nine months :) Thanks for telling me though – reviews always make me happy

One last note before the chapter, I have a youtube account and I've been trying to figure out how to upload some recordings I made of reading chapters of "The Lightning Thief" in the PJO series, using a still picture of the book. If that makes any sense to anyone, and if anyone's got advice, review or pm me with it, pretty please – my techy skills are sadly lacking :blush: Anyway, onward! :D

That's My Seaweed Brain

Chapter 7

Third-Person (man I promised myself I'd never use this! :rolleyes: )

Percy leaned over the map Annabeth had spread across the table, frowning. "If we take a route to the Northwest, we can cut across New York, that way we can pick up supplies from Camp Half-Blood, and try to get into Mount Olympus to convince the gods to help us." His finger traced the route he suggested across the map.

Jason shook his head, "I don't know… we don't have a lot of time to waste. The solstice is only a few weeks away. Besides, Olympus is closed, they're not going to let us in just because we have a warship now – my dad would soon shoot us out of the sky.

Percy paled and grimaced. "Good point, I'm on your dad's bad side enough as it is."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

Percy studied the map intensely for a long moment, not looking up. "Let's just say I tick off a lot of gods, Zeus being one of them; something about how I'm impertinent, rude, sarcastic, and technically shouldn't be alive? I think the only gods that don't really mind me are dad, Apollo and maybe Aphrodite."

Jason stared at the son of Neptune for a long moment, but then shook his head and went back to studying the map. He'd didn't have time to figure out this kid, they had more important things to do. Just when he thought he'd come up with a great route to get to Rome, someone burst into the control room.

Whoever it was had obviously run all the way there. "Percy!" A deep breath, "Jason!" Another gasping breath, "Nico! …Trouble!"

Percy turned around, finding Hazel doubled over, her hands on her knees as she sucked on oxygen greedily. She panted for another moment before she could stand up and speak, although it was a little hard to focus on her words because of the white, sheer, old fashioned nightgown she was wearing. Despite the lavender robe she had over it, the gown left little to imagination. "Guys, Nico's in trouble! Gaea has him."

Jason frowned. "Yeah, we know that Hazel. We're going to do everything we can to get him back, don't worry."

Hazel shook her head, her dark curls flying around her head. "No! You don't understand. I had a dream…"

That immediately got the boys' attention. They had Hazel sit down by the table housing the map – pulling her robe tightly around herself fortunately – and explain everything from the beginning. By the time she'd finished, Percy's jaw was closed tightly in controlled anger and sparks of electricity were coming out of Jason's clenched fists.

"This is serious," Percy muttered. "Hades wouldn't let Nico's mom contact you in a dream if the kid wasn't in real danger. We have to find him."

Hazel seemed a bit distracted by the comment about the god of the underworld and didn't answer for a moment.

Jason nodded. "I've only met Nico a few times. He may be a loner, but he doesn't deserve to be Gaea's prisoner – I'm not sure I'd wish that on my worst enemy and definitely not on a fellow demigod."

"Sometimes the demigods are the worst kind of enemies," Percy muttered, mostly to himself.

Hazel looked up sharply. "Nico isn't a bad kid!" she snapped her indignant anger competing with her worry.

Percy winced, looking contrite. "I didn't mean to say that out loud, I'm sorry. You're right, Nico isn't a bad guy. The kid's saved my life more times than I can count and he's intensely loyal to his friends and his dad – even if his dad hasn't exactly always been very fair to him." There was a short rumble of thunder outside, which Percy pointedly ignored. He and Hades both knew it was true, whether the god admitted it or not.

"Who were you talking about then?" Jason demanded, not quite satisfied.

Percy looked away. "Loyalty is important to me. I've been betrayed by demigods that I considered friends, most of whom I'd helped out. I don't like traitors – that's all. Nico isn't one though," he added for Hazel's benefit. "And we're going to find him. Did you recognize anything about the cave? Or did Mrs. de Angelo give you any clues to where it was?"

Hazel shook her head in despair. "No, nothing. All I can say is it felt like that island in Alaska – I assumed it was because of Gaea's presence. I wish I had more than that…" She put her head in her hands and tried to hold back a sob.

Percy patted the younger girl on her shoulder. "Don't cry Hazel, it'll be alright. Nico's tough and always has been. He'll be okay."

Jason opened his mouth to add his assurances, when the door opened again to reveal Frank. "Have either of you seen Hazel? She's not in her cabin and…" he cut off abruptly finding his girlfriend in question right in front of him, in her nightgown no less. "Hazel? What are you doing in here? And why aren't you dressed?" Frank's square, baby face blushed deeply, making Hazel pull her robe tighter around herself.

"I had a dream about Nico and I had to tell Percy and Jason… my brother is in a lot of trouble," Hazel replied quietly. She related the dream again for Frank's benefit, and his face paled a little.

"We have to do something," he said adamantly.

Percy smirked ever so slightly, "I think we should put that phrase on a t-shirt – we use it often enough around here." He grew serious after that though, "but you're right. We need a plan…" he trailed off and unexpectedly raced out the door.

The Romans exchanged baffled glances.

"Does he do that a lot? Just run off randomly without finishing his thought?" Jason asked.

Frank and Hazel both shrugged. "You get used to it," the former replied.

Percy came back soon enough, Annabeth being led in tow by the hand. Piper followed, along with Leo. Aside from Percy, all the Greeks looked completely lost as to what was going on.

Annabeth sighed and folded her arms as soon as Percy let her wrist go. "Okay, I'm here! Now why was I summoned? Piper and I were in the middle of a sparring match with our daggers; we were working on her blocking technique."

Leo chuckled. "Yeah, beauty queen could use it – compared to wise girl, she sucks."

Piper punched Leo sharply in the arm. "Shut up, repair boy. You fight with a stupid hammer, don't go knocking my dagger or you're going to find yourself at the wrong end of it."

Leo swallowed and quickly shut up.

"Can we get back to why I'm here, please?" Annabeth asked impatiently.

Hazel for the third time repeated her dream to everyone, her fears seeming to increase even more rather than subsiding. She'd hoped once she told someone about the dream that she'd feel better, but talking about it only seemed to build up her dread as she realized that the vision had been real, not something her over-active imagination had come up with.

Annabeth frowned, her brow wrinkling as she paced the length of the helm, thinking. Percy's eyes followed his girlfriend's every move intently. Jason also watched her, his gaze more passive. Frank and Piper tried to cheer Hazel up the best they could. Meanwhile Leo leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed, trying to be invisible to Frank and even Hazel's occasional glance.

Annabeth stopped pacing and looked out the porthole window briefly before turning to the others, "Nico was searching for the Doors of Death, correct? That was how he was captured."

The others nodded. Annabeth continued, "Gaea's main goal is to destroy Greece and Rome – the doors have got to be somewhere near there. She captured Nico for a reason, but what was it?" She seemed to be talking more to herself than the others.

Percy shrugged. "He's a demigod – does she need a reason more than that?"

Jason shook his head. "Gaea's always got a motive for every move. It's like she's playing a game of chess, she's constantly thinking at least half a dozen steps ahead of us." Percy's mouth drew into a thin line at the mention of chess, remembering that Gaea had called him her pawn.

"Jason's right," Hazel spoke up. They turned to her. "In my dream, Mrs. de Angelo said that Gaea was testing him. Gaea also said that there was an offer on the table, but Nico wasn't biting. I didn't know what they were talking about, but Gaea said 'you will kill the ones you love for me.'" Hazel shivered and Frank tightened his hold around her shoulders.

Annabeth frowned, one hand on her dagger, the other tugging one of her curls.

Leo said, "Uh, testing? That doesn't sound good. I don't know about Nico, but I hate tests. You think Dirt Woman will at least give him a number two pencil and time to study?"

Piper bopped him upside the head. "Will you shut up? This is serious."

Leo rolled his eyes. "I know that. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Piper made an irritated noise in the back of her throat and shook her head, dismissing the pyromaniac. "What do you think, Jason?"

Jason shrugged. "I really don't know what to make of it. Gaea's probably trying to turn Nico against us, but I have no idea what she could offer that he would be tempted by."

Annabeth stopped pacing and stared at Percy's horrified face. They both knew of something that would be nearly impossible for Nico to resist.

"Gaea couldn't be offering him…" Percy trailed off.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Annabeth replied grimly.

"But she chose to be reborn! She's gone, we'll never see her again," Percy protested.

"She's not the only card in Gaea's hand," Annabeth countered.

"Nico wouldn't really… would he?" Percy ran his hand through his hair. "Holy Poseidon, he just might. Di Immortales!" He cursed.

Annabeth nodded. "We've got to get to Nico before he breaks down."

"But what could Nico offer her in return?" Percy asked.

"He's the son of Hades – you've seen what he can do first hand, Percy. Gaea's gonna need a lot of extra help summoning new minions." Annabeth frowned in disgust, as though the words were bitter to the taste as well as the ears.

"What are you two talking about?" Piper demanded.

"I think I know," Hazel murmured, biting her lip. "You're talking about Nico's sister, Bianca and his mother. You think Gaea's offering to bring them back from the Underworld for him; in exchange for helping her gather more people would be glad to bring the gods to their knees."

Percy nodded his expression bleak. "Bianca was his whole world for so long. Seventy years, even frozen in time... well they were close. When she joined the Hunter's of Artemis and then died…" he broke off for a moment, swallowing back the unpleasant memory. "It tore him apart – he was never the same. And when he found out what happened to his mother, it just got worse. Hades forbid Nico from contacting his mom like he could with Bianca; said it would stir up too much trouble." Percy's green eyes were as dark and moody as a storm-tossed sea.

"If Gaea's offering to bring Maria de Angelo back, then our time schedule just got a whole lot shorter," Annabeth said. She strode to the map still on the table and eyed the suggested routes that had been outlined in pencil, shaking her head. "We'll skip the detour to Olympus – we haven't got the time to persuade our parents' to help right now – but stopping for supplies at Camp Half-Blood briefly that's not a bad idea. We'll need all the supplies we can grab. From there, we'll sail to England – the channels will be easier going in that direction. After that, we'll sail inland, making brief stops at all the former points where the torch once burned until we reach Rome."

"Why go to all those places? That'll take more time." Jason argued.

"Going to Olympus directly is pointless – they won't even let us in the lobby, let alone the elevator." Annabeth pointed out, "but if we go to all the countries where the gods once called home, we'll get their attention better. They'll think of it as a type of flattery."

Frank got up and also studied the map, nodding. "I think she's right. My first instinct would be to run straight to Rome, but we can't jump into battle without knowing we might have back up. We have a chance this way."

"Sounds good to me," Piper said. "Besides, it'll make Drew insanely jealous if she knows I went to Paris," she added with a smirk.

"Well, I'm in too," Leo shrugged. "I've always wanted to try out my language skills in Spain."

"Anything that will help Nico," Hazel agreed with a firm nod.

Annabeth glanced at Percy. He grinned, "You know I'd follow you to the ends of the earth – and if we get to slay some monsters and kick serious bad guy butt along the way, all the better."

Everyone looked at Jason. He frowned, debating silently before he nodded. "This is a strategy worthy of Minerva – or Athena," he added with a smile. "I'm in."

Annabeth smiled, reminding Percy of his first time playing Capture the Flag. Athena does always have a plan and like mother like daughter, so did Annabeth. He just hoped this plan didn't include him getting maimed with an electric spear again.