Sorry for not updating, I had a soccer tournament-which we lost in =(. So, I would have rather been here updating! Anyway, this chapter is where Nico tells Thalia and Annabeth all the info he's been holding out. Hope you like it, and I think they will start the quest in the next chapter =D. Review please!

Disclaimer: Only the story is mine

Let's Roll

"I have something to tell you," Nico said to Annabeth and Thalia after we had woken them up. Thalia seemed fine, so why she had gotten hurt was still a mystery. Annabeth even had a little flush in her cheeks.

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged nervous glances, and then Thalia said: "What do you need to tell us?"

I could almost feel the butterflies flying around d Nico's stomach as he told the girls the information he had left out.

With each passing second, Annabeth and Thalia's expressions changed from confused to angry. Tuning in on Nico's thoughts, I heard that he too was angry. But he wasn't angry at anyone but himself.

Only seconds after I entered Nico's mind, he stiffened and started to cuss at me. Apparently he didn't want me listening to my thoughts, so I left.

Ten minutes later, Nico was done. Nervously he looked at me, but I made no move to encourage him, or daunt him; I just held my position and expression.

"Nico, how could you possibly keep this from us?" Annabeth yelled at him. She had tears pouring down her face, her expression was lethal, but her eyes hopeful. I could only imagine what was going through her head.

Nico didn't say anything; instead he hung his head, his hair falling into his black eyes.

"Nico, I don't understand something," Thalia said slowly. She was looking at Nico very strangely.

"What," he said with a shaky voice.

"How did I get that cut? I mean, did it have something to do with your powers or something?"

"Actually," Annabeth said, interrupting what Nico was about to say, "I have a theory about that; I think it was Kronos."

A sharp intake of breath was heard from Thalia. Working hard, I zeroed into her thoughts; what?! Kronos? What, how, why?!

"He must be trying to torture us, and make us turn on each other, so that we don't work together to get the rings and so that you don't sacrifice yourselves together. I think he was trying to get Percy angry at you, so he took control of you. It must have been almost like a dream." Annabeth looked pale, but determined. I could tell she had thought this through thoroughly.

"So are you saying that Kronos, like, took over my body, and then cut me?" Thalia asked slowly.

"Well, yeah," Annabeth replied timidly.

"Well that's so not cool!"

I snorted back laughter at her look of indignation.

"Um, no it isn't," Annabeth said, also holding back laughter.

The only one who wasn't smiling was Nico, who at this point, looked like he was crying.

"Nico, it's all okay! We'll figure all this out, don't worry," Annabeth said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Really, you guys don't hate me," he said in a croaky voice.

We all shook our heads.

Sighing in relief, he said: "Well, now that I have all of that off my chest, I think we need to get ready for the quest."

***

One hour later, we had everything packed into three backpacks. Nectar and Ambrosia were put into plastic baggies, and were placed in my bag, along with enough food to last about a year, and water bottles to wash it all down. The good thing was that the bag wasn't heavy.

Thalia's bag had four bed rolls and four pillows, and all the mortal medicine we were giving Annabeth so she wouldn't be sick.

Nico's backpack had more food, extra changes of clothes, and toiletries like tooth brushes and tooth paste-not that we would actually use it…

"I think we have everything, but are you sure I shouldn't take a backpack," Annabeth said nervously. We had forced her to stay in bed while we packed, and we weren't letting her take a backpack.

"Yeah, we have everything, and you don't need to carry anything. So, are we leaving tomorrow?" I asked.

"No, let's roll now!" Nico said. He sure looked excited.

"No, let's not roll now, let's roll tomorrow," Thalia said, while dragging her backpack into Athena's cabin, since for a few days now, we had all been staying in there. She pulled down her sheets and climbed into bed. Within minutes, she was snoring.

"Yeah, we'll "roll" tomorrow," I said, following Thalia's example of going to bed.