Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rick Riordan. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made.

Rating: T for dark themes and violence

Chapter 12

Annabeth makes her daily walk around the deck of the ship. It's actually several rounds, since the Pax is so small.

Her wounds from her fight with Goldteeth on Hylla and Reyna's ship are mostly healed, although her calf is still mending, which is why Will ordered her daily walk. She still has a slight limp, but it barely hurts.

The ship is busy, all the sailors preparing to make port in Naples. The storage hold is nearly empty, and they've had to ration water for the last couple days. Percy has been so focused on pressing the ship ahead at full speed that they haven't sparred - not that Annabeth has been in much shape to.

That's the other strange thing - since the story of Annabeth's fight spread, the crew members have been treating her completely differently. As she walks past the men on her round, they stop and let her go ahead of them, sometimes even apologizing to her for being in the way. She thinks it's absolutely ridiculous, but she also feels pretty proud. She earned this.

Her pride at her victory is eclipsed by the thoughts that keep swirling around her head. She overthinks the entire encounter with the girls, trying to find a solution where she didn't have to kill anyone. She has a hard time believing it was unavoidable, even though none of her proposed scenarios have led to any different outcome.

She still can't reconcile herself with being the same girl who killed a man. The version of her that wakes up in a cold sweat at night isn't the same girl who daydreams about reuniting with her fiancé.

"How does it feel?"

Will's voice snaps her out of her thoughts. Annabeth turns as he approaches.

"Pretty good. Just a little sore."

"You're lucky. It healed up just in time to do some sight-seeing in Naples."

Annabeth raises an eyebrow at him. "Sight-seeing?"

"Why not? Although I do spend most of my time trying to restock my medicinal herb stash. Some of those ingredients are hard to find."

"I've always wanted to visit Italy," Annabeth says, looking out over the water to the distant shore.

"You must have been fated to come on this mission with us, then."

"You really believe in fate and destinies?"

Will shrugs. "I've seen monsters and gods and magic with my own eyes. I've witnessed ancient prophecies come true. I've seen heroes rise and fall. It makes sense to believe in what I've seen."

Annabeth isn't sure she believes in all that. If fate is real, then what about free will? She has to believe she has a choice in what happens in her life. Even though Rachel had seen part of Annabeth's future, it's still a future that Annabeth chose for herself...right?

"I'm not really part of this world, though," Annabeth says. "Even if fate was real, it wouldn't apply to me."

"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you became a part of this world the moment you stepped onto this ship. And if not then, then definitely when you began contributing to this mission."

Annabeth frowns. She looks away from him and back towards the water. If she was able to choose to be a part of this world so easily, then why couldn't she just as easily choose to leave it? Unlike Percy, she isn't the child of a god. She doesn't have supernatural powers. She's not even a huge threat.

The thought of leaving this world weighs heavily on her mind. Meeting Hylla and Reyna and seeing what they've made of themselves changed Annabeth's perspective a lot. This is a world where strong women can do powerful things. Women can fight and rule over men. Women can be heroes, too. Women are so much more than a pretty face and a good wife and mother.

Even if Luke allowed her to be herself around him - which he always did - she wouldn't be able to act that way in any other space. In a world where survival is an everyday battle, gender roles aren't so important.

Part of Annabeth wishes she had never taken Percy's offer to join the ship. If she had never learned about this world, she wouldn't be thinking twice about returning to her old life. Now, although she's still sure she's going back, she can't help but worry that she'll always wonder what her life could have been if she stayed.

She shakes the thoughts away. She doesn't have to go back yet; she still has time to make her mark. She can finish this mission, feel satisfied that she did something scary and adventurous and different, and then return to live a nice, normal life with fond memories to look back on. She'll be satisfied and content.

For now, the focus is the mission - and staying alive long enough to return.

"Naples is one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean," Percy says as they dock at the very end of the harbor. "It's been that way for centuries."

"I thought Romans weren't much of sailors," Annabeth replies, staring out at the bustling port ahead of them - and at the magnificent terra cotta, white, yellow, and pink rainbow of buildings stretching out as far as the eye can see. It looks just like the painting that hangs in her step-father's library, although that painting is of Florence.

"They weren't as avid as the Greeks, but in order to transport their armies and expand their empire, they didn't have a choice. The sea was a reluctant necessity for them - which is exactly how they regarded my father."

Percy doesn't hide the bitterness in his tone. Annabeth is surprised to hear it, especially after the way she's heard him talk about his father before. There's obviously a lot of unresolved issues between the two of them, yet Percy still feels offended on his behalf.

Annabeth isn't sure how to respond, so she turns her eyes back to the land ahead. In the distance, covering the entire city in its shadow, is Mount Vesuvius. Beyond that volcano is the infamous city of Pompeii. Before she left England, Annabeth had heard of some recent excavations being done, although not much had been discovered beyond a few buildings and coins.

Her eyes focus on one large building in particular: Castel Nuovo. A beautiful castle, about five hundred years old, with several circular towers. It dominates the city skyline. Although the Pax had passed another castle on their way in - the sea bound Castel dell'Ovo, which stood upon its own island - Castel Nuovo is much more entrancing.

Annabeth has always been fascinated with castles. She remembers trips to the countryside as a child, passing old castle ruins. Occasionally they'd pass pristine castles in their prime - at a distance, of course. She'd return home and try to sketch the ramparts as best as she could remember. One of her childhood dreams was to design her own castle to live in one day.

"Do you want to go into the city?"

She turns to see Percy watching her closely. She wonders if her longing gaze is that obvious.

"It's fine," she says. "There's a lot of work to be done on the ship, so I should probably stay and help out."

"No, you want to go into the city. We can take a quick trip. I always give the crew some free time, anyway."

"Okay." Annabeth tries to hide her excitement, but from the amused smile on Percy's face, she isn't sure how good of a job she's doing.

When the ship is completely settled in, the crew takes off to enjoy some well-deserved free time. Annabeth digs through the pile of clothes Rachel had given her, trying to find something suitable. She may get away with wearing men's clothes on the ship, but they're back in the real world now.

Women's clothing is extremely restrictive, not to mention excessive. The style is to wear a cushion sort of thing around the hips underneath the dress to keep the skirt from slumping down, the neckline plunges a bit deep, and there's ruffles and lace details galore. Annabeth spent nineteen years of her life wearing such horrible things; no amount of society is going to get her to repeat that until she returns to England. Instead she wears a simple light-gray dress with a moderate neckline and none of that hip-bolstering nonsense. She knows she'll still stick out, but at least it won't be as bad as if she wore pants.

She drags a wooden comb through the worst snags in her hair and then piles it on top of her head in a bun, a few curls stubbornly escaping. Oh well. This is the best she's going to get. She secrets her knife in the hidden pocket of the dress (thank you, Rachel!) and heads up on deck.

"Don't laugh," she tells Percy when he sees her.

He shakes his head and raises his hands in surrender. "I won't. Promise. But it just doesn't look like you at all."

"Then maybe you don't know me as well as you thought you did." Annabeth breezes past him and heads down gangplank. "I used to dress up even fancier than this every day."

"Just because you did something doesn't make it true to yourself." Percy jogs slightly to catch up to her. "I've only been to Naples once before, but I remember that the best place to start was the Piazzo del Plebiscito."

They wind through the streets, passing dolled-up ladies and gentlemen and rough sailors alike. The streets are narrow, much more narrow than the streets in England, and the gods help them when some rich person tries to drive their carriage through. The smell of cooking food wafts through the streets as they pass vendors and bakeries. Annabeth is sure it's a trick of the sun, but she swears she sees a shadow flickering at the corner of her eye several times. Whenever she turns to look, there's nothing there.

If Annabeth thought the streets were a disaster, though, she isn't sure what she'd call the Piazzo. The main square of the city is an enormous space - although she can't even tell the full length of it, because it's covered in tents, wares, and vendor carts. Hundreds of people stroll around shopping, dozens of vendors scream out prices and weave through the crowds, trying to sell off their goods to the wealthiest looking women, and children sprint in and around, sometimes chased after.

The royal palace serves as a backdrop, a line of guards carefully standing between the unorganized chaos of the market and the priceless residence. They scowl anytime someone wanders too close.

Annabeth finds herself pressing closer to Percy so she doesn't lose him in the crowd. He navigates easily, although his eyes dart around, constantly on high alert. He circles around the outer ring of the market, locating a food stall.

They order something quick to eat before pressing on, leaving the bustling market in the distance. They walk around the city, passing by towers dating back to the Roman times and statues of the gods as well as more modern buildings. Along with the Castel Nuovo, Annabeth really likes Cathedral of Duomo, which is as old as the castle.

As they head back towards the ship, a man corners them. Percy tries to make excuses, but the man is insistent. He speaks rapid-fire Italian, which Annabeth doesn't understand at all but Percy apparently picks up some of it.

"No, we're not interested," he insists.

The man talks some more. Annabeth catches the phrase "figlio del dio del mare". From their time in Spain, she recognizes "dio" to mean god, and "mare" to mean sea. She glances sharply over at Percy, who blanches.

"Venire!" the man cries, and waves at them to follow. Percy sets his hand on his sword hilt, but he eventually follows.

The man leads them through back alleys and shadowy streets, which raises red flags in Annabeth's mind. The man finally stops by the base of an old church - San Gennaro, Annabeth reads. He opens a door that leads through the darkness, and motions them forward.

"We're not really going down there, are we?" Annabeth asks. She remembers the mysterious shadow she had seen and gets a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I think we have to," Percy says. He reaches out on the wall and grabs a torch. "You can stay out here if you want to, or go back to the ship. But I have to see what's down here."

Annabeth turns to ask the man who led them here what exactly faces them, but he's gone. She hadn't heard him leave; it was almost as if he had just faded away. Goosebumps prickle up on her arms, but she simply reaches out and grabs the torch from Percy.

"I'm coming," she says, "but you better have your sword ready."

They begin their descend into the darkness. They haven't gone more than ten feet when the door behind them slams shut. Annabeth jumps, and quickly backtracks. The door doesn't budge. Percy tries as well, but he seems more disappointed than surprised when it stays shut.

"We're locked down here," he says. "The only way out is through the other side."

"If there's another side," Annabeth replies.

He gives her a sideways look. "Not helping."

They begin trekking back through the darkness. The firelight from the torch flickers off the stone walls and reflects off of Percy's blade. Annabeth swears she sees that shadow again, but there's so many shadows bouncing around that she can't be sure.

They've only walked a few minutes when the tunnel opens up into a large chamber. Annabeth waves the torch around, illuminating tall arches and several other tunnels. She presses closer to the wall and nearly shrieks.

"Uh, Percy?" she calls out, unable to hide the shaking in her voice. "Do you realize where we are?"

"We're in the catacombs," he replies, his face grave as he turns from the grinning skulls embedded in the walls. "This can't be good."

The words had no sooner left his mouth than a small skeletal hand burst through the wall. This time Annabeth can't help the scream that escapes - but to her relief, Percy screams as well. They stumble back as more bones begin breaking free.

It's a scene out of a nightmare so gruesome it had never even occurred to Annabeth before. She's shocked that she doesn't have a heart attack right there and then. Instead, her instincts kick into high gear. She waves the torch out in front of them with her left arm and her right hand sneaks into her pocket and draws her knife. Percy is holding out his sword in front of him, but none of the skeletons seem to be attacking yet. They just surround them in a loose circle, grinning with empty eyes.

For a few minutes they stand there. The waiting is what kills Annabeth the most. Her heart sits there and races, pounding nearly right out of her chest. She feels Percy at her back, and that's at least slightly comforting. She begins to wonder if the skeletons are just going to stay surrounding them forever until she and Percy waste away and become one of them.

"What are they waiting for?" Annabeth whispers.

Percy's voice is tense. "Their master."

"Who is that?"

"The ghost king."

Annabeth turns at the unfamiliar voice. A line of skeletons part to the side as a dark figure emerges from the shadows, walking straight towards them. As the torchlight illuminates their opponent, Annabeth is shocked to see a boy step their way. He's a few years younger than her - just fifteen or sixteen years old. His shaggy black hair falls over his eyes in the front, dark orbs against pallid white skin. He raises a hand casually, light glinting off a silver ring, and the skeletons stand at attention.

"Nico," Percy says, sounding shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been searching for you for years," Nico rasps. "I never forgot. And I never forgave."

Annabeth is surprised at the flash of pity and sadness, rather than fear, that she sees in Percy's eyes.

"I tried to find you," he says. "I wanted to make things right."

"Make things right?" Nico's hand clenches into a fist, and the skeletons respond, brandishing various weapons that they point straight at Percy. "The only way you can make things right is by suffering the same way she suffered!"

"Bianca wouldn't want that, Nico," Percy says. "She would have hated what you've become. She - "

"Stop acting like you knew her! Like you knew anything about us! You promised you'd keep her safe, and you let her die!"

Percy flinches. He slides his sword into his sheath and spreads his arms. "Nico, please listen. I tried to protect her. We all did. She made her choice, and she died a hero. She died to protect us."

"It should have been you!" The boy's scream shakes the entire cavern. A few chunks of rock fall from the ceiling. Annabeth glances nervously around, wishing she could see how strong the structural supports are - actually, on second thought, maybe she doesn't want to see that.

"Have you talked to Bianca?" Percy asks, his tone softer than Annabeth has ever heard it.

Nico scowls deeper, and his hand drifts to a sword hilt attached to his belt. Finally he mumbles, "She won't answer my summons."

"When was the last time you tried?"

"Why would this time be any different? She abandoned me. Even before she died, she abandoned me."

"Sometimes it's worse seeing the spirits of the ones we once loved. I saw my mom once, after - " Percy's voice cracks. He takes a steadying breath. "It wasn't the same. I almost regret it."

"At least she was willing to see you." Nico glares at the ground.

"It was years before she did. She knew that I was in too much pain after it happened. I think you should try again, Nico."

The boy glares at him. For a deadly moment, Annabeth fears he's going to skewer him. Instead he hangs his hand. The skeletons around him collapse with a rattle into harmless piles of bones. Nico asks, "Do you have any wine?"

Annabeth and Percy wait in the catacombs while Nico disappears to gather supplies. She's still shaking from the fright of it all.

"What happened?" she asks, her voice echoing in the chamber. "Why does that kid hate you so much? Who's the girl you were talking about?"

"Bianca," Percy says. "His sister. A few years ago we went on a quest for the goddess Artemis - Grover, Thalia, Zöe Nightshade, Bianca, and I. Zöe and Bianca didn't return. I promised Nico I would do my best to protect his sister - they were new to the world of gods and monsters, and it was her first quest. And I did, I tried - but we were being chased by one of Hephaestus' haywire inventions and Bianca sacrificed herself to save us. There was nothing any of us could have done."

"And he blames you for it," Annabeth finishes. "But what did he mean when he said she abandoned him even before he died? And how did he control these skeletons? Or summon ghosts?"

"The goddess Artemis has a group of immortal female hunters that do basically the same thing my ship does - travels around the world, hunting down monsters and occasionally helping out the gods. The leader of the hunt, Zöe Nightshade, recruited Bianca. She thought that she could become the next leader."

"Why would she be the next if they're immortal?"

"Immortal unless killed in combat," Percy corrects. "The prophecy at the beginning of our quest hinted that one of us would die at the hand of a parent. Zöe knew that line referred to herself. She didn't realize that Bianca would also die."

Annabeth has never met Zöe, but she marvels at the girl's courage. She knew that she was going to die, even tried to make preparations, and yet she still went on this quest. It must have been an important quest. And Bianca, too - new to the world of magic, bravely going on a quest where someone was prophesied to die, and sacrificing her life for the others.

"Thalia became the new leader of the hunters instead," Percy continues. "If this threat with the pearl gets big enough, there's a chance we might run into them. Grover and I returned and when I broke the news to Nico...obviously he didn't take it very well. He ran into the night and disappeared. This is the first time I've seen him since."

"Where has he been?" Annabeth glances around the dark chamber and shudders. "Not here, I hope."

"His father is Hades, the god of the Underworld. I imagine he's been around."

Hades? No wonder the kid is so dark and creepy. Nico is probably just as strong as Percy is - but instead of his powers being ocean-related, they're death related.

"Last time I saw him, he didn't even know who his dad was. I suspected it, but today confirms it. I hadn't realized how powerful he'd become - or how angry he still was."

"It's not your fault," Annabeth says, reaching out and setting her hand on his arm. "We don't choose what happens to us, but we can decide how we react. He's young and immature. He's looking for someone else to blame his problems on."

"That's a trait he unfortunately received from his father."

"You've met Hades?"

"More times than I wish."

Before Annabeth can ask, the shadows in front of them bend outward and Nico comes stumbling forward. His skin is even paler than before, and he uses his sword as a cane to prop himself up. In his other hand, he's holding a wine skin and a lumpy sack.

"We're ready," he says, not meeting their eyes. Percy and Annabeth stand and follow him to the middle of the chamber, where Nico had commissioned a skeleton to dig a six-foot hole. He begins chanting in an ancient language and pours the red wine down. When the liquid begins bubbling, looking almost like blood in every way except consistency, he upends the sack and dumps a variety of food into it.

Faintly glowing ghosts begin to appear, edging towards the pit. Nico continues chanting, but he holds out his sword, keeping them at bay. Annabeth's skin prickles and without realizing it she wraps her arm around Percy's. He also holds out his sword as ghosts crowd around them, but the spirits don't seem as intimidated by him as they do Nico.

One spirit appears, the group parting for her as she approaches the pit, kneels down, and drinks. As she stands, her form solidifies.

Annabeth stares at the girl, who looks worlds different than the boy chanting. While Nico looks exactly as she would imagine the son of the god of the Underworld to look like, Bianca looks startlingly normal. She has long, dark brown, wavy hair that falls to her waist. Her skin shines like ivory, and her brown eyes are warm. She has a bow slung over her shoulder and a silver hair clip in place by her temple.

Nico stops chanting, and his sword drops at his side. "Bianca," he gasps.

She looks sadly at him. "You have to stop," she says, reaching out with her hand but stopping short of touching him. "You need to move on. I made my decision, and you can't bring me back."

"I'm the son of Hades! I can do anything!"

"You're a lost child." Bianca's arm drops. Nico staggers back. "I was, too, until I found purpose in the Hunters. My time with them was short, but I did so much good. You're so much stronger than I am, Nico. Imagine how much more good you could do."

"But…" Nico glances back at Percy. "It's not worth anything without you."

"I'm your sister, not your soulmate. We weren't meant to stay together forever. It was time for our paths to diverge. It is not easy being a child of Hades in this world, but I found a home. A place where I could be happy. You have to find that, too. Before you fade away."

"I'm going to bring you back, Bianca. Then we can both be happy again."

"Do you think seeing you like this makes me happy?" Bianca shakes her head. "I'm leaving, Nico. I'm going to be reborn in another life. You have to let me go. You can't hold me here forever. I'm not yours to control or keep." She reaches out again, this time touching him. Her form is already fading, but her hand on his cheek stays solid. "Goodbye, Nico."

He reaches out for her, but she's already faded away. The other ghosts creep back into the shadows, and the catacomb is once against plunged into darkness. Annabeth isn't scared anymore, though; she just feels sad.

Nico stands at the edge of the pit, wiping his face with his fists.

Percy takes a step forward. "Nico - "

"What?" Nico whirls, his eyes flashing with anger.

"I understand what you're going through. If you need a place to go...you'd be welcome on my ship."

"No offense, Percy, but I'm not ready to forgive you."

Percy shrugs. "I'm not asking you to. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to follow your sister's advice. Do some good in the world. Maybe find a home. We're on a quest right now to find the source of the trident's power, which was recently lost. We could really use someone as powerful as you on our side."

To his credit, Nico looks as if he's actually considering it. Then he shakes his head. "I work alone."

Percy nods. "If you ever change your mind, the offer still stands."

Nico melts into the shadows. In the distance, Annabeth hears a slight rumble. She and Percy head towards the sound, discovering that the stone door to the surface is once again open.

They emerge in daylight, blinking from the harshness of the sun. After their experience in the catacombs, neither feels like doing any more sight-seeing. They begin walking back to the ship.

"That was a really good thing you did back there," Annabeth says, breaking the silence.

Percy's shoulders slump. "I just wish there was more I could do. When I lost my mom, I felt angry and lost. Grover helped me, and even my father, in his own distant way, set me on the right path. But Nico...he has no one. And his dad - well, Hades isn't winning any father of the year awards."

"You did what you could. You gave him another option, a way to use his powers for good. I think he just needs time. He'll come around."

"I hope so."

They walk the rest of the way in silence. It doesn't escape Annabeth's attention that this is the second time they've stumbled across demigods a second away from killing Percy because of something that happened as a result of one of his quests. Annabeth doesn't think that Percy is a bad person by any means, but he has - inadvertently - ruined several people's lives.

The realization hits her suddenly that a lot of her problems - her near death experiences, her inner struggle about her future, being separated from her fiancé for so long - happened as a result of Percy's actions. If he had guided her to a ship heading towards England immediately after saving her instead of inviting her on his ship when he knew he was going on a dangerous mission that would expose her to the world of magic and gods and monsters, none of this would have happened to her. She would have long ago been back in Luke's arms, probably married by now.

It's not that Percy purposelessly puts people in bad situations; it's that he doesn't think things through. He didn't take into consideration that there was no way he could hide this world from Annabeth when she was on his ship - and to be honest, he didn't even try. One of the first things he did was take her to Rachel's cave. When he released those pirates on Circe's island, he didn't even think about the consequences for the serving girls. And when he let Nico run away, already suspecting that the boy was a child of Hades, he didn't realize what a dark path it would allow him to pursue.

She remembers what Grover said to her in Sardinia, when Percy wrapped up Medusa's head and sent it to the gods: "Don't worry. He does this kind of thing all the time."

Percy may be strong and powerful, but he's got zero impulse control and almost no foresight. Annabeth will have to watch out for that as long as she's with him. She doesn't need him creating any more enemies - incidentally or on purpose.

She just hopes that they don't run into anyone else who feels entitled to get revenge on him, but she has the feeling that they've just scratched the surface.