Extra update this week because I just really love this one, favorite I've done so far!

PJOPJOPJOPJO

"Is that a new sports car?" Nico asked, he still wasn't clear on why mustangs and impala's were, nor how horsepower related to the engine. His stomach clenched up unpleasantly at just the name of that city and he was really looking for any stupid distraction right now.

"Maybe they find a portal in a zoo," Will offered eagerly.

"A zebra's not big or fast enough to carry all three of them, so it can't be literal this time," Alex nodded.

"I'm more worried Ares turned one of them into a zebra, so how about we find out," Thalia sighed. Even if she knew better, she wasn't looking forward to hearing about her friends trapped in a magical hotel they wouldn't want to leave.

"Percy, you should learn to take a compliment," Will gave a nervous laugh as he once again wondered how Percy had even lived to get to Hades. He found himself wondering that an awful lot.

Jason had a constipated look on his face as well for this guy disrespecting Mars like that, but he wasn't as surprised either after the Medusa head. He had admitted to being impertinent.

"I have found the zebra!" Jason chuckled.

"I have found its bad when the title's revealed so early," Nico bitterly reminded. He only realized after he'd been speaking at a normal enough volume everyone heard him, and were now frowning at him oddly. He scolded himself for getting too comfortable in here and just hoped whatever wonderful thing happened to Percy would hurry up already!

Percy was still watching him, clearly wanting to say something to him as those seagreen eyes would not go back down to the book. Nico felt trapped and a little terrified of being so completely under his focus with no clue why he was opening his mouth-

"Come on Percy," Will swooped in first and laughed eagerly, "I want to hear about the rest of the cute animals in there!" Nico looked like he was trying to stare down Medusa and Percy was the one starting to grow pale and uneasy like he needed to remember something about Nico. Will was flailing to try and keep everyone from exploding, clearly missing something and just wanting to help.

It worked, thankfully, Percy turned back to the book and muttered something about a hotel while Nico exhaled and switched his glower to the nearest shadow. Thalia mouthed a thanks at Will though and he nodded while biting his lip to stop himself asking for once what in Tartarus was going on.

"Mmm, that was worth it just for the Oreos," Magnus grinned, he hadn't had such luxury, or any of those things just casually in that bag for almost two years. Finding that would be like a treasure chest! Then he yelled at Percy to pause as he remembered and ran off to the fridge, coming back with a plate of assorted cookies now to be passed around, no insane war god or spiders needed!

He let Hearthstone have his pick first before offering Alex the plate and taking note of which she selected. She took a large bite as she watched him watch her...there was something so unique about her he couldn't put his finger on, and it wasn't just the green hair, uniquely shaded eyes, and pink vest. She was so confident about everything-

Percy had already kept reading, that plate had moved around the room weirdly fast and he was still stuck being a tongue tied idiot.

"I would like to see that look," Thalia sighed, she'd yet found one of her own to get Percy to shut up on command.

"It looks like he's watching someone take a chainsaw to a tree, so be it your own peril," Percy shrugged.

"You're so," Jason paused and gave him a strange, appraising look that was no where near complimentary. "Odd," he finally concluded. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind though, as a nereid had warned about gifts, and this had just been added to the pile. Shoes and backpacks, possibly even the sword or Annabeth's hat...Who to believe, who to trust...

"And you're blonde, anything else we need to clarify," Percy rolled his eyes.

Jason at least didn't think he was alone on this opinion though, only Alex seemed as dismissive of being so rude to the gods as well. The others at least had a healthy look of fear on their face when it happened.

"He might give you another backpack if you do," Alex said helpfully while Percy grinned at her.

"Don't encourage him!" Thalia protested.

"He'd more than likely throw him into the stratosphere," Will groaned.

"Thank you, mom and dad," Percy mocked as he continued reading loudly instead.

Magnus waved off, "I doubt you're famous enough to get repeat headlines. We still haven't even heard your fugitive name."

"At what point should we be grateful the poor preteen isn't being looked for by the country?" Percy scoffed.

"I take it back, that would be worth it," Magnus said, somehow even more delighted when Alex howled with laughter while the others still glanced nervously around, as if somehow fearing Ares would spontaneously sense the challenge of that and pop in here to kill them.

"The fact that you accomplished that at all should have been your bead for the trip," Thalia said.

Percy ran his thumb over the beaded necklace and wondered why Thalia didn't have her own more than the silly comment.

The room's water spun crazily around them for a moment like someone had started the spin cycle, slamming all of them back into their seats unpleasantly, but settled back just as quickly as Percy steadied his breath. He hadn't needed proof, he'd believed Thalia when she'd said that, but to hear it repeated, confirmed by a god somehow made the news feel more vital, and disturbing.

He didn't bother to ask her or anyone what that could mean, but instead kept reading at critical speed.

Percy and Jason froze for just a moment, an echo, a connection, a tension traveling across the room from all directions before it settled back and they looked away from each other without ever having decided to frown at the other. 'Their lives had been meddled with...' Hadn't Oceanus told them that, back when they were all struggling to even catch up their first five minutes here?

Percy went back to reading while deciding he did owe his father a thanks. Nobody controlled him, and no way would he be sitting idly by if he was somehow being used.

Will swallowed and already decided he'd be happier hearing about Nico telling him of the Underworld rather than Percy's upcoming fight with Ares, it sounded like it was going to be a bloodbath.

"We have on record the first time Annabeth ever said that to you," Thalia grinned.

"Why would you need it when you'll have it live soon," Percy said in anticipation.

Percy was already starting with a rather disgruntled look on his face for that unpleasant reminder, inhaling another warm cookie to distract himself from the fact he seemed to remember smells the best during this trip.

By the time he was done, a familiar pain was clenching up his gut as he pictured with mental perfect clarity pitching all responsible for this into a tank with man-eating sharks. He was pretty sure he could talk them out of eating the people while teaching them a lesson anyways.

Thalia was throwing around ancient Greek like she was literally trying to curse the mortals responsible, she was in fact practicing to see if she even had the power to do so, and that was before she even informed Artemis of this travesty.

"I am very disappointed in you not busting open the back of that truck to do this while freeing those poor creatures!" Alex protested.

"You clearly need some pointers on that sword," Magnus agreed as he crumpled the last Oreo up in his fist.

Thalia groaned as if in actual pain before she said, "you had a good idea over Annabeth!"

"Don't remind her, or she still might sick that lion on me," Percy chuckled.

"Jinx," all seven of them decided to tell Percy at once.

"If you're not going to say something helpful than-" Percy stopped and just sighed and looked back down at the book. "Never mind, I can't hold that either."

"Us puny mortals always have been," Alex sneered in agreement.

"They rely on us half-bloods too," Will reminded with a sad, but stubborn smile.

"Us demigods need the gods the same way they need us," Jason peaceably settled.

"I swear you guys have got to be exaggerating some of this," Magnus both signed to his friend and looked to them. He knew how much his cousin hated spiders and had never asked for a reason.

"If only we were," Will grumbled as he forced himself not to shiver in disgust at the thought of a snake popping up down here.

Luke had been bothering him since he'd first heard his name, Percy mentally grumbled, had this guy ever not been weighing on his mind?

'It's like he wanted him to ask about that,' Hearth signed.

'Trying to help Annabeth open up?' He offered, though he wasn't so sure. Luke would know she wouldn't be getting along with Percy, apparently with that rivalry, but Annabeth hardly needed a babysitter to make peace. She was managing just fine on her own.

"I've had my suspicions all along, and he was still the first person I wanted to come," Percy corrected, since that day on the lake Grover had told him Thalia's story. There was a familiarity in the way his best friend and Annabeth spoke to each other, something only a shared childhood trauma could relate to. The two had just more or less confirmed it along the way.

Alex watched in appreciation she no longer had to wonder what Annabeth's glare looked like as much, as Magnus scowled at that stupid centaur. She agreed, it sounded awful of him to prioritize kids by their heritage like that, as she rubbed the tattoo on the back of her neck.

Will opened his mouth, he wanted to protest Chiron had been putting Luke and Annabeth's best interest at heart too, they'd be safer without Thalia around attracting as many monsters as she did, but then he frowned and glanced at all three in here, particularly at Nico. He hoped their head counsel, or anyone had never tried to impress that into him. Being safely escorted to camp and avoiding people your whole life were not the same, and he'd be having words with anyone who said so!

Jason pursed up his lips at the ugly thought that flitted across his mind, that anybody who'd been foolish enough to trust a fawn with a task deserved these results, but it felt horrible and he immediately speared the thought away to hopefully never come back. How old had Grover been when this was happening? He'd already shown how capable he was multiple times.

"No, I don't," she agreed firmly. She'd had a long talk with Grover that first summer. She hadn't had to quite beat it into his horns, but it had come close.

"Sounds like that council needs to be de-cloven," Alex wrapped her garrote around her fingers as a sure promise she'd get started on that.

Nobody was crazy enough to argue with her, even non-satyrs hated those jerks, and Will and Thalia eagerly looked forward to a time when they got disbanded thanks to the promoted Lord of the Wild.

Thalia made a really odd face, like the water had tried to invert her expression for a moment. She would always loath Luke for what side he'd helped and be grateful to him all the same for looking out for Annabeth while she'd been trapped in the tree... that he'd turned around and poisoned for Kronos as if her memory meant nothing to him, all so he could possibly free her. All choices had unintended consequences.

'Four,' Nico bitterly kept to himself, but somehow less than usual with his unpleasant thoughts as he still relaxed and smiled Will nor Thalia chucked him under the bus.

'Three,' Will brightly wanted to correct but held his tongue, as the son of Hades was still tapping the pommel of his sword and had made no move to share this information with anyone, he wasn't going to do it for him. 'Four counting his sister,' but he sighed himself as he glanced uneasily to the satchel Alex still had possessively by her side. Maybe they'd get lucky and it would be full of party-favors for when they left after this one book. He hoped this time had at least convinced Nico he wanted to be friends, maybe the guy would open up about his sister soon someday on his own.

"I'm sure she was just testing a theory about how to get you to respond on command," Jason said with just a hint of joshing.

'It's no wonder he became a minor god himself,' Thalia thought with a small smile, 'he was the one, he was destined for so much greatness.'

Laughter broke any tension left in the room. "If only compliments were a universal snooze button," Nico kept snickering, wishing to linger on this longest of all so that truck would never stop.

"We can all give it a shot tonight when we have to sleep with the fishes," Will chuckled.

"That was terrible," Nico rolled his eyes and fought off a smile.

"You're off to a terrible start!" Will protested.

"And I'm ignoring you both," Percy pleasantly reminded before doing just that.

"For more hamburger meat, or...?" Magnus asked.

"I wasn't waking Grover up to ask," Percy shook his head.

Nico, of all people, finally waved his hands for silence and looked imploringly at Will for the story.

He melted at the sight and didn't at all care for this bizarre turn of events, he'd lock him up in a trailer with sad animals all day if it would get him to interact like this more, not that anyone had any protests anyways as he happily explained, "okay, so, it was actually my first summer there," he tapped his own necklace that had the same bead in place, "so I can not emphasize enough how weird all of this was to me too.

Chiron's not the only centaur, he mentioned that right?" He waited politely for nods and any questions before eagerly going on, "well they're called the Party Ponies, they have chapters in every state, but they're as opposite of him as you can imagine, they completely live up to the name. This group from Louisiana, it was near Mardi Gra time, when they invaded camp, Chiron let them in because they were actually escorting this Aphrodite kid. Long story short, they found out we weren't planning on celebrating, and refused to leave until we all put on a party and everyone had to earn a necklace the traditional way-"

"You had to flash a bunch of centaurs?" Alex interrupted, clearly appalled.

"Oh gosh, no, there's a whole history to the event that has nothing to do with that," Will said quickly. "It involved feats of justice, faith, and power, that new girl was made head councilor her first weekend there for organizing most of the event, new record; we also had a paintball war, it was wild. Anyways, the leader of the group wore a dress the whole time, it was purple, gold, and green with little bells on it, I'm pretty sure he just loved the flashy outfit, you can apricate that, right Alex?" He grinned so delightfully at her she could do nothing but smile back. "So Chiron finally promised to put him on his very own beaded necklace if they'd leave."

"The more I hear about you guys the more I'm with Magnus," Jason told him, "you guys are nuts." Not a single thing he'd mentioned had made a lick of sense to him, partying centaurs?

"We know how to live!" Will cheerfully corrected. "Mr. D himself made the design! I think he likes them."

Nico was still watching him with such a casual smile like he was waiting for more details, a question in his eyes Will nodded at to answer who exactly that girl had been.

Percy was still chuckling and thanked him for the story before turning back, and Nico looked very much like he wanted to take the book away and sit on it. He hadn't seemed this content since the only two weeks he'd spent at Camp after Krono's defeat and Will now made it his mission to get him invited to the next chapter's party, he was positive there would be one going no matter when they got back.

Percy would have cut off Nico's hand if he'd tried to grab the book away, who was still eyeing Will like he was hoping he'd go into extravagant detail about every bead rather than keep the miles rolling, while he was wrapped around every letter getting to hear a pinch more of Annabeth's personal life. He wished so badly she was in here now, to ask if things had gotten any better, or hear what she'd done at that epic party, whichever she wanted to share.

"Don't count your troops until they're trained," Jason muttered, he and Percy kept exchanging ever increasing uneasy looks as mention of a war just kept being thrown up like that.

Magnus smiled without surprise. He wished he knew his cousin better, to be able to pinpoint the exact instance and reason he knew the answer, but it was nice all the same he did already know that answer from his firm grasp on her.

"Several, but none that she's here to answer," Thalia laughed at the stunned look on Percy's face like she'd already declared she was in love with him.

Magnus swallowed and tucked his left hand close to his chest, a teacher had once strapped him to a desk and made him write with his right hand despite being left handed and his mom had gone nuclear on them. Boy did he hope Percy had never had to go through something similar.

Hearth got his attention by using his sign name, his friend knowing his aversion to touch had given him one very early on, and asked if he was okay. Magnus nodded quickly and didn't at all want to know what look had been lingering on his face to be asked.

green blue Magnus had his mouth flopped open in fascination that these dreams could even show the past and future!

Thalia stared Percy down now with a look like she was going to zap him out of his seat.

"Even in your dreams I'm always right," she nodded and looked away like he'd passed inspection while Percy exhaled and stopped wondering if she could electrocute molecules.

Then he sighed as he read the next sentence.

and endured the others laughter with his own indulgent smile until he could keep going.

That snapped the amusement right back down as if this whole book were one giant seesaw. Not one of them were fully convinced it was even Hades doing this, but Nico sunk lowest of all in his seat as he dreaded more and more this trip to Vegas. If Percy somehow wound up in that hotel and saw him, finally remembered who he really was and then was convinced he was there for his dad, he didn't know if he would bother defending himself or just go up to the roof. Why he was even still down here listening he had no decent answer for.

Thalia mentally burned with hatred she'd been the one in the straight jacket when that's what he deserved, not the Luke she'd known who had never bowed to his own father for authority, let alone called anyone Lord. Oh how far he'd fallen.

Most of them were doing good to remember the named gods who had and hadn't shown up yet, and even if they had a phone to check, none of them had the reception down here to look up what Greek deity had once been called that too.

Jason sat up straighter in his seat with excitement for finally getting an explanation to that. The original thief had been caught, and put the plan on hold! There was a third party involved...an unwitting one too apparently.

Alex smiled grimly to herself, more frustrated than anything they were given no hints whom this mysterious person was but more tease, but also absently agreeing Percy wasn't the worst person she could have something in common with.=

Will's hand moved sharply before he stilled himself, almost like he wanted to step between Luke and Kronos of all people, Nico noticed in absolute confusion. Even after everything Luke had done, it clearly angered Will Luke had let himself be spoken to like this, when apparently his goal had been to tear down the gods for having no love for their children. Nico never even would have considered such an idea, but it was written all over Will Solace's face.

He wondered if Luke came back if Will would forgive him, just how far his foolish niceties ran.

Nico scowled and glared at the floor for all his fathers glory on display right there, it was no wonder they were known for nothing but death and betrayal when that was all he advertised.

He missed Will trying to catch his eye, even if he had no nice words to brush that off, he still wished he could try.

Magnus forcefully kept in mind how much this wasn't Percy's fault, that Sally Jackson was being tantalized in front of him and Magnus had no doubts now he would get her out, his dream would become reality and he had a mom to go back to. Was it to late to trade godly parents?

"Turnip brain is a tad catchier, I'm surprised it never caught on," Thalia chuckled.

"So that's what that face is," Alex grinned, "doing a great job Percy!" She even gave him a double thumbs up.

"You guys make me wish for the chimera blood crown," Percy rolled his eyes.

"I wish you hauled a hearse," Will said darkly, more than happy to get between those poor animals and those awful excuses for people.

Nico mentally scratched off animal abuse on his list of things Will wouldn't forgive, at least he'd never done that.

"I am now concerned Grover might be part hippo," Alex said seriously.

"I would not test that theory," Magnus shivered.

Percy startled and looked around, but while most of them looked just as surprised as him, Thalia, Nico, and Will didn't. He touched his ear and looked around the ocean, half expecting to hear it again and wondering how crazy you had to be to hear voices nobody else did, from a zebra.

"Look at you with the astute observations," Thalia applauded. "Here I thought the antelope had achieved sentience and was doing it."

"I liked you better in the straight jacket," he said right back.

'The fact that Annabeth follows his lead so willingly surprises me,' Hearth admitted.

'It's his quest,' Magnus shrugged, 'if she's willing to fight beside him over her mom, I take it she also respects his choices.' He didn't really think she'd just up and run to leave those animals even if Percy did bolt though.

"Can Annabeth understand spiders?" Magnus asked in fasciation of something so odd yet oddly cool.

"I, have no clue," Thalia admitted, "I've never asked. Though if they are cussing her out, it would explain the screaming. I can communicate with many predators, we employ wolves and falcons in our hunts quite often."

"I've never met a cow to ask," Will said cheerfully.

'Why a cow?' Hearth asked curiously.

'Dude, why any animal?' Magnus rolled his eyes.

Nico's olive skin was starting to twitch unpleasantly, but he fiddled with his ring and squashed out the petulant memory trying to surface of being thrust into this unknown world. Percy would never get trapped in that stupid hotel and he wished he could just banish the place from his mind. Maybe his father had done him a favor making him forget anything before Westover Hall, or maybe it was Hades's own selfish desires to leave his children in the dark about his past. He could never decide.

"Along with all the other wild animals out there, I'm sure it'll blend right in," Alex chuckled.

"Would a blessing not work on himself?" Jason asked, blushing slightly and glad Grover wasn't here as he was sure that was a rude question.

"No, but it might work on Percy," Thalia smirked.

"Hey!" He protested, only to look down and sigh as he repeated.

"Who knew noise echoed at the bottom of the ocean," Will chuckled.

Nico sat so tense in his seat now Will was looking back and forth between Percy and him like he thought he'd have to bodily throw himself in the way of an oncoming meteor.

Everything is fine, Nico scolded himself, Percy wasn't going to get trapped, he was going to turn around any second.

Nico found himself inhaling slow, deep breaths like he was still trying to breathe that air in now, his body still craved it when he woke up some days to just go back to such a pleasant time where he never had to worry about anything- stop that! Such weak willed thoughts was why he'd never go back to the state of Nevada.

He shuddered so hard he drew everyone's attention like some whimpering child, but okay, yeah, Percy got sucked in...then Annabeth would snap him out of it! Any second now.

"No," Nico said with such absolute dread Percy dropped the book and grabbed his pen while the others all looked at him like he was about to drop dead.

"Nico?" Will began to reach his hand out, he just wanted to lightly grasp his shoulder and talk to him about whatever this place clearly was to him, but Nico shut down.

It was creepy, almost comatose looking, like his mind was still trapped there and trying to bring him back from thousands of miles away as he looked around at nothing in here.

"Um, should I summon the grindylows?" Magnus asked in what he clearly thought was a helpful tone of voice.

"Absolutely not," Jason frowned, "but maybe we should get Oceanus back in here-"

"It's fine," his voice was wrong, too level, steady as the ocean; placid on the surface and a toil of trouble beneath. "Just keep going Percy." He obviously wasn't still trapped in there, Percy was rescued by a god to get on his righteous path, and he was absolutely, one hundred percent, perfectly fine.

He was so fine he didn't notice Will didn't take his eyes off him the rest of the chapter.

Percy was positive of it this time, Nico knew exactly what was happening. He snatched the book back up and read with new horror what was about to happen to his friends without giving anyone a second of breathing room.

Hearth gave a tentative smile and wanted to laugh at what Percy called cheesy. He loved pinball, it was one of the few things Midgardians had created he couldn't find a single flaw with.

"Ooh, I see," Magnus was clutching at straws as he looked from Nico being a reanimated corpse to Percy looking very close to vomiting from all this remembered pleasure. "You died and went to heaven."

"Magnus," Alex looked very much like she wanted to reach over and smack him. "Magic. Mind games," she sneered. She wanted to shapeshift into an elephant and demolish just the sounds of such eternal punishment as being trapped in there.

"Right," he deflated and looked around at their own little slice of paradise, that they all wanted out of.

Thalia wanted to open her mouth, to tease and laugh with her friend about this little misadventure and how he'd forgotten her, but she wanted to hear of them being out of there more.

There was no monster circling them, no worries or fears, and yet this felt like the worst thing Percy had encountered. Jason kept trying to pinpoint what this place wanted! Were there no lines because the guests were being eaten at their happiest, but Percy had just said he was already far past that.

The truth terrified him. It just existed to keep you from remembering.

The place was literally perfect, Hearth found himself thinking, already trying to stamp down the guilty thoughts, but they were festering around the edges and didn't want to leave. It attracted you by smell, so he wouldn't be immune, he tried to scold himself, but to late he was busy wondering, yearning to know if maybe they had a room to study magic in there. Maybe, maybe he'd even be able to hear laughter in such a utopia.

Magnus was about to do something very impulsive and stupid himself, like figure out if busting down a wall would snap his friend out of this. He was fiddling with his fingers, not making any signs at all but clearly thinking about this place and it needed to stop!

Percy was finally looking back on his own past self with the same stupidly aggrieved look the others usually had on their face, for once he vividly remembered something better now looking back than he had this whole time!

Will still hadn't taken his eyes off of Nico, watching him flinch and close his eyes. Will's hands moved on impulse to rest on him again, the glow of a healing touch already surging through him, but Nico felt his movement and leaned just the slightest bit away, still staring at nothing. He let his hand fall away even as he schemed.

Everybody at camp knew he was a son of Hades, but nobody was quite sure about anything else in detail. He'd showed up one winter break and left just as quickly after he'd found out his sister left with Hunters of Artemis and died, he'd come and gone from camp so infrequently afterwards he was more like a ghost story to some kids.

Was this the place he kept vanishing to? He'd burn this place to the ground if so to break its thrall.

Percy absently wondered how much she'd kill him if he started carrying a fake one at the very least around in his pocket, just to make sure they never fell under such a spell again.

The worst of it was that he wanted this for her. Isn't that what you should want for someone you loved, just to be happy? If his mom had been there with them, he probably never would have left.

Nico had never even thought of leaving. He'd spent years playing and laughing in there to his hearts content. They'd conveniently had a Mythomagic Tournament going on and he'd been beating players twice his age, a boy had even traded some rare cards with him and asked to hold his hand.

Bianca hadn't either though, he tried to tell himself he was even mildly less useless than he already felt. The few times he had seen her she'd always been in the kitchens, the chefs had never kicked her out but instead enjoyed learning from her, their moms recipes she was always trying to get perfect.

Percy had never been sucked into a game like Annabeth and Grover had been addicted to. Changeable, too unpredictable, Kronos had called him, and that fluidity had given him a chance to start asking questions.

Nico's breath caught as if Percy had just gotten up to punch him in the stomach with all the might of the ocean. As if he'd ever needed more proof how much better than him the son of the sea god was. He'd escaped all on his own, he was so powerful and never let anyone manipulate him.

Was it because it was a gift from a god, Jason wanted to protest, but Percy was finally breathing easier, not quite so tense at never having to think of that place again. Grover's shoes, something about them working in there without using the word to activate them...don't trust the gifts...those had been the only gifts mentioned acting differently in a place full of magic, or was that just coincidence? Percy and Annabeth had no reason to use their own...

It was almost over, Nico kept telling himself as he felt a horrible churning in his gut, Percy would rush off to LA now and save the world, he'd never even caught a glimpse of him in there! What if he had...Little cracks began to appear in the floor as memory tried to swamp him. It was the last place he and Bianca had ever known, the last peace they'd ever had before being shoved into the street and overwhelmed at the bright city lights; uncaring people who didn't even seem to hear the screaming kids tugged along by the Fury to drag them off-

"Nico?" Will's voice came from a long ways off, even as he asked with such concern it drew everyone's attention...he'd swear the walls were starting to close in on him as the cracks in the floor grew and something horrible was building in him, the shadowy room was literally flickering around them all as Percy lowered the book and looked right at him, but he would, not, cry!

"Hey man, don't tell me you lost your memories too," Percy laughed awkwardly even as he began to shut the book in concern.

Nico cleared his throat so hard it hurt, but he forced himself to collect a calmness back with so much power, his form pulsed with dark energy for a moment before he tried to speak again. He could do this, Percy could laugh anything off, so could he. "No, just bad memories, nothing to concern yourself with, trust me." King Minos had been a great, if selfish teacher as he pushed it all from the forefront of his mind and concentrated. Not so much he actually drew ghosts a plenty down here to him, but enough the room stopped forming shapes out of nothing. He could feel them though, just waiting to lose control again, but he would master and overcome his childish whining.

"Nico," Will tried again, but he snapped, "just keep going, no sense dwelling on it! There's nothing for you in that city Percy!"

Percy glanced at the book, back to him, then to Thalia as if to confirm, but finally and to his immense shock Jason and Alex both agreed if Nico didn't want to say what was on his mind it was his right.

"Well, um, it was the end of the chapter, so," he passed the book to Thalia and gave Nico a significant look to the door like he was totally offering another break.

Nico waved his hand carelessly and Thalia gave him a sorrowful look but thankfully went on. She knew what it was to have no choice but to look ahead because your past was long gone.

Will still looked unhappy with him, but he crossed his arms and didn't care. Bianca was gone, the memories of their time in that stupid hotel were fabricated magic and not even real. It had been pointless to let Will distract him or keep pretending his past had anything to do with the current problem at hand, he had to get out of here already and back to the one spot of good he knew he could do. No more wandering around the Fields, he was going into Tartarus.

PJOPJOPJOPJOPJO

*Ah the first of many continuity issues. Thalia's eyes are said to be green in this passage, but later changed to blue. Whether you're a 'the first thing said is the true cannon,' or a 'the author changed their mind after and so the second is better' is obviously a personal preference. I bend between both depending on the context, and I like her with blue eyes better, so that's what I went with.

**This is my favorite thing and never referenced with any other children! It's not cannon, but I'm going to go with the idea that yes, every time a god created or blessed an animal their children can communicate with it, which is no wilder than the Hunters of Artemis talking to their animals for no good reason other than because.

The problem though is that we don't don't get told in the books of what most of the gods sacred animals are, and if you just look it up there's lots of over lap between such as Athena's is the owl but Hade's can be a screech owl, etc., so to preserve my sanity and not go down a million rabbit holes I'm only taking specifically what is stated in PJO as cannon material for these guys. Anything else referenced is considered 'myth' to them too.