A/N Hello hello! Thank yous to Poseidon93, Anime Princess, ., and Shoshona79 for your reviews! Anime Princess, hush! You'll see what's going on things are about to progress! I'm soo beyond pleased by all of the reviews, favs and alerts I have gotten! OMG! I welcome any constructive criticism and opinions. I have a few things of my own that I know I need to go back and address after having gone back and re-read...but the fact of the matter is I started this and continue it for sheer entertainment and pleasure...it is not literature nor is it intended to be... :-D Though it seems to have achieved it's goal for you guys as well as myself better then I'd anticipated. With that, thank you for reading, please enjoy this chapter, I'm sorry it took me a bit to get it up...it just wasn't feeling like it was closing...

Thank you!
Miette

**Disclaimer** I do not have any right to Rick Riordan's characters or world.

Bia woke suddenly as her body thudded violently against the hard earth floor hidden so elegantly by Rachel's plush rug. She bit back a cry, not wanting the wake the other girl who was so generously sharing her living space, though Bia suspected that Rachel enjoyed the post curfew company. The nightmare that had caused her to toss and turn so violently was dark and striking, though that was almost all Bia could recall from it, something unusual for the dream of a demi-god. What did remain with Bia was a feeling of absolute terror and wretchedness. She felt as though there were no happiness to be had in the world, as though all the light and pleasure were gone. She was also terrified. Whatever had occurred in her dream had frightened and upset her to her core.

No one vocalized their thoughts that Bia was strangely quite through the morning. Everyone attributed it to everything finally coming together. It had been about two and a half weeks of working and planning since Bia arrived at Camp Half Blood, two weeks since she'd had her first glimpse of their vessel.. Yesteday, she'd spoken to Lupa again, and today the whole group of leaders at Camp Half-Blood would be meeting via Iris Message with Lupa and the leaders of the Scholla. Final touches were being put on the Argo II, soon it would be time to leave Camp Half-Blood, hopefully if the Romans agreed, head to the Scholla, and then shortly after head to the original Olympus.

Jason was still not happy at the thought that Bia was one of the seven, but he knew that he was in the minority and it did no good to fight with the others. Perhaps when they got to the Scholla it would somehow be revealed that it was two others from the Scholla, not Bia and one other. Maybe Bobby, or Gwen, Dakota would be an asset or any two of a number of other worthy legionaires.

Annabeth was anxious; she sat, rapidly tapping her fingers on the ping pong table. She would get to see Percy soon. Speaking to him the last few days had been great, but she knew that he wasn't his old self completely yet. He was still hers, though, at least she knew that, and she would get to be in his arms soon. She shook her head at the girly girl he made her, she wasn't upset about the change, though. It was just another side of her that he'd brough out, as long as she didn't allow it to cloud her mind.

Nico stood against the wall waiting for this meeting to begin. He'd grown fond of Bia over the short time she'd been here. He wasn't thrilled at the idea that kept crossing his mind that she could leave on this quest and he'd never see her again, just as with his sister. He knew she needed to go, and that she was better prepared than his sister who had only just arrived at Camp Half-Blood, only just found out she was a demi-god, but he still wasn't ecstatic. He never should have become friends with her, and then he wouldn't feel this way. He glanced up at the girl who was sitting speaking with Leo about something. Her hair was down from its characteristic bun and instead hung loose long past her shoulders. He wondered where her Pugio was as he thought how odd it was to see her hair down.

Bia and Leo were going over inventory and storage lists for the Argo II. No one was sure how long this journey would take and it would be rather un heroic to fail due to a lack of food, linens, or clean clothes. It calmed Bia's nerves to be discussing such mundane things as having enough pillows and sheets. The organization and planning gave her a false feeling of being in control of something in this crazy situation.

"Sorry guys, I can't right now," Percy looked down at the disappointed faces of Mica and her friend Drew, a blonde hair, blue eyed son of Apollo. Drew and his twin sister, Kimberly, though the Nati called her Kiki, were Mica's best friends. It was common to see the three with their heads together whispering about something or another, and generally in preceded trouble of some degree.. "I have to go meet with Lupa and everyone, but if our meeting is quick enough, before dinner I'll," Percy sighed knowing just what he was going to have to agree to, and cringed, "I'll come practice archery with you guys, I'll see if Kota will come, too." The three children loved getting Percy to do archery since he was so abysmal at it. Drew and Kiki especially, thanks to their father, were naturals.

"Deal!" Drew replied while Mica clapped her hands together.

"Ok, now, I've got to go, and you guys better not laugh at me too much when we're practicing." Percy turned and hurried into the large Command Tent where he, Lupa, and the leaders of the Scholla would be messaging with Camp Half-Blood.

As soon as Percy was safely within the tent, Mica grabbed Drew's wrist, "Come on!"

"Where are we going, Mica?"

"This way, hush! Have Ki meet us behind the big tent."

"Oh!" Drew's blue eyes opened wide, at Mica's glare he quickly shut his mouth and silently called to his sister, they weren't sure how, but he and Kiki had always been able to sense strong emotions and problems from each other, they also almost always knew where the other was.

Mica and Drew walked toward the woods behind the tent where the leaders were holding their meeting for all of the world as though they belonged there.

"Are we having a snoop?" Kiki appeared beside her brother and friend just as Drew and Mica were getting settled to listen.

"Shush! Seriously, guys! Is your father the god of the sun and archers or people who can't be quiet?"

"Well, he's also the god of music…"

"And poetry…"

"And performing…"

"And…"

"Ok, I get the idea!" the twins smiled at Mica's exasperation, then settled on either side of her so they could hear what was being discussed within the tent. How did the older people expect them to know what was going on and what to do if they didn't listen? Bia and Dakota were the only ones that realized the Nati were resourceful.

"The Argo II will be ready for her maiden voyage by the end of the week; we're just putting the final touches on her." Leo was saying to his campmates seated around him at the pingpong table as well as their counterparts at the Scholla.

"Then how long do you think it will take you guys to get here?" Dakota asked, leaning toward the rainbow image.

"It depends, we're planning to fly since we'll have Jason, for the sky and, unless there is something we're missing, no one Zeus is particularly irritated at for this part of the journey." Annabeth began.

"So the straight answer, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy's interruption, "A day. Hopefully we won't run into any problems, though who knows what's going on with the winds. Also, I'm pretty sure, once you do join us, Zeus won't bother trying to blast you out of the sky."

"Oh joy."

This time Annabeth simply ignored Percy, "Also, you'll be able to make sea travel efficient."

"Actually," Reyna spoke up, "that reminds me, does it make sense for you to come here? Wouldn't it be more efficient for us to meet you guys at Camp Half-Blood? Isn't that more on the way toward the Ancient World?"

"Technically, yes. We're about 2000 miles closer, however, We will travel more quickly and safely in the Argo II then you will over land. Also, we don't yet know who among you is the last of the seven-" here Jason coughed, receiving a glare from everyone, "or the last two, Jason." Everyone on both sides of the message shook their heads. This discussion had already been had multiple times in and out of meetings such as this.

"How do you know we can trust you guys and your little boat?" Bobby asked glaring at the Greeks through the rainbow.

"Both Bia and I vouch for these guys,"

"And how do we know you haven't been compromised?"

"Bobby, don' be dense!" Bia replied, "We all need to work together! We all want to work together, it for all of our benefits. We need each other."

"Yea," Leo pipped up, "and the Argo II isn't a 'little boat' she's a kick ass war machine!"

"Heck yes!" all around the ping-pong table there were cheers.

"Besides, if you didn't trust them, you prolly should have spoken up with that concern a little earlier in these proceedings." Dakota exasperatedly smacked Bobby's arm.

"Ok," when everyone had settled down, Percy spoke, "today is Tuesday, figure you guys fly by Friday, we sail from here by Monday or Tuesday?"

"That sounds about right," Gwen put in, "is it do able on your end?"

"Completely," Jason said, the excitement building in his gut.

"Then I think that's everything for right now?" Reyna looked back and forth between those seated around her in the tent and those in the Iris Message to see if anyone had anything to say, but everyone seemed to be nodding agreement.

"Just one thing," Bia raised her hand slightly to get Reyna's attention, "Gwen, hun, you may want to tell periculum triplex that just because a wall is thin enough that they can listen though, doesn't mean they should…"

"No…?" Gwen shook her head laughing.

"Yes," Bia pointed toward the back wall of the tent.

With a glance at Bia and a glance at the wall, Dakota got up and walked over to the wall, grasping the bottom hem, she lifted it, revealing the three children laying on their stomachs, small guilty smiles on their faces.

"Really, guys?"

"We were looking for my practice sword." Mica picked up the wooden blade beside her and jumped to her feet, "Here it is! Time to go guys." The three children hurried away in different directions.

Reyna had her face in her hands, "they'll either be the best of us when their time comes…"

"Or the death of us all," Jason finished the statement that the officers had often repeated about Mica, Drew, and Kiki who they affectionately referred to as periculum triplex or 'the danger of a threefold'.

As the meeting broke up, Bia realized that Nico had already slipped out. He'd spent the whole meeting leaning against the wall and glowering around the table. She wasn't sure what would explain why his mood had gotten worse over the last two days, but she suspected it had something to do with the plans they'd just finalized for Friday. She looked around for him as she blinked her eyes to re-accustom them to the bright sunlight. She didn't see him anywhere on the span of lawn between the Big House and the cabins, but she had a few hunches about where he was. A cursory glance at the arena on her way past confirmed that he was not there. The next place her feet carried her was his cabin, where she found him, gathering a few personal possessions into a black bag.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yes," Nico's terse reply suggested he didn't want to discuss anything, but that didn't deter Bia.

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? How about Texas?"

"Texas?" He looked are her incredulous.

"Never mind," she shook her head, "It's a song. 'He said: Girl you've got it good here, you don't need to mess with, a guy going nowhere. She said: How about Texas'" She looked down after softly singing those few lines. She shook her head again, "Never mind." She watched him pack a few more moments before, "So if you don't know where you're going, why are you going?"

"Because I feel like it."

"That seems as good a reason as any, but I don't believe that's all there is to it."

Nico turned and closed the short distance between them. Startled by the emotion and power emanating from her friend Bia stepped back, startled, and found herself against a wall.

"Ni-?"

"Gods Bia, I'm sorry." As quickly as his temper momentarily got away from him, Nico pulled it into grasp again. With a thud, he sat on his bunk, his head down, his hair clenched tightly in his fists.

"Nico?" She tried again, stepping hesitantly toward him.

"I don't usually stick around camp for very long periods of time," he began.

"I know, Annabeth told me. She…um…She and Piper thought maybe you were sticking around because we were getting along…?"

"I can't watch you leave on this-this quest."

"Well you can't run away, either."

"I'm not running away."

"You are, Nico di Angelo." She replied with quiet certainty. "I am not the only friend you have leaving on this quest, neither the only one affected by it. You are affected by it, as everyone in our world is."

"I'm not staying here and doing nothing while you all run off to fight and possibly be hurt or even killed."

"So you, instead you're going to run off to sit in your father's palace or go hide off somewhere and sulk? Instead of staying here where you could be useful?"

"I'm not going to hide and sulk!" This time Bia didn't step back when Nico shouted at her.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I-"

"Exactly. Please consider waiting to leave till Friday, at least. I would like to be able to spend a bit more time with you before I have to go, and I would like to be able to say goodbye to you when I do go." With that, Bia turned on her heel and quit the cabin.

"I…don't…get…it…" Bia said breathlessly as she and Annabeth spared, knife to knife, about half an hour after Bia left Nico's cabin.

"It's the testosterone in his body, it clouds his ability to think and function. You'll never understand." Piper replied from the bench where she and Rachel sat watching their friends.

"It's…true…" Annabeth agreed as she tried to press Bia.

"But…you…guys…are …talk about…Boyfriends…with a capital…not boy friends, with…a space…Yield." She dropped her knife and stepped back from Annabeth.

"Yea? You're point?" Rachel handed each Bia and Annabeth a towel to dry their faces and necks.

Bia rolled her eyes, "Has your mother been passing around Kool-aid?" Bia asked Piper whose only response was to hold up her hands smiling.

"Seriously, though," Annabeth sat down taking a swig of water, "Nico's sister, Bianca di Angelo died on a quest literally right after they found out they were half-bloods and came here. They hadn't even been claimed yet, it's a whole long story, but Nico became a different person after Bianca died. He's turned back a bit to his old self the last few weeks hanging out with you."

"Maybe he's afraid with you gone; he'll turn back into the emo him."

"He's afraid, too, that you're going to get hurt, or…"

"Well, that's just the silliest thing I've heard in my life."

"Maybe, but-oh, speak of the devil, hey Nico."

"Hey, girls. Jason told me you guys were down here practicing, so I figured I come by and…and umm practice...with…you."

"Come on, Nico, I'll spar with you while these two catch their breath." Piper stood, pulling Katoptris from a sheath on her thigh.

Nico glanced over at Bia, who was leaning back on the bench, her head tilted back and her eyes closed, "Ok." His stygian iron sword in his hand, he walked to the center of the arena to meet Piper.

Through slited eyes, Bia watched as Nico used the greater length of his blade to his advantage. She appreciated the way his muscles moved under his tee-shirt and dark jeans. He was a good swordsman, and though Piper had been training with Annabeth and getting very good with her knife, she put up a fight but had no shot against the more experienced Nico.

"He's gotten good," Annabeth commented absently watching the two. Piper dropped her knife and raised her hands in submission, Nico's sword at her throat.

"Son of Hades for the win!" Rachel said as said son and Piper walked back over to the bench.

"Anyone else up for a go? Bia?"

"Sure," Bia shrugged as she stood, dropping her towel onto the bench, "Spatha or Puggio?"

"I haven't seen you fight with your Spatha, yet," Annabeth put in.

"Then I guess that's what I'll do." She picked up the weapon in question then took her stance in front of Nico. The pair was relatively evenly matched and the contrast between Bia's Roman style and Nico's Greek was interesting. Bia was very aggressive, trying to keep Nico on the defensive as much as possible. Nico, however, was not caught off guard as he was the first time they fought, though. Over the last few weeks that Bia had been here, he'd become mildly familiar with her style. As she pressed him, Nico spun away, forcing her to follow on his terms. Quickly, he came back at her, weaving his blade under her guard. With a quick move, Nico twisted Bia's sword from her grasp, causing it to clatter to the ground.

"Lutum! I'm just getting my butt handed to me today!"

"Right," Nico replied, slightly out of breath like Bia, "that was me kicking your butt. I'll take the win, but I wouldn't call that a butt kicking. And, 'Lutum'?"

Bia scrunched up her nose "Crap? I guess? Either way, I'm out, you were the last nail in my coffin of exhaustion and I've got to take care of some stuff before dinner. I shall see you guys in a bit."

"Here, I'll walk with you." Nico sheathed his sword and stepped beside Bia, waving goodbye to the other three.

"You're aware that I do not require an escort to Rachel's."

"You're the one who wanted to spend loads of time with me before you leave on Friday. In fact, I specifically remember that being one of the reasons I wasn't allowed to leave earlier today."

"I'm pretty sure I never said 'loads' of time. A minimal amount of time could have sufficed, also you're allowed to leave, I just asked that you consider not. Besides, I leave Friday, today is Tuesday, that gives us the rest of today, plus two full days to chill. So, back to I don't require an escort."

"Well, at this point, we're already nearly there," they'd reached the edge of the forest and Nico was not to be deterred.

Bia smiled, realizing she was not getting rid of him that easily, and that was all right by her. "Fine, then, if you insist, I suppose you may walk with me."

"Oh, why thank you, so much, I'm honored."

"Well then! If you're going to be like that..."

"Oh come on." Nico grabbed her hand as she began to walk away quickly, tugging her back toward him.

Bia stumbled at Nico's tug, and caught herself against his chest. "Umm," she bit her lip looking up into Nico's dark gaze.

"Hey guys! Guys!" Grover came crashing through the trees at that inopportune moment.

Nico dropped Bia's wrist as though it had burned him.

"What's wrong, Grover?" Bia asked as she put some distance between her and Nico.

"We've," Grover gasped for breath, "finally gotten in contact with the Hunters."

A/N Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed! Again, constructive criticism is welcome, also, if you feel so moved any reviews are greatly appreciated and very flattering! Lastly, for anyone curious, the song Bia referenced is Let Me Go as performed by singer/guitarist/actor Christian Kane, whom I adore! It is a great song, real sweet, real cute.

Miette