A/N I didn't really like the last chapter so I will make this one more interesting. Hope you enjoy! Reviews appreciated!

Chapter Four:

Nico's POV

My hand instinctively went to me cell phone case, and I took a step away from Hawk-Eyes. I couldn't just hand her the only weapon I had brought. If all of these kids were a demigods, which was highly unlikely, we were bound to meet a monster on the way. Even if my sword would just come back to me, like Percy's, she was bound to open it. And there was no way I could explain why I had a weapon with me. Why did she even care that I had a cell phone?

Hawk-Eyes held her hand out to me, obviously expecting me to hand it over. I needed time to think of a way to keep my phone in my hand so I continued my stubborn attitude.

"Why do you care about that?" I said gesturing towards my case.

She did a double-take. It looked like she thought I had a limit to my smartass-ness. I was a Son of Hades, of course I didn't!

"You are being punished," she said after a minute." You have no right to that phone until you behave yourself!"

Bang! An idea zoomed into my head. I would look like an idiot but it just might work….

I sighed pretending to give in. I grabbed the case and pretended to tug at it has hard as I could. Everybody was staring at my left hand yanking at the case. My plan was working so far. I used my right hand to slyly reach into my back pocket and pulled out my IPod. I tossed the IPod onto the ground and pretended that it had all of a sudden fallen out of the case. I leaned down and picked it up.

"There. Happy?" I said has I gave it to Hawk-Eyes. She studied it precariously. She looked completely stumped. I suppressed a laugh. She didn't know what it was!

".." I said making each word slow and deliberate. Zane snickered.

"Oh… well go to bed! Remember SPOTLESS!" she said.

"Yes, Mrs. Madam!" the other kids chorused. Of course, I didn't. She glared at me for a minute then, taking my IPod with her, stomped out into the hall. Once we were sure she wouldn't here us, Zane burst out laughing. Miranda was shaking her golden head at me.

"What?" I asked. What had I done that had been funny?

"You!" Zane said between laughs. By now Erin and Lexxi were laughing too.

"You looked like an idiot when you were getting the IPod!" Lexxi added.

Miranda looked at me for a second suspiciously. She pointed her finger at me.

"That was all a show. You never even opened the case. You just got the IPod out of your back pocket. "She paused to let it sink in." Very tricky. I wouldn't have noticed except that you weren't using BOTH hands to get the "cell phone" out of the case."

Uh-Oh, I hope she isn't a tattletale. If she acts like Annabeth has much as she looks like her than she is one. Seeing my expression though, she raised her hands innocently.

"I'm not a tattle-tale. I just thought you should know just in case you ever need to do that again. We don't want anyone to get caught."

"Thanks." I mumbled. At least I don't have to worry about getting ratted on from now on.

"What was on your IPod? " Zane asked me. I pointed to my gray Metallica T-shirt.

"Well they were, until Percy and Annabeth put loads of Demi Lovatto, Selena Gomez, and Justin Beiber on it. It's utterly disgusting now." I explained to him. That caused him to fall on the floor giggling again.

"Whose Annabeth and Percy?" asked Erin. She had her small face pulled into a confused mask but I could still see the bubbly little girl there.

"They're some of my best friends at this summer camp I go to."

"Oh. I wish I could go to a summer camp…" she said dreamily.

"Maybe you could go to mine someday." She snorted.

"Mrs. Madam never lets us leave this house unless we are going to school!"

"Have you ever tried?" I asked walking towards the only window in the room.

"No" she said simply. I was surprised. They had even never tried to leave.

"Well," I said while sticking my head out of the window." That can always change." I jumped out the window at the last word. It wasn't that high but there was still a jolt when I landed roughly on the cement. I looked up to see six little heads poking out of the window.

If witnessing my rebellion was what it needed for them to realize that they deserved better than this, then so be it. I wasn't sure which ones were demigods, but they all were going to get out of that house with my help.

I walked down the gloomy streets. I was planning on going back a couple of hours later, when they were all asleep. Enough time to show them that the outside world was fine. Maybe I'd bring them something back. Candy, probably. I had ten dollars. I turned a corner and looked around for a store.

There was a Wal-Mart a couple of meters away. The blue letters were impossible to miss. I was more than half way there, when I felt a chilling hand on my shoulder. My hand reached down and opened up the cell-phone case. When I brought up my hand my short, black sword was firmly held. I turned my head and saw the yellow, merciless eyes of a dracaenae.

I quickly dropped into a crouch and swung my sword towards the creature's snaky legs. I missed. I felt a sharp sting on my cheek. The dracaenae had got my face with her dagger. Great. I stumbled backwards, and started muttering Ancient Greek words. I was calling in reinforcements. Three black shadows sprouted from the ground and charged at the dracaenae along with me.

The shadows went in on the sides and used their spears to distract the creature while I brought my sword down into the dracaena's chest. Before she died like a good little monster, she nipped my shoulder with her dagger. I twisted my sword that was still embedded in her chest until she finally melted into yellow dust and blew away with the breeze. Good riddance.

I was exhausted. My wounds stung a lot worse than they should of. I brought up my shoulder and gave it a good sniff and immediately recoiled. Poison. My mind started to black in and out as I stumbled towards the side of the sidewalk. I fell. The last thing I remembered seeing was a familiar flash of electric blue eyes.