"Are we there yet?" Luke groaned from the back seat. He and Charlie had switched places about a million times, driving Nico insane. They had been driving for about three hours and it was still raining. The streets were completely flooded and the windshield was so soaked Nico was driving at 10 mph just so he wouldn't crash.

"No, Luke, we aren't there yet. Just like we weren't there about five minutes ago," he replied through gritted teeth.

"This is so boring," Charlie said, turning on the radio. Adam Young's voice came blaring out of it.

"What is this?" Luke asked, leaning on the back of Charlie's seat.

"Owl City," Charlie replied.

"Ugh. Change it," Luke replied, getting back to his previous lying position in the back.

"Uh, no. I happen to like Owl City."

"Well, I happen not to like him," Luke retorted, standing up and changing the station. A rock song came on, the exact type of music Luke loved to hear.

"Perfect," he said, and lay back in his seat.

"No, not perfect," Charlie said, and changed the station back to Owl City.

"Hey!" Luke stood up again and changed the station back to the rock song, right before Charlie changed it back to Owl City. Soon, the two siblings were having an all-out radio battle.

"You and I left our troubles far behind—"

"All alone he turns to stone—"

"For all my pals who live—"

"Terrified at what's inside—"

"…who needs anemones."

"…like a worm from a bird."

"ENOUGH!" Nico shouted, switching the radio off. "Luke, sit down. Gods, can't you guys just pick one station that you both agree on?"

"No," they both said at the same time.

"Fine. Then you can spend the rest of the way without music."

"Where are we going, anyway? Its been, like, three hours!" Luke said, burying his head into the back of the front seat.

"Well, I've made a few calls when you were both asleep," Nico said looking at his phone. "Apparently, she's moved to Canada."

"We're going to Canada?" Luke said, groaning. "Dude, how long is it to Canada? And aren't we supposed to be looking for our parents?"

Nico sighed. "I know, but I really have no clue where they are. I've thought of a million places in my mind that they might have gone, but I doubt they're anywhere even remotely close to any of them. The only place I can think of going right now is Canada."

"To your friend," Charlie said.

"She's your parents' friend too, you know," Nico said, glancing sideways at him.

"So, what's her name, this friend?" Luke asked.

"Rachel," Nico replied. He took out his wallet and showed him a picture of her.

"Wow, she's pretty," Luke said. Then he smiled slyly at Nico. "Why do you have a picture of her in your wallet?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Because she's my friend, as I just mentioned. And I have pictures of all of my friends, not just her."

"Are they all girls?"

"Yes. Happy?"

"Sweet!" Luke said, continuing to examine the wallet. "Hey, who's this?" he asked holding up another photo. This one was rather old, taken the day Nico had graduated from school. He was standing in front of his old school, smiling up at the camera. He had his arm around a girl of about fifteen, who was laughing. The girl had spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. Luke was pointing at her.

"Where'd you get that?" Nico asked. It was one of his favorite photos and was happy to see it wasn't lost like he'd thought.

"From your wallet. So, who is she? Your girlfriend?"

Nico almost gagged. The idea of Thalia being his…girlfriend, was just disturbing. "No. Just another friend."

"Who's a girl."

"Honestly, Luke, don't you have friends who are girls? Just friends?" Nico asked, trying to find the exit he was looking for on the road. The rain had eased up, but it was still pretty difficult to see through.

"Nah. All the girls love me," he said, going back to the wallet. "Dude, seriously, what is it with you and girls?" he said holding up yet another picture. Nico gave the current photo in Luke's hand a glance and had the sudden urge to grab it. It was the picture of a girl with olive skin and dark silky hair. Her eyes were black but kind.

"Luke, put that away, and stop prying."

"I'm not prying. I just want to know who all your girl friends are."

"That's not a friend," Nico said quietly, suddenly very interested in the road.

"Oh. That's your sister isn't it?" Luke asked. Apparently, his parents had told him about Bianca.

Nico nodded. Charlie took the picture and looked at it. "You know, she's very pretty," he said.

"Thank you, Charlie," Nico said, smiling. "Luke, please sit down. I can't see."

"Ok," he said, still looking through the wallet. He had found a group of photos and was now looking through them. "Ha. Mom and Dad looked so young!" he said. Nico sighed and kept driving. It was extremely boring to drive for so long, but at least Luke and Charlie's presence kept him awake.

"Is this another of your 'just friends'?" Luke asked, holding up another photo. It was a photo of a girl in her mid-twenties with long black hair stuffed under a furry hat. There was snow all around her and she was standing under a dead tree, but she was smiling widely, her arms folded across her chest. Her warm brown eyes shone from the camera flash.

"Ok, Luke, enough snooping. Put the photos away—"

"Why? Who is she?"

"None of your business. Now stop asking questions and give me back my wallet."

Luke turned the photograph and saw a name written on the back of it. "Emma," he read out loud.

Nico stiffened. "Luke, I mean it. Give me back my wallet."

Luke wasn't happy, but he handed his uncle his wallet back. "Thank you. Now sit still, so I can figure out the way."

"How much time left?" Charlie groaned.

Nico looked at the clock on the dashboard. "About five hours of driving. Oh, and Charlie? Time to switch with Luke."

"An hour can't have passed!"

"Well, it did. And perfect timing, too," he said, just as he drove straight into a traffic jam.

"I'm hungry," Luke said, for the tenth time that minute. "How long have we been stuck here?"

"About an hour," Nico said, leaning on the steering wheel. Charlie had fallen asleep ages ago, so Nico was left with loquacious Luke for company.

"Does that mean we only have four hours left?" Luke asked hopefully.

"No. As long as we're not moving, it still means we have five hours driving time."

"Oh." Luke looked out of the window and wiped the vapor off of it with his sleeve. Then he turned back to Nico. "Do you have a paper and pen?"

"I have a pen," Nico replied, taking it out. "But no paper. Sorry."

"No problem. I'll just use a tissue." He grabbed one and started sketching on it.

About half an hour later, they still hadn't budged. Nico sighed and glanced at Luke. He was finishing up his sketch.

"I noticed you like drawing people," he said.

"Oh, yeah. I find it easier than drawing abstract," Luke replied.

Nico found this a good time to ask about the drawing of the young man. "Luke, I saw this hanging on your wall," he said, taking it out from under his cloak. "Did you copy it from a photograph?"

Luke took the picture and shrugged. "Nah. I had a dream about him." He looked at Nico. "Wait, why? I-is this a real person?"

Luke had gone completely white, and he looked scared. "Luke, are you alright?" Nico asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah. Its just that…." His voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Well, its just that the dream I had about him was…well, disturbing."

Nico shifted uncomfortably. "Disturbing like how?

Luke took a deep breath. "H-he was, like, in this golden coffin, and he looked dead. He even had this hole in his chest. Then he suddenly rises and opens his eyes, and they're golden. I was ok with all of that until he spoke. His voice was creepy, man, and it didn't seem to suit him. It was like rock scraping on metal." He shuddered.

Nico was the one who was scared now. He hadn't been there when it happened, but it was exactly as Percy described it to him. The rising of Kronos. But Luke wasn't there. He had never heard the story before, nor had he seen any pictures of him.

He tried to relax, because Luke was now looking really scared. "Its ok. It was just a dream. There's nothing to worry about."

They sat in silence for a while, until Luke broke it. "Who's Emma?" he asked suddenly.

"Just someone I met a long time ago," Nico replied, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. This was one subject he did not want to talk about.

"She seems to be more than just someone."

"Leave it, Luke."

"Why? I hate it when adults don't tell me things," Luke muttered.

Nico looked at Luke's angry face, and thought how frustrating it must be not knowing things.

"Look, Luke," he said gently. "I would tell you anything, but not this. Ok?"

Luke's expression softened. "Ok. I'm sorry I was being so nosy."

"Don't be. How else would you know anything?" Nico smiled. "Yes. Finally, we're moving."

At this, Luke looked up excitedly. "Cool. Can we get something to eat now?"

"Yes, as soon as we get past the next intersection."

"How far is that?"

"About fifteen minutes away."

"No!"

As soon as they had gotten to the intersection, Nico turned a few rights and lefts and managed to find a Starbucks. When he got there, both boys seemed to wake up from their naps.

"Where are we?" Charlie asked sleepily.

"Starbucks. Now, come on."

"This isn't food!" Luke cried. "They don't even have good coffee."

"Look, I know you want a real breakfast, but this is the best I could find."

"Dude, do you even know the way to Canada?" Luke got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Charlie and Nico followed, rolling their eyes.

They entered the shop and Nico told Luke and Charlie to sit down while he got their orders. He turned to the lady behind the counter and told her what they wanted.

"Alright. Anything else, sir?" she asked him.

"Oh, no thank you," he replied, smiling. He was just standing there behind the counter, waiting for their 'breakfast', when he noticed the TV hanging up on the wall above him. There was a breaking news report, and the reporter was saying into the microphone, "…center burned down, where a party was being held by the company. None were found dead, though many were severely injured. A couple also went missing after the commotion, and are now identified as Percy and Annabeth Jackson. Searches have led to no sign of them up until now…"

Nico just stared at the TV with his mouth hanging open. So that's what had happened to them…

"Sir?" the lady was saying. "That'll be $13.95."

Nico looked at her and said, "Wha—? Oh, ok." He fished out of his cloak the money and gave it to her. "Keep the change."

He went back to Luke and Charlie and sat down. "Did you see that news report?" he asked them.

"Yeah, man," Luke answered. "A fire? I can't believe it."

"But where are they?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know, but we'd better find them fast."

Five hours of constant driving left Nico feeling like a soul in the Fields of Asphodel; bored, tired, and bored. Then, like an oasis in a desert, the Canada-US border appeared in front of him. "Guys, I need you to get under the seats. Now."

"What? Why?" Luke asked.

"Because you're not my kids. I need permission from your parents to get you across, and, obviously, I don't. So I need to hide you."

They did as they were told and got under the seats. Before Nico got to the border services booth, he opened the trunk and rolled down the car windows. He'd gone through the border like this only once before, and it was not an experience he'd like to repeat.

When he got to the booth, he looked up at the officer standing there. Relief and shock spread through him. "Ben?" he asked incredulously. He was another half-blood he had met in university, and a really good friend.

"Nico?" he laughed. "Nico di Angelo? Well, I'll be. Its been what, ten years?"

"Longer, I think. I didn't know you worked here."

"I don't, really. I'm just covering for a friend," Ben said, looking at Nico like he was a miracle. "You haven't changed a bit. Exactly as I remember you."

"Same to you, Ben. Look, any chance you can get me through? Because I'm probably breaking a lot of the border rules."

Ben smirked. "You're hiding something aren't you?"

"As always. So, can you?"

"Tell you what. I'll just see your passport, and I'll leave you on your way."

"Thank you," Nico said, showing him the passport. "I hope to see you soon, ok Ben?"

Ben gave another laugh. "As soon as you're done with whatever mess you're in, I'll let you buy me dinner."

"Right. Got it." And he drove through the border just like that.

"Who was that?" Charlie said, getting out from under the seat. Luke also got out and was brushing himself off.

"An old friend of mine from university. Really nice guy."

"So, we're in Canada, eh?" Luke said, smiling.

"Yes we are," Nico replied. "And things are about to get seriously complicated."

A/N I didn't like this chapter much. Its pretty boring, I know, but they weren't magically going to appear in front of Rachel's house, and I don't think she would have stayed in the Big House or the cave all this time. She would get too bored :D Anyways, if anyone knows what songs Luke and Charlie were fighting about, please mention it in a review or something. Or not. Whatever you want. (I thought it was funny that I picked those songs. Anyone guess why?)