Chapter XVI JASON

During breakfast the next day, the group met below deck to discuss where Nico might possibly be. Hazel looked up from her half eaten scone and said,

"Well, when Piper, Frank and I were searching in Athens, we met Teiresias, a prophet. He said that Nico is in a place where it's unlikely he'll return from."

The mood dampened instantly. Leo's mouth fell open and piece of his pancake fell out.

"Well, it's not the Underworld." he said, trying to sound optimistic.

"Because Nico can come and go from that place he pleases, right?"

Hazel nodded and took a sip of water. A ruby fell out and she quickly pocketed it. It seemed, Jason observed, to be happening more and more often, as she got more stressed out.

Frank cleared his throat and then said,

"Well, I'm sorry if this is the wrong thing to say-"

"Don't worry, Frank, you say the wrong thing most of the time, anyway." Leo interrupted cheerfully.

Frank glared at Leo and then continued, saying,

"You don't think he's back in Tartarus, do you?"

Everyone simultaneously gulped and Frank shrugged,

"It's a possibility!"

Hazel shook her head slowly.

"I think I'd- f=know of my brother was back in Tartarus. I'd feel it somehow."

Piper nodded and squeezed Hazel's hand comfortingly.

"Of course you would. He's not in Tartarus. What we need to do is think of all places in the ocean that a Greek demigod could go."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment and Jason said,

"Neptune- I mean Poseidon's palace?"

"He can't go there." Piper said.

"It's not his realm."

"Hang on!" Leo said,

"Didn't Percy go to the Underworld though?"

Piper paused and Jason glanced at her. She seemed unsure, but then she nodded.

"I think I know what we have to do." she said, addressing the group.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Over the winter, Annabeth told me everything she and Percy had done together. Over the past five years, Percy Jackson has been to practically every enchanted Greek place on this planet. We just need to remember all the places Percy's visited and then decide where Nico might be."

At this, Leo stood up and poured everyone another drink: Coke for the Greeks, Pepsi for the Romans, and specialized river water for Coach Hedge.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked, confused.

"Considering all the high jinks Percy has been up to all these years, I figure we're in for a long morning."

Percy seriously needed to take a break. Was there anything he didn't get wrapped up in? Let's see here...a trip to the Underworld, recovering a long-lost Greek legend while fighting a Cyclops, rescuing his future girlfriend, in which he held up the weight of the sky, a round about trip through the hardest maze you could possibly imagine, and then after becoming invincible, he fights a Titan. All the while getting a girl to fall for him, without really have any idea what the heck he was doing. How did that boy do it?

"Gods, Nico, where are you?" Jason thought desperately.

*FINALLY! NOW I CAN WRITE ANNABETH!*