So here's the next Chapter. And the revelation of Percy's blind date (at the end of the Chapter). And Nico's making an appearance (as well as an unexpected guest). And there's hints of Reyna/Octavian (Yeah, I hate Octavian as much as anybody, but it was either Reyna/Octavian or Reyna/Nico and I wanted to leave Nico open so I could pair him with someone else so this was the best option).

Just wanted to reply to a couple of Guest Reviews that I didn't even realized I'd received until yesterday.

LostHeroGuide - All will be revealed by the end of this Chapter, I promise.

Demigod12 - I have the next three Chapters ready and I'm working on the seventh now. The fourth will hopefully be posted by this time tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy Chapter 3!

For everyone who's Reviewed, followed, favorited, or even simply read the story so far. Thank you all.

Disclaimer - If you recognise it, then I don't own it.

-Percy Jackson-

"Percy!"

I turned from my apartment door, grinning at the younger man. "Good to see you again, Nico. I was starting to wonder whether you were actually going to come back from San Francisco or not".

Nico chuckled. "Hey, I've only been gone for two weeks".

I pulled my keys from my pocket and unlocked the apartment door before stepping inside. Nico followed me in, pushing the door closed behind us as I took off my jacket. "Do you remember Reyna and Octavian?"

I thought quickly. Reyna had attended high school in New York with Grover, Nico, and myself for a couple of years before she suddenly moved to California and we hadn't seen her since. Octavian had been a close friend of ours, until five months before graduation, when he had suddenly started acting like a jerk. "Yeah, I remember them. Why?"

"They're dating now, apparently. Have been for about three months" Nico said simply.

Didn't see that coming. "Reyna's dating Octavian? This is the same Octavian that we went to high school with, right?"

"I was just as surprised as you are now. It turns out that Octavian actually had a really good reason for being such a jerk. Or, at least what he thought was a good reason" Nico shrugged.

I walked back into the lounge and sank back down into my desk chair. "What was this reason of his, then?"

"He had only just learned that his mother was dying from breast cancer, and was pushing us away because he was scared of losing us".

I raised an eyebrow. "That's pathetic. The very thing he was afraid of doing just so happened to be the very same thing that ended up happening".

"Reyna said much the same thing. Apparently she then told Octavian to act like an adult and to take responsibility for his mistakes. Oh, and to stop his obsession with stabbing knives into soft toys. That was a major focal point of their discussion"

"I'll never understand those two…" I muttered.

Nico threw himself into the closest chair to mine. "So… Would you happen to know if Rachel has started seeing anyone in the past two weeks?" he queried.

I paused, considering this. The last time Rachel and I had spoken was just under a week ago, when she had confessed that part of the reason that she had broken up with me a month before was that she had started to realize that she was developing a crush on Nico. She had just been too nervous to approach him about it. "I don't believe she is, no. Why?"

"I was kind of thinking about asking her out".

I smiled, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder. "I say go for it. You never know, she might feel the same way about you".

"You think?"

"You'll never know unless you give it a shot, right?"

He took a second to think about what I had just said, before nodding. "Yeah, I suppose you're right, Percy. Alright then, it's settled. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow and ask her out. By the way, have you heard anything from London?"

"No, not yet"

It was then that Grover walked in, his brown hair damp from the shower that he had clearly just gotten out of. Nico sighed. "I… I just miss her, you know?"

His voice was so soft that I could barely even hear him. However, since I had known him for long enough that I knew exactly what he was talking about, that really didn't matter. "I miss her too, man. I really do. But you have to admit that she wouldn't want you to mope around like this" I replied.

A silence fell over the room as I finished speaking, one which was only broken by the ringing of my iPhone a couple of minutes later. "I'll be right back. Why don't you guys order pizza or something?"

I stood, walking into my bedroom, and closed the door behind me before pulling the small device from my pocket, swiping my finger across the touchscreen to accept the call. "Hello?"

"Hi Percy"

I recognized the woman on the other side of the line immediately. She spoke perfect English, though with the slightest trace of an Italian accent similar to Nico's own. "We were just talking about you".

She laughed. "Nothing bad, I hope".

"No, nothing bad at all. Nico was just saying how much he missed you, that's all"

"I'm glad to hear it"

I smiled slightly. "Good. How's London?" I queried.

"Cold and foggy. Quite wet, too. Anyway, I didn't call you because I wanted to talk about the weather in London. I called you for a totally different reason instead"

My curiosity is officially roused. "Do tell".

"I need your help to surprise Nico".

"Alright, Bia, what do you need me to do?"

I could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone. It was like she had been waiting for me to ask her what I could do to help. "It's quite simple. Between three and five minutes from now there will be a knock at your apartment door. All you need to do is answer it, and I'll take care of the rest".

"Deal"

"Good. I'll see you soon, Percy" she said quietly before hanging up.

I tapped a button to end the call before slipping my phone back into my pocket and walking back into the lounge where Nico and Grover were waiting. Nico glanced at me questioningly as I sat back down. "What was that about?"

I smiled slightly. "You'll find out soon enough".

~Between 3 and 5 minutes later~

Knock, knock. I rose instantly from my chair, already walking towards the door into the small hallway that separated the lounge and the front door. "I'll get it".

My statement was met by murmurs of agreement from the couch on the other side of the lounge, where Nico and Grover were currently seated. Opening the door, I was greeted by the sight of a young raven-haired woman who was maybe a year older than me. "It's so good to see you again, Percy" she said quietly.

I threw my arms around the girl, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's good to see you too, Bia. You have no idea how much we've missed you".

"Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea… Is Nico around?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he is, actually. He's watching TV with Grover in the lounge at the moment".

Bianca and I walked back through the hallway and into the lounge, where the other two were still engrossed in whatever television program they were currently watching. Bianca coughed quietly. When that gained no response, she turned to me. "Are they usually this unobservant?"

"Not at all, Bia. And, considering that I hinted to your brother that something interesting was going to happen soon after your call, you'd think that he at least would be paying more attention, wouldn't you?"

I had been watching the back of Nico's head carefully as I spoke, and I didn't miss the fact that he jerked in his seat as if he'd been stung when I mentioned his sister's nickname. Bianca laughed, having obviously caught the movement as well, and the younger boy leapt to his feet instantly, turning to face us. He blinked twice, as if not really sure what he was seeing. "Bia? Is that you?"

The girl smiled. "It's me, il mio fratellino. I've missed you so much"

Nico took a couple of steps forwards, still unsure that she was really there, and then flung himself into her arms. "It really is you..."

I smiled and walked over to join my roommate by the TV, leaving the siblings to their reunion. As I reached the couch, Grover's phone rang, and he sighed, quickly pausing whatever was on tv before picking the device up and answering. "Yes?"

He listened intently for a few seconds before replying. "She did? Oh, that's great news. So she'll be meeting him at that Italian place by Central Park at 6 tomorrow night?".

He listened for a couple of seconds longer. "Okay, great. I'll let him know, and I'll make sure that he's there on time. You're absolutely brilliant, you know that, right?"

Another response, to which he laughed. "Of course. With the amount of times every week that I tell you, I would be surprised if you even had time to forget. Alright, thanks again, Juniper. Bye".

He hung up and switched his phone off before turning to me. "That was Juniper. The girl I told you about earlier has agreed to the blind date. You're meeting her at that little Italian restaurant near Central Park at 6pm tomorrow. And you are not going to be late".

~6pm the next night~

"Can I help you?"

The crisp voice of the hostess filled the small restaurant. "I have a reservation for two under the name 'Underwood'".

The woman's voice was calm and in control as she responded, and I couldn't help but find it just the slightest bit familiar. There was a pause, which I assumed was caused by the older woman checking the list in front of her, before she spoke again. "Of course. Please, follow me right this way. I believe your date is already here".

Well, time to find out who this girl that both Grover and Juniper think will be perfect for me is I mused. Footsteps echoed through the restaurant as the hostess led the young woman towards the table at which I was seated. I pretended to study the menu as they drew closer and closer, soon coming to a stop on the other side of the table from me. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Someone will be over shortly to take your orders. Enjoy your night".

As the older woman turned to walk back to the podium at the front of the restaurant, there was a rustle of fabric as the woman I was supposed to be meeting sat down in the chair across from me. "So you're Grover's friend, then?"

Her voice was definitely familiar, a voice I had definitely heard as recently as some time in the last week. It couldn't be... could it? I nodded. "That would be me, yes. And can I assume that that means you are Juniper's friend?"

She laughed. "You can indeed".

I looked up from the menu, running my eyes briefly, appraisingly, over her. She was tall, maybe a couple of inches shorter than me, with perfectly tanned skin. She wore a simple but elegant black strapless black dress that hugged her figure tightly without being indecent, and a small, heart-shaped pendant hung on a golden chain around her swan-like neck. She wore almost no makeup, and her blonde hair hung down to the lowest point of her chin before curling gently outwards, framing her slender features perfectly. However, it was her eyes that caught my attention the most. The grey of storm clouds, they flickered almost imperceptively as she stared at me, and I could see them widen as the realization set in. As I opened my mouth to speak, I knew that, whatever this was, it was most definitely not an accident. "Hi, Annabeth".

So yeah. Nico/Rachel, Percy/Annabeth, Reyna/Octavian, Bianca's alive and has spent the last couple of years in London, which means Nico's a lot happier than his canon self, Percy and Nico usually refer to Bianca as Bia, and Bianca calls Nico il mio fratellino, which is Italian for 'my little brother'.

A quick congratulations to both Swordy10835, who Reviewed with the correct answer, and Snowflake Eliza Cahill Sparkle, who PMed me the correct answer. I'm happy to discuss prizes if either of you want to, as long as it's related to this story.

Anyway, leave a Review? Please?

Other than that, enjoy the new Chapter!