p data-p-id="c7d6978f544f49012965b365ba173efb"emChapter Title/em:strong I Hate Hera So Much Now/strong/p
p data-p-id="408dd99f035a9cd9b2f0e78f1b1ba13a"emNico's Current Thoughts/em/p
p data-p-id="4c22332b0170daca92be35e44a072865"There should be no way in the whole world. There should be no way that now, after dropping off the face of the planet for emmonths/em, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Michael Yew, and Colton Reynolds just suddenly reappear as amnesiac demigods in Camp Jupiter. I mean, I had heard that they could be here, but there has been nothing./p
p data-p-id="552e3a8380fc0ad75e0912736760954b"emNothing./em/p
p data-p-id="bd0d80f9f62b29521dcc38be24418737"For nearly six whole months./p
p data-p-id="53e071e63ad07f9b374b75880a5654a8"emUntil now./em/p
p data-p-id="aa4c01410c712255342126cb03ca5b42"Now, here were the four dudes that I had chased so many leads and found nothing while I was looking for them, at Camp Jupiter of all places. I didn't know if I wanted to hug them for being all right after all, or simply slap each of them in the face. Actually, I probably should not do either. In the first case, as Jason had mentioned, they likely don't have their memories right now and in the second case, Colton's holding the rifle right now and probably wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through my head without his memories if I did that. So, best to play it cool and act like I don't know them./p
p data-p-id="0eefb02290f4add2dbccf36e51abcc8e"I definitely felt like smacking Hera in the face though over this. Like, how do you not tell us where exactly you put these four? Oh right, Zeus.. after all the progress I thought I have made with him, he screwed it all up./p
p data-p-id="7f877b9371e6da1f0e14a31628e00ca3"Okay.. focus, Nico.. you can do this.. you can make it through this.. here we go../p
p data-p-id="5662396fad27362da7411d084d73f8c3"- — - — - Switch To Third Person POV - — - — -/p
p data-p-id="8e396ba6c6c3778e2e0b0b0785672e41"Hazel felt like she had just introduced two nuclear bombs to each other, or five as it seemed like at the moment. Now she was waiting to see which one of them exploded first./p
p data-p-id="b838ca5dee525f170104ec2e6f34a074"Until that morning, her brother Nico had been the most powerful demigod she knew. The others at Camp Jupiter saw him as a traveling oddball, about as harmless as the fauns. Hazel knew better. She hadn't grown up with Nico, hadn't even known him very long. But she knew Nico was more dangerous than Reyna, or Octavian, or maybe even Jason./p
p data-p-id="984bfeb560f661dadad1610959171b09"And then she met strongthem/strong, and out of all of them, there was something about Colton that made Hazel's body feel a bit on edge whenever she was around him at all, even if she didn't show it. She too had been absolutely caught off guard by his unusual fighting style, and had never seen anything like it. A demigod using a bow and arrow or some other ancient Roman weapon as a ranged fighter — say as like a son or legacy of Apollo, that she could see made sense, but a son of Mars literally picking up a Civil War era weapon made by mortals while amnesiac and then proceeding to kill two Gorgons with one bullet where Frank's arrow had failed to even kill one of them.. as if Colton had used this weapon for a very long amount of time, it was absolutely beyond logic in Hazel's mind./p
p data-p-id="86174175a4c619c21289df6291795543"Aside from him, something about Luke seemed off, like there was more to his past than he seemed to give, judging from the rest of camp's reaction to him./p
p data-p-id="cb06a8473f420bdf8d7929c2366fd745"Michael may not have looked like a son of Apollo, but there was no mistaking that he inherited the sun god's legendary temper, that was for sure.. or the lie detector part either. The fact that red X's appeared in Michael's eyes as Reyna said she didn't know the final member of this unusual quadrant of newcomers was something to behold./p
p data-p-id="7ba4a7183cd2954908ca5f2effcf4024"And then there was Percy./p
p data-p-id="5f0fd991f16d317cb0d2b7fbbdf2d327"At first, when she saw him stumbling up the highway with the old lady in his arms, Hazel had thought he might be a god in disguise. Even though he was beat up, dirty, and stooped with exhaustion — then again all four of them were, Percy had an aura of power about him. He had the good looks of a Roman god, with sea-green eyes and wind blown black hair./p
p data-p-id="7a1632c0c8b1b6ba0acef2bdf4149f68"She'd ordered Frank not to fire on him, or any of them for that matter. She thought the gods might be testing them. She'd heard myths like that before: a kid with an old lady begs for shelter, and when the rude mortals refuse—boom, they get turned into banana slugs./p
p data-p-id="ac9743cec0100ac4f17908859783e945"Then Colton had killed both Gorgons with one shot, and the whole camp been stirred up with talk about the four of them./p
p data-p-id="99a3909f6ebc6d73fed0ef5cc2bbd22f"And to think that Percy was.. a son of the sea god.../p
p data-p-id="40a6545f96db1b62ee6cd456d5c7c9bf"Long ago, Hazel had been told that a descendant of Neptune would save her. But could Percy really take away her curse? It seemed too much to hope for. But then again, with Colton seemingly breaking just about everything she knew — from Octavian's arrogance to being a son of Mars that used guns instead of getting in up close, anything could happen. That was for sure./p
p data-p-id="b6f91a57261d34a5fd852a91eb2f45e4"Percy and Nico shook hands. They — along with Colton, Michael, and Luke — studied each other warily, and Hazel fought the urge to run. If these two — Percy and Nico — busted out the magic swords or Colton decided to take a shot with the rifle, things could get ugly./p
p data-p-id="d4d52ffae696e1940a8566ef1835e297"Nico didn't appear scary. He was skinny and sloppy in his rumpled black clothes. His hair, as always, looked like he'd just rolled out of bed./p
p data-p-id="ef7e213687c464fb52e3ad25372dc15d"Hazel remembered when she'd met him. The first time she'd seen him draw that black sword of his, she'd almost laughed. The way he called it "Stygian iron," all serious-like—he'd looked ridiculous. This scrawny white boy was no fighter. She certainly hadn't believed they were related./p
p data-p-id="e9a6680db1764fef676c8445320cb08a"She had changed her mind about that quick enough./p
p data-p-id="73c2f0ebdfd03eb518fd9607ed1ed8b8"Percy scowled. "I—I know you."/p
p data-p-id="d0e84eae0d03737dc8a4982f5ca698c2"There was a good amount of recognition present in the eyes of Colton, Michael, and Luke as well, as if they all also recognized Nico too. Frank watched on, interested in what was happening too and not saying a word./p
p data-p-id="6d3d26dfc25ae49de0a15146d4ba0036"Nico raised his eyebrows. "Do you? Do any of you at all?" He looked at Hazel for explanation./p
p data-p-id="b8366e8611b4c20792d0689fe391001e"Hazel hesitated. Something about her brother's reaction wasn't right. He was trying hard to act casual, but when he had first seen the four of them, Hazel had noticed his momentary look of panic. Nico already knew them. She was sure of it. Why was he pretending otherwise?/p
p data-p-id="e802ddfc066fa6ec843b5b74218a379d"Hazel forced herself to speak. "Um...they have all lost their memories for the most part." She told her brother what had happened since all four of them had arrived at the gates. She could have sworn she had seen her brother's lips slightly curl up into a smile when she told him about what Colton had done with the rifle./p
p data-p-id="d7a4ca30cf2dafa0713787a901e27670""So, Nico..." she continued carefully, "I thought...you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like them before, or..."/p
p data-p-id="293073bed8fd0fdc77bd0256713e0e06"Nico's expression turned as dark as Tartarus. Hazel didn't understand why, but she got the message: Drop it./p
p data-p-id="bb07feb1983399f781198028bfc00ab8""This story about Gaea's army," Nico said. "You warned Reyna?"/p
p data-p-id="00a6b2b9a57b937d89e610b9c65e5943"Percy nodded. "Who is Gaea, anyway?"/p
p data-p-id="5835c98d815194a2c0dbe724acc1d103"Hazel's mouth went dry. Just hearing that name...It was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling. She remembered a woman's soft sleepy voice, a glowing cave, and feeling her lungs fill with black oil. Hazel was also pretty sure that Colton or Michael — she wasn't sure which of them it was — had seen it, because shortly thereafter there was the sound of someone smacking another person on the head and then the sound of Percy yelling, "Ow! That's the third time today!"/p
p data-p-id="d908a6b34f2de2f24f6807d3e6942054""She's the earth goddess." Nico glanced at the ground as if it might be listening. "The oldest goddess of all. She's in a deep sleep most of the time, but she hates the gods and their children."/p
p data-p-id="82a8a233df3a39baa04a76b4e66e252a""Mother Earth...is evil?" Percy asked./p
p data-p-id="03d5e820efc759b8133315a9a02cfd14"Hazel was sure she heard a snort from Colton./p
p data-p-id="3b1a9b35021eac4d21ba59ce09bd4d07""Very," Nico said gravely. "She convinced her son, the Titan Kronos—um, I mean, Saturn—to kill his dad, Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans ruled for a long time. Then the Titans' children, the Olympian gods, overthrew them."/p
p data-p-id="05d1ab5ee856bbe6d89caca9560f7cc8""That story seems familiar," Percy sounded surprised, like an old memory had partially surfaced. "But I don't think I ever heard the part about Gaea."/p
p data-p-id="139cb1c67b75473003832f46520c79f0"Hazel took a look at the four of them. Percy, Michael, and Luke seemed to have the same expression on their faces, but Colton.. it looked like he was maybe having a lot more memories that he could remember right now but couldn't./p
p data-p-id="12f6cde653bbf10e3b0c249b0c7ba6d0"Nico shrugged. "She got mad when the gods took over. She took a new husband—Tartarus, the spirit of the abyss—and gave birth to a race of giants. They tried to destroy Mount Olympus, but the gods finally beat them. At least...the first time."/p
p data-p-id="8aa470c4474eee036ec3093541d3331b""The first time?" Percy repeated. Colton's face turned red with anger, Michael looked like as if he was remembering a nightmare, and Luke's head dropped as if he was full of guilt./p
p data-p-id="8daff807e5de97f64d7b7055c06135fe"Nico glanced at Hazel. He probably wasn't meaning to make her feel guilty, but she couldn't help it. If Percy knew the truth about her, and the horrible things she'd done.../p
p data-p-id="1cb1aa7ef406106160641d761e6444f0""Last summer," Nico continued, "Saturn tried to make a comeback. There was a second Titan war. The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othrys, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared—" He hesitated, watching their faces. Hazel got the feeling her brother was nervous that more of their memories might come back./p
p data-p-id="b1e958f30d41eb625c04f976d482a183""Um, anyway," Nico continued, "Saturn probably faded back to the abyss. We all thought the war was over. Now it looks like the Titans' defeat stirred up Gaea. She's starting to wake. I've heard reports of giants being reborn. If they mean to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by destroying the demigods..."/p
p data-p-id="6af8740fb159ca8cbbece5e33f9e5952""You've told Reyna this?" Percy asked./p
p data-p-id="56737939463001927bf4b16c16ec31af""Of course." Nico's jaw tensed. "The Romans don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she'd listen to you. Children of Pluto...well, no offense, but they think we're even worse than children of Neptune. We're bad luck."/p
p data-p-id="e1526f741131c428efdb193035fbf790""Okay.. that's absolute horse shit.." Michael cussed. "What the fuck is with these people?" Michael had gone from terror to anger in a split second so fast, it absolutely shocked Hazel as to how quickly the son of Apollo could go from one emotion to another./p
p data-p-id="7cd1a6ae04f931ee7424f01cd440b4ec"Luke simply nodded his head in agreement with Michael, while Colton looked pissed off now too./p
p data-p-id="3ca20e44cb2bd25df856e0b57a0a3682""They let Hazel stay here," Percy noted./p
p data-p-id="4a92916fd70b1f461a55600b1c49f155""That's different," Nico said./p
p data-p-id="fc4800d4fa76a20fb6e4684be71dd307""Why?"/p
p data-p-id="9502264756ac8c57109687f769d2adbd""Percy, guys," Hazel cut in, "look, the giants aren't the worst problem. Even ... even Gaea isn't the worst problem. The thing you noticed about the gorgons, how they wouldn't die except when Colton shot them, that's our biggest worry."/p
p data-p-id="0d0ed66905475c9a94ca239bbe603676"She looked at Nico. She was getting dangerously close to her own secret now, but for some reason Hazel trusted Percy. She felt like trusting all four of them, even Colton despite what seemed like an aura of massive secrets lurking underneath the surface emitting from the son of Mars. Maybe because they all were outsiders too, maybe because Colton had simply refused to run when he picked up the gun and chose instead to stand and fight. They deserved to know what they were facing./p
p data-p-id="c53d69ec778cd137c03a3fd511e461f6""Nico and I," she said carefully, "we think that what's happening is...Death isn't—"/p
p data-p-id="e6f4cb26b4292f5dc546065666915558"Before she could finish, a shout came from down the hill. Even as she turned, Hazel could see that Colton's eyes had lit up with realization, as if he had figured out what the missing word had been./p
p data-p-id="a1addf91446c71e32e1e9ae935149f59"It was Carlton, one of the few friends Hazel had in the legion other than Frank. Even under the armor he was wearing — he obviously had been acting as relief for her and Frank at the tunnel after the attack earlier — she could recognize the son of Discordia's voice from a mile away./p
p data-p-id="2e492bafcf26dd219d91df6e3313d1ca"He reached the shrine. "Hey, Nico..." Even though he was Hazel's friend, he still sounded a little bit wary of her brother. "Carlton." Nico just said the boy's name without even a hint of emotion./p
p data-p-id="7459ff14d400a9b18b47d5525f1d0f7d""Reyna sent me to get Percy," Carlton said. "Did Octavian accept you?"/p
p data-p-id="2fd104a1f681689cc78abd7c3cd8794f""Yeah," Percy said. "He slaughtered my panda." Even under the helmet, Hazel could have sworn that she saw Carlton's eyes light up with fear for a moment. She turned around and lo and behold, Luke and Michael were once again calming a ticked off Colton./p
p data-p-id="14c7fb1a2e8b91543bc709d161da7eca""He...Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears must have nightmares about that guy. But you're in! We need to get you cleaned up before evening muster."/p
p data-p-id="072960e3d85f5bf43b41bf8510c12628"Colton now screamed out loud in anger, no words.. just one long angry screech. Luke and Michael just took a step back, both worried to bits about him. Hazel had turned around and even she was caught off guard by Colton's sudden outburst. emWhat had Carlton said that ticked him off so bad?/em/p
p data-p-id="cc83381c342d19982acf6c42112ad88c"She now realized the sun was getting low over the hills. How had the day gone so fast? "You're right," she said. "We'd better—"/p
p data-p-id="13bf819b96a1058180e002af15d7da68""Frank," Nico interrupted, "why don't you take Percy down? Hazel and I will be along soon."/p
p data-p-id="1caf7274114e2a15f4216fa5dc49ce4b"Uh-oh, she thought. She tried not to look anxious./p
p data-p-id="09af28a4a938dd4cd9b24ba926f84a2c""That's—that's a good idea," she managed. "Go ahead, guys. We'll catch up."/p
p data-p-id="a52cfa893c69d02d50bd535f9975b6f4"Percy looked at Nico one more time, as though he was still trying to place a memory. Nearby, the other three — since Colton was calming down now — had the same look as Percy did on their faces too. "I'd like to talk with you some more.." Percy started. "I can't shake the feeling—"/p
p data-p-id="7a5c3eeddd67b4119e142090c771a445""Sure," Nico agreed. "Later. I'll be staying overnight."/p
p data-p-id="f6927d91ef7db868dc415df1033643f3""You will?" Hazel blurted. The campers were going to love that—the son of Neptune and the son of Pluto arriving on the same day. Now all they needed was some black cats and broken mirrors./p
p data-p-id="6b33a488d63f6da3349713895aa41134"Then again, with Colton and Michael around, chances were that it was more likely than it seemed./p
p data-p-id="69f1e0482d72a97b28f9b7ef995e51c0""Go on, guys," Nico said. "Settle in." He turned to Hazel, and she got the sense that the worst part of her day was yet to come. "My sister and I need to talk."/p
p data-p-id="5f27aa9f89eef4992dceb59f26c67e21"Colton flashed him a look in suspicion, but eventually Carlton and Frank led the guys off. Either way, Hazel could sense that change was on the horizon in Camp Jupiter — and that her fortunes would drastically improve. She hadn't suspected yet just how much Colton would to prove to be the main driving force behind it./p
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px;" /p
p data-p-id="408dd99f035a9cd9b2f0e78f1b1ba13a"emNico's Current Thoughts/em/p
p data-p-id="4c22332b0170daca92be35e44a072865"There should be no way in the whole world. There should be no way that now, after dropping off the face of the planet for emmonths/em, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Michael Yew, and Colton Reynolds just suddenly reappear as amnesiac demigods in Camp Jupiter. I mean, I had heard that they could be here, but there has been nothing./p
p data-p-id="552e3a8380fc0ad75e0912736760954b"emNothing./em/p
p data-p-id="bd0d80f9f62b29521dcc38be24418737"For nearly six whole months./p
p data-p-id="53e071e63ad07f9b374b75880a5654a8"emUntil now./em/p
p data-p-id="aa4c01410c712255342126cb03ca5b42"Now, here were the four dudes that I had chased so many leads and found nothing while I was looking for them, at Camp Jupiter of all places. I didn't know if I wanted to hug them for being all right after all, or simply slap each of them in the face. Actually, I probably should not do either. In the first case, as Jason had mentioned, they likely don't have their memories right now and in the second case, Colton's holding the rifle right now and probably wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through my head without his memories if I did that. So, best to play it cool and act like I don't know them./p
p data-p-id="0eefb02290f4add2dbccf36e51abcc8e"I definitely felt like smacking Hera in the face though over this. Like, how do you not tell us where exactly you put these four? Oh right, Zeus.. after all the progress I thought I have made with him, he screwed it all up./p
p data-p-id="7f877b9371e6da1f0e14a31628e00ca3"Okay.. focus, Nico.. you can do this.. you can make it through this.. here we go../p
p data-p-id="5662396fad27362da7411d084d73f8c3"- — - — - Switch To Third Person POV - — - — -/p
p data-p-id="8e396ba6c6c3778e2e0b0b0785672e41"Hazel felt like she had just introduced two nuclear bombs to each other, or five as it seemed like at the moment. Now she was waiting to see which one of them exploded first./p
p data-p-id="b838ca5dee525f170104ec2e6f34a074"Until that morning, her brother Nico had been the most powerful demigod she knew. The others at Camp Jupiter saw him as a traveling oddball, about as harmless as the fauns. Hazel knew better. She hadn't grown up with Nico, hadn't even known him very long. But she knew Nico was more dangerous than Reyna, or Octavian, or maybe even Jason./p
p data-p-id="984bfeb560f661dadad1610959171b09"And then she met strongthem/strong, and out of all of them, there was something about Colton that made Hazel's body feel a bit on edge whenever she was around him at all, even if she didn't show it. She too had been absolutely caught off guard by his unusual fighting style, and had never seen anything like it. A demigod using a bow and arrow or some other ancient Roman weapon as a ranged fighter — say as like a son or legacy of Apollo, that she could see made sense, but a son of Mars literally picking up a Civil War era weapon made by mortals while amnesiac and then proceeding to kill two Gorgons with one bullet where Frank's arrow had failed to even kill one of them.. as if Colton had used this weapon for a very long amount of time, it was absolutely beyond logic in Hazel's mind./p
p data-p-id="86174175a4c619c21289df6291795543"Aside from him, something about Luke seemed off, like there was more to his past than he seemed to give, judging from the rest of camp's reaction to him./p
p data-p-id="cb06a8473f420bdf8d7929c2366fd745"Michael may not have looked like a son of Apollo, but there was no mistaking that he inherited the sun god's legendary temper, that was for sure.. or the lie detector part either. The fact that red X's appeared in Michael's eyes as Reyna said she didn't know the final member of this unusual quadrant of newcomers was something to behold./p
p data-p-id="7ba4a7183cd2954908ca5f2effcf4024"And then there was Percy./p
p data-p-id="5f0fd991f16d317cb0d2b7fbbdf2d327"At first, when she saw him stumbling up the highway with the old lady in his arms, Hazel had thought he might be a god in disguise. Even though he was beat up, dirty, and stooped with exhaustion — then again all four of them were, Percy had an aura of power about him. He had the good looks of a Roman god, with sea-green eyes and wind blown black hair./p
p data-p-id="7a1632c0c8b1b6ba0acef2bdf4149f68"She'd ordered Frank not to fire on him, or any of them for that matter. She thought the gods might be testing them. She'd heard myths like that before: a kid with an old lady begs for shelter, and when the rude mortals refuse—boom, they get turned into banana slugs./p
p data-p-id="ac9743cec0100ac4f17908859783e945"Then Colton had killed both Gorgons with one shot, and the whole camp been stirred up with talk about the four of them./p
p data-p-id="99a3909f6ebc6d73fed0ef5cc2bbd22f"And to think that Percy was.. a son of the sea god.../p
p data-p-id="40a6545f96db1b62ee6cd456d5c7c9bf"Long ago, Hazel had been told that a descendant of Neptune would save her. But could Percy really take away her curse? It seemed too much to hope for. But then again, with Colton seemingly breaking just about everything she knew — from Octavian's arrogance to being a son of Mars that used guns instead of getting in up close, anything could happen. That was for sure./p
p data-p-id="b6f91a57261d34a5fd852a91eb2f45e4"Percy and Nico shook hands. They — along with Colton, Michael, and Luke — studied each other warily, and Hazel fought the urge to run. If these two — Percy and Nico — busted out the magic swords or Colton decided to take a shot with the rifle, things could get ugly./p
p data-p-id="d4d52ffae696e1940a8566ef1835e297"Nico didn't appear scary. He was skinny and sloppy in his rumpled black clothes. His hair, as always, looked like he'd just rolled out of bed./p
p data-p-id="ef7e213687c464fb52e3ad25372dc15d"Hazel remembered when she'd met him. The first time she'd seen him draw that black sword of his, she'd almost laughed. The way he called it "Stygian iron," all serious-like—he'd looked ridiculous. This scrawny white boy was no fighter. She certainly hadn't believed they were related./p
p data-p-id="e9a6680db1764fef676c8445320cb08a"She had changed her mind about that quick enough./p
p data-p-id="73c2f0ebdfd03eb518fd9607ed1ed8b8"Percy scowled. "I—I know you."/p
p data-p-id="d0e84eae0d03737dc8a4982f5ca698c2"There was a good amount of recognition present in the eyes of Colton, Michael, and Luke as well, as if they all also recognized Nico too. Frank watched on, interested in what was happening too and not saying a word./p
p data-p-id="6d3d26dfc25ae49de0a15146d4ba0036"Nico raised his eyebrows. "Do you? Do any of you at all?" He looked at Hazel for explanation./p
p data-p-id="b8366e8611b4c20792d0689fe391001e"Hazel hesitated. Something about her brother's reaction wasn't right. He was trying hard to act casual, but when he had first seen the four of them, Hazel had noticed his momentary look of panic. Nico already knew them. She was sure of it. Why was he pretending otherwise?/p
p data-p-id="e802ddfc066fa6ec843b5b74218a379d"Hazel forced herself to speak. "Um...they have all lost their memories for the most part." She told her brother what had happened since all four of them had arrived at the gates. She could have sworn she had seen her brother's lips slightly curl up into a smile when she told him about what Colton had done with the rifle./p
p data-p-id="d7a4ca30cf2dafa0713787a901e27670""So, Nico..." she continued carefully, "I thought...you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like them before, or..."/p
p data-p-id="293073bed8fd0fdc77bd0256713e0e06"Nico's expression turned as dark as Tartarus. Hazel didn't understand why, but she got the message: Drop it./p
p data-p-id="bb07feb1983399f781198028bfc00ab8""This story about Gaea's army," Nico said. "You warned Reyna?"/p
p data-p-id="00a6b2b9a57b937d89e610b9c65e5943"Percy nodded. "Who is Gaea, anyway?"/p
p data-p-id="5835c98d815194a2c0dbe724acc1d103"Hazel's mouth went dry. Just hearing that name...It was all she could do to keep her knees from buckling. She remembered a woman's soft sleepy voice, a glowing cave, and feeling her lungs fill with black oil. Hazel was also pretty sure that Colton or Michael — she wasn't sure which of them it was — had seen it, because shortly thereafter there was the sound of someone smacking another person on the head and then the sound of Percy yelling, "Ow! That's the third time today!"/p
p data-p-id="d908a6b34f2de2f24f6807d3e6942054""She's the earth goddess." Nico glanced at the ground as if it might be listening. "The oldest goddess of all. She's in a deep sleep most of the time, but she hates the gods and their children."/p
p data-p-id="82a8a233df3a39baa04a76b4e66e252a""Mother Earth...is evil?" Percy asked./p
p data-p-id="03d5e820efc759b8133315a9a02cfd14"Hazel was sure she heard a snort from Colton./p
p data-p-id="3b1a9b35021eac4d21ba59ce09bd4d07""Very," Nico said gravely. "She convinced her son, the Titan Kronos—um, I mean, Saturn—to kill his dad, Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans ruled for a long time. Then the Titans' children, the Olympian gods, overthrew them."/p
p data-p-id="05d1ab5ee856bbe6d89caca9560f7cc8""That story seems familiar," Percy sounded surprised, like an old memory had partially surfaced. "But I don't think I ever heard the part about Gaea."/p
p data-p-id="139cb1c67b75473003832f46520c79f0"Hazel took a look at the four of them. Percy, Michael, and Luke seemed to have the same expression on their faces, but Colton.. it looked like he was maybe having a lot more memories that he could remember right now but couldn't./p
p data-p-id="12f6cde653bbf10e3b0c249b0c7ba6d0"Nico shrugged. "She got mad when the gods took over. She took a new husband—Tartarus, the spirit of the abyss—and gave birth to a race of giants. They tried to destroy Mount Olympus, but the gods finally beat them. At least...the first time."/p
p data-p-id="8aa470c4474eee036ec3093541d3331b""The first time?" Percy repeated. Colton's face turned red with anger, Michael looked like as if he was remembering a nightmare, and Luke's head dropped as if he was full of guilt./p
p data-p-id="8daff807e5de97f64d7b7055c06135fe"Nico glanced at Hazel. He probably wasn't meaning to make her feel guilty, but she couldn't help it. If Percy knew the truth about her, and the horrible things she'd done.../p
p data-p-id="1cb1aa7ef406106160641d761e6444f0""Last summer," Nico continued, "Saturn tried to make a comeback. There was a second Titan war. The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othrys, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared—" He hesitated, watching their faces. Hazel got the feeling her brother was nervous that more of their memories might come back./p
p data-p-id="b1e958f30d41eb625c04f976d482a183""Um, anyway," Nico continued, "Saturn probably faded back to the abyss. We all thought the war was over. Now it looks like the Titans' defeat stirred up Gaea. She's starting to wake. I've heard reports of giants being reborn. If they mean to challenge the gods again, they'll probably start by destroying the demigods..."/p
p data-p-id="6af8740fb159ca8cbbece5e33f9e5952""You've told Reyna this?" Percy asked./p
p data-p-id="56737939463001927bf4b16c16ec31af""Of course." Nico's jaw tensed. "The Romans don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she'd listen to you. Children of Pluto...well, no offense, but they think we're even worse than children of Neptune. We're bad luck."/p
p data-p-id="e1526f741131c428efdb193035fbf790""Okay.. that's absolute horse shit.." Michael cussed. "What the fuck is with these people?" Michael had gone from terror to anger in a split second so fast, it absolutely shocked Hazel as to how quickly the son of Apollo could go from one emotion to another./p
p data-p-id="7cd1a6ae04f931ee7424f01cd440b4ec"Luke simply nodded his head in agreement with Michael, while Colton looked pissed off now too./p
p data-p-id="3ca20e44cb2bd25df856e0b57a0a3682""They let Hazel stay here," Percy noted./p
p data-p-id="4a92916fd70b1f461a55600b1c49f155""That's different," Nico said./p
p data-p-id="fc4800d4fa76a20fb6e4684be71dd307""Why?"/p
p data-p-id="9502264756ac8c57109687f769d2adbd""Percy, guys," Hazel cut in, "look, the giants aren't the worst problem. Even ... even Gaea isn't the worst problem. The thing you noticed about the gorgons, how they wouldn't die except when Colton shot them, that's our biggest worry."/p
p data-p-id="0d0ed66905475c9a94ca239bbe603676"She looked at Nico. She was getting dangerously close to her own secret now, but for some reason Hazel trusted Percy. She felt like trusting all four of them, even Colton despite what seemed like an aura of massive secrets lurking underneath the surface emitting from the son of Mars. Maybe because they all were outsiders too, maybe because Colton had simply refused to run when he picked up the gun and chose instead to stand and fight. They deserved to know what they were facing./p
p data-p-id="c53d69ec778cd137c03a3fd511e461f6""Nico and I," she said carefully, "we think that what's happening is...Death isn't—"/p
p data-p-id="e6f4cb26b4292f5dc546065666915558"Before she could finish, a shout came from down the hill. Even as she turned, Hazel could see that Colton's eyes had lit up with realization, as if he had figured out what the missing word had been./p
p data-p-id="a1addf91446c71e32e1e9ae935149f59"It was Carlton, one of the few friends Hazel had in the legion other than Frank. Even under the armor he was wearing — he obviously had been acting as relief for her and Frank at the tunnel after the attack earlier — she could recognize the son of Discordia's voice from a mile away./p
p data-p-id="2e492bafcf26dd219d91df6e3313d1ca"He reached the shrine. "Hey, Nico..." Even though he was Hazel's friend, he still sounded a little bit wary of her brother. "Carlton." Nico just said the boy's name without even a hint of emotion./p
p data-p-id="7459ff14d400a9b18b47d5525f1d0f7d""Reyna sent me to get Percy," Carlton said. "Did Octavian accept you?"/p
p data-p-id="2fd104a1f681689cc78abd7c3cd8794f""Yeah," Percy said. "He slaughtered my panda." Even under the helmet, Hazel could have sworn that she saw Carlton's eyes light up with fear for a moment. She turned around and lo and behold, Luke and Michael were once again calming a ticked off Colton./p
p data-p-id="14c7fb1a2e8b91543bc709d161da7eca""He...Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears must have nightmares about that guy. But you're in! We need to get you cleaned up before evening muster."/p
p data-p-id="072960e3d85f5bf43b41bf8510c12628"Colton now screamed out loud in anger, no words.. just one long angry screech. Luke and Michael just took a step back, both worried to bits about him. Hazel had turned around and even she was caught off guard by Colton's sudden outburst. emWhat had Carlton said that ticked him off so bad?/em/p
p data-p-id="cc83381c342d19982acf6c42112ad88c"She now realized the sun was getting low over the hills. How had the day gone so fast? "You're right," she said. "We'd better—"/p
p data-p-id="13bf819b96a1058180e002af15d7da68""Frank," Nico interrupted, "why don't you take Percy down? Hazel and I will be along soon."/p
p data-p-id="1caf7274114e2a15f4216fa5dc49ce4b"Uh-oh, she thought. She tried not to look anxious./p
p data-p-id="09af28a4a938dd4cd9b24ba926f84a2c""That's—that's a good idea," she managed. "Go ahead, guys. We'll catch up."/p
p data-p-id="a52cfa893c69d02d50bd535f9975b6f4"Percy looked at Nico one more time, as though he was still trying to place a memory. Nearby, the other three — since Colton was calming down now — had the same look as Percy did on their faces too. "I'd like to talk with you some more.." Percy started. "I can't shake the feeling—"/p
p data-p-id="7a5c3eeddd67b4119e142090c771a445""Sure," Nico agreed. "Later. I'll be staying overnight."/p
p data-p-id="f6927d91ef7db868dc415df1033643f3""You will?" Hazel blurted. The campers were going to love that—the son of Neptune and the son of Pluto arriving on the same day. Now all they needed was some black cats and broken mirrors./p
p data-p-id="6b33a488d63f6da3349713895aa41134"Then again, with Colton and Michael around, chances were that it was more likely than it seemed./p
p data-p-id="69f1e0482d72a97b28f9b7ef995e51c0""Go on, guys," Nico said. "Settle in." He turned to Hazel, and she got the sense that the worst part of her day was yet to come. "My sister and I need to talk."/p
p data-p-id="5f27aa9f89eef4992dceb59f26c67e21"Colton flashed him a look in suspicion, but eventually Carlton and Frank led the guys off. Either way, Hazel could sense that change was on the horizon in Camp Jupiter — and that her fortunes would drastically improve. She hadn't suspected yet just how much Colton would to prove to be the main driving force behind it./p
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