Pacing back and forth in front of a locked door was not going to help with anything, but Will was doing it anyway. It had been nearly two hours since the doors had been locked, and he was starting to worry. He and Nico were still in the locked rooms, and nobody had come to see them. They hadn't seen Serena since the doors had locked earlier.

"Calm down, Will," Nico suddenly said. "It'll be fine."

"B-but what about Serena? How can you be sure that she's okay?"

Nico rolled his eyes like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're in Poseidon's palace. Poseidon happens to be Serena's father, so I'd be guessing that they'd take good care of her. Would you want to treat the sea god's daughter poorly right under his nose?"

"I guess not. Doesn't stop me from worrying though."

The son of Hades sighed exasperatedly. "Worrying won't do us any good, Will. Don't you get that? They'll come get us eventually, and we'll see Serena then."

As if on cue, the lock on the stone door clicked and a merman guard opened the door.

"Lord Poseidon has requested an audience with you and his daughter. Follow me." The guard said, then swam out the door. Nico gave Will an I-told-you-so look before swimming after the merman, followed by the son of Apollo.

Will worries way to much for other people. Nico thought as they followed the guard. It's gonna get him in trouble eventually.

They came to a stop in front of two elaborately decorated stone doors; obviously the entrance to the throne room. When the doors opened, Nico was surprised to see Serena waiting there already, but she looked different. It took Nico a moment to realize that her hair was pulled up into a small ponytail with a few strands that had blue highlights as well as seashells and gemstones braided in. And although she didn't look too happy about it, Serena was wearing a simple long-sleeved seafoam-green dress that hung around her knees. Her shoes were missing, Nico noticed, and Serena had two anklets on that looked like vines. The one on her right ankle was silver and the left one was pearl.

Her daggers, Nico realized. So they turn into anklets? Where did she get a hold of those?

Nico pushed those thoughts away when Serena spoke.

"I'm glad you guys are okay," the daughter of Poseidon said. "I was a little worried when I woke up."

"You were worried?" Will inquired.

"A little bit, why?"

When Will didn't answer, Nico stepped in. "Will here was worried sick about you. I kept telling him that it would be fine, since we're in your father's palace."

"Indeed you are," a deep voice said. Nico pinpointed the source to a table in front of the throne, where a somewhat old man was standing - sorry, swimming. Instead of legs, the man had a glistening green tail. "Might I ask why you are in my palace?"

"Um," Serena looked a bit confused herself. "Uh, well, you see, we, uh..."

She shot Nico and Will a pleading look. Please, I have no idea what to say to him. The message was unsaid, but Nico understood it loud and clear.

"Well, Lord Poseidon," Nico started speaking. "We originally came here to ask about the crashed ships in the area, as well as the Sirens, but another problem has come up since then."

"What would that be?"

Will continued for Nico. "We met a ghost on the way here. It told us that he had crashed the ships we came to investigate, and he was not Greek. The three of us thought that even though we had discovered what caused the crashes, we should still come to inform you about what we saw."

The sea god nodded. "I am aware of the ghost. As for the Sirens, what do you wish to know?"

Serena spoke up this time. "All we wanted to know was their whereabouts. I'm going to assume that they are still in the Sea of Monsters, however, since we found the cause of the crashes. We didn't need to know anything else."

"Hm," Poseidon closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "The Sirens are indeed still in the Sea of Monsters. I can tell you wish to ask me something else, my child?"

Both Nico and Will looked at Serena, each asking her a silent question. What is he talking about?

It took a moment for Serena to answer. "Well, Lord Poseidon," it was clear that she wasn't comfortable calling the sea god 'dad'. "I wanted to ask about...about..."

Poseidon looked at his daughter expectantly. "About...what?"

It looked like Serena was having a little trouble talking. "About...about my mother. My real mother."

Nico scolded himself mentally for not thinking about it earlier. Of course Serena would want to know about her mom. With everything she's learned in the past two weeks, why wouldn't she? When Nico looked at Will, it looked like he was thinking the same thing.

"Your mother," the sea god finally said. "Was a very brave woman. Her name was Arianna Divino. I would tell you more now, but I believe that is a more private conversation."

Nico and Will were then escorted by two guards back outside the throne room, where they waited for Serena to come out.

"Ugh, not this again." Nico swore that if Will complained one more time, he would send the cheery son of Apollo to meet Cerberus.

Once the large stone doors closed behind Nico and Will, Serena began to worry. She didn't understand why they couldn't be in the room for Poseidon to explain. What could he possibly say that he couldn't say in front of her Serena's friends?

"Now, child, are you sure you want to know?" Poseidon asked calmly.

Serena's response was not quite as calm.

"Oh, forget what I said. I don't want to know about my biological mother, who I've never met before," the young demigod said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Of course I want to know!"

"I understand why you would be upset about this, but you need to relax before I can explain."

"Relax? Relax?!" Serena said incredulously. "I have been having nightmares about this for a week! They've made me wake up screaming and crying! I haven't talked to anyone about them because I couldn't. Every time I even thought about it I would feel sick to my stomach!"

"Serena," her father said sternly after another minute of Serena ranting. She quieted herself instantly. "I cannot tell you anything if you don't calm down."

Knowing she shouldn't continue speaking, Serena crossed her arms and huffed indignantly.

"Now, I think I owe you an explanation," the sea god sighed and sat on the throne. "As I said before, your mother's name was Arianna Divino. She was-"

"Was?" Serena echoed, her eyes wide. "What do you mean, 'was'? Is she-"

"No. Arianna is still alive," the young demigod sighed in relief. "Like I was saying, she was very brave. Arianna was a unique being. Not quite a demigod, but not a mortal either."

"If she wasn't a demigod, what was she?"

"She...you remember the nightmares you mentioned before?" Serena nodded. "A few of them involved your ancestry. Do you know which ones they would be?"

Serena didn't have to think too hard to realize what Poseidon meant. Her face paled considerably just thinking about it. "Y-yes, I-I think I do. So that means that her mother was a-"

"Yes."

"And that means I'm part-"

"Yes."

Serena felt like she was going to be sick, even though she had known this was coming. Grateful that they were underwater and her knees couldn't give out from under her, Serena tentatively asked her next question.

"What about her father's side of the family? They weren't normal either, were they?"

Poseidon looked around the room, not apparently wanting to look at his daughter when he answered. "No. They were...different. I did not wish to be the one to inform a demigod of this, but it seems that I must."

This peaked Serena's curiosity. "Inform a demigod of what?"

"Of the Egyptians. The Divino's have a well-respected ancient family line. They are one of the most powerful Egyptian family trees that still lives on today, because of who they are descended from. I apologize, but that is all I can tell you for now, dear."

Now Serena was confused. "Wait, what? Ancient family...Egyptian...what does this all have to do with me?"

"In time, my daughter. Now you and your friends must leave. In the morning, one of my guards will inform you of where you must go, and will see you off."

"But-"

"Now is not the time for this. You and your friends will go back to your rooms now to get some rest. Good luck, my dear."

With that, the stone doors were opened, and Serena was escorted out of her father's throne room, thinking about what she had learned.