(From Son of Neptune)

Waiting for Octavian to tell Hazel I wanted to see her was kind of like knocking on someone's door- you don't know how long you'll be waiting, or if they will come at all. I was contemplating sitting down against the black crypt when I heard footsteps behind me and Hazel's voice.

"Hey, I've brought a friend," she called. I turned to see the last person I would have expected, a boy older than me, his dark hair longer than I remembered, but the sea green eyes were the same. My face must have shown my panic, because the look Hazel gave me held the slightest hints of suspicion. "This is Percy Jackson. He's a good guy. Percy, this is my brother, the son of Pluto."

I pulled myself together and held out my hand, keeping my voice emotionless. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Nico di Angelo."

I studied both their expressions, searching for recognition, or some kind of practical joke. I haven't seen Percy for months.

Percy scowled at me. "I- I know you."

I tried to make my expression casual, maybe confused, and said, "Do you?"

Hazel didn't look convinced. I kept it up. I didn't know what was happening, so I would keep at this. Zeus help me if it was my fault the camps crashed together.

My sister spoke reluctantly. "Um... Percy's lost his memory." She proceeded to explain about harpies and Juno and Reyna, and Percy said something about a hippie bag lady.

I thought hard about what they said, my thoughts snapping back when Hazel spoke again.

"So, Nico... I thought... you know, you travel all over. Maybe you've met demigods like Percy before, or..."

No. The Romans cannot learn of Camp Half-Blood. Hera was playing a dangerous game, and Percy was right in the thick of it. "This story about Gaea's army... You warned Reyna?" The best route would be to stick with how Romans work, for now.

Percy nodded. "Who is Gaea, anyway?"

"She's the earth goddess," I explained, glancing at Hazel, who looked sick, then at the ground suspiciously. I didn't know if she could eavesdrop through the dirt. "The oldest goddess of all. She's in a deep sleep most of the time, but she hates the gods and their children."

"Mother Earth... is evil?" Percy had his kicked-puppy expression on.

I spoke as gravely as I explained the story of the Titans and Olympians, all the while thinking of when Percy had first told Bianca and me that we were demigods. The powerful, intense demigod, so self-assured, over eight months had been turned clueless. The irony hurt.