When Zia and Walt portaled through to the sphinx statue on top of Brooklyn House, they found a welcoming committee waiting for them. Not a big one, but an unusual one. As expected, there were two young magicians, who Zia guessed were trainees of Sadie and Carter. Then there was Bast. The cat goddess. It made Zia's skin crawl to be in the presence of a goddess. It went against all of her training to suffer their presence . . . but it was necessary, however much it freaked her out.

The last member of the welcoming committee freaked Zia out even worse than the goddess. Zia didn't know how she knew, but the moment she laid eyes on the tall, dark-haired boy with sea-green eyes, she knew that she was in the presence of a son of Poseidon.

"Demigod," she said, and took a step back, ready to defend herself.

"What?" Walt looked at her sideways.

"How'd you know?" asked the demigod.

"I don't know," said Zia. "I just did."

"Residual knowledge that Nephthys left in your mind," said Bast. The cat goddess was staring at her sharply when Zia looked her way. "You are no longer the river goddess's host. Pity. We could have used the extra firepower. Or waterpower, as I guess it would be. But her consciousness melded with yours enough that you have some of her knowledge and instincts, whether you want it or not." Then under her breath she added, "That should make things interesting."

"What do you mean by that?" demanded Zia.

"You'll find out soon enough, darling. But where are my manners? I'm Bast, as you already must know. That's Julian, one of our trainees, this is Alyssa . . . and this, fine young demigod, who I have the privilege of introducing to you is Percy Jackson. The son of Poseidon."

It was the way Bast said 'Posiedon' that made Zia's hackles rise. It felt like a challenge and a threat, and on some level, Zia felt like she needed to destroy Percy. Not because of any malicious reasons, but because he was a danger to her. He was the son of a water deity whose domain was so much greater than her own. Not just Poseidon's son, but a power source as well, since the Greek gods drew strength from their children, their children's exploits, and worship, and she could take this opportunity to steal away some of Poseidon's power, ensure that what she needed to protect was safe, if only she could just destroy -

NO!

Zia stumbled backward, away from Percy.

That is not me, she told herself angrily. That is not me! Those thoughts aren't mine! He has done nothing to deserve being harmed, so I will reserve judgment!

"Are you alright?"

The concern in those sea green eyes made Zia feel even worse.

"Yes. I'm fine." Zia looked away.

Percy didn't look convinced. He glanced at Bast, then the Egyptian magicians, as though he expected one of them to say something, then he seemed to remember that with the exception of Walt, they knew no more about her than he did. "Well, if you need help or something, just let one of us know, and we'll try to help you. But we need to concentrate on the house's defenses now. We just came up here to make sure it was you guys who portaled in, rather than the House of Life freaks. Why don't you come back down inside with us? Julian and Alyssa will be covering the roof during the battle."

"Actually," Zia spoke up, "I would like to request that post as well."

"Your specialty is fire, if I remember right, no?" asked Bast. Then she looked at Percy. "Up here she will be able to use her powers to their full extent. You remember what happened the last time we had a magician with a fire affinity fighting inside."

"Yeah. You're right."

"However, I would like to speak with Amos before the battle begins . . . and I would like to attempt to speak to the other magicians who are on the way, from the House of Life. We may be able to end this without fighting."

Bast snickered. Percy shot her a sharp glance, then nodded to Zia. "To be honest, I don't think they'll be willing to listen. You . . . you've been sleeping these past few months, right? So you missed the big blow up awhile back, when some people from the House of Life almost started a war with the Greek pantheon after they attacked a son of Hades."

Zia felt doubt creeping up inside of her, caused by knowledge that she also knew wasn't her own. "The entire Greek pantheon would not go to war over a son of Hades simply being attacked."

Percy looked a little frustrated, like he really didn't want to have to tell this story, and he kept glancing at Bast as though to look for cues from her. Zia wasn't sure if it was because as a demigod, there were certain things he wasn't supposed to reveal to Egyptians, or if it was something else. Somehow, she got the sense that it was something else.

"I'll sum it up as quickly as I can, since we don't have much time. A couple years ago, the Titans from Greek mythology, who ruled the world before the Greek gods, started to rise again. It was a mess. It started a war. We lost a lot of heroes. In fact, we almost lost everything. It was only at the final battle that we were able to pull together and seize victory, and only then because everyone, gods and demigods, realized that what really mattered the most was taking care of your family. Poseidon abandoned his palace and let it be destroyed to help his brothers and sisters chain Typhon, and Hades rose from the Underworld with an army of undead soldiers and defended Olympus in the other gods' absence. So when Hades's son was kidnapped, you can imagine how well that went over with everyone."

Zia stared in shock. "The House of Life actually kidnapped a demigod? B-but that - that is taboo! We're supposed to have as little to do with you guys as possible."

"It started off as a sort of misunderstanding," said Percy. "They didn't kidnap him in their first meeting, just attacked him, because he interfered when they were attacking Sadie and Carter."

"Why would he do that? The only people you like less than us are the Romans."

Bast coughed very loudly and quickly. "What Nico saw was two kids being attacked by two adults. He's not the kind of guy who can just do nothing when he sees innocent people being attacked. And anyway, they didn't kidnap him at that point, like Percy said. Hades got some faulty news, and when he wasn't able to get in touch with Nico, assumed the worst, and sent the House of Life a warning: Give me back my son or I kill you all. There was also something in the deal about how the ones responsible for Nico's disappearance be handed over to him, and something about an extended stay in Tartarus for them, and so what did the House of Life decide to do? They decided to kidnap him for real and try to throw the blame on Sadie and Carter rather than simply asking Nico to explain what really happened to his father. So what makes you think that talking with them is going to work this time?"

"I still must try," said Zia, though what she'd just heard had unnerved her. Then there was something else. Something uncurling in the back of her mind. She was pretty sure that it was something related to Nephthys. More residual knowledge or whatever the cat goddess had called it. Zia heard herself asking, "So is this Nico here today as well?"

There was definitely a look exchanged between Percy and Bast. "He is," said Percy. "He's resting right now, but I'll be getting him up soon. He was just . . . he just . . ."

"He was one of the people trying to save the world behind the scenes these past few weeks," said Bast. "Sadie and Carter may be the poster children, but there are a lot of people who don't want this world destroyed. Nico went through an exhausting ordeal that he only just returned from several hours ago."

"I would like to speak with him as well," said Zia. And she realized that she really did want to speak with this mysterious boy. She just didn't know why. There was no strategic value to it, and she knew almost nothing about him. She just really wanted to talk to him anyway.

Another look passed between Percy and Bast. Bast gave a shrug then Percy looked to Zia. "After this is all over. I'll introduce you to him then."

"What position will he be holding during this . . . siege, or whatever this is shaping up to be?" asked Zia.

"He'll be on the terrace with me, Bast, and most of the other magicians" said Percy. "We figure that is where they're likely to concentrate their attack. The layout of the roof makes it easier to defend. We'll have a small force with some of the younger students watching the door on the eastern side, even though it's heavily warded against enemies and intruders. Hopefully they won't have to see combat."

"If Nico is suffering from exhaustion, should he not be with that group?" asked Zia.

Percy gave a short laugh. "Just try suggesting that to him."

"At least tell him to be careful."

Percy cocked one eyebrow in a confused manner. "I think he knows to be careful."

"It's not his first party, magician," said Bast. "In fact, these children of the Big Three are extremely useful. What I'd give to have a dozen more like them on our side . . ."

Zia stiffened. "That would be bad." And it would be. For so many reasons. She wasn't entirely certain that she was on their side . . . and the idea of enemies of the House of Life building up an army of powerful demigods and Egyptian magicians was a scary one.

"Yes, that would be very bad for our enemies." Bast smiled, which made Zia's guard rise. But what she said next put Zia a bit more at ease. "Apophis wouldn't stand a chance."

It galled Zia a little bit, but Bast was right. Apophis was the real enemy . . . and here the House of Life was, attacking their own first line of defense.

Zia looked across the roof, toward the river, and tried to organize her thoughts. Ever since she'd woken up, she'd been in a constant state of confusion. It was like everything she'd known had changed while she was asleep, and she woke up to find the world was a completely different place.

Movement on the water caught her eye.

"Look there," she said, pointing. A fleet of Egyptian style boats were approaching. The enemy had arrived.

---------------------------------------------

"What? What's she doing?" demanded Nico. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "You didn't seriously send her out to parley with them!"

"It was her idea," Percy told his irate little cousin. "And if there's a chance to end this without conflict, isn't that the best course of action?"

"End it without conflict? Have you been drinking Lethe water?" Nico had to make an effort to keep his voice down, otherwise he would have been howling. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time we dealt with them?"

"Of course not," said Percy. "I seriously doubt it's going to work either, but it's still better to make the attempt. I don't think that the House of Life is completely made up of bad people. The only way we can ever hope to reach them is if we keep trying to do the right thing."

Nico hated to admit it, but Percy had a point, but still . . . "The people in that strike force they're sending against us aren't the decent ones you're trying to reach. If they were, they wouldn't be marching on a house full of kids."

"I know but -"

"Aziza's with them, Percy. You know what she's like."

"Of course I do." Percy's eyes turned steely. "I haven't forgotten what she did to you, and don't think for a moment I'll ever forgive her for it."

Nico was a bit taken back by the fury he could suddenly see smoldering in Percy's eyes.

"When they attack, and there's no doubt in my mind that they will, I'm going to remind her why The House of Life's policy is to leave demigods alone. And then I'm going to remind her why she should stay the hell away from my family. Then if there's anything left, I'm going to remind her what tiger fish are."

Despite himself Nico smiled. It was hard to be afraid of Aziza when he had Percy right beside him, ready to beat her black and blue. And Anubis was on standby too, ready to tag in if he needed help. But most of the fighting would be done by Nico. It was one of the first things they'd established when trying to come to terms with their new status as roommates in each other's heads. Since it was Nico's body, and his life on the line, he remained in control during fights. Anubis only intervened if Nico was rendered incapable of fighting on his own, or if Nico needed help with a particular Egyptian spell.

Despite the fact that they were having a conversation, and looking toward each other at times, they both kept the majority of their attention on the waterfront, where Zia had just met the House of Life strike-force. They could see that she was trying to convince them of something. There was quite a bit of arm waving and raised voices as an argument broke out. Zia jabbed one finger toward the multitudes of demons that had been summoned.

"It's not going well," noted Percy.

"I am shocked by this sudden turn of events," said Nico blandly.

"Hey . . . I didn't mention this earlier because I assumed you were planning as much on your own, but when things go bad down there -"

"She's going to need someone to drag her out of there at the speed of darkness," finished Nico. "I'm way ahead of you."

"You have enough strength for that?" asked Percy.

"Yep. I feel much better after my nap and my Cup o' Soup. I can warp down there and back no problem. It's not far at all."

"But you'll be taking a passenger, and it's not fully dark yet," pointed out Percy.

"I can still do it. You know I can, or you would have asked me about it before now, right?"

"Right. But I didn't think it through well until now. Doing that's going to wipe you out, isn't it?"

"It's a short distance. I'll be okay."

The shouting was more pronounced now. The magicians' postures were changing. They were gearing up for a fight.

"Get ready," said Percy, his voice tense.

"I am ready," replied Nico, his attention riveted on the scene by the waterfront. He saw the exact moment when one of the enemy magicians started to raise his wand. Immediately, he merged with the shadows, teleporting the short distance down to Zia. He landed right behind her and grabbed her around the waist, because there was no time for tact or pleasantries. Just time enough to grab Zia and blend back into the shadows before the lead magician could blast Zia with his wand.

Nico's return to the roof wasn't nearly as neat or precise as his departure. The consecutive shadow trips took too much out of him, even if he was only traveling a couple dozen yards. He didn't manage to warp in close to Percy, and was off balance the moment the floor was solid under him. He stumbled backwards and tried to cling to Zia for balance, but Zia was in too much shock from the experience. They both fell backwards, Zia on top of Nico, knocking the wind out of him.

Percy and Walt hurried over to help them up.

"You okay, Zia?" asked Percy, even though he was focusing more on getting his cousin back to his feet, while Walt helped Zia up

"Yes. But . . . what was that?"

"Shadow travel," said Percy. "Nicely done, by the way, Nico."

"Th-thanks." Nico blinked rapidly hoping to ward off exhaustion. "I . . . is it alright if I sit down a second?"

"Are you alright?"

Suddenly, Nico felt someone seize his shoulders. His eyes widened as he realized that this Zia girl was staring at him with so much concern, even though they'd only just met. Or actually, they hadn't really met. This was their first time seeing each other face to face. So why did Zia somehow seem so familiar? And why did Nico not really mind her grabbing him and looking at him with such concern?

It's a side effect of both of you hosting gods, Anubis spoke up. She was Nephthys's host.

But she's not anymore? And what would it have to do with anything even if she was? demanded Nico.

Nephthys is my mother, Anubis reminded him.

Oh, right. Oh...Oh ,Hades. That means...?

Yeah. Some of the familial affection we have for each other will have been transferred to both of you.

. . .

For whatever it's worth, I am sorry, Nico, Anubis told him. I know how you feel about family. I would never have done this to you deliberately. I had hoped that the transference would be minimal but -

We don't have time for this, said Nico. We've got a battle to win, remember?

He stepped out of Zia's hold and stumbled toward Percy. "I'm fine. Leave me alone. We're about to get invaded. We should get down to the terrace."

"Actually," said Percy, "I want you to stay up here, Nico."

"You must be joking."

"I'm not. You need some time to recover from those jumps."

"I'm a melee fighter! This is going to be a magic sniping battle up here, Percy!"

"You can be their reserve and cut down anything that makes it too close."

"No! I want to kill some stuff downstairs!" shouted Nico. What he was actually thinking was, You can't make me stay here with her!

They had talked about this. They had decided that since Zia wasn't possessed by Nephthys anymore, if she didn't already know about Nico being Anubis's host, she didn't need to know, and that the best thing would be for Nico to stay away from her. If Nephthys was still in her mind, she would have been on their side by default, since Nephthys was a loving mother. Since Zia wasn't possessed anymore, it was better that she didn't learn about their situation, and wasn't given a chance to guess what had happened. No one knew what she would do if she figured it out.

"I'm serious, Nico. Stay here."

"I'm serious too, Percy. No."

The two cousins stared each other down. Or in Nico's case, tried to. Their staring match was called off when his knees started wobbling, and he almost fell. Percy grabbed his arm to keep him steady. Zia grabbed his other arm. Nico glared at her and she let go.

"You can either stay here and act as their reserve, or go join Felix and the other children and newbies and not see any action. Choose now."

When Percy had that look in his eyes, it meant there was no changing his mind. Nico might as well have tried to hold back the tides or convince a cyclone to start spinning the other way.

"I'll stay here," he muttered, then added under his breath, "you bastard."

"I heard that."

"Good!"

Percy rolled his eyes, then clapped one hand down on Nico's shoulder before turning to leave. "Stay safe, cousin."

Nico reverted back to serious mode. "You too. Watch your back."

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Nico turned, ready to snarl at Zia to keep her hands off him, but it was just Walt.

"We should hold the stairwell. It's defensible, and if they get through that door they'll be inside the house."

"Thank you Captain Obvious," said Nico, but followed him and Zia back to the stairwell where Julian and Alyssa had already moved to. "By the way, when did we get a griffin? I'm pretty sure that wasn't here when I left."

"Long story," Walt told him. "But in short, that's Freak, Carter's new pet."

"We should have had Percy bring his hellhound."

"What?"

"Nothing. Nevermind." Nico closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He heard something explode down on the terrace, where their enemies were apparently beginning their attack. "I don't have enough energy for any magic, so I guess I'll do what Percy said and cut down anything that gets too close. Everyone alright with that?"

"Yeah. Because no offense, but you look like hell," Julian told him.

"I look like Hades," Nico corrected him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Zia asked again.

Nico's eyes shot open as he felt a warm hand on his forehead.

"You're as cold as ice!" Zia sounded shocked.

Nico batted her hand away. "Stop treating me like a child. Make yourself useful and go deal with those flying snakes that we've got incoming!"

"What? Oh -"

"He's right, we've got incoming," said Alyssa.

The magicians drew their weapons as the flying snakes swept downward, followed by half a dozen demons and an equal number of magicians.

A chill swept through Nico as he recognized one of those magicians.

"Hello, pet," Aziza called to him as she stepped forward, a malicious smile on her face.