Daughter of Light

Max

I'm still fuming from my argument with Octavian. Gods, I hate that guy. He's always belittling me, making me feel small. I can't help that I have dreams and visions. I mean, they just happen. But he seems to feel threatened by me. He makes every attempt to make me look like a liar. He wants to be the only one in camp with the gift of prophecy. After so many years, people have just started to believe him. Afterall, I haven't had any visions that have come to pass yet. Just random garbled images that make no sense. 

Anyways, I like Nico di Angelo. He's different than other Roman demigods. They see him as a sort of travelling oddball, but I don't. He's a free spirit. I have to admit, I envy him a little. The legion is fine and all, but it's always so neat and tidy and organized. I like a little chaos in my life. The way he travels around and sees the world sounds so fun. Being a centurion for the rest of my life and then retiring sounds so dull. 

People are scared of Nico, being that he's a son of Pluto. I don't see why that should have any effect, but it gives people the creeps. Maybe that's why I feel such a strong urge to make him feel welcome every time he's here. He seems to appreciate it, at least. He always smiles when he sees me coming, which is a lot coming from him. 

Percy and Nico shake hands. They study each other warily, and I get a weird feeling like I should run. There's an unspoken tension between the two of them. Something they're not saying to each other. Nico is incredibly powerful. But so is Percy. If these guys decide to bust out the magic swords, things could get messy. 

Percy scowls. "I-I know you."

Nico raises his eyebrows. "Do you?" He looks to Hazel for an explanation. 

Hazel hesitates. She must have noticed that faint look of recognition that flashed across Nico's face when he first saw Percy. Now, he's trying to act casual, but it's clear he's seen this guy before. Why is he trying to hide it?

"Um, Percy lost his memory." Hazel says. She tells her brother what's happened since Percy arrived at the gates.

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

Nico's expression turns dark. I don't know why, but the message is clear: Drop it.

"This story about Gaea's army," Nico says. "You warned Reyna?"

Percy nods. "Who is Gaea, anyway?"

I nod in agreement. "I thought she was, like, mother nature or whatever. Like, with squirrels doing her laundry and birds singing her to sleep-"

"That's Snow White, Max." Hazel smiles a little. 

"She's the earth goddess." Nico glances 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."

"Mother Earth...is evil?" Percy asks. 

My insides tighten. Pieces fall into place. Mother Earth...asleep...hates the children of the gods. I force down a whimper. 

Oh, man. It's her. I try to maintain my chillness, but I'm on the verge of panic.

"Very." Nico says 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."

"That story seems familiar," Percy sounds surprised, like an old memory has partially surfaced. "But I don't think I ever heard the part about Gaea."

Nico shrugs. "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."

"The first time?" Percy repeats.

"Last summer," Nico continues, "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 hesitates, watching Percy's face. I get the feeling  Nico is nervous that more of Percy's memory might come back.

"Um, anyway," Nico continues, "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...."

"You've told Reyna this?" Percy asks.

"Of course." Nico's jaw tenses. "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."

"They let Hazel stay here," Percy notes.

"That's different," Nico says.

"Why?"

"Percy," Hazel cuts 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, that's our biggest worry."