After our bout with the pirates, we decided to fly the rest of the way to Rome. Jason insisted he was well enough to take sentry duty, along with Coach Hedge, who was still so charged with adrenaline that every time the ship hit turbulence, he swung his bat and yelled, "Die!"

We had a couple hours before daybreak and Jasper insisted I go back to sleep. I should've known better.

I dreamed I was standing on the front porch of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The sleeping face of Gaea appeared on the side of Half-Blood Hill—her massive features formed from the shadows on the grassy slopes.

Her lips didn't move, but her voice echoed across the valley.

"So this is your home," Gaea murmured. "Take a last look, Eliana Corbyn. You should have returned here. At least then you could have died with your comrades when the Romans invade. Now your blood will be spilled far from home, on the ancient stones, and I will rise."

The ground shook. At the top of Half-Blood Hill, Thalia's pine tree burst into flames. Disruption rolled across the valley—grass turning to sand, forest crumbling to dust. The river and the canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half-Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast.The only thing left was the porch where I stood.

Next to me, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white like sunlight shifting through branches. Her hair was as black as tilled soil. Her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips she seemed cold and distant. I got the feeling she could watch demigods die or cities burn, and that smile wouldn't waver.

"When I reclaim the earth," Gaea said, "I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. It doesn't matter when you fall, my sweet little pawn—to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now...will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the boy. Perhaps I will spare this place you love. Otherwise..."

Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth. Gaea saw everything.

Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, her power was unstoppable. My skin tingled. My hands went numb. I looked down and realized I was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters I'd ever defeated.

"Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn," Gaea purred. But she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at different figure. It reminded me of someone...Percy?

A metallic CLANG-CLANG-CLANG jolted me out of my dream. My eyes shot open. I realized I just heard the landing gear being lowered.There was a knock on his door, and Jasper poked his head in. The bruises on his face had faded. His brown eyes glittered with excitement.

"We're descending over Rome. You really should see this." he said.

I groaned and rubbed my face. He immediately looked concerned.

"You had a vision didn't you?"

I nodded. There was no use in hiding them anymore. I didn't even wait for him to ask, I just began to recount what I had seen to him.

He agreed it wasn't good but there was nothing I could do in my cabin. So I followed him up to the deck.

The sky was brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

I had seen big cities before. Camp Half-Blood was in New York, after all. But the sheer vastness of Rome grabbed me by the throat and made it hard to breathe. The city seemed to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon.

Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites.

A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium. In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets, so that if I concentrated just on those areas, I could imagine I was back in ancient times.

Everywhere I looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to—or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to Rome.

It was as if the city knew about my dream of Gaea. It knew that the earth goddess intended on razing all human civilization, and this city, which had stood for thousands of years, was saying back to her: You wanna dissolve this city, Dirt Face? Give it a shot.

In other words, it was the Coach Hedge of mortal cities—only taller.

"We're setting down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."

It seemed to work. I didn't notice any cars veering off the road or Romans pointing to the sky and screaming,

"Aliens!" The Argo II set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted.

The noise of traffic was all around us, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To our left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies. They reminded me of trees in those Dr. Seuss books my mom used to read to me when I was little.

To our right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers—maybe a medieval defensive line, maybe Ancient Roman. I wasn't sure.

To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos. That's when my legs started shaking. I was actually here. I'd thought my trip to California had been pretty exotic, but now I was in the heart of the old Roman Empire, enemy territory for a Greek demigod. In a way, this place has shaped my life as much as New York.

Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."

Percy frowned. "Scipio...Reyna's pegasus?"

"No," Annabeth put in. "They were a noble Roman family, and...wow, this place is amazing."

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but..."

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence. Looking at my friends' faces, I could tell they were just as much in awe as I was. We'd made it. We'd landed in Rome—the Rome.

"Plans?" Hazel asked. "Nico has until sunset—at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today."

I shook myself out of my daze. "You're right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronzemap?"
Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark, which I could interpret just fine: Remember what I said, buddy. Keep that dream to yourself.

"Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take me along," Percy finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at him. "That's not—"

"Safe," he supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, I looked back and forth between the two.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Percy/Annabeth Show. 

"Um...hopefully, if I get close
enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh...Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask.

I could feel the tension among those three. Ever since they'd gotten knocked into the Atlantic, they hadn't acted quite the same. It wasn't just the two guys competing for Hazel. It was like the three of them were locked together, acting out some kind of murder mystery, but they hadn't yet discovered which of them was the victim.

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "The rest of us can watch the ship for now.But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us.It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on their side.

"Good idea," Percy said. "How about we plan to meet back here at...what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

The others nodded in agreement, but I noticed several of them glancing at Annabeth. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth...I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: behave. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

The idea of getting grounded when they were about to risk their lives was so ridiculous, we all couldn't help smiling.

"We'll be back soon," he promised. He looked around at us. "Good luck, everyone."

Annabeth and I made contact and I gave her an encouraging nod.

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Percy and Annabeth were first off the ship.

"You know what's going to happen to her, don't you?" Piper asked as soon as they left.

I nodded. "She asked me to keep it a secret or else you guys wouldn't let her leave."

There was silence.

"Annabeth's a smart girl. She knows what she's doing. I don't doubt that she will return to us." Jasper said. It was the first time I had heard him say something encouraging about her.

Once we had gotten tired of pacing the deck, listening to Coach Hedge sing "Old MacDonald" (with weapons instead of animals), we decided to have a picnic in the park. Hedge grudgingly agreed. "Stay where I can see you."

"What are we, kids?" Jason asked.

Hedge snorted. "Kids are baby goats. They're cute, and they have redeeming social value. You are definitely not kids."

We spread our blanket under a willow tree next to a pond. Piper turned over her cornucopia and spilled out an entire meal—neatly wrapped sandwiches, canned drinks, fresh fruit, and (for some reason) a birthday cake with purple icing and candles already lit.

She frowned. "Is it someone's birthday?"

Jason winced. "I wasn't going to say anything."

"Jason!"

"There's too much going on," he said. "And honestly...before last month, I didn't even know when my birthday was. Thalia told me the last time she was at camp."

I decided that was when we should take our leave. I didn't want to get in the way of their cute couple moments. Jasper had the same idea and followed me a few feet away from them to a different tree.

"What's wrong?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Nothing." Jasper responded immediately.

I scoffed. "You're being unusually silent."

"I like quiet." I gave him a look.

"I've just been thinking." He said.

"About?" I asked.

"Camp Jupiter," he said. "All the years I trained there. We were always pushing teamwork, working as a unit. I thought I understood what that meant. But honestly? I was always the leader. Even when I was younger—"

"The son of Mars." I said. "The most respected god besides Jupiter."

Jasper looked down. "Being in this crew of nine...I'm not sure what to do. I'm not used to being one of so many, well, equals. I'm not used to being the one following orders. I feel like I'm failing."

"You're not failing." I assured him.

"It sure felt that way when Chrysaor attacked," Jasper said. "I'm supposed to be the strongest fighter and I couldn't even defeat some stupid dolphins."

"That's what your friends are for. We've all got different strengths." I said. "Your strength just isn't fighting dolphins."

"Then what is it?" He said miserably. I thought for a second.

"Well for starters, you're brave and you protect those you care about." I said. Jasper studied me. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped.

Percy Jackson was running toward us, and I could tell from his expression that he brought bad news. We gathered on deck so that Coach Hedge could hear the story. When Percy was done, I still couldn't believe it.

"So Annabeth was kidnapped on a motor scooter," I summed up, "by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn."

"Not kidnapped, exactly," Percy said. "But I've got this bad feeling...." He took a deep breath, like he was trying hard not to freak out. "Anyway, she's—she's gone. Maybe I shouldn't have let her, but—"

"You had to," Piper said. "You knew she had to go alone. Besides, Annabeth is tough and smart. She'll be fine."

Piper put some charmspeak in her voice, which maybe wasn't cool, but Percy needed to be able to focus. If they went into battle, Annabeth wouldn't want him getting hurt because he was too distracted about her.

His shoulders relaxed a little. "Maybe you're right. Anyway, Gregory—I mean Tiberinus—said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought. Hazel and the guys aren't back yet?"

Piper checked the time on the helm control. She hadn't realized how late it was getting. "It's two in the afternoon. We said three o'clock for a rendezvous."

"At the latest," Jason said.

Percy looked at me. "Tiberinus said you could find Nico's location...you know, with..."

"Absolutely not." I said.

"Please," Percy said.

I crossed my arms. I hated when people did this but if it would save Nico...

"Fine." I said giving in. "But there are no promises I'll see his location."

"While you're at it," said Coach Hedge, "see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans."

I glared at him.

"Um...do what?" Piper asked.

"See the future." I grumbled.

"You're doing what?!" Jason said.

"Just be gentle." I said giving a pointed look at Jasper who was holding Coach Hedges bat. He smirked and swung the bat at my head. I suspected he did it extra hard because it hurt really bad. But it worked and I crumbled to the ground and began to dream.

I saw a loft apartment filled with Roman demigods. A dozen of them stood around a dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Reyna paced next to the windows, gazing down at Central Park.

That wasn't good. They've already set up a forward base in Manhattan. And that map showed Long Island, they were discussing invasion routes.

But this wasn't what I wanted to see.

I saw ruins—a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines—all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a moderniron gate with a padlock. The vision zoomed straight through the doorway, down a spiral stairwell, and into a dark, cylindrical chamber like the inside of a grain silo. I remembered the dream where we drowned. This was where it happened.

I saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs.

The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar.The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

I woke with a start. My eyes shot open and I sat up nearly hitting my head with Jaspers.

"You good?" Piper asked. "Jasper hit you pretty hard."

"I know where Nico is." I said. I told them what I had seen. Minus the drowning possibility.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"No," Percy said. "No, I can't believe that. Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry."

"We should wait for the others," I said. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back soon."

"We can't wait," Percy insisted.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guys want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship—or goat the ship. Whatever."

Hedge scowled. "And let you have all the fun?"

Percy gripped the satyr's arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah." Jason managed to keep a straight face. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here." Piper unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands.

The satyr's eyes widened. A demigod was never supposed to leave her weapon behind.

"Keep an eye on us with the blade," Piper suggested. "And you can check the baseball scores."

That sealed the deal. Hedge nodded grimly, prepared to do his part for the quest.

"All right," he said. "But if any giants come this way—"

"Feel free to blast them," Jasper said.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No," we all said in unison.

"Bah. Fine. Just don't take too long, or I'm coming after you with ballistae blazing."