Chapter9

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Nico watched as the Kanes left with the Hermes cabin once breakfast was over. They would be safe with the Hermes cabin. Probably.

"So what now?" asked Percy as he sat down across from Nico. "This changes everything."

Nico nodded. Karena the Hunter's death was causing them quite a bit of inconvenience. He knew that he should have felt guilty about thinking of it like that, but he had a couple living people to worry about who he cared about a lot more than some Hunter he didn't even know. It was going to be a lot harder to get Sadie and Carter out of camp without causing some sort of fuss about it now.

"I don't know yet," said Nico. He sighed and closed his eyes. "How is it that everything I do gets so screwed up?"

"It's part of being a demigod," said Percy comfortingly.

"No other demigod here has lost their entire family, spent 60 years in a time warp, lost all their memories, been betrayed by everyone they ever trusted, with the exception of one cousin who they accidentally got imprisoned in the Underworld once, and got their soul fused to an Egyptian god's," said Nico.

"Well, lucky for you I got over that Underworld mishap," said Percy. "And you've also had some good things happen to you too. You've flown with Dedalus' wings. You saved the camp from being burned to the ground. And you turned the tide of the Battle of Mount Olympus. And you have a couple new friends now who I seriously doubt will betray you. Sadie hit Drew for you."

Nico nodded, feeling a bit better, and picked up his glass of orange juice to finish it off.

"I think she might have a crush on you."

"Mmph! Augh!" Nico choked. He nearly sprayed his juice all over Percy, which would have been good payback for the blue Coke incident from the day before, but he was too busy struggling to breath to take advantage.

"Hey! Calm down. Take it easy," said Percy, hitting him on the back.

What's wrong? demanded Anubis. Nico felt the god raking through his thoughts. ? He thinks that Sadie likes you?

He's a moron, Nico told the god.

. . . Anubis said nothing, but somehow Nico felt like that silence was disapproving.

"She does not like me," said Nico when he was able to breath again.

Percy held up his hands in surrender. "I could be wrong."

"You are!"

"Okay," said Percy. "I was wrong. No need to drown yourself in orange juice because of it. Are you finished with breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Then come on." Percy cast a nervous look in the Athena cabin's table. "I can't come up with a plan while Annabeth is glaring at me like that."

Nico stood and followed Percy away from the pavilion.

You should have spit your orange juice on him, said Anubis darkly.

I know, said Nico. I missed my chance.

You could still go back for more orange juice.

We have other things to do, Nico reminded him. And I'm trying not to hold grudges, remember?

Wordless disapproval was the only response that Nico got to that before Anubis withdrew back into the shadows of his mind again.

"We should try to get them out of here before the investigators arrive," said Nico as he and Percy headed toward the weapons training area.

"You don't think it'll look like they're running because they're guilty?" asked Percy.

"It might. But if the investigators find out they're magicians, they might decide that they're guilty and that the investigation is over," pointed out Nico. "They'll realize they're wrong when someone else gets killed, but I don't want anything bad to happen to Sadie and Carter in the meantime. And I'd rather no one else have to die to prove them innocent."

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