Rowan → Ethan Nakamura ✔

Dart

Once the tale had been told, Percy – who was used to Annabeth's intense looks – glanced away from Rowan. Her eyes were a soulless black, and if he let his vision relax ever so slightly, he saw the silvery flash of blades in her pupils.

Nobody spoke. They squirmed, holding their breath as they waited for Rowan to do something other than stare at Percy. Only Nico seemed comfortable in the silence. Then again, he had been in Rowan's position when he heard of his sister's death, so Percy figured he knew how she felt.

"Ethan is" – she was using the present tense; the truth hadn't been processed yet – "not an idiot."

"He wasn't," Percy agreed, maintaining eye contact now, as if he could will her blame away. "But a very powerful person led him down the wrong path."

"You knew him," Annabeth observed. "When was the last time you saw him?"

Rowan didn't answer the question. She didn't look away from Percy. Pitch-black eyes met cerulean ones, and Percy saw anger so wild that it reminded him of Tartarus. She blamed him for Ethan. He couldn't rationalize it, but in her fury and grief, she could. It was enough for Percy to feel guilt swell in his chest.

He was relieved when she stiffly turned to Nico. "Where is his body?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "His body or his soul?"

"His grave," Rowan said, enunciating as if she were speaking to a toddler. "His tomb. Where is it?"

"We don't bury our dead," Chiron said. "We burn them."

Rowan's eyes shut. Her lips formed a thin, white line. Percy knew she was imagining Ethan's body being reduced to ash. "His soul, then."

"Elysium." Nico answered.

"What?"

"It's where heroes go. He was on the right side in the end. He didn't choose rebirth though, oddly enough."

"How do I get there?"

"Woah, hold on," Will interjected. "You don't really want to do that."

"My dad doesn't like the living," Nico warned. "Not unless it's one of his kids, and even then he's not too friendly."

"I need Ethan back."

"You can't, he's dead!"

Rowan jabbed a harsh finger at the first line of kanji on the notebook. "This is his name," she hissed. "Nakamura. I need to restore balance."

"The son of Nemesis," Chiron said quietly. "The goddess of revenge and retribution. Her offspring is the perfect candidate."

"Well, Damien White's in the Nemesis Cabin – can't you just take him?" Billie asked curiously.

"Only Nakamura will do," Annabeth stated, addressing Rowan. "Am I right?"

Rowan nodded. "One of four to come with me."

"Four characters accompanying the monk to the West – four people accompanying you to the East." Rachel said. She pointed at Will and Nico, "You, you," and then she pointed at Billie. "And you."

Billie's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Rachel only spoke when all three of us were together." Will explained, smiling at Billie's enthusiasm. "So yeah, seriously."

"We're going on a quest!" Billie threw her arms up in delight. "This is going to be so cool!"

Nico looked less thrilled. Annabeth gently patted his shoulder, noting his grimace. "You got this, di Angelo."