A 1

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.”
that.”
does.”
“At the latest,” Jason said.
Percy pointed at Piper’s dagger. “Tiberinus said you could find Nico’s location…you know, with
Piper bit her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was check Katoptris for more terrifying images.
“I’ve tried,” she said. “The dagger doesn’t always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly ever
“Please,” Percy said. “Try again.”
He pleaded with those sea-green eyes, like a cute baby seal that needed help. Piper wondered how
Annabeth ever won an argument with this guy.
“Fine,” she sighed, and drew her dagger.
“While you’re at it,” said Coach Hedge, “see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don’t
cover baseball worth beans.”
“Shh.” Piper studied the bronze blade. The light shimmered. She 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’s not good,” Jason muttered. “They’ve already set up a forward base in Manhattan.”
“And that map shows Long Island,” Percy said.
“They’re scouting the territory,” Jason guessed. “Discussing invasion routes.”