I bolted up. The Wolf House was being attacked. I looked outside my tent. The sun was starting to peek out. I packed up as quickly as I could and called Maelstrom.

"Maelstrom we need to leave now!" My dream was set at night. I hoped Thalia was unthawed by now. Then there's Jason. Oh gods, Jason! He didn't have a proper weapon!

I leaped onto Maelstrom's back. Several hours must have passed since that fight in the Wolf House but who knows what could have happened.

Maelstrom took off.

"Please hurry, Maelstrom," I whispered. My pegasus must have sensed my distress because he speeded up. I closed my eyes and hoped that everyone was safe.

---

I arrived at the Wolf House within a few hours. The place looked the same as it usually did on the outside but the air was colder than usual. There was a trial of ice leading away from the Wolf House.

Despite my worry, I managed to let out a small chuckle. No doubt that ice came from Khione the melodramatic Ice Princess. I jogged closer to the Wolf House. The walls looked a little charred. That was probably the doing of the Hispanic dude, Leo.

I looked around. The atmosphere was very tense as if every single thing in the area was holding its breath waiting for something bad to happen. I walked into the Wolf House. There were signs of a battle everywhere. The air smelled metallic. Obviously Jason used his sparky powers.

I heard something move behind me. On instinct, I summoned my sword, flicking the gear on my ring. I turned around and found myself face-to-face with a huge brick red she-wolf. Lupa.

"Selene put your sword away!"she said.

The she-wolf stood up on her hind legs and I took a step back. I couldn't help the small whimper that escaped my lips. I gulped and snapped with my left hand. My weapons disappeared.

"Sorry," I said. Lupa settled back on all fours.

"I heard about what happened in Camp Jupiter,"she said. Her expression suddenly became difficult to read. Was she mad at me? Disappointed?

"I'm sorry I failed to keep Jason close. I wasn't even supposed to-"

"There is no need to apologize."Lupa interrupted. "Jason should have known better. He relied on your company too much."

"He relies on Reyna's too!" I argued. "Lupa, was he here last night?"

Lupa tilted her head.That he was.

"What happened?"

I wasn't present. My wolves and I were fighting in another area. But I do know that Jason is safe. So is his sister.

I breathed a sigh of relief. So Thalia's unthawed and Jason's unharmed. Another thought crossed my mind.

"He doesn't remember me, does he?"

"I assume Juno restored his memory by now."I could help the feeling of excitement.

"Then he'll come back to Camp Jupiter, right? He can help prove my innocence! I can go back!" I laughed. Take that Octavian! I can have my position back. Everything will go back to normal and-

"No."All my hopeful thoughts and wishes abruptly vanished with that single statement. I looked at Lupa incredulously.

"What do you mean 'no'?" I demanded. Lupa's ears twitched in irritation. Her tail swung back and forth.

"When I say 'no' I mean 'no'. It's as simple as that, Selene,"she replied.

"W-Why not? D-Did I-" I was stuttering. I haven't stuttered in years. This wasn't a good sign.

"You'll know in time, Selene."

"I don't want to know in time! I want to know now!" I said. The ground trembled. Lupa stepped back. I glanced around. Jagged spikes of ice appeared around me probably as a result of my outburst. I took a deep breath. The ground stopped shaking. The ice melted then quickly evaporated.

"I-I'm sorry. I j-just…" I trailed off, feeling ashamed of myself.

"Selene, I suggest you go home,"Lupa said.

"Camp Jupiter is my home," I replied sullenly. I couldn't look at Lupa. Not after what I just did.

"You know what I mean. Go back to the Philippines. See your mother. She worries."I grimaced.

"I can't face her."

"Selene, stop this pity party. Your mother said she'll support you no matter what. Her relatives may not have approved of you since she had you before getting married, but she's proud of everything you've achieved."

I stayed silent.

"I need some time to think, Lupa," I finally said. Lupa bared her teeth and let out a little noise that sound like a wolf laugh.

"No you don't. You already know what to do,"she said then walked away. I was left alone in the Wolf House. I looked around. It was time to say good-bye to this place. I planned to drop by after I visited my mother but after that, no more. With a heavy heart I walked out and left the premises.

---

"Watch it, kid!" I mumbled an apology then continued plowing through the busy street.
I wasn't sure how I was going to visit my mom. I didn't want to call Maelstrom. The Philippines is half-way around the world and I've already been running my pegasus down to the ground. He deserved a break.

I couldn't exactly hop on a boat since I'm sea sick, if nobody noticed. There was no way I was going to glide over the sea using my powers to propel me forward. First off, a trail of ice moving around the world from America to Asia is way too suspicious. Secondly, that's so tiring!

There's one last option left. Flying. I shuddered. Sure I always rode an airplane whenever I went to the Philippines. Doesn't mean, I warmed up to it. I probably spent more than ninety percent of the flights praying to Jupiter and asking him not to blast me out of the sky. And those were when Jason was still around. Now that I lost Air Head, his daddy might not be so forgiving.

My thoughts were interrupted by something knocking me into an alley.

"Ow! Gods that hurt!" I yelled. How many times did I have to get hit in a week?

"I-I'm sorry," a voice said. "I didn't expect you to be in the way." I looked around and saw the person who probably spoke. He was almost a head shorter than me and was wearing a black trench coat. He had a really bad case of bed hair. A black blade glinted at his side.

I frowned.

"Hey aren't you the kid who brought Hazel in?" I said, his face finally registering. Mr. Bed Hair scowled, obviously disliking the way I called him 'kid'.

"My name's Nico di Angelo. It's either you call me that or you don't talk to me at all," he said, his voice laced with irritation. I put my hands up.

"Sorry, Nico. Didn't mean to call you 'kid'." I leaned against the alley wall and let out a huff.
"So what brings Pluto's Ambassador to these parts?"
Nico didn't answer. I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay so you're not the chatty type, huh?" Nico looked at me.

"Why aren't you in Camp Jupiter?" he asked.

"Oh so you don't answer my question but you ask your own and expectmeto answer it?" I said incredulously. Nico glared at me. I glared back. The ground began to rumble. I wasn't sure if it was because of me or because of Nico. Probably both of us. A crack started appearing on the ground behind Nico. I looked down and saw frost begin to spread from where I was standing.

I shook my head. I didn't need to make another enemy right now. Nico was a powerful demigod. One of the strongest I've ever encountered. I didn't need him on my bad side.

"Okay, I'll answer your question, yeesh. No need to get all grumpy," I said, trying to placate him. It worked. The ground stopped rumbling. The crack re-sealed and the frost receded. "I was kicked out of Camp."

"What?" Nico said.

"I was kicked out of Camp," I repeated, looking him right in the eye. Nico's eyes were unreadable.

"Why? You're one of its most important members," he said. I scoffed.

"Apparently not important enough to keep." I fiddled with my ring. "Look. Want to talk somewhere more private? Somewhere with food, perhaps?"

Nico looked down and scratched his head.

"You paying?"

---

"They blamed me for the loss of our other praetor, Jason. You remember him? Yeah. I'm honestly not surprised. Octavian and his lackeys have been looking for an excuse to cast me out. It was only a matter of time." I took another bite out of my cheeseburger.

I surprised myself with my bitter tone. I still couldn't seem to get over what happened a few days ago.

Nico didn't say anything for a while. He chewed on his own burger.

"I'm sorry," he said after swallowing. Something was running through his eyes. Was that pity?
Sympathy? I wasn't sure. My inner turmoil was clouding everything else. Well, that and my inner hunger.

"Apologies won't change anything," I replied, shrugging. We stayed quiet, silently munching on our meals.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," he mumbled through his drink.

"Hm?"

"The answer to your question earlier. I'm looking for a friend of mine." He bit his bottom lip, a sign that he was nervous. "His name's Percy Jackson."

My heart jumped into my throat. There it was. That name again. Thalia mentioned him before. He was the other missing dude. Since Nico knew him, he might know where he came from.

I crumpled up the wrapper that once held my burger.

"Does the place Camp Half-Blood ring a bell?" I asked. Nico looked away as if he remembered something painful. He grabbed his drink.

"No," he said. I narrowed my eyes.

"Nico," I began. "Please don't lie to me." He refused to look at me. I wasn't sure why Nico didn't want to admit that he knew where Camp Half-Blood was. Maybe something happened to him there. Was he kicked out like I was?

Nico took a deep breath then exhaled, putting down the plastic cup.

"You'll be wandering alone, won't you?" I nodded in affirmation. "Camp Half-Blood's located on Long Island. There's a pine tree on a hill. You can't miss it because the Golden Fleece is hanging from one of its branches and a huge dragon is curled around the base. He won't eat you," he added when he saw my startled expression. "As long as you don't try to steal the Fleece."

I whistled. "Okay then." I stared at Nico curiously. "What happened there?"

"W-What do you mean?" he asked. His voice cracked a little at the last word.

"Nico, if you were cast out, it's fine. I won't judge you. I was kicked out of my own Camp."

"It's nothing, really. The people there are really accepting."

"But-? There has to be a reason why you left?" I stared at him. It probably couldn't have been that bad. "Did they blame you for Percy's disappearance?" Nico shook his head.

"Please stop asking," he said meekly. I clenched my jaw. I really wasn't going to get anything.

"Okay. I'll stop. Just know that you can tell me anything. I know we barely know one another but I know what it feels like to be counted as an outsider. We may have a lot more in common than we think."

I gave him a small smile before standing up. I was about to walk out of the fast food chain when Nico called out.

"Selene!" I turned around. His eyes were unreadable before but know they were full of… concern? Was Nico seriously worried about me? We barely knew one another. "Be careful."

I smiled. "I will."

Notes