I didn't like the idea. Then I thought about Annabeth calling me a coward, and I

got angry.

 

Nico had a point. If Kronos attacked New York, the campers would be no match for

his forces. I had to do something. Nico's way was dangerous — maybe even deadly.

But it might give me a fighting edge.

 

"All right," I decided. "What do we do first?"

 

His cold creepy smile made me sorry I'd agreed. "First we'll need to retrace

Luke's steps. We need to know more about his past, his childhood."

 

I shuddered, thinking about Rachel's picture from my dream — a smiling

nine-year-old Luke. "Why do we need to know about that?"

 

"I'll explain when we get there," Nico said. "I've already tracked down his

mother. She lives in Connecticut."

 

I stared at him. I'd never thought much about Luke's mortal parent. I'd met his

dad, Hermes, but his mom . . .

 

"Luke ran away when he was really young," I said. "I didn't think his mom was

alive."