Page 51 of The Court of the Dead (The Nico di Angelo Adventures #2)

O rcus swooped down to join Nico, Will, and Deion just before they entered the tunnel on the Camp Jupiter side. The griffin landed on Deion’s shoulder.

“I am practicing my surveillance,” he announced. “I did not see any others following the human. Also, I did not get stuck on the highway this time!”

“Great job, buddy!” Deion said. “So…you’re sure this person is a human?”

“She seems to be,” said Orcus. “Apparently, she took an Uber to Tunnel Road, right above the sentry post, and walked down the side of the hill from there. She nearly scared our sentries to death. But perhaps this is the Mist again, and we’re about to be tricked!”

The griffin sounded weirdly excited by the possibility. Maybe he really was getting comfortable being part of Camp Jupiter.

“We’ll see,” Will said. He looked down at Loneliness, who was harnessed in the special pouch on Will’s chest. “You all right there, little guy?”

The fuzzball cooed at Will.

As they headed into the tunnel, the rest of the Puffs bobbed along behind them, jostling and wrestling with one another.

Nico felt like his nerves were doing exactly the same thing inside him: chaotically bouncing up and down.

Were they about to be fooled again? Was this another trap from Laverna or Pirithous?

He recalled his father’s recent words: Continue to trust your instincts .

That would’ve been great advice if Nico felt like he did trust his instincts. Instead, he was constantly second-guessing himself. Or was he second-guessing an instinct he should pay attention to? Or…

Nico decided to shelve that internal conversation. It would get him nothing but a headache. He was trying to guard against this human visitor without knowing anything about them, which wasn’t helpful at all. He reached for Will’s hand.

“Everything okay?” Will asked quietly.

Nico hooked his index finger around Will’s pinkie. “It will be.”

Still, the walk through the tunnel itself was nerve-racking. The closer they got to the double doors, the more furiously Nico’s heart beat.

“We’re going to find Hazel,” said Will. “No matter what.”

Nico nodded mutely.

When they reached the western doors, Deion flung them open, and light filled the tunnel. Nico saw the outline of someone standing just outside. It took him a moment to make out Frank.

“Thanks for coming,” the praetor said.

Nico wondered how Frank had gotten there so fast. As the eagle flew, it was a mile or more from the Field of Mars. Then Nico remembered Frank could literally turn into an eagle, so maybe he’d answered his own question.

Nico stepped onto the sentry platform, shielding his eyes. “Where are they?”

Frank pointed to the other side, where two guards—Claudia and Janice from the Fourth—faced a tall human woman with curly blond hair and a sort of glam country-singer outfit. Nico couldn’t help but admire her maroon leather jacket.

He’d expected to find the sentries holding the unknown visitor at spear-point. Instead, they were laughing at a story she’d just told.

“No way,” said Janice. “You met Beyoncé?”

The visitor grinned. “I mean, it was really brief, but she was so nice. ‘Texas Hold ’Em’—incredible, right?”

Will squeezed Nico’s hand. Hard .

The next word out of his mouth was the last thing Nico expected. “Mom?!”

Will rushed forward, plowing straight between Claudia and Janice and into his mother’s open arms.

“Oh my gods, Will!” the woman sobbed, holding him tight.

Nico’s jaw hit the ground. He wanted to say, That’s your mom ? But he had lost the ability to use words.

Will pulled back. “Mom, what are you doing here? I knew you had some Bay Area shows this week, but—”

The woman laughed, and Nico instantly heard how similar she sounded to Will. “I was just walking through Golden Gate Park, minding my own business. I had no idea you were even on the West Coast! And then I met your lovely friend Hazel.”

“Hazel?” Frank stepped forward urgently. “She’s all right? And she’s in Golden Gate Park?”

He looked so fervent, Nico was afraid he might turn into a ram and head-butt Will’s mom until she coughed up answers.

Will held up his hand for a pause. “I want to hear all about that. But first, introductions. Guys, this is Naomi Solace, my mom. Mom, you’ve met Claudia and Janice. This is Deion, and Orcus, and Frank.” He turned toward Nico and smiled. “And this grumpy ball of darkness is—”

She didn’t let Will finish. If Nico hadn’t known any better, he would’ve sworn Will’s mom had superhuman speed, because she ran toward him, squealing with delight, and pulled him into a warm hug.

“Nico!” she said. “I’m so excited to finally meet you. Thank you for loving my son.”

Nico had to force himself not to disintegrate into ugly-happy crying.

First, a loving conversation with his father.

Now the warmest greeting he’d ever received—from Will’s mom, no less.

He realized this must be what Hades had meant about arranging a “happy coincidence,” and he decided he owed the lord of the Underworld an excellent Father’s Day card this year.

“It’s—it’s nice to meet you, too,” he said into Naomi’s shoulder. Her guitar-shaped dangle earring dug into the side of his face, but he didn’t mind.

Naomi released him and then looked down at the Puffs bouncing around his feet. “And who are these cuties?”

The Puffs all froze in shock and stared at her, as if wondering Who is this woman and why does she have such excellent taste?

“Mom, priorities!” said Will.

But Naomi insisted on meeting and greeting everyone personally—including Orcus the griffin and each of Nico’s emotional demons.

Frank looked like he was about to cry. “I—I’m very glad you’re here, Mrs. Solace, but about Hazel—”

“Oh, you are all so cute . I’m so happy to meet you!” She pulled Frank into a hug next. “But I’m Naomi. Please, please don’t call me Mrs. Solace or Ms. Solace. Just Naomi will do. Now, about your brave friend Hazel…”

Naomi told them how she’d run into Hazel in the plaza outside the de Young Museum, where she was apparently being held inside a massive dodecahedron cage with several hundred mythic friends.

Nico had never felt such dramatic emotional whiplash. “So Asterion is alive, too? And Arielle and Quinoa?”

“This is amazing news!” Orcus cried. “I must go tell the others!” He launched himself from Deion’s shoulder and took off for Camp Jupiter.

Naomi smiled. “I like him. Somehow, I thought griffins were bigger, but he’s just about purse-size! Adorable.”

“I feel like my brain is going to explode,” said Deion.

Will put his hands on either side of his mom’s face. “Mom, please focus. One thing at a time! You’re sure Hazel said dodecahedrons?”

“Yes, I— Well, let me check.” Naomi pulled out her cell phone and read something from it. “Yes. Four dodecahedrons. And they’re running out of food, and water, and air. That’s important.”

Frank groaned. “We need to leave immediately.”

“Hold on,” Nico said. “We still need to gather the rest of the team, plus debrief with Johan and Semele. They might’ve found some more info on Pirithous. Can we bring Naomi inside Camp Jupiter? Do we have your permission?”

“Of course,” Frank said without hesitation. “Anyone who can help us bring our friends home is a friend of Camp Jupiter.”

“Oh, I’m so excited!” Naomi said. “Is this like Camp Half-Blood?”

Deion looked offended. “Uh, no. We are far superior to the Greek camp.”

“Please,” said Nico. “You’ve never stepped foot in Camp Half-Blood.”

“Anyway…” Frank intervened. “Claudia, Janice—good job. Stay on duty. The rest of you, let’s go.”

The sentries looked disappointed that they couldn’t follow Naomi and hear more of her stories, but they glumly went back to their posts.

Frank gestured to the tunnel entrance. “Ladies first?”

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Naomi grinned at Will. “I know your demigod life is your own, but I’ve always wanted to see a little more of it.”

He blushed. “Well…prepare yourself, Mom. This might be a lot.”

Nico was pretty sure that nothing would be “a lot” for Naomi Solace.

In just an hour, it seemed like Naomi had won over half of Camp Jupiter with her bubbly personality and the need to introduce herself to practically everyone she came across, including the fustiest of the Lares.

Even Vitellius Reticulus called her “delightful.” She was one of the most rambunctious people Nico had ever met, and he was obsessed with her.

They made a pit stop at the mess hall because Naomi wanted to see how the wind spirits delivered food.

Nico left the Puffs there to feed on table scraps—their new favorite hobby—and then they headed down the Via Principalis, where they met Semele with Orcus in tow.

Will’s mom had a field day with both the concept and the reality of an eidolon.

“This is all so exciting!” Naomi said. “Eidolons and griffins and ancestral ghosts wandering the camp…It makes me want to write a song.”

Frank gave her a nervous look. “Uh…the camp’s existence is technically a secret, so—”

“Oh, honey,” she said. “You can’t suppress inspiration when it strikes.”

“Don’t worry, Frank,” said Will. “She writes in metaphors. It’s not like she’ll publish directions to the camp.”

“Your love like tiny griffin wings,” Naomi sang. “ An eidolon to pull my strings. Hmm, I’ll workshop it!”

“I think that’s excellent,” said Orcus.

“It needs work,” said Semele, but Nico sensed gentle amusement in her voice.

Frank didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he let it go.

He sent Deion to gather the rest of their squad—Lavinia, Lucius, Savannah, and Yazan—and then led the group into the principia.

Johan was waiting for them with a stack of old documents and a fresh pot of tea.

Naomi gushed over the way Johan had organized the bookshelves, which made the blemmyae glow with pride.

“These are mostly camp records,” he explained. “Admissions, awards, organizational details…that sort of thing. Dating back hundreds of years!”

“Wow,” Naomi said. “I could spend an entire week reading these.”