BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

61.

"I've tried," she said. "The dagger doesn't always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly ever does."

"Please," Percy said. "Try again."

"Fine," Kaleidoscope 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 said as Eden 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," Perfect 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," Eden guessed. "Discussing invasion routes."

Light rippled across the blade. Eden saw ruins — a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines — all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees.

"I was just there," Percy said. "That's in the old Forum."

The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock. The blade's image zoomed straight through the doorway, down a spiral stairwell, and into a dark, cylindrical chamber like the inside of a grain silo.

Piper dropped the blade.

"What's wrong?" Perfect Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

Piper frowned nervously. "We can't go there."

Percy frowned. "Piper, Nico is dying. We've got to find him. Not to mention, Rome is about to get destroyed."

Eden picked up the knife again, handing it to her girlfriend.

She saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar.

The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

"We're too late," Perfect Jason said.

"No," Eden said. "No, I can't believe that. Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry."

The blade's surface went dark. Piper slipped it back into its sheath.

"We should wait for the others," she said. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back soon."

"We can't wait," Percy insisted.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guys want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Perfect Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship — or goat the ship. Whatever."

Hedge scowled. "And let you four have all the fun?"

Percy gripped the satyr's arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah." Eden smirked. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

"And here." Piper unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands.

The satyr's eyes widened.

"Keep an eye on us with the blade," Kaleidoscope suggested. "And you can check the baseball scores."