A/N: Hey guys! You're probably thinking, "Why is she writing so many stories at once?" And to answer that question: I don't really know. I just have so many story ideas in my head that I have to let out and I know that if you're as loyal as I think you guys are, then I know you'll have the patience for me to update all my stories. I promise I will see them to the end no matter how long it takes. Plus if I have writer's block on one story, you'll always get an update from me. This story is NicoxOC. So if you don't like OCs then don't read, but if you do then continue reading and I hope you guys like it. Oh, and this takes place during The Lost Hero while Jason, Piper, and Leo are on their quest. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: PJO and Nico are not mine, unfortunately. Only Esperanza is mine.

Lost

Chapter 1

Frustration left his chapped lips in the form of a sigh. The chilled winter air nipped playfully at his exposed skin as the sun set behind the ocean. His footsteps echoed throughout the empty street. For a moment he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. The bold, black letters of DOA Recording Studios seemed to taunt him as he thought about the audience, or, rather, lack thereof, with his father. He quickly shook his head and turned to leave. He did not need this burden of paranoia weighing on his shoulders.

From around the corner he could have sworn he heard quick steps, but ignored them until he heard a high pitched voice shriek, "Look out!"

As he stepped onto the curb something hard connected with him so hard he fell on his back. The concrete embraced him as a windshield would a bug. His neck seemed snap as his head collided with the ground. His whole body seemed to buzz uncontrollably. Slowly and cautiously, he sat up to see what kind of car ran into him.

To say he was surprised to see a girl in front of him would be an understatement. They were both under a bright street light so he could get a good look at her. She looked around his age, thirteen maybe fourteen, and seemed to be in the same state he was. Her attire made him raise an eyebrow. She wore a chocolate brown corduroy jacket over a yellow-orange blouse tucked into a pair of high-waist crimson shorts that reached her mid-thigh. Cerulean tights hugged her legs with a pair of brown leather boots that reached her ankles. A red leather gloved hand was rubbing her head. Her dark brown hair was tied back except for a loose curl that reached her waist. Her complexion was a light caramel with light freckles running along her nose. She appeared to have a round, soft face and build.

"Are…are you okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"Y—yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." She groaned as she looked up at him with the biggest blue-green eyes he had ever seen. "Sorry about that."

"Its, uh, fine. No damage done, I think."

She chuckled for a moment before abruptly stopping and looking around furiously. "Crap!"

Nico looked at her quizzically. "What is it?"

"My glasses! I can't see a thing without my glasses!" she panicked as she searched within the perimeter of the light.

"What do they look like?"

"They're round with thin bronze frames."

He sighed as he shifted but caught his breath when he felt something semi-sharp stab him in the thigh. He rolled to the side to reveal the pair of glasses broken in half. "Um…found them. Sorry."

She sighed in aggravation. "It's okay. I have plenty of glasses back at home."

As he handed them to her he asked, "May I have the honor of knowing the name of the girl who tried to kill me?"

She glanced at him apprehensively before putting out her hand and saying rather cheerfully, "Esperanza de la Rosa at your service."

He took her hand. "Nico di Angelo. Nice to meet you."

She gasped as she sat up straight. "You're Lord Hades' son!"

She caught him off guard for a moment. "H—how do you know that?"

"I, uh, kind of, um, work in the Underworld, I guess. Part time, that is," she said bashfully as her cheeks brightened slightly. "I've, um, heard about you down there."

He narrowed his dark eyes at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm kind of a, uh, guardian, I guess you could say, of my mother's river." The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a smirk.

"Who's your mother?"

She seemed a little startled by the question and she turned away as she played with the loose curl. "My mother is Mnemosyne, the Titan of memory."

Now it was Nico's turn to be a little startled. "There are demi-titans?"

"No, not really. I'm pretty much the only one." A sigh left her rather full lips. "Well, that I know of anyway."

"Huh… I would have never guessed that Titans could have kids with mortals," he mused quietly.

They sat in relative silence for a minute or two before Esperanza perked up. "Hey, do you have a place to stay?"

Nico's eyebrows rose slightly as he shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Um, no actually, but I wasn't—"

"You can stay at my place, if you'd like." She gave him a big, goofy grin and batted her long, dark lashes. "I'm sure my grandparents wouldn't mind. My abuela loves having guests and she makes really good food, too. I'm sure we'd be able to make room for you."

Nico didn't plan on staying in L.A. He had to continue looking for Percy. He had no time to waste time. But something about this strange demi-titan made him want to stay. He wanted to know more about her. There were dozens of people looking for Percy. Percy could wait.

After licking his chapped lips he replied, "Sure."

She squealed with delight and yanked him to his feet. "Great! Then let's go!"

A/N: How'd you guys like it? It gets really interesting deeper into the story, I promise. I wrote this at midnight so it might not be my best work, but I tried. Esperanza is probably one of my favorite OCs because she's so kooky. I'd probably date her, no joke.