Kapri Miller asked Rick Riordan:

Hi, Rick! I'm a huge fan, your books are what got me obsessed with reading! So I have a few questions mostly about Will and Nico's(love them) accents. Does Nico have an Italian accent because it's his native language? Or does he speak more like an American because he has spent most of his life in the States? Also, I've heard Will is from Texas, which I guess I missed somehow? Does Will have a southern accent? Thanks!!

Rick Riordan Texans in big cities like Austin (where Will is from) don't usually have a discernible accent, sorry to disappoint you! They just sound vaguely American, maybe with a slightly harder 'r'. As for Nico, he left Italy when he was very young and spoke mostly English after that, so again, no, I don't think he'd have much of an accent. As an Italian speaker, I also have to say that 'Italian accent' can mean many different things. Someone from Naples sounds totally different than someone from Venice or Milan.

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