Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Will rifled through his notes. "I think you add the first number to the reciprocal."

Marcus shook his head. "Not even close. Will, you're going to fail this test. You need to tell the teachers you're dyslexic!"

"No," Will said firmly. "I'm going to pass ninth grade without any crutches. Tell me the formulas again."

He sighed, and Will saw the sympathy in his eyes. "Asking for help isn't a crutch-"

"It is when I don't need it!" Will couldn't explain. But after spending years at camp, fighting Kronos and Gaea and the monster of the week, after always being shunted to the back lines, he was tired of letting other people do things for me. He was the counselor for Cabin Seven and the son of Apollo. He survived the Battle of the Labrinth, the Battle of Manhatten, and sabotaged the onagers just last summer. He could learn geometry.

"Let's just try again," Will said with a smile.

They went through the formulas, reciting them over and over until Will had equal signs imprinted on his brain. Will understood math fine, though he had a tendency to zone out and fidget during key lessons. When it got on the page, however, he stumbled. All the words floated off the page, did loops and twists in midair, and came back down as some kind of weird anagram. He'd gotten used to it--Will was born with dyslexia. Most demigods are, and when Will found out it marked me as a hero, he softened. But he was still stuck as the only fifteen-year-old in school who can't read.

Marcus didn't really know Will yet. Most kids didn't. He hadn't been to school for several years, after a Cyclops attacked his music concert back in elementary school. It had only been a few weeks at this school. After Gaea, Will had wanted a break. His mom wanted to send him to a school for kids "like you", but Will insisted on public school. So far, it had been uneventful. No monsters were on the lookout for a useless son of Apollo when they could all be honing in on kids like Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo.

Nico--Will really missed Nico.

And as Will thought of Nico, he heard a voice behind him.

"Will!"

Marcus dropped his notebook on his foot. Will whirled around and saw him--stumbling against a bookcase in the previously deserted school library.

Will leaped up and ran over. "Are you okay?"

Nico nodded rapidly, bending over like he just ran a race. "Yeah, I'm good."

"How long did you travel?" Will asked.

"It was not about the quality, but the quantity." Nico straightened, dusting off his jacket and wiping his forehead. "I had to shadow-travel three times today. Not fun."

Alarm shot through Will. "Are you sure you're okay? You should sit down."

"Calm down, Will." Nico smirked in that annoying way he always did. "I'm not eleven anymore. I can shadow-travel without passing out on the floor."

"I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you need to be careful." Will reached out to steady him. "I've told you before, you need to stop overtaxing your powers. After all your adventures with the Athena Parthenos, it'll take ages before you're at full capacity again."

"Yeah, yeah, Doctor Solace." Nico batted his hand away and strode over to the two-person table, sitting in Will's chair with no apologies. "Who's this?" he asked, waving a hand at Marcus, who seemed to have frozen in place at the sudden appearance of a leather jacket-wearing son of Hades.

"Marcus. He's tutoring me."

Marcus recovered and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Nico nodded without taking Marcus's hand. Will looked between them. "Marcus, this is Nico. He's my--" What should he say? Boyfriend? Sidekick? Annoyance?

"My friend from camp."

Something flashed in Nico's eyes--disappointment? But it was gone in a second, replaced by panic. "What am I doing?" he said, standing up and heading for the door. "We don't have time for this!"

"Hold on," Will said. "I'm getting the feeling you didn't come 'cause you wanted to see me."

Nico gave him the you're-such-a-dork-Will look, but it didn't come off as it usually did. In a few seconds, it slid off his face and Will saw the panic again. "Will--"

Will's heart dropped about five feet. He should be used to bad news. In fact, he'd given people bad news more times than he'd like. Demigods don't last that long--as a medic, he had to come to terms with that. But Nico's face, full of fear and guilt and hysteria, took Will back to the Battle of Manhatten; when the bridge collapsed and another Apollo kid came running up to him. Will, you're the counselor now.

"Nico," Will said slowly, "what happened?"

"It's my sister. Hazel." Nico's voice softened on her name, and he swallowed. "She's missing."

Chapter Text

"A week ago, she disappeared from the barracks. No signs of a struggle, no disturbances in the Mist, not even any jewels—she always uses her powers when she's in danger. It's like someone snapped her away." Nico leaned against the doorframe. "Frank is devastated. Camp Jupiter is on high alert. This could be the beginning of something big."

"So where have you been?" Will asked.

"Coordinating a meeting between Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. I've got some clout with the Romans as the 'ambassador of Pluto'. On my own time, I've been looking for Hazel. I haven't found a thing."

Will folded his arms. "Where did you look?"

"Just—New Orleans. Alaska. Elysium, Asphodel, Rome, Athens, anywhere she'd been, anywhere she might be taken to—"

"You idiot!" Will snapped. "How much shadow-traveling did that take?"

Nico frowned. "I paced myself."

"Okay, you are officially banned from using your powers for the next week. Two weeks. You're lucky you're not passed out on the floor."

He groaned. "All I have left is getting to Camp Half-Blood for the meeting today. We're discussing what to do about Hazel. It'll be fine."

Will relaxed a bit. He could probably convince Nico to get a taxi, or he could borrow his mom's car. "I hope all that traveling was worth it."

"It wasn't. There's no sign of her, above or below."

"Couldn't the Oracle—" Will asked, out of habit. Then he stopped himself.

"No prophecies, remember? Thanks to your dad being missing in action. And Camp Jupiter hasn't replaced their augur since Octavian." Nico's face twisted at the name. "A couple legacies of Hecate checked out the whole place, but they can't find a hint of magic. Either she was taken with no magic at all, or they're very good at covering their tracks."

Marcus made a squeaking noise and raises his hand, like they were in class. Will had to admit he forgot Marcus was still there. "If—if someone's missing, shouldn't you call the police?"

"It's not that kind of missing," Will said.

Nico sighed. "Honestly, we can't do much more than they could. We don't have a clue where Hazel is, who took her, or why. All we know is that she's alive."

Will stared at the ground. He didn't want to say it, but he did. "We don't know that, Nico. I'm sorry."

"We do." Nico glared at him. "I'd have seen her if she was dead. And I know, okay? I feel that she's alive."

For most demigods, Will would say something about how we can't always trust our feelings. For Nico, Will had to agree with him. He was the most powerful demigod Will knew, and he's the son of Hades. If he said Hazel's alive, he was probably right.

Nico started pacing again in the doorway. Will had never seen him full of nervous energy like this, but he guessed Nico had a lot on his mind. "And if we could find her, what could we do? Whoever this is managed to break into Camp Jupiter and kidnap a centurion, one of the Seven, without any of her barrack waking up! Percy's sworn of heroism to help his mom. Annabeth's in school. Piper and Jason are in California. Leo's unavailable."

"Dead, you mean?" Will asked.

"Unavailable. Not dead. It's a long story. But all we have is Frank, and he's the praetor of Camp Jupiter. He can't just desert his post and chase after Hazel, as much as he'd like to."

Will looked Nico in the eyes. He looked exhausted, gaunt, and pale, but his stance was still strong. His sword hung by his side. "You could do it."

"Two seconds ago, you were telling me to stop shadow-traveling, sit in your hospital, and have a lollipop, Solace."

"That's not exactly what I said."

Nico almost smiled, despite the circumstances. "If you had your way, you'd keep me in a bubble-wrap castle for the rest of my life."

Will smiled back. "If I get to be there, sure."

"You are an absolute dork."

For a second, Will forgot why Nico was here, and just enjoyed that he was.

Then the bell rang. It was the end of study hall. Nico flinched. "Ugh, I'm going to be late. I need to get to the meeting."

Will gathered up my books. "Do you want me to—I mean, do they need me there?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "No, I came here just to freak you out. I'm leaving you with your tutor now. Of course I want you there. The meeting includes all the head counselors. Your cabin needs you to help."

Will couldn't help but feel a little hurt. Maybe it was Nico's payback for the 'friend' comment, but Will wished he needed Will to help, too.

"So let's go," Nico said. "Come on, it'll only be a minute."

"What did I say two seconds ago?" Will gave his books to Marcus, who stumbled under the weight. "We're driving there. You can't use your powers again."

"Shut up, Solace. The meeting's in twenty minutes."

"No one will kill you if you're late," Will said. "However, shadow-traveling with me might actually kill someone."

Nico smirked. "I won't let the darkness hurt you."

"I'm not worried about me."

"Sure." He held out his hand. "Look, you have two options. Either you can go find a car and catch up to me, because I'm shadow-traveling no matter what, or you can come along, keep an eye on me, get to hold my hand, and I protect you from the evil shadow monsters and everything. Your choice."

Will flushed and took his hand. "As your doctor, I strongly oppose this method of action—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, Solace. The train's leaving."

Will glanced back toward Marcus. "Um, tell the teachers I'm away indefinitely."

"I," Marcus said, "am very confused."

Will sighed. He'd never been great at manipulating the Mist—add that to the list of things he'd never been great at—but he couldn't have Marcus wandering around talking about camps and magic. Will snapped his fingers halfheartedly. "You never heard this conversation."

"What? Why are you snapping your fingers?"

"Just roll with it, okay?" Will sighed and snapped again. This time, he felt the Mist ripple around them. "Right. This conversation never happened. You do not know who Nico di Angelo is. You do not know who Hazel is. You have never heard of Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter or the Underworld or—"

Marcus looked past me. "-giant black dogs appearing from bookshelves?"

Will blinked. "What—"

Nico blanched. "Oh, Styx."

"Di immortales," Will swore. "It's right behind me, isn't it?"

And he turned around, and saw the giant slavering hellhound was indeed right behind him.

Chapter Text

The hellhound stalked forward, its eyes glowing and its mangy fur bunched around its haunches. At the edges of its teeth, it tore little rips in the shadows, showing glimpses of forests and deserts and other lands Will didn't recognize. Every pad of its paws on the carpet was nearly silent, explaining why nobody had heard this thing coming. It was smaller and skinnier than other monsters he'd seen. That probably meant it was even hungrier for demigod chow. Just once, Will wanted to meet a vegetarian monster. Why weren't there more of those wandering around?

It loosed a hoarse bark, and Will remembered the first time he heard that bark. The Battle of the Labrynth--hellhounds streaming out of the crack, pouncing on anyone nearby. They scared him then and they scared him now.

"Get behind me," Nico ordered, drawing his sword. The Stygian iron blade seemed to draw in the light around it. "I can handle this."

"If you can handle this," Will hissed, "why is it still here?"

"Shut up and help me!"

Will looked around for weapons. Sadly, bringing Celestial bronze daggers or poison-tipped arrows into the school library was generally frowned upon. All he had was a math textbook and a few pencils. Not impossible to slay a monster with, but pretty high on the useless scale.

He grabbed the textbook anyway. It was better than nothing.

The hellhound lunged for Will. He raised the book to club it on the head, but Nico was faster. He slashed his sword across the creature's face, forcing it back. Nico almost smiled and swung again, but his legs wobbled and the hellhound dodged easily. Nico was in no condition to fight a hellhound. Before the monster could pounce again, Will brought up his backpack and smashed it into its face.

It bought about one and a half seconds.

"What..." Nico growled, brandishing his sword and backing towards the door. "What was that?"

"I don't have an onager at the ready, sorry." Will grabbed a book off the shelf and chucked it. It missed by a mile--Apollo had not blessed his son with aim. He grabbed another book and threw it too. Eventually one had to hit its target. "I'm improvising."

"Why are you still here?" He shoved Will towards the door. "Get out! Take your tutor! I'll hold him off!"

"My--" Will looked around for Marcus. He found him hunkered under the table, knees to his chest. "Marcus! Run! He won't chase you! He's only after us!"

Marcus shook himself and started crawling toward the exit. A book flew over his head and he ducked.

"Sorry!" Will called, before teeth snapped three inches from his arm.

"Will, run!" Nico yelled.

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Go--" Nico slashed like a Greek at the hellhound's leg. "--with--" He stabbed like a Roman at the hellhound's shoulder. "--him!" He shoved a bookshelf into the hellhound's path, leaping over it and getting his bearings.

Marcus reached for the door, and the hellhound growled, shoving Nico aside as it rushed to the door and bared its teeth at Marcus.

"I thought--" Marcus gasped "--I thought you said he wouldn't chase me--"

"Di immortales!" Nico grumbled and rushed to Marcus's rescue. He dragged Marcus out of the way by his hoodie, tossing him toward Will. "Find another way out, guys."

Will placed his hand on Nico's shoulder. "You can't fight him. You're in no shape to--"

"I can do what I want--"

"--we need to run--"

"--I need to hold him back--"

"You're going to die!" Will burst out. "I'm not letting that happen."

Nico rolled his eyes and smacked the flat of his blade across the hellhound's eyes. "I've faced worse. I can just find a few bony friends to help out--"

"No." Will stared his boyfriend down. "That's where I draw the line. You're tired and about to die. Take it from someone who's always about to die--the best thing we can do right now is run."

The hellhound was bleeding from multiple cuts but had barely slowed down. Marcus cowered behind a stack of books, watching the scene unfold. Nico looked from the hellhound to Will and sighed.

"Where?"

Normally, he wouldn't suggest this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Shadow-travel us to the tree."

"Both of us?"

Will glanced at Marcus. "All three. That hellhound seems just fine with killing a supposed mortal. Let's get him out of the way and get to the bottom of this."

The hellhound clamped its jaws on Nico's sword. He hung on, bracing himself against a table. "Gonna--be--hard."

"I know." It hurt Will to put Nico in such a position, but at least they had a prayer of surviving if they escaped.

"Five seconds."

Will grabbed Marcus's sleeve and pulled him over to Nico. Nico's sword was ripped out of his hands and tossed in the air, landing on a bookshelf across the room. Nico started and reached for it, but Will shook his head.

The hellhound watched the sword for a second before realizing no part of Nico had been ripped off with the sword. He turned back to the three boys, sniffing the air.

Will snatched Nico's hand. "Now!"

Teeth snapping at them, centimeters from their faces--

And Nico wrenched them aside into nothingness, pulling them through a black veil. Will's breath was ripped from his lungs and he felt Marcus cling tighter to his arm. Nico's hand was ice-cold in his, and he felt it going limp. He squeezed it. You can do this, he tried to say, though his mouth wouldn't work properly.

Nico squeezed back.

Black spots danced before Will's eyes, then white ones, then colored spots tore their way to the surface.

They stood on a hill under an overcast sky, on one side of a tall pine tree. The slope on the other side led down to a valley filled with strawberry fields, cabins, a big white house, and woods filled with creepy critters and places for Capture-the-Flag. Home sweet home. They had made it.

Will placed his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Shadow-traveling was terrible, especially when Nico wasn't focused enough.

A petrified boy in a hoodie stumbled away from Will, leaning against the tree for support.

And a boy in a black aviator jacket collapsed to the ground.

Chapter Text

Will's medical training kicked in. He dropped to his knees, ignoring the mud it got on his uniform pants, and checked Nico's breathing. It was shallow, but steady. He lightly tapped Nico on the forehead. Nico moaned and stirred. "Lemme...lemme sleep..."

"Nico, do your best to wake up--"

Nico turned over and started to snore.

Will looked up at Marcus. "We need to get him to camp."

Marcus blinked and seemed to rise from a reverie. "Camp. What camp?"

"Down in the valley." Will slid his arm under Nico's and pulled the unconscious demigod to his feet. "Take the other hand."

"Okay. Down. Camp. Hand." Marcus nodded to himself and took Nico's other side. "Is he...okay?"

"He'll be fine," Will reassured Marcus, though it was more to reassure himself. "He overtaxed himself. He's recovered from worse."

"Will..." Marcus stared, and a glimpse of his clear panic rose in his eyes. "What's happening? I don't...I don't understand."

"It's a long story." Will pressed his lips together. He felt terrible for Marcus, but now wasn't the time to explain. "Let's just get to camp."

He put his right foot out first, and Marcus mirrored the action. Together, they lifted Nico over the top of the hill. It was getting to be winter, but the valley barely felt the cold. The grass was as fresh as ever and Thalia's pine stretched its limbs to the blue sky. The sun warmed Will's face, and despite the circumstances, he almost smiled. But he couldn't celebrate yet. They crossed the border and Will breathed a sigh of relief, tilting himself to start the climb downhill.

Then he belatedly realized they shouldn't have crossed the border.

He looked over at Marcus, who seemed untroubled. He looked back at the flourishing pine tree.

Marcus wasn't mortal. No wonder that hellhound had chased him--he was a demigod.

Funny that he hadn't been claimed yet. Hadn't the gods promised to do better at sending their kids to safety? Maybe Marcus just got left out of the lineup, or he was the child of a really minor deity. Again, now wasn't the time for questions.

Nico's snores began to subside, and Will picked up his pace. The son of Hades needed medical attention stat. Marcus stumbled slightly to keep up but soon pulled ahead of Will. The kid had muscle.

Campers started to yell. A few raced up the hill to meet Will, their orange shirts glowing in the fall sun. "What happened?" asked Billie from Demeter.

"Hellhound," Will said. "Ran out of juice."

She nodded, dashing back to tell the camp what had happened. Another kid handed Will a bottle of nectar. He gave Nico a swig or two, though he knew it wasn't the most effective solution. Athena's cabin brought a quickly-woven stretcher and took Nico down to the Apollo cabin, where Will barely greeted anyone before finding unicorn water for Nico to drink.

"Hey," said a voice in the door. It was Kayla, Will's half-sister and another child of Apollo.

"Hey," Will said without looking back. He was watching Nico's breathing.

"I thought you weren't coming back before break."

"Monsters never follow schedules."

She walked over. "He's okay?"

"Should be."

"I'm..." She patted Will on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're back. We've missed having you tell us what to do."

Will smiled. "I haven't missed it, but okay."

Kayla sensed the awkwardness, mumbling something about archery practice before leaving. Will rubbed his eyes. He was just here for a few days, he told himself. Just until this mess got sorted out.

"Hey," said another voice, this one broken with thirst.

Will beamed. "Nico! You're awake!"

"I'm alive, yeah." Nico looked around. "We made it?"

"We made it." Will placed his hand on Nico's arm. "Relax. You gave me a scare. Don't try to sit up or--"

Nico immediately sat up. He winced and rubbed his head. "Did I miss the meeting?"

"I don't know."

"Where's your tutor? Marcus?"

Will blinked. "I think he's with Hermes cabin? Honestly...I forgot about him."

Nico snickered. "Some doctor."

"I was worried about you!"

"You're a smothering idiot sometimes, Solace." Nico stood up, grasping a bed for support. "I want to be at the meeting. Help me out."

Will shook his head. "You're resting. You think I'd let you just walk on out of here--"

"You told me to shadow-travel today, so anything's possible."

That was unfortunately true. Nico didn't sound too mad--if anything, he sounded admiring--but it still stung. Will sighed. "That was a mistake. I'm sorry."

"Look, I'm fine." Nico rolled his eyes and ruffled Will's hair, a playful habit he'd picked up somewhere or another. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go."

"You're not going to that meeting--"

"I am going to that meeting."

A laugh sounded in the doorway. "Sounds like he's going to that meeting, Will. If I know anything about Nico it's that you can't tell him no."

Reyna, praetor of the Twelfth Legion and daughter of Bellona, strolled into the cabin. Her hair was tucked in a neat dark braid, and her eyes glittered as she looked Nico over. She looked like she was in charge. Will had a vague urge to salute.

"Hey, Reyna." Nico nodded before losing his balance and leaning on a sideboard. "Long time no see. How'd the meeting go?"

"Hasn't started yet," Reyna replied. "The sudden appearance of a half-dead ambassador of Pluto and a new demigod threw off our schedule."

Will raised an eyebrow. "So Marcus is in? Has he been claimed?"

"Not yet. It's been only a bit. I haven't even seen the boy myself." Reyna gathered her purple cape around her. "Will, if it comforts you to assist Nico, you can do so. But I wish for him to attend this meeting."

"Well," Nico said with a small smile. "The praetor has spoken, Will. You can't beat that."

Will sighed. "Fine. I'll make sure you don't challenge a Gorgon on the way there."

"There goes tomorrow's plans."

Reyna swept out the door. "Come quickly. We have much to discuss."

Chapter Text

At Camp Halfblood, the seriousness of a meeting could be determined by the amount of Cheez Whiz. When Miranda Gardener was double-fisting cans of it and creating a cheesy mountain on her cracker, it was a very serious meeting.

The Romans seemed confused by this fact. Frank examined the bottle of Cheez Whiz and kept asking if he could eat it, being lactose intolerant. A few other centurions avoided the Cheez Whiz altogether with the air of someone avoiding a hideous monster. Reyna sat down, popped a few crackers in her mouth, and stuck her boots on the table. Will could see why Nico liked Reyna.

Will slid in a chair next to Nico. He counted thirty demigods, some he recognized. Percy and Annabeth sat at the head of the table. Frank sat by their side, bags under his eyes.

"So." Reyna looked around. "We all know why we're here?"

"No," one of the centurions replied.

"Well, you should know." Reyna gave him a death glare. "You're taking up valuable time making me explain again, Larry. I hope you understand this."

"Reyna." Frank placed his hand on her shoulder.

She sighed. "I'm a little on edge right now. I'm sorry."

"I think we all are," Percy agreed. He offered his girlfriend Annabeth some Cheez Whiz, and she gladly took the can. "This isn't supposed to happen. Hazel's...well, she's one of the most powerful demigods I've ever met."

"Yeah." Frank clenched his hand on the table. "And whoever took her is going to pay."

"I know." Reyna swept her braid over her shoulder. "Our first concern, however, is what we do. Are the rest of us in danger?"

Piper leaned forward. "If anyone is, it's us. The Seven. If they went for Hazel, who's to say they won't go for us next?"

"We'll be ready," Annabeth promised. "We're all in this room."

"Except for Leo," Percy added.

"Except for...Leo." She appeared to go into a reverie before shaking herself. "We can prepare for any attack that occurs. If the camps are attacked directly, they'll have to go for us first."

Jason looked at Frank. "And if we want to stay safe, Frank--I'm sorry, but--" He adjusted his spectacles. "You shouldn't look for Hazel."

"I have to." Frank's face hardened. "You can't expect me to stay here."

"You have a camp to lead," Jason argued. "The legion needs you."

Frank let out a long sigh. Reyna and Annabeth looked to him in sympathy. Silence fell on the table, an uncomfortable silence that itched up Will's sleeves. He was suddenly very aware of how long he'd been gone, and that he hadn't changed into his camp t-shirt. He still wore his school blazer. A bit of Cheez Whiz was on his shoulder and he wiped it off surreptitiously.

"So who goes?" Laurel Victor asked.

"No one." Everyone turned to see Chiron sitting in his wheelchair. "Please, do not go after Hazel, any of you. She's a smart girl, from what I've heard. She'll be fine. I--I do not wish to lose any of my campers."

"Or my legionnaires," Reyna agreed. "For now, until we learn more, nobody will go."

"Until we know more?" Frank argued. "How do we expect to know more? Nobody's going to issue any quests with Apollo out of the picture."

Will shifted in his chair. For once, he wished his dad had stuck around.

"Nobody is going." Reyna stood up. "That's final."

"No."

It took Will half a second to realize who had spoken. Nico pushed the hair out of his eyes. "I'm going. I'm not one of the Seven. I can find her."

Reyna looked at Nico with something like pity. "Nico, I don't think--"

Nico stood up. "I'm going."

"No!"

Will didn't even realize he had yelled until everyone turned to stare at him. He stood up, taking advantage of the three inches he had on Nico, the only thing he could hold over his boyfriend. He shook his head. "You're not going. You're tired, you practically killed yourself shadow-traveling, you don't know what's out there--"

Nico stared into Will's eyes. "And you can stop me?"

He looked into Nico's determined, bloodshot eyes.

He couldn't.

Nico was the most powerful demigod he had ever met. He was...Will. He couldn't even shoot a bow.

"Please," he whispered. "Just stay...a few days. Get stronger. Please, Nico."

Nico wavered. "I--"

"Listen to him." Percy looked uncharacteristically serious. "Always listen to the smart one in the relationship. Learned that from Wise Girl. If it weren't for her, I'd be dead thirty times over."

The wise girl in question smiled. "More like a hundred."

"See?" Will tried to laugh. "They're on my side. You're acting stupid."

Nico listed forward slightly, and Will caught his hand. They were really close now. Nico let out a sigh that ruffled the tips of his messy hair. Will wanted to run his fingers through it, but now was not the time.

"Fine." Nico stared at the floor. "A few days. I'll stay."

"Thank you," Will breathed. "Thank you, Nico."

"Good," Reyna said, "or I would have sicced my dogs on you. I don't want you dying, okay? You're always exhausted after shadow-travel."

Will nodded at Reyna, and she nodded back, grabbing a can of Cheez Whiz and spraying it vaguely at a pile of crackers.

Then the door opened. "Hi? Um, I was told to come here?"

Marcus stood in the doorway, fidgeting with his sleeve. He looked around at the demigods and Cheez Whiz art, the tiger head above the mantelpiece and Chiron sitting in his wheelchair, and blinked a few times.

And a crash interrupted. Reyna dropped the Cheez Whiz on the floor. Her face was white as snow.

"Oh?" Marcus looked at her. "Hi? Do I...know you?"

"Can I see your arm?" she asked, her voice brittle. The centurions around her started to whisper, and Frank looked like someone had exploded a grenade in his face.

"You don't have to--" Will said. What was happening?

"Okay?" Marcus pulled up his sleeve. His arm looked normal.

Then the Mist shimmered and pulled away. Black lines bled into his forearm. Marcus stared at his arm like he didn't know what was happening. To be fair, he probably didn't.

Reyna looked like she understood. Will was beginning to, and he didn't like this at all.

Marcus had a tattoo--a SPQR tattoo. Four thick lines--and the glyph of Pluto.

Chapter Text

He didn't remember.

Reyna asked him every question imaginable, specific or general. She quizzed him on the gods and goddesses, on Latin and legion formations. She asked him about the past few months--where had he been? What had happened? Every answer Marcus gave was vague. Even Will barely recalled a time before Marcus was at school. He'd been there all year...hadn't he?

That was the Mist at work, however. According to Reyna, Marcus hadn't been there all year. He'd spent his year at camp, a new recruit.

He disappeared from camp a month ago.

And he remembered nothing of that year. Not the gods, not the events. Not even his friends.

By the end of the questioning, some of the centurions looked close to tears. Reyna's face only hardened.

"So what do we do?" Piper asked when it became clear Marcus had no answers.

"We need to find out who's behind this." Percy glanced at Jason. "If it's Hera's tricks again, I swear--"

"He knows who he is," Jason responded. "He just doesn't remember that year. That's not us."

Marcus looked around. "Did I--did I do something wrong? I swear I don't know anyone here, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Chiron wheeled over to Marcus. "Why doesn't someone take you to Hypnos' cabin while we figure some things out?"

"Nico and I can take him," Will quickly suggested. He didn't want Nico getting any more bad ideas. Nico blinked, but before he could respond, Chiron nodded and motioned for them to leave. Will led Marcus out the door and Nico followed, stumbling. Without being asked, Marcus steadied Nico. Will liked the guy.

"Why are we doing this?" Nico asked.

"Hypnos' kids are the resident experts on memory loss." Will pulled his shoulders back and strode down the lawn, nodding at the curious watchers who had gathered to spy under the window.

"I know, but why did you volunteer us?" Nico shifted when the stares fell on him, snatching at the collar of his jacket. "That meeting was important."

"I'm not having you volunteer for a suicide mission." Will exhaled. "Look, I just think it might be good to get you out of there. They were getting to you." He lowered his voice. "And look at Marcus. He's terrified. I'm the only person he even knows."

Nico glanced at Marcus, who was scratching his arm and biting his lip but trying his best to look calm. Nico's expression softened. "Yeah. I see that."

Will reached out and placed his arm on Marcus. "It's gonna be okay."

"I--" Marcus's face crumpled. "Thanks. You guys--you've been really nice."

"Don't thank us yet," Nico joked. "Make it through a conversation with Clovis and see if you still think we're nice."

"Who? Who's--"

"He's winding you up," Will chided. "Ignore him. Clovis is great."

"Missed the meeting," Nico noted.

"Again, yeah. Probably asleep."

"I hate waking him up. It's impossible."

Will smiled and opened the door of Hypnos' cabin. "Even for such a powerful son of Hades? Tartarus was nothing. It's one sleepy boy who'll be the death of you yet."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Let's not talk about that."

At first his tone seemed light, but Will heard an edge beneath the tease. He bit his lip and stared at the ground. He should have known not to bring it up, or at least so nonchalantly. "Sorry," Will whispered.

"It's..." Nico yawned. "It's fine, Will."

Marcus yawned too, and Will fought the urge to join them. Hypnos' cabin was so cozy, with three campers sprawled on fluffy beds and plenty more empty and waiting for someone to collapse, spread-eagle, and sleep...no. He had a job. Will walked over to the biggest bed and poked Clovis in the side. "Clovis!"

Clovis rolled over and groaned. "What? It's too early for this..."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"Just a minute, okay?"

"No minutes." Will grabbed the boy's shoulders and lifted him out of the bed onto the floor. "We need you to take a look at someone."

Clovis blinked blearily. He had a terrible case of bed-head and the left side of his face was pressed red from the pillow. He yawned hugely and rubbed his eyes. "Who?"

Will placed his hand on Marcus' shoulder and led the boy forward.

"You." Clovis pointed. "You're...like, important or something."

"Yep. Important or something." Marcus nodded. "That's about all I know."

"He's lost his memory," Will said. "About a year? Could you figure out what happened?"

"Yeah, I could." Clovis stretched. "Find a bed, okay?"

Marcus looked at Will, who nodded. The boy walked over to a nearby bed and sat awkwardly on the edge before the exhausting aura of the cabin set in. Marcus listed sideways and began to snore softly, his ropy brown hair spilling over his face. Clovis nodded and sat on a stool by the bed, opening a few drawers. Will walked over to the fireplace and sat down, determined not to fall asleep. He heard a soft yawn behind him and saw Nico. He doubted his boyfriend had heard any of the conversation. He was already stumbling but fought to stand up.

"Just sleep," Will said with a smile. "I'll wake you up in a bit. You've had a rough day."

Nico tried to glare. "I--I am going to stay right here and--"

He tilted sideways and fell onto a nearby pile of pillows. Before he hit the ground he was asleep.

Will walked over and arranged Nico's arms so he lay more comfortably. Nico shifted slightly but didn't wake up, and Will sat on a pillow nearby, watching Nico. Purely for medical reasons, of course, to make sure Nico's sleep was safe. He wasn't just taking advantage of the few moments Nico's walls were down, his face smooth under his floppy dark hair. He clenched his fist around a corner of a pillow like a comfort animal. He looked much younger when asleep. He looked normal. Like any teenage boy Will would meet on the street, not a boy who had walked through Tartarus.

Will couldn't stop himself from smiling.

The fire crackled in the fireplace, Nico's breath steadied, and he felt himself drift into a daze.

After some indeterminate length of time, he was jolted by Clovis shaking his shoulder. Will stood up, rubbing his eyes. "What's--what's the news?"

Clovis's round face wasn't capable of detailed emotions. His range of expressions went from bored and tired to irritated and tired. Even now sleep fought for purchase on his features, but Will had never seen him look so awake--or so grim.

"It's not good news."

Will braced himself. "What?"

"Marcus..." Clovis glanced at the sleeping boy. "He's not getting those memories back."

"Oh." Will let out a large breath. "That's bad, but could be worse. What's the cause?"

Clovis glanced at the mantel, where a branch dripped Lethe water into a bowl. Will always avoided that branch. It creeped him out, frankly, the way it just kept dripping with an endless flow of silver liquid.

Then it hit him. "You don't mean--"

"Someone dripped this guy in the Lethe. Since his memory is so cleanly wiped of the last year, I'm guessing they measured it out to make sure of the results."

Will watched Marcus's sleeping form. The boy looked normal. Who would want to hurt him? Who would take the memories of his home from him?

"So no chance of him remembering?"

"Unless a trigger for his memories pops up, no." Clovis yawned and patted Will on the shoulder. "Good talk, Will. Night!"

He stumbled into his bed, his eyes closing. Will envied his ability to discard everything and fall asleep so easily. Will himself was standing in the cabin of the God of Sleep, in the company of several sleeping demigods after a long day of monster fighting and fear. But his mind was buzzing and hidden fears made their way to the surface.

First Marcus, then Hazel. Next, who?

It hit Will just as his knees began to collapse.

A legacy of Pluto and a daughter of Pluto.

Next would be...

Panic flooded Will. He pulled himself upright and bolted to the pile of pillows holding his sleeping boyfriend.

"Nico!"

Chapter Text

Nico took the news well, considering Will was telling him he might get kidnapped. But if Will was secretly hoping for Nico to talk him out of the idea, then he was sadly mistaken. Nico agreed with him that there was a high risk.

A high risk.

Nico might get kidnapped.

Just the thought sent ice through Will's veins, and even though he had dragged his boyfriend out of the cabin he had an urge to collapse.

"It's just a theory," Will said for the third time. "Don't get too upset."

"Hey. Will." Nico tilted his boyfriend's head up, and Will blushed at the contact. Nico's fingers were cold, as usual--pale and white like a skeleton. "I think you're the one who's worried, and that's okay. But we can't do anything about it now."

"We could keep you safe, we could--"

"We could keep me right here," Nico argued. "Camp Half-Blood is the safest place in the world for kids like us. If anyone tries to get me, they'll be met with a demigod army." Nico smirked. "Actually, having me around could be useful as bait."

"I'm not using you as bait." Will folded his arms.

"Tactically, it's a good idea."

"You could get hurt."

Nico sighed in exasperation, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I suppose the doctor has spoken. But if I, you know, end up being inadvertent bait, that might work..."

Will smiled back and ruffled Nico's hair. "It can't be inadvertent if you thought of the idea."

Nico pressed a finger to Will's lips in a shushing gesture. "Don't tell."

Will froze at the touch. Even after a few months dating the son of Hades, he was still caught off guard any time his boyfriend touched him. Or appeared unexpectedly, or smiled, or made a joke, or did his little huffy sigh where his eyes rolled and his bangs fluttered...if he was being honest, half the things Nico did sent Will into gay panic mode. It wasn't his fault. Why did the guy have to be so damn cute all the time? With his black jacket just a little too big around the shoulders so it shifted when he shrugged, and the slight cowlick above his eyebrow that sent a small tuft of hair poking up like a sprig of grass through fresh dirt, and the sparkle in his dark eyes that you could only see if you looked closely--which Will did because he was, as stated previously, hopeless.

Nico certainly didn't seem to have the same problem as Will. Or at least, not to the same degree of hopeless detail. He got flustered when Will flirted with him, or initiated touch or got too close, but he didn't malfunction every time Will walked into the room. Maybe he was just good at hiding it? That was probably wishful thinking, though. Clearly this amount of strife wasn't normal.

Conclusion: Will was perhaps the gayest person in the entire history of ever. Which was saying something when he was descended from the Greek Gods.

Secondary conclusion: he had just shut off for approximately three seconds, and Nico was looking at him oddly.

"Earth to Will," he said. "You in there?"

"Yes!" Will blurted out. "Yes. I'm...yeah."

"You okay?"

"Yep. Very much so, yep." Inwardly Will cursed his own stupidity. "So...Marcus. What will we do about him? He'll wake up eventually."

Nico still looked confused but rode along with the change of subject. "Right. He could go to Hermes cabin?"

Will snorted. "You're serious?"

"Why not? He's close enough to unclaimed, and he needs a place to sleep."

"He's not unclaimed, though. He's a descendant." Will sighed. "And Nico, there are no unclaimeds in there anymore. Not after Percy made the gods straighten up. Do you really want to put him in a new cabin with a group of strangers--who, might I remind you, are known for pranking newbies? I spent only twenty days as an unclaimed and it was terrible. I wouldn't wish it on Kronos, much less a confused amnesiac Roman."

Nico pressed his lips together before nodding. "Okay. Yeah. Where, then?"

Will thought for a few seconds, then an idea hit him. "Our cabin! Apollo! We can look after him there."

"He's not sick, Will."

"Anyone could use a little bit of medical help, and it's a slow time of year--"

"I'm not sending him to be mothered by you, okay?" Nico laughed. "I thought we were avoiding torture scenarios."

Will glared at Nico. "Well, would you have him sleep by the campfire? Or in the forest? How about on top of the climbing wall? I heard Rachel Dare has a guestroom--"

"I get it," Nico said. "Wow, for a child of the sun god you're really cynical sometimes."

"Doctors have to be realistic."

"Well, why don't you find a realistic solution?"

Will chewed his lip. "I do have one, but I don't know if you'll like it."

"Yeah?" Nico asked.

"...your cabin?"

Nico's eyes flashed. "What."

Will waved his arms and immediately backtracked. "He's a descendant of Pluto, right? You have tons of room in there. And he knows you! Well, somewhat. C'mon, Nico," he added, seeing Nico's less-than-convinced face. "Could you turn away your sort-of-family member?"

"Everyone here is sort of family," Nico mumbled.

"Please?"

"I--" He shook his head. "I don't like sleeping near other people."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Any reason for that?"

Nico seemed to curl in on himself. He played with the hem of his jacket and avoided Will's gaze. "I have...nightmares, sometimes. About...everything. I don't like other people seeing that."

Oh.

Will wanted to reach out and hug the boy, but he didn't know if that was welcome or helpful. He still really wanted to.

"I get that," Will said. "Sorry. I can find another place if you want--"

"No, it's fine." Nico shook his head. "It's a good idea. He...he can stay. I'll just stay up all night."

Will almost laughed. "Nope! Not happening! Marcus is going to sleep in the Artemis cabin or something, because you're getting your rest."

"Artemis?" Nico asked.

"Or something."

"Will." Nico seemed to brace himself before placing his hand on Will's shoulder. "You know, the nightmares aren't so bad, when, you know, someone I know is there."

"So--" Will froze as the implications hit him. "Wait. You're asking me to--"

"If it's not too much trouble?" Nico shrugged. "It might be helpful. You can tell everyone it's for medical reasons."

Will's mouth was completely open. He tried to restart his brain cells, but they seemed stuck on Nico di Angelo invited him to stay the night.

"Will?" he asked.

"Um...yes. I will do that."

Nico seemed to take his hesitation as reluctance. "It's okay if you don't want to--"

"No!" Will ran his hands through his hair and tried to focus. "Yes! I would love that! I can stay with you. It's okay."

"You seem kind of--flustered."

"Well, you just invited me to sleep with you."

Nico blinked several times like a heavy weight had hit him in the face. "Oh. I--I didn't, I mean, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay!" Will wanted to die. "Um, I know what you meant. We're...we're okay. It's okay. Is it okay?"

"Um..." Nico looked a little scared, but soon softness overrode the apprehension. "Yeah. It's okay."

And Will smiled harder than he ever had in his life.

Maybe Nico was going to be kidnapped. Maybe Hazel was missing. Maybe Marcus had no memories.

But he got to spend the night with Nico di Angelo.

Things were, somehow, looking up.

Chapter Text

It was late, but despite the circumstances--or perhaps because of them--the campfire didn't die down. It glowed only brighter and brighter, reaching higher into the spangled night sky. It went from purple to red to green to blue as a million emotions popped like fireworks in the air. The Romans still complained about it being so late, and said they really needed to get to bed, but they always succumbed to one more song. The Greeks taught them all the weird ones and they took it in stride. Will started singing along automatically. The songs were imbedded within him at this point. He sat amongst his fellow cabinmates and sang stupid songs. For a moment, a wonderful moment, it felt like home.

Marcus was talking with Nyssa and some other Hephaestus kids. Percy had fallen asleep on Annabeth's shoulder. Jason and Piper were on the opposite ends of the campfire, hanging with the Romans and the Aphrodite Cabin, respectively. Reyna paced around the fire, leading the group in songs. Only Frank hadn't shown up.

Will yawned in the middle of The Myrmerkes Go Marching, almost dropping his uncooked marshmallow. The fire was too hot to roast with. Entire sticks had burst into flames, but the charred fingers were less of a nuisance than they'd be usually. Next morning campers would wince through archery practice and the climbing wall, but tonight they didn't care.

It was late. The trees shivered in the night air, and the warmth of the fire barely reached Will's cold, numb feet. He could go closer and risk burns, or he could turn around and let the fire bake him evenly. Or he could get a blanket as some kids had done. Maybe it was ironic that a child of Apollo hated the cold. Will figured it was just another sign of his failure as a demigod.

Nico wasn't at the campfire. He never was.

Which is why Will almost had a heart attack when Nico tapped him on the shoulder.

"Nico!" Will yelped, almost dropping his marshmallow again. "What are you doing here?"

Nico shrugged. "Only Frank and some Athena kids aren't here. I don't want to read about Greek military strategy and architecture."

Will saw his cabin-mates exchange loaded glances before one spoke up. "Why don't you two get us some marshmallows? Take as long as you want."

He glared at them as they started giggling. Through the flames, it was hard to tell, but Nico seemed to be blushing. "Right," he said. "Sure."

Will stood up and led Nico around back to the s'more table. A pair of Hermes kids were making a house out of graham crackers. Will muscled past them and snatched a bag of marshmallows. This far away from the campfire, his hands shook with cold. Why hadn't he brought a jacket? True, he would have been sweltering closer down, but now he could almost see his breath.

"How long will you be here?" Nico asked.

"Until I fall asleep, face-plant in the fire, and die."

Nico chuckled. "Please don't. I wouldn't put it past you, but don't."

Will leaned against the table. "What would you prefer for me to do?"

Nico shrugged. "Not die?"

"Aww, my life has meaning to you?"

"Don't get a big head about it, Solace."

Will stared into the fire, his eyes filling with spots. "I'll stay here for another hour or so. Okay?"

Will felt rather than heard Nico's nod, and he realized the boy had walked over to stand right beside him. Their arms were pressed together. Will contemplated putting his arm around Nico, but he didn't know how the son of Hades would react.

"Okay," Nico said. "I'll wait."

"Wait where?" Will muttered, his fatigue slowing everything down.

"I'll wait here. By the marshmallows."

"You know," Will said, "you could sit with us."

Nico let out a sound between a laugh and a sigh. "No one wants me to sit with them."

"I do."

And Will somehow found the guts to take Nico's hand.

And Nico squeezed back.

"I'll have to go in a couple days," Nico said to no one in particular. "Look for Hazel again. I should probably be preparing for that."

"Probably," Will agreed. Nico's eyes danced in the firelight.

Then a cold breeze swept their table and Will shivered.

"Go back to the fire," Nico insisted. "You're cold."

"I'm fine."

"Don't be all self-sacrificing, Solace."

Will pushed Nico's shoulder away. "Stupid. I'd rather be cold and with you than warm and without you."

Nico spluttered. "That was so cheesy. Di immortales, Solace, do you know how cheesy that was?"

"Very, I'm assuming." Will smiled. "Still true, though."

Nico closed his eyes and groaned. "How did I get stuck with you?"

"No idea. Probably my dashing good looks."

"Shut up, Solace. Please." Nico sighed and took off his jacket. "Take this. You'll be warmer."

"Who's self-sacrificing now?" Will asked, ignoring the thought of oh-my-gods-he-took-off-his-jacket-he's-just-wearing-a-shirt-oh-my-gods.

Nico rolled his eyes and placed the jacket around Will's shoulders like a blanket.

"I'm still cold," Will complained. "This is sweet, but I'm still cold."

"Di immortales." Nico smiled. "Come here."

He sat on the table and Will hopped up next to him, leaning into his shoulder. An arm wrapped around his waist, a leg pressed against his, and yeah, he wasn't cold anymore.

He looked up at Nico's face, which was only a few inches away, and closed the gap.

Yeah. Suffice it to say the Apollo cabin didn't get any marshmallows that night.

Chapter Text

The first night, they slept in silence.

The second, Nico woke a few hours before dawn. It took Will half an hour to get him back to sleep. It was worth it for the smile on Nico’s face as he drifted off.

The third night it was Marcus who woke up.

Will heard the mumbling and decided it wasn’t worth waking up for. He heard a dull thump and footsteps and turned over, covering his head with his pillow. His eyes seemed glued shut. Beside him, he heard Nico’s light snores cut off and his hand slip from Will’s. Will made a little noise of complaint he wouldn’t be caught dead making in daylight.

Then there was a crash and a loud swear word.

Will reluctantly turned over and opened his eyes. The world was dark and murky. The ceiling of the Hades cabin, painted black and decorated with animal bones for whatever reason, swam as he tried to focus. His head felt stuffed with cotton. It couldn’t be more than two in the morning. Will was not a night person.

Nico shifted and sat up. “Wuzzat?” he mumbled, hair sticking up along the side of his face. Will reached out and patted it back down, too tired to stop himself. Nico blinked at Will. “Did you—”

“No,” Will said. Apprehension gave him a jolt and he felt a little more awake. There could be an intruder, or a monster, or something else unholy and terrifying. Scanning the cabin, he saw nothing, but deep shadows lurked in the corners and under the beds.

Then there was movement by the door. Will leaned forward and squinted, and a face came into focus.

“Marcus!” Will blurted out. “What in Hades are you doing?”

Marcus picked up the giant spear he had knocked off the wall. “Sorry, my bad. Go back to sleep.” His voice sounded strange and taut to Will’s sleepy ears.

“Where're you going?” Nico mumbled into Will’s shoulder. Will repeated the question louder.

“Nowhere.”

Will looked with regret at the sleepy Nico leaning on his shoulder and slipped out of the bed. Nico followed, still rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Marcus, you can’t just wander around camp at night. You could get lost.”

“I know where I’m going.” It wasn’t just Will’s hearing. Marcus didn’t sound right. He sounded blank, taut, like his voice was a cord about to snap.

“Marcus, buddy,” Nico said blurrily. “I’m really tired. Can we all just go back to bed an’ you can go chasing the moon some other time?”

“Good plan,” Will agreed. “Marcus, I don’t know what you’re doing, but unless it’s a stealthy bathroom trip get back in your bunk. Please.”

Marcus looked around the cabin and his eyes widened. “I can’t,” he said. His voice had an edge of panic.

“What?”

“I can’t stay here. I have to—I have to go.”

The panic rose in Marcus’ voice. Will tried to find his bearings. It wasn’t easy—his mind still moved sluggishly from the sleep. But alarm bells rang in his head. Something was very wrong.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Will guessed.

Marcus bit his lip and nodded.

“What was it about?”

Marcus shook his head.

“You don’t remember or you don’t want to talk?”

Nico seemed wide awake now, pushing himself off Will’s shoulder. Will tried not to whine at the lack of contact. “Marcus, did you remember something?”

Will snapped his gaze from Nico to Marcus. Marcus shifted and twisted his hands together.

“Yeah,” he admitted.

“That’s great!” Will said. “How much do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces.” Marcus’s eyes began to dart around again. “Look, I have to go.”

“Go where?”

“To the Hill.”

“The Hill with the Pine tree?” Nico clarified. “You’re crossing the border?”

“I’m leaving,” Marcus said.

“You can’t leave,” Will blurted out, before realizing how that sounded. “I mean, you’re not our prisoner, of course. It’s just not safe for a demigod to wander the world alone. Especially at night. Can you at least wait until morning so we can talk about this?”

Marcus shook his head again. He was hugging himself now, and despite the cold air that lifted Will’s pajamas it didn’t seem like he needed warmth. Something was sparkling in his eyes, something panicky and broken.

Whatever he had remembered, whatever his dream was, it wasn’t good.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus whispered. “I need everyone to be safe.”

“What?” Nico narrowed his eyes. “Marcus, what are you talking about?”

“They said!” Marcus waved a hand around frantically. “I’m not supposed to tell you anything. I need to—keep you out of it!”

“They? Who are they?” Will felt more confused and concerned by the second. “Did you—wait, have you been hiding stuff from us this whole time?”

Marcus shook his head miserably. “Just got instructions tonight.”

“Instructions?” Will repeated, feeling like a parrot. “Marcus, you need to calm down and tell us exactly what your dream meant.”

“I can’t. I don’t have time. I have to go or they’ll hunt me down, and—” Marcus glanced at the door and stepped away from Will. His hands were shaking. “I’m sorry. I need to meet them there. To keep everyone safe.”

“Marcus, you’ve had a nightmare. It wasn’t real.” Will ignored the whisper that told him demigod nightmares were always real. “And even if it was, it’s not safe to go out there tonight. I can try to help you sleep and we can figure this out in the morning.”

Marcus almost looked convinced, then his whole frame shook and he gasped. “I can’t. I’m sorry. You don’t—you don’t get it. I have to go.”

Before they could do anything, Marcus bolted out the door.

Nico looked at Will and mouthed follow him. Will nodded, pulling on his sneakers and grabbing his useless bow and quiver. Nico buckled his sheath around his waist and drew his sword. Will almost laughed when he realized they were still in their pajamas; Nico in skull-and-crossbones pajamas and Will in flannel pants and a Here Comes the Sun t-shirt. They looked like the most unintimidating demigods since the fifties, when the camp t-shirt was tie-dyed. But they didn’t need to look intimidating to save Marcus.

They just needed to be fast enough.

Nico and Will tore through the camp. It was dead silent apart for the crickets humming in the forest and the occasional hammer clang from a late-night metalsmith. The brisk cold wind ripped all sleep from Will’s mind. He could barely see apart from the occasional fire pit and the light of the stars. His feet ached where they hit the cold, frosty grass as the pair made it through the cabins and ran past the Big House. Its lightless eyes sent centipedes crawling up Will’s back.

In front of him, Nico ran, blending into the mottled shadows like he was born to the dark.

In a way, he was.

And ahead of him, barely visible, a small figure clambered to the top of the hill and stood silhouetted by the Pine tree.

Panting, Nico reached out and tugged Will to the top. Will felt like someone had catapulted Greek fire into his lungs. He bent to his knees and caught his breath, barely noticing Nico staggering toward Marcus. Frost bit his ankles. His sneakers were untied. He felt the wild abandon that came from late nights, a fresh, crisp sense of reality. He felt if he closed his eyes he would wake up back in his bed with Nico curled up next to him, safe and sound.

He wished this was a nightmare.

“Marcus. What—are you doing?” Nico wheezed. “Are you insane?”

Marcus looked at Nico, and for the first time, he seemed entirely in control. His hand was placed on the Pine tree, his feet just over the borderline, his rumpled white t-shirt glowing against the stars. His brown curly hair shifted in the wind.

"Nico," he said calmly. "Will. You shouldn't be here."

Then his expression froze. He looked down at his chest and Will saw the point of an arrow sprouting through his shirt. The white darkened with red, his glow went out, and Marcus collapsed onto the frost-strewn grass.

Chapter Text

For a second Will couldn’t comprehend it. He waited for Marcus to get up, to say it was all some party trick or stupid prank from the Hermes Cabin. When that didn’t happen, he waited for himself to wake up. Because this had to be a bad dream. There was no way Marcus had actually been shot. It just wasn’t right—he was starting to fit in. He was growing more confident. He couldn’t be hurt.

Except he was. Except he lay on the ground, not moving, blood soaking around the arrow.

Without thinking, Will lunged forward to help him.

And Nico yanked him back.

“No,” Nico said hoarsely. “You can’t cross the barrier. There could be more arrows.”

“He’s dying!” Will whispered.

“Yeah. He is.”

“Don’t you care?”

Nico looked away. “I’ve seen a lot of dead people, Will.”

“So have I.” Will stared at Marcus’ pale chest. If the arrow wasn’t removed and ambrosia was applied quick enough, he just might pull through. “And I hate it every time, especially when it could have been stopped.”

Nico clenched his hand tighter around Will’s wrist. “I know. Believe me, I know. But you’ll put yourself in danger.”

“Oh, now you’re worried about danger?” Will felt his eyes burning and realized he was crying. “Nico, this is all I’m good for. Helping people. I’m a medic and that’s it. I can’t stop injuries from happening, I can’t fight the perpetrators, I just clean up the messes when it’s over. Please, at least, let me do that.”

Nico pulled Will forward and hugged him.

It was unexpected. It was strange. Nico didn’t usually do hugs, and he didn’t really seem to know where to put his hands or how tightly to squeeze. But Will didn’t jerk away. He curled into Nico’s chest and cried.

“I hate to interrupt your moment,” said a voice brittle as pine bark, “but if you’re not going to step into firing range, you might as well leave.”

Nico jerked away and drew his sword, leaving Will stumbling on his own.
A young woman stood next to the pine tree. Every part of her seemed designed to blend in, from her tan skin to her chestnut-brown hair to her wrinkled camaflauge clothes. She reminded Will of a Hunter of Artemis, but surely she was too old for that? She looked college-age. And her bow wasn’t the silvery one used by the Hunters. It was an oak longbow. The matching quiver was slung over her back. It seemed slightly too big for her, but Will knew from years in the Apollo Cabin that archers came in any shape and size.

“Who are you?” Nico asked. “What do you want?”

“Nico.” Will pointed at the quiver, where the same black arrows clustered together like bees in a hive. “She’s the one who…”

Nico’s grip tightened on his sword. “Why did you shoot our friend?”

“Don’t worry, he’s not dead.” The woman bent down and traced her hands over his face before clamping them around the arrow. Quickly and deftly she pulled it out, with a terrible squelching noise and an outpouring of blood. Will thought he was about to throw up. Even Nico flinched.

“There.” She tossed the bloody arrow aside. “Now he’s dead.”

Will met Nico’s eyes, who gave a brief nod, confirming the statement.

Marcus was dead.

“What’s wrong with you?” Will blurted out.

“A lot of things.” The woman pushed back her hair. “But we don’t have time to get into that today. I was going to just leave this, but if you two are here, you can be my messengers.”

She waved a folded-up piece of paper in the air and tossed it through the barrier. It must have been harmless because it sailed right through and landed in the frosty grass at Will’s feet. He picked it up. It was already rather soggy and crumpled, but the words on it were clear enough.

Tell the Son of Hades his sister says hello.

If he really wants to find her, he should go where he found her the first time.

“Can you give that to him?” the woman asked. “Give it a few hours, though. I’d love a head start.”

Nico read the message over Will’s shoulder and his face darkened. Before he could respond, Will stepped in front of him.

“Of course,” Will said. “And a head start won’t do anything. He’ll catch up.”

“We’ll see about that.” The woman’s mouth twisted into the ghost of a smile. “I do love a good chase, and he promises to be an interesting opponent. I can’t wait to meet him.”

Just for that. Even if she hadn’t killed Marcus without a second thought. Even if she wasn’t involved with Hazel’s kidnapping, which she clearly was. Even if she wasn’t messing with them and enjoying the feeling of power.

Just for threatening Nico, Will wanted to shoot an arrow into her smug face.

Except arrows were weapons and didn’t go through the border. Also, he couldn’t shoot a bow to save his life.

So he just stood there, seething, as the woman lifted a hand and waved. She was merely two feet away but blocked from attacking them, blocked from attacks, untouchable and inevitable. Two feet away, her combat boots breaking up the frost.

She lifted two fingers in a salute.

Then she was running, fast for a human but not supernaturally fast, down the hill and towards the distant road.

Nico stared after her, his face pale, his knuckles white on his sword hilt, his dark eyes narrowed.

Will could tell what he was thinking.

“Blackjack?” he called. “I need a favor.”

And a minute later, the stars above them were blotted out by the shape of a horse. He landed next to them, wobbling a bit, and nuzzled Nico’s side. Nico sighed and patted Blackjack’s flank.

“I’m going somewhere, okay? Can you take me there?”

Blackjack bobbed his head in a nod. Will couldn’t speak with horses, and apparently neither could Nico. Only Percy could talk to Blackjack due to his powers of the Sea God or something. Percy, who Blackjack pretty much belonged to.

“Won’t Percy be mad?” Will asked, knowing it was the last of the questions on his ever-growing list.

“Percy likes me,” Nico responded, pulling himself onto Blackjack’s back. “And Blackjack insists nobody owns him anyway.”

Will stared at Nico as he sheathed his sword, leaning between Blackjack’s wings. He looked like he’d done it a thousand times before. Maybe he had.

“Nico—” Will said.

“I know, I know, I’m putting myself in danger and it’s probably a trap and I should wait for backup or at least tell someone where I’m going.” Nico sighed. “And that I’m still tired and shouldn’t be using any of my energy until I’m fully healed, and that I’m an idiot.”

Will almost laughed. He would have, too, if Marcus’ body wasn’t glowing in the starlight. “That’s it, except for one thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I want to come with you.”

Nico spluttered. “What?”

“Well, you’re always doing stupid things. I can help you out.” Will was rapidly losing confidence in his own decisions. “And I’m a healer, so I can keep your strength up and patch you up after your inevitable monster fights. And they wouldn’t expect me, so that’s an advantage, albeit a very small one because I’m useless in a fight, but you know, two heads are better than one? And I’ll be worried sick every second I’m with you, but at least I’ll be doing my best to help you. I don’t want you to go on your own. I just…don’t.”

Nico was silent.

“But, I mean, if you want to choose someone else or go on your own, I can’t stop you, and I know there are way more powerful demigods than me sleeping on Chiron’s couch, so if you don’t want me along I understand—”

“Will?” Nico said fondly.

“Yeah?”

“If I could choose anyone in the world on my side, it would be you.”

Will couldn’t stop the dopey smile from spreading across his face. Thank the gods it was dark. “Not even Hercules?”

“Percy says Hercules is a jerk anyway.” Nico stuck out his hand. “Climb on.”

Will smiled even wider.

He dropped the note at his feet. Chiron would figure out what happened. Hopefully no one would be too mad when they found out. Percy would probably understand the midnight quest thing, if all the stories about him were true, but the Romans might be a bit angrier. They weren’t even sanctioned by the Oracle, though admittedly the Oracle was currently prophecy-less. This was an unauthorized quest with no help or support from anyone.

For a millisecond, Will almost turned back.

Then he took Nico’s hand and pulled himself onto the Pegasus. Clutching around Nico’s waist, he saw the wide wings flap once, twice, three times, and they started to rise.

“We’re following that motorbike,” Nico instructed. Sure enough, the camaflauge woman was peeling down the road.

“To save Hazel,” Will added. “And to avenge Marcus.”

“Hazel and Marcus.” Nico reached up and squeezed one of Will’s hands. “Let’s go.”

And as they flew higher into the sky, Will’s self-control evaporated. He took one last lingering look at the camp, with glittering torches and a small fire still in the pit, and the glassy windows of the Big House, and the creaking of the forest, and the Pine Tree stretching tall into the moonlight.

Then they dipped through the clouds in a rush of air, and Camp Half-Blood disappeared.

Chapter Text

Will didn’t want to complain, but this was getting unbearable.

He wasn’t dressed for this weather, this winter chill. The wind buffeted his chest and swept through his hair, needling its way under his thin pajamas and settling somewhere in his ribs. Blackjack flew onwards, going faster every time Nico patted his flank and whispered, “Speed up.” Which was every few minutes. Other than those quiet words, Nico was silent and immobile, staring at the road with his shoulders hunched. Will didn’t dare to interrupt his vigil, and he felt any words would be torn from his mouth by the wind.

What would he say, anyway? There was too much and too little to say.

Blackjack flew on. The motorcycle rounded a bend. It was getting harder to pick out the vehicle amongst the traffic, especially since Nico kept dipping into the clouds to avoid being spotted.

The clouds were worse than the wind. They were damp and clingy like cotton swabs. Water droplets crystallized on the back of Will’s neck and between his fingers. His wet pajamas rippled in the wind.

The road beneath them turned to a larger one, a wider one, and then a larger one still. They were headed into the city. Glimmering lights sent spots dancing through Will’s eyes. In the skyline, he could see the Empire State Building, hardly taller than some of the glass skyscrapers, but drawing his eye all the same. Somewhere above that pointy spire was Olympus, home of the gods. Home of his father—well, maybe not, anymore. Nobody had heard from Apollo since the fight with Gaea. Will stared at the lit-up top and remembered how much he’d lost defending it.

Funny. It looked like just another building. A building demigods had died over.

Will tore his eyes away and followed the motorcycle, which wove in and out of traffic. It was driving down Manhatten now. Nico pulled them even lower, almost brushing the skyscrapers.

“Shouldn’t we go higher?” Will yelled into Nico’s ear.

Nico only shrugged in response.

Will guessed the Mist would obscure them in the clouds. Plus, he’d heard stories about demigods that trespassed in Olympus airspace. It was safer closer to the ground.

But he felt too exposed. He’d take cotton-swab clouds any day. This felt too dangerous, too risky, too—

A thought struck him. “Nico!” he yelled. “Will they chase us?”

“What?” Nico asked.

“Will they chase us? We’re breaking camp rules.”

Nico half-turned, enough to give Will an eye-roll. “No Mr. D, no camp rules.”

Will frowned and tried to respond. Then Nico looked down and almost yelped. He quickly steered Blackjack away from the road and down towards the ground.

“What?” Will asked.

Nico’s shoulders tensed. “She’s headed to Central Park.”

“So?”

“So, I know where she’s going. And I’m cutting her off.”

Blackjack came to a stumbling stop, almost dumping them onto the grass. The park was almost empty, save for a few lights and wandering individuals through the trees. Nobody gave them a glance. The Mist must have been hard at work to camaflauge a black pegasus, a confused healer, and an angry son of Hades.

Nico jumped to the ground before Will could react. Will half-jumped, half-fell off Blackjack, stumbling as he landed.

“What’s happening?” Will asked. He hated sounding like a broken record, but things were happening so fast, and his pajamas were soaked and chilly, and for all he knew the motorcycle woman—Marcus’ killer—could be there any moment.

Nico glanced around before leading them on a path. “Entrance to the Underworld,” he said briskly. “Door of Orpheus.”

“You think she’s headed to the Underworld?”

“Where else? I doubt she’s getting brunch in Soho.” Nico walked even faster. His sword swung out and chopped a branch in half. “If we hurry, we can go down there first.”

“Go in the Underworld?” Will repeated, jogging to catch up. “Are you crazy? You can’t just waltz into the Underworld.”

“I can and I will,” Nico said. “I’m the son of Hades. Everyone loves me there.”

“Correction. I can’t just waltz into the Underworld. I don’t have any pull with the god of death, Nico.” Will wrung out a corner of his shirt. “Mortals don’t belong in the Underworld. You go in there, you die. I’m a healer—I know this stuff.”

“People have survived,” Nico said unconvincingly. “Hercules. Orpheus.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Will said with bitterness, “I’m not Hercules.”

“Percy Jackson.” Nico’s mouth twisted at the name. “I took him here once. He survived. If that idiot can get out of it alive, you can too.”

Will opened his mouth, then shut it.

Then opened it again.

“Can’t we at least wait? Until morning? Gather our strength, eat a bagel, that kind of thing?”

“We need to beat her to the entrance. No time to lose.”

“You don’t even know she’s going here.”

Nico glanced at Will as if to respond, then thought better of it and turned away. Will hurried to catch up, grabbing Nico’s hand and tugging gently.

“That’s your I-know-something-but-don’t-want-to-tell face,” Will said. “You thought she was headed here. Why?”

Nico finally stopped walking and turned around. His face was shadowed and grainy in the darkness.

“Will,” he said, and Will almost winced. It was the way he said that name, like Will was a hero like Hercules that he told stories about. Like Will was a constellation, or an element, something people saw in the future and told their kids about. Like Will was his greatest tragedy. A hero like Orpheus, chasing the impossible, doomed to fail through his own lack of faith. And Nico was Eurydice, unable to speak, unable to stop him from turning around.

Being a demigod wasn’t easy. It usually ended one way. Will knew that. It was moments like this that made him wish he didn’t.

“Will,” Nico repeated. “Please. Trust me. I will protect you and I will get us through this. But…I need to find her, okay? I’m not…I’m not going to lose another sister.”

Another sister.

Bianca. Who Nico barely mentioned, but who filled so many of his silences.

Will knew the story, of course. Everyone did. She’d died years ago, on a quest with Percy and Grover Underwood, sacrificing herself in a blazing western desert.

Nico squeezed Will’s hand.

“Come on,” he said. “We’re almost there.”

And Will said nothing. He said nothing as Nico took them off the path and to a pile of boulders. He said nothing as Nico forced the boulders aside and revealed a dark interior. He said nothing as Nico took his hand again. It was warm and cold at the same time. Will leaned into Nico, not knowing who was supporting who.

Nico stepped forward, pulling Will along.

Will knew he would regret going in.

But he knew he would regret staying even more.

He took one step, then another, feeling damp air lick at his cheeks.

The bright crisp night shimmered behind him.

Then the rocks fell forward into each other and there was only silence and darkness.

Nico pulled on his hand and they walked down, down towards the Underworld. Towards Hades. Towards Elysium and Asphodel and a world of fire and dark stones and kidnapped sisters. Towards a place he didn’t understand. A place Nico knew too well.

Maybe he wasn’t Orpheus. Maybe Nico was. Determined not to lose her. Determined to bring her back.

What did that make Will? Maybe a supporting character forgotten in the mists of time. Maybe the audience, watching the story unfold, knowing how it would end.

Will kept walking, seeing nothing, letting Nico’s hand guide him forward.

He didn’t look back.

Chapter Text

The River Styx slipped placidly around a bend. Although its speed was slow, its surface was tumultuous. Waves crested and fell over each other. Ripples spread from invisible ruptures. The current tugged rocks and stones from the bank into the river, eating away at the sides. It stretched for many feet before Will could see the other side, shrouded in fog. In between, the water churned hungrily. Although it was the color of ink, fire seemed to glow in each drop that spun into the air. It glimmered with light in a darkened cavern. It smelled of sulfur and lightning and leaves catching fire. It was hypnotic and it was beautiful.

Will found himself taking a step forward before Nico caught his arm.

“It’s dangerous,” Nico said. “Stay back. I’ve seen…it’ll kill you if you’re not prepared.”

Will frowned. “I thought it killed you no matter what.”

“Well, if it doesn’t kill you, you get a blessing, remember?” Nico’s eyes narrowed. “That’s just if it doesn’t kill you, though. You’d better not touch that water or I will murder you, then use my powers to resurrect you and murder you again.”

Will laughed. “As you wish.”

Nico stared him down. “I’m serious, Will. I saw someone do that once. And it was…scary. I thought it was the right thing to do—maybe it was—but I’m never letting anyone do that again. Especially not you.”

“All right, all right, I promise.” Will sighed and got rid of his smile. “I promise, Nico.”

“Right.” Nico sighed. “Sorry, I just—with everything that’s happened—I want to keep one person safe.”

Will tentatively reached forward and took Nico’s hand. “You’re doing everything you can.”

“Yeah, but I should do more!” Nico blurted out. “Because…because I can! Because I’m powerful and a child of the Big Three and I’ve been places no one else has. I’ve survived two wars and fought a Titan and saved the world, more or less. And then my sister is kidnapped, and I’m completely helpless! I should be better than this, but I can’t save her, like I couldn’t save Marcus or—or Bianca.” Nico’s face tightened. “It’s the worst feeling in the world. Knowing you could have done something. But you didn’t.”

Will squeezed Nico’s hand. “Nico…”

“Sorry, I’m dumping all this on you, I just—”

“No! No, it’s fine! That’s what I’m here for.” Will pushed back Nico’s bangs. “I admit I’ve never been in that situation, mainly because I can’t do anything at all, but failing doesn’t make you a failure. We all do it. We’re human. You can’t hold yourself to impossible standards like that.” He smiled softly as Nico’s face weakened and his lips twitched in a smile.

“There we go.” Will laughed and poked Nico’s cheek. “You’re awesome, Nico. Remember that.”

Nico huffed out a laugh, batting Will’s hand away. “Now you’re getting cheesy.”

“You love it.”

“I most certainly do not.”

“If you two are done with your conversation, could you please tell me whether you’re getting in or not?”

Will yelped and whirled around to see a man standing at the edge of the river. Well, he might have been a man, or maybe not. Will narrowed his eyes and tried to make out details besides the gray robe he wore and the annoyed smile on his face, but he seemed to jolt and blur in the glittering light of the Styx.

Behind him was an empty boat, bobbing slightly in the waves.

“Charon.” Nico stared, unimpressed. “And to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, you need to cross, do you not?” Charon’s glittering smile widened. “I’ll gladly take you across. For a price.”

Nico folded his arms. “I’m the son of Hades, Charon. I don’t pay for daimons to row me across rivers.”

Charon snickered. “You’re awfully rude today. Let’s see. Usually, that would indeed be the case, but since you’ve got a plus one—hello, there, Nico’s friend, please don’t kill all the servants like the last one did—and since your dad is a little indisposed at the moment, the price just went up. Two coins, one for each of you. Take it or leave it.”

“Indisposed?” Nico repeated dully.

“Oops! My bad. I’m not supposed to talk about that.” Charon mimed zipping his lips. “Let’s leave that behind us, because that isn’t really what matters. Now, pay up or go back up, little demigods.”

Will glanced at Nico, who steeled his shoulders.

“Take us across. Now.”

“You’re in no position to give me orders.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I’m confused. You’ve always let me across before.”

“Things are different now, little demigods.” Charon bent down and cupped his hands around his mouth. “I’m getting paid so much more these days. I can afford so many suits.”

Nico glanced at Will, who shrugged in response. He didn’t pretend to understand the Underworld.

“Charon. Let us across.” Nico sighed. “I promise we’ll pay you later. It won’t be a bother. I mean, you’re already here, you might as well take us across.”

“True, and you’re absolutely correct!”

“What?”

Charon smiled wider. “I’ve just been pulling your leg, son of Hades. Of course you can come across! It wouldn’t be proper to leave a child of Hades on the wrong side of the river.”

Nico glanced at Will again. Will shrugged again. This was Nico’s territory, not his.

“Okay?” Nico said. “Let’s go, then.”

They climbed into the leaky boat. As soon as Will wobbled his way into a sitting position, he closed his eyes. He didn’t like being only feet away from the surface of the Styx. He also didn’t like boats in general. They made him seasick.

After a minute or two, Charon rapped Will on the head. “Eyes open, demigod. You’re here.”

Will quickly clambered out of the boat, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as he landed on solid ground. Nico stepped out after him, his sword already drawn. Charon waved and pushed back into the water, the boat hissing as it touched the mist.

“Have fun, demigods!” His smile stretched wider, bone gleaming in the light. “Everyone is dying to see you.”

A few more paddles, and he vanished.

“I don’t like that,” Will said. “I don’t like any of this.”

“Neither do I,” Nico agreed. “You can always back out, Will. I’ll get you to the surface.”

Will nodded, but inside he already knew it was far too late to back out. Even if he could convince Nico to come with him, even if he could ignore the guilt of abandoning Hazel, even if Nico was well enough to shadow-travel—Will had a sinking feeling they weren’t leaving any time soon.

The Underworld had them. It wasn’t going to let them go.

Chapter Text

Nico slipped his hand into Will’s and tugged him along.

The path they were following was narrow and dusty, winding around poplar trees. Above them, the murky sky shifted. Will peered between layers of fog and saw wheeling creatures, black and glittering, spreading their wings. Ahead of them were hills, soft and shallow. In the distance glimmered Hades’ palace. In another direction, Will spotted fires burning. In a third, something golden gleamed on the horizon.

“Where are we going?” Will asked.

“Shh!” Nico pressed a hand to Will’s face. “Don’t speak unless absolutely necessary. They probably already know we’re here, but let’s play it safe.”

“But you’re talking—”

“Shh! Listen!” Nico lowered his voice and rounded a bend, glancing around. “We’re going to the palace. This is a back-route, takes us away from the Fields of Punishment. We have to cut through Asphodel, but if you walk slowly and pretend you’re dead we should be fine.”

Will raised an eyebrow instead of responding, hoping it would convey his confusion. Nico lowered his voice even further before continuing.

“Look. I don’t know what’s going on here but something is up. I can’t trust my status to keep us out of trouble. Charon’s probably alerted everyone, or he will soon enough. And remember, that woman is probably somewhere behind us, which is why we’re taking a shortcut. Also because I don’t want any attention from…interested parties. The Kindly Ones especially won’t be happy that I brought you, even if everything was normal. And I think something’s really, really wrong.”

Will nodded. The urgency on Nico’s face was enough to shut him up.

Nico tugged on Will’s hand again, pulling him along even faster. Soon they were jogging along the path, leaping over poplar roots until they reached the peak of a larger hill.

From there, Will could see everything. He could see the obsidian-silver walls of Hades’ palace. He could see the Fields of Punishment, the fires and the glinting knives. He could hear the screams. Beyond that, he could see three islands in the middle of another river—the Isles of the Blessed—and near them, Elysium. Below them stretched more empty, dusty fields littered with poplars and boulders. But these were filled with people. They shambled around, shuffling through the dirt like a teeming mass of ants under a stone. Curiously, they all seemed to be moving in the same direction—an endless loop in the shape of an eight, with an overpass built of stone in the center.

“Daedalus,” Nico said. “I thought it was grim, but no one asked me.”

Grim? Will looked closer. Oh. It wasn’t an eight. It was an infinity sign. The souls were walking in circles forever until the end of time, shuffling forward but going nowhere.

Will shivered. Thankfully, Nico didn’t comment.

Instead, he pulled Will down the hill.

Will stood at the edge of the field, watching a mass of people march past him. Their tattered gray clothes created a shifting wall, like a curtain.

“Hold onto me,” Nico ordered. “Don’t let go of my hand. If they separate us…things could get bad.”

Will opened his mouth to ask questions or suggest going around the endless traffic jam of Asphodel or request to perhaps turn around and leave now, please and thank you, but Nico placed a finger on his lips in a shushing gesture. Will repeated the gesture with his own hand and nodded.

Nico pulled him into Asphodel.

It was like a hurricane for the first few seconds. It was like standing in a river about to rip you from the stones and toss you downstream. People pressed at Will, dragging him along, squeezing him through empty cloths. Nico tightened his grip on Will’s hand, but it was almost wrenched out again as a soul almost bowled Will over.

Then they started walking forward in the same direction as the people, and the hurricane subsided. They entered the eye. They walked with two people between them but their hands still entwined, breathing slowly and evenly. Will tried to shuffle like a dead person but ended up tripping on his shoelaces.

They kept walking. Will looked around surreptitiously, his curiosity getting the best of him. But he didn’t recognize anyone around him. The crowd was huge—and he supposed nobody he knew would be in Asphodel, right? They’d have gone to Elysium. Right? That was where heroes went.

But what counted as heroism? What if you just missed the fight? What if you didn’t get a chance to be a hero? Would you end up here, walking in infinite loops, chittering quietly to yourself? No memory, no face, no chance of a better life or even a redo button?

It wasn’t the cold bodies pressed against him that sent chills down Will’s back.

He really, really didn’t like the Underworld.

Nico’s hand was warm in his. He rubbed his thumb over Nico’s knuckles, just to remind himself that someone else was alive here. Nico squeezed his hand in response.

But they were starting to get attention now. Souls around Will turned their blank faces on him and began to chitter with curiosity. One reached out and rested their hand on Will’s shoulder. Another plucked at his pajama shirt.

Will sent a panicked look to Nico, whose face was shimmering between layers of grey.

“Up ahead! Follow me!” Nico yelled.

And he veered off to the side, fighting his way to the edge.

Will followed, and was caught in a hurricane again.

They were close to the edge, Will knew that. He knew they were only a few feet away. But that few feet seemed like eternity. Bodies pressed against him, dragging him forward. His feet stumbled, carried by the currents. And then hands reached for him. Fingers caught the back of his shirt. Another hand snatched his wrist. A third pulled a lock of hair. Will tried to shake them off, but their cold touches leeched into his limbs. Their chittering grew louder, more panicked, almost words but not quite, dusty sounds that dried against Will’s skin.

Nico’s hand was slipping from his.

No. No!

Will clung to Nico’s hand, and with an almighty wrench, pushed himself out of the crowds.

And he found himself on the other side of the field, leaning against a poplar tree, his grip turning Nico’s hand white, gasping for breath.

“You okay?” Nico asked quietly.

Will nodded, running his hands through his hair and touching the back of his neck. He still felt those fingers on his skin.

“Then we’d better keep moving.” Nico was still eyeing him with concern. Will straightened and tried to look confident and strong and capable of anything. It must have worked okay, or perhaps Nico didn’t have time to call him on his lies, because they started moving without another word.

They were on the main path now. Ahead of them loomed Hades’ palace. Everything was black in the Underworld, but the palace was a new shade of black. It was the color of Nico’s sword; it was the color that flashed before Will’s eyes when he shadow-traveled; it was the color you probably saw right before you died. Black not as the absence of light, but the presence of something else. Something solid and icy and all-too-real.

Nico squeezed Will’s hand. Will squeezed back.

He needed a bit of comfort right now.

Chapter Text

Will knew that Nico wanted to run.

His strides were getting longer and longer, his grip tighter and tighter. He pulled Will forward, his feet almost leaving the ground. His eyes were fixed on the palace. His eyes glittered like jewels, the ones surely all around them, buried within the ground.

Will could have ran with Nico. He could have given in and let them tear down the road to the palace, not wasting a second to find Hazel.

But that would draw attention, and his ankles already ached, and Will wasn’t really the athletic type. There was a reason he didn’t spend his time on the climbing wall at Camp Half-Blood, a reason that included singed pants and a second-degree burn on his heel.

And honestly, he was pretty okay with not bursting into Hades’ palace. He had a few minutes before he had to face the Lord of the Underworld, aka his boyfriend’s dad, and maybe someone who kidnapped his boyfriend’s sister. He had a few moments of peace before the storm.

Up ahead, a path diverged from their main road, twisting down a narrow slope and into a darkened cave. A wind swept across Will’s neck, making him shiver.

“What?” Nico asked, following Will’s gaze. As soon as he saw the cause, his hand tightened around Will’s.

Will tried to take another step forward, but Nico had stopped dead in the road.

“Nico?” Will whispered. “Are you okay?”

Nico pressed his lips together and made a half-nod, half-shake of his head.

“What is that?” Will asked.

“It’s…nothing. Never mind.”

Will raised an eyebrow and took a step forward. Nico didn’t move.

“Doesn’t seem like nothing,” Will said.

“Oh, shove it, Solace.” Nico glared at him. “Let go of me and just keep walking. I’ll follow.”

Reluctantly, Will released Nico’s hand. He took a few steps and glanced back. Nico showed no sign of moving.

“Coming?” Will asked.

“I am.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Solace!” Nico growled at Will and took a hesitant step. Then his eyes skidded to the cave again and he blanched, taking two steps back.

Will looked at the cave more closely. It was about ten feet away and sunk into the ground. It reminded Will of an open mouth, or maybe an eye. Something about it seemed alive, malicious, a fat spider waiting for flies to alight on its web.

The winding path that led to it had a little junction only a few feet away. Beyond it was the palace, huge and gleaming, close enough to touch.

Will looked back at Nico, who had screwed his hands into fists and was glaring at the cave like it had personally murdered his dog.

He took a few steps back and placed a hand on Nico’s shoulder. Nico flinched before leaning into the touch.

“What’s wrong?” Will asked. “You’re going to have to tell me, because we need to get to the palace and we can’t just call a taxi.”

Nico stared at his feet. “It’s stupid, okay? I’m being stupid. Let’s just go.”

“Nico, communication is important in relationships.” Will grinned before sighing and sweeping a bit of hair out of Nico’s eyes. “Seriously, what’s wrong? Can I help?”

Nico frowned and mumbled something incomprehensible.

“Communication is also helped when both parties can hear each other.”

“That’stheentrancetoTartarus.”

Will looked at the cave again, inconspicuous and deceptively innocent.

Everything fell into place.

“Oh,” Will said lamely.

“Yeah.” Nico’s mouth tightened.

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything.” Nico smiled wryly. “It’s not your fault I’m still not over it.”

“Which makes sense.” Will didn’t quite know what to say or how to say it, but he was going to try anyway. “That was an…awful thing you had to go through. It makes sense you’re still apprehensive about it. That’s okay.”

“Whatever,” Nico said. “I just have to suck it up and walk past the stupid entrance. I’ll be fine.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can stop talking.”

“Okay.”

“And…” Nico paused. “You can…it’s worse because I can see it. If I couldn’t…”

Will reached for Nico’s hand. Nico gratefully wound his fingers in Will’s. “I can guide you. If you want to keep your eyes closed.”

Nico smiled softly. “Oh yeah, Solace? You’ll protect me?”

“Absolutely.” Will held his fist in the air and waved it at the cave. “No evil pits can stand against my might! We all know I’m the most powerful demigod the world has ever seen.”

“Do we know that?” Nico bumped Will lightly. “Some of those Demeter kids can really pack a punch.”

“Pah. Flowers.” Will screwed up his face in mock anger. “Their only power lies in pollen allergies.”

Nico snorted lightly, closing his eyes. “We’re doing this?”

“If you’re ready.”

“Lead the way, Doctor Solace.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I told you to stop talking.”

“You love hearing me talk.”

Nico reached out blindly and pressed his hand to Will’s face. “Less talky-talky, more walky-walky, or I’ll leave you to the Furies.”

Will kissed Nico’s hand where a knuckle met his lips. Nico made a little noise of surprise and pulled his hand away, blushing furiously. “Stop that.”

Will pulled Nico along the road, forcing him to take a step and another.

It was only a minute. Less than a minute, really. But every second was filled with Nico’s tight grip and his feet stumbling over rocks and Will leaning over to catch him whenever he slipped. Filled with Nico’s fast breathing and Will glancing over at the cave to make sure nothing came out of it. Filled with steps, one at a time, inching along the path to safety.

Nico was shaking at this point. Will rubbed his thumb over Nico’s palm. It caught on a few calluses and old scabs. Nico’s hands were thin but tough and brittle, used to fighting. Will’s hands were thin and long. Pianist’s hands, someone might say, except Will was only ever passable at the piano. Apollo’s genes didn’t end up passing along the musical prowess.

Nico pressed into Will’s shoulder, taking tiny steps, eyes still screwed shut.

Will looked over at the cave and made a three-clawed gesture over his heart.

For a second, he almost thought he heard the cave exhale, laughing at his little expression of anger.

So he gave the cave another gesture, one less specific to Ancient Greece.

And he walked Nico further down the path, until the cave was far behind them and he could count the hinges on the palace doors.

“We’re here,” Will said. “You can open your eyes.”

Nico slowly loosened his grip on Will’s hand. “Okay.”

“What now?”

“Well, I guess we just walk in.”

“Lead the way.”

“I will.”

Nico strode to the door, all confidence returned. But as he walked away, he turned back. “Will…thanks. That was…nice of you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Will beamed. “Now shall we storm the palace?”

Nico smiled back. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Text

They didn’t have a chance to open the door.

Nico had just pressed his fingers together in a fist, pressed his lips together in an expression of grim determination, and prepared to knock. But his fist fell on empty air as the door swung open.

And it wasn’t a servant who answered the door, or a skeleton soldier like the motionless ones that flanked the palace.

If a skeleton had answered the door, things might have been all right. Nico could do what he did to the others, snap his fingers so the skeletons collapse. He’d almost collapsed too, though, but steadied himself and refused to let Will check him over. He said there was no time. He was right, but Will still eyed him closely, hoping he wouldn’t fall.

But a skeleton didn’t answer the door.

Instead, a woman with dark plaited hair stared back. She stood delicately in the doorway, one side of the door pressed gently to the side by her long fingers. Her lips were set in a humorless smile and her dress was the color of seedlings suffocated by frost. A gold-leaf necklace hugged her neck. Her eyes sparked with power.

She looked Will over and her cold expression didn’t falter.

Then she looked at Nico, and something thawed.

Nico’s expression was unreadable. “Hi.”

“Hello,” she said in return. They seemed to have a whole conversation with their eyes. Nico inclined his chin slightly in Will’s direction, and the woman’s gaze returned to Will. Will stood up straighter and hoped she would overlook the fact that he was still in his pajamas.

“Will Solace,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah?” Will said. It wasn’t a question, but irritatingly, it came out sounding like one. “That’s me.”

“I know.”

Will decided to keep his mouth shut.

“Persephone,” Nico said. “What are you doing here?”

Oh. Persephone. Hades’ wife, Queen of the Underworld. Will hadn’t even remembered about her, though he guessed he should have figured she’d be hanging around somewhere. It was winter, after all.

“It’s my house,” Persephone said. Her voice wasn’t cold, exactly—it had a rich, warm undertone, but it was dappled with frost and chilled the dirt beneath it.

“It is,” Nico said, his mouth twitching in an almost-smile. “Why are you answering the door, then?”

Persephone shifted slightly. Her fingers began to tap lightly on the doorframe. “Are you questioning me?”

“Yes.”

Something akin to fondness blossomed in her eyes. She sighed slightly and brushed a bit of hair into place. “Nico?”

“Yes?”

“Leave.”

Nico’s eyes narrowed slightly. “No.”

“Leave.”

“No.”

“Why not?” Persephone’s fingers were tapping faster now.

“Because of Hazel,” Nico said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And Marcus. And the woman who’s probably ten feet behind us after killing Marcus and probably kidnapping Hazel. Somewhere in the Underworld is Hazel, or someone who knows where she is. So we’re starting from the top. I want to talk to…Hades. Dad. Please.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. “You don’t have to talk to Hades.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am the Queen of the Underworld. I would know if your sister was here.”

Nico folded his arms. “And is she?”

Tap-tap-tap. “No. Of course not. I have no idea where she is.”

“You’re a goddess!” Nico blurted out. “You have to have some idea.”

“I wish I did, but…” Persephone pursed her lips. “There are some things hidden to even the gods.”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Will found himself staring at Persephone’s hand, her fingers moving faster and faster. Nico followed Will’s gaze and watched as well. His eyes filled with suspicion.

“You wouldn’t mind if we talk to Hades?” Nico asked. “Just in case.”

Persephone tilted her head. “He will have no more news than I will.”

“Just…can I?”

“Nico,” Persephone said softly. “I assure you that your father is very upset by everything that’s happened and the moment we hear something, we will tell you.”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

Nico slumped slightly. His suspicion seemed to fade and his grip on his sword loosened. He looked almost relaxed, and a small smile graced his mouth. Persephone almost smiled back.

So Will ruined it.

“You know,” Will said, “Charon was acting strangely. He seemed to believe we were walking into danger. Do you know anything about that?”

Persephone’s eyes widened. “No! I—I assume he was warning of the usual danger. Two alive ones in the Underworld doesn’t bode well. It was very risky coming here, Nico--”

“Yeah, I know.” Nico stepped forward. “But I don’t think that was what he was talking about.”

“Oh?”

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

“Can I talk to Hades, please?” Nico set his jaw. “Just to tie up all loose ends.”

“I’m afraid he is…busy, at the moment.” Persephone glanced to the side. “Why don’t you leave now, and I’ll make sure he contacts you when you’re back in the world of the living?”

“Is Hazel here?” Nico asked. His voice was gaining an edge of anger.

“Of course not.”

“Then,” Nico said, “swear it.”

Finally, Persephone’s hand stilled. “What?”

“Swear on the River Styx that Hazel isn’t in the Underworld. Swear on the River Styx you don’t know where she is. And we’ll leave.”

Persephone laughed lightly. “You of all people should know gods and goddesses shouldn’t swear on the Styx.”

“Why not?” Nico took another step forward, hand clasped around his sword. “There’s no harm in it. Unless you’re lying. But you’re telling the truth.” He took a third step forward, glaring up at Persephone. “Aren’t you?”

Will wanted to tell Nico to calm down. Angering goddesses was never a good idea. But he knew Nico was beyond reason.

“Do you remember when I first met Hazel?” he asked. “I found her on the Fields of Asphodel in the Underworld.”

Persephone looked confused, but Will suddenly understood. Go where you found her the first time.

Nico growled. “Swear it. Now. Swear you don’t have my sister.”

Persephone licked her lips. “I—”

And then another voice interrupted. “Wait, is that who I think it is?”

Persephone’s nervousness immediately transformed to panic. She locked eyes with Nico and mouthed, ‘Run.’

Nico gasped sharply and unsheathed his sword.

It was the woman who killed Marcus, smiling and alive and holding a sword to Persephone’s neck.

“Well, well.” She grinned widely. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Chapter Text

So...you may have noticed I didn't write an update last week. Or this week.

I meant to, but things just piled up, and before I knew it, we're here. With writer's block, no confidence in this story, and not enough time.

My instinct was to muscle through this and continue writing. But I'm not really getting any joy out of this story. I don't like how it's written, I barely know the characters, I don't like the pacing, and I don't like the dynamics. I don't sit down and think "Oh yay, I get to write more" or even "Okay, get through this chapter and soon it'll be the good stuff." I think: "Ugh, another chapter already?" And that's not a good mindset to be in.

Here's some context: I began this story almost a year ago. I posted it on Fanfiction.net as the naive person I was. It got approximately 5 views, and I gave up after two chapters. These two chapters weren't terrible, but they weren't at the standard I usually hold myself to today. They were also in first person, which I always hate reading in fanfiction.

Flash-forward six months or so. I reposted the story and began to write it again. I wanted to continue it, to complete it, because it was always tantalizing me with what could be. But I had higher standards, and its roots made it impossible to really go above and beyond with the story.

Also, like I've said, I'm no longer a part of this fandom. I haven't read these books in a year or so. I don't remember how people act or where things are, and that's prevented me from being in character and feeling attached to the story. I did my best with what I remembered, but it really hindered me.

So I've decided that I'm going to stop writing this story. I'm not deleting it, and I'm not giving up on it forever--I might go back to it later and keep writing. For now, it's going to stay unfinished. I'm going to make the choice to stop writing something unsatisfying and stressful so I can focus on the things I really want to write.

My sincerest apologies to everyone reading this. I know this isn't what you were hoping for. But thank you for following along on this strange journey, and I hope to return to this story one day. In the meantime? Keep reading, keep sharing, and thank you for all your support. I only got this far because of your lovely comments, and they still brighten my day.

TL;DR: I'm putting this story on the back burner. I might continue it one day, but for now it will remain unfinished. I don't feel passionate about it and I don't feel it's the best it could be.

Thank you, and as always, I hope you have a wonderful day!