It had been 4 hours since Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus. 4 hours. And everything felt different. Worse, somehow. Piper felt like giving up, leaving the whole mission. Those guys…they were the whole mission. No one will admit it to it, but Percy was undeniably the leader and Annabeth his closest adviser. Sometimes she won, though. That night, after Coach Hedge went to bed, the 6 remaining half-bloods commemorated under un-spoken agreement and met at the dining room.

They sat at the dining room, eating in eerie silence. The wall displayed Half-Blood Hill, which didn't really help the mood at all. Nico sat besides Hazel, in an extra chair they pulled. Next to Hazel was Frank, then Piper, then Jason. The head chairs, which belonged to Percy and Annabeth, were left empty. They were also eating blue food, like Percy always did. Sorry, does.

"So…" Leo began. He never finished the sentence. No one really felt like talking. Everyone felt guilty somehow. Hazel assured them every minute she could that she felt that Annabeth and Percy were alive.

Piper just…couldn't believe it. It seemed surreal. Like a bad dream, or a nightmare. Percy was so brave and kind and sacrificing. She couldn't believe she had ever called, or thought, for that matter, that Percy was unimpressive.

Nico looked up from his blue burger, his black hair wet from a recent shower and the circles under his eyes almost gone. He eyed Piper carefully, which made her want to hide under the table.

"Unimpressive?" He said slowly. The word echoed around the metal room, and everyone looked up from their meals to eye Nico. But he was looking at Piper.

Had he read her mind?

"W-What?" Piper stuttered. Her face felt hot.

"You know what he said to Annabeth, right before they fell? He said 'We're Staying Together'. Not once did it cross his mind to let go of that unimpressive?" Nico snapped. His mouth twitched up with anger and his eyes seemed to bore into Piper's soul.

"Do you even know half of his story?" He continued. Nico started to get up from the table, but Hazel patted his arm and he sat down again.

Piper didn't actually know what happened, and really didn't want to remember. Of course she had heard about the 'great hero Percy', the 'savior', the 'most powerful demi-god'.

"N-no." Piper said. Frank wiped some sweat from his forehead, Leo slipped something out from his tool belt, and Jason remained silent.

Although Nico was 14, or 15, he gave off an aura that made you want to cry or jump off a cliff, as if he was the leader and he owned you.

"Thought so." Nico said, picking at his food with his plate. "He was 12 when he made it to camp. Right before he even entered, he had killed a Fury. Right outside the gates of Camp Half-blood, a Minotaur sent his mom to the Underworld. He slashed a horn of the beast anddragged his protector to the Big House. The he passed out. A week later, I think, he received his first quest. He was to travel to the Underworld-"

"What?" Hazel burst out, sitting up from her seat. "He traveled to the Underworld?"

"Yes. With Annabeth. Anyway, he was to travel there and retrieve the stolen bolt from him. On his way he fought the Furies again, he faced some of Zeus's minions, Medusa, did some risky favors for Ares, and then to actual Hades. He sacrificed to leave his mother to return the lightning bolt. But before that he defeated the tricky god in a duel."

Frank frowned.

"What?" He said timidly.

"Your dad, in greek form, he tricked Percy into taking some stolen items to Hades so they could frame him. Ares challenged him to a duel and Percy won."

"When he was 12?" Leo chuckled, tinkering with something in his hands. He brushed his curly brown hair to the side and looked up. "Percy is quite something."

"Then when he was 13, someone had poisoned the protecting tree in Half-Blood hill. Thalia's tree had been poisoned, and anything could some inside the camp. He actually defeated some mechanical bulls. They issued a quest, blah-blah. Grover had also been kidnapped, so Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson snook out. Grover was trapped by a cyclope's who would marry the satyr. So he and Annabeth went to the Sea of Monsters, battled Circe-"

"Circe? The Circe?" Frank mumbled.

"Yes." Nico replied, rolling his eyes. "They saved Grover, got the golden fleece, but then Thalia popped out of the tree."

"Percy was the one who got my sister out?" Jason asked.

"Yeah. But there were a lot of things involved. Percy was part of a great propechy."

"What do you mean?" Frank asked.

"The prophecy was scary stuff. It said…ummm…"

" Half-Blood of the eldest gods, Shall reach sixteen against all odds. And see the world in endless sleep. The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days. Olympus to preserve or raze."Leo said quietly.

"How-"

"I'm in everybody's business, Pale Boy." Leo laughed.

"Okay….well that was the prophecy. Then when he was 14, he was sent to…get some half-bloods. There were some problems….Annabeth fell into an enemy ship. Luke's, I mean. Artemis, the goddess, went on a quest to help her but was also captured. So there was a quest for that. Percy kind of went after them, you know, for Annabeth. But like the prophecy for the quest said…" Nico's voice cracked.

"One died in the land with no rain, and one to a parent's hand. They rescied Annabeth, Thalia became a hunter of Artemis so the great propechy wouldn't apply…to her. The brother of the girl who died, he..he made some bad choices and ran away."

"Nico…." Hazel said softly.

Piper realized that the girl who had died was Nico's sister…Oh my gods.

"You?" Jason said incredulously.

" And then when he was 15, he went into the labyrinth, Daedelus' Labyrinth. He found me there, you know, and I joined him. They were going to find the master, the creator, and hope to stop Luke's army from arriving at camp using the maze. A lot of things happened there. Then…when he was 16…he bathed in the river of Styx. They were going to attack New York and get to Mt. Olympus. He led….he led an army down on them. He battled, in the end, Kronos himself in the throne room. He won. They offered him immortality, he refused. Annabeth became architect of Olympus. The end."

Everybody was quiet for a few minutes.

"About the same time, I-"

"Jason Grace." Nico shouted, making Piper flinch. "You are nothing compared to Percy. You didn't experience as many deaths as he did. Deaths of friends. You didn't endure his pain. How many quests have you done? Hm? If people were to side you or him, who do you think they'd choose? When was the last time you were asked to be a god?" Nico pressed on.

Jason turned red.

"Thought so. And look…I didn't tell you guys this so we could break apart. We need to work as a team. To save Percy and Annabeth. You all belong here. Hazel with your awesome underground powers. Frank, you can shapeshift, and stuff. Leo with your fire and building things. Piper…your charmspeak. Jason…you know."

Nico stood from the table, gave everyone a serious look, then headed for the doorway.

"What are you, Pale Boy? What are you?" Jason muttered. Nico turned back and swung his sword over his shoulder.

"I'm the Ghost King."