Leo was sitting at the Dining Area, aboard the Argo II, staring at scrolls, the Archimedes sphere, and was furiously scribbling things down on to the margins of various blueprints and scrolls. It was a few days after Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus. Leo didn't forgive himself, it was his fault, no matter what anybody says. He opened the fortune cookie, he traded Hazel and Frank's life for Percy and Annabeth's. The thought made bile rise up in his throat. The door silently opens, but Leo pays no heed to it. The person walks in, and judging by the sound of the water flowing, was getting something to drink. The chair directly in front of him, was pulled out, and the person sat in it. Leo brought himself to look up, it was Nico di Angelo. Leo was surprised at that. He'd barely seen Nico for the past few days, except for when he gave Leo coordinates, or talked to Hazel up on the deck. Now that Leo got a good look at him, he wasn't looking very good. There were large bags under his eyes, which suggested he wasn't getting enough sleep. He was pale, the palest white Leo had ever seen. He was bone thin, probably a side effect from the Bronze Jar, and to think of it, Leo hadn't seen him at meal times. The worst part was his eyes. They were broken, shattered and dead. A chocolate brown, that looked rather black right now. He had the look of someone who had given up long ago. The thought made Leo sad, the kid was only 13, and he shouldn't have faced the things he did, like Tartarus.
"Hey, what're you doing down here?" Leo asks, in an effort to be kind.
"Nightmares." Nico answered shortly. Silence overcame them, before Nico spoke up.
"Leo, can I ask you a favor?" He asked him.
"Of course." Leo answers, wanting to help the poor kid. He reminded him too much of himself.
"It's about the Doors of Death." The temperature dropped, at those words.
"I want you to swear to me, on the River Styx, you won't tell anybody about this conversation." Nico continued.
"But-"Leo starts, but Nico cut him off.
"I swear, but why? I mean, why not Hazel? Or the other crew members?" Leo asks.
"I know they'll try to stop me, from doing what I'm going to do." He presses on leaving Leo no time to reply. "I learned in Tartarus, you cannot die. Tartarus is essentially part of the Underworld, if you get a life threatening injury; your spirit has nowhere to go, but back to your body. You cannot have an afterlife." He continued seriously.
"Which means Percy and Annabeth will survive!" Leo is immensely relieved by that. But he does not miss the way Nico winces at their mention. Oh yeah, Nico had known the two the longest, and the best.
"Yes, but you know the way doors work, right?" Nico asks.
"They must be closed from both sides." Leo gets a sinking feeling in his stomach. That means-
"Whoever closes the Doors, will be stuck in Tartarus for eternity." Nico finished his unspoken sentence.
Leo starts to say that he'd do it, as it was his fault, but Nico stopped him.
"You will not close the doors. I will." Leo can feel his eyes bug out, this 13 year old kid, wants to go back to the place he almost lost his mind in!
"It must be me. I won't let somebody else die." The way he said it, he could've been 30 years old, a seasoned soldier, about to sacrifice himself for his people.
"You all have somebody to live for. Not me." Leo immediately protested.
"Hazel needs you. Your part of the Argo II!"
"She can live without me. You all can live without me. You barely know me. And it's already foretold."
"What do you mean?"
"The line in the prophecy, An Oath to Keep with a Final Breath."
"That doesn't mean anything, we've all made promises!"
"You didn't make any promise like the one I made to Percy. I swore to him, I would lead you to the Doors of Death. And I am prepared to die for it!" Leo opened his mouth to protest.
"That's crazy! You-"
"Leo, I am a son Hades, I don't belong with the living. My place is in the Underworld. And Tartarus is in the Underworld. Besides, I am the Ghost King. I have powers in death. "
"But you won't get a chance for Elysium! You won't get to party in the afterlife!"
"But who do you think would fare better?" Nico had a fair point, Leo thought. Jason's powers was linked to the sky, he needed the fresh air. Piper was good at fighting, but she would never survive in hell. And the tow couldn't bear to be split apart. Frank was a shape-shifter, but what good would shape-shifting in Tartarus? Hazel was a daughter of Pluto, so she stood a fair chance, but Leo didn't think, with her nature, she would survive either. Then him…
"I'd do it." He surprised even himself with that. Nico was surprised as well.
"Would you? Do you honestly think you could survive in hell?" Nico asked him.
"Yes, yes I do."
"But you have a family, on this ship. I don't. Hazel might be my sister, but that's it. If I died, she would be the only one grieving. The rest wouldn't. But if you died…." He trailed off meaning fully.
"Then, let's make a deal." Leo proposed. "If you die on the way to Tartarus, I'll close the doors. And if you don't I'll help you, in restraining anybody who tries to follow you." Nico seems surprised by this, but Leo is relieved, when he sticks out his hand, and says, "Deal."
Leo took his hand and shook it. "So now that that's established what next?"
"Hmm?" Nico raised an eyebrow.
"Well, since you're probably gonna die, we're gonna have to make your last moments the best! Ever heard the saying, YOLO?"
"Yeah, You Only Live Once, right?"
"Yup, now what to do, what to do?" And that's how the boys spent their night. No more discussion on the Doors of Death, Percy and Annabeth, or pessimistic things in general. No, their night was spent discussing ways Nico could have the time of his life, before he died.
Review please! This was a random plot bunny, and I thought I should get it out before House of Hades. Anyways, who's excited for House of Hades? I know I am! Don't forget to review!