I spaced this out so it wouldn't kill the new readers who are reading this from Chapter One. I hope it's better now. :)

DisclaimerI chatted with Mr. D and he told me that I wasn't Rick and I did not own him or PJO and HOO unfortunately..

Nico

All the gloomy things happening at once were definitely not good for himself and his health. First it was Gaia's minions capturing him, and then next was Percy and Annabeth.

Sure he had gotten rescued in time before he died, but now death seemed like a nice option. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand? Promise me."

Those were Percy's last words to him before he plunged into eternal hell with Annabeth. Nico knew what Percy would face in the depths of Tartarus; he'd already been inside once.

He knew Percy was the strongest demigod he'd ever met, even compared to Jason. Sure, he was the son of Jupiter and all, but still Percy was the kind of person you knew you could rely on comfortably.

Jason was more Roman; he acted a little too perfect for everything, following all the rules. Thalia Grace's younger brother? That seemed weird.

From what the others told him, he'd gathered that Thalia was separated from her brother when Jason was about two.

While Thalia had run away from her home, Jason had instead been sent to the Roman camp. Comparing Thalia and Jason, the most obvious difference was that Jason followed rules and Thalia broke them.

After the battle with Kronos, Nico had grown closer to both Percy and Thalia, like they were his own siblings. The word 'sibling' still hurt as it would always trigger the memory of his dead sister, Bianca Di Angelo.

She'd died trying to save Percy, trying make right the wrong she'd done. The myth-o-magic statue of Hades was always in his pocket, it always reminded him of his sister, like a bit of her was in the statue, guiding and protecting him.

Recently, after he'd learned that the Doors of Death had opened, he had journeyed to the Underworld, trying to bring his sister back to life.

But, when he got there, he found that his only sibling had moved on, to a new life. He was distraught on learning that. Nico had staggered out of Elysium, barely managing to control his grief for he would never see his sister again.

As he was passing through the Fields Of Asphodel, something attracted him. He'd just followed along the trail which led him to a girl with golden eyes.

He immediately knew that she would be a child of Hades for her eyes shown with memories, unlike the other dead souls. I lost a sister, and then I find another one, he thought.

"So Nico, welcome back to the world of the living!" a boy in a T-shirt that read AM LEO said, making a feeble attempt at a joke trying to boost the morale of the group.

Hazel just stared glumly at him and asked him to shut up and start working on the Archimedes sphere. Jason just gave him a suspicious look and introduced the demigods onboard.

"That's Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, the girl beside me, and that's Leo who is steering the ship, son of Hephaestus. Oh and he can control fire. The guy standing in front of Hazel, he's Frank, son of Mars; um… that's Ares to you."

"So what do we do now?" Frank said dejectedly, he possibly was a good friend of Percy back at the Roman camp, Nico saw him hanging around Hazel and Percy a lot before he left for the Underworld.

"We should sail to Greece and find Epirus, that was what Percy had said before and we also should upgrade the Argo II. We need more powerful weapons.

I plan on installing the Archimedes sphere into the ship, I have already read the plan and I think I can do it. If it's powerful enough to even kill the strongest eidolons sent by Gaia, I think it would help us defend the Argo II really well.

That way I think we'll be able to stand a chance against Gaia's armies." Leo said, rummaging in his tool belt bringing out an assortment of screws and nuts.

"What about the Romans?" Hazel asked skeptically, her golden eyes shining with fear. "We all know the strength of the Roman legion; see what they did when they caught up to us?

It was a lucky thing with Jason and Percy around, we had barely escaped and we also can't leave Camp Half-Blood to be at the mercy of Octavian.

I know Reyna, she'll gladly settle it with the Greeks by just discussing first about the attack on New Rome for she knew that we didn't do it on purpose, she'll see sense, and she even spared Annabeth's life.

However, if she tries to stop Octavian, he'll take the chance and try to seize power. The Romans have their pride and they would probably listen to Octavian and go into battle with the Greeks. Then, we won't even have anyone who could help us."

"I don't know," Jason said. "Maybe we should return the Athena Parthenos to the Greeks?"

"But, if the Greeks ever knew about what happened, they'll never forgive the Romans for their treachery." Nico replied, fiddling with his skull ring, causing a skeletal mouse to appear.

"What's more, I think we need to return to Camp Half-Blood either way. We need materials to build that Archimedes sphere and we are low on celestial bronze, if I'm not wrong.

Also we have to warn them about the Romans. We might be able to stop the battle. If we can get the Romans on our side, we'd win this battle with Gaia more easily."

"I agree with you, Nico. I think we should set sail back to Camp Half-Blood, it's the best solution. Also they have the right to know about Percy and Annabeth." Piper said, brushing back her hair.

"So its decided then, we go back to Camp Half-Blood," Leo said as he pressed a few buttons on his Wii remote. Suddenly, a cold feeling settled across Nico. The others must have felt it too as Hazel tensed.

"Soon my dear demigods, you will face my first challenge, so treacherous that even the strongest of you cannot pass." A slow and sleepy voice settled across the Argo II.

For that moment, nothing could be heard except for the whirring of the mechanism of the ship. Suddenly, the ship lurched, knocking the still weak Nico off his feet.

Suddenly, he heard a loud hiss, and he felt the warmth from a fire licking at his knees, slowly getting warmer and warmer until it was unbearable.

He staggered upwards, struggling to gain his balance, his vision was becoming blurry. There was only one thing he could make out: Jason calling down lightning to strike something.

When the lightning hit, the air lit up briefly and what he saw was horrendous. Nine acid-spitting heads were staring back at them, its eyes cold and dark with hatred.

Like it? Don't Like it? Review please! Ideas are taken. :)