Apparently Jason at least took what Nico had said about needing to leave soon to heart because he managed to convince the king of the southern winds to give them a team of venti. Of course they couldn't be up on deck through the process.

Nico was quite content below deck but Hazel was getting really sick. Toby seemed to be about to burst with energy he wasn't being given the chance to use. Nico did his best to help ease that and ended up just putting Toby to sleep to ease his anxiety. He hadn't realized before now how claustrophobic Toby was. Since Nico's experience with the bronze jar, he wasn't a huge fan of enclosed spaces, but Toby was much worse. They both decided it would be better if he just slept until they were able to go up on deck again at least.

Nico sat with Toby while he slept quietly, leaving Frank to deal with Hazel's air sickness. Nico ended up dozing himself, never deep enough to dream but that was for the best. After six hours of dozing Nico felt more rested than he had been in a long time. Finally the boat stopped. Nico went out in the hall to see what was up and caught Piper on her way to do the same.

"I'll come back and tell you if it's safe on deck." She assured Nico, he nodded watching her climb the stairs silently. It was longer than Nico expected before Piper came back. He was torn between knowing that Jason might need space and wondering if they were in trouble or needed help. He was just about to go up and check before she came back down and told him it was safe before warning him she was about to yell.

"It's safe to go on deck again!" She yelled at the top of her voice once Nico had covered his ears. He wasn't sure if it was part of her powers but her voice could sure be loud when she wanted it to be. "Leo is back!" Well that was news.

"Wait the jumpy fire guy?" Toby asked groggily from inside the sleeping cabin. There was a thump and an oof as he apparently fell out of bed.

"Yep the jumpy fire guy." Piper laughed heading back up on deck followed quickly by Nico and Toby, who was now fully awake.

Once they were on land Toby and Nico stood back and let the others say hello. Toby laughed when Piper tackle hugged Leo and Coach hedge started yelling. Only once those hello's were finished Nico stepped forward to shake Leo's hand. He hadn't been sure if Leo was dead or not and he was glad to find he wasn't. They could use all the help they could get. Once that was done Nico and Toby ignored the group, they were going over events they already knew anyway. Instead they watched the passing people and Toby told Nico softly about some of the creeps that might be in the area.

Nico got distracted when Leo jumped up, and stayed distracted when Hazel pointed out across the sea. His eyes fell on the black lightning she was obviously seeing and he balked.

"That can't be..." he murmured stunned. "Greece is still hundreds of miles away."

"You think it's Epirus?" Jason asked.

"The house of Hades is open for business." He confirmed grimly, now that Hazel had brought his attention to it, he could feel it pulling at him gently. The feeling made him shiver and he couldn't decide if it was in a good or bad way. He could feel Toby's eyes on him and knew he was confused and worried.

"It's begun." Hazel agreed. Nico felt her power join his as they reached towards the doors.

"What has?" Leo asked in confusion, of course he couldn't feel it.

"Gaia's final push." Hazel said her eyes darkening till they almost matched Nico's. "The doors of death are working overtime. Her forces re entering the mortal world en masse."

"We'll never make it." Nico said voicing what he knew and both he and Hazel felt, but she was to optimistic to voice. "By the time we arrive, there'll be too many monsters to fight."

"Those aren't fireworks." A familiar voice said from near them. Both Nico and Toby turned automatically and in unison. Scanning the crowd they both quickly spotted the tall man in the poka-dotted top hat.

"Splendor." Toby yelled jumping up and down excitedly before bolting into the crowd.

"Toby be careful!" Nico yelled after him but he could see Splendor looking around for Toby. As soon as he spotted Toby, Splendor scooped Toby up out of harm's way, letting Toby scramble around to sit on his shoulder.

"Toby it's good to see you!" Splendor enthused smiling even wider then usual striding over to Nico. "And Ghosty too! What a pleasant surprise!" Splendor said letting go of Toby's legs to lean down and give Nico a tight hug, lifting him off the ground a little. Nico couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's good to see you too Splendor, though I wish it was under better circumstances." Nico said as Splendor put him down.

"Oh?" Splendor asked frowning slightly.

"Slenderman told you about the doors of death thing right?" Toby asked from his place clinging to Splendor like a koala. "That's them over there. Working over time apparently to spit a lot of the monsters we don't want. If we don't get there soon there'll be too many to fight and I get the impression there might be even if we do hurry."

"Oh dear." Splendorman hummed, his brows crinkling with concern. "That sounds dangerous."

"It will be but someone has to do it." Jason snapped from behind Nico. "And we need to get going now!"

"Oh my, someone's a grumpy gus." Splenderman said. "Here have a flower." He handed Jason a bouquet of flowers he pulled out of the air and thought for another minute. "Okey dokey you guys get going. I'll see if I can rustle you up some back up! The Rake and his pups are nearby and I bet I can wake up Mister Wide Mouth if I tell him we have a new member. Oo and I hear you've made a big impression on Kagekao I bet he'll come!" Okay I'll meet you over there! And you'll have to introduce me to your friends ghosty!" Splendorman rambled as he set Toby carefully down. Before he could disappear Nico shouted.

"Wait!" Splenderman paused mid gesture comically and Nico had to resist laughing. "We're going to the doors of death. The only ones who can come are ones already partially dead or those who are immune to poison. We don't have enough of the antidote for any more people." Splenderman nodded rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Okay that narrows down the list but I can work with it, I'll just enlist a few members of the Tribe. My little bro doesn't need them all the time. Same plan, I'll meet you there, I'll just take a little longer tracking the all down in the forth dimension, that place is weird and not nearly colorful enough. Bye!" Finally he disappeared in a poof of glitter which settled down in a pile half on Toby who didn't seem to mind. Nico ducked out of the way to avoid getting any on himself.

"What just happened?" Leo asked blinking in confusion at the pile of glitter Toby was standing in giggling.

"That was Splenderman, Slenderman's big brother and he's going to bring us some help." Toby said throwing some glitter at Nico, who grumbled and dodged away but not without a few sparkles landing on his sleeve. "Weren't we in a hurry to get going?" The others seemed to remember this when Toby reminded them and they all hustled back to the ship.

Once Leo repaired it so they could sail Nico climbed up to his place perched on the mast. Toby stayed below, pacing the deck excitedly, too excited for the coming fight to stay still. Nico called down directions to Leo who was fixing the ship between directions to steer. While they were on the way Hazel and Nico explained about how the river they were flying over was the head of one of the more famous rivers in the underworld.

"Can I go swimming in it?" Toby asked peering over the edge of the ship.

"No." Nico and Hazel snapped back in unison. Toby held up his hands in defeat stepping away from the railing.

Finally they docked the boat and went down from the ship to the land outside the cave that was the entrance of the house of Hades. Once they reached it they found Splenderman already there standing outside the cave with a smaller figure at his side who was tapping his foot impatiently and playing with a rather large knife.

"Oh do you have any extra celestial bronze weapons? Habit's knife will be useless won't it? It's just normal… no wait it's been worked on by magic to work on anything, but we weren't planning on Greek and Roman stuff when we did that." Toby rambled.

"Habit?" Jason asked raising his eyebrows.

"Ya that's the one standing next to Splender. He's not one of us he's just an asshole but apparently Splender convinced him to help. Unless his vessel Evan showed up but that's unlikely as hell."

"…okay." Jason said.

"We have some extra weapons, I'll carry one in case Habit's doesn't work, but only incase. I won't give it to him until then, don't even mention it to him." Nico cut in quickly and everyone nodded. Nico retrieved a knife and a sheath, threading it onto his belt beside his sword on the opposite side of the scepter. While he did that the others started to head down the rope ladder, Toby was first to greet Habit and Splender. Nico came down last, staring at Habit as he looked over all of them with an almost unnaturally wide smile.

"Ayyy Toby how's my favorite little puppet fairing so far away from his strings." Habit asked bouncing on his toes. His voice was raspy and double toned as if multiple people were speaking at once. Nico could see a few of the Demigods shrink away but Toby's eyes flashed and he smiled challengingly.

"You let me know, stray." Toby jabbed back. "You're the one who cut your strings completely. You're just a discarded rag doll now, huh?" For a moment Nico thought Habit would get angry, but then he threw his head back and laughed sticking his tongue out as he did.

"See this is why you're my favorite puppet you're always feeling sassy." Habit growled at Toby before his eyes skimmed over the demigods unabashedly, checking out Piper. Smirking when Jason and Piper both snarled at him. "What about your friends? Any of them feeling sassy? I heard you had a new creep running around."

"That would be me." Nico said scowling at Habit and gripping the scepter at his side. He was still trying to dissect what Habit was made up of. There were a few different spirits in there, but one of them was definitely dominant which was different than the Operator. "I'm called the Ghost King, I don't think I've met you."

"No you haven't, I've been wasting time with this human called Vinny." Habit said rolling his eyes and tossing his knife to his left hand, holding his right out to Nico. "It's good to meet you Ghost King I'm mankind's bad habit. Habit for short. Are you a puppet too?"

"No." Nico objected, shaking Habits hand quickly, and then ducking back avoiding Habit's swing and drawing his sword to block the next one. "I'm no one's puppet. I hold the strings of the dead." Nico said pushing back against Habit, making them take a step back and then breaking their blade lock. "But I'm saving my energy for the battle I actually came for so if you're not here to help you can leave."

"Oh no I'm here to fight, it doesn't have to be with you." Habit agreed slouching back casually.

"Okay well if you're done trying to kill each other I have one more trip to make!" Splenderman exclaimed clapping his hands. "Hold on just another second kids."

"Wait where's the tribe?" Toby asked a second too late as Splender poofed into glitter again. This time it settled around Habit who didn't seem to care. In fact Nico could have sworn he saw Habit scoop some of it into his pockets.

"Oh the tribes already here." Habit said. Nico noticed a shimmer of black out of the corner of his eyes. "They're just not bothering to show themselves until you need them, after all they're still all too honorable to take bodies."

With that Nico zeroed in even closer on Habit, finally able to understand why there was more than one spirit in him. Absently Nico paced a circle around Habit who stayed still and tense suddenly. Nico touched the scepter again, using it to heighten his senses. There was the spirit that matched the body, Nico could touch it, but just barely. It was buried under Habits. But there were others too, tied together in a way that he couldn't understand.

"What are you doing?" Habit snapped turning to him, his voice even more layered than usual. "Evan isn't allowed out, stop trying to call him out! He won't win against me I sired him specifically to be my vessel!"

"Oh sorry." Nico said brought out of his half trance suddenly. "I've just never seen anything quite like you. The Operator was a collection but not one with such a clear head. Masky and Hoody both have multiple personalities but not multiple spirits, it's very interesting."

"Ya well I'm not your science fair experiment, kid." Habit sneered. "Stop poking your power where it doesn't belong or-." He was obviously about to say something else but he was interrupted by something black appearing and pushing him, making him stumble. "Damn tribe, they're even less fun then Vinny and that's saying something." He mumbled righting himself hastily.

"I'm back!" Yelled Splenderman appearing again holding two people's hands, one of which came hurtling immediately at Nico. Nico saw a flash of brown hair and felt the impact to his stomach and knew who it was.

"Sally!" he yelped as he fell hitting the ground hard with her on top of him. "Why are all of you knocking me over the first time I see you again?"

"Because you scared us!" Sally whimpered clinging to him.

"Okay Sally, it's good to see you and I'm sorry I scared you. Now you don't have to let go but you need to let me get up. Okay Sal?" She nodded sniffling softly and shifted so he could get up and then clung to his back instead. The other person beside Splenderman finished hugging Toby in greeting and walked over to Nico.

"It's good to see you again, Ghost." Jane said staring at him with her emotionless black eyes. "It looks like recent times have not treated you kindly."

"Well we've all had hard times, in our lives or otherwise." Nico replied quickly before looking back at Splender. "This is everyone?"

"Yep." Splender chirped. "I can't come with you I'm afraid but I hope they help."

"Then let's get going." Jason replied quickly, still glaring at Habit then he turned away heading towards the doors of death.

"Thank you Splenderman." Nico said quickly as the others headed off. "They don't mean to be rude, they're just anxious. We all are."

"Of course I understand, Ghost." Splenderman sighed looking worried and old for the first time Nico had seen him. "We are all indeed worried and this is only a battle isn't it? The war is still coming?" Nico nodded silently. "I will start spreading the word. My brother already has but with the both of us spreading the word no one will be able to deny what's happening." Splenderman vanished. Nico glanced at Toby who had stayed behind at his side, Toby gave him a worried look that Nico shrugged off before they both followed the group.

Once they were underground Nico and Hazel took the lead to Habit and Jason's displeasure. Nico knew Hazel didn't notice though so he ignored it too. Hazel trailed her fingers over the wall as they went, Nico watching the dead that lurked around every corner for signs of hostility. There were more and more as they went along.

"These aren't the walls of the temple. This is the basement of a wealthy home, built much more recently than the temple." Hazel murmured, her eyes practically glowing gold.

"You're right." Nico confirmed. "When archeologists first started digging here they thought they had found the house of Hades, but then they found this place and thought they must be wrong. In reality they were right they just didn't dig quite deep enough."

Habit seemed uncomfortable here as well, but Nico ignored them as Hazel took twists and turns without hesitation, her senses leading them. Nico could tell they were going the right way because now all the spirits around them were flicking about in active anxiety. Now he could also pick out the members of the tribe. Streaks of black that didn't act as the other ghosts did. Ghosts usually obeyed laws of physics if only out of habit from when they were alive. The Tribe spiraled up to the ceiling, raced down ahead of them, diving to the ground and then rushing back. Sometimes vanishing completely before reappearing mid motion somewhere else. Nico watched them in amazement and when he glanced at Toby he was too.

Finally they reached the chalice full of poison. By now they were so deep Leo had summoned fire to light their way, and the aura of Nico's scepter was glowing a strong, steady, purple.

"Okay now everyone not properly alive needs to take a step back please." Nico instructed politely. "The rest of us have a ritual to perform in order to get closer to the doors of death. That includes you Sally, please get down for a minute." Sally whined but Jane took her from Nico. Gently holding her instead and taking a step back with her, followed by Habit, and the now half visible members of the Tribe. Some of them took a step back too enthusiastically and blinked out of existence again.

Once they were out of the way the demigods and Toby formed a circle on instinct and they each ate a bit of the barley cake. Toby was the only one who didn't make a face. Once that was done Nico took the chalice out of it's niche, while he took a careful drink he had an idea. The poison tasted surprisingly okay for what it was but that didn't make it any less deadly if they had gotten this wrong. While he drank he locked eyes with Jason, when he was done he held it out to Jason.

"You asked me about trust and taking a risk? Well, here you go, son of Jupiter. How much do you trust me?" Nico asked his lip curling in a smirk. If Jason wanted Nico to trust him he would have to show his trust first, and with how Jason still reacted whenever Nico got upset he was almost sure Jason wouldn't.

It was to his surprise when Jason took the cup from Nico without hesitation, meeting Nico's gaze steadily in a way no demigod but his sisters and Annabeth had ever been able to do. He lifted the chalice to his lips and drank without any hesitation and met Nico's eyes again as he passed it on to Piper. Nico could feel emotions warring within him, mistrust, fear of trusting, and happiness. To his surprise it was happiness that won, he was glad of the idea that Jason trusted him, wanted Nico to trust him that badly, and that anyone at all wanted to be his friend. Nico smiled at Jason slightly. Jason smiled back brightly.

"Okay let's continue now." Nico said carefully placing the chalice back in it's nook once everyone who needed to had drunk from it. "From this point on the dead are more powerful than the living."

"Can I go back to Nico now?" Sally asked. So Jane passed her over. Nico nearly dropped her as she was passed into his arms because now she actually had some weight to her. She still wasn't by any means heavy or even as heavy as a little girl her age would be, it just startled him. He caught her again before she fell and she giggled madly.

"You're not light as a feather anymore Sal, have you been eating too much?" Nico joked bouncing her slightly and she laughed again.

"No I just have some substance here! It's almost like having a body again only better because this one's not being eaten by bugs." Sally explained. Nico noticed Leo and Frank turning a little green out of the corner of his eyes and glared at them, they both looked away. They all started moving down the corridor again and before long all of the tribe came back into visibility. This time in the form of black humanoid outlines walking around them like an escort. Some of them were quite od looking, like the one who seemed to have X's over her eyes and the one with eyes in his hands instead of on his face. Nico didn't care but the other demigods seemed uncomfortable, Nico wasn't sure how much of that was their companions and how much was the location. The atmosphere was tense until one of the tribe, one with white dots for eyes and a thin smile, fell back next to Toby.

"Tag you're it!" The tribe member yipped, the blackness pulling back to reveal a young man with curly brown hair and dark eyes. He poked Toby and then dodged out of the way when Toby tried to poke him back.

"Damn it Fire Brand, no powers in games, you know that!" Toby scolded as Fire Brand turned back into a black streak, shooting away down the hall with Toby trying to give chase.

"Be careful!" Hazel called after them as Sally squirmed down from Nico's arms and took off after them laughing.