Okay, so all of you want to kill me for the extremely late update, but please hear me out first. Then you can take out the pitchforks and torches and bang down my door. I don't care. Well actually, I do. But never mind that.

All my excuses (yes, they're not good ones, but who cares?) are at the end of the chapter. I figured that since I made you all wait for a whole three freakin month for the chapter, I would be mean to make you wait another few seconds until you finished reading my "reasons". So here it is.

P.S. Is taking an eternity to update a crime in FF? If so, please don't sue me.

P.P.S. It's the final Nico chappie, so yay! I don't have anything against Nico, but I don't really like writing in his POV. His personality is just so damn complicated. After this, back to Percy and Katrina! Of course, the next chapter would take quite a while to come out. Why? You'll find out in the A/N bellow...

P.P.P.S. Nico here is super OOC, but I'm not feeling very...sane at the moment. For instance, Nico is a lot more sarcastic and snappish, which matches my current, cranky attitude. The reason for me being pissed will be explained at the A/N bellow too. I know, I know, authors are suppose to write well, no matter what they feel at the moment, and should let their feelings affect their chapters, but I'm writing as a way to let out my stress, so forgive me if my writing becomes rather...fierce. If you've read Maximum Ride, then my writing might sound like Max's at some parts.

Nico

The good news? This is the last island. The bad news? It is the hardest challenge yet. Now I have to defeat Python, who was only ever defeated by Apollo, who's a freaking god. Me? Nope, not immortal, sorry to disappoint. So what can I do to win? What's my plan? Fact is, I have no idea.

When I get back, and if Annabeth is still alive, she's going to preach me about how important planning is, blah blah blah. And for once, I'm not going to care, for I'll be too relief that they're all out of Tartarus. Then we can continue on our quest to Frisco, tackle Lamia, and go back to camp in success. That is, if I survive this encounter.

What kind of weakness does Python have? Can't be none, right? Apollo shot it down with arrows, but I'm a horrid archer, barely above Percy. I'll have to slay it with a sword. Then I have to grab the Apple of Discord and somehow hightail out of here. Then I'll free my friends. But when you're a demigod, nothing goes according to plan.

I'll skip the part about my boring walk through the meadow, and go straight to the part where I reach the apple tree. It wasn't an ordinary apple tree, of course. Firstly, there was only one apple on the whole tree, and naturally, the apple was gold. Surprise, right? Not.

I looked around. Where was Python? He wasn't hiding, was he? Then I noticed the vine wrapped around the apple. If you looked closely, you'll realize it isn't a vine. Rather, a leaf green snake. A small one, of course, but still a snake. Are you kidding me? Apparently, the great and mighty Python, guardian of the Oracle of Delphi, slain only by Phoebus Apollo, god of the sun and whole lot of other things, is as tiny as a garden snake. What next? The snake has transforming abilities?

It seems that I spoke to soon though. For just as I thought that, the snake spring from it's current position and landed right in front of me. It grew steadily bigger until it was the size of Ladon, maybe even bigger. Great, so the snake does have transforming abilities. Joy.

Then Python spoke. It came as a surprise as I never knew that he could. "Challenger, are you here for the apple?" he hissed.

"Yes." I answered evenly. Was he going to let me take it without a fight? Please, let it be so. Then I can return to my dad's palace all the faster.

"Then you will have to fight me for it. Prepare to die, demigod. I haven't fallen in millennium!" With that, he lunged at me, and my hopes came pummeling down. Guess he wasn't letting me go without some challenge. Bummer.

I scrambled to the side just in time to avoid getting smashed by Python's giant bulk. I drew my Stygian iron sword and slashed it at him. It bounced right off. ...damn, now how was I supposed to kill him?

I backed away from the huge-giant-snake-that-wants-to-kill-me-to-protect-some-stupid-apple, who was advancing slowly. Python bared his fangs at me and hissed, venom and saliva spewing from his mouth. Eww. Gross. Disgusting. Insert gagging motion here.

I threw my sword at him in an attempt to stab him in the mouth. Epic fail. Python ducked his head, and the blade flew harmlessly over. So now I'm facing a giant, seemingly invincible snake weaponless. Wonderful, can my life get any worse?

Now that it was clear that he was winning, Python took his time to finish me off. He slittered forward as if he had all the time in the world, slowly backing me into the tree. The golden Apple of Discord seemed to glow in the moonlight, gleaming right above me. Could I...?

I tensed, then leaped straight up, grabbing the apple. I fell into the tree's shadow and shadow-traveled away. The last thing I heard was Python's outrage screech before the shadows pulled me away.

[I need a line break 'cause I'm so awesome—Apollo]

Note to self: Never, ever shadow-travel when your destination is miles and miles away. Even more so when you are in a mythical place. Unless you wish to commit suicide, don't ever attempt it.

The second I reached my room in Hades's castle, I collapsed on the bed, the apple still grasped in my hands. I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow. What can I say? With great power comes the great need to take a nap. [The Last Olympian reference!]

When I woke up, my first thought was: Zzz...too tired, go back to sleep. Snooze... My second thought was: Wait, where's the apple? My hand was no longer holding on to its cold, golden skin. I jumped out frantically and began using the shadows to prob every corner. Not one inch was spared. Results? The apple had gone poof. It had completely vanished. Crap.

I sank down onto my bed, feeling absolutely distraught. The apple was gone. My father wouldn't give me the Keys. My friends would remain stuck in Tartarus. Oh, and Hades was going to flay me alive. We just failed the quest. I just failed the quest. Not only that, I failed at everything. Now Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Katrina and me were going to die. And it was all because of me.

Yeah, I know, morbid thoughts.

Just then, a ghost floated into my room. "My Lord, Lord Hades requests your presence in the throne room immediately."

"Tell him I'll be there." I sighed. The ghost bowed and drifted off. Brilliant. Now I'll have to tell father what a failure I was. What kind of hero was I, not even able to keep an apple safe! Pathetic. I walked to the throne room, paused for a moment to gather my courage, then I pushed open the doors.

My father was lounging on the throne as usual, looking like a panther: swift, silent, deadly. I took a gulp and open my mouth to speak when my father interrupted. "Well done, son, for succeeding in your task." My mouth dropped open. Huh? Succeed? I lost the apple! Was Hades being sarcastic? But in all my life, he had never used sarcasm before. I didn't even know that he knew how to.

And did he just praise me? Hades hates my guts. I thought that he would treat me better after the war, but no. He stopped the cutting remarks about how Bianca was so much better than me, and didn't glare at me whenever I enter his sight, but he was still more of my master than a father. And he absolutely never congratulates me. I guess he must be being sarcastic after all.

"Um father...what do you mean? I err...lost the apple. I shadow-traveled here and fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, the apple was...gone. Stolen. I'm sorry for screwing this up, and I wouldn't fail again, but will you give me another task? Another chance for the Keys? If not, can you don't kill me? At least let my friends out—" I trailed off when my father held up his hand for silence. For some reason, he seemed really amused.

"Nico, you didn't fail."

To say that I was shocked would be to say that Typhon was only slightly big. Major understatement. What. The. Heck. How did I not fail? I pretty sure that loosing the apple meant fucking the whole thing up.

"Uh...huh?" was my incredibly intelligent answer.

And my father actually laughed. Hades, god of the Underworld, laughed. Okay, so it wasn't full-out, rolling on the floor laughing, but it was a huge improvement. First he praised me, then he laughs. What next? Dad french kissing me?

Eww, imagine that. Ack.

"The Apple of Discord is here." he reached into the shadows and pulled it out. "I sent a ghost to your room to collect it for safe keeping. It wasn't stolen. And about the Keys, you may have one. But if you lose it, I will personally torture you in the fields of punishment."

Hades opened his palm, showing one of his Keys. No, the Keys of Hades aren't actual keys, they're Keres claws engraved with ancient greek writings. I picked up the claw reverently and placed it in my pocket. The keys that I had accumulated on the islands had disappeared when I shadow-traveled away (surprise, surprise), so there was plenty of space to put the claw.

"Father, thank you, but what of my friends? Will you let them out of Tartarus?"

"I can't, for they seem to have found a way to escaped on their own." he said. "Thanatos has informed me that they are trying to exit via the Doors of Death. Oceanus let them to it, and is currently making negotiations to get them out." Oceanus? But why would a titan help them? I voiced out my question.

"It has to do with the new camper, and who her immortal parent is. She will tell you who he is on her own when she's ready, but in the meantime, beware of her. If she does anything suspicious, kill her." I stared at Hades blankly. Oookay, he want's me to kill Katrina. Or could it be some other new camper? But there's no other new camper in Tartarus. But why would he want me to kill Katrina? And if she was the one to get Percy, Annabeth and Thalia out of Tartarus, how can I kill her? It's not morally acceptable. Someone helps you, and you murder them. What gratitude. I am not going to do that, no way in Hades.

Father must have read my mind. "It's an order son. Kill her if you have to. It might mean the fall of Olympus." Again? But Katrina couldn't be as powerful as Kronos, could she? How could she cause our downfall?

"She isn't as powerful," Hades answered my unspoken question. "and I'm not going to tell you anymore. Now, do you want to greet your friends or not?"

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but then I hesitated. If I don't go to the Doors of Death soon, they might leave without me. "I'll be leaving then, father." I gave a small bow, then shadow-traveled out of the room.

I appeared in the House of Hades, the current entrance of the Doors of Death for about five years, and materialized just as my friends tumbled out of the Doors. Annabeth looked up and saw me standing in the shadows.

"Nico?"

Yay, that's done with! I'm being very sarcastic in this chapter, because I have way too many thing that need to be done. Firstly, I have a ton of exams, and lots of projects-like, six to seven of them. And on top of that all, my Chinese is really lacking, and I need to buck up. So I apologize for this late chapter, but even then, this will be the last for a very long time. If I have the time, I might post one every once in a while...but only if I have time.

Sorry about that. Anyway, to the next chapter! (no matter how much later that might be.)