Chapter fourteen. This is gonna be exciting. I'm posting it a few hours early because I'm going to the Big E which people in New England might recognize. It's a fair/carnival ish thing. It's a lot of fun though. Happy Yom Kippur to any of you who celebrate it! Personally, I don't, but my school gives us the day off, so here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Rick Riordan

Will POV

I stood atop Half Blood Hill with Percy, Annabeth, and Nico in the bright morning air. The sun seemed to shine particularly bright today so I smiled and looked at Nico who was standing next to me with a duffle over his shoulder.

Nico's shoulders were slumped and he had deep circles under his eyes. I know he's not a morning person, but it looked as though he didn't get any sleep. Before I could ask him about it, Argus drove up in one of the white vans.

We loaded up and hopped into the car. Normally someone would've called shotgun, but Annabeth and Percy were clinging to each other and I didn't want to leave Nico when he looked like he was about to fall over. The doctor in me just wouldn't let it happen. So each couple took a row, and as soon as Nico and I sat down in the one closer to the back he fell asleep.

Now Nico's not normally one for looking peaceful, but as we drove along the dirt road I couldn't help but smile at the calm look on his face as he rested. Usually he was tense or guarded, but now he just looked tranquil with his head in my lap.

Meanwhile, Annabeth and Percy spoke in hushed tones in front of me. I heard bits and pieces of what they said. Something about nightmares and being worse. If their dreams of Tartarus were getting worse then that might be why Nico was so out of it.

I knew I couldn't ask about "down there," but I figured it might be nice to start a conversation. Come to think of it, they might know about that little figurine Nico had tucked away.

"Hey, Percy," I said, interrupting their hushed conversation.

Percy and Annabeth turned to face me, both with small forced smiles on their faces.

"Hey Will," he answered, "What's up?"

It was now or never. Of course the figurine could just be nothing. Just a meaningless little trinket. But there are no meaningless trinkets in Nico's life. Everything he had, had a purpose or a memory. Maybe if I could figure out the connection with this one I would know Nico that little bit better.

"Nico had this little figurine sticking out of his pocket the other day. I was wondering if you knew anything about it," I asked.

Percy's expression turned dark and Annabeth gave him a sympathetic look.

"I guess you deserve an explanation," he said softly. "A few years ago, when we found Nico, his sister joined the Hunters of Artemis."

I nodded. Nico had already told me this. His sister then went on a quest with Zoë Nightshade, Grover Underwood, Thalia, and Percy to save Artemis and Annabeth.

Percy continued, "On the quest she joined, well, we ended up in the junkyard of the gods. Thousands of discarded items- but if you tried to take one then the defenses came out. Bianca took something. And a metal giant came out and she sacrificed herself to stop it."

Poor Bianca. Poor Nico. To lose his sister like that.

"When I came back and explained everything to him, I gave him the item Bianca stole. Her last gift for him. One she had taken specifically to give him. That little figure. A Hades mythomagic statue," Percy finished.

His voice had tightened near the end, filling up with guilt. It wasn't his fault though, and Nico understood that now.

As we entered the city the traffic became a bit heavier. Percy began tapping randomly because of his pent up energy and ADHD. Personally I was hoping nothing would happen. Knock on wood.

Finally we reached Percy's apartment. I gently shook Nico awake and everyone got out. After getting out bags and thanking Argus before he left for camp again, we climbed the front steps of the apartment building.

I looked up at the stone building. It seemed on the newer side, but after spending most of my life in the suburbs and Camp Half Blood I guess I don't know much about the city and what to expect.

Both Percy and Nico seemed uncomfortable about the idea of using the elevator due to its cramped space so we took the stairs. Once we reached the fourteenth floor Annabeth and I used the little energy we had left to glare at the other two boys who seemed to be bouncing on the balls of their feet.

We made our way down the blue hallway across the wooden floors. Percy stopped in front of door number 1428. I realized this was the first time he'd actually see his mother in real life since Hera stole him and wiped his memory.

He hesitated to knock. Nico, being the impatient teenager he is, knocked quickly on the door before Percy could.

A nice looking woman opened the door. Her face was covered in worry lines that seemed to disappear when she smiled and saw Percy. Light brown hair streaked with gray was pulled into a loose bun. An apron covered in flour was tied around her waist.

"Percy!" she cried out, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Mom," Percy answered, his voice thick with emotion as he wrapped his own arms around her.

"Annabeth, Nico," she said happily as she released her son, "All of you come in, come in."

ushered us inside. The whole place looked quite homey and smelled like chocolate chip cookies.

As we sat down in the living room to blue cookies and milk welcomed us all again.

"Now I know Annabeth of course. And Nico," she said, "But I don't believe I've met you."

She pointed lightly at me. I held out my hand and she shook it.

"Will Solace," I said, "Son of Apollo."

She smiled warmly.

"Well you should brighten the place up," she said warmly, "and I'm Sally."

Maybe a school year here wouldn't be as bad as Nico kept swearing it would be.

And I'm leaving in a short while. Sorry this was a slightly more boring chapter, but hopefully the action will start soon enough. And no promises on the next update. Sorry. Anybody have suggestions or thoughts on it?