Hey random humans! I'm so sorry that this took me so long to write! This week has been hectic and I didn't have the idea processed. So without further ado, chapter 29!

The Underworld: Hades

I must tell Nico what I saw. He won't like it: not one bit. But he has to know. I don't care about that Poseidon spawn. But if Nico is near her, she will not be taken by Gaea. And she needs to be in order to win this war. Nico cannot know the truth. I'll tell him she will die if he doesn't leave her. He must leave her so that she can be used by Gaea.

I summon my son through a dream.

Nico

"Nico," I hear. "Listen to me, boy. I have some very important news for you."

I look around. I'm in my bedroom in the Underworld. My father sits in front of me, a worried expression on his face.

"Son, I have looked into the future. If you stay with your little girlfriend, she will not survive this upcoming war."

"War?" I say.

"I cannot tell you now. You will know soon enough. But if you and that Poseidon spawn are still together by tonight, she will die, and there will be nothing you can do about it. If you want her to live, you must let her go."

"Dad! Don't leave me hanging like this!" The edges of the dream go black. "Dad! Tell me what you're talking about!"

"You have three hours, or she dies. Do not tell her. It would only seal her fate. Get as far away from her as you can. Leave Camp Half-Blood in three hours. Goodbye, my son." The dream goes black.

"Dad!" I shout as I wake up in a cold sweat. Chiron leans over me, and Hannah Grace is holding my hand.

"Nico? What's wrong?" Hannah Grace asks. I pull my hand out of hers. I can't put her in danger. Or she'll be dead in less than three hours.

"Nothing. Just a dream," I say, plastering a fake smile on my face. She notices it's not real.

"What's wrong, Nico?" she says, searching my eyes for the truth. I avert my gaze.

"Well, he shall be fine now," Chiron says. "The wound wasn't closing. But it should now." I look down to my chest and there are fourteen stitches. Whoop dee do. "I will be going now." He walks out the door, and I see Lily standing by the bed.

"You sure you're okay?" Lily asks me.

"Yeah, I'm sure," I tell her.

"I'm going to go find Toby," she says, running out the door.

Hannah Grace

"Nico, what's going on? What was your dream about?" I ask. He won't look at me.

"It was nothing. I just… need some time, okay?" he says.

"Okay," I say. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" I try to catch his gaze, but he won't look me in the eye. "Nico, why won't you look at me?" I take his hand again but he wrenches it out of my grasp.

"Just leave me alone, okay?" he snaps. I see the pain in his eyes. I feel the tears coming to mine.

"Nico…" is all I can say.

"Go away! I… I don't like you anymore." He can't say it and look at me. I see a tear trail down his cheek. "I mean it."

"No, you don't." I know he's lying. "Who put you up to this? Drew? Ryan? I swear, if someone threatened you-"

"No one threatened me. I made this choice. I hate you. I never want to see you again." I start crying as silently as I can.

"Nico, why?" He looks me in the eye for the first time since he woke up.

"I can't tell you."

"Don't you think I deserve to know?"

"No," he says. Once again, he won't look at me.

"Fine. I… I don't care. I think you're lying, but whatever. That's not my business. Not anymore. Goodbye, Nico." I disappear in a flash of color- the exact opposite of Nico. I reappear next to the lake.

I immediately dive under and scream as loud as I can. I sit at the bottom of the lake for Zeus knows how long, bawling and thinking. Why the heck did Nico all of a sudden change his mind about me? He must have a good reason, right? I mean, one hour, he was the nicest boy I knew, and then the next, he hates my guts. Why? I have no idea what, but he's got to have a reason. He didn't just wake up and suddenly hate me. So I've just got to figure out that reason.

I swim back up towards the light. My head breaks through the surface. I see everyone at the dining pavilion. I must have been down there for at least two hours if it's already time for dinner. I'm determined to figure out his reasons. A lot of girls in my situation would be freaking out and hating Nico. But he's got to have a good reason. He's got to.

I run to the Iris cabin. I pound on the door. No one answers.

"Lily?" I say as I slowly open the door. I stumble upon a scene I will never be able to get out of my head. I find Butch making out with one of the girls from the Hephaestus cabin. I think her name's Nyssa.

"Umm... Have you seen Lily anywhere?" I ask. Butch looks up, reluctantly breaking away from the girl in his arms. It makes me sad to look at them, and it feels almost like they just put a knife between my ribs.

"She's not here," he says, obviously irritated by my intrusion.

"I see that," I say. "Any idea where she could be?"

"Try the dining pavilion."

"Thanks." I run to the dining pavilion. I find Toby and a Cyclopes sitting at the Poseidon table, and decide I'd better check it out. "Hey, little bro," I say, ruffling Toby's hair.

"Oh, Tyson, this is my big sissy," Toby says excitedly. "She's a daughter of Poseidon, too! That makes her your sister!" Tyson jumps off his feet and gives me a big, huge hug. I feel like I can't breath.

"I have a sister? I have never had one of those before!" Tyson shouts. "I will help you!"

"Help me with what?" I say, once I've got my breath back.

"I will help you find Percy!" Tyson looks sad. "Percy is my big brother."

"Mine, too." I don't worry about Toby staying with Tyson. I just hope they don't do anything stupid, like play with fire or swords. "I've got to find Lily, okay? Have you seen her?"

"No! She went to find you!" Toby says.

"Let us go and find Mrs. O'Leary!" Tyson shouts. I smile at the thought of the big but tame and playful hellhound.

"Be careful, Toby." I hug him and kiss his forehead. "Be good, okay?"

"Okay!" He kisses my cheek and runs off after Tyson, who starts walking towards the lake. "Love you, sissy!" It has been so long since I heard those words come out of Toby's mouth.

I turn my attention back to the task at hand. I look to the Iris table for Lily. She is strangely absent. Where in Hades is that daughter of Iris?

"Hey," I say to one of the Iris girls. I think her name is Angel. "Do you know where Lily is?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Angel says. "No one's seen her since you and her came to find Vicky."

"Ok, thanks." I'm really worried now. Where could she be? I reluctantly run to the Hades cabin and knock on the door.

I hear Nico shout, "Go away!" in a strangled voice. Almost as if he had been crying. But that's probably not the case.

"Nico, it's me!" I yell back. All I hear is silence. Then he opens the door. He leans on the doorway and I can't stop my heart from racing. Stupid heart.

"Can I help you?" He tries to look angry. He can when he really is, but that face is all for show. I feel a pang of sadness, but try to push it aside. I have a friend to find.

"Have you seen Lily anywhere? I can't find her," I say, looking anywhere but at him.

"No," he says. We stand for a few minutes in silence. I sneak a look at his face, and he's studying me and he looks almost scared. "Why?"

"No one has seen her since she went to find Toby. And I found him. He's with Tyson. But I can't find Lily."

"Have you tried Beast's stable?"

"No," I say, feeling stupid. She loves it out there. She goes to see him almost every day. "Thanks." I run towards the woods, but Nico catches me around the wrist. I look back at him.

"You can't go out there alone," he says. "I don't want your death on my conscience." I twist my wrist out of his grasp and start to sprint towards Beast's stable before Nico sees the tears trailing down my cheeks. "Hey, wait up!" he yells behind me. I hear his feet smack the ground behind me. Then it slows to a walk and I can't hear it at all. I sprint until I can't. I slow to a walk, breathing heavily and wiping the tears away.

"Do you not understand the meaning of 'wait up'?" Nico says right behind me. I jump away from him.

"Curse you and your shadow travel!" I shout. He still won't look me in the eyes. "Why don't you just go away?" As soon as the words leave my mouth I want to put them back. The look on Nico's face makes me want to kiss him and make him feel better. But I can't. "I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't mean-"

"I get it. You hate me now. I'm leaving camp, anyways, so it's better this way," he says, disappearing into shadows.

I smack my palm to my forehead. I'm so stupid! Why would I say that? He doesn't hate me! Nothing is adding up here!

Hannah Grace Fredrickson, someone says. The voice is surrounding me. It's not Clytius this time. This is a woman. Now that the wretched son of Hades is gone, you are mine. I black out.