"Hello son," the god says.

Nico is hardly phased, but Will nearly jumps out of his chair.

"Father," Nico says turning to face Hades. "I wasn't expecting you so early."

"Your stepmother wanted to spend the afternoon with her mother," his father replies. "So naturally I thought I would spend more time with you and your new friend."

"This is Will Solace, son of Apollo," Nico says making the introduction. "Will, this is my father Hades."

At first, Nico is afraid Will won't say anything, but finally, Will bows and says, "It is an honor to meet your Lord Hades."

"Apollo," the god says with a smile. "I suppose I am not surprised. Is your father here in Olympus?"

"No," Will answers. "He was not allowed to attend because of his punishment."

Hades shakes his head then says, "I do not agree with my brother's ruling when it comes to Apollo, but alas, I do not agree with a lot of things Zeus does. He just let Boreas off with basically a slap on the wrist for openly assisting Gaea in the end, but Apollo is banished to camp for being arrogant. I fear Apollo has always run a fowl of his father because their egos are nearly equal in size." Will smiles. "How are you feeling son?" Hades now asks looking at Nico.

"A lot better thanks to Will," his son replies giving his boyfriend a smile. "He refuses to let me use any of my powers."

"That is very wise advice," the god says taking a seat at the café table the boys were sharing and motioning for them to join him. "I feared that you would be returning to the Underworld despite succeeding with your task. While I miss seeing you, your place is at camp, with your friends."

"I am happy here," Nico says. "We're happy," he continues taking Will's hand.

Hades smiles and says, "I see that."

Nico hesitates them says, "Father, how do you feel about my choice?"

"Is it a choice?" Hades asks.

"No I guess it's not. Still, a lot of people, parents, can't accept what I feel," his son replies.

His father smiles and says, "Is having a gay son harder on me than having Hades for a father is on you?"

"Having you for a father isn't hard on me, not anymore," Nico admits. "I've come to accept it, appreciate it."

"People have always feared me," his father now says. "At first, I was resentful of that. I did not choose to rule the Underworld. That job was assigned to me, but I have done my duty with honor. I have had to make choices much harder than anything Zeus or Poseidon have ever faced. Accepting your sexuality is not difficult. It is simply one part of who you are, and I am quite proud of the person you have become as I know your sister Hazel is, and your sister Bianca and mother were."

Nico takes a deep breath and says, "Thank you Father."

"Tell me Will Solace, how does your father feel about you dating my son?" the god asks.

"He's fine with it," the son of Apollo answers. "He wants me to be happy, and Nico makes me happy. He also said the two you have always had a descent relationship."

"I have had very little dealing with your father, but I did try to do his favored Orpheus a solid by letting him return his wife from the Underworld," the god says.

"Lord Hades," Will now says, "If this is about the only time you are here in Olympus, what do you do at these meetings?"

"Well," Hades says crossing one leg over the other and leaning back to get comfortable, "I generally am called upon to provide an update on the Underworld for the counsel. This year I have much to report. Thanatos has been very busy trying to sort out the dead, and with Artemis and her Hunters still occasionally killing escaped monsters, we still have much in the way of dealings with Tartarus. Fortunately, Bob and Damasen came forward and are working with us."

"Bob?" Will asks.

Hades looks like his son and says, "Would you like to explain?"

Nico tells Will about the time Percy, Thalia and he were called to the Underworld by Persephone to search for a sword she had created for his dad. He tells him about Iapetus coming upon then and Percy soaking him in Lethe water causing the Titan to lose his memory and Percy telling him that his name was Bob.

"So he spent months thinking he was a giant named Bob and worked as a janitor in the Underworld," Will says shaking his head.

"He helped Percy and Annabeth get through Tartarus," Nico continues.

"Why didn't he help you?" Will asks sounding a little angry.

"I didn't think to ask for him," Nico answers.

"You were reckless to go looking for the Doors of Death. Even Thanatos refused that task, and his mother lives there. It is nothing short of a miracle that you made it out alive," Hades now scolds his son, but it sounds more like a parent scolding their kid for running into the street without looking after nearly getting hit by a car.

"I didn't really intend to go there," Nico says then begins to tell his father and Will what he has never told another soul, living or otherwise. "I had been scouting for the Doors of Death without any luck then one afternoon I was sitting in your palace, and I heard something calling my name. I thought it was probably Gaea, but I also thought I could control myself in the Underworld. I didn't realize that Tartarus had such a strong pull. I was walking toward the Fields of Asphodel and that's where I saw a cave like entrance that I didn't ever remember seeing before. I was only planning on walking about halfway in to check it out, but before I could stop myself, I was being pulled toward a giant pit. I went right over the edge."

"Gaea knew you would be important in her defeat. That is why she was calling you toward Tartarus. I am, quite frankly, surprised she let you out of there alive," his father tells him.

Nico nods then says, "When I finally landed, I was on the bank of the Acheron. It was terrible standing there by that river. There were so many voices calling for me to join them for what I had done. The voices of monsters I had killed were blaming me. Other voices were telling me that Percy would never love me back, and I would be miserable for eternity or that being a gay son of Hades I would never be accepted anywhere in the world."

"You know that's not true," Will says putting his hand on Nico's arm.

"I know it now, but it's what I believed at the time. The voices were saying everything that I felt," his boyfriend replies. After several seconds, Nico continues. "I had decided I would have to shadow travel to get over the river when a woman walked up on me. She didn't look like a shade, so I figured she must be a goddess of some sort, but I didn't know which one. I thought she would probably kill me before I even had a chance to figure it out, but she just smiled at me. It wasn't a nice smile. I knew she was up to something. The souls of the damned in the Acheron started wailing even louder, like they were being tortured worse than before. Instead of trying to convince me to jump in, they were screaming in pain. She was causing it, but I had no idea why. When she finally spoke, her voice was full of hatred. She somehow knew who I was because she said she pitied me, the son of Hades who was so alone that I had to come to Tartarus for companionship. She told me I would never have the respect Percy or Jason had. She tried to talk me into following her into her mother's mansion. I didn't want to go. I still hadn't figured out who she was let alone her mother, but I didn't think their home was someplace I wanted to be. I was about to tell her no thank you and try to shadow travel when she grabbed my arm. The pain was as bad as I imagined the Acheron souls were feeling. I wanted to scream, but nothing would come out. I started to blackout. When I came to, I was lying in a room on a cold hard table. The only light came from torches on the walls, but even then it was still pretty dark. Because it was so dark, I didn't realize I wasn't alone at first. Someone asked what they should do with me. Right then, a girl got right in my face and said, 'I know, let's throw him into Lethe.' She was rubbing her hands together like she couldn't wait to carry out her plan. 'I don't want him in my water,' another girl I could not see shouted. That's when another girl stepped up next to the one who was looking at me and said, 'You are an idiot Ate. Mother told us to watch him not wipe his memories.' The one she called Ate got really upset and punched her in the face then stormed off. Two other girls stepped up with the one who got punched and started looking at me like I was some sort of freak. 'Does Mother plan to kill him eventually?' the one on the left asked. 'He is the son of Hades,' the one on the right answered. 'Surely Mother knows better than to kill him. How would any of us get to the upper world. Hades would block our doorway.' Then the three of them started arguing about who would win in a battle between their mother and you dad."

Hades nods and says, "That sounds like the Amphilogiai. They will debate anything. Why I've seen the three of them argue all day about which of them tallest, even after Eris measured them against a tree. She is their mother by the way."

"I eventually figured that out," Nico confirms. "I tried to get them to stop arguing by telling them it was obvious that you would win that fight, but then three other really tough looking girls gathered around me. One of them slugged me in the arm and told me to shut up. Then one of the other ones punched her in the arm and told her that their mom would beat all of them if they hurt me before she returned. Next thing I knew, those three were in a knock-down drag-out fight among themselves. I thought for sure they were going to fall on top of me, but I couldn't move. I felt like I'd been stuck to the table with glue. I later learned that these three were something called the Hysminai."

Hades nods. "The spirits of fighting," he agrees.

"It took forever before Eris returned, but I knew she was back the instant she came in the room even though I couldn't see her. I could feel the tension between the ones who had been watching me. They wanted to kill each other and me. I have to admit, if I could have moved, I would have tried to kill them too. Eris just brought that out in me," Nico tells them. Will squeezes his hand, and Nico eventually returns to his story. "When Eris came over and looked at me, I could tell she was angry too. More angry than before. It was like she was not happy about what she was about to do. She told her daughters to let me go, and all heck broke out. They started to fight one another until Eris shouted for quiet. She then ordered the Hysminai to take me out of the mansion and turn me over to the 'one who waits'. That was exactly how she said it like it would be obvious when they got there. I was dragged away before I could say anything.

When we came through the doorway, we were once again upon the bank of the Acheron, and there was a giant waiting there. I didn't know who he ways, but Eris' daughters didn't look any to pleased to see him. One of them sneered at him. She called him a son of Zeus which I thought was strange. I didn't know Zeus had any children who were giants. Another called him a rapist. I was actually starting to hope they wouldn't leave me alone with the guy, but without saying a word, he raised his hand and, in one swipe, knocked all three of them back into the mansion. He then looked at me and said, 'Not to worry demigod, I prefer females.' I told him that was good to know then I asked who he was. He said his name was Tityos. I asked if he knew what was going on, and he told me had orders to take me to Otis and Ephialtes. I asked him if he was a son of Zeus, how he could be working against his father. He was more than willing to tell me his life story."

"Once again," Hades interjects, "Zeus did what he wanted with a mortal woman with no concern for her wellbeing then Hera used the child for her own evil deeds."

"I think I know part of this story," Will now admits. "Hera tried to get him to attack my grandmother Leto, and my father killed him, but why was he helping Gaea?"

Nico answers. "Tityos said Zeus tried to hide his mother, I think he said her name was Elare, in the Underworld so Hera wouldn't see what he had done. Like Heracles, Tityos was a large baby. He was too large for his mother to carry to full term."

"That is correct," Hades says. "The poor girl was miserable. Eventually, she grew so large that she split open, and the baby was submerged into the ground."

"So if it wasn't for Gaea…" Will starts.

"He never would have had a life," Nico finishes. "Once he was big enough to live on his own, Gaea set him upon the earth, and that's when Hera decided to use one of her husband's illegitimate children against the mother of two others. She convinced the giant to take Leto and run off with her."

"But Dad stopped her," Will says. "He struck him down with arrows. But why was he in Tartarus?"

Hades answers this question. "Zeus always had a special place in his heart for Leto. After all, she bore him twin gods, and little Artemis was always one of his favorites. Eternity in the Field of Punishment was not enough for him. He put him in Tartarus and laid him out to be tormented by vultures who came every day to eat his liver."

"I thought that was Prometheus," Will says.

"Oh, that punishment was so horrendous that my brother decided to use it more than once," Hades tells him. "You can see why the boy would now side with Gaea over his own father."

Nico and Will both nod in agreement then Nico continues. "Tityos picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes then stepped over the Acheron like it was just a little creek. It didn't take long before I could see where he was taking me. There were so many monsters and Titans and Giants standing around. I saw the doors of death, but it didn't really look like they were in use. It was like they were waiting to get the go ahead from Gaea before any of them made a move. When they saw Tityos still carrying me over his shoulder, there was a surge toward us. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the demigod. I hated being carried like that. At the time, I couldn't stand for anyone to touch me, but I knew that if I had walked into the group next to Tityos, I would have been torn to shreds. Tityos ordered them to stand back. He told them that Gaea had plans for me, but one monster kept coming. He shouted that he didn't care what Gaea had planned. He said if it wasn't for me, he would still be alive. He would still have his ranch. It was Geryon standing there in that stupid western shirt. I think he would have gotten me away from Tityos except that Otis and his brother stepped forward and pulled him off. They threw Geryon to the ground, and he actually stayed put. Maybe it was because there were two of them."

"Or perhaps it was because they were his uncles and knew better than to go against them," his father suggests.

"How is that?" Will asks.

"Otis and Ephialtes are sons of Poseidon," Hades explains. "Not that he ever took the time to teach those two how to act. Geryon is the son of Chrysaor who is also a son of Poseidon by Medusa."

"Oh," Will says understanding now.

Nico goes on with his story. "Otis was excited when Tityos told him that Gaea had ordered him to turn me over to the two of them. He started talking about how I would look in a tutu. I wasn't sure where he was going with that, but I was pretty sure I didn't want to have anything to do with it. Ephiates called his twin an idiot then asked if they were allowed to kill me. He said something about shooting me out of a cannon, but he wasn't sure I would survive. He was really disappointed when Tityos told him no. He told them that Gaea ordered me help as bait just in case Hazel succeeded in freeing Thanatos. I was kind of happy to hear that because I knew Hazel was still alive, but I was angry at the thought of being used to lure her toward more danger. I would have rather been killed than cause her to be hurt."

"Fortunately," Hades says, "It did not come to that. Both of you survived and played a big role in defeating Gaea."

Nico gives his father a smile to show he's glad that his father actually cares for both Hazel and him. "That is when the twins started to argue about how they would keep an eye on me, help Arachne with her little problem, prepare to destroy Rome for Gaea and rehearse for their show. The two of them argued all the way to the elevator door. I didn't know what to do, Tityos still had me over his shoulder, so I don't guess I could have done anything even if I had thought of it. Part of me was thinking that at least I would be getting out of Tartarus. Just the sound of the place here where the doors were being kept was enough to drive you insane. It was like being inside of a beating heart. The pounding was so loud it felt like it was my own head pounding."

"You must have been on the heart of Tartarus himself," his father suggests. Nico nods in agreement.

"You don't have to keep telling us this," Will tells him softly. "It's too painful."

Nico squeezes his hand. "I've kept it all inside for so long, I think I need to get it out," he says. "Geryon came at me again. This time he grabbed my arms and was trying to pull me from Tityos' shoulder. The giant strengthened his grip and almost squeezed me to death. I figured the twins would come around and beat Geryon down again, but they didn't. What happened was much worse. The ground around Geryon rose up like a hand and started to engulf the rancher. He was screaming in agony, but he wouldn't let go of my arms. His body started to dissolve from his legs up. When his arms started to go, it was like whatever was happening to him was going to take me with it. My arms started to burn and steam. Suddenly I was a little kid again sitting in a room with Bianca and Mom. You were there too Dad. You were arguing with Mom about going to the Underworld, then there was a blast. I felt you on top of Bianca and me. I couldn't move. I wanted my Mom. I remember calling for her. Then Bianca was holding me in her arms. She was crying. I remembered seeing you holding Mom in your arms. You were crying too. The sound was…"

"I never wanted you to remember that," his father says sounding as if he were trying hard to choke back the tears even now. "That is why I had your memories removed."

"I remember everything now, since Geryon died with my arms in his hands. I don't remember much else of what happened to me from that point on until Percy, Jason and Piper freed me. I remember the twins getting on the elevator. I remember Tityos handing me over to them and Otis inviting Tityos to join them in Rome. I remember the twins arguing about using a jar again. Otis kept insisting it had been done, and he wanted to do something different. Mostly I remember that when I knew I would never survive unless a went into a death trance, I also knew I would keep reliving the moment of my mother's death over and over until I was freed or for eternity if I died that way."

Tears are streaming down Will's cheeks. He doesn't know what else to do so he kisses Nico then pulls him into his arms and holds him. "You'll never be alone again. I promise you that," he whispers in Nico's ear.

Hades puts one hand on each of the boy's backs and gently kisses the top of Nico's head and says, "I love you son."