A/N: Okay, water of the river Styx is not a drink, but it is a fluid, sooo...

We're ending this arc and we're getting rid of the voices in Nico's head :).

Instead of me eating at the Apollo table with Will, Will ate at the Hades table with me. I didn't know what the other campers knew, but I did notice they kept looking at me. In between shoving pancakes down my throat, I glanced at Dionysus, until he stood up and sat down across from me and Will.

'I see you have taken my advice.'

'Yes. I am eating. A lot.' I stuffed another pancake into my mouth.

'That's his seventh pancake,' Will confirmed. He was chewing on an apple. Oh, how the tables had turned.

'Hestia already told me that she would be coming along,' I said.

Dionysus slowly rolled an apple around. 'Was that all she said?'

'No.'

'I thought so.' Just in time, he stopped the apple from rolling off the table.

Will sighed. 'Can I come, too?'

He hadn't even stopped talking or Dionysus shook his head. 'No. Too dangerous.'

'I don't mean I'll follow you to the place where he'll meet the primordials, but just to the Underworld. I can stay in the palace or something. Persephone knows me.'

'The answer is no.'

Will sighed again and laid his head on the table. 'I am worried too, you know.'

'I never thought otherwise. Still, you can't come to the underworld. We don't want you to get hurt.'

'Hmpf.'

I ate the rest of my pancakes and some fruit. After that, I kissed Will on the lips. 'I swear on the river Styx I'll see you again.'

He pulled me into a hug. 'You better.'

Once he let me go, I noticed he glared at Dionysus for a second, before he helped me get up.

Hades was already waiting in front the gates of his palace. Persephone was dawdling around behind him. When she saw us, she put her hands on her hips. 'Didn't Will Solace come?'

I nodded towards Dionysus. 'He was not allowed.'

Persephone gave her brother an angry look. 'Why not?'

'Too dangerous.'

'Well…'

'I say we do this as soon as possible, before he gets hungry again,' Hades interrupted her. Persephone rolled her eyes.

Dionysus nodded, before looking back at me. 'We have to wait for Hestia.'

Hades did not ask why we had invited Hestia. She came within minutes, we looked at each other and silently agreed that yes, it was time to go.

There was a small platform near the banks of the Styx. I had seen it a few times while walking through the Underworld, but I had never asked what it was for. Now I knew.

Dionysus gripped me by my shoulders and led me to the middle of the platform. I looked over my shoulder, at Hestia and dad, who stayed near the beginning. Dad looked nervous. Hestia was as calm as ever, which made me feel a little better.

'Nico?'

'Yes.' I turned my head around. In front of me was the Styx.

'Okay. Take a deep breath.' I did. The fumes of the river tickled my lungs. 'Again. What do you feel?'

I felt the air prickling in my lungs and coursing through my body. My heartrate slowed down. 'I feel calm. Calmer,' I muttered. I felt the Styx as well, but I could handle that.

'Good. Then your body is relaxing. Now, how is your mind?'

My mind was a mess. I did some more breathing excersises, until I began to feel closer to the Styx. After a few minutes, it was all I could see. 'I see the Styx. The turmoil is calming down.'

'Keep focussing on the Styx. Tell me when it is dry.'

I did not know what he meant with 'when it is dry,' but I let it go. I let it all drift away on the river, until the river itself was gone, as if it had run dry... Oh. 'I think it is dry.'

'Concentrate on the drought. Don't worry if it takes a few times.' Dionysus' voice seemed to be coming from some place far away. I was a little afraid to concentrate on the nothing in my mind and it slipped through my fingers. I tried it again. The Styx went dry once more and there was nothing, until even nothing left. I was in a trance. I was somewhere completely different.

Dionysus kept his hands on Nico's shoulders for a few minutes, until he was sure Nico was in trance. Slowly, he let the boy go and took a few steps back. He seemed stable.

Dionysus stepped further away, until he was near the edge of the platform. Far away enough if something dangerous were to happen, but close enough to quickly run back in case it was necessary.

Hades twiddled his thumbs. 'What if something goes wrong?'

Hestia folded her hands together. 'It can always go wrong, but it hasn't yet. There is no use thinking about it.'

'I am still doing it.'

'Don't.'

Hades stared at the floor. He realised that if Hestia hadn't been there, he would probably have been in a panic. Just don't, he thought, just don't think about it.

'Who is he? He is ours. How can somebody be yours?'

What? Me? What am I hearing?

'Nico? Can you hear me?'

I took a deep breath. Chunks of the Underworld coursed through my body. 'Dionysus?'

'It's me. Do you hear the voices of the Elder Gods?'

'I don't know. I am hearing something, at least.'

'I would call that disrespectful. He just doesn't recognise us, he cannot do anything about that. He should know! No-one ever told him.'

On second thoughts. 'Yes. I think I hear the voices of the Elder Gods.'

'Is there a difference between the voices you usually hear and voices that are kinder to you?'

Negative! You are talking him down, what do you think? What negative! The kid deserves it!

'Eh... I think so, yes.'

'Try to seperate them into different groups.'

Oh gods. Sure. If I knew what that meant, I would.

'He is ours! Ours!' 'He can't be yours.' 'He is!'

Was I doing it? I thought so. Yet, I could not be entirely sure, or could I? Who was really... who did I know and who was new?'

'He's ours and he'll come to Tartarus to find us!'

Perhaps I was sure after all. 'I...'

'You're doing great. Keep going.'

'Come to Tartarus. Come. Come. You won't escape.' 'You don't have to go to Tartarus.' 'You do!' 'You can stay here.'

'No! Come free us! Come free us!'

'They have to get out of there by themselves.'

'Tartarus is where you belong! Don't deny it!'

'Let them deny it first.'

'I think I got them separated.' I am not entirely sure about it, though.

'Okay. Now shift your focus onto the new voices.'

Shift my focus to the newer, peaceful voices. Sure.

'Thats us! We are the others! The true ones! Help us!'

'Try to focus, youngling.'

I knew who I had to focus on. Their voices were lighter as well, less aggressive and slightly higher pitched.

'That is because we are in the elder place.'

'We know one thing and that is that we need to be free! Are you truly going to let us suffer?'

'They would suffer anyway. The difference is that they would take you with them.'

'We are suffering! Suffering!'

'And they made you suffer as well. They can only get out by themselves. You cannot do anything for them except let them be. That is the quickest way to make their suffering end.'

'Don't leave us!'

'Nico? The world can be beautiful, don't you think? Imagine the way the sun shines through a window, or when you taste something especially tasty.'

'That's us!'

'It is partly them, but they can only come to their full power once they get out, which they can only do by themselves. You'll make it worse if you go to Tartarus. Now think of the last time you basked in the sun, Nico. How did it feel?'

It felt warm and light. I was happy there. You make me happy. As if little lights go on in my head.

'Why, thanks! Think of your happiness. That is how the world should be, isn't it?'

Yes.

'No! Suffer!'

I don't think I will.

'Good, Nico. Feel the warmth. That is you. That is what you need.'

That is what I need.

'No…'

'Nico, when did you last eat a strawberry? Was it good?'

I picked one a little while ago. It was delicious.

'We are sure of it! Was it sweet?'

Yes, it was. Warmth, sweetness, it all makes me think of Will.

'Will?'

My boyfriend.

'Wonderful. That is a good sign, if you love him so much he makes you feel warm.'

Yes. Yes it is.

'He is probably why you like the sun and strawberries so much.'

Maybe. Before I met him, I never cared much about Strawberries.

'How sweet.'

There was silence for a few seconds. I heard a sound like soft, clattering laughter. 'We'll see you, Nico. Thanks for speaking to us. You seem sweet and warm yourself.'

'Thanks.'

The place around me began to fade. The darkness came back, followed by the river. I opened my eyes, everything dawned on me and I crashed down onto the floor.

'Nico!' Hades tried to step onto the platform.

Hestia quickly pulled him back. 'Hades, let Dionysus make sure everything is alright first.'

'Yes, no, yes…' Hades stared at his son, who was laying on the platform. Dionysus walked towards him.

He looked at Nico. He was breathing calmly, with a small smile around his lips. Dionysus felt the boys' pulse. Normal.

Slowly, he rolled him onto his back. 'Come on, Nico, its okay. You can wake up now.'

I opened my eyes. Dionysus was looking down on me. 'Ah…'

'Nico, it is okay. I am going to help you stand up and we will bring you back to camp half-blood. Then you will get a nice long rest.'

Yes. I wanted to rest. I nodded and stood up, with Dionysus' help. 'I think I did the thing, Dionysus.'

'I am sure you did the thing, Nico. Now try not to relax.'

We limped towards the edge of the platform. Dads' eyes were almost rolling out of his skull. 'Is he safe!?'

'I feel like I am,' I mumbled. 'Just sleepy.'

Hades took a very deep, shaky breath and bit his lip. Hestia patted his arm. 'Dionysus, I am glad you asked me to come,' she said with an ironic look.

Dionysus chuckled. 'Yes, I am too, although maybe not just for this one.' He looked at me.

'Can we go home?' I asked.

'Yes, Nico. We can go home.'

When we got to the palace, Persephone was waiting in the front garden, with none other than Will. Dionysus opened his mouth to say something, but Persephone held up her finger. 'You cannot expect me to stay alone for hours on end.'

Hours? 'Persephone…' Dionysus sighed. Will came towards me, fast at first, but more careful once he noticed I looked tired. 'Nico…'

'Will...' I answered with as much energy as I still had.

'How are you…'

'I am okay.' I was. I was okay. I felt lighter, more free, or something.

With some effort, Dionysus handed me over to Will. 'We… he needs to go home.'

Dionysus and Hestia nodded in agreement. Hades sighed. 'Sleep, Nico,' was all he said. He looked like he needed to sit down for a moment as well.

In the blink of an eye, everyone who should was back on the surface world.

'Will?' I curled up under my blanket.

'Yes?' He stopped untying his shoes.

'Can you light the candles in Moms' memorial?'

'Of course.' He got up and went outside for a second, even though he was only wearing one shoe.

I closed my eyes. It was noticeably more quiet in my head.

I had overcome one of the biggest issues I had. The voices, they were... no. I did not dare think it. I did, however, think that it might be time to talk about the other big thing I still had on my heart.

A/N: And the voices are… gone.

Not that the story is over. The story is really not over, I've got more to write about, soooooooo….

Okay this thing seems very experimental and a little unclear, even. The next chapters are going to be more normal. They'll be about Percy.