Alex was ready to storm over to the marsh and give Charon a piece of his mind. He wasn't prepared for his legs turning into jelly and collapsing underneath him. He hit the ground and let out a noise of confusion.

"I think we should take a break," Peter said. He looked around to judge their surroundings. Obnoxious screeching emanated from the high ceiling of the Underworld, likely belonging to the swarm of bat-like creatures that circled far above them like vultures.

Peter pointed behind Alex. "There's a cave in the cliff. We can hide there and hope we don't get eaten."

"I don't even want to imagine what kind of monsters had the same idea. Let me go check it out first," Sabrina offered. She didn't wait for the boys to argue before she left. Alex didn't even have the energy to chastise her for going alone.

Peter helped Alex get to his feet. His hands were warm and strong, and where their skin met felt like the electricity from Sabrina's magic. The feeling was foreign but not uncomfortable. Peter must have thought it, too, because a strange expression crossed his face.

"Let's, uh, go check on Sabrina," he mumbled. He dropped Alex's gaze and turned to leave. Alex didn't stop him. He simply followed quietly. He reached into his vest and removed the flashlight from his pocket. He'd forgotten about it during the scuffle with Limos, and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

Sabrina appeared in the mouth of the cave. She had beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and her eyes seemed duller than usual. "I can't tell how far back it goes, but it seems pretty empty. Please ignore the smell. Magic can only do so much."

Alex and Peter both exchanged looks. Alex peered around Sabrina's shoulder to glimpse into the cave. He was immediately sorry that he could see so well in the dark because he caught sight of a pile of bones that varied in shape, size, and color. His nose stung with the putrid mixture of decay and… monster dung, from what he could tell. Sabrina must have just pushed everything back out of view.

Sabrina gave him a sheepish smile. "Someone is going to have to take the first watch, so we don't get stuck in here and become monster food."

"I'll do it," Peter said quickly.

Alex was too tired to object. He pushed past Peter and sat down a few feet from the entrance, as far away from the pile of gross as he could.

Sabrina followed and pulled out a block of bread wrapped in plastic. She handed him a small piece of it. "Eat. It'll make you feel better."

Despite their surroundings, Alex's stomach growled in hunger. He did as he was told if only to keep himself from feeling nauseous again. He expected it to taste like stale bread, given its appearance, but the flavors that filled his mouth were so much more. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine himself back at the Dining Pavilion, shoveling warm syrup-covered pancakes into his mouth while the Hecate siblings chattered around him.

His energy returned immediately. His muscles relaxed, and his headache gave way to a dull throb. The impending sense of doom constricting his chest released its hold, and he finally let himself breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's supposed to taste like home," Sabrina said quietly.

Alex frowned. He hadn't realized how much the camp was starting to grow on him in his three short weeks there. He felt a pang of sadness from how quickly he'd let himself forget about St. Bayard's.

If he were honest with himself, the only thing that even made living there bearable was Zeke. The nuns weren't abusive, they did their best for all of the children given their circumstances, but that wasn't enough consolation for Alex. He made a silent vow that he would never let another demigod live that way. He would build his own demigod orphanage and conceal it with magic to keep the monsters away.

Sabrina snapping her fingers brought Alex out of his daze. A small campfire appeared in the middle of the cave. Its warmth washed over Alex's face, and he started feeling sleepy.

"Go ahead and sleep," Sabrina coaxed him.

Alex didn't feel like he had much choice. His eyes were growing heavier by the second. He leaned back against the cave wall, not wanting to lay on the floor amongst the odd colored stains, and clutched his flashlight to his chest. As he began drifting off, he heard Sabrina get up and go to the mouth of the cave. He couldn't hear what she said to Peter, given the distance.

He couldn't fight it any longer. He let the darkness of sleep overtake him.

X

Alex didn't know what woke him up. He carefully sat up and wiped the drool off his mouth. When he looked down at where his head had been lying, he saw two legs acting as his pillows. He grazed his eyes over the person's body until he met a pair of hot-cocoa eyes that reflected the glow of the fire.

"Sorry about the, uh, drool," Alex sputtered. His cheeks heated, and he hoped Peter wouldn't notice. "Where's Sabrina?"

"She's keeping watch. She put wards around the entrance of the cave to keep us invisible. It only works from the outside, though." Peter fidgeted with his pair of glasses. "Sorry if I was weird earlier. It… wasn't your fault."

A sensation that Alex wasn't familiar with crept into his chest. It felt just as warm and safe as Peter's hands did. He'd heard of people getting butterflies in their stomachs when they had crushes on people. This feeling was more like he'd eaten another piece of ambrosia.

"Do you know what time it is?" Alex asked. The Underworld hardly changed colors based on the time of day it was above ground; it was always a mixture of dark, bleak, and fire.

"I think it's early morning," Peter said quietly. "We'll probably get going soon."

Alex scooted over until his thigh pressed against Peter's. He savored being close to him, a notion that had only gotten stronger when Peter spent the night in his cabin.

"Can I ask you something?" Alex asked, keeping his voice low so Sabrina wouldn't overhear.

Peter nodded.

Alex took in a shaky breath. He knew what he was about to bring up was a touchy subject for Peter, given their conversation in Elysium, and he didn't want to push Peter away. So, he phrased his question as delicately as he could. "How did you find your way to the camp?"

Peter tensed. He stopped fidgeting with the glasses in his lap. "Thanatos found me when I was seven."

He paused for long enough that Alex wasn't sure if he'd keep talking. Still, he kept his mouth shut.

"Camp DuMort had been around for less than five years at that point. The titans were getting agitated with the gods, mostly because of… I can't say his name because names have power down here. But Hades built it for the children of those titans and other Underworld deities like my dad. Half to appease them, half to give their kids a place to go since the camp above ground won't take them in." Peter clenched his teeth. His eyes flashed with anger that he didn't quell.

"Thanatos was there to lead the souls of everyone in the apartment complex to the Underworld. He found me half-alive in the fire that I had caused. I was young and didn't have control over my abilities. I had a dream about a bonfire my mom and stepdad had taken my sister and me to… When I woke up and realized my dream had come to life, I couldn't stop it. This thirty-foot tall fire sat in the apartment like a flaming Christmas tree. I was the only thing it didn't burn." The sandy-haired boy struggled to take in a breath. Unimaginable grief skewed his features. He looked utterly distraught. Seeing him that way broke Alex's heart.

Alex reached over wiped away Peter's tears with the gentleness he didn't know he had.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Peter collapsed into Alex. Alex hesitated for a brief moment before wrapping his arms around the boy's shaking shoulders.

As he held Peter, he was suddenly struck with the realization of what King Minos had called after Sabrina.

"I will see to it that it is you who sends Peter Haynes to the Fields of Punishment." He'd said in his cruel, old voice. That was what had sent Peter into his daze, knowing that he'd been judged and damned before he was even dead.

"You're here now. We're going to save the Underworld together. It's going to be okay," Alex forced confidence into his voice even though he didn't fully believe himself.

They stayed like that for a while. Alex held Peter until he finished crying and continued to hold him for a long time afterward. At some point, Alex found himself running his fingers through Peter's head of thick, sand-colored hair. He hoped it soothed Peter as much as it soothed him.

Sabrina came over to them just as Alex was drifting off to sleep. Even in her presence, Peter didn't push away from Alex.

She waved her hand, and the fire disappeared.

"We need to go," she said with urgency. "I just saw Charon's ferry touch this side of the River Styx."