AN: I combined two chapters, but that was the biggest change to this portion.

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Nico's POV:

He gasped as he fell onto all fours, arriving in the Underworld. Will tumbled after him and somehow landed in a crouch. He moved to be in front of Nico. As Nico was gasping, Will was on his knees in front of him, telling him to breathe.

"I'm- trying-" he wheezed.

Will put his hand on his Nico's cheek. "Steady. I'm right here."

After a couple of moments, Nico's lungs didn't feel like they were on fire anymore. He took a composing breath and sat on his butt.

"I thought you said you could-"

"I know what I said." Nico snapped. "I'm training and trying, but I don't seem to be getting any stronger. I used to be one of the most powerful demigods in the world. Now, transporting two people makes me hyperventilate. I should be getting stronger."

"Hey, you aren't turning into a shadowy puddle anymore whenever you jump. I consider that an improvement." Will mentioned. "And you have to remember that you went through one of the most difficult experiences of your life, what, seven months ago? Most people don't recover from that. And you are already so much better. You just have to give yourself time to heal; you have to have patience."

"Well, I'm done having patience." Nico declared, standing up. Will followed suit. "I'm going to become powerful again."

"You already are powerful." Will reminded. "You are the Ghost King. You have legions of the undead following you."

Nico shrugged off his words. "Whatever. My father should be able to help."

"With what? Our mission or restoring your power?"

"Both." Nico ended the conversation.

He looked around to gather his bearings. They were in Persephone's garden. Apparently, he had undershot the palace. He started to lead Will in the direction of his father's residence. He ignored the eerie, yet beautiful flowers in the garden. As he walked up the slight hill, the palace came into sight. His father had finished the wall that he had been building around the perimeter. It seemed to be in good shape. Nico walked down to the palace. He put his hand on the gates. With a groan, the gates swung open.

"Home, sweet home."

The two boys opened the double doors that led into the entrance hall. It was empty.

"I'm surprised; where is the zombie butler?" Will joked.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's Friday; He doesn't work on Fridays." Will opened his mouth to reply but shut it again. Nico smirked. "I'm only joking. He's not a zombie; he's a skeleton."

Nico continued walking deeper into the hallways, a thoroughly confused Will trailing after him. He headed straight towards the throne room. The door was cracked open. There were voices issuing out of it.

"I told you it would happen again!" The female voice was shrill. Persephone. "They let you back on the Council and now they've cut off communications again. I told you-"

"If you say I told you so one more time, Persephone, I will curse you into oblivion." Nico's father's voice sounded annoyed.

"That's no way to speak to your wife. And last time you did that, it took three months for me to reform!"

"Three months of silence, yes." Hades shot back.

"I will leave." She threatened.

"You can't and you know you can't," Hades said. "Especially with Olympus freezing us out again. Who will you go to? Your mother has not contacted you since the Solstice. And she usually hides out down here when something is amiss."

"I'll find... I'll find a mortal then. I'll command a demigod to help me."

"You personally have sworn off relationships with mortals. And you don't like demigods that much either." Hades reasoned. "Speaking of which, we have two listening at the door."

Before Nico could say anything, the throne room doors swung open.

"Nico," Persephone said in a false, cheery tone.

"Stepmother," Nico mimicked.

"My son, this is a surprise. I thought you would alert me when you decided when to move down here." Hades' eyes searched over Will. "Although, your dalliance was not invited to live down here with us."

"Father, we've come because we need your guidance." Nico stepped into the room. After a beat, Will followed.

"Yes, about the missing camper, correct?"

"How-how'd you know about that?" Will asked. "We don't have any communications out-"

Hades waved his question away. "I'm a god. I know everything."

"Then how did you not know we were coming?" Nico questioned.

"Okay, fine. Hermes put an ad in Olympus Times."Hades snapped his fingers and a newspaper appeared in his lap. He unfolded it and began reading. " 'Cecil Markowitz... missing from Camp Half-Blood... any information, please contact concerned father, Hermes.'"

"The gods don't typically intervene when their children go missing," Nico interjected. "Poseidon didn't put up flyers when Percy went missing. You weren't too concerned when I ventured on my many adventures."

Hades sat back in his throne. "The gods don't want to admit it, but we are struggling with communications as well. Our vision is clouded; we cannot see what's coming. Especially since Apollo has disap-"

"Hades!" Persephone snapped

Hades stopped. "Oh right, I'm not supposed to tell you that."

"Tell me what?" Nico demanded.

"Nothing, forget I said anything."

"No." Will stepped forward. "You were talking about my father. Is he okay? What happened to him? What does he have to do with Cecil's disappearance?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss. The Council wants it to remain confidential-"

"The Council?" Nico repeated. "Since when have you ever cared about what they think?"

"Since they threatened to remove him off the Council if he discussed it with anyone besides me." Persephone defended. "They wanted to bring Hades to Olympus, but he wanted to stay down here. They made him swear on the River Styx not to discuss said confidential matter."

"What about you?" Nico looked to his stepmother. "Did they hold you to such an oath?"

Persephone turned red as she spluttered. "I-no- I- I will not tell you! I will not compromise your father's oath."

"We just want to find Cecil," Will protested.

"Everything should become clear in a couple of weeks. But, until then, I cannot help you." Hades apologized.

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Nico asked hopefully.

"Zeus called all the gods to Olympus. He cut off the little communications we did have and forbid any god from leaving Olympus; he closed it off." Hades explained.

"But why?"

"Because of what's coming." Hades ominously revealed.

"Which you can't tell us," Nico summarized. "But it has to do with Apollo and Cecil."

"How does Cecil's disappearance have anything to do with my father?" Will repeated his earlier question.

"I've told you everything I can," Hades said. "I'm sorry. I have a duty to uphold, a throne and family to protect."

Nico groaned. If he had sworn on the Styx, there was nothing his father could tell him. He sighed. "I understand, but if there is anything else you can think of, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Are you leaving?" Hades looked surprised.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, Will and I have to get back to camp."

"You're probably exhausted, why don't you two stay for a while?" Nico looked at his father, confused.

"Dad, you are being hospitable. Are you okay?"

Hades laughed. "Is it wrong that I want to spend time with my son and his lover?"

Nico winced. "No one uses 'lover' anymore, father. And parents don't typically want to spend time with their kid's significant other."

"Actually, I think it would be a good idea." Will murmured to Nico. Nico looked around at him. Will got defensive. "You collapsed as soon as you got here. I have a feeling that you are more exhausted than you are letting on."

"Will…"

"As your doctor," Nico rolled his eyes at Will's words. "I would recommend taking a break before jumping again."

"How long of a break, Will?"

"At least for the rest of the day," Will suggested.

"Perfect!" Hades clapped his hands together.

"You weren't too keen on him when you thought he was staying here." Nico pointed out. "Why are you okay with it now?"

"I've never properly met Mr. Solace. Maybe it's time I did." Hades replied.

Nico looked at his father in shock. What had happened to him? "Are you sure you're okay, father?"

"Yes, yes. You can get some rest and then we can spend some quality time with each other later." Hades advised.

Nico shook himself. Why was his father acting like this? One part of him wanted to keep talking to his father and find out what was going on. The other part was feeling quite tired after that jump. His tiredness won over.

"Okay. We will see you guys later, I guess."

Nico turned to leave the throne room, Will following silently. The door closed with a deafening thud.

Will's POV

Will followed Nico through the twisting halls of the palace. "Where are we going?"

"My room."

The statement caught Will by surprise. "Your room?"

Nico grinned back at him. "Yeah. It's my father's palace. Of course I have a room."

"I just didn't think you ever actually lived down here," Will mentioned.

"Not for an extended time period, no. But, when I left Camp for the first time, I traveled around a lot. I ended up in my father's palace more than once. He set aside a room for me. I made it my own."

The two boys arrived at another set of double doors. There was a skeleton in a gray chauffeur's uniform in front of it.

"Will, this is Jules-Albert." Nico indicated towards the skeleton. "My personal chauffeur; one of my father's gifts to me."

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning him," Will recalled. "And he broke into camp when you went on your escapade with Thalia."

Nico nodded to Jules-Albert as he walked past him into his room. He pushed open the doors and gestured around, dramatically. "Welcome to Casa di Angelo."

Will looked around the room. It was Nico's alright. The walls were, shockingly, black. But they were covered with posters of different bands. There was a Led Zeppelin poster, Ramones sign, and a Guns and Roses banner. Just like at Camp, there was a huge four-poster bed, with black curtains surrounding it. There were bedside tables on either side of the bed. On the wall opposite the bed, there was a television. Framing the TV were shelves that were lined with Mythomagic figurines and skeleton heads. Will wasn't sure if the heads were real or fake. Knowing who Nico's father was, Will didn't want to know.

"So, you modeled your cabin at Camp after your room here?" Will wondered.

Nico nodded. "Pretty much. But I have a TV here, which is Hephaestus TV, so it doesn't break down as mortal technology does."

"I thought your Mythomagic collection was at Camp," Will considered the figurines on the shelves.

"You can never have too many figures," Nico murmured.

He slid his shoes off as well as his jacket and collapsed on his bed. Will sat down next to him.

"You feel okay?"

Nico winced uncomfortably. "There- Chiron's right; there's something coming. I can feel it."

"What does it feel like?" Will said quietly, leaning closer to Nico.

"It's hard to explain. It's just a feeling. A dark omen. The last time I felt like this-" he trailed off as he looked into the distance, lost in thought. His eyes searched as if trying to explain what he was feeling. Black met blue again. "It feels like when Percy went missing. With the Seven's Prophecy. Except instead of Percy it's-"

"-Cecil." Will finished. "Do you think it's another prophecy?"

"I can't say for certain; I don't know," Nico admitted.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Will was whispering now. He felt like what they were discussing was private; like he didn't want anyone to overhear. "Is it the Titans again? Or Gaea?"

Nico's eyebrows knitted as he thought. "I don't believe so. We defeated her and the Titans so recently."

"But, the two prophecies happened in such quick succession," Will added.

"I know. I just- I don't know- there is a plot or an idea that runs deeper than any of us know-" Nico started staring off into the distance again. "I can't explain it."

"How- how are you so good at feeling these things?" Will wondered aloud.

Nico shook his head. "I mean I'm a child of death; I can sense when death and destruction are imminent."

"But it's more than that," Will pushed.

"I think I'm good at understanding and sensing prophecies because I have been surrounded by them my whole life. I was almost a part of the Great Prophecy; I played a major role in the second one. A prophecy predicted my sister's death. A different one caused my mother's death. Maybe I'm just good at sensing the trouble that prophecies bring."

Nico became quiet, thinking, considering. He sat up, wrapping his arms lightly around his knees.

"When I was taken prisoner by Gaea-" Will straightened, listening attentively; Nico so rarely talked about Tartarus or Gaea. "- I heard a lot of things about the interpretation of prophecies. I know that manipulating prophecies to make them come true usually ends up making them worse." Nico blinked in shock at what he had said. He so rarely freely spoke about his experiences. "I- I don't know why I-"

Will smiled gently. "You don't have to explain."

"I'm sorry," Nico apologized.

"What are you apologizing for?" Will asked.

"For bringing up sad stuff and my family."

"Nico," Will murmured. "You are allowed to feel things. You can talk about whatever you need to whenever. You do not have to explain yourself."

Nico was adamant. "But this isn't about me. This is about you helping your best friend-"

"And right now, you need me," Will interrupted.

"No," Nico made his way towards the edge of the bed. "We need to take action; we've already spent enough time here. We need to look for Cecil-"

Will grabbed Nico's wrist as he started walking towards the door. "Nico, stop-"

"No!" Nico threw Will's hand off him. "I'm not letting another person go missing! Last time that happened-" Will stood quickly and wrapped his arms around Nico. Nico fought the hug at first but eventually relaxed into it. It took a second to realize that Nico was speaking into his shirt. "-last time that happened, Percy eventually ended up in Tartarus. Because of me-" his voice cracked.

"That wasn't your fault; that wasn't anyone's fault." Will soothed. "You helped get them out. They are safe because of you. They are okay because of you."

"No, they're not," Nico mumbled. He pulled back from Will's embrace, but Will's arms stayed loosely around him. "Don't you see? Don't you see the cracks on their surface? The bags under their eyes? The sadness behind their words? The nightmares that plague them? Tartarus will always be there for them. Just like it will always be there for me."

"It won't…"

Nico pulled away. "You don't get it. Tartarus doesn't go away. It's always there. It's woven into my soul, into my fabrics. It is as much a part of me as my hair color is or my skin tone." He took a deep breath. "And because of me, it's part of them too."

"Nico," Will pleaded. Nico blinked again.

"I'm sorry. Please, just forget I said anything," Nico dismissed, walking over to his desk, shuffling some papers.

Will walked over to him, standing just behind him. "You can't just dismiss these things. Talking about them is good-"

"I can't?" Nico asked. He turned to face Will. "Watch me."

"Nico, c'mon, I'm just trying to help."

Nico breathed deeply in. Will thought he was in for it and was about to get screamed at. But, Nico just blew the air out.

"You're right, I apologize." A pause. Nico laughed bitterly. "Look at what a mess I am. Joking about being normal one second, bawling about Tartarus the next."

Will smiled reassuringly. "That's no problem to me. But you just can't shut down. You can't just shut it out. I'm just trying to help." He put his hand on Nico's cheek.

Nico smiled and took Will's hand, slowly lowering it into both his hands. "I know. I just don't know why I get so worked up so quickly."

"7 months, Nico," Will reminded. "It's only been 7 months. You are still recovering and that's fine."

"I know," Nico's eyes met Will's. He broke off eye contact and started rummaging around the room again. "But I was right before. We've got a mission to do. We've overstayed our welcome and we got to find Cecil."

"I agree that it's imperative that we find Cecil, but I believe, right now, your health is more important." Will pointed out, following Nico across the room again. He put his hands onto Nico's shoulders and slowly started kneading into them.

"But, Cecil-" Nico lightly protested.

"At this rate, I'd think you were in love with him, not me." Will calmly teased. Will was putting up a facade; he was worried about Cecil and wanted to get back to Camp. But, if he let his worry show, that would push Nico to travel when he needed to regain strength before jumping again.

"That's not true," Nico said as Will lead him back over to the bed.

"Good. Besides, the entire Camp is looking for him." Will was reassuring Nico as much as himself. "Us two would probably just get in their way. Anyway, you need to sleep, and you are not jumping until you've gotten some energy back. So, we will wait it out here."

Will sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Nico sat, lying back on him, in between his legs. "I- guess that's fine." Will was succeeding in distracting Nico with the shoulder massage.

"And, who knows, maybe your father's hospitality will extend into giving us more information." Will pointed out, but Nico was too content to care. He let Will work his magic with his hands.

Apparently Nico was more tired than he thought because he was falling asleep quite quickly at Will's ministrations. And although Will had healing powers, he lacked the ability to make people fall asleep. Faster than he could believe, Nico was curled up on Will's chest, dead to the world.