"I hate this plan," Will said.

"I had no idea," Nico replied.

"You're putting a drachma in the sarcasm jar as soon as we get back to camp."

"Oh my gods, Will. We do not have a sarcasm jar."

"Yet."

Cut his throat and see whose laughing then, Bryce Lawrence sneered.

A waste of good talent. Although a year or two of hard labor would- Minos began before he was cut of by a wordless plea from Bob.

Nico flinched. His hands went instinctively to his ears before he caught himself. He looked away from Will and into the fire.

Lester/Apollo stared at him from the other side. It was creepy and unnerving and it was all Nico needed to ignore Will's concerned looks and questions.

"They won't eat us," he deflected.

Yes they will, Bryce whispered gleefully.

Will folded his arms and gave Nico that disapproving look. "You're doing it again."

"Shut up. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. I can do this."

"Nico," Will sighed. Whatever he was thinking, he didn't finish the thought. "So the trogs..."

"They're not that bad."

Ooh this is going to be so much fun. I can't wait to dance around your corpses, Bryce continued.

"I've met them. They're awful. How can you even think about dragging Meg into this?"

"This was Apollo's idea."

"And it was my idea not to go."

"And yet here you are. Can't waste an opportunity to complain about something can we?"

"Debby Downer."

Nico scowled at him. He hoped the fire light made him seem more menacing and less afraid.

"Did you ever stop to consider that it's not really Bob calling you?"

Nico scowled some more. "Who else could it be?"

"I don't know. I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave Tartarus."

"Sarcasm jar."

"We're doing it. That counts as an agreement."

"Whatever, WAS."

Will did not scowl at Nico. "Debby Downer."

Nico looked at the floor and the scattered small bones and leaves that littered it. He drew the bones together into a skeleton mouse, which attempted to groom itself.

Will's face was unreadable when Nico looked back up at him. The mouse skittered away into the shadows. "It's alive, sort of," he finally said, but it sounded like a question. He stared in the direction the mouse had run. "What's going to happen to it?"

"Probably try to be a mouse still. It happens sometimes with small animals. They don't need my control."

"I didn't know you could do that."

"You did. Everyone knows that I can summon dead things."

"But that's not a dead thing. Did anyone- Wait, did my dad see? He can't tell Zeus about it."

Nico glanced at Lester/Apollo and then Meg and Rachel. "I don't think so. Why are you so upset?"

"Because it's not dead anymore."

"But it's just a mouse. If someone steps on it, it will be dust. Besides the magic will wear off soon."

"Is that what happened with Hazel," Will asked cautiously.

"Not really." Nico could tell Will was expecting more but he wasn't in the mood to talk about Hazel. She never wrote anymore, never sent an Iris-message.

No matter. No matter. She's not really your sister, after all, Minos assured him.

"Do you think Apollo can really defeat Nero and Python," he asked Will.

"I don't," Will admitted. "None of this is a good idea."

"But I can get us there safely. And I can keep the trogs from eating us."

Will smiled, but it was clearly forced. "Okay, you're asking me to trust you, so I trust you."

"I won't resurrect any more skeleton mice."

"Try not to."

"You glow brighter when you get worked up."

"That's another thing we're never going to mention after this."

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"I still might like you."

Will laughed and Nico felt the ghosts retreat at the sound of it. "I still might like you too.