Nico and Hades were the last to arrive at the dining hall. When they materialized, what had been the thrum of conversation died to absolute silence. All eyes turned to Nico.

He immediately recognized Persephone who sat to the right of the empty chair at the head of the table, as well as Demeter who sat at the foot of the table.

There were four strangers seated as well. Across from Persephone was a man who looked very much like Hades. He wore a grey chiton trimmed in purple and a long hunting knife at his waist. His eyes and hair were black as Nico's own but there was a hint of malice behind his eyes that Nico hoped they did not share.

Beside him was a girl with short, curly, dark hair that tickled the sides of her face. Her eyes were dark but seemed softer than the man beside her. Her dress was pale pink and her skin was the same washed out olive as Persephone's. She gave Nico a sense of eerie calm that made him think of fevered dreams and slipping away to the Underworld in one's sleep.

Nico did a double take when he saw the woman next to Persephone. Her right side was that of an ordinary, if pale, girl. She had high cheekbones and pale blue eyes like ice. Her left side, in stark contrast, was greying and shrivelled like a mummy. She wore a golden dress and a similarly golden shawl was draped around her shoulders.

The last occupant was a boy who was maybe two years younger than Nico himself. His black hair was neatly trimmed and his dark eyes were wide and inquisitive. He reminded Nico of Artemis with his ancient eyes in such a young face. Large black wings sprouted from his shoulders like the ones Nico had seen on Thanatos before.

There were two empty chairs remaining at the table. One grand, throne-like seat at the head of the table were Nico assumed Hades was to sit, and another beside Demeter and across from the winged boy.

The dining hall itself was a grand room. The ceilings were high and vaulted with chandeliers made of interlocking human bones. The candles flickered yellow which was strange since most of the fire in Hades' palace was green Greek fire. The main dining table where everyone sat was in the exact centre of the room.

On one side of the room was a huge fireplace – the flames within were regular orange like the chandeliers' candles. Behind Hades' seat at the head of the table was a smaller table against the back wall. It was laden with a few crystal glasses and pitchers.

Nico wondered vaguely if there was an entirely different dining room in the palace somewhere where everything was sized for ten foot tall gods – or any other superhuman heights they chose to assume.

Persephone glowered at them. "You are late," she told Hades, not looking at Nico. "Mother managed to arrive on time."

"Astounding," Hades said dryly, as he swept around the table to his seat, "since she wasn't invited."

When he sat at his place, he lifted Persephone's hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back. The sight made Nico uneasy. Would he eventually get used to his father downright doting on a woman who definitely was not his mother?
"Hm." Demeter huffed. "Apparently you are not the god of time keeping. Persephone, I have said it before and I will say it again, you could have had anyone on Olympus–"

"Demeter, really," Hades sighed. "Do you not have your own Solstice celebrations to attend?"

"Nonsense. I would much rather be with my daughter. Some of us do still value our families, Hades."

Nico faltered halfway between the door and the table and Hades indicated the remaining empty chair. "Sit, boy, I believe we would all like to eat."

Nico hesitated as he pulled out the chair. Everyone's eyes were on him. Was there some sort of protocol he was supposed to be observing? Two Olympians were at the table, at least one minor god, and, if the ichor and power he was sensing was any indicator, the four strangers were far from mortals. Nico's seat faced the fireplace and he tried not to think about being tossed from the metaphorical pan into the perhaps less-so metaphorical flames.

He took a deep breath as he stared at the place setting in front of him. Once upon a time he had known how to eat with a formal dining setting, but it had been years since he had ever had the need. Was it from outside in or from inside out?

Hades glanced over his shoulder to one of the footmen and signalled for the first course to be brought in. Skeletal servants dressed in fine black and silvery liveries traipsed into the room with golden platters and placed them in front of every occupant of the table.

Hades readjusted his seat as the servants worked around them all. "Nico, I would like you to meet my other children; Melinoe," Hades indicated the woman with the half zombie face beside Nico, "Macaria, Zagreus," he indicated the man and woman on the opposite side of the table, "and Plutus." The boy directly across from him raised a wing in a sort of salute. "You have already met Persephone and Demeter. Nico is staying with us."

Anxiety bubbled in Nico's chest. Chiron's stories had conveniently skipped over most of the Underworld deities but Emilie's journal had elaborated further. Melinoe, the Goddess of Ghosts who wandered the earth at night terrorizing mortals. The lesser known Macaria, Goddess of Blessed Death, and Plutus, God of Wealth. Zagreus was one Nico had hardly even heard of but the wicked looking dagger at the god's belt made him less inclined to ask.

Nico swallowed his anxiety and cleared his throat. "Hello."

Macaria gave him a small smile. "Welcome, little brother."

Melinoe tilted her head and eyed him like he was a creature she was considering dissecting. "How long will he be with us?" she asked Hades without looking away from Nico. He wasn't sure if she was talking about dinner, staying in the Underworld, or his general lifespan.

"Until I say otherwise," Hades said in a tone that did not invite further questions.

Zagreus seemed to be following Persephone's example and pointedly ignored Nico. "Finally." He cracked his neck and immediately dug in with his cutlery when his plate was served. "You were at Olympus for an aeon, Father, I thought we would never eat."

Macaria glared at him. "Don't be rude," she scolded, "wait until everyone has been served, you brute."

Zagreus scowled right back at her but put his knife and fork down again.

"Honestly, Zagreus." Plutus rolled his eyes. "It's not like any of us actually need to eat." He paused and looked over at Nico. "Well, except you."

Demeter was eyeing Nico with her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Really, Hades?" she said, looking away from him after a long moment. "You have done many things I don't approve of but this– well, this is truly beyond the realm of anything that I thought was possible from you."

Persephone sniffed and raised her chin slightly. "Thank you for your support, Mother," she said with the air of one putting on a brave face. "I am attempting to be the bigger person in this situation. It is very trying."

Nico shifted restlessly in his seat and met eyes with the boy across from him. Plutus was staring at him, and had apparently been trying to catch his eye. When their eyes did meet, Plutus grinned at him. Nico made himself smile back. Plutus might look like a child, but he could probably reduce Nico to a pile of ash just as quickly as any other god.

Nico examined the food on his plate. Quintus had assured him that all of the meals brought to his room were safe and, really, he had no reason to think that food prepared specifically for him would be unsafe. But a meal shared by true residents of the Underworld? The thought made him uneasy.

"Can I even eat this?" he asked, indicating the plate in front of him.

Plutus scrunched up his face as he thought. "…Yes," he said hesitantly, "I think so. Almost everything is from the Upperworld." He bit his lip in a gesture that looked so human that, if it weren't for the wings, Nico might have mistaken him for another demigod. "I'm not actually sure about the rules. Mother would know." And before Nico could stop him: "Mother!"

Persephone glanced down the table at him.

"Can Nico eat the food here?"

Persephone looked affronted, and then plastered on a false smile. "If you are asking my permission, I would rather that he starved," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Persephone, my dove," Hades chided. He looked to Plutus and Nico. "Yes, the food is safe. Even if it were from the Underworld, your blood is stronger than that rule. There would be no reason for it to bind you to the Underworld when you are already so closely bound through your parentage."

When his parents had looked away again, Plutus rolled his eyes behind Persephone's back. "She doesn't like you very much," he informed Nico.

"I never would have guessed."

As he tried a bit of what was on his plate, Nico glanced around at the table. Everyone seemed occupied in their own conversations except for Demeter who was busying herself transfiguring everything on her plate into graham crackers one at a time.

"Do you do this a lot?" When Plutus gave him a quizzical look, he elaborated, "Family dinner." Nico shovelled another forkful into his mouth. The food was really quite good even if he didn't actually recognize the meat he was eating.

"Oh." Plutus shook his head and took a sip from his goblet. "Not usually but it's the solstice and there is safety in numbers."

Nico knew that the Winter Solstice was the longest night of the year and that it was a night where dark forces had the most power. Chiron had never really been clear if 'dark forces' was another way of saying evil or if the Underworld would also fall into that category. He guessed that, since Hades' entire family had gathered together for safety, they did not count as a dark force.

"So… you all gather together just in case there's an attack?"

Plutus glanced around and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "We're technically supposed to be on Olympus, that's where all the other gods spend the solstice, but Father doesn't want to give Uncle Zeus the satisfaction of thinking he needs his protection or help."

"Isn't that a little," Nico glanced at his father to make sure he wasn't listening, "stubborn of him?"

Plutus shrugged. "That's how it's always been. It isn't going to change anytime soon."

Nico thought about that as he ate some more of his dinner. It was kind of sad that Hades had such a poor relationship with his family. Until that night, Nico's sister had been the most important connection in his life. Hades had such a large family – it wasn't fair that he was so separated from them.

At that moment, Demeter looked up from her graham cracker pile. "I trust you have been considering my suggestion, Hades?"

Hades grumbled. "Which one?"

"My dear son, of course." Demeter looked pointedly at Persephone like: See? He isn't the God of Wisdom, either. "John Kellogg. I did specifically say that he needed to be placed in Elysium."

Kellogg? The cereal guy was a demigod?

"That isn't really how the Underworld works," Macaria said apologetically. "There is a whole trial process, you know. Then there's the paperwork and–"

"Yes, yes, child, I know." Demeter waved a hand in dismissal. "But I can save you all of that trouble here and now. The man invented boxed cereal, peanut butter, and those light baths. I've had one installed in my own palace and it is a lovely thing. So Elysium it is, no trial necessary."

Macaria tried to placate her. "Yes, he did make those things, but he also advocated applying acid to women's–" She paused. "Well, you know what I am talking about."

There was a glint of laughter in Melinoe's eyes. "Not to mention his suturing theory for the boys."

Nico and Plutus exchanged disgusted looks. Nico wasn't sure he understood what they were talking about but it definitely sounded anything but pleasant.

"Hardly the point," Demeter insisted. "I'm talking about cereal here, focus on what is important."

"I suppose his Race Betterment Foundation doesn't make a difference to you either?" Macaria asked.

Demeter pursed her lips. "You are certainly well informed."

She shrugged. "Melinoe and I looked into his case after you mentioned it before. Unfortunately his poor deeds outweighed his worthy contributions to mortal society. He has already been sentenced to Asphodel."

Demeter shook her head. "No, that simply won't do. Maybe you don't understand, my dear. Cereal, yes? Have you tried it?"

Macaria opened her mouth to answer but as she did so, Demeter pointed at her half-eaten course and the food shimmered golden. When the shine and glitter faded, Macaria's meal was replaced with a bowl of cornflakes. Demeter snapped her fingers and a white porcelain jug materialized in mid air and poured a stream of milk into the bowl before disappearing with a POOF!

Macaria spluttered. "Demeter! I was enjoying that!"

Plutus giggled. If giggles in the Underworld seemed out of place to anybody else they didn't show it. Plutus had set off a chain reaction. Melinoe cackled with mirth, Zagreus sniggered into his food, and, before he could stop himself, Nico was laughing too.

"Would you all care to behave yourselves?" Demeter snapped. "This is a serious conversation!"

Nico flinched and stopped laughing abruptly. Being scolded by a literal goddess was much more cowing than anything Chiron or Quintus could come up with. He couldn't entirely forget that absolutely anyone at the table with him could smite him if the whim took them. Would Macaria blast him with her powers for laughing at her?

Hades didn't seem concerned for him. He wasn't paying his children any attention and had turned back to his conversation with Persephone as if Demeter had not changed the subject at all. Maybe this was just the usual family dynamic.

Demeter gave everyone in turn a stern look and the laughter gradually subsided.

"Sorry," Nico muttered, and started picking at his food again.

"Relax, little brother," said Plutus. He still had laughter dancing in his black eyes. "Don't be so uptight."

"You stop being such a bad influence," Demeter scolded harshly. "If a half-blood child is more mature than you are, Plutus, I should think that it reflects more of your own faults than his."

Plutus stuck his tongue out at her and Nico bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't grin again. He had been surrounded by people older than him for years now – it was refreshing to have another child with him. Although it was more than a little strange how centuries old Plutus who called Nico 'little brother' acted like one of Chiron's youngest campers.

"Plutus refuses to grow up, Demeter," said Zagreus, taking another bite. "There is no point in trying to change that now."

Plutus gave him a dark look. "Maybe if the mortals could find an image of me as an adult I would act like one." He folded his arms and pouted in a way that made him look even younger than he already had.

"You two have been bickering about this for millennia," said Hades, sounding tired. "There are only so many iterations of the same argument I can tolerate."

"You've been saying that as long as they have been arguing," Melinoe drawled.

"Is there any news from Olympus, Father?" Macaria cut in.

Nico got the feeling she was the peacemaker in the family.

Hades scowled and stabbed his food with his knife. "My brother's usual antics."

Perhaps not a very successful peacemaker.

Persephone pursed her lips, "Hm," she said, "but he did not kill your brat this time." She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. "Honestly, Mother, I cannot believe that you actually voted to spare him."

Hades huffed and rubbed his temple. "Persephone, please."

Demeter shrugged and continued as though Hades hadn't spoken. "He is young," she said, "and though I do not approve of how this… situation is being handled, Hades' indiscretions are hardly the boy's fault. Things may change when he turns sixteen. Perhaps he has a long stay in the Lotus to look forward to."

Macaria glared at Persephone and Demeter. "Mother," she hissed, "Demeter, he is sitting right there."

Plutus picked at his meal with his fingers. "Do you have to threaten little brother to his face?" He was definitely whining. Zagreus looked like he was ready to throw something at his younger brother. Nico wondered if the family got along any better when he wasn't there. "At least do it behind his back."

"He is not your brother," Persephone spat. "He is your father's mistake."

Hades slammed a fist onto the table, making the place settings rattle. "That is enough!"

Zagreus stood stood so quickly his chair wobbled and almost toppled over. "Don't you dare shout at her," he snarled, one hand on the hilt of his knife.

Nico's ears burned. He clenched his cutlery so tight in his fists he could feel the indentations biting into his fingers and palms. His self-control was slipping by the millisecond. He was sure Hades' and Zagreus' auras were affecting him as well as what Persephone had said.

Melinoe made a hissing sound through her teeth. "Here we go again." When she stood from her seat she moved so silently it was uncanny. "I'll be excusing myself, then. Mortals to haunt, et cetera, et cetera. Goodnight."

With that, she drifted slowly upwards towards the ceiling and vanished.

"Do not challenge me again, Zagreus," Hades warned. "Did you not sufficiently learn your lesson the last time?"

Demeter stood and dropped her napkin on her plate. "Yes, I think I will go too. Good luck! Try not to level the entire city tonight." She disappeared in a swirl of golden wheat.

Plutus looked at Persephone beseechingly. "I hate it when they fight."

A muscle jumped in Zagreus' jaw. "Do not take your frustration at your own indiscretion out on her. You should not be parading your bastards around left, right, and centre in the first place."

"It is a complex situation!" Hades argued.

Zagreus' lip curled. "Yes," he said, "it must be so difficult for you. What are you thinking, Father? A demigod in the Underworld? This is absurd. At least he will have a short journey when that weak mortal life of his is finally snuffed out."

Nico dropped his cutlery back onto his plate with a clatter. "Would you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" he demanded. "I can hear you."

Zagreus looked at Nico like he was a piece of chewing gum stuck to the bottom of his sandal. One hand went to the long dagger at his waist. He glared at Hades. "You should keep your dog muzzled. I would hate to have to put it down."

The banquet hall began to tremble. Nico was ready to vault over the table and throw himself at Zagreus. Plutus caught his eye again and shook his head vigorously. The place settings rattled against the quaking table top.

"I said enough!"

"Stop it, Nico," Plutus pleaded.

Nico clenched his jaw. The palace continued to shake. Pebbles fell from the ceiling and scattered on the table top amidst the dishes.

"I'm trying," Nico bit out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, honestly," Persephone scoffed. She waved a hand and the pebbles turned to petals, drifted up off the table, and vanished into nothing.

"Sit down, Zagreus," Macaria insisted. "You are making a scene."

"I'm making a scene?" he demanded.

"Stop being such a mother's boy and knock it off!" Plutus snapped.

A chunk of stone the size of a football fell from the roof and smashed a crystal pitcher of wine. Ruby red liquid dripped from the edge of the table forming a puddle on the floor.

"Nico!" Hades shouted. "Control yourself this instant!"

"I can't make it stop!"

Hades practically growled. He pushed his chair backwards away from the table and stood. Even in human-size, he dominated the room. He clapped his hands once and the quaking came to an abrupt halt.

Nico felt numb. Where he usually felt the tug of his powers in his stomach, it was hollow and heavy. Had Hades had disabled his powers somehow?

"You," Hades glared at Zagreus. "Sit. Down."

Zagreus looked mutinous but sank back down to his seat.

Hades turned his glare on Nico. He steeled himself against Hades' aura.

"And you, go to your room," Hades ordered. His dark eyes were alight with a fire of barely controlled anger.

"But I didn't do anything!"

"NOW!"

Nico gave Zagreus a murderous look and shoved himself away from the table. The legs of his chair slid against the stones with an unpleasant groan.

"I'll go with you," Plutus offered, fluttering up out of his seat.

"Oh, I don't think so," Persephone cut in indignantly.

Plutus dropped back down looking deflated.

Hades waved a hand and the doors out of the banquet hall swung open. "Go."

Nico shoved his anger and frustration deep down and turned to leave.

"That's right," Zagreus sneered. "Keep to your leash like a good boy."

Nico whirled back around. He squeezed his fists so tight his knuckles turned white. He started toward Zagreus, ready to wipe that smug look off his face.

"You–"

"I will not tell you again."

Hades' voice stopped Nico in his tracks. It was as cold as Nico had ever heard it.

Nico looked between Zagreus and his father. Zagreus' eyes were bright with a righteous fire that Nico did not understand. How was belittling him supposed to undo Hades yelling at Persephone? It wasn't his fault that Persephone had crossed a line when she should have known the limits of her own husband's temper. What kind of victory did he think he was winning here?

Hades held Nico's gaze for a long moment and Nico did not look away. Then Hades sighed heavily, snapped his fingers, and Nico vanished into thin air.

He landed in an ungainly pile of limbs on his bed. The bedroom was shockingly still after the banquet hall. The fireplace was bare and cold, and the torches on either side of his bed and door flickered silently.

"Are you kidding me?" Nico asked the empty room. "Are you kidding me?"

This was so not fair. He had learned from his first experience with Persephone; he hadn't done anything to provoke Zagreus. He had held his tongue for as long as he could bear it but when he finally had said something, he was sent to his room without supper like the little boy he had been before Camp Half-Blood, before Italy, before… everything.

He swore and shoved the heap of pillows off of his bed. They scattered across the floor in a series of unsatisfying WHUMPs. He cast around for something that would shatter if he threw it. His eyes fell on the oil lamp on his desk and he faltered.

In the middle of the tabletop was a delicate silver tray that hadn't been there when he had left for Olympus. On it was a fork and a little china plate with a single slice of what looked to be chocolate cake. Dessert? Who would have sent that up to his room? Surely not Hades. Plutus, maybe?

He pinched a mouthful of cake between his fingertips and crushed it to crumbs, letting them trickle over the tray. Maybe it wasn't the time to throw a tantrum – even if the injustice of it all felt like it was burning him from the inside out.

He took the little plate in one hand, leaving the fork on the tray, and paced around his room with it. As he went, he ate small bites with his fingers. It was rich chocolate with a creamy centre and topped with a thin layer of fudge. The sweetness of it settled heavily in his stomach.

Nico paused at the door out of his room and wiggled the handles. Locked. The doors to his balcony were locked tight as well and so were both of his windows. What, did someone seriously expect him to climb down the side of the palace because Zagreus hurt his feelings? He licked some more sticky crumbs from his fingers and put the plate back onto its little tray.

It had almost been a very good day. He had been to Olympus and pleased his father … except that had come at the price of lowering himself to Zeus' pride. He had seen Bianca again … only to find out he did not really 'have' her at all. She was in Artemis' pocket now and no longer someone he could constantly rely on. Perhaps not such a good day after all.

No, good things had come from the day as well. He had met his immortal half-siblings – something he was sure none of Chiron's other campers could say – and he had found a possible ally in Macaria and a friend in Plutus. Even if Melinoe hadn't been exactly friendly she was at least a neutral party. He hoped. He did not want to find her half-mummified face across a battlefield at any point in his life.

Maybe with support from Quintus, Plutus, and Macaria he could live up to what his father expected of him. He could survive the remaining year of his training, he could be the Hero of Olympus and the Champion of the Underworld that the world needed – even if he had never wanted either of those titles.

They should have been Bianca's. She had always been better suited to responsibility. When they were children, she tucked him in at night so he wouldn't disturb Mama. She spoke to the conductors at the railway station and purchased their tickets and made sure Nico ate his sandwich on their way to Venice. She was the responsible one. And what had he done? Lost control of his powers over and over again. Wasted years of training on being angry at children at a summer camp when he should have been preparing himself to save the entire world. Maybe the Olympians had made a mistake when they spared him. He should have been locked away in that place in the desert and Bianca would have been free to take the prophecy.

He put the plate with the remainder of his cake back on the desk and sat down on his bed. He crawled under the covers and pulled the blanket over his head.

It was too late to undo the past now. For better or for worse, he was the only champion the Underworld had. It was up to him to make sure he was worth it – worth all of the time Chiron and Quintus had given him and the effort Hades had put into securing his position. He reminded himself that Bianca had given things up as well. She had had no choice but to become a Huntress and give up a normal life. She no longer had the option to find a nice boy and fall in love and get married and have half a dozen little ankle biters she could scold and boss around 'til her heart's content. But if he did save Olympus, if he did save the world, it could all be worth it. He would prove that he could be worth everyone's sacrifices. All he could do was try.