Three Times

by morbidbookworm

Three times Will Solace let Nico di Angelo get away and the first time he didn't. And what came from that. Three times for Solangelo.

5. Yet Another Three Days

So. Funny story. I'm not dead. And this monster is nineteen and a half THOUSAND words, so shut yer traps.

I also lied. This is not the last chapter. There will be a much shorter epilogue thingy that addresses some of, ah, issues that I didn't get around to explaining in this one. Because I have a confession to make. Brace yourselves.

This chapter has plot.

I know, I know, put down the pitch forks! It isn't what you signed up for, and trust me, when I was writing this I kept thinking, This was supposed to be a Three Days fic . . . what the hell happened? Because something happens in this chapter, and I'm not sure how you'll feel about it. But if you feel like there wasn't enough attention paid to it, fear not, the epilogue will center very heavily on Will and Nico's reactions to it. Don't worry.

Also, the I AM death, thing comes from a post on tumblr I found on the internet, so I don't own that, just the right to steal it.

This is a suspiciously short AN for me. It's just that this chapter is so frickin' LONG I could spend all day commenting on it.

Aaallssoo, if anyone wants to try their hand at drawing any of the scenes Hazel drew at the end, pm me! I'd love to see them!

AAAALLLLLSSSSOOOO big thanks to AbbieDabbie, my amazing beta who is all the way over in Germany and still got the edits to me in a fraction of the time it took me to write the damn thing.

Oh yeah, and for those of you who have read ALL of the manga Pandora Hearts, Koraki is Greek for Raven, and Kuneli is Greek for Rabbit. Just keep that in mind.

Okay, if I don't shut up now, I never will. Enjoy!

---

Will Solace was, in the words of a certain Persassius Jackson, "One Chill Dude".

He was sweet to all the girls, friendly to all the guys, and could make you feel good and relaxed just by walking into the room. He flowed through the camp like a stream of calmness and healing, and got along with everyone, no matter who they were. He played pranks with the Hermes kids, gossiped with Aphrodite's cabin and could even get the Ares and Athena kids to loosen up and sing campfire songs. High-strung was not a word ever associated with Will Solace.

And he never. Got. Angry.

Seriously. He would be strolling down the street, all non-violent-like 'Fighting? Aw, Hades no!' And a little boy would look at him in awe and then ask his father,

"Daddy, what's that coming out of his skin?"

"That, my boy, is pure passivityness," his father would say. "It is a grand and powerful gift granted only to the very greatest of heroes." And the kid would be all, "Wooow."

Ahem. But I digress.

Of course Will got upset when one of his siblings died, (which actually happened quite often) but never, not once since he had come to camp at the tender age of eleven, all wide eyed and bushy tailed, had he ever been unkind to another being.

Everyone liked him, and he smiled at everybody like they were the best thing since chocolate croissants. His motto was - "An apple a day keeps everyone happy and healthy." He lived by the rule that as long as the doctor was happy, the patient would be too.

There is, however, an exception to every rule. And all Will Solace's rules and mottos went clear out the window and down to Hades when it came to one Nico di Angelo.

Not least because Nico's motto was - "An apple a day keeps everyone away if thrown hard enough".

This theory was indisputably proved on the fourth day after Gaea had been defeated. Also known as: "The Day Will Solace Completely, Utterly, and Officially, Lost. His. Mind". Allow me to turn your attention to this particular day, as it is where this final chapter of our story starts.

---

"PEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRCCCCCCCYYYYYYYYY!" Will Solace shrieked as he burst into the Poseidon cabin, where Jason, Piper, Annabeth and the afore mentioned Percy were lounging on the beds, playing Pictionary. Frank and Reyna, regrettably, had been called back to Camp Jupiter the day previous, and Hazel had decided to help Frank get settled as the new praetor before visiting Camp Half-Blood again.

Will's ungodly shout shook and damaged many an eardrum, and rendered the occupants of Cabin Three temporarily paralyzed with shock. Will took the advantage, grabbing both Jason and Percy's wrists and proceeding to drag them out the door. Shaking themselves, Piper and Annabeth hurried to follow.

Will dragged the still slightly stunned boys all the way to the infirmary, the girls hot on his heels. He hauled them all to the 'Long Term Stay' wing, shoved them inside, and shut the door. Then he took a deep breath, pointed dramatically and said, "Tell him."

Four pairs of eyes followed his finger to Nico's bed, where the son of Hades spared them a cursory glance before continuing to lace up his combat boots.

"Umm . . . what?" said Percy, looking confusedly from one boy to the other.

"He's leaving," Will snarled. "Make him stop." He whirled on Nico, glaring as fiercely as a universal peace activist could. "Excuse me, who said you could get up?"

"You said three days," Nico said flatly. "It's been three days. I'm leaving."

"You still look like death!"

"I always look like death, Solace. I am death." Nico shrugged on a black hoodie over his shirt, ignoring Jason, Percy, Annabeth and Piper in favor of glaring at Will. "You're overreacting. You were the one who fucking cleared me to leave."

"I cleared you to leave the infirmary and get some rest in your cabin!" Will cried, flapping his arms around frantically. "Not to go traipsing through the Underworld doing gods know what, running down your powers and no doubt ending up dead in a ditch somewhere - !"

"I'm not going end up in a fucking ditch, Solace," Nico muttered, now tugging on the laces of his other boot. "The Underworld is in uproar. We were hit much worse than the surface world with this war; there are rogue spirits everywhere and monsters are coming and going whenever they please. Dad's going crazy trying to do everything himself, and Persephone won't do shit during the summer. Hazel can't help, so I need to do everything I can."

"You won't be able to do anything if you dissolve into shadows as soon as you get there!" Will snapped at him. "Can't you wait a couple weeks to recover before jumping into another life or death situation?"

"You guys do remember we're still here, right?" Jason wondered.

Nico sent him a disparaging look before turning back to Will.

"I'm not stupid, Solace," he said, lowering his foot and ignoring Will's muttered, 'Could have fooled me.' "Jules-Albert will drive me wherever I need to go. I'm completely solid, which you already know after all the times you've checked. I won't shadow travel, and I won't use any more power than is necessary, I promise." He pulled on a pair of black leather fingerless motorcycle gloves and stood up, drawing his stygian iron sword in one swift, fluid movement and strapping it securely to his belt.

Will watched him with a curious expression, somewhere between angrily indignant and something else that made his eyes darken and left him fumbling for words.

Nico didn't seem to notice. He set something on the bedside table, letting his hand linger on it for a moment.

"I promise," he repeated, tapping the object significantly. "I'll be back soon."

He moved past Will and out the door. Will stared at the tiny statue for second and then spun around.

"What kind of promise is that!?" He screamed, running after Nico. "Di Angelo! Hey, get back here! DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, NICO DI ANGELO!" His voice faded away into the distance.

"Glad we could help!" Piper called after them.

Percy gaped at the tiny Hades statue Nico had set on the bedside table. "That's . . ."

"Yeah," Annabeth said.

"And Will doesn't . . ."

"Nope."
"But Nico . . ."

"Apparently."

"Wow." Percy rubbed the back of his head.

"What is it?" Jason asked, looking from the tiny statue to Percy in confusion. "What does it mean?"

"Well let's put this way . . ." Percy started, looking at Annabeth with a meaningful expression.

"Nico is definitely coming back this time," she finished.

---

Three days passed. The irony might have been lost on Percy, but Annabeth was as sharp as ever, and on the evening of the third day after Nico had left she let Percy drag her along to go see how Will was doing.

Annabeth was slightly suspicious at Percy's enthusiasm, because even though she knew he really liked Will, (especially after he had healed her when Ethan Nakamura had stabbed her with the poisonous dagger that had been meant for her oblivious boyfriend,) and loved that he and Nico were "friends", it was unusual for him to be so considerate,. Especially since Annabeth was quite sure he hadn't picked up on Will liking Nico at all.

Percy had been acting a little odd lately, even odder than usual, but it wasn't an 'I just got back from Tartarus and won yet another war for my lousy relatives and am now even more mentally damaged than before,' kind of odd, and it wasn't so much that Annabeth had begun to worry. She just hoped their impromptu visit would shed a little light on what was going on in her Seaweed Brain's head.

Knock, knock-knock knock knock, knock, knock. Percy rapped a jaunty rhythm on the Apollo cabin's door and then stepped back. After a moment the door opened and two white-blonde heads poked out.

"Yes?" chorused the twins Clarence and Clarity, blinking their round blue eyes owlishly at the newcomers.

"We were wondering if we could talk to Will," Percy said, unperturbed. The twins glanced at each other.

"Will Solace is . . ."

"In a bad mood," they said.

Percy laughed. "What are you talking about?"

Annabeth came up behind him and took his hand. Something didn't feel right to her.

"What do you mean he's in a bad mood?" she asked coolly. "Will is never in a bad mood. Surely it can't be that terrible."

The twins exchanged another look full of meaning.

"He's refusing to heal anyone-"

"And he won't leave the cabin-"

"And he keeps singing Brown Eyes by Lady Gaga-"

"All right you two." Austin appeared behind the twins looking exhausted and annoyed. "That's enough. You guys should be in the infirmary. Shoo, shoo." He hustled them away and then turned back to Percy and Annabeth.

"Sorry about that," he said, running a tired hand through his dark gold hair. Unlike the tiny, white and gold, sprite-like twins and Will's willowy and freckled frame, Austin was well built, with deeply tanned skin and longer, carefully styled hair. He was one of those guys who tended to catch the attention of a large group of admirers whenever he was at the archery range, with a smooth, deep voice that anyone attracted to guys would swoon over. He was nice, with dark, sleepy blue eyes, and full lips.

At the moment though, he looked less like a happy-go-lucky Apollo camper and careful flirt, and more tired and irritated with bags under his eyes and a furrow between his expertly plucked eyebrows.

"Sorry," he said, seeing their expressions. "We've all had to do double infirmary shifts. If you're here to see Will, would you please talk some sense into him? No one here can match his healing abilities, and this is getting ridiculous."

"Sure dude," Percy said easily. "No problem. We just need his help with something. We'll be out of your awesome movie star hair in no time."

"All right then," said Austin, looking a little mollified at the comment about his hair, and then shaking his head doubtfully. "But I doubt he's going to be much help. Hey, Will! It's for you!"

There was a thump and the sound of hurried footsteps. Then Austin was roughly pushed aside and Will took his place in the doorway, his expression going from unbearably hopeful to complete and utter disappointment when he saw who it was, and then he adopted a look of boredom as he leaned against the doorjamb with his arms crossed.

Annabeth had to raise her eyebrows at his outfit. He wore a periwinkle surgical cap over his mop of yellow hair and white rubber gloves, a plain white tank top and sky blue pajama pants covered in cartoon suns wearing sunglasses. His feet were bare. But her eyes caught in the thin white roll hanging from his mouth.

"You smoke?" Percy asked, echoing Annabeth's surprise.

Will lost his coolly bored expression and glared at them. "I. Do. Not. This is a roll of Chinese herbs, and it isn't even lit."

Percy tilted his head to the side. "It looks like handmade cigarette."

"Well it isn't!" Will snapped, glowering. It looked painful, as if he wasn't used to moving his face muscles in that shape. "It's for medical purposes!"

Annabeth placed a restraining hand on her boyfriend's chest. "Sorry about him," she said, shooting Percy a warning look. "We just came to see how you were doing."

"How I was doing? Me? Fine," Will said coolly. "Just fine. Never better."

"Really?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Clarence and Clarity said you were refusing to heal anybody."

"I'm taking a break," Will said, carefully composing his face into a neutral expression. "A vacation, if you will. I haven't taken a day off in three years. It's my due, don't you think?"

"What do you do all day if you aren't in the infirmary?" Percy asked. 'Will Solace' and 'infirmary duty' had gone hand in hand since he had come to Camp Half-Blood. What else could he do?

"Whatever I want," Will said sharply. "Who knows? I could get a hobby. Maybe I'll take up painting, or learn to crochet. Maybe I'll use this time to brush up on my musical skills. There so many good songs out there, I'll have such a hard time choosing. Although lately I find myself wanting to sing about lying friends who say they're coming back, but really just abandon you and go and get themselves killed in horrible, painful ways that haunt their poor friends dreams and drive them crazy until they just - Fuck!" Will closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddery breath.

Percy and Annabeth stared at him with wide eyes.

"Umm . . . okaaay . . ." Percy looked very nervous at Will's sudden behavioral one eighty. "You know, Will, I'm sensing lots of suppressed anger-"

"Oh, I don't think it's suppressed," muttered Annabeth. Percy elbowed her.

"-and that's really unhealthy," he continued. "You know, I bet if you help us out, you'll feel so much better! It isn't good to stay cooped up in here; you need to use up all that bad energy and your chi will balance itself right out. What do you say?"

Will glared at him. "No."

"C'mon, man!" Percy stamped his foot. "I really need your help!"

"No!" Will said flatly. "For once in my life, Percy Jackson, I am not going to the right thing! I can't fight and I don't want to heal anymore, so I'm just going to do nothing! There! Suck on that Death Boy!"

And with that he slammed the door in their stunned faces.

"So," Percy said, breaking the bewildered silence. "We encourage Nico to make new friends."

"Yeah."

"Hoping that they're a good influence."

"Hoping."

"But then he abandoned his new friend."

"Apparently."

"And it turns out Nico was a terrible influence on him."

"Right," Annabeth said.

"Right," Percy repeated. "Okay then." Then he raised his voice and called, "It's a pity you won't help us, Will Solace! We just needed you to get us into the Underworld, but if you don't want to . . ."

Before he even finished speaking the door flew open again with a violent bang. Will stood in the doorway, gazing at Percy as if he had offered him a pardon on the day of his execution.

"You can get into the Underworld?" he breathed.

"'Course I can," Percy said blandly. "I go there all the time." It was only a slight exaggeration. "But if you don't want to help us . . ."

"Give me two minutes," Will said, and slammed the door again.

Percy turned to Annabeth and wiggled his eyebrows triumphantly. She smacked his arm.

"The Underworld? And what, exactly, made you think I'd be okay with that?"

"I love you."

"I love you to. Now shut up and answer my question. You can't go to the Underworld again – Hades will have your head on a pike."

"I can't shut up and answer your question at the same time," Percy grinned. "Don't worry! You'll protect me from angry pike wielding gods, Solace will protect me from crazy vengeful cousins, and I'll take care of the rest. I have a plan."

"I hate it when you say that. Something bad always happens."

"Our first kiss was a bad thing?"

"You blowing up a mountain, disturbing Typhon in his sleep, disappearing for two weeks and then coming back just in time to attend your own funeral was a bad thing. And there are better places for a first kiss."

"Are you kidding? Volcanoes are in the top ten for most romantic make out spots."

"I'm so sure."

"You doubt me."

"I'm just glad your kissing talents have improved since then. You must have had a good teacher."

"I am an excellent kisser, Wise Girl. I have recommendations and everything."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. Percy seemed to realize he had said something wrong and immediately backtracked. "All from my amazing girlfriend, of course."

"I certainly hope so."

"Did I mention I love you?"

"You did. I love you to. Now seriously, shut up."

Will reappeared one minute and fifty eight seconds later without the surgical cap and cigarette. He was carrying a thin beige folder, his black doctor's bag and a white plastic bag.

"Nice shoes," Annabeth commented as Percy salivated over the delicious smell coming from the plastic bag.

Will beamed at her and wiggled one foot, on which he had slipped a pair of soft, cobalt blue moccasins. "Thanks. Now come on, let's go!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy said, snatching the folder from his arms. "What's this?"

"Hey! Give that back," Will cried, trying to simultaneously hold on to his bags and take back the folder, but Percy held it up far out of his reach. Will, despite being a few inches taller than Nico, was still a good six inches shorter than the son of Poseidon.

"This has Nico's name on it," Percy said gleefully. "Annabeth! What does it say?"

Annabeth took the folder and scanned it carefully while Percy restrained Will with little effort. She flipped through the folder and then looked up gravely.

"This is good," she said slowly. "Very well organized. You have a gift for detailed note taking."

"What is it?" Percy asked curiously, letting go of Will and trying to peer over his girlfriends shoulder, but Will snatched the folder back and clutched it protectively to his chest. "Hey!"

"It's Nico's medical file," Annabeth said, fighting a smile.

"Oh." Percy frowned in confusion. "Why is it covered in Disney stickers?"

"Shut up!" Will snapped, shouldering his bags with a huff. "Can we please get going?"

"Sure, sure," Percy laughed, folding his arms behind his head. "I like the Little Mermaid one, by the way."

"Grr." Will growled like an adorable kitten and stomped away, Percy and Annabeth following closely behind.

"Did you know that Nico's eyes are brown?" Annabeth whispered.

Percy shook his head.

---

"This is it?" Will asked, wrinkling his nose at the pile of rocks in the middle of Central Park.

"Yep," Percy said, patting Mrs. O'Leary who had flopped down, panting as soon as they had slid off her back. "Good girl. You rest now." He turned to Will. "Shadow-travel takes a lot out of her, so she's gonna nap while we're down there. Then she'll be well rested for the trip home."

Will scowled. "I know. Too bad not everyone is so considerate of the dangers of shadow-travel."

"Ah," Percy winced. "Right." He looked at Annabeth for help.

"Will, we just need you to open the way," she said quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Then you can do whatever you want. This is Orpheus' Door, you see. You know the story, right?"

"Yeah." Will scowled again. "I don't like that story. Orpheus was an idiot."

"Good man," Percy clapped him on the back, making him stumble. "We just need you to play a bit of music, and then we'll be on our way."

Will looked at him in horror. "Are you kidding? That's why you wanted me here?"

"Well, yeah." Percy looked confused. "You're a son of Apollo, right?"

"Yeah, but . . ." Will flushed unhappily. "I'm not exactly musically gifted. Like, at all."

Annabeth wanted to face-palm. Of course, they would choose the only musically challenged child of Apollo in the world.

"Oh," said Percy. "Umm . . ." He glanced at Annabeth as if to ask 'what the Hades do we do now?'

"Look, it doesn't have to be a Bach concerto, right Percy?" she said quickly.

"Right," he said, catching on. "I mean even Grover's reed pipes worked. Just any little something will work. Do you think you can you do that?"

"Uhhh." Will scratched the back of his nervously. "Well, I didn't bring my guitar, but Nico says my singing isn't that bad."

"Excellent," Percy beamed, spinning him around to face the pile of boulders. "Whenever you're ready, then!"

"Oh um, okay . . ." Will cleared his throat and glanced at the two older teenagers uncertainly. "Umm . . . ~ It's time for Anamaniacs, And we're zany to the max. So just sit back and relax you will laugh 'til you collapse for Anamaniacs~"

The ground trembled and the cluster of boulders cracked apart, revealing a triangular opening.

"Well done, Will," Annabeth said, hurrying forward.

"Nico was being kind," Percy said under his breath.

They both hurried forward into the dank dark tunnel, but then stopped when they realized Will wasn't following.

"Will? Are you coming?" asked Annabeth concernedly.

"Come on, Will! Let's go find my creep of a cousin," said Percy.

Will had been staring at the tunnel of endless darkness with a strange expression, but at Percy's comment his face hardened and his eyes snapped up with a fierce glare.

"Nico isn't a creep," he spat, and then brushed past him into the tunnel.

Percy's brow furrowed. "I didn't mean it like-"

"He isn't a creep!" Will said again, his voice echoing off the tunnels damp stone walls.

Percy turned to his girlfriend and raised his hands in surrender. "I meant it as a term of endearment!"

"Come one, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth sighed, tugging her boyfriend along as they followed Will's lead.

The tunnel turned into a narrow set of steep stairs that wound down, down, down into the dark. The shadows closed around them almost immediately and Percy was about to draw his sword, not at all keen on slipping and falling down the literal road to hell, but Annabeth caught his arm.

"Wait!" she hissed. "Look!"

Ahead of them Will was skipping down the dark tunnel without a care for the slick puddles of unknown substances, his arms outstretched, swinging the bags childishly as he hopped from step to step.

He was also glowing. Faint, pale gold light shone all around him, lighting the tunnel in a pool of sunlight.

"Um, Will," Percy choked. "You're glowing . . ."

"Of course I am, baka," Will called back. "Why do you think I've never been afraid of the dark? Now come on, slowpokes! I want to see Nico!"

"What the fuck is a baka?" Percy asked, hurrying after him.

Shaking her head, Annabeth followed much more carefully.

"Percy, if you make one joke about this," muttered Annabeth, grabbing his hand for balance. "So help me gods . . ."

"Right," Percy said, completely straight faced. "I will resist the temptation to comment on how Nico apparently prefers sun bathing to taking a swim."

"Seriously, Percy?"

"Nico's sun kissed?"

"Stop it, Percy. I mean it."

"Would it be too much if I started singing 'Here Comes the Sun'~?"

"Oh my gods, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, her voice and the smack she landed on his arm echoing throughout the tunnel.

"You guys still there?" Will asked loudly. He was moving so quickly they had to scramble to stay in sight of his light.

"Yeah," Percy called back. "Keep going, we're almost out!"

Finally the tunnel ended in a crack at the base of a craggy black cliff face. The three heroes clambered through and found themselves on a wide beach of black volcanic sand. The great black walls and gates of Hades' city, Erebus, loomed in the distance.

There the light was dim and grey, but they could see, for the most part, and Will's glow faded slightly. In front of them the River Styx carved a path through the rocky landscape, rushing and roaring with the lost hope of the centuries. Dark, shiny chunks of craggy basalt and tall, twisty black poplar trees dotted the shore, rising eerie and bare out of the black sand.

Percy shivered looking at the haunting landscape, especially the angry swirling river. The small of his back tingled and he held Annabeth's hand tightly.

"So where's Nico?" Will asked. Almost as soon as he had finished speaking, a piercing screech came from overhead. Their heads whipped up, and to their horror they saw all three unholy Furies circling just under the cavernous roof, dripping with stone stalactites.

As they watched, the Furies dived at their heads like three, shriveled, devil grannies in moldy old velvet dresses and knit caps, screaming filth and insults.

Will stumbled, almost dropping his bags as Annabeth pushed him out of the way and Percy's sword came down on one of the Furies' wings. She veered off course, and the other two circled back for another attack. Their ugly bat-like wings blew the stench of rotting corpses, mothballs and old lady perfume through the air, making Percy gag.

"Alecto!" a new voice shouted. "Ftánei pia! Fýge makriá apó af̱tón prin dénete se mia gáta skeletó kai na sas ríxei tóso vathiá sta Tártara tha sas párei mia chilietíes gia na anichnéf̱soume to drómo sas píso̱ epáno̱!"

Nico di Angelo strode into view, his dark eyes blazing as he shouted at the batty demon ladies in scathing Greek. They screamed back at him and dove again for the demigod's heads.

Nico threw himself in front Will, knocking him backwards, and suddenly his sword was out and the dark blade was quivering inches from Alecto's chest. She screeched and wheeled away, landing hunched in the branches of one of the black poplar trees sticking out of the beach with her sisters, one of whose wing dragged awkwardly to the side.

"Your father will hear of this, little prince!" Alecto hissed, cackling madly and snapping her fiery whip excitedly against the tree trunk. Her sisters rattled their paisley handbags like war weapons.

"Tell him," Nico snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously as he gripped Will's free wrist tightly, pressing him back. "I dare you."

He held her bitter gaze without flinching and Will felt the temperature drop twenty degrees. Nico's hand was like ice against his skin. Frost crackled on the branches of the harpies' tree and frozen white clouds of breath streamed from the demigods' mouths.

Suddenly Alecto gave an acerbic smile full of malice and disappeared in a swirl of ashy black smoke. She reappeared hovering right in front of Nico, practically scaring the pants off Will who yelled and would have fallen if Nico hadn't been holding him steady.

Nico didn't blink or recoil at her sudden proximity, but stared her down as if she were a particularly annoying kind of vermin.

"Watch yourself, little prince," she sneered. "Because we will dare."

Nico lifted his chin coolly. His fingertips dug painfully into Will's wrist. "You're in my way, Alecto. Fýgoun, tó̱ra!" Nico shouted the last words and the Fury shrieked and was forced back by a shadow that rushed through her like a stream of icy water. She whirled away towards the Gates of Erebus and her sisters leapt into the air after her. One of them cuffed Percy with her wing and he stumbled a bit, swearing angrily.

"We'll be seeing you soon, honey!" Alecto called. "You and your pretty little girlfriend too!"

The three Kindly Ones flapped awkwardly over the walls of the city and disappeared.

There was a moment of tense, frozen silence as the demigods waited for them to come back or for something else to attack, but when nothing happened Will breathed a sigh of relief that caught in his throat as Nico turned to glare at him with burning eyes.

Damn, he was pissed.

"What the fuck are you doing down here, Solace?" he said through gritted teeth. He gripped Will's wrist even tighter and Will was reminded of the time he made good on his threat to break it.

"I don't know," he said flatly, trying to twist himself away. Nico was damn strong and Will's hand was going numb; he couldn't break his hold. "What are you doing down here di Angelo?"

Nico seemed to realize he was hurting him and loosened his grip, but didn't let go.

"What do you think I'm doing, Solace!?" he snarled. "You shouldn't be here! Gods you are such an idiot." He spun around and started back towards the cliff face where Orpheus' Door was still open, dragging Will behind him.

"Hey!" Will squawked, digging his heels into the black sand to try and stop. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"I'm taking you back, Solace," Nico said. "You shouldn't have come here in the first place!"

"Don't tell me what I should-!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Percy said, speaking up for the first time as he hurried to block Nico's path. "It wasn't his idea to come here! I needed to talk to you and Will was worried – OOF!"

Percy doubled over in pain as Nico planted his knee in a very tender place.

"WHAT THE FUCK, JACKSON!?" he shouted as Percy fell to his knees, gasping. "WHAT IN THE GODS NAMES WERE YOU THINKING BRINGING HIM HERE!? ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THAT STUPID!? SKATA! VAFFANCULOTE!"

Will gaped at him, flushing hotly as he watched Nico get all worked over little old him. Nico still had out his sword and he was waving it around threateningly with one hand while still holding Will's wrist with the other and was swearing vehemently in English, Greek and Italian. But something else in Will's stomach twisted unpleasantly to see how much Nico didn't want him there, which was stupid, because Nico was the one who had broken his promise to stay at camp, and Will had every right to demand an explanation and had no need to feel so dejected.

"Calm down Nico," Annabeth ordered, carefully pushing past the irate son of Hades to crouch down beside her boyfriend. "You okay down there?" she asked him dryly. "That was entirely your own fault, by the way."

Percy just groaned in response, tipping forward to press his forehead against her leg. "It huuurts, Annabeth," he whined.

"I know, I know," she soothed, patting his head like he was a puppy who had tripped over its own ears and banged its nose. She sent Nico a look that clearly said, 'If I don't get laid tonight, I will be very displeased and there will be retribution.'

Snarling wordlessly Nico stalked away back down the black beach, still tightly grasping Will's wrist so he had to stumble after him. Nico seemed to want to get as far away from Percy and Annabeth as possible, and they walked quite a ways away before Will dared to speak.

"Nico . . ."

Nico spun around abruptly and glared at him from under his dark hair that fell across his face, as if trying to light Will on fire. Will looked back unfazed.

Huffing, Nico finally dropped his wrist, sheathed his sword with a little more force than was necessary and leaned against a lumpy poplar trunk. Will followed his lead and took a seat on a boulder of basalt jutting out of the ground nearby, setting down his bags in the black sand, pulling up his knees and folding his arms around them.

"What are you doing down here?" Nico asked again, but more quietly.

"Oh . . . I uhh . . . Gah." Will lowered his eyes. Gods he was stupid. He had come down here to confront Nico, dammit. And here he was getting all flustered just from being near him. His wrist was tingling, most likely from lack of blood. Nico had probably cut off the circulation he had been gripping it so hard.

Nico had been holding his wrist . . .

"I came to see why you broke your promise!" Will whispered, and then promptly hid his face in his knees, blushing. Gods, his wrist was tingling and it wasn't just from lack of blood flow. Nico had willingly touched his wrist. He suddenly felt ridiculously, stupidly giddy, despite their conversation.

"I didn't break any promise, Solace," Nico said sharply.

"You said you were staying at camp, and that you would be back soon," Will said, more loudly than he had intended. The giddiness was giving him fire.

"And I always keep my promises," Nico said. The edge to his voice made it clear he would be all too willing to defend his honor on that point. "It's barely been twelve hours, Solace. How soon were you expecting the Underworld to be fixed?"

"Twelve hours?" Will stared at him. "Nico, it's been three days!"

Nico's brows furrowed. "That's impossible." Then his eyes widened and he cursed. "Oh merda!"

Will realized what must have happened at the same time. He buried his face in his hands. "We're so stupid."

"Underworld time is different than upper world time," Nico muttered, hitting his head back against the tree. "I can't believe I forgot that."

"So, you really didn't mean to stay away so long?" Will asked hesitantly, peeking up at him.

"Of course not," Nico sighed. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"I dunno . . ." Will mumbled, looking away. "I just . . ." Thought you might have lied about staying and just faked your way through those three days just to get out quicker. But Nico wasn't like that, he reminded himself. Nico was . . .

Will looked at Nico. He was gazing at the ground as if fascinated by the fine black volcanic sand, his dark bangs flopping over to obscure his eyes, making his expression unreadable. He was wearing the same clothes as when he had left the infirmary and his hood was up, which Will hadn't noticed before.

Nico was Nico.

Abruptly Will realized that Nico had turned his gaze on him.

"What?" he muttered, trying desperately to keep the heat from his face.

"You brought McDonalds," said Nico simply.

"Eh? Oh yeah, I did." Will reached down and picked up the plastic bag. "I wasn't sure if you liked chicken nuggets or cheeseburgers, so I had the Stoll's get some of everything-" He was cut of by the sound of Nico's stomach growling quite loudly.

" . . . Hungry?" he asked. Nico groaned and pressed a hand to his abdomen.

"I didn't even think about food," he said. "I hadn't noticed until just right now."

"You haven't eaten at all?" Will asked, horrified.

"I said I forgot!" Nico snapped.

"For three days!?"

"Twelve hours!"

Will shook his head and held out the bag. After some hesitation, Nico took it.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Will said.

Nico opened the bag and began to peruse its contents. The Stoll's really had gotten everything. Nico was about to pick out a delicious looking bacon burger when Annabeth's voice interrupted him. He looked up, annoyed.

"What?"

She came over to them, supporting Percy as he limped gingerly down the beach with his arm around her shoulders. "If you two are done picnicking," she said irritatedly, "Percy still needs to talk to Nico for whatever reason he dragged us all down here with absolutely no explanation." She glared at Percy. Apparently she was done humoring him.

"Oh yes." Nico scowled. "What was that about?"

"Umm." Percy's eyes darted nervously to Annabeth. "It's private."

Annabeth growled.

Nico stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"It's private!" Percy cried defensively. "Christ, can't a man have his own secret plan without everyone sticking their noses in?"

"Oh, so it's a plan now, is it?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No! I mean, yes - I mean . . . Gah!" Percy looked at Will for help.

Will held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not getting involved in this!"

"All right, all right, enough." Nico pressed a hand to his forehead as if the sounds of all their voices were giving him a headache. "I don't suppose I can convince any of you to just leave?"

"Sorry," Percy tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace. "It's really important."

Nico looked at Will.

"You can't make me," Will said childishly, sticking out his tongue.

Nico sighed in defeat, but the tiniest smile played about his lips. "Fine. Follow me." He pushed off the tree and started walking towards the edge of the Styx.

"To the city?" asked Percy suspiciously.

"Not to the city," Nico said. He held his right hand out over the water and shouted, "Alzati!"

A wooden barge burst through the water and settled on the oily surface, drifting to a stop in front of Nico.

"Get in," he said, lifting a long black pole with a carved skull head from the bottom of the barge. "Quickly, before Charon notices."

He took his place at the back and the other three demigods quickly piled in after him. They were almost settled when a cold, faintly accented voice cut through the foul misty air rolling off the river.

"What do you think you're doing, Lord Prince?"

Charon appeared on the shore beside the barge, his arms crossed. He was dressed in his beige Italian suit and loafers, but his eyes kept flickering angrily from tortoiseshell glasses to empty eye sockets like two pits straight to Tartarus.

"Charon," Nico said, his voice heavy. "I'm taking these spirits down the river. I know that's your job, but you never seem to be doing it, so I figured you wouldn't mind."

"They're alive," Charon spat, glaring spitefully at Percy in particular. After a tense moment he added, "My Lord Prince."

"Really?" Nico murmured. "I hadn't noticed."

A spirit appeared next to Charon, the faded image of a young boy with glasses.

"Are you taking them across, sir?" he asked timidly. "May I come?"

"Sure," Nico said, at the same time Charon hissed, "Certainly not!"

Charon's hand dug into the boy's transparent shoulders, his fingers turning sickly white and taloned. "No spirit, living or dead, may cross the Styx without my permission!"

Nico sighed as if Charon were a faintly bothersome fly that just wouldn't go away. Then, faster than Will could see, Nico slammed the blunt end of the barge pole into Charon's chest. He fell back, hissing, and Nico plucked the ghost child from the shore and plopped him unceremoniously onto the barge next to Will, who quickly set his bags down in the other side.

"Thanks for the boat," Nico said, tossing a jingling pouch of coins to Charon, who was swearing as he tried to climb to his feet while his expensive suit, now covered in black sand, kept changing into a long grey robe and tripping him. "Buy yourself a car to match the suit."

Hastily, Nico used the long black barge pole to push off the shore and they were immediately caught in the filthy current. He guided them away from the beach, more towards the middle of the river and through the clutter of scummy water and pollution. Soggy diplomas, ripped concert tickets and bouquets of rotting flowers floated past, and the stench was enough to make Will gag.

Wrinkling his nose, he turned to the tiny ghost boy who sat curled next to him. Percy and Annabeth were crouched on the other end of the barge with their head bent together, holding hands and talking quietly. Will was seated at Nico's feet as the son of Hades had to stand and steer.

"Hey," Will whispered. "What's your name, kid?"

The child blinked at him behind round glasses that kept slipping down his nose.

"Max," he breathed, gazing at Will as if he had never seen anything quite like him before. "Are you . . . Are you an angel, sir?"

"Eh?" Will ignored the snort of laughter behind him as Nico attempted to cover it with a cough. "No, I'm not."

"But you're glowing," Max said, with the same awestruck expression. "You're so bright."

"He's son of Apollo," Nico cut in smoothly. "The Greek god of the sun. It's an occupational hazard. Although you're right about one thing," he added, and Will tilted his head back to see Nico looking down at him with dark eyes full of mirth and something else Will was afraid to name. "He's the closest thing to an angel you'll find down here."

Will flushed, which just made him glow brighter. That's not true, he thought. If anyone here is an angel, it's you. Down here you're the brightest living thing the dead have.

To cover his embarrassment he looked away and back to Max, who was looking over the side of the boat nervously.

"Hey," he said gently. "Don't do that, or you might fall out. C'mere." He reached out. Touching a ghost felt like grasping the finest curtain of spider silk or cupping cold water in his hands, but he managed to lift the boy onto his lap and wrap his arms loosely around him. Max curled up to his chest, clutching at his shirt with tiny transparent hands. He couldn't have been more than eight or nine, and small for his age. Will wondered how he had died, and then decided he didn't want to know.

Nico steered them gently down the river, further down the walls and towards the gates of Erebus.

"Here," Nico said, steering the barge as close to the shore as he could without mooring it. "Max. You get out here."

Max got to his feet, his faded form trembling with nerves and took Nico's offered hand. Feeling a bit disappointed, Will scrambled to help. He took Max's other hand. He was as light as a gossamer strand.

"One, two, three." He and Nico swung the boy between them and on three they let go. Max leapt for his life and landed safely on the shore without getting burned by the Styx's toxic waters. He waved goodbye and headed towards the three entrances to Erebus under a huge archway. Nico got them moving again, and Will had to either sit or fall. He took his same seat at Nico's feet, almost sitting on his combat boots.

On the shore, Will saw the giant, three headed, part ghost, Rottweiler dog, Cerberus, who guarded the lines of the dead waiting to be judged. When he saw the barge floating past, Cerberus lifted all three heads and sniffed the air, barking excitedly.

"Good boy, Cerberus," Nico called. He raised one hand and a giant dog treat appeared in the air above the guard dog. Cerberus' three heads fell on it greedily, snapping at each other as they each tried to get a bigger piece.

"Hi Cerberus!" Percy and Annabeth both waved at him as they passed. Cerberus howled sadly as they floated further downstream.

"Sorry!" Annabeth called back to him. "I'll bring you a ball next time!"

"How did you know he likes playing ball?" Nico asked curiously.

"It was our plan B the first time we came down here," she sighed, sounding almost as sad as the dog.

By then Will was starting to get cold. It hadn't really bothered him in the tunnel or on the beach, maybe because of his dad or because he had been so worked up, but having a ghost boy on his lap had been like holding a cloud of icy breath and a terrible chill was working its way into his bones. To his horror he felt the tickle in his nose that meant he was about to sneeze.

"Ah – ah – CHOO!" he exclaimed into his elbow. "Ugh," he sniffed. "Sorry."

"Bless you," Annabeth said kindly, elbowing Percy when he snickered.

"Here." Will felt a soft wad of cloth drop onto his head. Tugging it off, he saw it was the black hoodie Nico had been wearing. Will looked up at him in confusion. Nico raised his eyebrows as if daring him to give it back. Fortunately, the son of Hades was still wearing a long sleeve shirt and his black fingerless leather motorcycle gloves. Will didn't think could handle him in anything less.

Trying not to blush, Will put on the sweatshirt. He pulled up the hood self-consciously, feeling grateful that Nico like wearing oversized clothing. The hoodie was too big for Will too, but the sleeves were about the right length. It smelled like blood, rock, cinnamon and Nico, and for some ridiculous reason that made him smile so wide it hurt his cheeks. Will wrapped his arms around himself, brought his knees up to his chest and leaned back against Nico's legs.

Nico froze for a second and then looked down at him, frowning. Will looked right back up at him and grinned even wider. His expression softened Nico's glare until he was just looking at Will as if he were a conundrum he had no idea how to solve. The intenseness of his gaze made Will's smile slip until they were just two people looking at only each other and concentrating on nothing else.

Off to the side Percy muttered, "Four years. Four years and I never once got a sweatshirt." Annabeth smacked him upside the head.

"You two have practically been down here more times than I have," Nico said flatly, not looking away from Will. "You should have known to dress accordingly."

Will couldn't hold his dark gaze for so long. He had to let his eyes dart away, skimming over the rest of Nico's face, flitting from the stern line of his mouth to the dark fall of hair that just brushed his stark, flat cheekbones and shadowed the hollows of his eyes.

Then Nico did look up and glared at Percy. "And please, do stop antagonizing the Kindly Ones. You know they already don't like you."

Percy muttered something that sounded very much like, "They started it."

Annabeth hit him again.

"What? It's true! Did you know Mrs. Dodds, I mean, Alecto once made me erase all the pencil markings out of the middle school workbooks for a detention? I mean seriously, who does that?" he whined. "And stop hitting me! What is this, Abuse Percy Day?"

"Isn't it always?" Nico asked innocently, which made Will giggle.

The river started to pick up speed until they got caught in a spot of rapids, which Nico expertly maneuvered them through. After all the bouncing and splashing, Percy was worn out from keeping the Styx's filthy water from touching them and Annabeth looked quite green, but Will was laughing.

"That was fun!" he exclaimed, looking up at Nico. "Can we go again?"

"Maybe on the way back," Nico said, his mouth twitching at Will's enthusiasm. Both Percy and Annabeth groaned.

Finally a rickety old looking grey wood dock made its way into view. Nico began to steer the boat towards it at the edge of river, and then dug the pole into the silt at the bottom to bring them to a stop. Annabeth leapt out first, looking like she wanted to kiss the rocky shore, and then turned to offer Percy her hand. Will picked up his bags and got out last while Nico tied up the barge. The wooden dock creaked painfully under Will's feet, and he got to shore quick as he could

Leading away from the dock was a path of dark, shiny pebbles leading up to the seemingly endless stretch of wall that encompassed Hades' great city. The smooth stone barrier rose even higher as Nico led them along the path that finally ended abruptly at the base of the wall. There was no door or entrance, just the same flat, level surface without any mark or indentation.

"What are we doing?" asked Percy, voicing everyone's silent question.

"Backdoor," Nico answered simply. His hand suddenly flew to his sword, tugging a few inches of the blade from its sheath, and then before Will could even cry out, Nico had pressed his palm to the sharpened edge, blood quickly rising to the surface of the long gash.

Nico ignored Will, who immediately started fussing over the injury, and pressed his bloody palm to the wall, dragging the stain across the smooth surface. The blood shone dark and wet for a moment and then sunk into the stone, disappearing without a trace. There was a beat of silence and then the ground rumbled, shaking under their feet and the base of the stone wall cracked and crumbled until there was a decent sized opening.

Nico led the way and Will lit up the entire tunnel with his glow. They walked together in the front, side by side, and Will scolded Nico for hurting himself while Nico strolled along with his hands stuck deep in his pockets, watching him out of the corner of his eye, like he was unable to look away for fear of losing the light.

Finally they came out on the other side of the walls. The 'backdoor' had led them behind the palace: a giant black fortress of glittering black stone and bronze roofed parapets.

And then there was the other, smaller structure attached to it, built seemingly at random right next to the palace.

"Uh, Nico?" Percy asked nervously. "Where are we?"

"Hmm?" Nico glanced up at the building. "Oh right. This is my room."

---

Apparently, when the Lord of the Underworld and Ruler of All the World's Riches said 'room', he really meant private villa.

"Damned rich kids!" Will heard Percy mutter behind him as Nico led them up the path to his so called "room", and he was inclined to agree.

"Nico, this isn't a room," Will said seriously. "It's like . . . multiple rooms. And multiple floors."

Nico's 'room' was more like an Italian style villa built by . . . well, the Lord of the Dead, painted all in grey, black and bronze, with several balconies, four chimneys, a courtyard with an overhang that led to a separate carriage house, and well tended gardens of raw, uncut, brightly colored jewels and precious metals.

As soon as Nico set foot past the four double columns that held up the front balcony over the front door, all the windows burst with light as if the villa was preparing itself for its master's return. The other three demigods assembled on the black marble steps and watched as Nico, not bothering to take his hands out of his pockets, kicked down the heavy wooden double doors and strode inside.

The inside was very Gothic Victorian-esque. The foyer was sleek and elegant, with a dusty iron chandelier, dark walls and such a shiny black floor that Will would have done anything to be wearing socks so he could slide across the room at top speed; he would no doubt ending up crashing into Nico who would either steady him with a firm hand or just-

Will shook his head, stopping that thought before it got out of hand. He followed Nico as he led them to living room just off the left side of the foyer, looking around curiously at the wide, curving staircase that led to the upper floors and the two doors that flanked it.

How big was this place?

The right side of the foyer opened into a large room full of suits of armor from several different eras and countries, and the walls had been hung with all sorts of weapons. Will poked his head in and caught sight of a giant battle axe, several Japanese katanas and a two handled broadsword that looked like it was made of stone, before Percy and Annabeth had to physically lifted him under the arms and haul him away. Even though he knew they were totally checking out that awesome crystal shield in the corner.

"This place is so cool!" Will exclaimed excitedly, his head whipping back and forth as he tried to look at everything at once.

Nico's eyes glimmered in amusement. "Sorry about the mess. I was in the middle of a project when the war started, and I left before cleaning it up."

"Holy cattle of the sun . . ." Will gaped.

Nico's living room was lit by a roaring fire Will was certain he had not had enough time to light, in a fireplace pebbled with polished river rock that stood taller than he did and took up a good chunk of the far wall. Percy was the tallest there, and even he would have had to stand on tiptoe to reach the candelabras, tarnished picture frames, charcoal sketches and odd pottery dishes up there on the mantle. The wide bay windows were dressed in dark, dusty old velvet curtains and most of the walls were covered in bookshelves overflowing with dusty old tomes, scrolls and papers.

Piled on the floor, on the desk and scattered over the couches and chairs were hundreds and hundreds of beige files, some bursting with paper of multiple colors and some so thin they looked empty.

"Damn, kid," Percy whistles, looking around at the mess. "What kind of project are you working on?"

"System overhaul," said Nico. "I was rechecking all the ghost files from the oldest to the most recent additions, making sure the spirits had gone to the right place."

"You have records from ancient Egypt!" Will exclaimed giddily, having already dropped his bags on the floor and curled up in the tall leather armchair in front of the fireplace with a file. "How did you get such detailed notes on Thutmose II's skin condition?"

"I asked him," Nico said, shrugging like was no big deal, but a tiny, smug smile played at the corner of his mouth as Will looked wide eyed and impressed. "Him, his doctors and his wife, who had the same thing. It was pretty common back then."

"Oh yes," Annabeth thought, watching Nico grinning as Will fangirled over dead people and deadly diseases. "He is definitely showing off. I am so winning that bet with Jason."

"Hmm," Percy thought. "I wonder if Nico has any blue soda? Should I ask where the kitchen is? Does this place have a kitchen? Does it have a bathroom? Do ghosts need to use a kitchen or a bathroom? What if I need to use the bathroom?"

"Oh by the way, Annabeth," Nico said suddenly. "I have something for you."

Annabeth's eyebrows went up. "Me?"

Percy pouted. "Why don't I get a present?"

Nico ignored him and dug around in the mess on the antique Theodore Alexander vintage wood desk with silver carvings, shifting stacks of files and accidently sending a bottle of ink tumbling to the floor. He caught it with his boot and balanced easily on one foot as he handed Annabeth a battered silver laptop and celestial bronze knife. "Here."

Annabeth gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. After a stunned moment she reached out to take the objects and looked at them in awestruck wonder, tracing the Greek delta on the laptop and gripping the slightly bent knife with a trembling hand. Her rainy-day grey eyes filled with tears.

"How . . . ?" she whispered hoarsely, clutching the precious items to her chest, her voice shaking. Percy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder comfortingly. "How did you find these?"

Nico kicked the ink bottle into the air, caught it, set it on the desk and then tried to scrape the ink off his combat boot on the leg of the desk. There would be a large black stain on the finely woven Oriental rug, but he didn't seem to care. "They washed up here in the Underworld, on the shore of the River Cocytus. I recognized them and thought you might want them back – MMF!"

He was cut off as Annabeth grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a fierce hug. Unfortunately for him, Annabeth was very nearly as tall as Percy, and he wound up with his face pressed into her chest. He struggled for a moment as it was very uncomfortable with the hard edged laptop and knife pressing into his ribs. He didn't try very hard to get away, because he had good manners - at least towards girls he respected - and because she was really freaking strong and didn't seem plan on letting him go anytime soon, and also because he realized this was something important to her.

And finally because while he may not have had any interest in girl's bodies or having a non-platonic relationship with really any of the female sex, girls as a general rule were really, really comfy and soft to hug. No matter how physically fit they were and even if you were being smothered in their boobs. Like Hazel and Bianca. But not really Reyna, who he was convinced wore an imperial gold breastplate instead of a bra, no matter how much he had appreciated the gesture at the campfire.

It was a little suffocating down there in her soft cleavage, and his mind went a bit hazy from lack of oxygen. He vaguely wondered what it would feel like to hug Will. The only guy he had ever hugged was Jason, and that had just been really awkward and uncomfortable for everyone, especially since Jason was basically a stone wall with glasses. But he rather thought that Will would be quite nice to hug. He certainly looked like it. He was shorter, slighter and leaner than either Jason or Percy, and especially Frank, (wow, he and Hazel had very different taste in guys) but very warm, always warm; whenever Nico had touched him he had felt that thrumming, living warmth that made his chest ache something terrible and temporarily made him forget how sick and afraid most human contact made him feel.

"Hey, Annabeth?" Will's voice filtered into his head as if from a great distance. "I don't think he can breathe."

"Whoops."

Annabeth finally stopped squeezing the life out of him and let him go, holding him by the shoulders as he swayed dizzily, blood rushing furiously to his head.

"Are you okay?" Will's blue eyes, bright and full of concern, swam in front of his face.

"'M fine," Nico muttered, taking in great lungfulls of cold dead air and letting them out slowly. Yeah, no matter how soft girls were, he really didn't want to do that again.

"So uh, you can get those fixed down here; we have forges, unless you want someone from the Hephaestus cabin to do the knife . . . but," he added, as Percy made frantic motions behind his girlfriend's back, "I could get you in to see Daedelus about the computer. I'm sure he'd love to see you again."

"Thank you, Nico," Annabeth said earnestly, fingering her knife absently. "But I think I'll keep it like this. I won't be able to fight with it, but I have the sword Damasen gave me," she tapped the hilt at her side, "and I want to be able to look at it and remember everything that place cost us and that we still made it through.

"However," she said, smiling faintly, "I would be honored to speak with Daedelus again and see if we can recover some of the data on here. And I'm sure Percy would be grateful if I made myself scarce for a moment so he can talk to you, if what he's mouthing over my shoulder while pretending to be supportive is any indication."

"I am so being supportive!" Percy squawked, looking deeply offended, but not making any move to pull away from Annabeth. "But yeah, if you could leave for just a little bit, that would be great." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Fine," Annabeth said slipping out of Percy's grasp. He looked disappointed.

Nico pulled a discreetly hidden cord behind the curtains and a bell rang faintly in the distance. A minute later a zombie in a tailcoat uniform and spotless white pressed gloves appeared silently out of the shadows.

"Proom will escort you to Daedelus' workplace," Nico informed her.

"Proom?"

"Rupert Proom, died in 1953. He's my butler."

"Of course he is," said Annabeth, completely straight faced. "I knew something was missing from this scene."

Behind her, Percy muttered, "Damn rich kids."

"Play nice boys," Annabeth winked at them and kissed Percy on the cheek. "I'll be back soon." She smiled at Proom as he held the door for her with a bow, and left.

Percy watched her leave with badly concealed longing.

"Why did you want her to come if you were just going to send her away?" Will asked.

Percy looked at him like he was crazy.

Will gulped. "Sorry."

Nico rolled his eyes and picked up the white plastic bag with his McDonalds in it, pulling out a large, obnoxiously red carton of fries and licking his lips hungrily. Just as he was about to shove three in his mouth, Will snatched the carton away.

"Hey!"

"No food until I examine you," Will said firmly. "I came here to make sure you weren't dead, on the brink of death, dying, fading or running away! Now sit!" He pointed forcefully at the armchair in front of the fireplace.

Nico glared at him. But Will had his french fries hostage and Nico wanted them back. Huffing he flopped into the chair, slouching low and crossing his legs to show his deep reluctance. Then he held out a hand and cocked his eyebrow expectantly.

Will handed over the fries with dignity and then knelt next to him, opening his professional black doctor's bag and taking out antiseptic and bandages for Nico's hand. He began to clean the wound carefully.

"So," Nico said conversationally, rummaging around in the white plastic bag with his other hand and taking out three burgers, another carton of fries, a ten-piece box of chicken nuggets, three warm gooey chocolate chip cookies and a smoothie. He organized the food on a small table next to his chair and examined it carefully as if might be poisoned. Then he selected a long, golden, salty fried potato and popped into his mouth. "What is exactly that you needed from me, Perseus Jackson?"

"Right, okay." Percy clapped his hands together nervously. "I'm throwing a party."

"Okay . . ."

"It's kind of a 'Welcome-Romans/We're-not-dead/Went-through-Tartarus-and-survived/The-world-almost-but-didn't-end/Sorry-for-missing-Christmas-New Years-Valentines Day-and-your-birthday/Love-you-please-don't-hate-me' bash, mostly for Annabeth."

"I would certainly hope so . . ." Nico wondered where this was going, and what on earth it had to do with him.

Will had finished bandaging Nico's hand and had on his 3M Littmann Classic III Stethoscope. He pressed the end lightly to Nico's chest and listened carefully to his heart. "Faint," he muttered under his breath.

"That's cold," Nico said idly.

"So I wanted to get her a really good present," Percy continued. "And I remembered something from the first time we came down here . . ."

"Get that light out of my face, Solace," Nico ordered. Will's forehead creased as he shone the little triangular flashlight in the pupils of Nico's dark eyes.

"You're pupils are barely contracting . . ."

"I've been working with Underworld lighting all day," Nico sighed.

"Three days," Will murmured.

"Twelve hours!"

"And I thought maybe you could help me get a hold of a three headed puppy," finished Percy triumphantly.

"Why?" was Nico's only question.

"Because," Percy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Annabeth really likes dogs and she got along with Cerberus, and a one headed dog would just be too easy to train. I think she'd want a challenge! So, can you hook me up?"

"That's too tight!" Nico said as Will fixed the blood pressure cuff on his arm.

"It's supposed to be that tight," Will told him as he pressed the cold metal stethoscope to the crease of Nico's elbow. "Stop squirming."

"Honestly Percy, I don't know what to tell you," Nico sighed. "I don't know if Cerberus has ever had any children, and I don't know where else you'd get a three headed dog. Can't you just get her a hellhound? We have plenty of those running around."

Percy pouted. "No. That's not good enough. I want it to be special! We already have a hellhound, and it has to have sentimental value and be all nostalgic about our first quest. And I can't afford a waterbed."

"Nico, you . . ." Will checked his watch. "Have no pulse."

Nico frowned. "Is that bad?"

"Nico!"

"Guys!" Percy cried, exasperated. "You do know I'm still here, right?"

They both ignored him.

"Nico di Angelo, if you're going to be leaving camp all the time and running around in the Underworld, you have to take better care of yourself!"

"That's the nice thing though. Down here, it doesn't actually matter if I'm dead or alive. And what are you doing kneeling on the floor? There's an ottoman right behind you, just sit down."

"Did you listen to anything I said, or did you just go around shadow traveling and raising the dead without a care in the world?"

"Seriously, it's bothering me. Take a seat."

"Are you suicidal or do you just have no instinct of self-preservation?"

"Dude, shut up and take a seat before I summon an army to make you."

"You won't be summoning anything for a long time di Angelo, not if I have anything to say about it! Doctors orders."

"I am about to kick you."

Will expertly dodged the kick Nico aimed at him as he went to check his reflexes.

"Those look fine. Oh shit," he cursed, looking around at the mess of files all around them. "I can't find your patient file! Why do these all look the same?"

"Mine have DECEASED stamped in red on the cover," Nico said helpfully. "Yours has stickers."

"Can we get back to my problem?" Percy asked, tapping his foot in irritation. "Please?"

"Fine," Nico said reluctantly as Will retrieved the folder and sat on the squishy black ottoman, scooting it forward so he could wipe the crease of Nico's arm with antiseptic and carefully inject a syringe of unicorn draught directly into his bloodstream. Then he pressed a cotton ball to the prick of blood and pinned it in place with a Shakespearean Insult Band-Aid. 'Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life.' Nico watched him work with faint interest. "I'll see what I can do, Percy. By what time do you need it delivered?"

Percy beamed at him. "Just by the end of summer. I want to have the party before everyone leaves for the school year."

"Deal. Done."

"Great. But you can't tell Annabeth."

"I would dream of it," Nico said airily. Will packed up his bag, muttering darkly to himself. "Is that all?"

"That's all. Now if you would kindly take me to where my girlfriend is?"

"Of course." Nico rang the bell again and Proom appeared just as silently as before.

"Proom, please show him to Daedelus' workplace."

"As you wish, Lord Prince." Proom bowed stiffly. "This way, if you please, Mr. Jackson."

Percy winced. "Please don't call me that."

Proom stared at him impassively. "As you wish, Mr. Jackson."

"Nico," Percy whined. "Make him stop calling me that!"

"Sorry Percy," Nico said, not looking particularly sorry at all. "They really can't help but be polite."

"Hey," Will noticed. "Where did the food go?"

"I ate it, genius." Nico rolled his eyes.

Will and Percy gaped at him.

"That's impossible," Will said weakly. "You couldn't possibly have eaten all that in less than ten minutes. I didn't see you take a single bite. I swear, if you shadow-traveled any of that food-!"

"I don't like people watching me eat," Nico said, shifting uneasily. "And if I did shadow-travel a couple bites, it was on accident! The inside of your body is completely in shadow, what was I supposed to do?"

"Nico!" Will cried. "Don't you know how bad processed foods are?! The more processed, the less nutrients they retain! McDonald's is bad enough without you doing anything to make it worse!"

"You're basically saying I like throwing myself in a food blender every time I shadow-travel," Nico muttered, not meeting his eyes. "Why did you bring McDonald's if you think it's so bad?"

"Because you said you liked it," Will cried, "and I didn't think you'd eat anything else."

Percy made a little aww sound in the background, but neither boy paid any attention to him. Both Will and Nico looked a little pink.

"That's stupid," Nico muttered as Will looked awkwardly at the floor. "It's not like I don't get hungry, I just forget that I get hungry. Once there's food in front of me I remember and then it doesn't matter what kind it is, I'll be hungry enough to eat a Nemean Lion. Oh, excuse me," he added as a shrill ringing filled the room. "Proom, would you please bring me the phone?"

Proom bowed obediently, moved to the over cluttered desk, and after a few more rings had uncovered an old fashioned telephone - one of those that still had a spinning number pads.

Nico took it, thanked Proom and picked up the bulky mouth piece. "This is Nico di Angelo speaking."

"I'd ground you if I thought it would make a difference!"

The voice on the other end was as cold as ice and loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. Nico held the phone away from his ear and sighed. "Hi dad."

Will looked up curiously. Percy, who was halfway out the door, paled.

"Can you go five minutes without sending the Underworld into chaos? Charon is threatening to quit! The Furies are furious!"

"That's what you pay them for, isn't?" Nico asked. Will put a hand on the arm of his chair and gazed at him worriedly. Nico gave him a reassuring look.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man. I want you and you're so called 'friends' in the throne room in ten minutes or I will come and get you myself."

"Got it." Nico rolled his eyes, but his hands tensed. "Be right there." He set the telephone back on its stand and handed it to Proom, who set it back on the desk.

"Proom, take Will and Percy to collect Annabeth, and then I want Jules-Albert to drive them back to camp," he said calmly, getting to his feet and running a gloved hand through his hair. "I'll go deal with my father. Hopefully you guys can get out before he realizes."

"Good plan!" Percy said, holding up both thumbs. "I approve wholeheartedly. Let's go."

"Wait!" Will stood up, knocking his bag haphazardly to the floor. "I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not," Nico snarled. "I'm keeping you as far away from my father as possible!"

"I'll just try to not be offended by that," Percy muttered.

"I can't let you just take the fall for us!" Will said stubbornly.

"I can," Percy said, but the other two boys ignored him.

"I'm not letting you anywhere near my dad, Will," Nico said flatly. "He'll kill you."

"Yeah, I noticed that he tends to do that kind of thing last time, so we should really get going," said Percy pointedly.

"It's not fair for you to get punished because of us," Will cried, taking a step forward so he and Nico were nose to nose. "You're either coming with us, or I'm coming with you."

"I don't need you to try and protect me from my dad," Nico said.

"Hellooo! Can you guys hear me?" Percy wondered. "Am I invisible?"

"Well I don't need you to protect me from your dad," Will snapped. "So I guess it doesn't matter where we go, since apparently neither of us need protecting."

"Percy!" Nico yelled. "Take Will and get out of here before I do something I'll regret!"

"Oh, so now I exist?" Percy pouted.

"I'm not going anywhere without you, Death Boy," Will said. "Even if I have to knock you out and make Percy carry you."

"I'm not helping either one of you," Percy declared with a humph, crossing his arms. "I am a strong, independent person. I don't need a man who only uses me for his own gain. I deserve better than that."

"Oh for the gods' sakes . . ." Nico looked around desperately. Hades would be summoning them any minute, and he needed to get Will out of the line of fire. He briefly considered shadow travel, but his father would know at once and could easily influence the darkness to drop them in the dungeon, or worse. And I promised Will . . .

He needed something else, something to ensure his father couldn't touch the son of Apollo in any way, shape or form. Nico could deal with his father when he was alone; he knew Hades would never hurt him. Percy and Annabeth were more than familiar with the Lord of the Dead and he had no worries or qualms about letting them fend for themselves. But Will . . . Nico refused to let his piece of sunshine be trapped under the earth for the rest of eternity.

And idea formed slowly in his mind. Ignoring Will's furious glare and Percy's indignation, he strode quickly to his desk, grabbing a bottle of ink, a sharp quill pen and after some searching, a blank piece of parchment. He hastily scrawled the words he needed in Greek, closing loopholes as he thought of them. Ink dripped and blotted the page as he wrote his full name and title in sloppy script, but he didn't care.

"Here," he said, grabbing Will's wrist and shoving the pen in his hand. "Sign your name."

"What is it?" Will said, looking at the paper suspiciously.

"A contract, saying you're my doctor and you are allowed to be here, so my dad doesn't blast you."

Will signed his name without complaint.

"Um, can I have one of those?" Percy asked nervously.

"Give me your finger," Nico ordered Will, ignoring Percy as usual. Will held out his hand and Nico stuck the sharp quill point into the soft pad of his thumb without any warning.

Will yelped and tried to pull his hand away, but Nico held tight and pressed his thumb to the bottom corner of the parchment, smearing it with blood and ink.

"Ow," Will muttered when Nico let go, sticking his thumb in his mouth. The tiny puncture wound healed almost at once. Nico didn't apologize, but instead stabbed the pen in the tip of his own finger and marked the parchment with his own blood.

"Why do we need to do that?" Will asked. Nico lifted the paper and blew on it. The ink dried instantly.

"Just insurance," Nico said, shoving the paper in his pocket and wiped his stained hand on his jeans. "Now brace yourself, and whatever happens, stay behind me."

"Wha . . .?" Will's voice trailed off as the air in his lungs froze and the fire sputtered and went out, plunging them into sudden, icy shadows.

"Nico," Percy whispered in the sudden darkness. "What's happening?"

"Ten minutes," Nico whispered back. Will jumped as he felt something brush his hand, and then he relaxed as Nico's cool fingers wrapped around his wrist again, squeezing reassuringly. "My dad said if we didn't show, he'd get us himself."

"So he's here?" Percy said hoarsely. "Like, Helm of Darkness, hiding in the shadows and listening to everything we say, here?"

"Yes, Perseus Jackson," said a cold, dry voice that sent chills down Will's spine. "Exactly like that."

Cold air rushed past Will's ears as if he was in freefall and the darkness around them became absolute. Someone nearby was yelling, and the only thing that kept him from doing the same was Nico's hand, solid and unyielding as it gripped his.

Then the lights came back on and Will's legs collapsed underneath him as his feet hit the ground. Nico managed to not fall down and Percy landed next to them, his surprised cry cutting off abruptly as he stumbled awkwardly and almost fell on his face.

Annabeth appeared suddenly out of the shadows at their side, landing in an easy crouch. Her stormy eyes took in all three boys. She seemed to immediately understand the situation and went to stand at Percy's side.

They were now in a vast, cavernous throne room of black marble and smooth, dull bronze floors. At the far end rose a dais carved with human and animal skulls, topped with a terrifying throne of bleached white and bloodstained bones fused together.

Lounging on the throne was a colossal man at least ten feet tall, dressed in smoky black robes that shifted and swirled with shadows. Will immediately recognized him as Nico's father.

The two looked eerily similar. The papery white skin, the black hair, although Nico's tended to fluff and curl, while Hades' was a straight, oily curtain to his chin. They had the same thin white lips pressed into a constant frown. The same slouch to their shoulders, as if they were too tired to be bothered holding them up. They both held their lean, lithe bodies with an easy, lazy grace, like a wildcat tense and coiled to spring at the slightest moment, and had the same intensity about them, a dark, mesmerizing charisma that immediately commanded the room and made people want to do whatever they asked.

Nico was his father's image, but concentrated into a human body with a red, beating human heart, and a spark of smoldering color that Will assumed was from his mother. Nico's irises were dark brown, while Hades' were black like his pupils had swallowed any other color, but they had the same mad genius glint; dark and intense, maniac even. Like they were burning inside.

Will had seen Nico radiate darkness and death, but his dad's powers were on a much larger scale. His fearsome aura filled the immense cavern like a giant hand pressing on the back of Will's neck, forcing him down, wrapping itself around his soul, filling it with dread.

Nico helped Will to his feet and then stepped in front of him, placing himself between Will and his father. Immediately the pressure lifted from Will's shoulders and he straightened, not having noticed how he had instinctively hunched over, trying to protect himself from the onslaught of intimidation.

"Well," Hades said finally, looking at them all in turn, his gaze lingering on Will and his son. Will suddenly became very conscious that he was still wearing Nico's hoodie and pajama bottoms. "I wish I could say this is a nice surprise, but quite frankly it's not."

"Hi Uncle Hades!" Percy said cheerfully, wrapping a casual arm around Annabeth's waist and waving. "Long time no see."

"You," Hades pointed to him with one long white finger. "Shut up."

"Yes, please do," Nico muttered. Percy looked offended. Annabeth patted his hand consolingly.

"So," said Hades conversationally. "You enter my realm without my permission - again, disturb my staff, engage my son in your shenanigans and generally cause mayhem and sow treachery throughout my kingdom. Did I miss anything?"

Will couldn't help but focus of the fact that the Lord of the Underworld had just used the word shenanigans.

"No, sir," Annabeth sighed. "That just about covers it."

"Indeed." Hades eyed her and Percy with contempt. "Please be assured that my being about to blast you to ashes is entirely personal. Let's start with the child of my dratted nephew Apollo, shall we?"

Nico was holding both of Will's wrists and now he stepped backwards, crushing their hands between them, and making his protective stance clear. "Not him."

Hades' face softened minutely as looked down at his son, like from hard diamond to slightly less hard granite, but his voice was as cold as ever. "Step aside. You are in enough trouble without trying to protect your so called friends."

"You can't touch him," Nico said flatly. "Will's a healer; he only came down here to make sure I wasn't still fading. We have a contract." He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper and held it up. He had to let go of Will's wrist to reach his pocket, and Will clutched a handful of his shirt instead because he was pretty sure his close proximity to Hades' son was the only thing keeping the god from sucking him under the earth n'er to return. He couldn't help but feel like that fragile piece of paper wasn't going to be great protection if Hades decided to stop listening and just end them all.

Hades' frown deepened at Nico's words, and then suddenly he was gone, vanished, and his terrible throne stood empty. He reappeared just as suddenly in front of his son, shrunk down to regular person size and wearing a crisp black business suit, but no less intimidating for all his apparently human appearance. He snatched the contract from his son and scanned it suspiciously.

Nico's fingers curled over Will's hand clutching his shirt. Hades glanced at the signatures at the bottom and then turned to Will with a somber expression on his gaunt face.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked gravely.

"Umm . . ." Will hesitated, wondering if that was a trick question. "A contract stating that I'm his doctor and you can't blast me?"

"That," Hades agreed, raising his eyebrows. Was that amusement glittering in his bottomless black eyes? Nico's shoulder stiffened. "If you read the fine print at the end, it also says that my son now owns your soul, and it has been signed by both of you with your blood. Were you aware of this, Will Solace?"

There was a beat of silence, in which Will only had time to think, Whaaaaa? before Percy burst out with, "Aw, hell no!"

Even Annabeth looked surprised, and a little impressed. Percy, not so much. "Are you serious? Seriously? Seriously serious? As in, not kidding? Because this is becoming a bit of a habit. You Underworld people need some serious dating advice. Rule number one: when you like someone, do not under any circumstances kidnap and/or trick them into selling you their soul and trap them under the earth in the land of the dead for the rest of eternity! This is social skill number one, people! Come on, get with the program!"

"The paper contract is just a physical representation," Annabeth mused. "But by signing it in their blood, Nico tied their souls together. Now when Will dies he'll have to answer to Nico instead of Hades. That kind of contract has only been done, what, once before?"

"Yeah, by Koraki," Percy admitted. "He had the contract with his master Kuneli, the son of a duke, who he had pledged himself to guard with his life. I always liked that story. Koraki was one crazy bastard."

"He isn't even Greek," Annabeth told him. "And you would like the story about the guy who wanted to throw himself into the Abyss because he didn't believe the person he loved was dead."

"What can I say?" Percy shrugged, grinning. "I have a soft spot for the crazies."

"If you two are done?" Hades said pointedly. Annabeth muttered a, "Sorry, Lord Hades." Percy mimed zipping his mouth closed, locking it and throwing away the key.

Hades rolled his eyes, and then turned back to Nico and Will.

"Did you know the full extent of the contract?" he demanded of Will. "If you signed without informed consent, the contract is void." His black eyes flicked to his son. "And I will dispense justice as I see fit."

Nico held his fathers black ice gaze and didn't blink. Hades' thin mouth tightened into a disapproving frown. Cold fear trickled down Will's spine and his blood turned to chilly slush. He felt rather than saw as the shadows in the room grew and shifted restlessly. The ghost fire torches flickered and dimmed. Hades' aura darkened and spread throughout the room in sticky ink black tendrils, snuffing out all light as it went. His anger and displeasure was for the demigods, but it was specifically directed at his son, who didn't even flinch as his father's power pushed down on his soul.

And then came the fear, and never before, not in any war or attack or injury had Will felt such horror as he did coming from Nico's dad. Wave after wave of terror rolled off of Hades even as his expression didn't change from stony indifference, and the terrible pressure was pushing Will down, down, down, into that dark spot in his heart that never rubbed away. Somehow whenever Nico had used his fear powers, it had never affected him like this. He felt like screaming, like vomiting as his every nerve fiber shrieked for him to run, but he wouldn't or couldn't move.

Will was trembling violently, and without thinking he leaned forward to rest his forehead in the dip of Nico's shoulder blades and took a deep breath. Nico was unusually warm through his thin black shirt, and Will breathed in bitter chocolate, cinnamon, salty blood, rain washed rocks and warm bread, the scent much deeper and darker up close than from just a sweatshirt.

Suddenly the fear retreated, and once again Will found himself looking up as a terrible pressure around his heart was lifted. But Hades had not stopped his assault; no, it was Nico who had thrown up his own wall of fear to repel his father's; to protect himself and Will. He knew his power didn't match Hades' and so he didn't try and outdo him, but instead resisted just enough for it to not be a challenge and still make his point: letting his father know he would not be backing down. That Hades would have to crush him before he let him get near Will.

"Stop," Will whispered. He could feel Nico trembling as he fought to stand against his father, and his skin draining of all warmth until it was like clutching a marble statue that had been kept in the freezer.

"Stop!" Will said, much louder. "I knew about the contract, he told me right away and I agreed to it; I even signed in blood! What more do you want?"

Nico took a deep, shuddering breath. He knew it didn't need to be the truth, Will just needed to say it and agree. It wouldn't matter to Hades if he could tell they had lied, as long as they had bothered to lie in the first place.

And Hades, sharing the same twisted sense of honor as his son, understood and released them from the attack.

Immediately the room brightened, the torches relit themselves and the darkness retreated. A few feet away Percy and Annabeth stood gaping at them. For the most part they appeared unaffected by Hades' fear attack.

"You guys just got swallowed up by a cloud of darkness," Percy told them. "We weren't sure whether we should get you out."

"Our heroes," Nico muttered. He dropped Will's wrist and took a small step away, apparently deeming it safe. Will felt the few inches as if they were the Great Wall of China. Something passed between father and son, a kind of look of understanding.

Hades gestured to Percy and Annabeth. "I suppose you don't want me to 'blast' them, either."

"Oh no, please," Nico shook his head, "blast away."

"Hey!" Percy protested.

"Or," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes, "You could not blast us, not start another war, and not get your realm run over by another wave of newly dead while you're still recovering from the last war."

Hades raised his eyes to the ceiling as if asking 'why?' and thought for a moment.

"Very well," he said at last. "I will not destroy your souls, provided you leave here immediately. As for you," he pointed to Nico, "you're grounded."

"You said grounding me wouldn't make any difference," Nico protested.

"I have yet to find out if it will make a difference!" Hades snapped. "How does one hundred years in the Underworld sound?"

"Uh, how about no?"

"Lord Hades, he'll be dead in less than eighty years, and after that there really won't be any point . . ." Annabeth pointed out.

"Well don't be so sure about that," Percy argued. "That's probably what he thought eighty years ago, and look how that turned out! For someone so gung ho about death, Nico's awfully good at staying alive."

"Still, he should choose a more reasonable time frame for someone who's technically half human."

"True, true," Percy agreed. "If I may, Uncle Hades, I have lots of experience getting grounded. My mom grounded me for eight months when I got home, because that's how long I was gone. You should do something like that."

"I think three days would be appropriate," Annabeth said. "In mortal-world time, of course."

"Why three days?" Percy asked curiously.

"Have you even been paying attention to anything that has happened lately?" said Annabeth. "Three is like, the whole theme here."

"Really?" Percy frowned. "I hadn't noticed."

"Surprise, surprise," Nico muttered. "Fine, three days in mortal time," he said to his father, "and you let these guys go free."

"Wait, what!?" Will exclaimed, suddenly realizing what was being discussed. "No! No no no, that is not happening!" He whirled on Nico. "You, Death Boy, are coming with us. You've been down here way too long already; it's so detrimental to your health! I'm surprised you haven't turned into a ghost yourself!"

Nico looked away uncomfortably, his lip curling. "Don't be stupid, Solace. I'll be fine. You're so dramatic."

"I am not being dramatic!" Will cried. "You're coming back to camp and then I'm locking you in the infirmary and making you get better!"

Nico sneered. "You can't make me do anything, Solace."

Will scrunched his face into a glare, his mouth twisting uncomfortably. Nico's eyes widened as he realized all too well what that face meant.

"Don't you dare say-"

"Doctors orders," Will said flatly.

Nico gritted his teeth. "Not going to work."

"Doctors orders."

"Stop."

"Doctors orders."

"Stop it right now."

"Doctors orders."

"Gods dammit Solace!"

"Doctors orders!"

"Stop saying that!"

"Doctors orders! Doctors orders! Doctors orders!"

"I swear, if you don't shut up right now-!"

"Doctors orders. Doctors orders, doctors orders, doctors orders, doctorsordersdoctorsordersdoctorsorders-!"

"Solace!"

"ENOUGH!" Hades bellowed, his commanding voice filling the cavernous throne room and shaking its very foundation. Will and Nico immediately shut their mouths and took a step apart, still glaring at each other but looking suitably chastised.

Hades glowered at both boys. "It would be in both of your best interests to shut up right now."

Will squirmed under his gaze, looking away. Hades made him sick with fear. There was a writhing in his stomach that seemed intent on crawling up his throat. Not wanting to throw up, Will blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

"Why did the corpse take cough medicine?!"

Nico's eyes widened. Percy and Annabeth gaped at him. Hades just stared.

"Excuse me?"

Will giggled weakly. "He couldn't stop coffin."

Nico closed his eyes in horror. He had to bite his lip to keep his trembling mouth from betraying him. Percy on the other hand let a slow smirk spread across his face. Annabeth just shook her head, sure all the recent day's events had finally caught up to the poor son of Apollo and caused him to officially snap.

Will swayed slightly on his unsteady feet, a goofy, toothy grin wobbling on his face. "Come on guys, we really should be heading back. The Underworld is great, but the people here aren't very lively."

Hades was bewildered. Was the boy mentally ill? Did he not understand the perilous position he currently found himself in, coming down into his Underworld with the sea brat and expecting his son to protect him?

But Will wasn't done yet. "Gods, I'm so tired. When I get back to camp I'm gonna sleep like the dead."

Nico made an odd little choking noise and had to clamp both hands over his mouth tightly to keep any other amused sounds inside, even as his dark eyes danced with mirth.

The sound seemed to wake Will out of whatever shock he had been going through, because his face suddenly drained of all color, his smile faltering and then going flat as he sucked in a horrified breath.

"Holy Hera, I just said that." Will shook his head in disbelief. "I actually . . ."

"Yeah," Percy confirmed.

"Oh gods." Will looked around wildly. "Please don't kill me! I'm too young to die! Not that it isn't totally sweet down here, but I have plans!"

"Does he have some mental affliction?" demanded Hades. Nico choked on another laugh.

"We're looking into it, my Lord," Annabeth assured him.

Meanwhile, Will had curled up in a dejected ball on the floor, wailing. "Noooooo! I don't wanna diiiiiiiiieee!"

"Oh calm down, idiota," Nico finally said, nudging him with his foot, still unable to hide the grin slowly burgeoning on his face. "No one is going to kill you." The unspoken 'I won't let them,' hung in the air as if tangible.

Will looked up at Nico hopefully. "When I'm gone, will you go to my siblings?"

"Shut up, Solace."

"Seriously, be sure to mention that I always knew I was their favorite person of all time, but they somehow have go on without me. They have to find other reasons to live, and when they learn to love again, they will truly realize the meaning of happiness and how fleeting and precious it is to us frail mortal creatures."

"I'll be sure to."

"And Nico . . . Nico . . . ." Will reached up and clasped his hands, looking deep into his eyes. Nico eyebrows rose almost to his hairline and he tried to pull away, but Will held firm. Percy and Annabeth looked at each other with curiosity and excitement respectively. Was this going to be a confession?

Hades looked . . . there was no other word for it. Flabbergasted. And quite ready to blast someone.

Will ignored Nico's look of horror and attempts to escape, took a deep breath and spoke. "Nico di Angelo, you are . . . the worst patient I've ever had!"

". . . . What?"

"Seriously. You might be my favorite, but that doesn't mean you aren't still the most stubborn, idiotic, self-destructive person I've ever met! You never listen, you're as dense as schist and you wouldn't know how to take good advice if your life depended on it – which it usually does! You refuse to take your own health into consideration and then push away anyone who tries to help, and it pisses me off!"

"Wha-!?" The air around Nico dropped twenty degrees as he let his anger get the better of him. "The HELL Solace!? I don't need a lecture from you, you stupid sciocco idiota!"

"Stop!" Hades moaned, holding his head. "Cease your incessant chatter at once!"

"Oh c'mon Hades," Percy snickered. "Live a little!"

"SHUT UP, PERCY!" Will and Nico both screamed at him, and then immediately went back to snapping at each other.

"All right," Hades announced. "That's it. You're all out of here; I don't even want to keep you here to torture you. My son is grounded for three days; the rest of you better be gone in the next fifteen minutes or I will be sending Alecto to oversee your removal."

"Great," Percy laughed. "I'm dying to get out of here!"

Hades gave a groan and waved his hand. As the group of demigods began to fade into the shadows, he glanced at Nico, flicked his eyes over to Will and then raised his eyebrows at his son.

Nico gave a little shrug, and then they all vanished.

---

They reappeared on the black beach where Orpheus' Door still stood open. Will took a deep shuddering breath. "I think I'm just going to sit down," he said, and then promptly collapsed, sinking to his knees in the fine black sand.

Nico crouched next to him, ignoring Percy and Annabeth who had moved a little away, towards the entrance out of the Underworld.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Will's skin was pale under his freckles and his soft blue eyes were slightly glazed over.

"Fine," Will breathed tremulously. "Just . . . fine."

Nico reached up hesitantly, his hand hovering in the air between them, and then gently placed it on Will's head. Will's hair was soft and dry, and as pale and light as duckling fluff sticking up all over his head. For a moment Nico just rested his hand there, feeling the faint warmth radiating from Will's scalp. Then he moved it up and down, patting his head like he was a puppy that needed soothing.

"There there," he deadpanned.

Will blinked and tilted his head curiously. "Are you petting me?"

Nico raised his eyebrows. Shrugged.

"Okay." Will closed his eyes, leaning further into the touch and nudging Nico's hand with his head. Nico bit back a smile and resumed.

It seemed like they stayed there for a while, on that stretch of black beach in the depths of the Underworld. Neither of them really wanted to move; they were content to stay like that for the rest of eternity, but finally Will opened his eyes sleepily.

"You will come back, won't you? Three days – for real this time." He gazed at Nico imploringly.

Nico's face softened. "Yeah. Of course. I swear on the River Styx; not even my dad will keep me here for a second longer."

"No!" Nico's hand fell away as Will jerked upright, suddenly angry. "Don't promise!"

"What?"

"Here." Will rummaged in his doctor bag for a second and then shoved something into Nico's bewildered hands. Nico looked down at it, bemused.

"I don't want a promise," Will said. "I want you to come back."

Nico curled his hand around the small Hades figurine.

"I don't understand you," he said finally.

Will gave a little laugh. "That's okay . . . right?"

Nico tilted his head consideringly. "For now."

"I have something else for you," Will blurted. He knew he was blushing again. "Close your eyes."

"No," Nico said flatly. He tucked the statue into his pants pocket distractedly.

"Come on," Will whined. "Just for a second. You don't trust me?"

"Not even a little bit," Nico muttered.

"Pooh." Will pouted. "You're no fun."

Nico raised his eyebrows. Will noticed he did that a lot. "And you only now realized?"

Will's pout deepened and he looked up at Nico from under his pale lashes. "For me?"

Nico remained impassive. "No."

"Fine," Will grumbled. "Hold out your hands, at least."

Nico did, with a look of deep suspicion. Will's hands trembled lightly as he placed a curled cord of leather in Nico's cupped palms.

Nico held it up. Four beads slid along the thin cord. "A camp necklace."

"Yeah," Will said sheepishly. "I asked Chiron for the beads from the last four years. One from when you first came, one for the Battle of the Labyrinth, one for the Second Titan War, and one for this last year. The Second Giant War."

Nico inspected the beads, and Will couldn't read his expression at all. Finally he looked up. "Tie it for me?"

"Ah, sure." Will took the ends of the cord and Nico bent his head. Will tied the ends behind his neck, trying and failing to not blush as he had to lean close enough to see and a feathery piece of dark hair brushed the side of his face.

"There," Will said quietly, pulling back. Nico lifted his head and Will's hand dropped to finger the beads that fell just below the hollow of his pale throat. He thumb accidently brushed Nico's collarbone. Will swallowed. "That's better."

"Is it now?" Nico's dark eyes glittered with amusement and his mouth twitched up into an almost-smile. Will swallowed again and nodded shortly.

"It is," he said steadily.

Nico smiled at that; a real smile.

Will glowed.

"I have something for you too," Nico said suddenly.

"Can I close my eyes?"

"If you must. And hold out your hand."

Will squeezed his eyes tightly shut and stuck out his hands, practically vibrating in excitement. He felt something cool and metallic being placed in his palms, and opened his eyes in surprise, before Nico could tell him to.

"A harmonica?"

"You know. In case you need to visit again." Nico stared quite fixatedly at the ground, seemingly enthralled by the black sand. "I figure Orpheus' Door is the safest way in, and even you can't mess up playing the harmonica too badly."

Will's answer was to bring the instrument to his lips and blow as hard as he could. The sound that emanated from it was reminiscent of a dying goose. Nico jumped and Will burst out laughing.

"What in the name of my father, Solace-!?"

"Aha ha ha, oh, I'm sorry, ha ha, the look on your face, ahh . . ."

Nico looked away, muttering darkly. "If you're just going to be an idiot about it, I'm taking that back . . ."

"No!" Will clutched the harmonica to his chest protectively. "I won't play it badly, I promise! It's just . . . jeez. It's like you're giving me the keys to your apartment or something . . ."

"What?"

"Nothing . . ."

Nico shook his head. "You're weird, Solace."

"Yeah . . ." Will's hand tightened on the slim silver harmonica. But you're just as bad as your ghosts, di Angelo. Always disappearing and reappearing until I wonder whether or not you're even real . . .

"Yo, guys! Hurry it up!" Percy called. "I don't want to be Fury-chow!"

Nico stood up slowly and Will scrambled to follow, tucking the harmonica into his bag and brushing black sand off his pajama pants.

"Well," Nico said. "Goodbye."

"Yeah." Will fidgeted awkwardly. "Just . . . make sure to come back on time, okay? Or else I'm coming to get you!"

Nico gave a tiny, close mouthed smile and nodded. "Right."

"Oh, and you're never getting this back," Will added, plucking at the black sweatshirt he was still wearing.

" . . . Of course."

"Duuuude!" Percy cried, waving frantically from the crack in the dark cliff face. He and Annabeth were on verge of just leaving without him.

"Go." Nico kicked Will lightly, pushing him forward and making him stumble. "Jules-Albert has your bags. I can hear Alecto in the disctace; you'd better run."

Will could hear it too; angry screeching and wing flapping. He hurried after Percy, glancing back as he reached the entrance. Nico was watching him with his hands in his pockets and strange expression on his face. He caught Will's eye and mouthed, Don't look back.

Will took one last look at him, filling his eyes up with as much of burning eyes and dark hair and lean white muscles under black clothes as he could. Then he turned away and ran back up the passage, towards the sunlight.

---

As soon as he was gone, Nico's shoulders slumped, and he stood there for a very long time staring at nothing.

---

As the darkness closed around Will, he didn't bother chasing it away with his own light; he thought of the expression on Nico's face as he looked at him that last time and tried not to cry.

---

"Feeling better?" Percy asked.

Will glanced over at him from where he was curled up on top of the pile of boulders that made up Orpheus' Door, his face tilted towards the sun. There was a teasing edge to Percy's smile as he stood below him, one arm wrapped around Annabeth's shoulders. She was staring up at him with her intelligent grey eyes full of sharp interest and concealed motives.

"Yes." He said it quietly, without malice, but with a lingering sadness. Percy's smile softened.

"Time to go home, then?"

Will looked back up at the sky. It was still pale blue and faded to the east, but in the west the setting sun had turned it a riot of orange, gold, pink and purple shot with searing darts of flame as the clouds caught fire. For once, the sight failed to bring any comfort or joy; instead Will thought of the dark, rushing waters of the Styx, the dead specters' pale luminance, and warm firelight ghosting off of raw cut gems and along Nico's jaw, alighting his eyes with smoldering sparks of burnished copper.

Could he ever think of home again without that image of Nico sitting slouched before the fireplace, gazing sleepily into its fiery depths burning, branding itself into his mind?

"Soon," he whispered. "Just . . . a few more minutes."

Just a few more minutes . . . when I can still be even this close to him . . .

---

"No, no, no," Percy insisted, pointing dramatically to Hazel's drawing. "Nico was wearing those fingerless motorcycle gloves, and Will was wearing the hoodie. And you have Will sitting too far forward; he was practically on Nico's boots."

Hazel took the paper back and scrawled a few adjustments with a dusty stick of charcoal. "Like this?"

"Exactly," Percy said, beaming. "Now Will's head was tilted up and Nico's was tilted down so they were looking at each other. Will was smiling and kind of glowing . . . yes, that's it!"

With a few strokes Hazel had managed to capture the scene on the River Styx just from Percy's description: the stark contrast of the two boy's expressions, the ripples as the long pole dipped into the water, Nico's lean frame looming over Will draped in a two big hoodie.

Percy's bed in the Poseidon cabin was littered with Hazel's black and white sketches, while Percy looked over her shoulder making constructive comments and Annabeth leaned against his back, working on her newly restored laptop.

As soon as they had returned, Percy had immediately told Jason and Piper what had happened, and then called Reyna, Hazel and Frank over at Camp Jupiter. Hazel had been more than happy to make a short trip up to Camp Half-Blood to put their OTP onto paper.

"Okay, so the barge looked kind of like the little boat Voldemort had in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, you know the one that Dumbledore raises when they go to the cave to get the horcrux? With the weird skull thing at the end? And Nico was steering with this long black pole, and there's no sky, just gloom and stalactites and greenish light in the distance . . ."

"I've been to the Underworld, Percy," Hazel reminded him mildly. "I remember what it looks like."

"Right, right." Percy sifted through the pile of his favorite images.

Two from the black beach:

Will and Nico glaring and yelling indignantly, Will burning like a star next to Nico's dark, furious expression. Focused only on each other and connected at that one point by Nico's hand on Will's wrist. They looked surprisingly human in that picture, like two normal kids arguing.

The two boys crouched next to each other in the black sand. Nico with his hand outstretched to touch Will's bright head. Will leaning into the touch, happy with the attention, eyes closed.

Two by the black poplar tree:

Will perched on a low branch like a strange, brightly feathered bird, laughing and swinging his legs happily, while Nico leaned against the trunk, crossing his arms grumpily and looking up at his friend with a scowl from under his dark hood.

Another, almost the same, but instead with Nico in the tree, one hand gripping nearby branch and one dark clad leg dangling over the open air, as if he was right on the edge, somewhere between jumping into flight and climbing higher, but unable to sit still either way. Will relaxed below, one foot propped up behind him at the base of the tree and his hands thrown back to wrap around the sides of the trunk.

Annabeth had raised an eyebrow at those. "Neither of them actually climbed the tree, Percy."

"Shh," Percy had answered. "I'm taking creative license."

An image of the villa that took up the whole page (Annabeth had been only too happy to help with the architectural aspects,) Will and Nico's tiny figures silhouetted in the doorway.

Will's profile, barely shaded, as he stared at the entrance to the Underworld, into that dark, endless tunnel with an expression of almost longing.

Nico standing in front of Will as they stood before his father, small and human against the cloud of darkness rolling over them.

The last look they shared, Nico standing alone on the black beach, Will poised in the entrance, both of them wanting to go with the other.

"Knock knock," Rachel said, waltzing in like she owned the place. "Frank said you had some Solangelo pictures. May I see?"

Rachel had come back with Hazel, taking a temporary break from translating the Sibylline Books after Percy told her there would be Solangelo ship moments. She had mentioned wanting to further her talent in drawing chiaroscuro, and Percy had wondered why that made Annabeth and Hazel laugh.

"Ooh, I like this one," Rachel said, picking the paper up from the bed and studying it with interest. "Mind if I borrow this? I'd like to do a full color oil painting."

"Sure," Hazel said, smiling warmly at the picture. It was of Will and Nico in the villa, when Will had knelt to check Nico over. They were silhouetted against the gigantic fireplace, casting their figures in dark lines and pale edges. The high backed leather armchair dwarfed Nico in shadow, but he still looked sufficiently intimidating as he rested his chin on his hand as if bored, the firelight playing over his face, making his expression seem almost kind as he gazed at Will with dark, tired, half-lidded eyes. Will knelt next to the armchair, his face soft and only lightly shaded, the firelight illuminating him instead of throwing him in darkness. He seemed to be speaking quietly, tenderly, even as he focused only on his work, his lips parted as he gently cupped Nico's injured hand in both of his own and wrapped it in bandages.

It had been strange to see how tolerant the hot headed son of Hades had been as Will had scolded, argued and touched. Back in the villa, Percy had watched in amazement as Nico suffered the attention with mere indifference or amusement. In fact, if Percy hadn't known better, he might have even said the son of Hades had been rather enjoying himself.

Nico di Angelo, he wondered, picking up a sketch of Will perched lazily on the cluster of boulders that hid the entrance to the Underworld, his freckled brown face tilted to the sun. His gaze was dreamy and far away, and he seemed to glow even after they had left the dark place. What kind of person have you brought into your life?

---

Will paced around the 'Long Term Stay' wing in the infirmary, wringing his hands. He had been progressively more on edge each day, and now that Nico was due to be back, he was wearing a path in the floor. Nico had promised to be there as soon as the sun was up, so Will (with some difficulty) had convinced his siblings to let him set an alarm for just before sunrise.

Now Will paused as the first light peeked through the windows and held his breath because it was finally past the third day, and while six days ago that had been the worst day possible, at the moment he just wanted Nico appear so the world could turn back on its head and Will could fall back into the sky.

Then there was the sound of the door opening and Will flew into the main room to see Nico's shadowed form slip inside with eerily quiet footsteps and wary eyes. And Will, completely forgetting about holding himself back so Nico didn't run away, threw his arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in his shoulder and feeling his eyes burn with tears of relief. He hugged Nico like it was the last time they'd ever see each other, as if he was trying to fold their bones against each other. Like Nico would vanish in the pale, watery, early morning sunlight if he didn't hold on to him as tight as he could.

He felt the lightest touch of pale, faded hands brush his sides and the barest whisper of his name, "Will . . ."

And then suddenly Will wasn't hugging Nico so much as holding him up, as the last of his strength left his tired limbs and his knees buckled and he slumped to the floor, his weight dragging Will down with him as he passed out.

But Will just shook his head and laughed a little desperately, pressing his face to the dark curls on the crown of Nico's head and breathing in the scent of death and darkness and bitter chocolate. And, not caring they were both sprawled alone on the floor of the infirmary as the sun comes to life and the rest of the world sleeps, Will held Nico a little tighter, like a promise to never let go.

---

Nico was right. Will was nice to hug: not too soft and not too hard, and his skin had burned feeling back into Nico's numbed nerves and the crushing pain felt relieving instead of repulsive, like Will was squeezing the sick feeling out of him, drawing the poison away. He rather regretted passing out, and the next thirty hours of sleep were filled with hazy warmth, the scent of apples and oranges and a strange tightness in his chest that hurt, but in a good way.

---

So. Ahem. Yes. Review?