Mm kay, I'm updating this story coz of all the reviews and the *puppy dog eyes* curse you... If my friend kills me for not starting the new story, blame yourselves!

Percy groaned, and got to his feet. He was in his cabin at Camp, and outside it was still dark. He coughed, and winced from the pain in his throat, and then yelped in horror. Nico! He was still in the cavern! Percy sprinted out of the cabin to find Chiron. Nico was at the mercy of a pissed off goddess, and Percy had to help him.

When he reached the Big House, he hammered on the door, his strength causing it to splinter slightly. It took less than a minute, before the door flew open, revealing an angry Mr. D, who was dressed in purple pyjamas.

"What is it, Peter Johnson?!" he yelled in Percy's face, "Give me a reason why I shouldn't turn you into a dolphin!" He paused, and frowned, "Wait a second... You're back. Which means..." His eyes widened with fear.

"Nico rescued me, but he sent me back without him! Now Gaea has him! We need to go rescue him-"

Dionysus' eyes flashed with purple fire. "She has him? This is why he was forbidden from going after you, this is your fault, Jackson!" He glared at Percy. "I will go to Olympus and inform the others of the situation. You," he spat at Percy, "Will stay here. Do not leave Camp under any circumstance. Idiotic sacrifice obsessed demigods..." With that, he flashed away, and Percy averted his eyes.

Percy sank to the ground, and buried his face in his hands. It was his fault. If he hadn't let himself be captured, Nico would be safe. He had already done so much for Percy.

With that thought, Percy shot to his feet. He would go after Nico, screw it. He ran off in the direction of Halfblood Hill, but stopped when he reached the summit. He didn't know where it was he had been taken. He yelled with rage, and punched a tree next to him.

"What did the tree ever do to you?" a voice echoed out of the darkness. Percy pulled out his sword, and brandished it in the direction of the voice in surprise.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

A group of seven individuals stepped into the light caused by Riptide. Percy almost dropped his sword in shock as he realised who it was. The Avengers. "A demigod, I presume?" Iron Man asked him, "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but we're a little stressed at the moment. We're missing a team mate, you see. Haven't seen him have you? Tall, dark, looks like a grumpy emo ninja?"

Steve interrupted, "We're looking for Nico di Angelo. We thought he might have come back here to get some things. He left to rescue his cousin Perseus, and we think he might need our help."

"I'm Percy," Percy said, "Nico already rescued me! But now he's stuck down where I was, and I don't know where that is, because I was unconscious, and now I don't know how to find him!"

The Avengers exchanged looks of despair. They were too late to help him? They knew they had taken too long to locate the Camp.

"Are you sure you don't know where you were taken?" Steve asked desperately, "Anything about the terrain, the smells?"

Percy thought about it, "Well I was pretty busy at the time but I do know we were underground... I think it was somewhere warm. And dry."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Well that narrows it down." It was then that Loki stepped forward from where he was lurking at the back of the group.

"Greek," he asked quietly. He was confused by how worried he was about Nico. He had only known him a short period of time, but already he thought of him as a friend, "Do you happen to have any personal belongings given to you, or owned for a long period of time by Nico?" Percy frowned, and began to shake his head, before he realized that he did. He reached into the pocket of his dirt covered jeans, and pulled out a whistle made of ice.

"He got the idea from Daedalus, said to blow it if I ever need his help." He curled his fist around the whistle. "Didn't think to ask him for something that meant I could find him, though."

Loki smiled mischievously, "May I have it for a moment?" Percy warily handed it to him, and watched as Loki examined it closely.

"What are you thinking, brother?" Thor asked. In response, Loki held out his wrists, that were still encased in the power suppressing gauntlets.

"I need you to remove them. I know a spell to locate a person if I have an object the person was close to. This," He held up the whistle, "Was made by Nico, and he gave it to his cousin to use if he ever needed him. Some of his essence is in it so that he will be informed if it is blown. I can use my power to trace it to him. But only," he shook his wrists in Thor's direction again, "If I can use my powers."

They Avengers considered this, "How do we know you won't attack us once your powers are released?" Bruce asked suspiciously.

"Because although I may not be the most loyal of creatures, there is one rule that I will always abide by, and that is I always repay my debts. I owe Nico much, and this way I can repay him."

The others were still not convinced, until Thor said, "He tells the truth. My brother always repays his debts." He gazed and Loki, "Are you ready, brother?" Loki nodded in affirmation, and Thor gripped the gauntlets, before sending some of his power into them. Loki hissed in pain as the metal began to heat up, but then they fell to the ground. He gasped as he felt his magic return, but immediately turned his attention the whistle still grasped in his hand.

He sent a sliver of seeking power into the ice, and smirked in triumph when a trail of light lit up in his mind, showing him where Nico was at that moment in time. "He is to the far southwest, in the centre of a large, barren desert. Far from any civilization, perhaps a large area of wilderness? I can sense he is in pain, but he is not dead. That is something."

"Desert, far southwest," Natasha muttered before her eyes lit up, "Death Valley, that's the only place I can think of."

"Okay!" Tony said, "So how are we getting there? From what Loki said about Nico's current condition, we'd better hurry."

"I have an idea," Percy said, and he closed his eyes. Father, he said in his mind, I know you aren't supposed to interfere with your children's lives, but Nico risked his life to save me, and I need to return the favour. Please send us to Death Valley.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Percy's shoulders drooped in disappointment, but suddenly they were engulfed in a mist that smelt strongly of the sea. Percy had just enough time to yell "Don't panic!" before they were swept away.

They were dropped off in the dark desert. Thank you, father. Percy shivered, "I thought deserts were supposed to be warm?" Bruce shook his head.

"Deserts cool down during the night, because after the sun sets, all the heat-" Clint interrupted them.

"Nerd talk later. What was that, Jackson?"

Percy smiled uncomfortably. "My dad helped us out a bit, but nevermind that, we've got bigger problems." Percy was right. The monsters guarding the sand fortress had spotted them. "I'll hold them off while you guys find Nico, he's down below us somewhere."

Thor stepped forward, "I will assist you, son of the sea." Bruce stepped forward as well.

"Me too."

Steve nodded at the three of them. "Okay, Loki, Clint, Natasha, Tony and I will head straight for the sandcastle. Once we find Nico, we'll regroup, and try and get out of here. No one die, agreed?"

Clint face-palmed. "That is a really crap plan." He sighed. "Screw it, let's go."

Thor, Percy and Bruce, who had transformed into his green alter ego, charged at the army, while the others sprinted in the direction of the stone doors. It took them awhile to clear a path, but eventually, they reached their destination.

"Anyone think about how we were going to open the door?" Steve panted.

"You're the one who came up with the plan!" Clint retorted.

"Out of the way, children," Tony said, before blasting the door open.

"Well that works too," Steve said, and the five of them entered the fortress.

"What the hell?" Tony said incredulously, as they ran through the winding corridors, "What is this place?"

Loki stopped and examined a wall. "The trail leads down, but this place is being controlled by the Earth Mother. There is no way she will allow us to reach our destination."

"Screw it," Tony muttered, and blasted a hole in the floor. He looked up to see the others staring at him. "What?! It worked on the door!" Loki sighed and waved his hand. A green slide appeared, and he slid down it, into the darkness. The others followed, on the slide, and for Tony, through the air.

They landed in the patch of light coming from above them through the hole, which promptly disappeared as it re-sealed itself. Clint and Natasha pulled out flash lights and Tony made the light coming from his suit shine brighter. They were in a long stone corridor that stretched in either direction. Loki stalked to the right.

"He is this way. Try and keep up, mortals." The others hurried after him.

After five minutes of walking, Loki paused. "Do you hear fighting?" His eyes widened, and they sprinted off in the direction of the noises. They arrived in the cavern just in time to see Nico about to be crushed by an Earthborn. Loki slashed a hand through the air, and the Earthborn exploded. Nico rolled away from the cloud of dust, coughing.

He looked terrible. He had multiple cuts all over his body, and he was covered in bruises. As he stood up, he moved as if his ribs were broken, and his face was a sickly pale colour. He nodded in their direction, "Thanks for that. Anyone mind taking this piece of shit off me before the rest of them get here? I'm not able to, it tightens when I try." He gestured at the collar around his neck, and when he coughed, blood splattered his hand, "Getting a bit hard to breathe here."

Loki hurried over to him while the others attacked the twenty or so Earthborn still in the chamber. Nico was quite proud of the fact that even with no powers, he had still managed to kill so many with a sword not powered by any of his shadows. Gaea had underestimated him. Even so, he was exhausted, and he was pretty sure that if the collar stayed on him any longer, he would fall unconscious, and he wasn't sure whether or not he would be able to wake up on his own.

Loki grasped the collar, and panicked when it began to shrink, blocking Nico's air supply. He tugged at it with all his strength, and it finally it cracked. He pulled it the rest of the way off, and flung it into the darkness. Nico gasped in relief. "Thanks, man. I really didn't like that thing." Loki nodded at him, and turned around to assist the others. Nico gripped his sword, and sighed as he felt his power return, seeping into his tired muscles, strengthening them.

By now, the rest of the Earthborn had been destroyed, and the heroes gathered in the centre of the cavern. "That was easier than I thought it would be," Tony said cautiously.

"That's because I don't think Gaea's here. Hopefully she's gone somewhere else. We should get out of here while we can." Nico's hopes of escape dwindled as soft laughter filled the air.

"You think you are allowed to leave, dear Nico? I am not finished with you." She sighed happily, "And look, you found me a way to motivate you."

"No!" Nico yelled, "Leave them out of this!" Gaea laughed some more, and the chamber was suddenly filled with golden light, causing all the shadows to disappear. "You cannot escape me. Your power is gone, and even if you had it, there are no shadows for you to escape into."

It was Nico's turn to laugh, "Power gone? Whatever do you mean, grandmother?" he paused, and shadows blazed into existence, churning along the floor, and rising upwards, and solidifying in the forms of hellhounds. The shadow beasts growled and snarled, before charging at Gaea, their feet leaving burning prints of Hellfire in their wake.

"Uhh, why haven't you ever done that before?" Tony asked, "That's a pretty cool trick." Nico staggered tiredly, before replying.

"I kinda didn't know I could do that..." Nico said sheepishly, "But it doesn't matter, we need to get out of here. Where are the others?"

"Outside, they're fighting the army." Steve replied.

Suddenly, there was a terrible screeching noise, and everyone clutched their ears in pain.

"Dirt Lady's pissed!" Clint yelled, "Run!" Gaea screeched again, and more Earthborn rose from the floor, surrounding them, leaving no escape.

"I'm really getting tired of that trick," Nico grumbled.

"Capture them!" Gaea screamed, and the monsters attacked.

In the split second before they were overcome, Nico slammed his fist into the ground, and the floor beneath them shot upwards. Gaea had forgotten she wasn't the only person capable of controlling the earth. As they hurtled upwards on a platform of black rock from the Underworld, Nico yelled, "Stark! Make us an exit!"

Tony quickly blasted another hole into the rocky ceiling speeding towards them, and Nico created a shadow shield to protect them from the falling debris. Yup, he would definitely be feeling this in the morning.

They emerged into chaos. Monster dust was everywhere, covering the ground in a carpet of gold, and they remaining monsters were desperately attacking the trio of warriors that were kicking their collective asses. The Hulk and Percy were invincible, and Thor was an Asgardian. If Nico didn't hate monsters, he might have pitied them.

"Regroup!" Steve yelled, and everyone made their way together, till they were all standing in an outward facing circle. "Nico, think you can magic us out of here?"

"Gimme a minute," Nico panted, blood dripping from his nose, and leaking from the corners of his mouth, "I need time."

"Well we don't have time." Percy retorted, "Granny's coming back."

With a roar, Gaea exploded from the ground, and rose until she was 50 feet tall. "You shall NOT leave!" she boomed, and everyone stumbled from the earth tremors her anger had created. "I am the goddess of the earth! THIS PLANET BELONGS TO ME!"

"For your information, the majority of the planet is covered with water! Gods are intelligent, my ass!" Percy yelled back. Gaea shrieked again, and the Avengers struggled to defend themselves against the next attack.

"Nico, hurry! We can't need to get out of here!" Steve shouted, as he ducked the swing of an enraged empousai, and blocked another with his shield.

Nico shut his eyes, and concentrated as hard as he could on the Avengers Tower. Take us home, he pleaded to the shadows. They obeyed, and before everything faded to black, Nico yelled "See you in hell, motherfuckers!"

They were deposited by the shadows in the tower, once again in as many weeks. Honestly, Nico felt like a taxi service. They had all landed on their backs, so Nico rolled onto his side as he began to cough in earnest, the ground beside him becoming stained with blood. He groaned, "Why am I getting injured so much? I hate this job!"

Percy laughed at him, "No you don't, you love the action." He rubbed his back, wincing as he felt bruises forming, "Though not your best landing, Death Breath. It could use some work." Nico snarled at him and lunged, only to collapse back to the floor, his weak limbs failing to support his weight.

"I'm going to kill you," Nico mumbled into the floor, "... as soon as I learn to walk again." Percy laughed, and gingerly got to his feet, along with the Avengers and Loki.

"I'd better get back to Camp, Annabeth's probably worried sick." He rubbed his lower back, knowing Annabeth would take advantage of knowing his mortal point to punish him for failing to tell her he was alright. "Gods help me..."

He walked over to Nico, and crouched beside him, as he had yet to regain his strength. "Thanks for coming after me, little brother. I'll come back to visit once your team has dealt with you." He patted Nico's head, and left the room through the elevator. Nico blinked in confusion, before glancing at his team mates, who were all glaring steadily at him, even Loki.

"Ummm, hi?"

"Nico," Steve growled, "Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Uhh, from your expressions, I'm guessing a bit?"

Tony rolled his eyes in exasperation, "A bit? We were terrified!" He paused, "Well I was mildly concerned, but that's not the point! We're your team! When something goes wrong, we figure it out together. No more of your 'lone ranger' shit. You may be a mopey teenager, but that doesn't mean you can just go off by yourself. We have to work together."

Nico slumped down in embarrassment. "I'm used to dealing with things on my own. I didn't want to endanger any of you." Bruce sighed, and took pity on him. He walked over and helped Nico to his feet, leading him over to a chair, which he collapsed into gratefully.

"Well, you don't need to deal with stuff by yourself anymore," he said softly. "That's what friends are for, right?" Nico stared at the others in shock. Friends? The others looked back at him, all smiling. Well, except for Loki, he was just grinning mischievously.

Slowly, Nico nodded his head, before a soft smile crept across his face, the first true smile any of them had seen from him. "Right. Friends."

Bit of a mushy ending for this chapter, but who cares. If there are any idiotic geographical mistakes, ignore them! I'm Irish, and America is confusing and large. Anyways, reviews! They are good things...