AN: Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/followed so far. It's great to get a response.

A little note on the language: as Rick Riordan's characters are all American, I am trying to use an American vernacular. I may fail occasionally, as I am British and it's hard to conquer the way of speaking you were brought up with, but if I do, please let me know and I will correct it asap. Also, small warning, this is a slightly shorter chapter than the last one, but don't worry, there's loads to come.

Once again, enjoy! x

Nico needed to get out of the underworld. He shadow-travelled, carefully, keeping an eye out for angry creatures ready to snatch the baby back or drag them both to his father for having the sheer gall to disobey his orders. Nico didn't care what they sent; no one was going to take this kid away from him unless he knew they were a stable family who could resist the will of a god. It was unlikely he'd find anyone like that.

He looked at the kid. What was he actually going to do with a baby? He'd probably need, well, diapers and baby food and stuff. Was he actually crazy? This was going to last twenty years. He should contact someone, someone who understood why he'd taken the kid. Someone who knew how manipulative the gods could be. Someone like Percy.

No, he wasn't contacting the future Mrs. Chase. No way. No, he had to do this alone.

He went to a motel. He had nowhere else to go outside of the underworld, so it made sense. And maybe they'd have a crib or something. That seemed like what babies needed. When he asked the receptionist, she smiled, and said "Of course. How old is he?"

He looked at the baby. How old was it? Parents would probably know that sort of thing. If he just took a guess, would this woman be able to tell if he was way off?

"Er… about six months?" he said. He realized phrasing that as a question was probably not the best thing.

"About?" said the receptionist, "you don't know how old your baby is?"

"Yeah… he's not mine," said Nico, assuming it was better to admit this then try to pretend he was a father with a very awful memory, "He's my brother. I have to look after him for a bit, it's a family emergency."

"Oh, right," said the receptionist. "Do you need some help?"

Nico breathed a sigh of relief, "I'd love some," he said. "Like, where is there I can get baby food and stuff from nearby?"

"Oh there's a mall about a mile down the road," said the receptionist, "and a grocery store on the corner."

"Right," said Nico. This was sounding scary. Maybe he should call Hazel. She'd want to help their brother. But her relationship with Pluto was pretty strong these days. She wouldn't understand Nico's distrust.

"Well, I'll get that cot set up for you," said the receptionist.

"Thank you," said Nico, biting his lip. He looked at the baby, lying peacefully in his arms. He was smiling very sweetly, but he seemed to be getting heavier by the hour.

He went to the mall first, got some spare clothes that would probably fit the baby, and had a look around a mother and baby store to see if there was anything else he should get. He bought a carrier, which helped his arms, and then went to the grocery shop and got baby food, diapers, formula and baby plates and baby bottles. He wasn't sure what the baby would take, but figured if he could get him to eat something that would be OK.

When he got back to the motel, he found the cot in pride of place.

"Look, little bro," he said to the baby. "A lovely place to sleep for you."

"Mmm," said the baby with a smile.

He put the carrier down and picked up the baby. This time, he couldn't deny the idea. The baby was bigger.

He tried not to worry. "It's probably just a reaction to being kept a baby for so long," he said, "yeah, that'll be it. You're just growing up a bit quicker as the magic wears off. Yeah."

The baby gurgled something Nico refused to believe was "Prob'ly."

...xxx...xxx...xxx...

Percy was in a kind of torturous hell he could never have imagined in a thousand years. Everywhere around him were great big nightmares, literally the things he dreaded most in the world were closing in on him from every side. They were the things that would have had him waking up in a cold sweat as a child. And what was worse, he could blame himself for the decisions that put him here.

"So, I was thinking that my Aunt Nelly should probably not be anywhere near Uncle Louis," said Sally Jackson, moving a piece of paper across the table.

"Don't they get on?" asked Annabeth.

"Well, Aunt Nelly once upset Uncle Louis quite badly," said Percy's Mom.

"What did she do?" asked Annabeth, "maybe they've made up."

Percy's Mom shook her head, "I doubt it. He found her in bed with his wife."

Annabeth gasped, then started laughing. Percy didn't. He was hoping he wasn't flushing.

"Come to think of it, I better ask Nelly if she's bringing her plus one, too. I imagine Louis would want a bit of warning if he should expect to see them holding hands," said Sally, thoughtfully, and Annabeth's laughter grew stronger.

"I should probably..." Percy started. He had to get away from all the seating plans and menus and stuff. It was overwhelming. And weird. And scary. And why the hell was he stuck here?

"You sit down, Percy Jackson!" his Mom snapped, "This is your wedding too! I did not bring you up to leave the difficult stuff to your partner."

Percy slumped down. He was twenty three and still doing anything his mother asked. But this was so boring. The invitations had been bad enough. The only input he'd really had so far was the idea that things should be blue. He was pretty sure his Mom and Annabeth would have come up with that without him.

"I thought I could make us some coffee..." he offered, helplessly.

"Oh sorry, Percy," said his Mom, "I thought you were trying to escape."

Percy smiled. Chance would be a fine thing.

He jumped back up and clambered over samples of menu cards and flower arrangements to get out of that room. Gods, it made him feel claustrophobic. He almost fell over in his haste to reach the kitchen. He dug out coffee and some mugs and put the kettle on and then fell into the underworld.

He wasn't scared. He was pretty relieved for something to do that didn't involve little scraps of colored paper...

He looked up, having sprawled untidily onto the dark stone floor of the throne room, to see Hades' distorted and angry face. "Where is it?" the god growled, voice distorted with fury.

"Hello, uncle," said Percy, "Lovely day, are you keeping well?"

"Don't trifle with me, boy!" growled Hades, "I know you took it! And now you will bring it back!"

Percy didn't understand what Hades was talking about, but another thought had occurred him. "Is it normal to invite the godly extended family to half-blood weddings? I mean, you really don't like me, so would you be more offended if I did invite you or if I didn't?"

A wave of pure fear suddenly shocked through Percy's body, leaving him breathless and staggering. It didn't leave, it just clung to him. Hades had never done that to him before. This had to be serious.

"Where is it?" growled the god.

"Where is what?" asked Percy, trying to retain his usual level of disrespect he reserved only for his godly relatives. He suspected it came out as far closer to meek than he wanted.

"You sneak into my realm without my permission, then steal something you cannot possibly understand, and now you have the nerve to claim ignorance?" snarled the god, "if you ever wish to see another living creature, you will tell me now! Did you give it to your father?"

"Give what to my father?" Percy cried, "I'm not claiming ignorance, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about!"

"Liar!" snarled Hades, sending a further jolt of pure fear through Percy, nearly knocking him from his feet. His heart was pounding, and it took all his effort to keep reminding himself it wasn't real. Hades wouldn't kill him. He was safe.

"Uncle, please remember the last time you accused me of stealing. I had stolen nothing and we were all being manipulated."

"You are guilty this time! Your father is plotting against us all. He thinks I will not go to Zeus because I fear his wrath, but I will not let Barnacle beard have control over this!"

Hades was talking nonsense, wasn't he? Whatever it was, Poseidon wouldn't have stolen it. But Percy could see his uncle ready to rip him apart to get to this. He had just one choice, "I swear on the River Styx, uncle, I have not stolen anything from you!"

Hades pulled back, and assessed him. "On the Styx?" he repeated, "Yet if you have him, you need not fear such a curse."

"Have who?" Percy asked. "My Dad?"

"No, you idiot!" snapped Hades. "Bring in the old woman."

Percy was about to say that he didn't have any old women to bring anywhere, when a door opened and in marched two skeletal guards in the remnants of those huge hats the soldiers outside Buckingham Palace wore, and between them lurched an old woman.

She looked at the floor, wringing her hands. Her feet were bare, and her grey hair fell almost to the floor in a great knot.

Hades didn't greet her. He said "This is the boy who took the babe, correct?"

The old woman glanced at Percy, fear in her eyes. She looked him up at down then returned her gaze to the floor. She shook her head.

"What?" said Hades.

The woman shook her head a little faster. "Not he, Lord, not he, great one."

Hades glared once more at Percy.

"It must be him!" he snarled, "you said he had white skin and dark hair, that he was arrogant. And that age?"

The old woman nodded, "But not he, Sir, not he."

Hades glared at Percy once more. "Your father has managed to hide other children from us?"

"No!" cried Percy. "Well, I don't think..."

"That son of Jupiter is blond isn't he?" demanded Hades.

"You mean Jason?" asked Percy, "Yeah, he's..."

"And the others in the seven, they weren't white, were they?"

"Er..." said Percy, who rarely took too much attention of race.

"They were all in the bloody council chamber, that day, I just didn't pay them much attention," hissed Hades.

"Right," said Percy, "so, can I go now?"

"No!" cried Hades. "Who did it? Which half-blood has dark hair and white skin?"

"Well, lots of them..." said Percy. But one name sprung to mind. One there was no way he was going to say. Because Nico wouldn't steal from his own father without very good reason, and Percy wasn't about to drop him in it. And what else did Hades say?

"A babe?" said Percy, "Like, you mean some pretty girl? You mean, someone's stolen your girlfriend?"

"Baby, Jackson," snapped Hades. "But you shall forget that!" he cried, obviously just realizing he'd inadvertently let Percy know he was missing a baby. And a baby that Percy's father would probably be interested in. "And you will swear, right now, on the River Styx that you will not mention this baby to anyone! Not a soul! Or else I shall drop you in the river Lethe before I let you out of my sight!"

That was a pretty extreme threat. This baby was probably extremely important. Or maybe he was just another hapless demigod stuck with Hades for a Dad.

Percy thought his way around the oath.

"I will not mention that you lost a baby to anyone except for you or someone I believe to be faithful to you," he said, "I swear it on the Styx."

Hades frowned, "Don't think I didn't notice how you played with that oath, Jackson!"

"I'm not being deceitful, Uncle!" said Percy, hoping he didn't look deceitful either, "but if I should stumble upon the baby, how would I let you know if I'm not allowed to mention it?"

Hades grumbled. "Yes, well," he said. "Now get lost, back to whatever it is you were doing." He waved a hand of dismissal.

Percy looked around. "Er..."

"Oh, humans!" snapped Hades. "Very well," he snapped his fingers, and Percy flew upwards, crashing painfully into his own kitchen table.

"Ow!" he cried.

"Percy, what on Earth are you doing?" Annabeth cried in shock.

Percy rubbed his sore head, "Ow! I've just..."

"Seriously?" said Annabeth interrupted, her face almost as angry as Hades', "you were that desperate to get out of organizing a seating plan you decided to hide under a table?"

"No!" said Percy. "I've just been to hell and back!"

"You only went out to make a cup of coffee, Percy!" Annabeth replied scathingly. "You think we should have to deal with this stuff just because we're girls, and you can get out of doing it just because you're a boy?"

"No!" Percy replied, "I mean I've literally just been to hell and back!"

"I can't believe you, Percy. I thought you were better than this!"

Percy lost his temper, "Annabeth, I have literally just been taken to the underground by Hades!"

Annabeth didn't rush to apologize. She actually frowned. "You're telling me the god of the underworld summoned you to his realm, kept you there for two minutes and then returned you to your kitchen?"

"Yes!" snapped Percy. "He wanted to see me! And look, I'm making coffee now!" He collected the packet from the cupboard.

"Of course," said Annabeth, "He just wanted to see you for all of a minute!"

"I thought it was longer than that…" said Percy.

"And what did he want to see you about?" Annabeth demanded, her tone of voice making it clear she thought he was lying.

Percy was about to tell her the whole story when he stopped. Annabeth could not be mistaken as someone faithful to Hades. There was no way around the oath. "He made me swear not to tell you on the River Styx," he explained.

Annabeth didn't seem to accept that explanation. She laughed aloud. "Your thirty second meeting with the god of the underworld was so important you had to swear on the River Styx that you wouldn't tell your fiancé?"

Percy fiddled with the complicated coffee machine Annabeth had bought them, "No, he made me swear not to tell anyone."

"Gods, Percy!" cried Annabeth, "if it's so important for you not to be part of organizing our wedding, just go, but don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying," Percy replied. Yet a more cynical part of him saw a way he could use this. He needed to see Nico di Angelo. He couldn't explain why to Annabeth. But he could go anywhere he needed to if Annabeth told him to get out.

"Ugh!" Annabeth groaned. "Just get lost, if you're going to be like that."

"Be like what?"

"Unhelpful!" snapped Annabeth, "go away and let us get on with it."

Percy should have apologized, or argued, or insisted on staying and helping with the stupid seating plan. He did none of those things.

"OK," he said, and ran out of the door.

AN: Reviews are appreciated.