AN: Thanks again for reviews. Not sure I can keep up this pace of writing, but here is a good will gesture of hopefulness. Enjoy!

x

Percy clambered onto Mrs. O'Leary's back, keeping his head low to avoid the ceiling, a mistake he'd made on the way in. He was relieved he'd been proved wrong. He had no clue what he would have actually done if he'd discovered Nico had stolen the baby. Would he have taken the baby back to Hades? Would he have told the god exactly who had taken it?

"Come on, girl," he said to Mrs. O'Leary, "you ready to take me back to New York?"

The hellhound still looked tired. She was panting and Percy could hear her heart beating with the sound of a giant slamming a tree against a mountain repeatedly. She needed a bit longer.

He thought about Nico, remembered him aged ten and talking a mile a minute about mythomagic cards. Asking stupid questions that had really annoyed Percy at the time. Innocent and trusting and hopeful. If he had chosen to steal from Hades, Hades would only have himself to blame for dragging Nico through such misery and deceit.

Nico should be ninety years old. He should have lived through the twentieth century, with his sister at his side and his Mom to take care of him. But the gods had stolen that life from him, and dumped him here, with no one. Who could have blamed him for taking a baby?

Nico. He was both twenty-something and ninety something. It was impossible. It shouldn't have happened. And Percy had seen the vision of Nico's family. Maria, Hades, Bianca and Nico. There were only two children even before the Lotus Casino.

"Mrs. O'Leary, how many people have you met called Zagreus?"

"Woof," panted Mrs. O'Leary.

"My thoughts exactly," said Percy. He slipped back down from Mrs. O'Leary's back, and went back to the door. He knocked again. He received no answer.

"Nico?" he said, "Nico, let me in right now!"

Zagreus was the baby. He may have looked about ten, but Nico was ninety and looked about twenty one. Of course Zagreus wasn't Nico's half-blood brother. He aged years in a couple of days. He was not a human. He was something else entirely.

...xxx...xxx...

"Who was that man, Nico?"

Nico took a moment before he could answer. Mostly because he'd been running around grabbing everything that he could get his hands on that they might need and shoving them back into his bag. They needed to shadow travel right now, before Percy figured it out.

"In a minute," he said, "We have to leave now."

He threw the bag onto his shoulder and sprinted to Zagreus. He was too big to carry now, so Nico just pulled him close, and pushed them both into the shadows. They arrived in his only idea for a safe place; Alaska, the land beyond the gods.

Except, he'd never been to Alaska, and they'd arrived at the scene of a picture he vaguely remembered from a geography textbook he'd used at his last school; a huge field bordered by pines and mountains. He wished it had been a better time of year, but March in Alaska was nothing like warm, and the snow still coated the grounds and there was a chill in the air that bit at his cheeks and stung his eyes.

"Do you hate him?" Zagreus asked, curiously. "Is that why you lied to him?"

"No," said Nico, trying to get his bearings. Where were the towns and cities in Alaska? Where might he find a warm room for the night?

"Is he dangerous?" Zagreus asked.

Nico smiled. "Percy Jackson? He's very dangerous. To his enemies."

Zagreus put his head to one side. "So he might hurt you?" he asked, "Or me?"

"No," said Nico, "Percy doesn't hurt people. He's the best person I know."

"Is that why you kissed him?" Zagreus asked. "Because he's the best person in the world?"

Nico closed his eyes. "Don't… just don't worry about that. It's my problem."

"Do you love him?"

Nico stared at the kid. "Seriously? You only learned to talk yesterday, how are you asking me stupidly difficult questions now?"

"I don't think I'm human," said Zagreus, as though that were all the explanation anyone might need, "Are you in love with this Percy Jackson?"

Unsure whether he could lie to Zagreus, Nico replied, "He's getting married to someone else."

Zagreus said "That wasn't an answer to my question, Nico."

"And you're not getting an answer," said Nico, "it's too personal."

"So," said Zagreus, "you do love him, but you're hurting because you can't have him?"

"No…" said Nico, "Well… maybe. But it hardly matters right now. You may not be human but I am, and I need somewhere indoors to sleep in weather like this."

Zagreus didn't need telling twice. He stepped up to Nico, but this time it was the child who travelled them. They appeared in a hotel lobby, and Nico went straight to the front desk and booked them in under a new false name. Zagreus didn't speak for a while, but Nico recognized the slight shift in their relationship. Zagreus was smart, Zagreus was powerful and Zagreus was not a demigod. Protecting him was only going to get more complicated.

...xxx...xxx...

"Nico?" Percy shouted again. The bastard wasn't opening the door. If he'd run again, already, that only confirmed what Percy suspected. He could hope as much as he wanted that Nico was telling the truth, but he knew he was kidding himself.

"Nico?" Percy shouted. This time he didn't use his fist to bang on the door, he used his shoulder.

It hurt, but he tried again and again until he smartened up and fetched some ice from a machine down the hall. He thanked whatever gods had done him the favor of Nico picking the only hotel in the Western World that still used keys rather than key cards, and commanded the ice to melt and trickle into the lock. It took him a few moments to figure out exactly what the water needed to do to unlock the door, but he soon heard that satisfying click that told him it was open.

Of course there was no one left inside. No Nico, no Zagreus and no baby. But there was one damning piece of evidence; a child's tee-shirt lay forgotten on the bed. Percy picked it up to check the label, knowing it could be his imagination, that maybe he couldn't tell whether a top would fit a kid from looking at it. The label said three to four years old. No way was that going to fit the Zagreus Percy had just met.

"Shit!" Percy shouted, "Shit, shit, shit!"

Nico had stolen a baby from Hades. A non-human baby that could age ten years in two days, that Hades was clearly scared of and that Poseidon, and probably Zeus, too, would be very interested to know about.

If Annabeth were here, she would know if there were any prophecies about non-human babies aging that fast. Percy couldn't think of any myths about one. Annabeth would know exactly what to do now, too, but Percy could only think of what he should do. He should go to the gods and tell them exactly what Nico had done. Shouldn't he?

He looked at Mrs. O'Leary for an answer. None came.

...xxx...xxx...

Zagreus fetched his own clothes, presumably from a nearby department store using shadow travel, while Nico was in the bathroom. His own fashion choice was to move away from the combats and tee shirts Nico had chosen for him, and had pick out a dark suit.

Nico looked him up and down and said "You look like you're going to a funeral."

Zagreus put his head on one side. It was getting to be his signature move when he was thoughtful. "Do I look sad?" he asked.

"No," said Nico, "It's just that when people go to funerals, they wear dark colors like that."

"You wear dark colors," said Zagreus, and Nico looked down at his, admittedly, black jeans and tee shirt.

"Yes," he said, with a small smile, "but it's expected of me because I'm a disturbed child of Hades."

"As am I," said Zagreus, "we are very similar, Nico."

Nico smiled. "I guess," he said. "But I don't want you to be disturbed. I took you away so you might have a chance to be happy."

"You have made me happy, Nico," said Zagreus, "You saved me and cared for me. That will never be forgotten."

Nico shrugged with a half smile. "I know what it's like to be forgotten about," he said. "I wasn't going to let that happen to anyone else. The fact you're such a great kid is just my good luck."

Zagreus took his hand. "If you could have one reward, what would it be?"

"Don't be silly," said Nico, taken aback, "I didn't do this for reward, I did it because it was the right thing to do."

Zagreus' head was still to one side, his eyes boring into Nico as though he were reading his entire soul. "If you could have Percy Jackson all to yourself, would you?"

Nico looked away. "This is becoming a really weird conversation, Zagreus."

"You love him?" Zagreus interrupted.

"I... well... yes, I do love him," said Nico, surprised by his own truthfulness. He'd never truly admitted that to anyone before, not even himself.

"And you want him?" Zagreus asked, as though it were that simple.

"I..." Nico couldn't answer. He wanted Percy. He wanted Percy more than he wanted the sun to rise, more than he wanted air to breathe, but he wanted Percy to want him back more than anything. And that was never going to happen.

"I will take care of you Nico," said Zagreus, "you can believe that."

Nico smiled at him. "You're getting confused, Zagreus. I'm looking after you," he said, "You're only a few days old."

"I am thousands of years old, Nico," Zagreus corrected, "But you already knew that."

Nico had been suspecting it, just as he'd suspected Zagreus would be powerful one day. More powerful than Percy or Jason. He could already feel Zagreus' power in the air around him. It took his breath away. "You're not going to hurt anyone, are you?" he pleaded. "Please, don't hurt anyone."

"Nico," said Zagreus, putting his hands on Nico's cheeks. "I'm going to save everyone."

"What do you...?" Nico started, but at that moment a hellhound appeared in the room, nearly squashing them both. Percy Jackson leapt down from its back.

Nico panicked, pulling out his own sword. "I'm not going to let you take him!" he shouted. "He's done nothing wrong! Hades kept him down there for thousands of years with nothing but some old woman, when he was just a baby!"

"Nico, put the sword away," said Percy.

"He can't do that, Percy!" Nico cried, "he can't decide who gets to grow up and who doesn't!"

Percy was holding his hands up, showing he was unarmed, "Nico, he's not just a demigod, you know that don't you?"

"Of course I do!" cried Nico, "but he's still my brother. Just like Tyson's your brother. You wouldn't leave him to rot in the depths of the underworld?"

"You're right, I wouldn't," Percy admitted, but with an infuriating 'I know better than you' expression, "but this is different..."

"Why?" Nico shouted, "because he's a child of Hades so he has to be evil?"

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

But everyone thought that. Nico saw it in their faces whenever they realised who Nico's father was. "Zagreus is not evil, Percy. He's innocent!"

"How do you know that, though?" snapped Percy, "Do you even know who he is?"

"His name is Zagreus and he's a son of Hades," said Nico. "He was a baby when I found him. How can he be a danger?"

"I don't know, Nico," said Percy, "but Hades thinks he is, and what if he's right? He thinks my dad is plotting against him, Nico. This could start a war! He threatened to throw me into the Lethe so I wouldn't tell people."

"I don't care!" Nico lied, while the idea of his father threatening Percy filled him with pure rage, "He's my brother, and I will look after him."

"Nico, we have to ask!" said Percy, "What if he's a titan or a giant or..."

"He's not!" cried Nico, "He's my brother."

"And Chrysaor is my brother! And Sciron! And so are countless satyr-eating cyclopes. And Kronos is our grandfather. That doesn't meant we should break them all out of prison!"

"You're not taking him!" shouted Nico, his sword acting on it's own, and rising until it was inches from Percy's face. Percy's eyes widened, but he did exactly what Nico had expected. He pulled out his stupid pen, and uncapped it to reveal the stupid bronze blade.

"I don't want to fight you, Nico," said Percy.

"Then go away and pretend you never saw us," said Nico, "it's none of your business anyway."

Percy looked at him sadly. "I can't let him grow up to destroy us, you know that. We cannot have another war like those we had. Too many people died."

"He's not going to hurt anyone!" Nico pleaded. If only Percy could see how sweet Zagreus was, how thoughtful and kind! Zagreus was no monster!

"You don't know that Nico!" said Percy, getting upset now, "You're being ... you know... ruled by your emotions. He's manipulating you. I have to take him back to Hades."

"No!" shouted Nico, and aimed a blow at Percy's arm. It would never have hurt him properly, just enough to force him to drop the sword until Nico could make him listen. But Percy caught the blow and returned one of his own, and another until the room rang with the sounds of swords clashing.

Percy was a better swordsman. He'd stayed at camp for longer than Nico and trained. Nico had tried to do the same with spirits of great fighters, but death tended to unfocus people, and practice fights never lasted for more than a few minutes at a time before the ghosts were distracted by something banal. The only reason Nico wasn't dead was that Percy was only trying to disarm him.

This fight lasted two minutes before Nico felt a sting in his wrist that forced his fingers to spasm and the sword to fall to the ground. He and Percy were both breathing heavily, and Nico glared hard at the man.

"We have to Nico," said Percy, "It's better this way. We take him back, or Hades will throw us both in the Lethe and drag him back in chains. Come on."

He picked up Nico's sword, and tucked it into his own belt before capping his own sword.

"No," said Nico, "You can't make us."

Percy looked at him sadly. "Yes I can," he said. "I can tie you up and leave you here, and take him, then come back for you. Don't make me do that."

Before Nico could make the decision, an enormous bang slammed through the room. He was knocked back, landing on a bed. He scrambled back to his feet, to see ropes flying from the ground and wrapping themselves around a stunned looking Percy Jackson.

"Percy..." breathed Nico, as Zagreus stepped between them.

"You will not threaten my brother, Percy Jackson," said Zagreus, "you will not hurt him, or try to scare him. He is the best creature that I know.

Percy's arms were looped in to his sides by threads that looked tight enough to leave bruises. Ropes burst into his mouth, too, forcing it open and stopping him making clear sounds.

"Stop!" Nico shouted, "Zagreus, stop!"

Both swords had flown from Percy's side, pushed out by the ropes, and they landed in Zagreus' outstretched hand.

"His life is your hands, Nico," said Zagreus. "I would kill him for threatening you, but I do not think you want me to."

"No!" said Nico, "Don't hurt him! You said you wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Zagreus shook his head. "I said I will save everyone. This is my aim. I may only be able to save a lot of them."

"Zagreus!" Nico pleaded, "He's trying to do the right thing. Please let him go."

"If I let him go, he will run to Hades. I will be returned to that place and chained before I am strong enough to escape. I cannot allow that to happen, Nico."

"He won't, will you Percy?" Nico cried, desperately, "I promised you I'd look after you, Zagreus, and I will, but don't hurt Percy, please."

Zagreus considered them both for a few moments. Percy was struggling in his bonds but it was hopeless.

"I will not kill you, Percy Jackson," said Zagreus. "But only because my brother has begged for your life. Should he change his mind, your life will be over, and I understand death holds mortals in the underworld without escape."

Percy, still bound, tumbled to the floor, where he still failed to escape his ropes, as Zagreus turned to Nico.

"I thank you, Nico my brother." He put his hand once again on Nico's face, "You have saved me and cared for me. I have seen the best humans can be because of you. But I will not put you in more danger. I am strong enough now to travel alone. I will never forget all you have done for me."

"What?" gasped Nico, "You can't leave me, you're still a child."

"No, Nico," said Zagreus, "I am a God." He leant forward, and brushed his lips to Nico's temple. "Good bye, Nico di Angelo. You will be rewarded."

And in less than a second he was gone, leaving Nico alone in an Alaskan hotel room with a bound and furious Percy Jackson on the floor at his feet.

AN: Again, reviews make me jump up and down and do a little dance. It's funny, so you should do one. Even if it's really short.