Nico sat outside on the stoop of an old abandoned building, Hoody was inside messing with the film they had taken the night before, some of which was off Nico with his new mask on. Toby didn't feature in any of it, Nico had held the camera for a bit following hoody, he didn't know why any of this had been done. Hoody had decided it would be best if Nico didn't see the film before Jay and Masky did so Nico wouldn't have to fake surprise. Toby had gone off to get them breakfast but Nico was tired so he stayed, sitting with his legs drawn up on the concrete stoop of the old building.

He had pushed his mask back so it was resting on the top of his head so he could get a breath of free fresh air. He leaned his head back against the side of the door and closed his eyes making sure to listen closely to the sound around him, if anyone came around he would have to retreat back in before they saw him.

Nico's eyes snapped open when he heard someone approaching but he relaxed again when he heard Toby singing one of the songs from the fall out boy album they had listened to the other day. He relaxed again and sighed. Toby fell silent as he got closer until he was standing right in front of Nico who didn't open his eyes.

"Are you asleep?" Toby asked softly.

"No." Nico sighed heavily opening his eyes to look up at Toby who was once again wearing his goggles and mouth guard covering most of his face. He was holding a bag from the nearby grocery store, he had been sent because Jay wouldn't recognize him, he wasn't on the tapes because it was supposed to stay that way, he would leave the area before Hoody and Nico went back near the hotel and Nico would need to pretend to forget.

"Then let's go back inside, I think it's time we all ate something." At that moments Toby's phone went off in his pocket and he pulled it out. "Yep I was right that's my alarm." He said dropping the bag and pulling of one of his gloves with his teeth so that he could shut of the alarm on his touch screen phone.

"You have an alarm for breakfast?" Nico asked standing up and picking up the bag Toby had dropped taking it inside.

"Yep, 'the same disorder that stops me feeling pain extends to most negative external stimuli including hunger pains' as one of my doctors put it, so I have to set an alarm to make sure I eat when there aren't any scheduled meals like at home." Nico made a 'huh' noise and led the way inside with the bags, Toby followed him.

Hoody had taken off his mask so that he could fuss with the video equipment he had brought more affectively. Hoody had a computer, Nico had spent the entire night on alert for monsters as they were often attracted to computers and phones, so far none had shown up but there was still time so Nico didn't drop his guard. Toby took the bags back and started to go through the stuff he had gotten, unwrapping something and it to Hoody who was to busy to pay attention.

Nico wasn't paying attention, something had got his attention, he wasn't even sure what it was yet, maybe a sound, maybe a smell maybe just instinct but he knew better then to ignore it now. Toby shut up the moment he saw Nico reaching for the sword at his side, immediately going into combat mode as well. Nico padded silently over to the window, the shale on the floor barely shifting under his light footfalls there was a sound now, to quite to be human, not right to be wind.

"Is it Jay or Alex?" Toby whispered to Nico, Nico shook his head slightly and slid out of the window. Landing lightly as a cat on the balls of his feet bending his knees to absorb the impact and scanning slowly. Suddenly there was a crashing in the woods to his left and before he knew it he was being bowled over by something large. He and Toby yelped at the same time, Toby tried to attack the thing but his hatchet went right through it, crap it was a monster, Nico twisted quickly to defend himself when.

"Mrs. O'Leary!?" Nico laughed when he felt a large wet tongue licking his face and wrapped his arms as far as they would go around her neck hugging her soft warm fur. "Oh my gods girl how did you find me!?" her tag was wagging franticly making banging sounds against the side of the building and she barked deafeningly.

Hoody was at the window now looking incredibly puzzled and Toby's jaw was mouth was hanging open but Nico didn't care. Mrs. O'Leary flopped onto her side and rolled onto her back, Nico scratched her stomach as best he could as she squirmed happily.

"Yes I missed you too girl! Of course I missed the best hell hound ever!" She growled happily as Nico fell into the sort of silly baby talk most people used with small fluffy dogs. "Yes you are, you are just the best girl ever! Who's the most terrifying hell beast." She barked happily and flipped back up to her feat pinning Nico under her huge padded paws again and licking his face. "Yes you!" He laughed ruffling her ears, she backed off him and bounced on her front paws. "You wanna play girl?" She growled happily. "Go find a stick and we'll play fetch I don't have your shield with me." She ran off to find a good stick and finally Nico looked at hoody and toby who were still staring at him.

"What?" Nico said with a shrug. "She's a hell hound of course she likes me."

"A h-hell hound?" hoody asked. Nico nodded. "is she s-safe?"

"Yes very much so, she's well trained she doesn't go after anyone unless me, or Percy, tell her too. Usually me Percy seems to forget about her a lot." Hoody shook his head wonderingly and then turned back into the building. Apparently it would take more then a hell hound to distract him from his work for long. Nico smiled and shook his head before glancing at toby who still looked unsettled. "What's the matter?"

"My hatchet went right through her. what…" Toby was cut off as Mrs. O'Leary came crashing back through the bushes with a stick almost as long as Nico was. Still it was light and Nico was able t pick it up fairly easily, throwing it as hard as he could through a break in the trees.

"Yep." He answered toby once Mrs. O'Leary had taken off after the stick. "Greek monsters and gods can't be hurt by regular metals. Only Celestial bronze and stygian iron work on them, and Celestial bronze only works on them, it goes right through humans. Stygian iron is the only metal that works on both, that's why it's what my sword is made out of that." Mrs. O'Leary came back through the bushes and Nico threw the stick for her again.

"Why?" Toby asked watching Mr. O'Leary with more curiosity then fear now.

"Celestial bronze is the metal of the gods, stygian iron is the mettle of the underworld." Nico explained. "I don't know much more then that except as a half god half human I can be hurt by anything that would hurt either. It sort of sucks." Toby laughed.

"Can you ride her?" he asked as Mr. O'Leary came crashing back again.

"Oh sure I do it all the time. Since she's a creature of the underworld she can shadow travel too, sometimes if I'm to tired I just ask her to take me wherever I want to go. She's much smarter then a normal dog." After remembering how implosive Toby could be Nico added quickly "If you want to you'll have to let me introduce you first or she might try and eat you."

"Okay." Toby said laughing. So when Mr. O'Leary came back Nico made her drop the stick and say hello to Toby. She snuffled Toby all over making him laugh, after a minute she walked away from him, picked up her stick and carried it back to Toby.

"She wants you to play with her." Nico said smiling. "She likes you."

"Awesome!" Toby cheered grabbing the stick happily and throwing it farther then Nico had been able to. Mrs. O'Leary took off after the stick and Nico turned away from them, climbing back through the window into the window. Looking over the stuff toby had bought Nico snatched a chocolate bar and an apple going back to the window to watch Toby and Mrs. O'Leary play as he ate, alternately taking bites of the chocolate and fruit.

It looked like Mrs. O'Leary had finally found someone with energy equal to her own as the game transitioned from fetch into chase because she refused to give the stick up. She was panting happily and Toby laughed. Good maybe she could stay with Toby when Nico inevitably had things to do, if Percy wasn't back of course, or maybe even if he was, Percy had always had a hard time giving her the time she needed. Nico's thoughts were interrupted by a soft sound behind him, Hoody had said something.

"Sorry I didn't hear that. Could you repeat it please?" he asked moving a little closer to Hoody so he would be able to hear better.

"R-remind T-toby to take off his s-sweater or h-he'll over h-heat." Hoody asked, seeming more nervous at being asked to repeat.

"Okay." Nico said Nodding and turning to the window he called to Toby. "Hoody says make sure you don't overheat." Toby looked up at him in confusion for a minute then his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh right." He yelped and pulled his sweatshirt up over his head. Tossing it over to the side before lunging after Mrs. O'Leary again. They seemed to be doing fine and weren't hurting each other so Nico turned back inside.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked Hoody, who looked up at him with his eyebrows raised. "I mean it'll have to be something simple because I'm bad with technology nut still." Nico amended and Hoody chuckled shaking his head. "Okay." Nico said shrugging. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

"No Th-thanks I'm almost d-done." Hoody assured Nico and Nico watched as Hoody pulled a fresh tape out of his pocket and slipped it into a devise Nico couldn't hope to understand and Hoody wasn't going to explain so Nico gave up. Instead he went back to watching Toby and Mrs. O'Leary playing because it was making him smile.

"Toby didn't you say it was time you ate something?" Nico interrupted them after a few more minutes when Mrs. O'Leary seemed about ready to take a break.

"Aww but." Toby said but Nico cut him off.

"Mrs. O'Leary is ready for a break and considering how active you've been so far today I'd say it would be bad if you 'forgot' to eat." Toby grumbled but when he saw Mrs. O'Leary had flopped over and was lying happily on her side again he didn't argue. He came back and took some food. Once Nico was sure toby was eating he glanced over at Hoody to make sure he hadn't forgotten as well which he had. The pastry thing Toby had passed hoody ad been put down on top of a piece of paper and forgotten as Hoody watched something on the small camera screen intently.

"Hoody." Nico sighed, and Hoody glanced over at Nico with confusion on his face. "Don't you forget to eat to." Nico said gesturing at the pastry and Hoody glanced a it, seeming surprised that it was still there. Then he chuckled and grabbed it, taking a bite as he turned his attention back to the screen, eating as he rewound the short video and looked it over again twice. Nico watched as Hoody nodded happily, stuffing the rest of the pastry into his mouth before popping the tape out of the camera, putting it in a case and handing it to Nico.

"It's finished?" Nico asked and Hoody nodded again as he chewed. "Great!" Nico said grinning and slipping the tape into his pocket.

"I bet Masky and jay are already looking for him." Toby said after swallowing his bite of egg salad sandwich. "We should head back towards the hotel soon so they can find him. Or do you want to wait till the come looking here? I mean this is the place they always found Tim when he and Masky still has switch offs and since we've said Nico has the same thing Tim did maybe they'll come looking for him here."

"Wait." Hoody said nodded decisively.

"Dose that mean I can have a nap?" Nico asked yawning, he had hoped the sugar in the chocolate would wake him up but it had done nothing. Hoody chuckled and nodded. "Good." Nico said getting up and stretching before going out the window again. As he had suspected Mrs. O'Leary was tired from shadow travel and play and had already found a patch of sun to fall asleep in. Nico went over to her and sat, leaning against the soft, sun warmed fur of her stomach, she snuffled but didn't wake up as Nico got comfortable.

Toby sat down next to Nico and wrapped his arm around Nicos shoulder, pulling Nico against his side. Nico snuggle against Toby's chest where the older boys head twitches wouldn't bother him and closed his eyes humming contentedly. Toby started playing Nicos hair gently and humming a song that, unsurprisingly, Nico didn't know. Nico sighed happily, relaxing completely allowing his exhaustion to pull him quickly down into sleep.

He didn't know how long he slept but when he woke up the feeling of both Mrs. O'Leary and Toby were gone and someone was shaking him. Instinctively Nico lashed out pushing whoever was shaking him away hard.

"Nico, Nico wake up it's us!" Oh it was masky, Tim, he needed to call Masky Tim.

"Tim?" Nico questioned rubbing his eyes to make his vision clear and squinting at him.

"Jay I found him!" Masky yelled and there was a rustling in the bushes. Gods of Olympus how did one human manage to make almost as much noise as a hell hound? And jay came bursting out of the trees.

"Is he okay?" he asked overly loudly.

"Ya I'm fine what are you guys doing here? I told you I was going for a walk." Masky and Jay exchanged confused looks.

"How long do you think you were gone?" Masky asked doing well at sounding concerned.

"I don't know, maybe an hour? Maybe less? I don't remember falling asleep though."

"Nico you were gone all night." Jay said gently. Nico made his eyes widen in shock.

"What? You're joking. Right?" Nico looked at Masky and he shook his head.

"Wait what's this?" Jay asked suddenly and reached for something in the grass beside Nico. It was the skull mask. "Nico do you know anything about this?" Jay asked sounding angry, Nico shrunk back.

"No I've never seen it before. How was I gone all night I don't remember anything." He looked at Masky again who sighed.

"I told you he had the same thing I did. I guess he must have had an episode last night." Masky said to Jay and Nico looked back and forth between them. It was easy to fake being a little bit scared, especially since jay looked angry but Masky just helped him up. "Come on let's get you back to the hotel. Looks like you'll have to share my meds with me now. Don't worry they'll help." Nico nodded and let Masky pull him up and start leading the way out of the woods, Jay was behind Nico.

Nico slipped his hands into his pockets as they walked, leaving the mask behind, he hoped Hoody or Toby would go back and get it. For a minute Nico was actually surprised at finding the tape in his pocket and he monopolized on that.

"Hey Tim? There's something in my pocket that wasn't there when I left last night." Nico said and Masky stopped turning to him.

"What!?" he asked sounding confused, angry and afraid, he was very good at this.

"Mmhmm." Nico said and pulled out the tape, glancing at it before handing it to Masky. "Apparently it's a tape but I swear I didn't have any on me when I left for my walk last night."

"Welcome Back." Masky read off of the case glancing over Nico's head at Jay. "Sounds like more old friends are back then just Alex and the Operator." He said dryly and Jay groaned rubbing his hands over his face. Nico settled for looking silently puzzled.

"Well let's get out of the woods and we can watch it. I'm getting really sick of all these tapes."