"But father," Nico pleaded, "she's really-"

"I don't care, Nico!" Hades screamed. "I don't like her... boyfriend."

I took a deep breath. Annabeth stared at the floor. Wasn't hating me for being Annabeth's boyfriend Athena's job?

"Please," Nico said, "he saved Olympus. He saved you. If he hadn't been there, we'd all be dead, and you'd be serving Kronos hand and foot. Get it?"

Hades sighed. "I suppose he did, didn't you, Jackson?"

"I guess," I said.

"You guess?"

"Honestly, I had a lot of help from your son, Clarisse, Annabeth, Rachel-"

"Modesty," Hades grumbled. "Wonderful."

Someone entered from the door.

"Oh, honey, the flowers are beautiful," Persephone exclaimed. "They're just blooming everywhere! You need to... What is he doing here? I thought I told him never to come back!"

Nico flinched. "Sorry, ma'am, I just want my friend to stay for a little while, just maybe and hour or so. Is that okay?"

Persephone wandered around the throne room, making random plants spring up from vases. To match the wonderful theme of the room, all the flowers were black. She picked one and walked up to a window, where she positioned the flower in her hair. It fell; she repositioned it.

"Ma'am?" Nico called.

She turned with a dangerous look in her eyes. "You dare to ask me? You're lucky I haven't had my plants choke you to death. If it wasn't for Jackson, I would've."

"Me?" I asked, lost.

"Yes. You saved us. Also, you and Annabeth make a cute couple."

We both blushed.

"Persephone," Hades groaned, "you sound like Aphrodite."

"I like Aphrodite."

"Nico," Hades said, "you may not stay here. I have told you that."

"Why?" he cried angrily.

"I value my eternal wife over my children who will die. Leave before I incinerate you to ashes!"

The door opened again and a blond woman came out carrying a basket of fruit. "Persephone, that garden is simply too dark! Only blacks and grays."

"My husband likes that, Mother," she answered.

"Demeter," Hades muttered, "this is not the time."

"Oh, but it... Oh, you have guests! Well I just picked fresh fruit. Perhaps you should stay for dinner."

"They were just leaving!" Hades screamed, staring murderously at Nico. Nico wouldn't look at his father. He just stared at the floor, and when he did look up, his eyes met mine. This is not working, he mouthed.

"Uncle," I said, stepping forward and bowing before his throne, "I'm begging you to let Annabeth stay until we can find the antidote."

"Why should I?" Hades said.

"Father," Nico said, "Persephone-"

"Do not talk to me, boy!" Persephone cried.

"Typical demigod," Demeter groaned. "You should've stayed with me."

"Mother!"

Hades broke up their argument, then stood up and paced. I wasn't sure if he was debating how to kill us or whether to help us. I was hoping for the latter.

"Nico," he said, "your friend may stay."

There was a collective sigh of relief from the demigods in the room, and a collective groan from the goddesses.

"Husband," Persephone said, "we can not trust Nico. What if he is bringing the virus into here? He may be trying to bring Olympus down."

"I helped save Olympus!" he screamed. "You can't treat me like this just because I'm not your son!"

Persephone walked slowly over to him. "I can do whatever I want, boy, because I can destroy you and your friends, and you can't do anything!"

Nico cried out and unsheathed his weapon. In one fluid motion, he swung at Persephone, who dodged it. It cut a little on her arm.

"That was it!" she screamed. "Hades, kill them!"

"Persephone," he mumbled, bored, "he's still my son."

"At least lock them up!"

Hades waved his arm and everything went black.

Someone was shaking me violently. "Wake up!"

I sat up quickly. "Nico? Annabeth?" It was pitch dark.

"We're here," Annabeth said, and coughed.

I stood up slowly, leaning against the concrete wall. Carefully, I made my way toward Annabeth's voice until I found her and sat next to her.

"Nico," I said, "what was that?"

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice muffled, like he was covering his face. "I was so angry. My real mom died back in the 40s, and I have no connection to my other relatives, so Persephone thinks she can treat me however and get away with it. Of course, she does."

"Welcome to the club," Annabeth muttered.

"Your parents are alive."

"Have you met them?"

"Stop," I said, "we didn't get this far just to be put in a cell. We're going to get out and get you the antidote."

She coughed, then sighed. "Percy, I don't think I can make it that far. Maybe we should just go back."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can barely run at the moment, therefore soon I'll barely be able to walk, then stand, then anything. I can't fight a Titan. You can't leave me anywhere, either. If we make it out of here, just take me back to Camp Half-Blood. Then I can be with my friends when-"

"Don't talk like that!" I cried. "You'll be fine! There's no way we can't get this antidote. We defeated Kronos, right?"

"Barely," Nico said.

"But we did! Come on, guys, we can do this. And everything is going to be alright."

Silence crept through again.

I couldn't help but think how we would be able to defeat Menoetius. Nico was angry, Annabeth was sick. I was the only one who wasn't... damaged. Yet. The "yet" was important, too. Who was to say that a hellhound, or Cerberus, or whatever, wouldn't maul or kill me? Maybe Annabeth was right, maybe we should go back to camp.