Disclaimer: I still don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All credit for PJ&O verse is with Rick Riordan.

AN: Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate all the follows and favourites and reviews. It's really inspiring and honestly puts the biggest smile on my face. Even when a few of you don't like things, I still appreciate taking the time to tell me. So here it is the next chapter. I wanted to get more into Nico's head so the first bit in a bit of recap through his POV. As always R&R! You're amazing.

Tempting the Fates

Chapter Seven

Barnacle Brain Munches Monsters

Nico

The one thing worse than returning to Tartarus for a second visit was returning with Percy Jackson. Not that Percy did anything to rub Nico the wrong way but he grated on the younger man's nerves nonetheless. The hellish conditions were bad enough— it literally boiled and began to melt the flesh off their bones, an unforeseen complication when falling into the pit with Percy in the first place as his prior visit was locked away in a cage whilst starving to death save for cursed seeds and nearly asphyxiating along with a few other wonders the result of which resulted in Nico nearly going permanently dement— but they were also looking at a pretty impossible quest. Oh, yeah. And Nico in all his foolishness had (as they fell) promised on the river Styx that he would get the Barnacle Brain back to Annabeth.

Yeah, not so sure his first stint in Tartarus hadn't left him permanently warped.

It wasn't Percy's fault but the boy clearly wasn't accustomed to silence because a few seconds of quietude would have the other begin babbling about something or another. Factor in that, like many other demigods with their minds running a million miles an hour, he was impulsive meant that he spoke without thinking and as a result repeatedly crammed his foot in his big mouth. The child of Hades had to give credit where credit was due, though. The hero was incessant in his discussion even if he hardly participated beyond a glower or a high raised brow and a dark look.

Why couldn't he just be comfortable with silence? Nico was acclimatised to little more than the sound of his own breath, background noise, and the susurration of spirits. Soundless as shadows— that was Nico. He could go weeks or months without speaking and not think anything of it. Besides, when Nico spoke others tended to stutter uncomfortable excuses about why they needed to scram. Then they were gone and the Ghost King was alone again, voiceless and vexed.

Wasn't everything hard enough without trying to find something to blather about? Especially when the young men were so different and he just didn't have the spirit to venture to the only topics that Percy was not so subtly sidestepping. These topics included: why he had saved Annabeth, what that meant, what Tartarus had been like last time, was he strong enough to not get them both killed, and why was he being such a grumpy Gus in the first place? Just to name a few of the less desirable conversations that Nico refused mutual cooperation.

Climbing down the cliff face, Nico paid particular attention to their path downward, finding every nook and cranny safe enough for the halfbloods to use without plummeting to an unheroic end. Threadbare as he felt since the past few days, at least his muscles were not effete as he skilfully scaled it. Looking down kept him from looking up, that was for sure. And when he did the sight was distracting— he almost lost his handhold as well. Percy didn't see the clumsy way he skidded the last few inches down before his feet landed on solid ground.

That's when it got a little tricky. Empousai above, nasty baddy massive unknown monster in a nearby cave and monsters being quite literally birthed out of the earth behind them. Why in the name of the gods Kelli decided to stalk the child of Hades when she so keenly had a grudge against the child of Poseidon, he just wasn't sure.

"You know, I've always had a soft spot for children of Hades." Even as she hobbled forward, her uneven gate seemed to lessen. Nico wasn't fooled by tricks of the mist. "Must be the dangerous streak— always close to death." She licked her lips and while she might have wanted Nico to see a tantalising ten that was completely out of his league, the monster in her cheerleader skirt and blazer tanked more than she was a ten.

"Mist hardly impresses me. I can see what you are and believe me— you don't have a chance in hell."

Kelli's eyes narrowed and any pretense of pretending to be attracted to the young demigod were cast aside. Claws extended, her hair ignited, flaming upwards in her rage.

"You little… not want me? Everyone like always wants me! There must be something wrong with your lot…"

Oh great. Now even monsters think there's something wrong with me. He scoffed internally.

Seething, she pounced, a flash of fangs and claws. She moved just as quickly as he could blink but even though the shadows in Tartarous were not the type he could duck in and out of disappearing and reappearing all around her, there was a spring in his step.

Nico blocked her attacks but he was fatigued and more than a little distracted.

Focus. He told himself. But his mind was all over the place taking in the positioning of his feet, calculating how far he was from the ground that bore monsters, factoring in their travel towards the cave, keeping an eye on Percy who was covered in his own blood— again. The last fact was the one that made it hardest to concentrate.

A few good blows were laid to Kelli but just as he was about to land the final strike, a commotion caught his attention. The son of Poseidon moved in a way that Nico had only witnessed once before and that was in the first war. There was something dark around him as he moved— maybe it was the blood pouring from his side or the monsoon of his motions— and while he levelled the empousai who attacked he moved too close toe Kelli and the gale went out of him.

"Percy!" He screamed but time was different in Tartarus. It slowed down and sped up. He could see all of it before it happened, but Nico knew that he couldn't stop it. He was in reach and Kelli's claws extended puncturing the already bloody side of his body.

It was a shot in the dark but so was nearly everything that Nico tried— he never help much hope but that didn't mean he forsook trying.

"Bob! Bob, help me!" Nico shouted hoping the Titan he'd befriended maybe, just maybe, might be tuned into whatever wavelength he was currently on. Given they were in Tartarus, he didn't hope for much.

Stygian sword at the ready, he lunged forward but Kelli used the older boy as a shield and Nico feinted before accepting the uncomfortable draw. Three things happened simultaneously at that point— both of which he was certain Percy would not remember later given the way he was already faint on his feet— firstly, Kelli tore into the soft flesh of Percy's neck. The bleeding from his side was gushing now and the slurping she made as she chowed down on Percy-kabob was fetid. Secondly, a Titan fell from above wielding a massive mop and sporting a goofy grin and a pair of dirty coveralls. Lastly, before Percy blacked out he yanked at Kelli's hair (surely singing his hands to go along with the fact he was currently without eyebrows or eyelashes so far as Nico could too), but wrestled in her grip and clawing at her eyes, took a chunk out of her hand.

Kelli lost her hold on the demigod and before she could go in for the kill, the son of Poseidon dropped like a sack of rocks in a river and Bob swabbed her so roughly she burst into dust.

"Nico! I hear you!"

Wow. So something could possibly, maybe, go right. Go figure.

If there was something that he was pretty certain no other demigod had ever tried before, that was biting a monster. Especially not a blood sucking, clove footed, vampire woman with seriously bad hair. A few things in that moment worried Nico as he attempted to make friendly chat with Bob while also addressing the situation at hand.

There was of course the litres of blood Percy seemed to be pouring from his side and his neck. Lifting the soaked shirt, he inspected the wound and could see actual holes where flesh and been ripped away. Familiar with battle wounds (especially those perpetually present on spirits of fallen soldiers), the Italian worried his lip. It was deep. And then there was the neck and the distinct missing hunk of flesh. No major arteries harmed, thankfully, but the rate of loss was concerning.

Next, was the blood on Percy's lips. At first he worried Barnacle Brain had somehow bit his own tongue off and was about to gag to death on it— Idiot, he thought— but slipping a tentative finger passed the other's lips, he realised it was still in place. But there was blood in his mouth and after only a few moments his lips turned hues of blue starting to darken to black. The veins began to raise up on the skin and they looked flushed with infection, darkening in colour as well.

Did he… he actually… Percy bit her and did he swallow some of her blood? Oh for the love of the gods…

"What's wrong with him? He's funny colours!" Bob whimpered helpfully as he clutched his broom and shifted weight back and forth. After a moment it took on a sweeping motion. Apparently cleaning helped him to feel a little better.

Think, Nico. He's been poisoned by her blood, maybe? Oh shit… what if he turns into some kind of hybrid freak of nature? Annabeth is going to kill me. Everyone is going to kill me.

"Percy, you fucking… you are so infuriating! Why is it always something? It can't just be straight forward with you. No. No, you have to be the one hero in the entire world to get dropped to Tartarus and drink some freaking empousa blood. On accident. While you flip out all dark side and crazy. Seriously, Percy. You need to get your head checked!"

The words tumbled out, accompanied by a slightly dramatic shake to the shoulders which probably didn't shake any more seaweed lose from his head than already filled it. By the end, Nico was winded.

Jeez. Talking took a lot of effort. Especially in actual strings of sentences.

"Bob, please help me. I think we need to get him to the Phlegethon. He's dead weight, I can't… I'm not strong enough."

Glancing over his shoulder, the tossed an imploring look. Not that he needed to. The friendly Titan gave a dutiful nod and cradled the unconscious boy, carrying him to the river's edge.

"Will he be okay?"

Nico could swear he saw tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. Really, the trip in the Lethe had agreed with him. He had such a tender heart— the Ghost King wondered not for the first time if he was wiped of his memories, could he be a better person?— but the convulsing in his gut caused him to cram the feeling down.

No time for self pity. You've done this all to yourself. You know that.

"I don't know, Bob. But I'm hopeful. Help me… we have to get him under. Clean out the wounds and get him to drink some. I don't think he's going to like it."

Wading into the water beside the Titan, they both held Percy. Holding a breath, he shoved the other boy under the water, holding him for a few seconds. At first it wasn't even painful, the nerves so overwhelmed they had no expression in their nerve-language to feedback to his brain that agony wasn't quite the term. Incineration— he swore he could even smell his flesh sizzling.

Soon enough, the boy trashed from where he was held under. Bob's brows knit in concern but the Italian held him under a few seconds longer for good measure— and maybe just an extra second longer than that for his own guilty pleasure. Hey, Percy had ignored him for like ever. Just a little payback wasn't an awful thing.

Finally, he pulled him back up.

What he hadn't thought of was the fact that Riptide always returned to Percy's pocked. The other thing he hadn't thought of was the fact that Percy, even in the throes of unconsciousness, was still hyper alert so while he was coming to he was able to transfigure his pen back into a blade and nearly decapitated Nico in the process. He jumped back and stumbled, falling under the current of the river.

Oh hellhounds! He swore to himself and when he finally had his feet back under him and emerged once more Nico sputtered, "Bob! Hold him down! Don't let him out. He's not finished!"

Bob was certainly the only Titan in existence who looked both uncomfortable and guilty at the same time whilst holding a demigod still. Uncertain eyes focused on Nico while Percy screamed. He was going to draw all the monsters to them if he didn't pipe down and somehow he didn't think that gagging Poseidon's son was any way to get him to calm down.

Riptide was momentarily lost in the river but sure enough the trusty pen would return to his pocket. Fortunately his hands were busy held behind his back and he wasn't able to fetch it.

Closing the distance between them, he slapped a hand over the other demigod's mouth. With his free hand, he scooped up some of the water and poured it down Percy's throat. The other sputtered and cursed, eyes wide but clearly not seeing. Whatever Kelli's blood had done to him had unsettled something in his head. A few more handfuls of water and the clarity began to come back to Percy's sea foam eyes.

This proved to be even more troublesome.

"Let go of me! Holy shit… blood… What is this? No, don't! Please! Let me out. Oh gods, blood. This whole river— it's not a river. It's blood."

Oh yeah.

There was that one tiny little fact.

Not only was Phlegethon a fiery flood but it was also boiling blood where violent deeds in life were punished by eternal searing gore. Tartarus has its own mist and while Nico could see through it, it had been clear that Percy hadn't quite pierced that veil to start with. There was also the slight possibility that in his own practicing with the mist— which he'd gotten decent at, if he did say so himself— he might have helped to mask it just a teensy bit more from his companion.

He wasn't exactly going to volunteer the fact that the only thing that might keep them going throughout this journey was actually consuming blood.

Besides, in the noxious air of Tartarus it burned off the skin soon enough, anyway. Not like they were walking around completely covered in gore anyway. If anything, it acted like a sort of sunscreen against the toxic haze. Running a blood soaked hand through his dripping hair, the Ghost King did have to accept that one. So it was a little tricksy of him— it had also kept them alive so far. And it was responsible for mending the massive chunk a monster had gobbled out of Percy's neck.

Shifting back and forth, Bob peered uncomfortably in the river as well. Not that he needed any kind of spf 1,000,000 against Tartarus but wading in the Phlegethon didn't exactly make the memoryless Titan feel any better.

It was now or never. Conscious of every movement he made, and the way Percy's shoulder even clothed in tatters felt solid and muscled beneath his touch, Nico gave the other a gentle squeeze. "Percy, please. Listen to me. It's Nico, you need to calm down. Yes, this has always been blood. But you were nearly eaten by an empousai and she took some monster sized bites out of you. This is the only thing that's going to heal you. Gross as it is, you need to drink some more." Eyes were hard like emeralds, capturing him but not forgiving. "I know I should have told you but Percy, please. Just trust me on this. Bob's only helping. Remember Bob?"

"Hello Percy! We are friends!" He added helpfully.

Catching sight of the coveralls and then the Titan himself, he stopped struggling.

"I'm glad you're okay," Bob continued. "Nico and I were very worried. Your lips turned black and you didn't look so good. I think you'll be okay, though."

Percy stopped struggling. Thank the gods for small victories.

Casting a glance sideways, the younger halfblood couldn't help but smile. He was simple and sweet.

Maybe not all monsters were bad.

The three climbed up the banks of the Phlegethon and rested on the bank catching their breath.

Percy refused to look at the younger boy and he sighed.

Not all monsters were bad, but not all monsters were him, either.

AN: Ahhh tricky but for a reason! The next chapter will probably come tomorrow and may be a little shorter but I wanted to try something else different and get a little more into Nico's head and into the relationship between Bob & Nico. Probably from Percy's POV. Let me know what you think, though. :)