A/N Justslaygold, you asked how I managed to update so quickly. Actually, a couple of people had asked this (I assume you are all people and not, say, an orca on a laptop), and the answer is this:

I have no social life.

Thanks for reviewing and following me everyone!

Nico was all for leaving as soon as the sun rose (Will's favourite time of day, he noted), but one small part of his brain spoke up with such a well reasoned argument that he ended up delaying. It spoke in Will's voice.

Stop, Death Boy. This monster could be anywhere - you don't even know what it looks like. Are you really going to search the entire world for something you've never seen before?

He wanted to ignore it, but it spoke with a little too much certainty, just enough that it couldn't be ignored. It was pretty logical, too. (Just like Will: he spoke like this a lot.)

So he went to find Leo. As it was still just after dawn, he simply shadow-travelled into the private room under Hephaestus cabin where Leo slept. He didn't really want to wake the entire cabin. Leo, however, he owed for the amount of times the Latino had woken him on the Argo II...

He grabbed the boy's wrist and stepped back into the shadows.

It turned out that Leo didn't like waking up under the pier.

Nico quickly explained his problem, frequently interrupted by curses (he was glad they weren't Hephaestus' strong point - if a child of Hecate had told him that his limbs were going to turn into jelly, he would actually have been worried), stupid questions ("What kind of mother names her children Salia, Xanta, and Vernta?"), and even more stupid reactions ("I can't do anything. Why ask me?").

"Because, idiota, you can build something that tracks down this monster!"

Leo frowned pensively down at Nico.

I hate that even he's taller than me...

"Well, maybe I could," he eventually allowed. "But why can't you just leave it?"

It was like Leo had hit him in the face. "W-what?" He gasped.

Leo looked away from him. "Look, Nico," he began uncomfortably, "Will seems happy now. He doesn't have a problem with no memory. No, I don't think you're doing this for him. I think you're doing this for yourself: you can't stand him being happy without you. You need him to need you. Who are you really doing this for, Nico? Nico?"

Spinning sharply on his heel, Nico dashed a palm across his eyes and strode rapidly towards the shadows of a nearby wall. "Go to Tartarus, Leo."

Just before he jumped, he felt something catch his jacket. Just the wind.

It wasn't.

When he reappeared, he was, for some reason, in China, and far more exhausted than he should have been. He hadn't accidentally visited Asia for a very long time...

His knees buckled and he slid down against a wall.

"Zeus' zebras! Is that- is that the Great Wall of China?!"

That explained it. An uncounted for extra passenger would throw his aim off a little. He ignored Leo.

"Nico? Why am I here?"

It's your own fault, Flame Head.

"Okay, not talking to me, huh? Fine." He felt the other boy slide down the wall next to him. "I just want you to think about what you're doing, Nico. I don't want you getting hurt for no reason."

Nico still refused to comment.

"Will you take me back now please?"

How dense is he? He knows perfectly well how tired I get after shadow-travelling...

"I'm sorry I said you were only doing this for yourself, Nico. I know Will's important to you."

Nico opened one eye and tilted his head to look at the boy next to him, then raised one eyebrow.

"Suffering Circe! Fine, I'll help you. But... ask him before you restore his memories, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks Leo."

Leo pulled himself back up and offered Nico his hand, which Nico took. "So... can you take us home now?"

Although still tired, at least he was steady on his feet. "Sure."

They arrived directly back in Leo's section of the forges. It was a decent sized room, with several work benches, a few cupboards of junk, more junk hanging from the walls and ceiling, and piles of - gasp - junk covering the floor.

Fortunately for Nico, there was also an oil stained couch by one wall; he collapsed onto it and passed out.

Dual travels to China were tiring.

XxX

"So you're going without me?"

"Yeah, but I promise I'll come back, Sunshine."

"You've said that before."

"I came back, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

A giggle.

"Guys! GUYS!"

"Oh, sorry Percy." Leo did not sound sorry.

"Just... don't let him do anything stupid, alright?"

Nico swung his legs off the edge of the cushions and sat up. "So you care after all, huh, Kelp Head?"

Percy jumped. "I know Leo's gonna be the one that gets in trouble. If he's worried about you, then he has less time to mess up..." he floundered.

"Hey!" Leo punched Percy lightly on the arm.

Nico smirked. "You know, he actually had a moment of reasonable thought earlier. Some of it actually sounded quite insighted..."

"I'm beginning to regret agreeing to this..." Leo muttered. Then he held out a small device.

It was roughly the size of a hardback book, with a fork sticking out of one end. A yoyo hung from the bottom corner, and a miniature wind vane adorned one of the flatter sides.

"... what is it?"

Leo's smile reached danger zone. Any sane person should and would lock all the doors and windows and then take cover when that smile appeared, Nico reflected.

Good thing demigods aren't known for sanity...

"This baby is going to find us that Kettle monster!"

Calypso took that as her cue to leave. Kissing Leo on one cheek, she slowly manoeuvred her way through the junk and out of the door.

What is he on about? Nico looked at Percy, who was nodding as though Leo had announced that a toaster made toast.

"... a Kettle monster?"

Leo gave him a 'well, duh' look. "The thing that gets memories back!"

"That's an Ehtel monster! E-H-T-E-L! EHTEL!"

"Yeah, that thing."

Percy left as well, leaving just the two of them.

Leo gestured to the door. "Are we going?"

"We? You mean, you're coming?"

"Well, duh."

Nico couldn't be bothered to answer that.

"Come on, Death Boy! I have transport!"

"Don't call me Death Boy." Only Will got to call him that.

Transport turned out to be a shiny, bronze, car shaped thing.

"Celestial bronze!"

Nico denied to respond to that as well. "It looks like a tank."

"It is a tank."

Nico just gave up.

XxX

The 'Find-The-Kettle-Monster-O-Matic' pointed them steadily northwards, so that was the way they went. The car drove itself, making the occasional random comment, and Leo started telling corny jokes about half an hour in to the journey.

"What do you get if you cross an elephant with a fish?"

"The cow says moo!"

"I don't know, Leo. I don't care either."

Leo pouted. "Harsh. The answer is... Swimming trunks!"

"That was awful."

"What do you get if you cross a vampire and a snowman?"

"..."

"Frostbite!"

Nico stated banging his head against one of the windows.

It turned out that Leo didn't mind telling jokes to the car interface, which meant that he talked pretty much constantly.

"ENOUGH! Please, Leo, no more!"

"The pig says oink!"

"Whuuu...?"

Nico twisted his head around so fast that he clicked his neck. "Ow!"

A pile of coats were moving around in the back of the vehicle.

"Who's there?" He called tentatively.

It better not be Travis or Conner...

It was two people, but they were not the Stolls.

An unruly mop of brown hair and a stream of silver emerged from the pile.

A/N Enjoy!

~Fi