It was the middle of the morning when they finally reached the camp border, after preparing everything they would need for their quest. Nico could feel the beginnings of fear creeping up his spine as he listened to the eerie silence of the forest that surrounded Camp Half-blood, broken only by the rustling of the branches as wind blew through them. Gulping slightly, he turned to face the people who had come to see them off. There was... one person. Chiron was the only one there

"Should I be insulted ?", he asked, raising his eyebrows as he did

Chiron chuckled lightly, "I believe they think you're heading to your death, and so saw no reason to see you off"

Wow. Quite the vote of confidence there. "Still though, not even Will's cabin-mates came to say bye ?", he said out loud. Will laughed slightly beside him, "I told them not to come. You aren't good with crowds"

That was... actually quite thoughtful. Nico felt a blush creep it's way onto his cheeks. Chiron raised a knowing eyebrow at that. Fucker.

"A-anyways !", he suddenly shouted, breaking off his train of thought, which was getting increasingly risqué the more he thought about Will, "Where are we going first ?"

Chiron smiled kindly, accepting the clear attempt to change the topic, "Well, it depends. I would suggest that you at least try to get some better weapons before diving into Tartarus."

"Our weapons are good enough"

"Nico, your weapons are good enough to deal with the monsters of Earth and the Underworld. Where you're going... it's the Underworld... "on crack" I believe is the term used nowadays. The danger level will increase exponentially. You need better weapons"

"I can't shadow-travel properly if the weapons I use are unfamiliar"

"Shadow-travel ? Nico, you can't shadow-travel into Tartarus.. or in Tartarus"

"Ah."

"You need armor too. Before he left, your father told me to tell you something. "

"What ?"

"There are three things you must find. Find the Home of the Children of Death, and learn from them. Find the Master Smith, and get your weapon, and... find the one who has stolen the Heart of Night, before the Mistress of Night does"

"The Home of the Children of Death ? Is that like a place specifically accessible to children of Hades ?"

"I believe it is. A sect within the Underworld. The Master Smith might be referring to Hephaestos, but I don't think that"

"You don't ?"

"Hephaestos is a god, and Olympus has been unreachable for many days now. No, the Master Smith is someone else. The Cyclopes, perhaps... or a child of Hephaestos. Regardless, the part of the message that truly worries me is the final part. The Heart of Night... I've never heard of it... but... I believe it refers to.."

"The heart of Nyx"

"How do you know about that ?"

Nico winced, trying to stop the involuntary, heart-stopping fear that filled his body whenever he thought about Nyx... "When... when I was in Tartarus... Nyx mentioned something about a thief who stole her heart. I thought she meant it as like... she fell in love... but now I know... she meant it literally"

"Someone has stolen the heart of a Protogenoi ? Incredible. That person may as well be a god now"

"The heart of a Protogenoi ?", Will interrupted, looking incredibly confused.

"Every Primordial has a heart, Mr. Solace. It is the most potent expression of their powers, manifesting as a physical object. It binds them to the physical realm, and contributes, in no small amount, to their strength. When Ouranos was "killed" by Kronos, his heart was shattered. If Nyx's heart has been stolen... then whoever stole it now possesses the greater part of the powers of a Primordial. It makes sense... I did think that Nyx sounded significantly weaker than normal in Mr Jackson's retelling of his experiences in Tartarus... but if her heart has been stolen... It makes sense"

"Why would she want it back ?", Nico interrupted

Chiron just stared at him with furrowed brows, looking like he was starting to become concerned about Nico's IQ level, "... Because it's a major part of her power ?"

"No, I mean, it's been a year since Percy fell into Tartarus, and we know that she had lost her heart before that, so why is she trying to get it back now ?"

Chiron opened his mouth, as if to say something, before closing it again. He did this a couple more times, before finally admitting, "I do not know."

Amazing. The centaur son of Kronos, who had lived for literally thousands of years, didn't know... couldn't even make a guess as to what Nyx's plans were... and yet Nico, the fourteen-year-old, was supposed to stop them.

"Wonderful", he bit out through gritted teeth

Chiron looked slightly apologetic, as well he should, and said, "If it's any consolation, you likely have the full might of Olympus behind you for this one."

Nico looked skeptical at that, "The full might of Olympus ? Really ?"

Chiron looked at him, as if he wanted to reassure him, but was unable to do so without lying, and said, "At least, more than you would for a normal quest"

"Right"

Chiron shrugged and said, "The gods are inscrutable, Nico. It's best to not rely on them"

Nico sighed, "Let's go, then"

Will smiled, though it was clear that he was scared too (Will had always been brave like that ), "Okay, let's go !", and turned to leave. Nico started to follow him, but stopped when he noticed that Chiron was gesturing to him. He turned to Chiron, who looked almost... scared, for once... and sad.

"Chiron ?"

"Nico, the last time I remember feeling this scared for someone was... centuries ago. I just want you to know... that no matter what happens... Even if you fail... I am proud of you"

Nico felt that last line make a direct hit on his heart, and, in a frantic attempt to mask it with humor (maybe he and Leo were more alike than he thought), asked, "Should I be insulted that you think that I'll fail ?"

"Anyone would, Nico. Any other demigod would... anyone else would have taken off running the second the prophecy mentioned Tartarus. No matter what happens, I am proud... you are a braver man than most"

"Thank you", Nico whispered quietly, blushing a bright crimson, before immediately taking off in Will's direction, desperately trying to hide the red glow that covered his cheeks

Chiron merely stood there for a few seconds, watching him leave, before another voice sounded from directly beside him, "Who does he remind you of ?" . He turned to look at the source of the voice. It was Dionysus. Of course it was.

"You know. Do you need to ask ?"

"Achilles or Patroclus ?"

"Achilles. The look in his eyes when he looks at Will... so similar to how Achilles looked at his beloved Patroclus..."

"Damn. Let's hope that he doesn't come across a Paris, then"

"Let's"