-Will-

For once, Nico wasn't hard to track down.

As I stepped outside, I heard the crunch of dead grass beneath my shoes - and it was springtime. I followed his unintentional trail to the dirt road that surrounded the lake. When I didn't seem him anywhere, I continued along the path toward the beach. The occasional wilted weed popping up along the road hinted that I was on the right track.

I found him by the water, sitting just like I'd been a minute ago, curled up and hugging his legs. The only difference was that his face was hidden in his arms, and his thin frame was shaking. The sight broke my heart and washed away my indecision. As I approached him, he stiffened and lifted his head. In the moonlight, I glimpsed tears in his eyes. He quickly hid his face in his arms.

"Leave me alone."

I hesitated, but not out of fear. His harsh tone was forced and miserable. I got the feeling that he would rather drown himself in the ocean than shout at me again. Still, I didn't want to push him...but I refused to let him shut me out.

"You don't mean that."

Nico didn't argue. As I sat on the sand next to him, he warned, "Don't touch me." I understood the reason behind the request, but that didn't make it any easier. I wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But I made sure to keep a few inches between us, for his sake.

I wasn't sure what to say at first, so I just listened to the waves. The repetitive rumbling lulled me into a sense of peace. I wondered what effect the sound had on my boyfriend. Generally, children the Underworld dislike large bodies of water, but I figured if anyone could break that stereotype, it was Nico. He'd sailed on the Argo II for weeks, and he had a thing for pirates, hence his ex-crush on the son of the sea god. Also, he'd grown up in Venice, which was the most watery city I could think of. I wondered if any of that had to do with his decision to come to the beach...or maybe he'd simply followed the path until he'd run out of land. Then he spoke again, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Why are you here?"

His gloomy question encouraged the doubtful voice in the back of my head: You shouldn't have followed him. This is dangerous. What are you thinking? I shut all of that out by focusing on better memories of him: everyday interactions that warmed my heart and reminded me why I fell for him. Then I thought of our conversation from a few hours ago, and I knew exactly what to say.

"Because I love you, dummy."

Nico almost didn't react. He seemed frozen. Then he said in a small voice, "You shouldn't."

I could think of a few ways to respond to that pitiful statement. I went with the most lighthearted one. "That's still not the right answer."

That pushed him over the edge.

I'd never heard Nico produce an actual, heart-wrenching sob. The sound made me feel like my heart was about to burst. I ignored his earlier request and pulled him close, clinging to him like I was holding a long lost loved one. Thankfully, he didn't push me away. His shoulders shook as he melted into the embrace. When I closed my eyes, hot tears trailed down my face. On instinct, I started stroking his hair again. I wasn't sure which one of us I was trying to comfort.

"I'm sorry," he choked out between sobs.

"It's okay, baby."

"But I c-could've k-k..." He gasped and shuddered, like the thought was too horrible to put into words.

I shushed him and kissed his head. "That's not going to happen. You're stronger than that."

"I didn't m-mean to."

"I know, Angel. It's okay."

After a minute, he managed to collect himself enough to whisper, "I love you so much."

"I love you more," I said without thinking. That started him sobbing again.

We didn't talk for a long time after that.

Eventually, Nico's sorrow gave way to silence, and the sound of the waves surrounded us again. When he fidgeted, I let him go, and he got into a more comfortable position. He laced his fingers in mine as he curled up against my side and leaned his head on my shoulder. For a long moment, he watched the waves, and I watched him. His expression was sullen and defeated, and his reddened eyes looked eerily vacant. As I tried to read his mind, he murmured two words that I'd never expected to hear:

"Jason's dead."

A chill rippled through me, and it had nothing to do with Nico's powers. Jason was one of Nico's closest friends - the first person to discover that he was gay and accept him without hesitation. Before he'd left Camp Half-Blood to search for Leo, he and Nico could often be seen dueling in the arena, sitting next to each other during camp counselor meetings, and stealthily throwing small objects at each other from their adjacent and equally lonely dining tables.

After the war, I couldn't help but feel jealous of Jason, and not just because of his closeness to Nico. Appearance-wise, he was like a photoshopped version of me: three inches taller and more muscular, with smoother blond hair, brighter blue eyes, and a stupidly hot scar on his lip. Also, as another kid of the Big Three, he was one of the only people who could match Nico in both fighting skill and raw power. Having already caught feelings, it had been maddening for me to watch the two of them together...even if Jason had been dating Piper at the time.

Back then, part of me had been glad when the son of Jupiter had decided to go to school on the west coast. Now, I felt sickened by the thought of never seeing him again. In fact, I couldn't even comprehend it. Of all the horrible things that Nico could've dreamt of, Jason's death was not one I would've seen coming. The idea was appalling for more reasons than one.

How could that happen to someone so powerful who already overcame so much?

I wanted to ask Nico if he was sure, but I took another look at his face, and I got my answer. He knew that his friend was dead, because he'd seen him die. That disturbingly empty stare made a lot more sense now.

I shivered as I recalled my own experiences with loss. It usually happened on the battlefield, when someone was already too far gone for me to heal them. But occasionally, it was something even more painful to watch...like a traumatic head injury, or a bridge collapse. There was a reason I'd become the head of my cabin after I'd just turned fourteen, and it wasn't because my older brothers had left for college.

I had every intention of comforting my boyfriend, but a question fell from my lips: "How?"

Nico closed his eyes, and I knew with uncanny certainty that he was picturing it again. His face twitched as he said quietly, "Stabbed."

Something about his tone told me not to ask how many times or with what. I swallowed and said instead, "An emperor did it?"

"I think so. I don't know who he was, but he seemed important," Nico murmured, gazing numbly at the ocean. My heart jumped into my throat as he added, "Your dad was there, with Meg and Piper. It looked like they were on a boat."

"Did you see anything else?"

"They got away," Nico clarified, and my heart rate slowed again. He stiffened as he went on, "He sacrificed himself...to buy them time. They...threw him into the ocean."

The pain in his voice was tangible. I blinked more tears out of my eyes as I squeezed him tighter. "I'm so sorry, love."

I expected him to start crying again - it was probably what I would've done - but he continued staring at the waves like my words had bounced right off him. I figured he was too emotionally drained to process any more grief at this point. His desolate expression worried me, though.

Now more than ever, I didn't want him to run off and do something reckless. The rest of us liked to think of the Big Three's kids as invincible, but I knew firsthand that that wasn't true. Percy would've been dead twenty times over if not for Annabeth. Nico had barely survived Tartarus, and he'd almost shadow traveled himself to death multiple times last summer. Even Thalia would've died on Half-Blood Hill if her dad hadn't turned her into a tree. And if this emperor was powerful enough to kill Jason and survive, none of us stood a chance fighting him alone - not even Nico.

Unfortunately, I also knew that I couldn't stop him. If he really wanted to go off on his own self-appointed quest, he would. He'd done it before.

"What are you going to do?"

Nico sucked in a slow breath and let it out. I scuffed my thumb across the back of his hand as I waited for him to answer. I hoped he was receiving my mental messages: Don't go. I'm worried about you.

At last, he said softly, "I don't know yet. I...I might try to talk to him...or something. My dad would be pissed, though, and it probably wouldn't be...healthy, exactly." He pulled a face. "I want to fight - to help them - but I couldn't tell where they were. I could head to New Rome, I guess. But...if something happens here while I'm gone..." He sighed and closed his eyes, mumbling again, "I...I don't know."

I kissed his head again and leaned mine against his. Then I stared into the dark ocean and continued tracing my thumb across his hand, trying not to imagine a body floating in the waves. Before I could stop myself, a selfish plea left my lips:

"Promise you won't leave."

Nico took another deep breath. His voice sounded pained again as he murmured, "You know I can't do that. What if I'm in another prophecy? What if they need me?"

Worry gripped my throat as I mumbled back, "I know."

Nico was silent for a whole minute, but his eyes weren't so distant anymore. Then he asked me, "If I had to go, would you come with me?"

I paused to run that idea through my mind. I could think of no scenario where I would rather stay behind while my boyfriend was in danger. So I answered softly, "Always."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Still watching the waves, Nico gave my hand a squeeze and said, "Then I promise I won't leave you behind. I swear it on the Styx."

Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled, and I imagined a golden-haired boy flying through the clouds. I heaved a sigh and cuddled closer to Nico. His promise didn't make me feel much better about the future, and he still had that shattered glass in his eyes. But he was here with me now, keeping his hand in mine like that's where it was supposed to be - and that was all that I needed.