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‘Lonely souls,’ said Nico. ‘That’s what your dress is made of, isn’t it?’

Gorgyra nodded. ‘I began to weave this gown long, long ago, when Acheron left for the last time. Deep down, I knew he would never return. So I began plucking souls from his waters. It wasn’t long before they began to seek me out, yearning to find … well, to find the others.’

Will shivered. ‘I thought the souls in the Acheron were guilty of terrible crimes. Why would you want them near you?’

Gorgyra smoothed her skirts. ‘Not all the souls are so terrible. Those I collect are the lost, the remorseful, the ones whose greatest crimes were againstthemselves.’

‘I – I don’t understand.’

Gorgyra arched her dark brows. ‘Do you not, Will Solace? Self-doubt. Despair. Fear. Guilt. Shame. So many ways we do harm to ourselves … and convince ourselves we do not deserve a place in the fabric of the world. I try to show these lonely souls that even here, at the edge of eternal darkness, there is a chance for hope. Is that not what has brought you and Nico here as well?’

Nico and Will exchanged another look.

‘How do you know our names?’ Nico asked.

‘Oh, names are theleastof it,’ Gorgyra said. ‘When you spend every day listening to souls, you learn that they have a great deal to say. Even those of the living … like so.’

She raised her hands, and then shetugged.

Nico gasped. Something shifted deep within his chest, as if she had reached into him, roped his heart and pulled it. A faintly glowing thread curled through the air between him and Gorgyra, who had the opposite end laced between her fingers.

Questions vibrated along the thread, echoing in Nico’s mind:

Does he love me?

Will I ever find my place at Camp Half-Blood?

Who could ever find me lovable?

Next to him, Will gasped. Nico turned to see another thread snaking towards Gorgyra, this one anchored to Will’s chest. His eyes were red and watery.

‘Stop it,’ Nico croaked. ‘Stop!’

‘As you wish.’ Gorgyra lowered her hands. As quickly as it started, the sensation ended. The thread went slack, then wound itself back into Nico’s chest. Will collapsed, panting.

‘I will not take threads without consent,’ said the nymph. ‘I only wished to demonstrate that I can hear you. Iwantto hear you. There is a yearning in both of you, and it begs to be heard.’

Will shuddered. ‘The darkness …’

Nico wasn’t sure why Will had said that, but, as he stared at his boyfriend, he recognized the expression on Will’s face: loneliness. Had anything been more of a constant in his life?

Nico scowled at Gorgyra. He didn’t appreciate their souls being yanked around like marionettes. He wondered if they should just fight this woman and take her boat … if they even had the strength to beat her.

Gorgyra’s pained smile told him she could read his feelings, and she would find such an attempt both sad and predictable … two things Nico did not want to be.

‘What do you want from us?’ Nico asked. ‘We need your boat. Do we have to complete some kind of quest to get it?’

‘Not in the way you think,’ she said softly, and sat down again by the fire. ‘The boat will help you survive the plunge, yes. It will not completely shield you from the effects of Acheron, but it will make the voyage … possible.’

Will pulled himself upright. He leaned against Nico’s shoulder for strength. ‘And what do you want in exchange?’

Gorgyra gazed into the flames. ‘There is only one currency among the lonely … to help us feel part of the texture of the world again. And you need to share it as much as I need to receive it.’

Nico growled. ‘Enough with the riddles –’

‘We’ll do it,’ Will said. He faced Nico. ‘We can’t turn back now.’

Nico made a mental note not to let Will do the negotiating if they ever bought a first car together. But he also knew that Will was right.