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‘No, I mean just now. Why did you send Amphithemis after them?’ He scratched Small Bob behind the ear. ‘It’s not his fault he’s the way he is.’

‘What are you talking about? I justsavedus!’

‘But now he’s going to continue wandering Tartarusforever!’ said Nico. ‘His spirit has clearly been trapped down here for millennia.’

Will’s mouth dropped open. ‘What was I supposed to do? You told me he was a mania. I thought they were bad!’

Nico sighed. ‘I mean … sometimes, yeah. Like when Reyna’s father lost it, and she had to kill him. But it’s not like they can help it! I could have … I could have –’

‘You could have donewhat, Nico?’ said Will. ‘You don’t have any Imperial gold. What exactlywereyou planning on doing?’

‘I don’t know!’ said Nico. ‘I didn’t really get a chance to think about it, since you sent him off after a bunch of monsters.’

‘So why are you mad atme?’

‘Who said I’m mad?’ Nico yelled.

‘Well, excuse me for trying to save our lives!’ snapped Will.

‘I’m sorry, weren’t you the one who abandoned me? Under aboat?’

The guilt smacked Will in the chest, and he tried to swallow it down deeper. ‘Look, I’m sorry,’ he said quickly. ‘I was trying to –’

‘And what exactly couldyouhave done?’ Nico shot back. ‘You left me alone and defenceless!’

Nico’s eyes filled with tears, and Will’s stomach sank. ‘Nico, I’m sorry!’ he said again quickly. ‘I don’t know what came over me. I just … I just got this idea in my head. It came so easily, and it was like I couldn’t think of anything else.’ Hot tears poured down his own face. ‘I thought if I found something that could bring us to Bob, you’d be proud of me. It was sostupid, I know. I never should have left you, but I didn’t realize that this place had tricked me until I was surrounded and –’

Then he burst into sobs, fear burning through him. He had lost Nico, hadn’t he? He’d made a mistake so awful that Nico was going to leave him behind, abandon him in this terrible nightmare, and hedeservedit, he’d earned it, this was where he was supposed to be, and …

Nico put Small Bob on the ground and approached. He wrapped his arms around Will and held him while he wept into Nico’s shoulder. Will let it all out until he had basically soaked Nico’s bomber jacket with tears and snot.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Nico. ‘I shouldn’t have snapped at you. The truth is, I figured this place had got to you and you hadn’tactuallyabandoned me.’

Will pulled away, sniffled, then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. ‘I did leave you a Kit Kat bar.’

Nico barked a laugh. ‘You did,’ he said. ‘And it was delicious. Thank you.’

Nico helped him sit down next to one of the rocks he had hiddenbehind, and Small Bob came scampering over, leaping into Will’s lap. The cat immediately began purring so loud and hard that he kind of felt like a portable massage gun, which Will’s sore legs absolutely needed.

While Small Bob got settled, Will told Nico everything that had happened since they’d been separated, including his brief flight on Stymphalian Airlines. ‘I don’t know how you managed alone,’ he said after catching Nico up. ‘I was by myself for maybe twenty minutes, and I thought I was never going to survive this place.’

‘Well, we still have further to go,’ said Nico. ‘So don’t get too excited.’

‘Does it feel weird? To be back here?’

Nico surveyed the lava plains in the distance. ‘A little,’ he said, his eyes aglow in the light of the burning magma. ‘But it’s also … I don’t know, familiar? I spent a lot of time here, so I’m not sure there’s much that can surprise me any more.’ He chuckled. ‘Well, I guess I can’t say that. I’ve never seen a mania spirit before.’

‘I’m sorry I acted without thinking it all the way through,’ said Will. ‘You were right – Amphithemis doesn’t deserve a fate like that. His soul should be put to rest.’

‘Well, I don’t even know how I would do that,’ said Nico. ‘And at least we’re safe … for the moment.’ He looked around suspiciously at the nearest regeneration pods.

Will sat forward and rummaged through his knapsack until he grabbed hold of his med kit. After pulling it out, he situated himself so that he was facing Nico’s left side, while Small Bob hopped into Nico’s lap.

‘Let me get those scratches on your cheek,’ Will said, opening some antiseptic pads to disinfect his hands. ‘How’d you get them?’

‘Ugh,’ Nico groaned. ‘Amphithemis.’

Will paused. ‘But I thought you said he was a spirit.’