Page 141

‘Should we just find her now? You know, get it over with?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Get it over with?’

Will yawned. ‘You know what I mean.’

In truth, he did. Nico knew that facing Nyx was going to be awful no matter what happened, so he, too, wanted to get it over with.

‘Mrrow!’

They both looked up to see the shadowed form of Small Bob in the doorway.

‘Well, clearlyhethinks it’s time for us to go,’ said Nico, reaching for Will’s hand. He squeezed it once. ‘You ready, Will?’

Will squeezed back. ‘If I’m being honest …’ he said, then sighed. ‘No. Not really. But I don’t have much of a choice at this point. We’re practically on Nyx’s doorstep, aren’t we?’

Terror fluttered in Nico’s heart. He could see himself back there again, beyond the walls of Nyx’s home, the Mansion of Night looming and seeing deep into his soul.

He was going to have to return there. He knew it.

‘Let’s just go,’ he said, dropping Will’s hand and turning from the fire to head towards Small Bob. Will went over to collect his knapsack.

The cat was cleaning himself at the entry to the hut. He looked up at Nico and mewled pitifully.

‘I know,’ said Nico. ‘I don’t want to do this, either.’

Small Bob rubbed his head against Nico’s boots.

Moments later, Will stood next to Nico, his hand outstretched. In it was a small airtight bag full of Golden Oreos, a granola bar and a banana.

‘What’s this?’ asked Nico.

Will rolled his eyes. ‘Nico, it’sfood. We still have to eat down here.’

‘You packed these ahead of time, didn’t you?’ Nico began to peel the banana. ‘Seriously, what else do you have in your magic bag?’

Will didn’t laugh at that, though. ‘Not much, actually. I think the batteries I brought fell out somewhere, and there’s not much nectar or ambrosia left.’

Nico breathed in deep. ‘Well, we’re almost there. Just a little further to go, and then …’ He let the thought die, not wanting to speak any outcome aloud.

So he dropped the sheepskin from his shoulders and followed Small Bob as the cat bounded off into the swampy darkness.

For the first few hours (Were they hours? How much time had passed in the mortal world?), the demigods’ spirits weren’t as dire as Nico had expected. Sleep seemed to have greatly helped Will, who was no longer limping along. The blisters had healed on both their faces and arms, and Nico’s mind felt clear for the first time in ages.

After they left the clearing around Damasen’s hut, Small Bob led them through a soggy woodland. The air was chilly here, too, and a light dew coated the green and brown grasses that grew in clumps like hair on a giant’s head. Though Nico hadn’t travelled througha swamp the first time he was in Tartarus, he wondered if this was part of the same forest he’d been in before finding the Mansion of Night.

But he mostly felt disorientated. He had no idea which way they were heading, and he longed to be back in a world with the cardinal directions. Here? It was justdown.

As they trudged over the uneven ground, Will hummed to himself. It was a lilting melody, and Nico got lost in its rising and falling.

‘Another song of your mom’s?’ Nico asked once Will stopped.

He nodded. ‘Yeah. This is gonna sound cheesy, but I think I remember Annabeth and Percy saying cheesy stuff helps.’

‘Lay it on me, Will. I’m your grilled cheese.’

He stepped over a thorny rock, then squinted at Nico. ‘I think your metaphor needs work,’ he said. ‘Anyway, it makes me feel like Mom’s here with me. Like, Iknowshe’s not, but whenever things get scary and hard I hum her songs. And I know she’s somewhere, thinking of me.’

‘Good,’ said Nico. ‘Let’s have more of that.’