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Nyx groaned loudly. ‘I’ll … I’ll get you, Nico di Angelo,’ she slurred.

‘Go,’ said Nemesis, pulling her whip tight. ‘It’s only a matter of time before she breaks away from us.’

Nico nodded at all three of Nyx’s children, then stood. He looked to Will, whose eyes were red with tears, and Bob, who was sniffling.

‘Don’t be dramatic,’ said Nico, rolling his eyes. ‘Let’s go.’

The four of them moved towards the edge of the cliff, and dread hit Nico once again. They were stillwaytoo high up.

‘I literally forgot we had to jump into that,’ said Will. ‘At least the Acheron could heal us a bit, right?’

‘Not here,’ said Bob, shaking his head. ‘The Cocytus is too potent. It is a river of hopelessness.’

‘You might be healed,’ said Nico, ‘but you’d never move again. The despair would be too great.’

Nyx groaned again, and this time it was louder. Nico glanced back at her struggling form and saw that Hypnos and Epiales were doubled over.

‘Go!’ screamed Nemesis.

Nico gazed down at the rivers. ‘How exactly are we going to do this?’

‘Like this,’ said Bob, and, before either of them could protest, he snatched them all up and clutched them to his chest. A moment later, he leaped off the edge, and Nico couldn’t help but scream as they fell down, down, down, and hit the combined waters of the Acheron and the Cocytus.

The currents rushed over him. Nico felt too many things at once: the frigid, icy water on his skin; the screams and lamentations of the dead, those who believed there was no point to existence any more; the hopelessness; the grief; the overbearing, all-encompassing sadness; the desperate desire to live; the fear that this was it, this was what would finally take him out.

Nico resurfaced and gasped for air, and soon he felt chilled through and through, like he’d become one giant ice cube. Bob moved Nico to one shoulder, even though Nico barely fitted there. As his teeth chattered, Nico saw that Will was shivering on Bob’s left shoulder. Small Bob clung furiously to his Titan friend’s head.

‘Would l-l-love t-t-to never d-d-do that-t-t again!’ Will stuttered.

‘Hold on,’ said Bob, and a little sob broke out. ‘This is the hard part.’

He was standing upright in a rushing river, and then …

He started wading.

His steps splashed in the converging rivers, and he grunted every so often, as if the currents were trying to hold him back. Nicowas in awe, for the waterhadto be tormenting Bob continuously, reminding him of all he’d done throughout his long, long life. But the Titan didn’t stop. He pressed on, leaning slightly forward to give himself momentum.

Bob strode towards the far bank, each step methodical and precise. He was deep in concentration, tears pouring down his face. Or was that sweat? Both, probably. So Nico leaned over and kissed Bob on the temple.

‘We love you, Bob,’ he said. ‘Whatever the river is telling you … fight it.’

Bob smiled. ‘Thank you, Nico,’ he said. ‘But I do not need your assistance. I shall not be sacrificing myself today. I wouldverymuch like to leave Tartarus and never come back.’

With that, he let out a whoop of laughter, and he pushed forward, the currents racing perpendicular to the direction he walked. ‘I’m free!’ he screamed. ‘I’m free!’

Will was chuckling, too, and it was an infectious sound. Nico didn’t even realize until then how much he had missed the sound of his boyfriend laughing.

He had missed a lot of things.

Bob finally lifted his right foot out of the rivers and stepped onto the bank. He nearly fell over as he did, but he steadied himself at the last second, then pulled his other leg from the water. The Titan cried out in joy and quickly set the demigods on the ground. But the success was short-lived.

Because an out-of-breath Nemesis was standing right in front of Nico.

He practically jumped out of his clothing. ‘Don’t do that!’ he said. ‘Like, give a warning or something!’

‘No time,’ she said, her chest rising and falling. ‘She’s free. You need to go now.’

Nemesis raised her hand towards upstream and squeezed her eyes shut tight. ‘I have the power of tychokinesis.’