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‘The troglodytes, you mean?’

Nico smiled, picturing the small froglike humanoids who had helped them defeat Nero. ‘We’ll be in good hands. Little webbed hands with lots of pointy claws.’

Will scratched his head. ‘Okay, I guess it’ll be nice to see them. Are you sure they’ll help us again, though?’

‘Why wouldn’t they?’ said Nico.

‘Well … we kinda destroyed their home, didn’t we?’

‘That was an accident, first of all. We had no idea thetauri silvestreshad followed us!’

‘I know, butstill. Wouldn’t you be mad if someone accidentally destroyed Camp Half-Blood by allowing mad bulls in to trample it?’

‘Second of all,’ said Nico, ‘I helped the trogs find a new home.’

It took Will a moment to put the pieces together. ‘So … you’re expecting them to help us … You found them a new home … You relocated them to theUnderworld?’

Nico nodded. ‘They’re even further underground now, and less likely to be found. As long as they stay out of my father’s view, they’ll be safer.’

Will shook his head, clearly mystified. ‘I don’t understand how anyone could live down there.’

A burst of irritation jolted Nico’s heart. He pressed his lips together so as not to blurt out his initial reaction, which wasn’t very kind. ‘The Underworld isn’t what you think it is,’ he said quietly. ‘There’s a lot more to it. You’ll see.’

‘Okay,’ said Will. ‘I trust you.’

This time when he smiled it didn’t really make Nico feel better. So Nico just stepped aside and gestured at the rocks. ‘A song, please.’

Will approached the mass of boulders. He took another deep breath and started into a soft, winding melody. It was a familiar one to Nico – he’d heard Will sing it when he was using his healing abilities on someone. As Will’s voice rose and fell, Nico saw small green shoots sprout up from the ground around him. A few of them bloomed yellow flowers.

‘Well,that’s new,’ Nico said aloud to himself.

No sooner had he uttered those words than the rocks groaned and shuddered. Will stopped singing and moved back, his eyes full of wonder, as a triangular crevice appeared, just big enough for a person to squeeze through. Inside, steps led down into deep darkness.

Will covered his mouth and nose. ‘Ugh, what’s thatsmell?’

The odours hit Nico then: mildew, decay, dust …

Home.

‘That’s the Underworld.’ He drew his Stygian iron sword. ‘I’ll go first.’

Will grabbed his arm. ‘Shouldn’t I use my glow-in-the-dark power for more light?’

Nico shook his head. ‘Save that for later. No sense draining yourself.’

There was a sheen of sweat on Will’s forehead. ‘If you’re sure …’

Rather than draw this out any longer, Nico reached down and grabbed Will’s hand. ‘Come on,’ he said, and he led his boyfriend into the stairwell. After the first few steps, Nico glanced back to see the shape of Will’s curls in the bright light of Central Park behind him. Then, with a loud groan, the crevice closed, and darkness swallowed the two demigods.

Only the blade of Nico’s sword cast any light: a dim purple glow that made the shadows feel even thicker.

‘Oh, wow,’ Will said. ‘It’sreallydark down here.’

Nico was ready to crack a terrible joke, but right then a sensation of dread trickled over his skin. He raised his sword and peered into the gloom. The passage continued down as far as he could see, silent and empty.

‘Nico, what is it?’

Something rustled in the darkness, butbehindthem, where the Door of Orpheus had just closed.