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Nico stared at him in disbelief. ‘Will …’

Will drew a shaky breath. His eyes were swimming with exhaustion. He worried that he’d finally done something that would make Nico realize they were simply, irreconcilably too different. ‘Yes?’

Nico didn’t seem able to talk at first. Then: ‘You are a legitimate demigod Care Bear.’

Will’s top lip trembled. He fell to his knees. Then he bent over in loud, raucous laughter until tears poured from his eyes.

‘You’re so weird.’ Nico crawled over, pulled Will to him and silenced his laughter with a tender kiss. ‘Please keep being my own personal Care Bear, though.’

‘Always,’ said Will.

And then he promptly passed out.

Will’s newfound heart-light power – which Nico still didn’t understand – must have really drained him. Nico sat on the ground and rested Will’s head on his thigh, absentmindedly stroking his boyfriend’s curly blond mane while Will slept.

Nico wondered if the Care Bear anti-demon display meant that their main worry – that Will’s powers wouldn’t work in the Underworld – was moot now. But what had made this one ability materialize at that particular moment? Fear? Desperation?

Will snored softly, providing no answers.

It struck Nico then how surreal all this was. In the distance, beyond the River Styx and the walls of Erebos, was his father’s palace, usually a place where he would be welcomed. Now he’d have to avoid Hades at all costs on his way to Tartarus. Still, a part of him wanted to take Will into Erebos, teach him to play fetch with Cerberus (Will loved dogs), then stroll into the throne room and introduce Will to his father – to show Hades that Nico was trying, that he hadn’t forgotten Hades’s wish that Nico be the one child of his who was happy.

That was the most surreal thing of all …Washe happy?

Nico wasn’t very familiar with the sensation, but he couldn’t deny that he felt wonderful in Will’s presence. He evenlongedfor the son of Apollo when they were apart. A funny thing had happened as the two grew closer: Nico suddenly understood all those cheesy, sappy love songs he’d always hated. They’d always seemed like such a ridiculous exaggeration. And it wasn’tonlythat, of course. He’d grown up in a time and place where people like him … well, they just didn’t have love songs. In a roundabout way, his experience in the Lotus Hotel had allowed him to end uphere, wherethiswas possible.

Nico had a boyfriend.

But that was the dichotomy of his life. The seventy years they’d spent at the Lotus Hotel had protected Bianca and Nico, but by then they’d already lost their mother due to Zeus’s rage, so it wasn’t like Hades’s plans were infallible. They’d had to move all over the country. They found Camp Half-Blood, and friends, and then Nico experienced loss once again: Bianca, taken from him …

It was a constant pattern for Nico: find some sort of solace and comfort, only to have it ripped away.

Now here was Solace in his lap, sleeping like a baby. What would come and tearhimaway?

Nico wanted to believe it would be different this time. He wanted Will to understand and accept the darkness that was a part of him, but he also wanted to be seen as a complex person who wasmorethan that – not just a child of Hades. Still, how could Will understand if Nico couldn’t understand it himself? He couldn’t seem to escape the darkness any more than he could defeat Epiales. It always came back, always claimed him, always reminded him of who he was.

Was it possible for him to choose a different destiny? Or was he cursed to suffer every time he found a crumb of happiness?

Nico reached out and grazed the scabbard of his Stygian iron sword. This was far from his first trip to the Underworld, but he felt as nervous now as he did that first time, long ago. He was thankful that Hades hadn’t been the one trying to keep Nico and Will out of the Underworld, at least. Nevertheless, something was coming for them. Someone down here didn’t want Nico and Will to reach Bob.

Someone calledMother.

An inkling of an idea started to form in his head, but then Will stirred. His eyes darted around and found Nico.

‘Hey.’ Will smiled. ‘My grumpy little ball of darkness.’

Just like that, Nico’s brooding sense of doom evaporated. It was ridiculous what Will could do to him with just a smile.

‘Don’t move,’ he ordered.

He dug around in Will’s knapsack until he found the ambrosia squares Juniper had made them. As he fed one to Will, he silently conceded that theyhadbeen a good idea. The colour soon came back into Will’s face, and he was able to sit up.

‘Well, that was an experience.’ He wiped some crumbs from his chin, then gave Nico a guarded look. ‘You okay?’

‘I’m perfectly fine,’ said Nico. ‘So … are we gonna talk about it?’

Will’s face flushed red. ‘Do we have to?’

‘Demigod Care Bear.’