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Will reached into his knapsack, retrieved a metal flask and took a swig of water before handing it to Nico. ‘You’re not going to let me hear the end of that, are you?’

Nico had a drink, then gave the flask back to Will. ‘Why would I? It perfectly describes the fact thatlight just erupted from your chest.’

‘Don’t Care Bears shoot their energy from their stomachs?’

Nico waved that off. ‘An unimportant detail. Have you been holding out on me? Did youknowyou could do that?’

‘Not really,’ Will said. ‘But ever since I found out I could glow, I’ve been thinking that if my skin could emit light, maybe I could eventually project it outwards.’

‘You sliced off some of Epiales’s weird tentacle things!’

‘You’re welcome?’

Nico laughed. ‘Well, at least we know your powers still work in the Underworld.’

‘I’mstillpretty tired, though,’ Will said. ‘So I shouldn’t use it often.’

Will it still work once we reach Tartarus? Nico wondered.

He really hoped so.

After helping Will to his feet, Nico guided him to the bluffs that overlooked the River Styx. Will froze there, seemingly transfixed by the rushing water below.

‘Will?’ Nico asked, his hand on the small of Will’s back.

Will shook his head. ‘In the nightmare that Epiales gave me, you jumped in the river.’

‘What?!There’s nowayI would do that.’

‘I should have realized it was a dream once youdid,’ Will said. ‘You basically pressured me into doing it as well. It was …’

He didn’t finish.

Nico grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and guided him towards the edge of the cliff. As they approached the brink, Nico could sense his reluctance.

‘We’renotjumping,’ Nico assured him. He brought Will closer and pointed down. ‘Look.’

Right at the very edge, a small recess was cut into the rock. The indentation continued downward, snaking along the side of the cliff, widening into a ledge no bigger than a goat path, only a metre above the raging current.

‘We’re takingthat?’ Will asked, his pitch rising with anxiety.

‘We are,’ said Nico. ‘It’s the safest way to stay out of my father’s sight.’

‘Safest, huh?’

‘It’s also the only way to get to the troglodytes’ new home.’

Will took a moment to survey the world before him. He spent a long time staring at the black walls of Erebos dotted with torches, and the crowds of smoky grey figures pushing towards the main gates.

‘So many dead people …’

Nico nodded. ‘They have to go somewhere. Like I said, most will end up in Asphodel. They’ll be bathed in the River Lethe, forget their mortal memories, then just wander around. Forever.’

‘And that doesn’t disturb you?’ asked Will.

‘Not really,’ Nico said. ‘Most of them wandered through their lives anyway. It’s what they chose.’

Nico could tell that Will wanted to say something else, but, whatever it was, he kept it to himself. Nico reached into his own pocket. He touched the bronze coin he always kept there – a keepsake Will had given him as a token of his dedication. He wondered if Will’s commitment would always be that durable, or if he would eventually decide that Nico was just too alien, coming from this realm.