Page 5

‘So, that’s it,’ said Will. ‘They were the last, weren’t they?’

‘Indeed,’ said Chiron. ‘Aside from some of the staff, the satyrs, and the dryads, Camp Half-Blood is actually … empty.’

The old centaur sounded a bit lost. As far as Nico could recall since he’d started coming here, this was the first time that there were no demigods present. Aside from him and Will, that is.

‘This is weird,’ said Nico. ‘Reallyweird.’

‘A lot has happened over the past few years,’ said Chiron wistfully. ‘I understand more than ever why campers would want to go home to be with their families, or to see the world.’

‘I guess …’ said Nico.

‘Now, gentlemen,’ said Chiron, dusting off the front of his vest, ‘I’ve got a meeting with Juniper and the dryads about tree rot. Exciting stuff, I assure you. I’ll see you at dinner?’

They nodded, then waved as Chiron galloped off.

‘So,’ said Nico, ‘what do we do next?’

Will, still holding Nico’s hand, guided him back up the hill. ‘Well, we don’t have any monsters to slay.’

‘Boo. I could raise a skeleton army to perform a choreographed dance. I bet I could teach them “Single Ladies”, if you like.’

Will chuckled. ‘We don’t have any Roman emperors to locate and dethrone, either.’

Nico flinched. ‘Ugh. Don’t remind me. If I could go the rest of my life without even thinking Nero’s name again, I’d be happy.’

‘That’s a funny joke,’ said Will as they reached the summit.

‘What is?’

‘You,’ said Will. ‘Being happy.’

Nico rolled his eyes.

‘My grumpy little ball of darkness,’ added Will, poking him in the ribs.

‘Ew, gross,’ said Nico, dancing away from him. ‘We arenotmaking that a thing.’

‘Did you already forget that I was once your – and I am quoting you here, Nico – “significant annoyance”?’

‘Oh, you’restillthat,’ said Nico, and then Will was chasing him down the hill, back into camp. In that moment, Nico allowed himself to enjoy the sensation. Will was right: there were no threats whatsoever on the horizon. No Big Bads. No lurking demigod traitors, no hidden monsters waiting to destroy Camp Half-Blood.

But then dread prickled across Nico’s skin. His body was warning him, wasn’t it?Don’t get too comfortable, it was telling him.He’s waiting for you in Tartarus. Or have you forgotten about him like everyone else did?

Maybe this period of rest wasn’t such a good thing. If Nico didn’t have some terrible monster or villain to fight, then what excuse did he have to ignore the voice any longer?

The truth was, he couldn’t ignore it even if he wanted to. He’dbeen visited by so many ghosts over the years. The dead wanted to be heard, and who better to listen to them than the son of Hades?

Butthisvoice … it did not belong to someone who had passed on. And Nico had never heard someone sound as desperate for help.

So his mood was muted by the time he and Will made it to the dining pavilion after stopping by their cabins to freshen up first. It felt strange to be in this place that was normally so alive. Now there were only a few staff dryads and harpies spread unevenly around the various tables. The camp director, Dionysus – Mr D to all of them – was lounging at the head table with Chiron, who had somehow beaten them to dinner. The two administrators were so deep in conversation that they barely acknowledged Will when he waved.

Even the satyrs who served Nico and Will didn’t seem all that thrilled to be doing so. ‘This whole place feels like my soul,’ Nico joked to Will. ‘You know, empty and dark.’

Will swallowed some chicken kebab pieces. ‘You’re not empty,’ he said, then pointed the skewer at Nico. ‘You are definitely dark, though.’

‘Dark as the pits of the Underworld.’

Will looked down, focusing on his food like it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.