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‘Hypnos, stop feeling sorry for him!’ Mother commanded. ‘Why are you always taking pity on every stray you find?’

‘Sorry,’ Hypnos said, lowering his head.

Mother pulled Nico closer, and he swallowed a scream. He’d never been so terrified, and yet he couldn’t fight, could barely even think.

‘You aren’t a monster,’ she cooed softly. ‘And you aren’t a god.’

‘I could be …’ he said dreamily.

‘The god of bad decisions, perhaps?’ Mother sounded amused by her own joke. ‘Because you made a mistake coming intomyhome.’

Nico felt his rage stirring until he thought his heart would burst. He hated being confined, and he hated being ridiculed. But he couldn’t move. His eyelids were made of lead.

‘How did you get here?’ Mother mused, looking him over like he was a specimen of some invasive species. ‘This realm is protected from all who don’t belong. Unless … ah, a demigod.’

Nico smiled weakly. He tried to look smug and unconcerned, but he doubted he was pulling it off.

‘You got me,’ he said.

She cackled, her voice radiating malice. ‘You are terrified, child. As you should be. Fear is the highest form of respect you can give me.’

‘It is best to stay afraid of Nyx,’ grumbled Hypnos from somewhere behind him. ‘I’ve certainly learned that.’

Nyx.

Nico hadn’t heard that name inages, but he knew her by reputation. She was the goddess most other gods were terrified of. No one ever risked making her angry; even Zeus refused to mess with her. She was the goddess of night, born from Chaos, and one of the original inhabitants of the universe.

Now he understood Nemesis’s warning to be wary of her mother. Nico had come to Tartarus looking for a way to stop Gaia from rising … and he’d walked straight into the lair of a goddess who was just as old, powerful and dangerous.

‘I see you are putting the pieces together,’ said Nyx, her voice thick with amusement. ‘No need to explain your parentage. I’ve already figured it out. There is only one father whose children could survive this long in Tartarus. And there is only one reason the entrance to my home would reveal itself. It sensed a kindred spirit …’

The darkness swirled tightly around Nico, pushing all the blood to his head.

‘What an interesting case you are,’ Nyx continued. ‘A son of Hades, yet you live in the mortal world, don’t you? I can smell the stench of daylight on you.’

Hypnos tutted. ‘Oh, Mother doesn’t like that.’

‘Idon’tlike that,’ she confirmed. ‘Do you know why, son of Hades?’

Nico had to use nearly all his energy just to shake his head.

‘We are all born into our own natures,’ she said. ‘I, created from Chaos, was given unto the night. It is what and who Iam. Who are you, Nico di Angelo?’

He gasped softly. ‘How –?’

‘How do I know your name?’ Nyx feigned outrage. ‘We are in Tartarus, you silly child. Everything here is stripped to its truest, rawest form. The longer you remain with me, the more clearly I can see you … and the less you can hide.’

She brought Nico so close he thought he would pitch forward into the void of her face.

‘Have you ever looked at yourself, Nico? BecauseIsee the truth. Youbelongdown here in the darkness. It is your nature, and yet you fight it every day. Must you be so obstinate? Must you ignore the obvious?’

‘No,’ he said, squirming against Nyx’s hold. ‘I know where I’m supposed to be.’

A terrible laughter echoed from the empty space where her mouth should have been. ‘You are hopelessly confused. Those who are confused end up with me.’

‘They do,’ said Hypnos. ‘They always do.’

‘Night is when all beings stumble and go astray,’ Nyx said, hervoice now soothing, ‘but it is also when you can face the darkest truth. You must stop entertaining this notion that you can escape who you are. I will help you choose, Nico di Angelo. I will make things so much simpler …Choose.’