Nico's Tale: The End of the World.

Thank You, Sally Jackson

Sally wanted to scream.
She wanted to sit down in her apartment and scream her heart out. She wanted to sprint all the way to the Underworld and burn it all. She wanted vengeance for Paul and Estelle. She wanted vengeance for Percy and Tyson and Annabeth and Will.

Sam held out a cup of tea to the grieving mother, attempting to let out a smile. Jack rushed around the Chase Space carrying bandages and medical equipment. Magnus was sleeping or, as it had become known, recharging the lamp.

Sally shakily stood from the chair and creaked her way over to the window, where the snowfall was most apparent. The icy conditions had frozen nearly all of Boston and they'd run out of power.

Then a bright orange flame ripped down the streets, setting the snow ablaze. Sam yelled something unintelligible and the few remaining demigods fit to fight loaded rifles with celestial bronze bullets and aimed them out of the cracks that had frozen the windows in place.

A single girl stood at the forefront of the wave of fire. Sally could just make out a silver circlet on her head, a white parka...

"Don't shoot!"
"Guns down!!!" Samirah bellowed. Then, quieter, "I trust you, but who the - you know - is that?"

The girl in the street looked up as if she was staring right at Sally, which she honestly thought might be the case.

"Thalia Grace..."

A small black and white blur darted down the stairs and out of the door, sprinting through the slush towards her. A glint of worry flashed over Sam's face until Thalia picked up the little Italian and pulled him into a bear hug.

It was seen to that Thalia he given a cup of hot chocolate upon her entry into the Brownstone. She stalked to the pool table, which had been renovated into a meeting table, and slammed down an imperial gold device.

"I found this while exploring the woods. I think it could be the key to our success. But we'd need to blow this entire building to the ground. And we'd need to somehow lure Kronos and his associates here."

"No." Magnus crossed his arms defiantly. "No way! This is a safe space I won't have it used as a trap!"

"Look, Barbie, but we don't have much of a choice. How else do you think we can stop this, huh? How else are we going to fuck around and wait to find out?"

"Find somewhere else! Use an old building or something!"

"Oh shit genius I never fuckin thought of that! I've been all around New fuckin York and Massachusetts's looking for a building in which I can blow him to hell. That building is here."

"WHY?"

"Because it's had long exposure to demigod bodies. It'll be more susceptible to Greek Fire."

"Cos that makes all the damn sense."

"Yeah, it does. I'm volunteering to be the distraction."

"No. It has to be me." Sally's voice was weak and hoarse but she spoke with such conviction nobody could help but stare at her.

"No way, Sally, we can't let you." Thalia and Magnus spoke in unison.

"I am the mother of the greatest children in the world and my entire family is dead! I will do this, if I have to sneak out, I will." She was suddenly stern, like telling a child not to disobey her instructions.

"He'll kill you, mom!" Magnus' eyes widened in shock at what he'd just said.

"And I'm well prepared."

"Just know, mom... you won't be alone." Nico spoke the strongest he had in months.

"Me neither, mom."
"Or me, Mami."
"Thank you for being all our moms when we had no other family..."

And then there were hands reaching out with weapons and keepsakes and charms and tokens. Tens, hundreds of people all reaching forward.

Magnus started evacuating people into MIT, taking advantage of the freeze keeping the zombies frozen solid. Thalia and Nico both hugged her tightly and took her hand, walking her towards the closest entrance to the underworld.

And once they were in, Nico closed the door behind them. None of them were getting out easily. They  descended down the endless slopes, finally arriving in the godforsaken hellhole.

Nico gripped her hand as they heard their enemies stomping towards them. Thalia brought a streak of lighting down on them and Nico manipulated the bones to grab into him as Sally stood, preparing herself...

And then the River Phlegethon exploded around them, swarming Kronos and allowing them a moment to escape. Lava and fire cascaded down on the Titan and he screamed and time slowed...

Nico looked behind him and, just briefly, he saw two of the zombies holding hands while the river curved around them. He could've sworn the taller one winked at him.

Thalia was pulling him and Sally along, the latter having fainted during the escape. Kronos sped up time again and the fire dropped back in the river and the figures were gone forever.

"Silly demigods..." Kronos snarled, "thinking they can get away from me..."

Thalia dragged Nico and Sally through the Chase Space and out the back entrance, Nico just regaining enough consciousness to shadow travel back to MIT.

"Holy shit you're - you're still..."

"Not now! We need to get her to the medical wing immediately!" Thalia yelled, mind racing at a million miles an hour. Sally was placed onto a stretcher and wheeled off through the hospital, leaving Nico and Thalia standing, exhausted and terrified out of their minds, panting in the hallway.

"They all set?" Nico asked.

Thalia held up a remote device. "All we need to do is wait. I have cameras set up in the building anyway."

"I thought demigods weren't allowed technology?"

"It's the middle of the apocalypse. I don't think anybody fuckin cares, Nico."

And he felt the ridiculous urge to burst out laughing.

And then it hit him.
The River Phlegethon...
Percy Jackson had saved him once again.