Fate Withstands

Chapter 22

Nico had first started fighting when he was 14 years old. Now, seventy years later, he wondered if that was what life always was. At least it was for a demigod, that is. Monsters never stopped respawning, Tartarus showed him that. Gods never died. In the back of his mind, he knew that he himself would always exist in one way or another.

Because souls weren't ever destroyed. The amount of matter on earth would never change. Even if he died again, he would forever live in his father's palace, maybe become one of his soldiers. He would forever exist. But even with that thought, he'd always have one goal. And that was to never experiance Tartarus again.

Now, as he watched Percy and Annabeth fall into that pit, all he could do was shake and feel the fear of seeing them broken just the way he was. Percy Jackson. Percy was down there, down in pure hell...

His first life had been less painful than this.

"They're not dead," Nico spoke up. "I would be able to feel it if they were." He was sitting against the large mast, the others around him as they stared up at the sky miserably.

"How can you be sure?" the Latino asked.

"Percy's like my brother. If his soul entered my father's kingdom, I'd know it." Nico nibbled at another piece of ambrosia despite the risk.

"He's right," Hazel agreed.

"I should have been paying attention." Jason looked like he wanted to punch something. "I could have flown down and saved them."

"Me, too..." Frank moaned.

Cornucopia girl put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "It's not your fault, either of you. You were trying to save the statue."

"She's right." Nico pulled himself to his feet, still able to smell the air of Tartarus around him. Was he only hallucinating, forever stuck in that pit? He hated those thoughts more than the voice of Tartarus. "Even if the pit hadn't been buried, you couldn't have flown into it without being pulled down. I'm the only one who has actually been into Tartarus. It's impossible to describe how powerful that place is."

He closed his eyes, tried not to picture his fall down and his attempts to catch himself on the walls. His fingers were still bloody. "Once you get close, it sucks you in. I never stood a chance."

Frank sniffled. "Then Percy and Annabeth don't stand a chance either."

Nico played with the dagger on his arm. "Percy is the most powerful demigod I've ever met. No offense to you guys, but it's true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he's got Annabeth at his side. They're going to find a way through Tartarus."

Jason stared into Nico's black eyes. "To the Doors of Death, you mean. But you told us it's guarded by Gaea's most powerful forces. How could two demigods possibly...?"

"I don't know," Nico admitted. "But Percy told me to lead you guys to Epirus, to the mortal side of the doorway. He's planning on meeting us there, and I'm not failing him again. If we can survive the House of Hades, fight our way through Gaea's forces, then maybe we can work together with Percy and Annabeth and seal the Doors of Death from both sides."

"And get Percy and Annabeth back safely?" Latino asked.

"Maybe... I don't know how they'll manage it, but Percy and Annabeth will find a way. They'll journey through Tartarus and find the Doors of Death. When they do, we have to be ready."

"It won't be easy," Hazel said. "Gaea will throw everything she's got at us to keep us from reaching Epirus."

"What else is new?" Jason sighed.

"We've got no choice," Cornucopia Girl agreed. "We have to seal the Doors of Death before we can stop the giants from raising Gaea. Otherwise her armies will never die. And we've got to hurry. The Romans are in New York. Soon, they'll be marching on Camp Half-Blood."

"We've got one month at best," Jason added. "Ephialtes said Gaea would awaken in exactly one month."

Latino straightened in determination. "We can do it."

Nico looked over at him and felt that everyone else did the same. Nico wasn't sure his name, wasn't sure his godly parent, but he didn't look like much. All Nico knew about him was his ethnicity, or the looks of it, and from his days in the 40's...

They had programed him to like only some races. Now, Nico wanted to prove them wrong. And his first step was to stop thinking of him as "the Latino".

"The Archimedes sphere can upgrade the ship," the boy said. "I'm going to study those ancient scrolls we got. There's got to be all kinds of new weapons I can make. We're going to hit Gaea's armies with a whole new arsenal of hurt."

Jason clapped him on the shoulder. "Sounds like a plan, Admiral. You want to set the course?"

"Yeah." Admiral agreed. "Festus, raise the sails. We've got some friends to save."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Piper was not having a good day, wasn't having a good week or month. To top it all off, they had lost Percy and Annabeth into an abyss that they were sure to die in.

Annabeth had been the leader of their quest, they had all agreed so. And when a leader was lost, so was most of the morale.

She, Jason, Leo, and Frank sat in the mess hall, eyes looking gloomily at their plates. Hazel was up on deck, trying to get her brother to also come down. And that brother...Piper wasn't sure what to think of him.

"Nico, you need to eat," Hazel came into the room, pulling her brother along behind her. "And I want to actually introduce you to the ones you don't know. If we're all going to be a team, then we need to trust each other."

She sat her brother down before sitting next to him. "Everyone, this is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. Nico, you know Frank and Jason." She gestured to Leo. "This is Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus." She turned to Piper. "This is Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

Leo raised his hand as if he was in school. "Can I ask a question?"

Hazel stared at him before nodding, obviously expecting the worse.

Leo looked to Nico, his eyes sliding over him as it did any machine that needed fixing. "What are you? I would assume all children of Hades are like that, but Hazel is normal."

Piper elbowed Leo just as Jason did, but the question was valid enough. Nico di Angelo had gray skin, with black eyes and black hair. A small scar ran horizontally over his cheek, framing the cheekbone that stuck out unhealthily. He was too skinny, was skin and bones, and she had to wonder when the last time he had eaten was. But he had been in Tartarus, had been a prisoner of war. She understood why he couldn't have.

His blue hoodie reminded her of Percy, killing her mood even more. It was ripped in multiple places, showing the gray skin beneath. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and on the back of his forearms were two dagger holsters. He also had two swords, the larger of them on his back and the smaller hanging from his waist. And besides the blue hoodie, he wore an old war uniform bottom.

"Leo," Hazel started.

"It's fine, Hazel." Nico stared into Leo's eyes. "All souls that come back from the dead have different experiences. I still have the characteristics of a shade. Maybe I still am one, who knows. We stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago."

"Percy was one of the ones that helped him live again," Hazel offered. "That's why they're close. He's probably closer to him than any of you are."

Nico laid his head on the table. "Don't remind me."

"We'll get him back," Jason spoke up. "Him and Annabeth. You got through it by the skin of your teeth. They can, too."

Nico picked his head up to look at him. "You really believe that? Honestly?"

Piper put her hand on Jason's shoulder. "We have to, Nico."