✩ ━━━ chapter six, weeping for icarus. ❝It's midnight already, I'm sunken in the moonlight. I'm here alone, go on,❞

NICO AND PERCY EMERGED IN CENTRAL PARK A WHILE AGO, near the second entrance to the Underworld and summoned Grover to open the Door of Orpheus. Covered in twigs and leaves, Grover was bleating nervously. The satyr had been missing for two months; Percy couldn't believe it, but apparently, neither could he.

"That's impossible. It's June. I just lay down to take a nap and..." Grocer grabbed Percy's arms, frightened. "I remember now! He knocked me out. Percy, we have to stop him!"

"Whoa," Percy exclaimed, sharing a look with Nico. "Slow down. Tell me what happened."

Grover shifted from hoof to hoof took before taking a deep breath. "I was... I was walking in the woods up by Harlem Meer. And I—" Grover's expression slowly soften in a dreamy gaze—it was a familiar expression to Percy, one he didn't like. "I felt this tremble in the ground like something powerful was near."

Grocer continued. "Anyway, I started following the scent. This man in a long black coat was walking through the park, and I noticed he didn't cast a shadow. Middle of a sunny day and he cast no shadow. He kind of shimmered as he moved."

"Like a mirage?" Nico asked. The anxiety expression from before returned, and Percy's nerves worse.

"Yes," Grover said. "And whenever he passed humans—"

"The humans would pass out," Nico said. "Curl up and go to sleep." Percy shut his eyes, covering his face with his hands, already have a clue to who it was.

"That's right!" Grover agreed. "Then after he was gone, they'd get up and go about their business, like nothing happened!"

Percy looked at Nico. "Is it who I think it is?"

"I can't tell. You only think of Micah," Nico said. Percy scowled. "Think older and more powerful; then you're right. Grover, what happened?"

"I followed the guy. He kept looking up at the buildings around the park like he was making estimates or something." Grover continued his story. "This lady jogger ran by, and she curled up on the sidewalk and started snoring. The guy in black put his hand on her forehead like he was checking her temperature. Then he kept walking. By this time, I knew he was a monster or something even worse. I followed him into this grove, to the base of a big elm tree. I was about to summon some dryads to help me capture him when he turned and . . ."

Grover swallowed. "Percy, his face. I couldn't make out his face because it kept shifting. Just looking at him made me sleepy. I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'Just having a look around. You should always scout a battlefield before the battle.' I said something really smart like, 'This forest is under my protection. You won't start any battles here!' And he laughed." Grover looked the most hurt at that. "He said, 'You're lucky I'm saving my energy for the main event, little satyr. I'll just grant you a short nap. Pleasant dreams.' And that's the last thing I remember."

Nico exhaled. "Grover, you're lucky you ever woke up." He gave Percy a sour look. "Your ex-boyfriend's family is deranged."

"He is not my—Grocer met Morpheus?" Percy asked to clarify.

"The God of Dreams? Yes." Nico nodded.

Grocer bleated again. "Two months! He put me to sleep for two months!"

"We've got to figure out what Morpheus was doing in the park," Percy said. "I don't like this 'main event' thing he mentioned. Do you think he's working with Micah?"

"He's working for Kronos, like just like Micah," Nico said, giving him a look. "We know that already. A lot of the minor gods are. This just proves there's going to be an invasion. Percy, we have to get on with our plan."

It seemed like everything in the war is leading to Nico's plan. Nico di Angelo, Percy's only hope because nobody else would be doing this with him.

"You're not serious," Grover whimpered. "Not the Underworld again."

"I'm not asking you to come, man," Percy promised. "I know you just woke up. But we need some music to open the door. Can you do it?"

Grover took out his reed pipes. "I guess I could try. I know a few Nirvana tunes that can split rocks. But, Percy, are you sure you want to do this?"

Percy didn't want to do anything. "Please, man," He said. "It would mean a lot. For old times' sake?"

Grover began playing his pipe—a shrill, lively tune echoed. The boulders trembled. A few more stanzas and the boulders cracked open, revealing a triangular crevice. Nico relaxed at the scent of mildew and death, and Percy tried to not think of the last time he visited the Underworld.

"Perrrrcy," Grover whimpered. "Is Kronos really going to invade?"

Percy hugged his best friend goodbye, nodding. "I wish I could tell you better, but yeah. He will."

"I've got to rally the nature spirits, then. Maybe we can help. I'll see if we can find this Morpheus!" Grover straightened up, removing a twig out of his curls.

"Better tell Juniper you're okay, too" Percy half-smiled. His eyes widened. "Juniper! Oh, she's going to kill me!"

He started to run off, then scrambled back and gave Percy another hug. "Be careful down there! Come back alive!" Then Grover was gone.

Percy turned to Nico, who was looking at the ground.

"You have good friends, Percy," Nico said. "Don't let Micah ruin you."

Percy laughed lightly, shaking his head at Nico—maybe when he's older, Nico will understand. He wasn't just my friend; that's what Percy wanted to say. Instead, he just nodded.

Nico didn't look too sure of what to say next. "Ready?" Nico asked. "It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Percy glanced up at the stars, wondering he would ever see them again. "Even the stars think we're meant to be," Percy whispered to himself, trying to fool himself into hearing someone else's voice.

"What?" Nico asked, eyebrows furrowed. Percy shook his head, stepping into the darkness. Mrs. O'Leary barking happily, speeding ahead of Percy, Nico's light steps following after. The stairs went on forever—narrow, steep, and slippery. It felt like hours of darkness and frozen time before Percy calmed down enough to notice the son of Hades.

"You okay, Nico?" Percy asked, the echoing of their footsteps like canons being fired. Nico lagged with a strange tension to his shoulder. "Fine." The son of Hades replied. "Just keep moving."

He complied. "How did you meet him?" Nico asked suddenly. Percy felt like turning around and checking if Nico had a fever; when did the son of Hades start feeling curious about his life?

"At the Camp," Percy answered. "He passed out on my bed after a quest. I had to sleep on the floor because nobody could touch him without passing out."

"That's it?" Nico sounded a little bewildered. "He bled all over your bed, and you fell in love?"

"No!" Percy laughed. "It was—Gods, Nico, I don't even know when I fell in love with him, much less why. He didn't wake up for three days, though. I kept asking Annabeth what was wrong with him, but she just looked at me like she was thinking, wow, what an idiot. Everyone expected me to know everything? And every time I asked something, I just kept disappointing them. I don't know—I just felt so dumb."

The sound of a running river roared through the small tunnel. "Then Poseidon claimed me, and the expectations doubled. It was... Nothing felt right, Nico. Everyone steered clear of me as much as possible. Then Micah woke up and said something like, a son of Poseidon named after a son of Zeus? How scandalous. Threw me a necklace as an apology, said Nike blessed it and that I would need it more than him if Clarisse's glares were anything to go by." Percy laughed again at the memory. "Told me to meet him by the lake because he wanted to see a Christian kid's face when I walked on water."

"That's it?" Nico asked. Percy rolled his eyes. "It's everything, Nico. Imagine this, okay? You are alone in a new place. Nothing makes sense at all, and you don't know what to do—In this place, nobody is going to help because they expect you to be fearless; or worse, they don't care at all because they think they know better. Then one person enters your life; everything you imagined a hero is—the only thing you want to be. He walks in and treats you like you're an actual person, actually worth something. Not just the son of Poseidon, or Hades, or the son of whoever. He cares about you because you are who you are. He reads to you when you can't deal with another book, teaches you things you could never imagine just because he can. Trains you because he doesn't want to see you hurt. Asks about your family, about your favorite color, anything instead of stupid things like who is your godly parent or when was your last quest."

Percy's laughter died down. "In a whole new world, he's the only thing that makes sense. And suddenly it hits you; you're in love, just like that." He smiled. "Can you imagine that?"

Nico's steps faltered. "I—Yeah, I think." When Percy looked at him, in the darkness of the Underworld, the reflection of his sword as the only light, Nico looked pale and sickly.

They didn't talk much after that. After another hour, they emerged at the base of a cliff. The heavy pitch-black sand crumbled underneath their steps, the flames of Hades' kingdom illumination the terrain in front of them. The River Styx gushed from the rocks, the sound of the thundering water almost deafening. Another the shore, several cadavers laid buried in ash.

"So, Nico..." Percy asked, staring the dark water of the river. "How do we do this?"

"We have to go inside the gates first," he said.

Percy frowned, "But the river's right here."

"I have to get something," He marched off. "It's the only way."

Percy followed after Nico, grimacing at the long line of the dead stood waiting to get inside of the Fields of Asphodel. Nico smiled at Cerberus, his father's guard dog, saying hello to Mrs. O'Leary. Then he looked at Percy, and his expression turned all serious again like he'd remembered something unpleasant. "Come on. They won't give us any trouble in the line. You're with me."

It was a weird moment, remembering Nico's status as the prince of the Underworld and the Ghost King. Percy walked after him, approaching the palace of Hades. "Hey, we're inside the gates already. Where are we—" Percy stopped at Mrs. O'Leary's warning growl. A shadow appeared overhead. It swooped down and landed at the top of a poplar tree.

The other Furies settled next to her in the branches of the poplar. Alecto bared her fangs. "Welcome back, honey."

"You know Alecto?" Nico asked, bewildered.

"If you mean the hag in the middle, yeah," Percy said. "She was my math teacher."

Nico nodded, taking a deep breath. "I've done what my father asked. Take us to the palace."

Percy tensed. "Wait a second, Nico. What do you—"

"I'm afraid this is my new lead, Percy." Nico genuinely sounded remorseful. "My father promised me information about my family, but he wants to see you before we try the river. I'm sorry."

Percy didn't want to hear his voice anymore—Another betrayal. He lunged at Nico, beyond furious. Nico, who told him Micah wasn't worth running himself over. The same kid who asked about Micah, curious about the love who deceived him and shattered his heart. Percy yelled out in frustration as the Furies were fast swooped down and seized him, sharp talons digging into his skin.

"Oh, don't struggle, honey," Alecto hissed, Mrs. O'Leary's furious growls resounding as they took off in the air. Percy's sword fell to the ground. "I'd hate to drop you."

"Tell Mrs. O'Leary to behave," Nico warned Percy. "I don't want her to get hurt, Percy. My father is waiting. He just wants to talk."

Percy glared at Nico, wishing for his sword, He gritted my teeth. "Mrs. O'Leary, down! It's okay, girl." The hellhound whimpered. Percy snarled at Nico. "All right, traitor. You've got your prize. Take me to the stupid palace!"

Percy winced as Furies flew them to the throne room facing the Fields of Asphodel, dropping him as harshly as Furies could without killing him. On the ground, Percy looked at Hades. The room was beautiful in the same a morbid at one would call a funeral lovely. Golden plants and gemstones decorated every surface, skeletal white trees in marble basins on opposite sides of the thrones. Queen Persephone sat beside her husband, an older woman in between the thrones arguing with a kid.

"—told you he was a bum!" The older woman was shouting, signaling to the little kid.

"Mother!" Persephone replied.

"We have visitors!" Hades barked. "Please!"

The complete chaos of the moment would've been funny if it wasn't for Percy's overwhelming urge to cut Nico's head off. "Percy Jackson," Hades said with satisfaction. "At last."

"Father," Nico said. "Lord Hypnos, I have done as you asked."

Percy's head snapped up. The little kid approached him, gliding more than walking, and Percy finally took noticed the little set of wings sprouting from the kid's forehead. He was small, chubby and impossibly pale, cheeks burning with an unnatural shade of gold and pupils so small they can barely be seen. His hair was curly and pure-white, sticking upwards on one side like he had fallen asleep and forgot to brush it again.

"Percy Jackson. Huh," the little kid yawned, and tendrils of gold smoke escaped his mouth. "So, you are Hiroki's boyfriend."

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𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ! ! !

the chapter has nothing to do with icarus i just like the draper painting its what inspired me to give my boy wINGS also WHO IS HIROKI OHOOHO jk more on micah and percy's relationship and we finally meet HYPNOS the little treasure good

Please comment and vote! Until next time!