~3rd Person Perspective~

Nico sighed, kicking lightly at the dirt as he walked. He was definitely struggling with what happened almost two weeks ago when he was sent to the past.

There were still unanswered questions about the events that took place, but the son of Hades knew when to give someone space. After all, he had been left alone when his sister died.

Nico's feet suddenly hit sand. He blinked, then slowly looked up. Where was he at the beach?

The son of Hades got his answer when he saw the familiar figure sitting by the water's edge. Of course.

He sighed again. Maybe he should turn around, there had to be a reason why they were here alone. Before Nico could do anything, the figure spoke. "I know you're there, Nico." Sea green eyes shined in the setting sun. "Sit with me?"

Nico complied, settling into the sand, and accepting a coke that was offered to him. "I didn't know you were back. How long have you been back for?" Someone surely should have noticed when Percy Jackson came back to camp.

"About two hours." Percy rubbed his face. "It's been an exhausting two weeks, huh?" The weak grin  he sent told his cousin exactly how exhausting it has been for the child of the sea. Even though he was healed by the ocean for a week, Percy didn't look fully healthy yet as if he was still one step away from being on death's door.

A quick pop sounded when the coke can was opened. "I thought you were with your mom?" He didn't think he would be seeing the other demigod for a while since he came from 'the dead' about two weeks ago.

The son of Poseidon shrugged, looking out towards the water with a grimace. "I was."

"What happened?" Nico sighed, knowing this was about the whole 'traveling to past' thing that Percy never really explained.

Actually, the son of Hades doesn't think Percy explained anything other than a quick, "I was dying so the water quickly took me to the ocean to heal." That made no sense, especially when Nico was sure Percy did die.

"I couldn't stay. I start school this week and it's been a little tense at home since-" Percy stopped, quickly clearing his throat. "Since my mom's pregnant and..."

"And you don't want anything to happen to them while you're around." Nico guessed.

There was a long pause in the conversation as they both stared out at the gentle waves. The water is completely different compared to the waves of emotion crashing inside Poseidon's child.

"I was waiting for death, Nico. I really thought I was dead." The quiet confession brought pain to the son of Hades. "Sorry, that was unfair of me-"

"Why?" Sea green eyes flickered over to Nico's brown eyes. "What really happened to cause you  so much pain you had to give up and die?"

"You went through Tartarus alone, if anyone needs to talk it out it should be you."

Nico hummed, trying to think of what to say something to that one. "I did." There was a smile on his face as Percy did a double take. "After you were gone, I wanted nothing more than to leave camp since Hazel and Frank left with the Romans, Leo disappeared into Bunker 9, Annabeth left to go stay with her dad, Jason was busy with the shrines for all of the minor gods, and Piper was content with taking care of her siblings. There was no one left who would miss me-"

"That's not true."

"You're right." Nico smiled. "It wasn't until Will made me realize that I overdid with the shadow-traveling that I was quickly fading from the use of any kind of my powers, I had no choice but to stay at camp." He sighed, remembering when things got bad. "After some time, the nightmares of Tartarus got bad. I was losing more weight and wasn't eating. I wanted to give up, only Will wouldn't let me. He convinced me that it would help if I opened up."

Camp Half-Blood never forgot that day. It was a dark day as the son of Apollo ran after the son of Hades who had stormed out of the infirmary. The fight that occurred was frightening. Two stubborn demigods going toe-to-toe in a heated argument that ended with Nico unraveling.

"Will showed me that bottling things up wasn't going to help anyone, so when he took me back to my cabin...I explained everything." The son of Hades hoped that was enough to convince his cousin.

There was a small, hopeful smile on Percy's face by the end of it. "So, it's official? You and Will are-" Nico shoved the taller teen who did nothing  more than laugh.

"Y-yeah." The son of Hades was blushing. "We are." He flinched. "And about you told me when we were in the past - about what Jason-"

"About what Jason told me before I practically sacrificed myself to stop Gaea? The fact that you used to have a crush on me?" Used to.

The son of Hades blinked. Now that someone else - Percy - said those words, he realized that he was really over the son of Poseidon. He was able to say he really has moved on. Nico felt a weight lifted off his chest, one that's been there for years, but mainly since Percy told him that he knew.

"Yeah." Nico felt light and smiled in the rising moonlight. "And since my built up issues are solved, I'm more interested in your tale."

Percy didn't move. His body was still, his eyes stuck on the horizon. For once, his eyes didn't give away anything.

Nico was going to get up with a quick 'you don't have to talk to me, but talk to someone' and then leaving towards his cabin, only Percy started to talk before he could.

"Something happened in Tartarus." He started off quietly. "I started having horrible nightmares because of it. Everyone thought it would get better with time, I thought that too until Gaea started making an appearance." Percy's breathing picked up as Nico listened carefully.

"She told me what would have happened if Leo or Jason was the one to defeat her and I couldn't handle it. My powers started to react to my emotions and I was terrified that I would someone. During the battle with the giants, I broke a promise to Annabeth without anyone knowing." Percy flinched, haunted by the event.

"I did because I didn't want to lose anyone...or that's what I told myself every time one of the seven were about to get hurt badly. When we got to camp, I didn't think I could face Gaea until she swatted Leo and Jason away. I reacted on instinct. I barely remember asking Jason to help me with the storm or Leo to shoot fire into it. I just wanted to save my friends. That's when I blacked out as I hit the water." He took a moment to breath.

"At first, I walked around camp thinking I was dead. I checked in on everyone thinking I was there for a reason. Maybe I had to see all of you and how you were doing before going down to the underworld. I don't know. I wasn't prepared for the fates to appear and tell me that I wasn't dead. Somehow I survived and the ocean took me somewhere safe."

"But you wanted to die." The statement hung heavily in the air between them.

"I didn't think I deserved to live."

Nico frowned. "No, Octavian deserved to die."

"He didn't die." Percy frowned at Nico, wondering if someone killed the son of Apollo who raged war against the greeks. "Reyna threw him out after it was discovered he killed Gwen during the war games before the quest to Alaska and the many crimes and blackmail he had done towards the campers of Camp Jupiter."

"Yeah," Nico agreed. "But he deserves to die."

Percy laughed. Nico quickly joined in.

"What happened next?" Nico asked a few minutes after the laughter died down.

"They told me I wouldn't heal until I had a reason to live. I refused to let myself be healed, so my spirit, I guess, wondered around a little bit. I came across Leo one night in Bunker 9." He smiled at the memory. "He was half-asleep, talking nonsense about an island and Calypso. I knew then that I had to help him, so the next day when he was stumbling, only half-awake to breakfast, I guided him to the beach where a magical raft was waiting for him. I pleaded with the fates to allow it when I knew Zeus didn't free Calypso as I asked."

"That's how he disappeared and came back with Calypso." Nico knew now that when questioned Leo didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he got to Ogygia because Percy the 'ghost' did.

That made the son of Hades realize something. "Wait, that happened two weeks before I - we - appeared in the past, what happened between then?"

Percy smiled sadly. "I went around a few more times to check on everyone, nothing big or anything. Until I was about to get my wish. Thanatos appeared before me one day and told me I was close to being dead." He sighed. "The fates told him that it wasn't my time yet and he agreed with them, so after a few more days, he told me of their plan. I was against it the whole time, but as more time passed in the throne room, I knew it really wasn't my time. I wasn't ready to not meet my unborn sibling, I wasn't ready to leave the camps, and I wasn't ready to leave Annabeth yet."

"Where is Annabeth?" Nico blurted out.

Percy sighed. "Once I was healed enough to come back to camp about a week ago, I did talk with Annabeth. She's been busy with a family situation. I was supposed to be home with my mom and Paul, but..."

"But you couldn't stay there while you were drowning under the pressure of everything that happened."

Percy flinched at the wording. He simply nodded. "The fates had a plan to bring you all together to remind me of everything I did with the help of friends and family, how many people I had in my life, and what I would really be leaving behind. With all the unanswered questions surrounding my 'death,' I knew I couldn't leave my life like that. I didn't have to give up. There was still hope for me and I couldn't turn my back on all of you."

"So...you lost hope on the Feast of Spes, the goddess of hope?" Nico smiled teasingly at his cousin.

Percy laughed. A real, genuine, soul-lifting laugh. "That was cheesy."

The son of Hades shrugged and laid back in the sand, looking at the stars. He didn't comment when Percy did the same saying, "Bob says hello." Knowing the son of Poseidon opened up enough for today.

And as they talked and joked into the night, Nico couldn't help but think that the fates can't be all bad if they pushed Percy into a situation where he would see everything good about living. The experience even helped Nico push down the rest of his walls around Percy, almost turning into that little kid from back when they first met...

It would have been better if Thalia was at camp with them, for old times sake, but Nico could live with just the two of them together. It made it easier for them both to talk about their experiences in Tartarus.

Finally, when the son of Hades fell asleep that night, he thanked the fates for what they did.

In the end, everything was looking up for the demigods...

...until Jason died.

Thank you, fates (sarcasm included).

The end.

Thank you so much for reading this book! It was a long time coming, but here is the ending.

Wow, I didn't mean to make it so long, it just happened! Almost 2,00o words and I cried for the majority of it. Mostly because I'm listening to sad, heartfelt music.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this book! I know I enjoyed writing the rest of it.

It's been a long time coming, and here's the end, so I'm going to publish this before I end up writing too much in this author's note of mine.

~MsPenguingirl1234.

Published: May 8, 2020.