The Next Generation: The Beginning

Nico's POV

I was eating dinner in the pavilion with Will and with what's left of the seven after a long day of... well just a long day. We were eating a pizza with his hand on top of mine, talking with Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Calypso, Piper, and Jason when Chiron came galloping down from the direction of the entrance of camp.

"Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Will, come with me." We all looked at Percy who groaned.

"What now?" Annabeth smacked him upside the head.

"What did you do know, seaweed brain?"

"I don't know!" I sighed. We all started walking. I immediately thought something had happened to Mia when she took her friends to the underworld today. Reaching the clearing, I felt a cold wind wash over us. I locked eyes with Will. This is not good. I felt him before I could see him. The death radiating off of him, familiar and strangely comforting, while at the same time putting me on edge.

"Dad?! What the hell are you doing here?!" He looked strangely serious and melancholy.

"I think you should sit down." We did so.

"Now, I'm not sure how to put this, but..." He took a deep breath. "Joey fell into Tartarus and Mia jumped in after him." I felt my blood run cold. "I'll leave you alone now." and he was gone. The silence that now surrounded us was thick enough you could cut it with a knife. I took Will's hand and shadow traveled us back to our cabin. Once we were there I started freaking out.

"OH MY F***ING GODS! WHAT THE F*** WAS SHE THINKING?! JUMPING INTO F***ING TARTARUS?! IS SHE F***ING INSANE?! SHE HAS NO EXPERIENCE! SHE'S GOING TO F***ING DIE!" I started to yell as I paced around. I finished and stopped moving, just standing still and started to cry. Will walked up to me. He wrapped me in a hug, tears streaming down his face too. He had helped me through all of my nightmares and had heard my screams. He knew the horrors as well as anyone who'd been there because he had been. Once when we were dating and my nightmares were at their worst, he made the idiotic move of asking a Hypnos kid to show him my dreams and then actually went back there with me, even though he didn't have to. He had his own after that, mostly of us in Tartarus. He started to rub soothing circles on my back and just held me close. I clung to his shirt.

"It's going to be ok." He whispered for both of us.

"She's not going to make it," I mumbled. He pulled me back and looked me in the eyes.

"This is Mia we're talking about- she will make it. She's 14 and yet she fought so many monsters; I mean granted, not as many as us, but still. She'll be alright. She will do everything in her power to make it back." I hugged him again. I still have nightmares from that living hell, not as often, but they still happen. This was the last thing I ever wanted to happen to any of my kids. I prayed to every god and goddess I could think of that she will be alright.

She can't die.

And then just to make this so much better (notice the sarcasm dripping from my voice), my dad walked in. I turned around in Will's embrace.

"What?" I said, sounding really annoyed.

"Hey, I'm... I'm sorry, Nico. But I can tell you this- There's nothing more I can do."

"What do you mean more?" He sort of shuffled a bit, like he was uncomfortable.

"Well, I kind of knew it was going to happen-"

"YOU WHAT?!" he looked at his feet. "YOU F***ING KNEW THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!"

"I couldn't! It has to do with the prophecy! I already grabbed her stuff and brought it back to the underworld so she would get it because I knew something was going to happen and I put some extra stuff in there! Do you know how much trouble I could be in?!" I was silent.

"I- you'd do that for her?" He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, you idiot! I care about her and I don't like to see you unhappy. You're my son. I wasn't there for you, but I... I want to be for her, for them." Them being the rest of our kids. "And, hell, Nico, I'm really trying!" I was silent.

"Thank you." I finally commented. He nodded.

"I have to leave. I'll try to do whatever I can." And he was gone.

"Promise to never leave me, Will." He just hugged me tightly.

"I promise," I swear to the gods if she dies, Hades or not, I'm going to f***ing throw him into Tartarus.

Noooo, don't cry, Nico! Oh, my original smol beans! 😭 Also, the Hades trying to be a good grandfather thing was something I just wanted to happen to heal the pain in your hearts (a little)