Chapter 6: The Rollercoaster

Will woke in the Hades cabin only to find Nico long gone. "Nico?" He called, bolting upright. He waited. No answer. He threw off the covers and stood. "Nico?! This isn't funny!" He waited again. And there was no answer again. "I swear..." Will calmed himself. He needed to be level-headed and cool. But he knew he needed to tell someone if he didn't find the son of Hades anywhere else. So, he snuck out carefully and quietly, since half the camp was sleeping, and checked everywhere he could think Nico might be. No one at the training grounds. Nothing on the beach. No surprises hiding in the shadows, nothing but Peleus atop Half-Blood Hill, wrapped around the trunk. No one at the climbing wall. No one passing the Strawberry fields. No one in the shrines Jason had started building for the minor gods....only one place left. Will burst through the door of the Big House, but only Seymour was in the living room. No one in the basement. Then, he heard someone speak: "How can I stop the Titan?" Oh, gods, it was Nico! But....which Titan was he trying to stop? The Battle of Manhattan came back to him. No, no no no no! Could he really be...was it...was Nico trying to stop KRONOS? He heard the sound of footsteps, and hid in the basement, surprised when he saw his boyfriend, who could usually know who was behind him without looking, slip out the door. But he stopped short, and looked to the sky, the wind blowing his hair around and tugging at his clothes a little. "Gods, Will, I'm so sorry, but....someone has to get the job done." And, before he could even move toward the door, he fell to the floor, his vision dark.