It had been a week. No word. Not an Iris message, a sign, or anything. I stayed in my cabin for days, only coming out for meals and flying Black Jack. Percy had asked me to care for him since he had taken a liking to me, and it was an excuse to use the beautiful bridle Jake had given me (WHAT UP FIRST CHAPTER REFERENCE). Black Jack didn't really need it, since he listened to my every request, but he seemed to know that using the bridle was important to me, so he didn't protest.

It was dinner time on the seventh day since they had left. I was minding my own business, at my table, glancing around occasionally while stirring my avgo lemono disinterestedly (if you haven't had it, I 10/10 recommend). My eye was drawn to where Nico was sitting, not really touching his food, which wasn't surprising. What was surprising was he was staring right back at me, concern written all over his face. I raised an eyebrow at him as he paled, even more than usual, and turned away.

That was weird I thought, but brushed it off. I looked back down at my food before pushing it away with a sigh and standing up. I turned away from the dining pavilion and started toward my cabin before I felt a cold hand on my wrist and everything went dark.

I gasped for air as my vision was filled with light. The weight that felt like it was crushing my chest was finally lifted and I looked around in confusion. Trees. Lots of trees. The forest. Okay, that's not too bad.

"Nico?" I asked as the dark-haired boy's face came into my line of sight.

"Sorry about that," he muttered. "We need to talk." I gave him a confused look but nodded. He took a deep breath and gave me a look that told me I was about to hear some bad news. "So... I have this thing I can do. It's a child of Hades thing. Sometimes... Sometimes when things happen I can feel it. It's not good. I just wanted to warn you," he paused. "Something happened on the quest. They'll be coming back soon with bad news," he finished, giving me an almost-sympathetic look.

"Wait, what? What do you mean? What happened? Are they okay? Is everyone still alive?" I asked rapid-fire questions, a million more racing through my mind, none of them good and each scenario worse than the last. Nico simply sighed and shook his head.

"The Fates won't allow me to tell you," he stated. Stupid Fates. I'd heard a lot about them and the stupid things they have put my brother and his friends through. Let's just say, NOT a fan. No one messes with them but me.

I growled in frustration, turning and stomping off deeper into the woods, fearing the worst for my brother and my friends. I could feel tears stinging my eyes but refused to let them fall.

"Hey!" I heard Nico call out behind me as footsteps hit the ground. I picked up speed, wanting to be alone. I wanted to think without anyone around. And I certainly didn't want anyone to see me cry.

For the second time that day I felt a cold hand grab my wrist, but this time it was gentler and didn't make everything fade to black. I felt myself turn and was once again greeted with his face. Something about his dark eyes showed the pain he was in while telling me this.

He pulled me into a awkward but sweet hug, which I returned. He was an inch or two shorter than me but I buried my face in his shoulder anyways, finally letting go of my tears. Nico froze for a second, not knowing what to do with the girl crying on his shoulder. He hesitantly rubbed my back, muttering things in Italian, some of which I picked up on.

I released him, knowing how uncomfortable this probably made him, and wiped my tear-stained cheeks.

"S-sorry," I stuttered.

"It's okay, I understand. Not knowing things makes us fear the worst. I promise you'll be okay though," he said comfortingly. I heard him mutter something that sounded along the lines of "eventually." I gave him a worried look but he simply shrugged. "I've told you what I can. I'm sorry." I shook my head.

"Don't be. I'm glad you told me. I have time to prepare myself now."

But nothing could prepare me for this.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Kinda cliffhanger thing. Sorry it's so short. I've been trying to write when I can but I actually am sort of busy for someone who has no social life. Hope you liked seeing more of Nico. Dunno if that was totally out of character or what but it was fun so shush. Anyway, don't kill me. I'll update again soon... Maybe.