I stepped out of the portal and screamed.

I was twenty feet above the River Styx. And rapidly falling towards it.

On instincts I didn't know I had, my wings spread and flapped, righting me in the air with the almost silent whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...

I felt like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. Whether it was from almost taking an unexpected swim in the Styx, portaling, or finding out I could fly, I wasn't sure.

The last one was pretty damn cool, though.

I flew down to a safe distance from the bank and set down carefully, staying as silent as possible. Then I did my child-of-Hades thing and sent out my senses. The Underworld was my home turf. This was going to be easy.

Well, finding Reyna was going to be easy. Getting her out... not so much.

I found her waiting in line to be judged, looking pretty pissed about something. Probably the fact that she was dead. I don't know. Beside her, the E-Z Death line trickled past into the Fields of Apostolate.

I started towards her, flitting in between the shadows and staying hidden easily.

I reached her within minutes.

I was about to reach out and touch her shoulder when her hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

Well, she tried to. She was still newly dead, so she had some substance, but her hand passed right through me.

Her eyes blazed, and I realized she couldn't see my face. She didn't know it was me.

"Oh no you don't. I've been in line. You can go to the back and wait, mister black cloak." Reyna said, and I flinched.

She was damn scary when she was mad.

"What the hell are you anyways? Some kind of winged demon?" Reyna asked and muttered more quietly, "Sic fortuna tua ego sum mortuus, et ponam oculos meos tenere imperium armis aureis hastam.

Translate: You're so luck I'm dead, so I can't wield my Imperial Gold weapons.

It took me a minute to translate what she said.

When I did, I held up my hands in a Whoa there type of gesture.

I slowly reached up and pulled my hood off.

Reyna's eyes widened.

Then instead of being happy to see me like I thought she'd be, she scowled.

"You're a fucking idiot." She said in a low hiss.

I blinked.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"I said, You're a fucking idiot! Why would you risk coming down here just to see me?" Reyna exclaimed.

My wings fluttered nervously.

I mentally cursed. Stupid, stupid expressive wings!

Reyna's eyes widened further.

"Are those mother freaking wings?" Reyna asked.

I gave her a weak smile, my wings fluttering for emphasis.

"Yeah. They're real. Please, just let me explain." I said.

Then I started from the beginning. From when I heard of her death.

As soon as I finished, Reyna slapped me. Her anger made her solid enough to where it still stung. Like Hades.

I yelped and jumped back.

"Why in Pluto's name would you do that? Run away from camp and then waste a perfectly good wish on coming to see me? You idiota! Get your podex right back in that camp, shadowfire Archangel commander or not!" She said sternly.

I winced and put a hand to my cheek. Man, she could hit.

"Reyna, my wish wasn't to come and see you. My wish was to come and bring you back. You could be praetor again. You could be alive again." I said desperately.

Reyna's look softened.

"Why in Pluto's name would you do that? You could have wished for anything, Nico. You still can. I refuse to come with you." Reyna said stubbornly.

I grabbed her wrists and made her look at me.

"Too late, Reyna. You're coming back to the world with me, like it or not. I'll drag you back to Camp Jupiter if I have to. Actually, all I have to do is summon Chaos and he will fulfill my wish. You'll be alive again." I said, almost begging her.

She yanked her wrists away from my hands and closed her eyes. She still looked like Reyna, but she seemed... faded. Like a washed-out photo.

But she was still the Reyna I knew. The one who supported and defended me during our quest. The Reyna who never gave up on me, no matter what.

So now it was time to return the favor.

I closed my eyes and sent out my thoughts to Chaos.

We're ready.

I felt an already-familiar presents in my thoughts, which was oddly comforting and creepy.

I'm coming.

When I opened my eyes, Reyna had turned away from me, her eyes still squeezed tightly shut. Her fists were balled at her sides.

"Why? Why won't you let me bring you back?" I asked.

Reyna made an exasperated noise and spun to face me. I expected her to slap me, but instead she looked like she was warding off tears.

"Gods damn it, Nico! Can't you see? Can't you see why air won't let you waste your wish on me? Because that's what it would be. A waste." Reyna said stubbornly.

" Quit that! I want you to be happy! Making you happy by bringing you back isn't a waste!" I shouted, not really thinking before I said the words.

Reyna looked like she was going to cry.

"Nico, don't you get it? Even if you do bring me back, I won't be happy. I can't see you if you bring me back or if I stay dead, either way. You're the Archangel. You're going to be on a different planet, for gods sakes! It won't matter if I'm alive. I'd rather be dead than go back to Camp Jupiter and never see you again. Don't you get how much I care about you? Don't you see? So just go. Save you're wish for something important." Reyna said and tried to pull away.

But I grabbed her shoulders.

"Stop it! You are important! You don't know how much you mean to me, gods dammit! You don't realize how much I love you!" I yelled, then realized what I had said.

Reyna's eyes widened.

I was petrified, like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh schist. Reyna, I-I'm sorry. I–"

Reyna did the last thing I would have ever expected for her to do. She darted forward and kissed me.

It effectively cut off my stuttering.

She tasted like mist, and she was as  insubstantial as air, but she was still Reyna.

I heard someone clear their throat, and I spun around.

The creator of the universe stood behind us, watching us with amused eyes.

"Ah. I get why you want her wished back now." Chaos said with a grin.

He reminded me of Apollo. A very goth Apollo, but still. They both had that same powerful aura, but they both also shared the same stupid mindset.

Reyna looked mortified.

"Is-is that-is that who I think it is?" She whispered.

I nodded with a groan.

"Yep. Reyna, meet Chaos. Chaos, Reyna." I introduced.

I raised an eyebrow.

"So, can she be brought back, or not?" I asked.

Chaos nodded.

"Oh, yeah." He said and snapped his fingers.

The air around us rippled, and Reyna solidified.

Her hands, which were still wrapped around my neck, grew warm. Flesh and blood.

Reyna shimmered slightly, her appearance altering.

She no longer looked like a washed out photo.

Her long, dark hair was glossy. Her eyes gleamed, her cheeks were flushed. Her armor gleamed, and her weapons appeared around her waist in their sheaths.

She smelled faintly of hot chocolate and cherry muffins, her favorite treat from Bombillio, the two-headed coffee merchant at Camp Jupiter.

Reyna smiled.

"I know how to fix this." She said softly, to me.

Then she spoke louder and pulled away from me, addressing Chaos.

"I wish to join your army. I wish to join The Angels of Chaos." She said confidently.