author note: hello!!!!! welcome back to part two!!! enjoy!!!!

headcanons:

trigger warnings: PTSD, getting choked, death

spoilers: mark of athena. my chapter "The Worst One Yet" Lightning Thief, battle of Manhattan. trials of Apollo burning maze (not a big spoiler and you won't even realize it is a spoiler unless you've read the book)

previously on...

     suddenly annabeth returned to the big house and so did the whole camp. everyone headed inside. annabeth and the rest of the athena kids started coming up with a plan. and that's when...

present...

3rd persons pov...(hades pov)

     After Hades disconnected the iris message he teleported to CHB, he didn't care if the gods weren't supposed to meddle in their kid's life. he is getting nico back. one way or another.

     he went straight into the big house and everyone stared at him.

     "Hades?!" Will Solace, his son's boyfriend exclaimed.

     "my son has been taken by Sephtis." hades explained, "I need you kids' help to get him back."

     "already on it." Ben said, his second son, "We're getting him back."

     "Good." hades replied. "what's the plan?"

     "We don't have much planned yet." annabeth told him, "once we have the completed plan we'll share it with the group."

     an hour passed and the plan was complete. annabeth informed everyone of the plan. then they left.

change of pov...

3rd person pov...(nico's pov)

     nico had ended up passing out after thirty minutes of straight torture. when he awoke again he saw he was still in the room but alone, luckily.

     for once nico didn't know if or how he'd get out of this. the only other two times he felt like this was once when he was trapped in the jar and when kronos had kidnapped him. nico hated feeling like this. he felt weak and he hated to feel weak.

     nico was glad about one thing. he was glad that he was the one kidnapped and not his other siblings. he didn't know what he would do if it was Ben or Hazel, he didn't know Catherine that much but he'd save her still.

     nico got pulled out of his thoughts by sephtis entering his prison. nico stood up and glared at the god. sephtis snapped his fingers and food appeared in front of nico.

     "im not eating that." nico growled.

     "fine." sephtis shrugged, "I don't care if you eat."

     sephtis walked out of the room leaving nico alone. nico threw the food across the room at the wall and sat down.

change of pov...

3rd person pov...(ben's pov)

     Ben and everyone else were outside sephtis lair ready to fight when they heard nico scream. everyone rushed inside the layer and started running down corridors.

     ben was terrified, and nico was kidnapped, by a god, gods were unstoppable. ben heard about the fight percy had with ares, but the only reason percy won was because kronos called ares to back off. gods were immortal, they couldnt die. how would they save nico?

     ben was pulled from his thoughts as he heard nico scream again, he had never heard nico be in so much pain before. "hold on nico. we're coming." Ben thought to himself. he took off down the right corridor and saw a double door. this is it.

     "in here!" Ben called to the others.

     "ready?" percy asked everyone.

     "PENUT BUTTER!!" Tyson, Percy's brother yelled.

     and with that, they all ran into the rooms through the double doors. what they saw terrified them. nico was covered in blood. sephtis, a huge scary shadow, was holding nico up in the air by his throat.

     "Well, well, well," sephtis started, he looked at nico, "Look who showed up. and you thought he wouldn't? And he brought your brother and friends too. how lovely."

     "let nico go." hades ordered.

     "I don't think you're the one who gets to make the orders around here." sephtis said, "no because you see. I have your son. the one you so deeply care for. and to think, he didnt even think you'd come for him. how sad."

     "what's your gameplan here?" annabeth asked, "you know this will start a war between the Persians and Greek gods. why?"

     "BECAUSE I CAN!" sephtis roared, "I want power. this is how I get power."

     "the only thing it'll get you is a one-way ticket to but kicking town." percy told him, "now let nico go and we'll leave peacefully."

     "NO!"  sephtis yelled, "I'm not letting nico go until Hades BEGS for him back." sephtis looked t nico, "Now, let's see how tight my crip can get around nico's neck before it snaps."

     sephtis gripped around Nico's neck tightened and nico instantly tried to get free. his hands going up to the shadows around his neck pulling at them, trying to get the grip to loosen. and that's when it happened.

     will had snuck behind sephtis during his villain monologue and now jumped on his back, blindfolding him.

     "This is what you get for taking my boyfriend!" will screamed.

     all the demigods and hades rushed towards sephtis. hades tried helping nico to get free but it was no use. nico was trying to say something to his dad and Hades interrupted him.

     "shh, it's okay nico. You'll get out. stay calm." hades wispered.

     suddenly sephtis exploded. sending everyone flying backward. the demigods sat up and saw sephtis standing up still, nico was no longer being choked but had a knife to his throat.

     "you know?" nico started, his voice weak, "This getting real old, having someone hold a knife to my throat. this has got to be what? probably the one-hundredth time this week this has happened."

     "shush!" spehtis snapped, he looked at Hades who was giving him a look that could kill, "Now, beg me to let nico go, or else I'll stab him right away."

     "Don't!" will told Hades, "this is exactly what he wants, he'll just kill nico once you beg!"

     "hmm?" sephtis hummed, "a child of Apollo, in my lair?" sephtis laughed, "now that, is hilarious. now tell me, child of Apollo, why do you think im not speaking the truth?"

    "your eyes, and the way you spoke. You've been planning to kill nico since the beginning. it was a trap. a trap for hades."

     annabeth eyes widened in realization, "Of course! Will, you are a genius! I can't believe I didnt notice it sooner."

     "im impressed child of Apollo." septis told him, "now, shall he begin?"

     "begin what?" hades asked.

     "the stealing of godhood..." nico spoke in realization.

author note: duh duh duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's the end of this chapter- *hears your pitchforks being sharpened* okay! okay! I won't leave you on a cliffhanger. enjoy the rest of the story!!!

change of pov...

third person pov...(nico's pov)

     nico turned to sephtis, "Why do you want to steal my dad's godhood?"

     "there can only be one god of death." sephtis answered, "and it must be me."

     "you're a fool sephtis! and a coward." hades growled.

     "we'll see who's the fool in a few seconds hades." sephtis said.

     hades ran at sephtis, who without hesitation stabbed nico in the heart. will let out a gut-wrenching scream while Hades froze in terror.

    will was beyond angry, and heartbroken. will did something he didn't know he could do, he exploded into light particles and started attacking sephtis. in one big flash of light sephtis was gone. will ran to nico and bent down to his side.

     "come on nico, come on, you're not dead. wake up! wake up nico!" will screamed.

     all the demigods were shocked, Ben went to run to nico but percy grabbed his shoulders. Ben pushed percy back and ran to nico's side.

     "will heal him. come on! you can heal him." Ben pleaded, "he'll be okay. right? will, tell me he'll be alright."

     hazel cried on franks shoulder, percy hugged annabeth and jason just let tears fall down his face.

     "Ben..." Hades stared, "nico's gone. you know it, you can feel it."

     "he's not gone." will argued, his eyes bright yellow with fury, "I know nico, he's going to fight."

     will took out Abrosia and Necter from his pocket and fed it to nico. it didn't do anything.

     "come on!" will yelled, "why won't you work?!?"

     Apollo then suddenly appeared in front of Will, "Will..."

     "no dad. nico is still alive. he's going to pull through this. I know he will." will snapped and closed his eyes, "he can't be gone..."

     will thought of nico, and all the happy memories will had with him. will grabbed nico's hand and nico started glowing, will felt part of his life force going into nico, will didn't fight, he let it happen. everyone was shocked at what was happening. then nico opened his eyes.

     ben, will, and Hades instantly hugged nico before he could put together what happened. hazel ran over and joined the hug. nico was taken back to camp and forced to stay in the infirmary for three days, "doctor orders" as Will said.

     three days passed and nico walked outside, percy was there waiting.

     "nico," Percy said, "can we talk?"

     nico nodded and sat down on the infirmary steps, percy followed.

     "I am so sorry for the prank I played on you. I took it way too far and I shouldn't have. I promise I'll try to think more before I do pranks." percy told him.

     "it's okay percy." nico said, "I accept your apology."

author note: that is truly the end!!!! I hope you all liked this chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! see you on the next one!!!!!!!!