...

No, Please.

Nico, understandably, had plenty of questions. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Silence passed over them for a couple of seconds before Nico could form a coherent sentence. Even the souls trapped in Hades' cloak ceased their moaning.

"So, to be clear, you want me to single handedly kill a powerful villain, who also has multiple powers, while healing from my last quest?" His tone was wavering dangerously between being annoyed and being angry. Gods, couldn't he get a break once?

He knew he had a weird relationship with his father but they at least had some sort of mutual respect thing going on, even though a lot of it was just Nico trying to prove his worth. Some part of him however, perhaps bigger than he would like to admit, cared for his father. At least Hades tried to be there for him. But whatever they had wouldn't excuse Hades sending Nico off to a new universe and dropping a quest on him without warning. While he's healing, on top of that.

Hades cringed, something Nico had never seen him do before, and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you were close. You won't be alone. The place I sent you was a school for heroes in training, and one class is especially skilled in combat. If you gain their trust, get them to let you stay under their roof, and gain information about All For One, your chances of victory will be significantly higher." He coughed, "But, if that doesn't work out, I already have a place in the castle for you."

Nico's eyes narrowed.

Hades continued, "Also, communications by gods are forbidden between your universe and this one. Your friends don't have a clue where you are, Zeus' rules. But I may be able to drop some hints, if that makes you feel better. Your Iris-messages might work, but I doubt it."

Anger was bubbling in his chest, threatening to explode. He was about to drop all common sense and argue back against a god when Hades interrupted him.

His father's expression stayed the same, but his eyes glinted dangerously, a silent warning. Nico begrudgingly shut his mouth.

"The last thing, the time is not the same here. You might be here for a week, but at Camp Half-blood you were gone for a month. It's not exact." His eyes softened slightly and, in that moment, he sounded more like a sad father than a god. "I truly am sorry, my son. I wouldn't have sent you if it wasn't of importance. To help you, I give you my blessing."

He stood up, slowly walked down the steps leading to his throne, and placed his hands on Nico's shoulders. They felt cold, even through his jacket.

"I, Hades, god of riches and the Underworld, give you, Nico Di Angelo, my blessing."

Surprising heat, like standing too close to a fire, washed over Nico, followed by a bone rattling chill. Hades stepped back and retracted his hands. Sad eyes watched Nico as the teen sucked in multiple breaths, staggering, trying to get used to the aftershock of a blessing from a god.

"My blessing gives you more power. You can summon more creatures from the Underworld and use less energy. You can shadow travel longer and carry more than you could before. Your powers have expanded and evolved. But it will take its toll on you, one way or another."

Hades stepped back. "I can't keep you much longer, they'll get suspicious. You've already set them off. Good luck, my son."

Nico tried to say something, anything, but he could already feel his consciousness being ripped away. He reached a hand out, fighting, trying to grab anything he could, trying to stay. He could feel himself slipping deeper into unfamiliar darkness, and eventually, against his protests, it took him.

Nico's consciousness slammed into his body and he immediately sat up, panting, fingers gripping the edge of the bed he was laying on. After collecting himself and trying to subside the throbbing headache that persistently stayed, he turned his attention to the three others in the room. He noticed them when he first woke up, along with the fact that his knife, the ambrosia, and his jacket were gone too. That was enough to make him start a fight, but his father's advice rang in his mind, and he settled for just giving the others in the room a glare. Besides, in this state, he didn't think he would win.

However, it's not like they were very threatening. His captives were an old, short lady with white hair piled into a bun, a skeletal looking man with wild blond hair and deep-set blue eyes, and the man from earlier with the weird scarf and eye bags. The old lady just returned Nico's glare with a weary smile while the blonde haired man just studied Nico curiously. However, the third man opted to just respond with a look of his own, a mix between bored, curious, and angry.

Nico sighed and ran a hand down his face. He was never good at explaining.