𝒊𝒗. 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝒗.

Percy and Noelle continued their cuddling for the third night in a row. Noelle laid her head and most her upper body on Percy's torso, the rest of her body in between his legs, their legs tangled together. Their arms were wrapped around each other, making it easy to fall asleep.

But Noelle didn't stay asleep. 

Being a bigger fan of the night than the day, thanks to her mom, Noelle had trouble sleeping when there was light. So it didn't help that the fountain in Percy's bathroom was practically blinding her.

She pried herself from his arms, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She began to shake Percy's shoulders, trying to wake him. It took a while, but eventually he shot straight up, eyes wide with fear.

"Hey, it's okay," Noelle said. "Bad dream?"

Percy nodded. "I'll tell you later. Why're you up?"

"It seems your fountain has a message." Noelle jerked her head towards the source of the light. "I was trying to wake you before I checked it out."

She got up from the bed, Percy following behind her. They walked into the bathroom and approached. The brightness of the fountain seemed so urgent, and it was almost like the water was humming.

No voice spoke out of the water this time, asking for a deposit. They got the feeling the fountain was waiting for them to make the first move. 

They probably should've gone back to bed. Instead Noelle thought about what they'd seen last night—the weird image of Nico at the banks of the River Styx. 

"It's trying to tell us something," Noelle said. 

No response from the fountain. 

"All right," she said. "Show me Nico di Angelo."

She didn't even throw a coin in, but this time it didn't matter. It was like some other force had control of the water besides Iris the messenger goddess. The water shimmered. Nico appeared, but he was no longer in the Underworld. He was standing in a graveyard under a starry sky. Giant willow trees loomed all around him. 

He was watching some gravediggers at work. They heard shovels and saw dirt flying out of a hole. Nico was dressed in a black cloak. The night was foggy. It was warm and humid, and frogs were croaking. A large Wal-Mart bag sat next to Nico's feet. 

"Is it deep enough yet?" Nico asked. He sounded irritated. 

"Nearly, my lord." It was the same ghost they'd seen Nico with before, the faint shimmering image of a man. "But, my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice." 

"I want a second opinion!" Nico snapped his fingers, and the digging stopped. Two figures climbed out of the hole. They weren't people. They were skeletons in ragged clothes. 

"You are dismissed," Nico said. "Thank you." 

The skeletons collapsed into piles of bones. 

"You might as well thank the shovels," the ghost complained. "They have as much sense."

Nico ignored him. He reached into his Wal-Mart bag and pulled out a twelve-pack of Coke. He popped open a can. Instead of drinking it, he poured it into the grave. 

"Let the dead taste again," he murmured. "Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember."

He dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a whitepaper bag decorated with cartoons. She hadn't seen one in years, but Noelle recognized it—a McDonald's Happy Meal.