The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure

Nico, Will, Hiss-Majesty, and Screech-Bling exit the tunnel. They can see Hades’ palace. Nico’s previous annoyance with Will vanishes when Will suggests that they come back later so he can meet Nico’s father.

The trogs call this place “the farm.” They see rows of tall, grey trees with scarlet flowers. Menoetes, a being with the head of a red Angus bull and a crimson human torso runs through the trees toward them.

In a flash forward, Nico says he was scared to ask Will out because he was afraid of how people would react if Nico had misread Will’s feelings. He remembers playing with Mythomagic cards with a friend in the 1940s. When Nico said Ares looked pretty on his card, the friend insulted him and never hung out with Nico again. In retrospect, Nico realizes that event is part of the reason he was so traumatized by Cupid forcing him to come out in front of Jason: He was afraid Jason would do the same thing. Gorgyra agrees that the coerced revelation was unfair. She asks why Nico doesn’t worry about being honest about his sexuality in front of her. Nico says that most gods and immortal creatures have lived too long to be homophobic.