Quest to Rescue Iapetus

The Quest for Iapetus is a quest that @Nico di Angelo decides to undertake with his boyfriend @Will Solace to try to rescue @Iapetus from @Tartarus.

Background

After @Percy Jackson and @Annabeth Chase get trapped in Tartarus, the Titan Iapetus, better known as Bob, comes to their aid after overhearing Percy and Annabeth talking about him. Bob leads the two demigods through Tartarus to the @Doors of Death where Bob, @Damasen and @Small Bob face off against @Tartarus himself. The three are presumed destroyed by the protogenos, but succeed in sending Percy and Annabeth back to the mortal world, ensuring the closing of the Doors of Death in the process.

When @Apollo visits @Camp Half-Blood two weeks after becoming a god again, Nico reveals that he still feels a compulsion to visit Tartarus, calling it unfinished business. Apollo recalls Nico telling him about a voice that he'd heard calling for help from Tartarus and asks him if he thinks that it could be @Jason Grace, but while Nico has considered that possibility, he has a feeling that it's something else and that Jason has made his choice, meaning that trying to bring Jason back would be dishonoring his sacrifice. Nico believes that Jason is either in @Elysium or has chosen rebirth, but Apollo can't give him an answer about which that might be.

Nico reveals that there is someone who helped him out in Tartarus before and that the Seven had left him down there: Iapetus, also known as Bob. When Nico admits that he can't stop thinking about Bob, Will Solace wonders if he should be jealous before Nico explains that Bob is a Titan. Apollo is surprised that Nico wants to help a Titan and Nico explains that Bob isn't a bad guy and Nico feels like he should look for him and see if he can figure out what happened to Bob who might need his help. @Rachel Elizabeth Dare asks if Hades wouldn't mind him traipsing down to Tartarus, but Nico admits that the god has expressly forbidden it, not wanting anyone in Tartarus ever again after what happened with the Doors of Death. However, Nico and Will intend to enlist the help of the troglodytes who have the ability to tunnel anywhere, including Tartarus and can get them in and out safely. Apollo doesn't like the idea of his son going to Tartarus, especially given his recent tumble to the edge of @Chaos while fighting @Python, but decides that it's not his place to tell them what to do. Apollo apologizes for not being able to help them, but Tartarus is out of his jurisdiction.

As Will promises that he and Nico will face whatever comes next with or without a prophecy, Rachel suddenly issues a prophecy to Nico and Will without any prompting or intervention from Apollo. Apollo desperately scrambles away, not wanting to hear the prophecy, while Nico and Will catch Rachel. Apollo doesn't hear the prophecy and decides to leave his son and his boyfriend to figure it out with Will admitting that whatever Rachel had foretold for them doesn't sound good.

The Journey

After another nightmare, Nico wakes up in a cold sweat screaming and Will, @Chiron, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and @Dionysus come in to @Hades' Cabin (Cabin 13). After Rachel recites a prophecy, Nico and Will reveal it has been recited twelve times. After explain that the son of Hades has been reviving distress calls from Iapetus, After Nico and Will express their desire to rescue him no matter what, Chiron and Dionysus, reluctantly on the former’s part, agree to approve the quest.

After stopping at the @Jackson-Blofis Apartment, they contact the son of Poseidon and Annabeth Chase tell the two to rely on each other. The pair them enter the Underworld and meep up with the Troglodytes. After they say they have been sensing something evil, Nico realizes it is @Nyx and tells everyone about his first trip to Tartarus. After that, the boys spend the night with the troglodytes and Screech-Bling and Hiss-Majesty escort them to an entrance to Tartarus they found.

As they troglodytes lead them, they are forced to stop outside the farm of Menoetes. Menoetes agrees to let them pass if they bring him fruit from Persephone's Garden. Once their, Nico and Will do their best to sneak fruit without Persephone knowing of their presence. However, they she freezes Nico and speaks with Will, allowing them to leave with the fruit. When they give Menoetes the fruit, he tells them to look for the hut of Damasen in the swamp and Bob will not be far. After fending off @Drakons, they reach the River Acheron and the troglodytes leave them. The boys must convince @Gorgyra to lend them her canoe by Nico and Will telling her the story of how they become a couple. Gorgyra gives the boys the canoe and they sail into Tartarus.

Nico rests and Will explores for a bit before being carried off by Stymphalian Birds and lands near a pack of newly regenerated Cynocephali and encounters Small Bob. Nico awakes to a satyr like creature named @Amphithemis sniffing him and realizes Will is missing. After Amphithemis tells Nico he is looking for a child, Nico agrees to help him if he helps the son of Hades. However Nico soon realizes the child Amphitemis is looking for is Dionysus and learns that Amphitemis is a mania. Nico runs when he attacks him and meets Will and Small Bob. After Nico says Amphitemis is a mania looking for Dionysus, the son of Apollo says the dog men have Dionysus and the boys and small Bob escape as the dog men are attacked.

They return to the river of pain and Nico scolds Will as he wanted to help Amphithemis and they return to the canoe and sail down a river. Will fall asleep as Nico keeps watch. The son of Hades thinks he sees something following them before entering the stomach. The boys make it out before they get digested and realize they are in a swamp before Cynocephali appear. Nico summons the dead to help them and inadvertently creates two Aetera who beg the boys to kill them when they kill the dog men and threaten to eat the demigods when they do not. Small Bob kills them and the group moves on. They find the hut abandoned and they rest.

After resting, they set out and quickly reach Nyx's domain. The find Bob and, working together, free him. However Nyx appears and prevents them from leaving. Fortunately, the @Mansion of Night cates fire and they manage to exit Nyx's realm but are quickly cornered by her. Nyx shows Nico di Angelo the cacodemons she made from him and they inadvertently torment Nico when he touches them. However Nico over comes the encounter and frees the cacodemons fries his and Nyx's control. Nyx's children subdue her as Bob grabs Nico, Will, and Small Bob, and jumps into the river of pain. They sail away as Nyx, who is unable to cross the river, screams at them.

Eventually, they make it to Camp Half-Blood and Chiron welcomes them back and Bob says he desires to go west. After saying goodbye to the titan, Chiron takes the demigods to breakfast.