Kidnapped

18: The Plans

Percy POV

"Nico, I know that it's a weird request, but we need your help," I said firmly. "I'll give back your teddy bear afterward."

Nico simply stared at me. Honestly, the request was very strange. I was a grown man asking for a teddy bear. The fact that it was Nico also made it weird. Nico and I barely interacted because he was so shy.

Nico frowned as he held the golden-brown teddy bear.

"My sister, Bianca, made this for me at Build-A-Bear when I was younger. She gave it to me for my birthday. It's one of the only things that I have left of her," Nico expressed. Tears were bristling his dark eyes.

"What happened to her?" I asked softly.

Nico looked up. A raging fire stormed in his eyes. He looked angry as he sat down on his bed. I followed suit, and I was thankful that we were alone.

Annabeth trusted me, so she let me take charge of this request.

"We aren't the only batch of subjects that Elysium kidnapped. I was told by a CIA agent that my sister was found dead in a perceived car accident. However, they found a letter in her hand that explained that she was kidnapped by Elysium," Nico explained.

It took me a second to understand what Nico was telling me. Nico knew about Elysium; he lost his sister, Bianca, because of Elysium.

"Nico, I'm so sorry. That's awful," I expressed.

"Bianca was a beautiful soul, and she was a wonderful big sister. She didn't deserve to die. From then on, I vowed to find and destroy Elysium." Nico's face flared with anger and vengeance. Determination soaked his eyes. "And, I did find them here, but they also found me. Now, I'm stuck in here just like Bianca was."

"As long as we're stuck here, we're helpless. We need to escape," I said firmly. "That teddy bear will help Annabeth and I figure out how to escape. Then, we will take them down. Together."

Nico looked up and stared at my face. His gaze was piercing and deep, and it made me feel slightly uncomfortable. His black eyes flitted down to my lips.

It was at that moment when I realized that Nico di Angelo was gay.

I knew that Will was homosexual. It was an obvious characteristic of his, and Will didn't hide it either. However, I hadn't realized Nico's sexuality till now. I instinctually distanced myself from Nico so that I wouldn't give the wrong idea.

"The person that helped me with the blue room provided us with a clue. Your teddy bear is the key to escaping," I explained.

Nico looked back at his teddy bear before nodding. He flipped the teddy bear, so he could open the slit in the back. Nico and I both leaned back against the bunk bed so that we were (mostly) blocked from the security cameras.

Nico ruffled through the stuffing before pulling something out. I stared at the black pill in his palm: the Somnus drug.

The black pill was labeled with SN-10mg.

"This is Somnus," Nico said in shock. "This drug is one of the most dangerous paralytics in the world. It mimics death, which makes it very manipulative to use."

"Nico, how do you know so much about Somnus?" I asked.

"Whoever is helping you knows about my profession. I work in a forensic drug lab, specifically studying paralytics and analgesics."

Suddenly, footsteps started echoing through the bedroom. Nico quickly hid the pill, and we both straightened on the bed. However, it was only Annabeth approaching us.