Death and Madness|| Nico di Angelo

Pain, suffering and an emo friend

It was nearly midnight according to the watch on my wrist, but I was showing no signs of sleepiness. In fact I was skipping along in front of a brooding Nico with two Stygian iron daggers in my hand. 

"You'll want to go to camp now right?" Nico asked unsure. I had a feeling he wanted me to stay, and so did I. 

"Nah" 

"Nah?"

"Nah, I don't want to go to camp anymore" I clarified. 

"It's okay, you don't have to stay. You can leave" Nico sighed looking at the ground. His next words were barely above a whisper but I heard them, "They all do"

"Someone needs to take care of you, you little, Italian emo" I nudged him playfully.

He grumbled something about being taller than me, but I was already a few feet away. 

"Why though?" He asked. "Why do you want to stay with me?"

"Well, mainly because of the ghost. He gives me the creeps... Gotta keep you safe" I called over my shoulder. I knew this friendship wouldn't last, I didn't even know if it was a friendship. One day, we would part ways, just like everyone in my life and I would be alone again. I knew that, but I wanted to be his friend for as long as I could. 

"Fine, but that means going into the labyrinth" He warned. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about that part, but I agreed.

---

Nico and I wandered around the Underworld for an hour or two. He kept looking for Greek symbols or something. A triangle sort of shape that would lead to the entrance. 

"My lord, the furies sense your presence" The ghost said. I would often forget that he was still there, and then jump whenever he talked. He seemed to enjoy startling me. 

"We're still searching" Nico told him. 

Before we could look any further though, I heard some screeches and three winged ladies were flying toward us. They were ugly to say the least, and old, their skin was like leather on them and their wings weren't any prettier. 

"Quick, in there" Nico pointed to a crack between two boulders, something that had definitely not been there a moment ago. But I wasn't one to argue with the escape route. 

It was a tight squeeze, but Nico and I slipped into the dark chamber with the creepy ghost behind us. I could see the cloudy roof of the cavern and the three furies flying toward us, and then the hole shut like the lens of a camera, and we were in complete darkness.

Our breathing echoed against stone. It was wet and cold. I was sitting on a bumpy floor that seemed to be made of bricks.

Nico lifted his Stygian Iron sword and I did the same with my daggers. The faint purple glow emitted by our weapons was enough to illuminate our faces and the mossy stone walls on either side of us. 

"Wh- where are we?" I asked. 

"The labyrinth" The ghost answered, his voice echoeing dramatically. 

Slowly, Nico and I started walking. We had no idea which way to go and we usually played rock paper scissor at forks. But apparently the ghost got annoyed with us being kids and decided to lead us. And on the way, Nico told me his plan. 

"Daedalus" He said. "I want his soul in return for my sister's"

"He's the one that created the maze" I remembered. "For king Minos"

Nico nodded. 

"And there was something about his daughter?" 

"Ariadne, she helped Theseus navigate the maze with a string" Nico answered.