𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐘-(ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋsᴏɴ )¹

𝟎𝟗|𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐳𝐲? 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.

《𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐎𝐍》

𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐞⊰᯽⊱┈── ("𝑆𝒉𝑖𝑡, 𝒉𝑒'𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦.")

⊰᯽⊱┈──╌❊ ¤ ❊╌──┈⊰᯽⊱

─ ✦𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐘.

Not even a whole day into his arrival to camp and already things were going horribly wrong.

"Eurytion? Is something wrong with Nico?"

Annabeth looked worse for wear, which was barely anything new. Ever since this whole Labyrinth business began, she looked as miserable as he felt.

"He left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze."

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Why would he do that? Didn't Euytion try to stop him?"

Annabeth shook her head. "He couldn't. Nico was gone every before he woke up. Orthys tracked tracked his scent as far as the cattle guard. Eurytion said he'd been hearing Nico talk to himself these last few nights. Only, he thinks he's knows Nico is talking with Minos again."

If Nico really was talking to Minos again, that meant that the old King was the one to encourage his sudden venture into the Labyrinth, and with how wicked the man was when he was alive, no doubt, Nico's decision to go down there would bear a great cost.

Percy thought about the dream he had the previous night, about Luke and his companion talking about a lone half blood found in the Maze, and he hoped to the gods all that was purely coincidence.

But with how they lived? That was unlikely.

"He's in danger," he finally said to his friend.

Annabeth snorted sardonically, like Percy was stating the obvious. "No kidding. Minos is one of the judges of the Underworld, but he's got a vicious streak of a mile. I don't know what the the hell he wants to do with Nico, but–"

Percy shook his head. "No, no listen. That's not what I mean. I had this dream last night, and Luke was was with another half blood talking about Quintus and Ariadne's thread. The dracanaes working for him found a half blood in the maze, and he was alone, and they captured him. Luke wants to use him, I don't know what for but...but I'm thinking it might be Nico."

Annabeth's jaw clenched and she combed her fingers through her hair in distress. "That's very bad."

"Yeah," he agreed. "And if it is Nico, we have to do something. We don't know what they'll do to him. He's just a kid."

And if they managed to save Nico, Percy would make sure he wouldn't run away again. At least, not without talking to him to first.

Annabeth hiked an eyebrow. "Well it's a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?" She remarked snidely, and Percy's face flared up furiously, completely caught off guard for some reason.

He cleared his throat hastily, then shuffled closer to her van and leaned his back against it. "Anyway," he started. "Why aren't we leaving yet?"

The teasing expression on Annabeth's face faded almost immediately, and he sucked in her bottom lip as she leaned against the van too. Her eyes drifted to the slope of the hill. "We're waiting for someone," she replied quietly.

He frowned at the sudden turn in her mood, and opened his mouth to ask, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone calling them. "Percy! Annie!"

He followed her line of sight, and he saw Conan hiking up the hill, well prepared for travel, and in his tow—