And that's how I ended up spending my day exploring the labyrinth.
I just went in and picked a direction, I then followed that direction which led me to Rome, not the actual Rome but instead some place that looked like ancient rome.
Coliseums, giant temples, purple banners with SPQR on them, the works.
I'm pretty sure I even saw some people in armor fighting in the colosseum.
I would've wandered around the city but I didn't want to be caught. If this is some sort of replica of Rome then I do not want to get caught and be branded as a POW and enslaved.
Another thing that encouraged me to leave was the armless-statue that was yelling at me.
After that... experience I tried to retrace my steps.
I couldn't retrace my steps.
I guess that's part of the labyrinth's charms, to make people lost forever.
But still I could find my way back, I doubt the illusions of the labyrinth could counter the power of the fates.
I toggled the 'champion of the morai' title and decided to follow the threads of fate. If I can't retrace my steps I'll just follow the thread that leads home.
Most strings seemed to lead one direction, using the right fork, but one single strand came from riptide, and there were also a few that went in other directions.
Now I could either do the reasonably safe thing where I follow the biggest collection of strings back to yancy. But since when do I do anything reasonable or safe?
So I followed some of the strings that stray away from the main collection. The first one led me to a navy base which I somehow just knew was Concord naval Weapons Station, located in california.
After that one i went down a path that led me to the middle of a forest. There wasn't anything special about the forest itself, but the string led me through the forest towards a campsite with silver tents.
From a distance it seemed like it was all girls, with the exception of a few wolves and eagles.
I tried to creep closer to get a better look which failed terribly because I stepped on some dry leaves. Somehow they all heard that and in unison looked in my direction.
That creeped me out, I was 50 meters away and yet all of them heard it. but what scared me more was the fact that one of them shot an arrow at me. Or more specifically she shot an arrow that scratched the top of my head.
- 10 damage
This was followed by the small camp letting out a very loud war cry which resulted in me running as fast as I could back to the labyrinth while I also dodged a barrage of arrows. Well, I dodged most of them.
Some went through my body, which gamer's body repaired, others just grazed me. I almost had one go through my head but fortunately I tripped on a rock but I rolled back on my feet instead of faceplanting like an idiot. My luck is working for me already, or maybe that might've been bad luck.
But the point is I escaped, and I got 5 more VIT and DEX for my troubles.
The next led me to some casino with a huge neon lotus sign at the front, the string led inside of it and I felt the need to just go inside but still, it reminded me of Lamia. It looks perfectly normal but gives off an unnerving aura.
I decided to use observe on it which gave me this.
Name : the lotus tree / lotus hotel and casino
Bio : the lotus tree is the epicenter of the land of the lotus eaters, an island that intoxicated people with its fruit and made them like the island's inhabitant; lazy, dull and always looking for a good time. Now in modern day America it has turned into las vegas, an oasis in a desert that entrances people with its many games and attractions making people reluctant to leave. But only those who go into this particular casino feel the full effects of the land of the lotus eaters.
Attribute's :
lure : the land of the lotus eaters deteriorates the land around it so those nearby will be attracted towards this oasis in a barren landscape, people also are reluctant to leave because of the many attractions in the land and the promises of wealth that entail.
Technical immortality : those who reside in the lotus hotel and casino don't age and can never die due to things like disease.
Mist : the tree generates a special mist that makes people inside the lotus hotel and casino not pay attention to the passing of time. (due to 'gamer's mind' this attribute does not affect you) as a side effect the special mist has a particularly sweet aroma.
Entranced by entertainment : if anyone ever gets bored the lotus eaters will provide some form of entertainment to ensure that people will stay forever.
So someone that i have an important tie to is trapped in a hotel for gods know how long.
I steeled my face and made up my mind. This person, I don't know if this person is going to be my friend or my enemy in the future, but still, they're trapped in there.
I have to help them.
I walk into the casino before the entrance was blocked off by a wall of string. The string of fate.
Does this mean the fates are- "Hello, Perseus Jackson."
I turn around and see three identical ancient woman in long flowing black robes, all of them staring down at me with ethereal blue eyes.
Now, if you met some of the strongest deities in all Greek mythology, what would you do? What would you say?
This is what I said.
"Uhh... please don't smite me?" I know I was their apparent champion, but still if you see the fates, it's never good. It usually means that you're about to die, so what else am I supposed to say?
Fortunately what I said is the right thing because it made the three fates laugh.
"We would never hurt you Perseus." the one on the left said to me while reaching out to ruffle my hair.
"Percy, it's just Percy." I said while she ruffled my hair.
"Of course Perseus." they all said in unison, much to my annoyance.
"So why are you here, better yet, why did you make me your champion? I'm just, well, me."
"That is a bit of an extensive question on why you are our champion so we won't bother you with that now. Maybe later in the future." "As to why we appear before you, the person you wish to help will leave the casino in due time." "But right now he must stay inside the casino. But rest assured he and his sister will leave this place by next year, or for them a single week." they said one by one.
"A year!? I'm sorry but I'm going in." probably not the best idea to blow off the three people that could kill you as easily as cutting string. But if my friend is stuck or somehow in trouble, I'm helping them. And nothing will change my mind.
"Gabe Ugliano." I flinched "we could get rid of him, you won't have to deal with that bloated abusive walrus again. And you should know, he doesn't just abuse you."
My eyes widened and my breath quickened. If he's abusing who i think they're referring to, then the people in the casino could wait, it's selfish i know. But still, my mom, the woman who raised and protected me. One of the only people in the world who actually cares about me.
If she's being abused then I can't stand by. "OK, I won't go into the casino, but I have only two requests. First, please tell me, who am I connected to?"
"Nico Di Angelo, he's your brother in all but blood. But that opinion will be a bit one sided."
"Thank you, and for the second request. Make Gabe suffer."
"That was part of the plan. In fact, let us explain the plan to you."
"First he shall go to the bathroom and see through the bathroom window a woman from across the street undressing. He will lean out of the window to get a better view of the woman, only to fall out of the window and fall through a manhole cover into the new york sewer system, causing him to break his arm from the fall. This attracts the attention of a nearby starving crocodile. The crocodile will bite and tear out his thigh. After eating the thigh the crocodile will be repulsed by his taste and immediately run away giving Gabe the opportunity to escape. He climbs out of the sewer and stumbles onto the road where a criminal in a car chase crashes into him, this sends his body flying and causes it to crash into his camero. His throat will hit the metal of the car in such a way that he'll be decapitated, his body will be sprawled across the road where passing cars will drive over it, part of that road will literally be paved with his blood and organs. While his head will rebound off of the car into a nearby construction site. The head will then be impaled by a large metal pole."
I know i shouldn't've but i grinned at this. If Gabe was abusing my mom, then he deserves to suffer for eternity.
Why did mom even marry that pig for anyways, all he does is suck away our money like a parasite.
The fates plan will get Gabe away from mom permanently, and with him gone we could live a happy life.
My job now is making sure mom can have the easiest life, apart from me making trouble at school, the city, and pretty much everywhere i go, this should be pretty easy.
Quest notification : good kid
Be a good kid, a good kid, a good son
Don't get expelled
Excel in school
Rewards :
Sally jackson's happiness
5000 EXP (per school year that you excel, this year does not apply)
I didn't care about the EXP, but that is a bonus. All I cared about was my mom, so I accepted without hesitation.
But also, 5000 EXP!? How bad of a student could I possibly be if that's the reward for succeeding.
"Now Perseus, we must go. But before we do we have a gift for you." one of them said while another one took out something hidden in her robes.
"The strings of fate shall guide you to it's door, specifically the dark one." the one who said that handed me the object she held in her old gnarly fingers.
I looked at the small key in my hands, it was a perfectly black, old key, I'd guess 17th century. The shaft looked like it was made from two rods fused together leading up to a spiral pattern. And at the bow of the key was a deathly black circle encompassing a skull.
I looked up at the fates and realized they pulled a hagrid on me. FYI a hagrid is when someone gives you an object and vague directions, you look down at the object and when you're going to ask for more directions they vanish.
I guess I could just use observe on it.
Name : dungeon key: tomb of the damned
Bio : this is a dungeon key that grants access to: the tomb of the damned.
Dungeon info : the tomb of the damned is a prison for condemned souls cursed and forsaken by the lord of the dead as punishment for their sins they committed when they still had flesh. Their curse, they cannot die but they still age.
Monsters : cursed skeletons, cursed skeleton mages,
So the fates want me to go dungeon crawling in a tomb of immortal skeletons. Sounds reasonable.
I look back at the casino, thinking about Nico, my apparent 'brother in all but blood' who I'm pretty much betraying. I steeled my resolve and remembered that he'll only be in there for what he thinks will be a week, and that mom will be safe from Gabe.
But, I'll still meet him.
I walk into the casino following the string, ignoring everyone I pass by, until I finally see a little boy with pitch black hair and olive skin, shuffling through a deck of cards.
I walk over to him and say "Hi."
He just looks at me and asks a blitzkrieg of questions like "who are you? Do you play mythomagic? What's your favorite mythomagic card?" and countless others. I barely had time to answer any of them before someone who looks like an older female version of Nico, I assume his sister, dragged Nico off while scolding him about talking to strangers.
Honestly I'm grateful, all those questions annoyed me, but I answered them anyway. Mostly out of guilt from the fact that he's my friend, or going to be, and I'm just leaving him here, stuck in this timeless prison.