𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 || 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣¹

029

(chapter XXIX - "want to be the sam to my colby?")

"WE SHOULD KILL him," Annabeth spat. "He was no better than Geryon. He tied us up. And treated us like we were shit from his dog."

"Killing him is a bit much, Annie," Percy pointed out. "Though maybe we should tie him up..."

Selene shook her head slightly. After the fight, they all fanned out in a semicircle around Eurytion and Orthus. None of them were too particularly happy with the cowherd, but she thought discussing what they should do about him in front of him was a bit...bitchy.

Grover huffed, crossing his arms. "That dog of yours almost killed me. Me, out of all people! I mean hey, I understand like — Annabeth or something — but me!?"

Annabeth scowled. "I'd watch your tongue before I cut it off —"

"Geryon," Percy interrupted — clearly anxious to change the subject. "How long will it take for him to reform?"

Eurytion leaned forward. He had yet another cigar in his mouth, and he let out a sigh, letting the smoke release into the air. "Hundred years or so? He's not one of those fast re-formers, thank the gods. You've done me a favor, Perseus Jackson."

Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. "So we're all set on killing him, then?"

"Annabeth..." Percy started with a sigh. "I know how much you hold grudges, but —"

"He saved my life." Selene cut in. She had remained silent for a while — hearing the group bicker back and forth on what they should do and what the cowherd's fate would be. And she was going to be honest — it was getting quite annoying.

She met Eurytion's eyes. He seemed surprised, as if he didn't expect to be defended by her, but his surprise soon disappeared under his straw hat.

"What?" Percy asked. "What are you talking about, Sel?"

"He saved my life. He saw me fiddle with Lunar in bracelet form, and stayed quiet. He gave me a chance to escape — to get out of there," She explained grimly. "If he wouldn't, Geryon would've hurt me way more than a silly scar."

Her words seemed to have an effect. Eurytion sent her a small, grateful glance, and Selene sent a small smile back.

Annabeth sighed, setting her mouth into a firm line. "Fine. Back to Geryon. You've said you've died for him before — why?"

"Why?" Questioned Eurytion.

"Why would you die for him?"

Eurytion sighed. "I've worked for that creep for thousands of years. Started out as a regular half-blood, but when my father, Ares, offered immortality to me, I took it. Worst mistake, of my life. Now I'm stuck here — at this ranch. I can't leave, I can't quit. I just tend to the animals and fight Geryon's countless fights. We're kinda tied together, you see."

"Maybe you can change things," Percy offered.

Eurytion grunted, "How?"

"Be nice to the animals," Selene suggested. "They don't seem too happy. Take care of the ranch, keep it clean. Stop selling them for food. And stop trading with the Titans."

"Yeah," Percy agreed, shuddering. "They're bad news."

Selene grinned, turning to face with with an amused look. She elbowed him, softly, and felt fireworks exploding in her stomach when he grinned back at her, sending her a small wink.

Eurytion watched their interaction. And for the first time in a long time — the cowherd smiled. "Yeah," He said, still watching the two closely. "Yeah, that'd be all right."

"And hey," Grover started. "When Geryon gets back, maybe he'll be working for you this time."

Selene laughed slightly as Geryon nodded, clearly liking the idea. "Now that — that I can live with."

"You won't try to stop us leaving, right?"

"Fuck, no. I could care less."

Annabeth flexed her shoulder. Despite agreeing to let Eurytion go free, she still looked suspicious of him. "Geryon said somebody paid for our safe passage. Who?"

Eurytion opened his mouth to reply, but Selene beat him to it.

"Hera," Selene said, looking at the blonde with narrowed eyes. "It was Hera. That cocky shit knew Nico was here, and didn't care. I told you she was about as stupid as her peacocks."

She looked to Nico. Nico was already staring at her, and, as they met eyes, he shrugged. Selene felt her heart slightly ache at the fact he was probably used to nobody sacrificing anything  for him.

Except....

Bianca.

She stared blankly at the ground, the horrible flashbacks of the junkyard flooding back into her mind like a running river.

Percy's words just managed to  snap her back into reality. "What about the Titans? Did Geryon Iris-Message them yet?"

"Nope," Eurytion answered. "Geryon was waiting until after the barbecue. They don't know about Mr. Di Angelo."

Percy sighed in relief. "Good. That's — that's good."

Nico was glaring intensely at the Son of Poseidon. Selene doubted he would agree to come and quest with them — not with Percy. But, on the other hand, Percy wouldn't let him roam around the endless labyrinth on his own — he was far too stubborn.

"Nico," Percy started, softly. "You should stay here, with Geryon, until we're done with our quest. You should stay here — where it's safe."

"Safe?" Nico seethed quietly. Selene winced. "Safe? Why do you care if I'm safe — if anyone here is safe? You got my sister killed! You promised!"

Percy looked hurt. Selene sighed and took his hand, looking at Nico with guilt. "Nico, that wasn't Percy's fault. Your sister, she —"

The words got caught in her throat. She squeezed Percy's hand a bit tighter, "She — she was brave. Braver than all of us. Her friendship — her sacrifice— was for you. She wouldn't want you trying to take that sacrifice back."

"How would you know what she'd want?" Nico hissed, his dark eyes suddenly fixed on her. "You don't know anything!"

Selene's eyes slowly traveled to the floor, as Annabeth spoke, quietly. "Nico, Geryon wasn't lying about Kronos. If he knew you existed — he'd do anything to get you on his side."

"I'm not on anyone's side. And I'm not afraid. Of you, of Kronos. Of anybody. I will bring Bianca back, or die trying."

Annabeth's eyes darkened. "Nico, your sister wouldn't want —"

"If you actually cared for my sister, you'd help me bring her back!"

"A soul for a soul?" Selene asked, the dots finally connecting in her mind.

"Yes."

Percy looked seriously confused (but honestly — when did he not?). "Wait. But if you don't want my soul —"

"I'm not explaining shit to you! I will bring her back!"

"Bianca wouldn't want to be brought back," Percy pointed out. "Not like that."

"You let her die! How would you know what she would want?"

Percy looked up to stare Nico right in the eye. He squeezed Selene's hand, his gaze not faltering as he muttered the words, "Alright then. Let's ask Bianca."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I've tried to! It doesn't work. She never answers!"

The sky seemed to grow darker. The flames that were still running on the girl started to rise higher, Selene slightly stepping away from it as the heat warmed her skin.

"Well, try again," Percy insisted. "She'll answer. With me here."

"Perce, how can you be so sure?" Annabeth questioned with a frown.

"Because she's been sending me Iris-Messages," Percy answered, determined. "She's been trying to warn me of what you were doing, Nico, so I could stop it and protect you."

Nico shook his head. "No," he said, flatly. "That's impossible. She wouldn't — and she couldn't."

"One way to find out. You said you weren't afraid, Nico, so prove it." Perch turned to face Eurytion, studying the cowherd, before sighing. "We're gonna need a pit — like a grave, or something. And some food and drinks."

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "We talked about this. Think, before you do stupid sh —"

"I'll do it," Nico interrupted. "I'll try."

Eurytion shrugged, "There's a hole dug out back for a septic tank. We could use that. Cyclops boy, go and fetch my ice chest from the kitchen. I hope the dead like root beer."

"Fuck yes," Selene said with a grin, nudging Percy. "Can't wait to go ghost-hunting!"

Percy rolled his eyes, though a big smile was still evident on his face. "You're impossible, Sel."

"Hey! Don't diss my skills!" Selene hissed  — poking his chest.

Percy laughed, and raised his hands up in defense. "Hey! Hey! I didn't even say anything!"

She huffed, raising a brow. "Whatever. I'm just too cool for you. Don't worry — I'll just hang out with Annie-boo instead." Selene slung an arm around Annabeth's shoulders, pulling her best-friend close. Annabeth giggled, Selene as she teased the very left-out Percy behind her.

"So, Annie," Selene started with a smile. "Want to be the Sam to by Colby?"

"Oh, fuck, yes. If it means we get to leave Percy out."

"What the hell did I do!?"

Selene and Annabeth laughed hysterically, and Percy rolled his eyes as he pulled Selene closer to him — the trio  hand-in-hand as they walked to go..ghost-hunting, the rest of the group trailing behind them, listening to the absolute shit they were saying to each other and laughing about it quietly.

—

SELENE, HALFWAY THROUGH the walk, realized that ghost-hunting wouldn't be as much fun as it was imagined to be.

Clouds covered the sky. Wind whistled in her ears as Nico stepped up to the pit, raising his hands high as if he was expecting a ghost to come up and give him a hug.

She squeezed Annabeth's arm, "Never mind. I don't like ghost-hunting anymore."

Annabeth studied her expression and huffed in amusement — her stormy eyes quickly darting back to the pit, and watching it closely.

If not even Annabeth wanted to take her eyes off that thing, it was safe to say this definitely was not a safe ritual. The moon peeked through the thick clouds, right as Nico started to pour root beer down the pit. He then threw some hamburgers in, and started to chant.

"Oh fuck we're in the middle of a demon ritual," Selene whispered.

Percy raised a brow — laughing slightly at her words. "Ghost. Ghost ritual, Selly."

"Still a ritual! —"

"Shh!" Annabeth interrupted their bickering — stomping on it quite quickly as she clasped her hand over Selene's mouth.

She'd had enough. This was about the fourth time somebody had shut her up with something, and it was getting quite infuriating.

Still, knowing better not to argue with the daughter of Athena, she simply removed Annabeth's hand — glaring at the blonde as Nico's chanting started to get louder.

The crickets around the deserted forest stopped chirping. The clouds seemed to grow even thicker now — completely hiding the moon and the stars again. Selene's mood shifted slightly. Not seeing the moon made her on-edge.

Similar to Percy with the ocean, Selene feels unnatural when the moon and stars are covered. Even during daylight, it feels strange. She assumed that was something to do with her parentage — but whatever it was, the feeling had been there for as long as she'd remember.

Tyson suddenly clung onto her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. Tyson didn't seem to notice as he scooted closer.

"Make him stop," The cyclops begged, silently.

Selene wished she could. But she almost felt stuck, in a way — frozen to the ground by Khione herself.

The first spirits rose out of the dirt. Soil soon turned into thick blue mist, women and men of the past forming and looking at the sacrifice with a hungry look in their eyes.

Suddenly, a man floated forward. He looked older — wiser than the rest. He gave Nico a shit-eating look, and knelt and began to drink.

"Stop him!" Nico hissed. He looked agitated — tugging at his hair, and momentarily breaking his chant to shout, "Only Bianca may drink!"

Percy didn't need to be told twice. He uncapped Riptide. At the sight of the blade, most spirits backed away and hissed, some even disappearing back into the dirt completely.

It was too late to stop the first spirit, however. He had solidified into a more distinguished ghost — who was wearing white robes and a golden crown, that was almost blinding to stare at. His face was old and wrinkled, and, at the sight of his smile, she wanted to turn around and throw up. Although he was dead, his eyes were alive with revenge and malice — a gold staff being held loosely in one of his hands.

Nico's face twitched in surprise. He didn't falter his glare, though — frowning as he stared at the ghost.

"Minos," He started cautiously. "What are you doing?"

"My deepest apologies, master." Minos' voice was almost as old as him — his voice cracking way too many times in those simple words. His smile transformed into a grin. "The sacrifice — it smelled...so good. I couldn't resist."

Percy inched closer with Riptide, but Minos didn't seem to notice. He was too mesmerized with himself — looking at his own hands and arms in awe. "It feels so nice. I'm almost in solid form again —"

"You are disrupting the ritual, Minos!" Nico snarled. "Go —"

The spirits from before came back with glee — shimmering dangerously bright, as they moved closer. Nico's eyes widened, and he started to chant once more to keep them at bay.

Minos almost looked amused. "Yes, you keep chanting, dear boy. Last thing we would want is for these spirits to...escape, their eternal binds."

"What do you want?" Percy demanded — gripping the hilt of Riptide. "You heard Nico. Go. Away."

Minos completely ignored Percy, which made her blood boil. The ghost waved his hand. "I'll leave you be soon, master. I've just came here to protect you from these liars who want to deceive you."

Minos turned to study Percy. He tutted disapprovingly. "Perseus Jackson? My, my, the Sons of Poseidon haven't improved much over the years, haven't they?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. It looked like he wanted to punch him, his hand which didn't hold Riptide twitching slightly. Selene grabbed his hand and squeezed it for support — which, unfortunately, caused Minos to spot her.

His beady eyes fixed on her body, looking her up and down, and she scowled. She felt Percy tense up next to her, as he slightly stepped in front of her, with a annoyed expression.

Minos laughed. "A daughter of Artemis! Haven't seen one of you before. My, my...you're just as pretty as your mother."

Selene's face scrunched up — disgust clear in her eyes as she gagged. "Can't say the same about you, Muffin Man." She muttered, shuddering.

Percy stepped completely in front of her now. He clearly felt protective of her — Riptide shielding her as he held his head high. "Leave her alone," He hissed.

Minos laughed, and this time, Annabeth stepped forward, her dagger drawn. "We're looking for Bianca Di Angelo," She said, looking quite fed up. "Get lost, King Boo."

Selene almost snorted at the nickname, but forced herself to keep quiet. She did send a small smile to Annabeth though as the two met eyes, and Annabeth sent her a quick smile back.

Minos, however, growled. "I understand that Perseus Jackson over here once bested my Minotaur with his bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you really believe Daedalus will help you?"

"Yes," Annabeth answered flatly.

"For sure," Selene chimed in.

"One-hundred precent," Agreed Percy.

Minos stomped his foot like an angry child. As if on cue, the spirits behind him shimmered in restlessness. Selene had to spiral Lunar to life to help keep the spirits calm.

"Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods," Continued Minos with a snarl. "You can't trust him. He is old beyond counting, and crafty. He is bitter from from the guilt of his murder and  cursed by the gods for all of eternity. The labyrinth is the only safe place for him. The only place that old man can hide."

"The guilt of his murder?" Grover questioned. He hadn't talked this whole time, and him and Tyson were holding onto each other like their lives depended on it. "Who — who did he kill?"

"Do not change the subject!" The ghost king growled. "You are hindering my poor boy Nico. You try to persuade him to give up his goal. I would make him a lord — a god!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Annabeth hissed. "You aren't Zeus, idiot. You can't turn anyone into a god."

This time, Selene couldn't resist a laugh. Minos glared at her, and she bit her lip in order to keep her from laughing harder.

"Enough, Minos," Commanded Nico. "You are ruining my mood."

The ghost scowled. "Master, these are your enemies. You must not listen to them! Let me protect you. I will turn their minds to madness, just like the others."

"The others?" Percy questioned. "You mean Chris Rodriguez? That was you?"

"The maze is my property!" Insisted Minos. "Not that scoundrel you call Daedalus! Those who intrude deserve madness."

"Be gone, Minos!" Nico yelled. "I wish to see my sister!"

The ghost's form rippled, and he sighed, backing away. "As you wish, master. But listen to me when I tell you: you mustn't trust these heroes."

With that, he sunk back into the ground — no sign he was even there in the first place.

Suddenly, the air picked up. Trees started to bend over. And Selene? Well. She started to get a horrid headache.

Two guesses on who you think is causing all of this.

Green mist poured out of the forest. All of the ghosts disappeared into it. Nico looked horrified, and Selene, Annabeth and Percy backed up, side-by-side.

I am restless.

Said a familiar, croaky voice. One that caused Selene to freeze once more.

When will it be my turn?

Annabeth looked seriously confused. "Nico, who is this?"

"I — I don't know," Whispered Nico — his eyes darting around frantically. "I've never had this problem before."

Selene looked like a deer lost in headlights. She stumbled, backing up even further. Percy gripped her arm before she could run away.

"Sel?" He asked. "You — you okay?"

Gaea chuckled. The earth shook. I cannot wait for my sacrifices. They are coming. They are closer than you think.

Nico shook. "Who are you?" He demanded. "And where is my sister?"

Percy was still intently focused on Selene. Her eyes looked strangely green, whether that was because of the mist, or the lighting, he had no idea. But he was worried.

Worried about her.

He pulled her a bit closer. "Selene? Sel? Snap out of it, Star Girl — fuck." He said desperately — snapping his fingers in front of her face.

Gaea laughed again. I have control. Control at last. But the thing about control, is that you have to wait for it. And I will wait. I'll wait, for the perfect time. With this gift in my control, I will end you, Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase. I will end the gods. I will rise again. But for now...I'll wait. Wait...is what I shall do.

With that, the wind returned to normal. The mist faded, and the ghosts started to appear again, looking completely normal, as if nothing had happened.

The familiar blue of Selene's eyes returned. She let out a gasp — stumbling onto the ground with a groan. That thing was definitely worse than a migraine. It felt like her brain had been stepped on, thrown into a volcano, swished into a smoothie, and drunken out of by a toddler. The pain started to subside, but she still held her head — in pain.

Percy and Annabeth were at her side in a second. They both knew it was strange — to have Selene randomly blank out. And to have her magically snap out of whatever trance she was in as soon as the green mist retreated back into the forest.

She blinked, and her eyes focused again. Annabeth was at her side — rubbing her shoulder as Percy kneeled in front of her. He looked horrified — memories of what happened at the pier still haunting him.

"Selene," Whispered Percy — looking straight into her eyes as he held her hand.

Despite the blinding headache, she still managed to focus on him. She still managed to weakly squeeze his hand back — a action that caused a wave of relief to wash through him.

"I'm — I'm okay," She croaked — using Annabeth's support to help her up. Despite knowing full well who the voice belonged to, she still was confused, and nervous about the whole ordeal. Why'd she freeze up like that? Why'd she zone out, so suddenly? Gaea wasn't controlling her to do that — was she?

"What was that?" Percy asked. He seemed to be saying what they all were thinking.

"Again, I don't know!" Exclaimed Nico. "That...that voice...it's never appeared when I summon spirits. Never. Whoever it was...they must've had a reason to come here and scare us."

Nico was about to speak again, but the ghosts hissed, inching closer. Nico rolled his eyes and started chanting once more.

"Maybe it was Minos," Suggested Grover, who looked like he was about to pee his pants. "Maybe it was a trick of his."

"Minos wouldn't have power to make the wind blow faster. He wouldn't have the power to make green mist appear out of nowhere, then have in retreat back to nothing in an instant. Whoever this was...they're — powerful," Annabeth said — looking quite agitated that she didn't know who the fuck this was.

"What did they mean by they'll 'end' us?" Percy asked. "And what gift do they have that can bring the end of the gods?"

Nobody answered and, quite frankly, nobody wanted to hear the answer.

Selene shook off her dizziness. "We'll deal with that later," She muttered — grumbling in annoyance as her ponytail came undone. Once she was finished tying it back up again, she looked at all of them grimly. "Whoever that..voice, was, they haven't caused any harm to us — not yet. I say we bring it up with Chiron once we get back."

"Good idea," Agreed Percy. "Maybe he'll know who that was."

Selene almost wanted to cry in relief. Nobody suspected she knew anything about this voice — and she wanted it to stay that way. The last thing she needs is to worry about her friends knowing that a crazy earth goddess speaks to her daily.

'One quest at a time,' She said to herself. 'One quest at a fucking time.'

"Guys," Tyson started awkwardly, looking quite nervous. "Look. There's a ghost."

They all followed his eyes — the group turning back to face the pit, where Nico was, still chanting. Most of the ghosts sunk back into the forest, but one in particular — a beautiful, silver ghost — floated over to the sacrifice. Surprisingly, no one stopped her.

The ghost, like Minos did moments before, knelt down and drank. When they rose again, a misty, ghostly form of Bianca Di Angelo appeared.

Nico's chanting stopped abruptly. Percy and Annabeth lowered their blades, Selene being comfortable enough to flick Lunar back into bracelet form.

Ghosts surged forwards, but Bianca held her hand up, and they all disappeared — running back into the woods like spooked deer.

"Hello, Percy," Bianca said cheerfully. "Selene. It's good to see you again."

She looked exactly the same from when Selene saw her in Westover Hall, which, seemed like centuries ago. Her dark hair was tied into a braid — a floppy green cap loosely put on her head. She wore jeans and a white shirt and silvery jacket — the outfit of all Artemis' Hunters. A bow was strapped to her shoulder, but accompanied with no quiver, strangely. She had the same olive skin as her brother, as well as the same dark, mesmerizing brown eyes.

Just seeing the girl again made Selene distraught. Looking for her in that junkyard until the sun came up, and having no luck...it hurt to think about. She felt guilty. Guilty for Bianca's death, and guilty that she watched as Bianca sacrificed herself for their quest.

Bianca, as if reading her mind, focused on her. Her smile was faint as she said, in a soothing tone, "Do not blame yourself, Selene. It was not your fault, what I did. I chose my own destiny — I do not regret it." Her voice echoed across the forest — giving off the illusion that three Bianca's were speaking instead of one.

She grasped Percy's hand tighter, wiping a stray tear that was flying down her cheek before anyone could notice.

"Bianca." Percy said — his voice thick and heavy. No doubt the memories were troubling him, as well, as he shuffled towards the ghost. "Bianca I'm — I'm so sorry —"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Percy," Bianca replied softly. "I made my own choice, that day. My own sacrifice. None of it was your fault."

"Bianca!" Nico exclaimed. It was the first time he'd spoken since his sister had appeared. "You're — you're here!"

Bianca turned to face her brother. Her face twitched, and her expression was a dejected one — as if she'd been dreading this moment for a long time. "Hello, Nico," She said with a bittersweet smile. "You've gotten so tall, brother."

"Why didn't you answer me sooner?" Asked Nico desperately. "I've been trying for months to summon you!" He sounded weak, and heartbroken. Selene just wanted to give him a hug and suck all his pain away. He didn't deserve all of this.

Bianca seemed to think the same thing. Her face twitched, and she could tell that this was hard for her. "I — I was hoping you would give up." Her voice was strangely rough, now — though her expression was still sad and lost.

"Give up?" Nico repeated in disbelief. "How — how could you say that? I'm trying to save you! I —"

"You can't, Nico. They are right."

"No, they aren't! Percy and Selene let you die! They aren't...they aren't your real friends."

Bianca sighed. She went up to cup her brothers face, but her hand completely disappeared when she got too close. "Nico — I — you must listen to me," She started, her voice cracking in pain. "Holding a grudge is dangerous for children of Hades. It is our fatal flaw. You have to forgive. And you have to mean it. Promise me this, please."

"I can't forgive them — I can't forgive him. Never!"

"You must, Nico," Bianca begged. "Please. That is my final wish. Percy and Selene have been worried about you, Nico. They can help you. I let Percy see what you were up to, so he could end it, and find you before you got hurt."

Selene's face showed slight confusion. She looked at Percy, but he was already looking at her. He looked extremely sad, and squeezed her hand weakly as if to say, I'll tell you later.

"So it was you," Annabeth said sadly. "You sent Percy those Iris-Messages."

Selene turned confused again. How much had she had missed? Why is she so out of the loop on these things?

Bianca turned to Annabeth and nodded slowly. She turned to Nico, who, looked like he had just been stabbed. Selene couldn't tell if he was angry or sad, or...both.

"Why are you helping them and not me!?" Nico protested stubbornly. "It's not fair!"

"You are close to the truth, brother," Bianca told him. "It's not Percy you're mad at, Nico — it's me."

"No. No, stop. Don't even say that."

"You're mad because I left you to become a Hunter of Artemis," Bianca continued. "You're mad that I sacrificed myself — and died, leaving you alone in this new life. I'm sorry for all of this, Nic — I am. But you must overcome the anger. And stop blaming them for my choices. It will be your doom."

"She's right," Annabeth managed to say. Even she had this soft, sad sort of look on her face. "Kronos is rising, Nico. And he'll twist anyone, anyone, to join his cause."

"But I don't care about Kronos. I don't care about evil, or my dad, or my fatal flaw, or that crazy green mist that can speak," Nico listed off everything shakily and restlessly. "I just want my sister back!"

"You can't have that, Nico," Bianca said. Just by looking at her face, Selene could tell she was breaking. Water started rolling down her ghostly face and onto the soil below her. Tears.

"I'm a son of Hades! I can have anything that I want!"

"Don't try," Bianca whispered. "If you love me, don't —"

Suddenly she held her head in agony. Spirits that were still behind her started to ripple — appearing left and right as they whispered danger, danger! Bianca managed to look up at Nico with a sad smile.

"Tartarus stirs. Gaea shakes in her sleep," Bianca explained. "Your work has got the attention of Kronos. The dead must return to the Underworld. It is not safe for us to return."

"Wait," Nico begged — starting to sob. "Wait, B, please —"

Bianca shook her head. Her form started to disappear quickly. "I love you, Nico," She whispered. "So much."

Before Nico could stop her, Bianca blew away into the wind — the rest of the ghosts and spirits following suit. The only thing that was left of Bianca was her floppy green cap, which, soon faded away, as well — a gentle reminder that she was close by. Closer than they thought.

—

SELENE COULDN'T SLEEP.

Every time she closed her eyes, she was haunted with the memory of Bianca Di Angelo — the girl who was eager to become a Hunter. The girl who's life was robbed from her, just because Selene didn't sacrifice herself instead.

Looking back, she thought it was selfish of her. Selene didn't have any siblings — not like Annabeth, or Percy. To see the reunion between Bianca and Nico broke her heart — because it wouldn't have been happening.

Not if she took the bait instead.

Selene wiped a tear away — turning to fluff up her pillow for the tenth time. Her and Annabeth were crashing in the guest bedroom, in the farmhouse for the night — Tyson taking the room next to them, while Percy and Grover took the couches downstairs. She was pretty sure Annabeth was asleep — at least, she hoped the blonde was. She was being far too loud.

She shifted again, turning and twisting uncomfortably. C'mon, where was sleep when she so desperately needed it?

She got up — looking around the room. The cold moon twinkled through the window between the two beds — and Selene sighed, quickly closing the curtains noisily to hide the light.

She checked the clock on her nightstand. One AM. At best, she would probably get five hours of sleep before they had to get on the road again.

Selene sighed, groaning slightly as she rubbed her temples. Honestly, her racing thoughts hadn't stopped. About Bianca, Nico, the quest — everything. It was far too much for her to comprehend.

"Sel?" Whispered a familiar voice. She looked up, to see Annabeth — her grey eyes scrutinizing Selene very closely. She almost jumped from how close the girl was.

"Gods, Annie," She said with a slight huff. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Well, you sure gave me one. You were so loud I thought someone had broken in —"

"Oh, shut up," Selene grumbled, and Annabeth laughed. The blonde was wearing a white tank-top and grey sweatpants — a black sweatshirt thrown over her messily. Her hair was wildly styled, with it ending right after her shoulders.

"Anyways..." Annabeth started. She moved over to sit next to Selene on her bed. "What's up? I thought surely, you would have been snoring by now."

Selene glowered at that — sticking her tongue out and leaning against the wall. Her expression suddenly turned serious. "I — I just can't fall...asleep? I don't know. It's just — this whole labyrinth thing is messing with my head. I haven't been able to get one good night's rest since we went in."

Annabeth leaned on the wall against her bed as well. She let out a long sigh. "Tell me about it. I thought the first quest I would have would be action-packed and adventurous...and I would come back a hero, like Percy did. But nobody at camp even knows my name. I'm so sick of being overlooked and under-appreciated. And when I finally get a chance to prove myself...." Annabeth shrugged sadly. "I suck. I suck at leading quests — and quests in general — I just — I just wish this whole demigod life was easier."

Selene rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Annabeth was quite taller than her, so she didn't mind — laying her head on top of hers after.

"You don't suck, Annie," Selene said softly. "Carrying a quest like this — especially for your first one — it's hard. I'm proud of you for it."

Annabeth scoffed, "I'm barely even leading it."

"Annabeth, what? What are you talking about?" Selene moved to grab Annabeth's hands. The two held a steady gaze. "Annie, you are the most strongest, most smart, and most fearless demigod I've met. Without you, without my best-friend — I wouldn't be the same. You've changed my life for the better. You've changed Camp Half-Blood for the better."

Annabeth sent her a disbelieving look, and Selene sighed. "Remember when I first arrived at Camp? Remember when those...those nasty daughters of Hermes beat me up, and called me names during Capture the Flag?"

Annabeth looked confused. Then, the memories started to flood back to her, and she managed to laugh. "Yeah. I stabbed one of them in the thigh with a pencil that was attached to my clipboard."

"Yeah, you did. And although you got cleaning duty for a week —"

Annabeth elbowed her and she chuckled.

"— You still saved me. Without you, they've probably would've gotten me bad — moderate to severe injuries, at best. We all know Children of Hermes don't play around."

Selene thought of Mal, but she quickly pushed him out of her mind, forcefully. She didn't need to think about him right now.

"And remember when Percy first arrived here? How he exploded those toilets on Clarisse, and you managed to convince Chiron to shorten his punishment?"

"Yeah. Yeah I — I do."

"Remember when you held up the sky for days — by yourself, might I add — using your sheer strength and power to hold the entire weight of the literal sky until my mom helped?"

Annabeth looked much better now. She sent Selene an amused look, "What's your point, Sells?"

"My point," She continued, "Is that you helped each and every one of us, one way or another. You saved the world, Annie-boo. And no matter how much you don't want to believe it, it's true. So don't go beating up yourself — you're doing great. You're doing better than me —"

"Doing better than you is pretty easy —"

"Oh fuck off."

Annabeth grinned. Selene felt glad she managed to make her best-friend feel better about herself — even if it was just temporarily.

Suddenly, Annabeth shifted to look at her. She looked so serious, Selene had feared the blonde was about to tell her she was going to die or some shit.

"Annie?"

"I want to talk to you about something."

Selene raised a brow. "Oookay," She said, cautiously. "Go on?"

Annabeth let out a breath. Selene had never seen her that nervous before, and it made her heart ache. How long had this thing Annabeth was about to tell her — been bothering her?

And why does she want to talk to her about it?

"For...for a long time," Annabeth started, "I was confused about my feelings. All my friends around camp were all crushing over boys, and — I just thought those boys were fucking ugly, to be honest. But then, when you came along, I felt...different, so to speak?"

Selene shifted forward, curious.

"I just — when I met you, I thought you were so...pretty. And — and at first, I thought it was because I was jealous of your looks, or something like that? But, when I started to see you with Mal — or any other boy you really liked — I started to feel jealous of them. And not you. I was so anxious — spending most days inside my mind just thinking about myself. Why didn't I crush on the same boy that every other girl did? Why were — the only people who I thought were really beautiful — were all girls?"

She blinked. She soon realized what Annabeth was going to confess, and her mouth lifted up into a soft, comforting smile.

"I soon realized why." At the blonde's words, Annabeth's gray eyes darted up to meet hers. "I'm lesbian, Sells. And, for the longest time, I had a crush on you. But...that exact moment — in the strawberry fields, remember? Before Malcolm came to get me?"

Selene nodded.

"In that exact moment, with you staring back at me — I felt myself completely lose them. I felt myself...let go? It was — it was weird. I had no reason to loose feelings I — I just...did. But now, with Thema — I think I might have a crush on her? I don't know. Love sucks ass!"

It was Selene's turn to laugh now — knowingly bouncing her eyebrows up and down as Annabeth glared at her and shoved her chest slightly.

She was glad Annabeth had told her. Had trusted her enough. Just thinking about it made her heart warm. And in all honesty — she was very flattered that, out of all girls, even the girls from the Aphrodite cabin, who were drop-dead gorgeous — Annabeth had a crush on her. Her, out of all people.

"So," Annabeth said nervously. "What do you think?"

"Nothing," Selene answered quickly. "Absolutely nothing."

Annabeth looked confused, and Selene smiled. "Annie, I'm not going to treat you any different. You're still my best-friend, and I love you. I support you through thick and thin — it's the least I can do, after all you've done for me. I'm — I'm glad you trusted me with this."

For the first time ever, Selene saw tears flow down Annabeth's cheeks. Now, of course, the daughter of Athena cried — but never in front of anyone. Annabeth felt she would be too weak, too vulnerable, to cry in front of anyone. Even her best-friend.

But now, that barrier fell. That barrier finally crumpled down, after years and years of Annabeth keeping this all a secret. Of Annabeth bottling her feelings up and shipping it away at sea. She realized that she can trust her friends — they're always there for her.

Suddenly Annabeth snapped out of her thoughts. She was too zoned out to notice what her best-friend was doing until it was too late.

A fluffy pillow hit the daughter of Athena, square in the face. Annabeth groaned, and Selene laughed — sticking her tongue out as Annabeth scowled.

She giggled and ran around the room as Annabeth started to chase her — now two pillows in hand. Another one of Annabeth's fatal flaws — she can never fucking loose anything without throwing a hissy fit. It was almost as if Selene had declared war — that's how serious she looked.

Annabeth tripped. Selene laughed, before the blonde pulled her down by her Hello Kitty pajamas and caused Selene to go down, as well. She landed with a THUMP! Groaning as her stomach hit the floor.

Annabeth scooted next to her. They both looked at each other, and then burst into hysterical laughter.

Selene held her stomach. Annabeth banged her head on the floor. In all honesty, they were so run-down and tired, practically anything could be funny to them.

Suddenly they heard Grover, "Be QUIET! SOME of us need our sleep."

They both stopped laughing. Annabeth snorted, and Selene giggled quietly — deciding to listen to Grover and head to bed.

And, after about thirty minutes, they both managed to fall asleep....

In their newly made purple  pillow fort, of course (and two guesses on who you think picked purple for it — Annabeth just doesn't appreciate purple enough).

—

SELENE HAD A dreamless sleep. Which was unexpected, as, sleeping in that haunted farmhouse made her feel on-edge and uneasy — especially after summoning ghosts from the deep depths of the Underworld.

She woke to someone rubbing her shoulder. She yawned, and swatted the hand away — turning to face away from the person as she cuddled deeper into her pillow fort.

"Go away, Annie," She grumbled. "I don't wanna move right now. I'm sore."

"Uhm — not Annie," Answered an amused voice. She turned, and managed to peek her eyes out of her blanket — being met with a familiar raven-haired boy.

Percy wore a warm smile — his sea-green eyes slightly twinkling in the sunlight as he stared back at her. She suddenly became hyper-aware of his fingers, which, were still, tracing her shoulder.

"Oh," Selene answered with a huff. "Hi, Barnacle Boy. Sorry, but you're going to have to wait about another three hours before I get out of this thing."

"This pillow fort looks really uncomfortable. Did you and Annabeth sleep on this all night? —"

"It is not uncomfortable! —" Selene started to protest, only to be interrupted by Percy's laugh.

"Whatever you say, Star Girl," He said with a teasing grin. Causing Selene to roll her eyes and lightly punch him in the shoulder.

Percy smiled. After a while, she smiled back. They smiled at each other for who knows how long, when Percy faltered.

"Oh...uh — shit. What was I going to say?" He muttered — clearly angry at himself that he managed to blank on what he was here for.

Selene got up and watched him, innocently, resisting the urge to snort at his confused expression. When it finally started to come back to him, he snapped his fingers in recognition.

"Uh..Annie told me to get you to come down. We're leaving soon. We're gonna eat breakfast back in the maze."

"Oh joy," Selene grumbled — getting up tiredly and rubbing her eyes. Percy raised a brow at her expression — swinging an arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer. "C'mon, Selly. Let's go get you some coffee before you pass out." When Selene turned to face him, he grinned — smoothly kicking the pillow fort and causing it to fall and crumble.

"NO! My pillow-fort! You little bitch boy —"

Selene was soon interrupted once again. But this time, it wasn't by a laugh. She felt warm lips on her cheek as Percy kissed it slightly — smirking, as she went dead silent.

'Fuck..' She thought. 'I hate it when he's bold. He always wins.'

Soon, without another word, Selene allowed the boy to lead her downstairs, which, held her much needed cup of coffee. Annabeth, Grover and Tyson were all waiting in the living room — Eurytion and Nico outside in the front yard, feeding some cows.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Commented Grover sarcastically — watching as Selene made a bee-line to the coffee maker. She glared at him, but didn't have the brain-power to come up with a comeback — pouring her coffee into a mug and sipping it half-heartedly.

Annabeth sipped her tea (why she was having tea this early? Selene had no fucking idea), and sighed. "We're all here?" She questioned — scanning the room.

Grover and Tyson were perched on one of the couches — blankets and pillows alike covering them to the point they were almost hidden completely.

Annabeth, Percy, (and now Selene), took up the other couch. Annabeth's cup of tea and Selene's mug covered either side of a map she was looking at — whether that was a map of the labyrinth, or how to get to Daedalus, she wasn't exactly sure. All of it was written in Latin.

Percy settled his feet on the coffee table. Selene put her legs over his, but he didn't seem to mind — sending her a small wink before looking at Annabeth's map.

"Here's the plan," Annabeth said. "This map says that, in order to get to Daedalus, we have to go into the tunnels that look newer. More shiner, more modern — It says here that Daedalus used this trick to fake-out enemies, back in the old days."

"How does one small map hold so much information?" Percy asked. "I mean, can we even trust this map? Where'd we even find it?"

Percy reached for the map, but Annabeth pulled it out of his reach. "This is a gift from my mom for my thirteenth birthday. Enchanted by Athena, this map gives me the most accurate, most closest answer for any of my questions. All I have to do," She said, holding the map up. "Is ask one."

"Ooh, I have one!" Selene started with a snicker. "Hey, map. Is it really true Perseus Jackson doesn't have a brain in there?"

Percy sent her a harsh glare — elbowing her sharply in the stomach. She grunted — glaring right back as she elbowed him as well.

Before things could get too chaotic though, Eurytion busted through the door. He looked a lot more better than yesterday — a clean-shaved beard, good-fitting jeans and a pair of one of Geryon's cowboy boots.

Again — iconic. Way to say fuck you! in such a fake, petty way.

Everyone silenced at the arrival of him. However, Eurytion only looked at them with an innocent smile. "Hey. I removed the cattle guard — you guys are welcome to venture back into the labyrinth when you wish."

Annabeth nodded. She put her magic map back, and got up — stretching. "Everyone ready?"

Selene frowned. She was still clearly wearing Hello Kitty pants and a black sweatshirt, but she still nodded — assuming that arguing with grumpy Annabeth right now would be the end of her sorry life.

Annabeth shouldered her pack. Together, the group ventured out of the farmhouse — hand-in-hand, and all too grumpy today to be dealing with this shit.

—

"NICO, YOU SURE you don't want to come with us?" Asked Percy for about the millionth time — causing Selene to elbow him and narrow her eyes.

Nico nodded grimly. None of them looked like they had a good night's rest. But Nico looked the most ghostly of them all — as if was trying to match with Minos. His eyes were red and bloodshot, and his face was chalky and pale. He wore a leather jacket, which reminded her strangely of Thalia.

"I need some time. To — to think," He explained quietly — shifting uncomfortably on his feet. He wouldn't even look any of them in the eye. She could tell he still felt distraught, uncomfortable, and angry, from how the conversation with his sister went yesterday.

"Nico," Selene started gently. "Bianca just wants you to take care of yourself. To be okay." She started to put his hand on his shoulder, but he swatted it away — causing her to wince at the sudden action. Without a goodbye, or another word, for that matter — he trudged off — kicking rocks as he walked back to the farmhouse.

Selene frowned. Percy put a comforting hand on her arm, as Annabeth stepped forward. "I'm worried about him," the blonde confessed, "If he starts talking to Minos again —"

"He'll be al right," Eurytion reassured. "The boy can stay here at the ranch, help out with chores, and gather his thoughts for as long as he needs to. I'll take good care of 'em, lass."

"And you?" Percy questioned suspiciously.

Eurytion shrugged. Orthus sat at the cowherd's feet. "I don't know quite yet. I just know things ain't gonna be the same as they were before. I'll change this ranch, aye — for the better."

Annabeth nodded, "Good luck."

"Thanks, kiddo," Eurytion said — spitting onto the ground. "You too. I reckon you'll be looking for Daedalus and his workshop, eh?"

Selene nodded frantically, "Can you help us? Do you know where it is?"

Eurytion looked at the floor. "Know where it is? Hell no. But Hephaestus? That old man might."

"That's what Hera said," Annabeth agreed with a confused huff. "But how do we find Hephaestus? We don't have much time, and we can't spend the rest of that time running in circles."

Eurytion sighed. He pulled out something from his jean pocket — a silver necklace, with a symbol of the labyrinth on it. Eurytion handed it to Annabeth, who, took it, with no hesitation — studying it carefully, as if it were a bomb.

"Hephaestus comes here once in a while," Eurytion explained. "He takes studies of the animals, and all of that shit. And, well — I helped him with a favor, once. I helped him prank my dad, Ares, and Aphrodite, up on Olympus. It was worth it, too — for the old god gave me this in return. He said that if I ever needed to find him, this necklace would lead the way to his forges. Only once, unfortunately."

"Are — are you giving this to me?" Annabeth asked in disbelief.

Eurytion nodded with a warm smile. "It's the least I could do. Plus, I don't need to see the forges, lass — got enough to do here. Just press the necklace and you'll be on your merry way."

Annabeth followed his instructions. The necklace suddenly sprang to life — growing a metallic head, and eight tony little legs. It grew blue glowing eyes.

Annabeth shrieked and dropped it — suddenly hopping onto Selene as she yelled, "FUCK! THAT'S A SPIDER!"

Selene sent her a glare — stumbling, and adjusting to the blonde on her back. "Gee, Annie, think I didn't notice that?" Hissed Selene grumpily — sipping on her coffee again.

Eurytion looked seriously confused, and Grover went to explain it to him. "Annabeth's uh..a little —"

"A lot," Corrected Selene.

"A — A lot afraid of spiders. That old grudge between Athena and Arachne gets to all of the children of Athena, unfortunately."

Eurytion chuckled. "Sorry for that, lass," He said — not sounding that sorry as he continued to laugh again.

The spider ran blindly through the open gates of the cattle guard. It squeaked and whistled, as if to say, Hurry the hell up!, before diving into the maze.

Percy nodded. "Right," He said. "That thing isn't going to wait for us. Let's head out."

Annabeth clearly didn't want to, but they didn't really have a choice. They said their final goodbyes to Eurytion, and ran back into the never-ending maze, Annabeth still clinging onto Selene like her life depended on it, which, knowing Annabeth — it probably does.

—

Around 8500 words I'm so good 💋💋💋

Also the fact that this book is already at thirteen hours for reading time kind of scares me, I did not mean for this to be this long holy shiiiit

thanks for 400 votes loves mwah mwah MWAH