None of us were anxious to travel that night, so we decided to wait untilmorning. Grover and Perc crashed on the leather couches in Geryon's livingroom, they looked comfortable, Nico and I were in another room, we were sharing the bed in hopes to keep our nightmares-- which we'd both been having frequently-- away.
Even if Nico was mad at me, he always found comfort in my presence, I loved that about this kid.
I dreamed I was with some tall blonde dude, we were walking through the dark palace on top ofa mountain. It was stunning. There were green fires burned in braziers along the walls. The floorwas polished black marble. A cold wind blew down the hallway, and aboveus through the open ceiling, the sky swirled with gray storm clouds.
But the blonde man I was with was dressed for battle.
He wore camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and a bronze breastplate, but his sword, Backbiter, wasn't at his side—only and empty scabbard. We walked into a large courtyard where dozens of warriors and dracaenae were preparing for war. When they saw him, the demigods rose to attention. They beat their swords against their shields.
"Issss it time, my lord?" a dracaena asked.
"Soon," The blonde guy promised. "Continue your work."
"My lord," a voice said behind him.
I could've sworn I'd seen this monster before. She's chased me out of dreams before.
Kelli, that was the name that popped into my mind the first time I saw her. I don't know why, she seems like a Kelli.
Kelli, the empousa was smiling at him.
She wore a blue dress, and she looked wickedly beautiful. Her eyesflickered—sometimes dark brown, sometimes pure red. Her hair was braideddown her back and seemed to catch the light of the torches, as if it wereanxious to turn back into pure flame.
My heart was pounding. I waited for Kelli to see me, to chase me out of the dream as she did before, but this time she didn't seem to notice me. "You have a visitor," she told the blonde man. She stepped aside, and even the scarred man seemed stunned by what he saw.
The monster Kampê towered above him. Her snakes hissed around herlegs. Animal heads growled at her waist. Her swords were drawn,shimmering with poison, and with her bat wings extended, she took up theentire corridor.
I've seen Kampê in the books I've been trying to read.
"You." The man's voice sounded a little shaky. "I told you to stay on Alcatraz."
Kampê's eyelids blinked sideways like a reptile's. She spoke in a weirdrumbling language, but I understood, somewhere in the back of mymind: I come to serve. Give me revenge.
"You're a jailor," The blonde man said. "Your job—"
I will have them dead. No one escapes me.
The man hesitated. I need to learn his name. A line of sweat trickled down the side of his face. "Very well," he said. "You will go with us. You may carry Ariadne's string. It is a position of great honor."
Kampê hissed at the stars. She sheathed her swords and turned, poundingdown the hallway on her enormous dragon legs.
"We should have left that one in Tartarus," The man mumbled. "She is toochaotic. Too powerful."
I stared at him with wide eyes, Tartarus?! Like- the hell of Greek mythol- nope. It's real, fuck keep with the times, (M/n). I told myself.
Kelli laughed softly. "You should not fear power, Luke. Use it!"
"The sooner we leave, the better," The man said.
Okay, I'm gonna call him something. Jhon? No.. Fuck. I'll just call him the blonde man.
"I want this over with." The blonde man said sharply.
"Aww," Kelli sympathized, running a finger down his arm. "You find itunpleasant to destroy your old camp?"
Old camp? Maybe the camp Half-Blood thing Nico talked about..
"I didn't say that." The blonde man looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, I don't blame him, if they could see me, I was rolling my eyes.
"You're not having second thoughts about your own, ah, special part?"The man's face turned stony. "I know my duty."
"That is good," the demon said. "Is our strike force sufficient, do youthink? Or will I need to call Mother Hecate for help?"
"We have more than enough," The man said grimly. "The deal is almostcomplete. All I need now is to negotiate safe passage through the arena.""Mmm," Kelli said. "That should be interesting. I would hate to see yourhandsome head on a spike if you fail."
"I will not fail. And you, demon, don't you have other matters to attendto?"
"Oh, yes." Kelli smiled. "I am bringing despair to your eavesdroppingenemies. I am doing that right now."
She turned her eyes directly on me, exposed her talons, and rippedthrough my dream.
Suddenly I was in a different place. My heart was beating through my chest. Holy shit. Mother fucker scared me.
I stood at the top of a stone tower, overlooking rocky cliffs and the oceanbelow. The old man- Daedalus..?
I know him. Why the fuck is he in my dream? I haven't seen him in years!
He was hunched over a worktable, wrestling with some kind of navigational instrument, like a huge compass. He looked years older than when I'd last seen him. He was stooped and his hands were gnarled. He cursed in Ancient Greek and squinted as if he couldn't see his work, even though it was a sunny day.
"Uncle!" a voice called.
A smiling boy about Nico's age came bounding up the steps, carrying awooden box.
"Hello, Perdix," the old man said, though his tone sounded cold. "Donewith your projects already?"
"Yes, Uncle. They were easy!"
Daedalus scowled. "Easy? The problem of moving water uphill without apump was easy?"
"Oh, yes! Look!"
The boy dumped his box and rummaged through the junk. He came upwith a strip of papyrus and showed the old inventor some diagrams andnotes. They didn't make any sense to me, but Daedalus nodded grudgingly.
"I see. Not bad."
"The king loved it!" Perdix said. "He said I might be even smarter thanyou!"
"Did he now?"
"But I don't believe that. I'm so glad Mother sent me to study with you! Iwant to know everything you do."
"Yes," Daedalus muttered. "So when I die, you can take my place, eh?"The boys' eyes widened.
"Oh no, Uncle! But I've been thinking...why does a man have to die, anyway?"
The inventor scowled. "It is the way of things, lad. Everything dies but thegods."
"But why?" the boy insisted. "If you could capture the animus, the soul inanother form...well, you've told me about your automatons, Uncle. Bulls,eagles, dragons, horses of bronze. Why not a bronze form for a man?"
"No, my boy," Daedalus said sharply. "You are naïve. Such a thing isimpossible."
"I don't think so," Perdix insisted. "With the use of a little magic—"
"Magic? Bah!"
"Yes, Uncle! Magic and mechanics together—with a little work, onecould make a body that would look exactly human, only better. I've madesome notes." He handed the old man a thick scroll. Daedalus unfurled it. He read for along time.
His eyes narrowed. He glanced at the boy, then closed the scroll and cleared his throat.
"It would never work, my boy. When you're older, you'll see."
"Can I fix that astrolabe, then, Uncle? Are your joints swelling up again?"The old man's jaw clenched.
"No. Thank you. Now why don't you run along?"
Perdix didn't seem to notice the old man's anger. He snatched a bronzebeetle from his mound of stuff and ran to the tower's edge. A low sillringed the rim, coming just up to the boy's knees.
The wind was strong.
Move back! I wanted to tell him. I tried to call out to the boy. Even when I tried to shout, nothing came from my mouth.
Perdix wound up the beetle and tossed it into the sky. It spread its wingsand hummed away. Perdix laughed with delight.
"Smarter than me," Daedalus mumbled, too soft for the boy to hear."Is it true that your son died flying, Uncle? I heard you made himenormous wings, but they failed."
Daedalus's hands clenched. "Take my place," he muttered.
The wind whipped around the boy, tugging at his clothes, making his hairripple.
"I would like to fly," Perdix said. "I'd make my own wings that wouldn'tfail. Do you think I could?"
Maybe it was a dream within my dream, but suddenly I imagined the two-headed god Janus shimmering in the air next to Daedalus, smiling as hetossed a silver key from hand to hand.
Choose, he whispered to the old inventor.
Choose.
Daedalus picked up another one of the boy's metal bags. The inventor'sold eyes were red with anger.
"Perdix," he called. "Catch."
He tossed the bronze beetle toward the boy. Delighted, Perdix tried tocatch it, but the throw was too long. The beetle sailed into the sky, andPerdix reached a little too far. The wind caught him.
Somehow he managed to grab the rim of the tower with his fingers as hefell. "Uncle!" he screamed. "Help me!"
The old man's face was a mask. He did not move from his spot."Go on, Perdix," Daedalus said softly. "May your own wings. Be quickabout it."
"Uncle!" the boy cried as he lost his grip. He tumbled toward the sea.There was a moment of deadly silence.
The god Janus flickered and disappeared. Then thunder shook the sky. A woman's stern voice spoke
from above: You will pay the price for that, Daedalus.
I'd heard that voice before. It was Athena, I had seen her in my dreams before, but I thought it was just my imagination.
Daedalus scowled up at the heavens.
"I have always honored you, Mother. I have sacrificed everything to follow your way."
Yet the boy had my blessing as well. And you have killed him. For that,you must pay.
"I have paid and paid!" Daedalus growled. "I've lost everything. I'll sufferin the Underworld, no doubt. But in the meantime..."
He picked up the boy's scroll, studied it for a moment, and slipped it intohis sleeve.
You do not understand, Athena said coldly. You will pay now and forever.Suddenly Daedalus collapsed in agony. I felt what he felt. A searing painclosed around my neck like a molten-hot collar—cutting off my breath,and making everything go black.
~~~~..~~~~
I woke in the dark, my hands clutching my throat. I felt like I was suffocating.
"(M/n)?" Nico asked as he rubbed his eyes, he looked disheveled, his thick black hair was going in every direction as he sat up, looking at me from the other side of the bed. "Are you okay?"
I steadied my breathing. I wasn't sure how to answer. I'd just watched theguy who I'd known from somewhere, Daedalus, murder his own nephew. How could I be okay?
Fuck. Why can't I remember where I know Daedalus from?
The television was on. Blue light flickered through the room.
"What—what time is it?" I croaked.
"Two in the morning," Nico said. I nodded slowly, rubbing my neck. "I heard you sleep talking," Nico said as he eyed me, he probably knew damn well that I had another weird nightmare dream.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "Yeah, sorry.. I had another dream, I'm going to get some water." I said as I slipped out of the red silky bed sheets, carefully, I stood up and opened the door.
I walked down the hall, towards the kitchen, my mind was reeling, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson were going back into the maze to find Daedalus, I can't let them go in now that I know that!
I waddled down the hall in the same clothes I had been wearing the day prior, spare my hoodie. I could hear murmuring from the living room. I shrugged it off, for now, I needed water.
Once I had gotten my water I waddled down the hall again, but I stopped and peeked my head into the living room to see Grover and Percy awake, both looking heavily disheveled.
As I peeked my head in, Grover shook his head sadly. "Do you know what day it is, Percy? I justsaw it on TV. It's June thirteenth. Seven days since we left camp."
"What?" Percy said. "That can't be right."
"Time is faster in the Labyrinth," Grover reminded him. "The first timeyou and Annabeth went down there, you thought you were only gone a fewminutes, right? But it was an hour."
"Oh," I said. "Right." Then it dawned on me what he was saying, and mythroat felt searing hot again. "Your deadline with the Council of ClovenElders."
I silently walked in and sat down on the couch beside Percy. I gave them both a weak smile, we were all looking pretty shitty right now. Grover did his best to smile back at me, while Percy nodded at me and made no effort to move away from me.
Grover put the TV remote in his mouth and crunched off the end of it."I'm out of time," he said with a mouthful of plastic. "As soon as I go back,they'll take away my searcher's license. I'll never be allowed to go outagain."
"What's a searcher's license?" I asked as I took a sip from my water.
"It's a satyr thing, uh, to you know, look for Pan?" Percy said like it was common knowledge. I stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then nodded. "Right..."
"We'll talk to them," Percy promised as he looked back to Grover. "Make them give you more time." Grover swallowed. "They'll never go for it. The world is dying, Percy.What you did today—saving the ranch animals from Geryon—that wasamazing. I—I wish I could be more like you."
"Hey! Cheer up, Grover," I said. "Don't say that. I'm sure you're just as much a hero—"
"No I'm not. I keep trying, but..." He sighed. "Guys, I can't go back tocamp without finding Pan. I just can't. You understand that, don't you? Ican't face Juniper if I fail. I can't even face myself."
His voice was so unhappy it hurt to hear. We hadn't known each other long, but I could tell by the look on Percy's face, he hadn't heard heard Grover sound this down. Ever.
"We'll figure out something," Percy said. "You haven't failed. You're thechampion goat boy, all right? Juniper knows that. So do I."
"Champion goat boy!" I nodded, then took another sip of my water, it tasted a bit funky, but who knows how old the well is here.
Grover closed his eyes. "Champion goat boy," he muttered dejectedly.
A long time after he dozed off, Percy was still awake with me, watching the blue lightof the Nature Channel wash over the stuffed trophy heads on Geryon's walls.
"Percy." I started, glancing over at him. Percy raised an eyebrow at me. "What's up..?" Percy yawned. "I'm coming with you into the maze," I said, I was far too stubborn to take no as an answer, even if I was still learning about the demi-whatever stuff, I can't let my new friends go into the labyrinth without me.
Percy nodded, he looked like he was about to fall asleep, but he gave me a tired smile. "Alright, we'll keep ya safe," Percy said as he leaned back on the couch. Before I knew it, I was smiling back at him and watching the nature channel with him, the both of us dozing off.
----
Did I just write this in a day, yes. Not proof read!! also, almost 1k reads?!?!! HELLO!?!?! tysm!! The word count is 2500+ Have a lovely day! Might update again today, I'm in a write-y mood, also!
preference between, Hypnos, Apollo, and a Norse god for (m/n)'s parent! I have a specific god in mind because now I don't know who I want as his parent LOL