The maze thing that Nico and I were in was very big and rather dark. The whispers were constant. They got louder every now and then but thankfully I didn't feel the need to scream.
After walking around for a while Nico had explained to me that as a clear sighted mortal I could navigate the maze safely. The right paths were lined in a soft white glow. Looking down the other paths made my stomach heavy. Holding Nico's hand tightly I peered down the two tunnels in front of us. The one on the left made my stomach heavy while the right one had the white glow. I pointed down that one and we made our way down. We hadn't gone very far when the heavy feeling settled in my stomach. I tug on Nico's hand,
"Bad things coming," I say to Nico and he quickly leads us back and go down the other tunnel where we hide in the shadows.
I see shadows moving along the corridor and hug Nico tightly. Nico assures me that they're gone and we creep out and start moving again.
"We need to find Percy, and quickly," Nico tells me.
"That way," I say pointing down one of the paths. The floor of the tunnel was coating in the soft light.
We raced as quickly as we dared down the tunnels pausing only at junctions. We had been going for a while when Nico pulled us short.
"Do you hear that?"
Tilting my head I listened. Then I heard it, the low murmuring. I gripped Nico's hand tighter.
"Are they coming for us?" I ask fearfully.
"No, they want my friends but we're going to beat them there."
We took off again.
It wasn't long until we came to a pair of doors. I lean forward and put my ear to the door.
"Someone's coming," came a female voice.
Nico pushed open the door and we walked in closing the door behind us. Inside the room was an adult, one boy, two girls and a really big and rather frightening dog. I shied away from the startled looks and hid behind Nico while keeping an eye on the dog, Aunt Marge's dogs never liked me. Nico hadn't pulled out his sword so I decided that these must be the friends he had been talking about.
"Nico? What are you doing here?" asked the blonde girl. "And who is that?"
"Introductions later, there's a group on their way, we think they're looking for you."
"Why did you come back into the labyrinth in the first place?" the boy asked.
"I didn't exactly mean to," Nico admitted.
The doors banged open and two giant men walked in. I gripped Nico's jacket tightly as he backed away from the door and pulled out his sword.
By giant, I really meant it too. They were both easily two maybe three times my height and holding metal clubs as long as I was tall. I decided that I didn't like them.
"There you are, my old friend."
I tear my eyes away from the two looming figures. Behind them were two more adult figures. The one that had spoken looked funny. Like he wasn't all there. The whispers grew louder so I looked away.
"What is the meaning of this?" the man that had already been here demanded looking to the female. She had dark skin and dark curly hair.
"Luke sends his compliments," she said. "He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos."
"This was not part of our agreement," the man replied.
"No indeed," she said. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honour. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod," she continued turning to look at Nico. Her gaze turned down to look at me and I turn burying my face in Nico's Jacket. The whispers started drowning out her words.
I was very faintly aware of the conversation moving on. The whispers grew louder and I clamped my eyes shut. My head began aching.
I felt Nico move and I let go of his jacket clamping my hand over my ears instead. This action doesn't bring me any silence however as the aching throbs painfully. The whispers had never been this loud. Was it because of the monsters? I fell down on my knees. There were so many whispers. It felt like my head was about to explode. I just wanted them to stop.
I could feel the room around me heating up around me as they pain in my head grew stronger.
I'd never felt the need to scream as much as now. I peeked my eyes open trying to find anything that may help. All I saw was fire and fighting. The blonde girl and the boy were fighting off a fire-haired woman and the dog was chewing on one of the giants arms while the older man fought the other. Nico was surrounded by pale white figures as he and the not-quite-there Minos argued.
I saw Nico raise his sword and drive it into the ground. As the ground tore open the whispers grew and my head felt like it was splitting open. Not knowing how else to do I screamed.
And screamed.
I screamed until I ran out of breath.
The whispers went quiet. I was panting now. I looked around me. The fire was still burning and the pale figures and Minos were gone leaving an ugly scar in the floor. Only the two really big men remained and was being fought off by the man and what I now suppose was his dog were still fighting it off. The red haired girl was helping the others into big bronze wings. Only a little ways away pulling on his own pair of wings.
Scrambling to my feet I grab onto his jacket again. After pulling on the wings properly he reached down and pulled me up into his arms. I wind my arms around his neck and hold on tightly burying my nose in the fluffy fabric that was along the edge of jacket.
The four older kids were now fitted with the big metal wings as well. Nico had carried me over to the window and it really looked like we were all going to try and fly out.
"Daedalus!" the other boy yelled. "Come on!"
"I won't leave Mrs. O'Leary! Go!"
"None of us know how to fly!" Nico protested.
"Great time to find out," the boy said as he walked over to the window. He jumped out and was soon followed by the red-haired girl.
"Harley, you may want to hang on," Nico said and I nodded. The blonde girl jumped and Nico followed shortly after with me holding on tightly.
I gripped on tightly as we began to fall. The whispers racing across the edge of my mind.
"Spread your arms! Keep them extended!"
We fell a bit more but it soon smoothed out and the whispers faded away again. I could feel the wind whipping past.
Peering over Nico's shoulder I could see the smoke billowing out of the building we had just left.
"Land! These wings won't last forever!"
We soared on for a little further getting closer and closer to the ground. Nico came to a stop outside another building and I let go of the tight hold and fell down onto the grass.
I helped Nico shed his wings and they were stuffed into one of the bins.
"Never again," he told me looking very glad to be back on the ground. I smiled and hugged him around the waist.
"So who is the five year old?" The red-haired girl asked.
"I'm turning seven this year," I pointed out quietly.
"I could ask you the same question," Nico said pointedly to the red haired girl.
"Rachel Dare, and I assume you're Nico?"
Nico nodded.
"I'm Harley," I told her and waved.
She was about to respond when the other two came back.
"The workshop moved, there's no telling where. Or if the maze is even there still... If Daedalus died then it would've collapsed."
Was that his name? The man who stayed with the dog? That was a hard name to say.
"He isn't dead," Nico said.
"How can you be sure?" the boy asked.
"I know when people die. It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."
"What about Tyson and Grover, then."
"That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."
"We have to get into town," the blonde girl said. "Our chances of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."
"We could just take a plane," Rachel suggested.
"I don't fly," the boy said.
I looked at him funny.
"But you just did."
"That was low flying, and even that's risky. Flying up really high- that's Zeus' territory. I can't do it. Beside we don't even have time for a flight. The labyrinth is the quickest way back."
I wondered if I would ever figure out what their names were.
"So we need a car to take us into the city."
Rachel looked over at the carpark. "I'll take care of it."
"How?"
"Just trust me."
The two giant men were Laistrygonians and the woman was Kelli. The other man that hadn't been given a name was Daedalus. The kids were Percy, Annabeth and Rachel.
Reviews and Ideas are Appreciated and Adored!
~Jessica
