Both of them glared at each other and narrowed their eyes more and more before Percy interrupted. "We're all just worried about you."
"But this was like three years ago and I'm fine," Nico reminded them. "If I do something like this again-"
"And you will," Will said with an eye-roll.
Nico ignored him. "Then you can fuss over me all you want."
Percy ran over to where Nico lied in a circle of grass that had turned yellow and died. His clothes were smoking and his fingers clenched. Percy rolled him over gently and put his ear to Nico's chest then checked his pulse. His eyes widened frantically as he turned to the others just standing there and yelled to get him some nectar.
"Don't thank me again," Percy said as Nico opened his mouth.
"You took care of me."
"Yeah. And everyone else just decided to stand around stupidly."
"No, they were too scared to," Nico told him. "So thanks."
An Ares camper limped over with a canteen and Percy trickled some into Nico's mouth. He coughed and spluttered and then his eyes fluttered open.
"You need an endless supply of nectar," Reyna told him.
"That's why we started with the unicorn draught," Nico reminded her. "That and drinking too much wouldn't burn me up."
"And it seems to work better."
"We really need some unicorns," Will muttered.
"We'll work on it," Grover said.
Percy asked him what happened. Could he talk? Nico nodded weakly and said he'd never tried summoning so many before. He stuttered he'd be fine.
"You also just happen to always overexert yourself with them," Piper smirked.
"You too?"
"They're right."
They helped him sit up and he blinked at them confused then narrowed his eyes at someone over Percy's shoulder. Daedalus was approaching and Nico croaked his name. The inventor said yes. He'd made a very bad mistake. He came to correct it. He was bleeding golden oil but looked better than the rest of the people around him. Mrs. O'leary stood behind him and licked his head so his hair stood up funny. Briares stood next to him and campers and satyrs assaulted him with questions and praise. He bashfully used all his hands to sign autographs on armor, shields, and t=shirts.
"Is it really the time for autographs?" Thalia asked with another eye roll.
"No," Clarisse growled. "It wasn't."
"We should really have a talk about battle protocol," Percy mused.
"You mean I will," Clarisse said.
"That'd just be you yelling at everyone until they cried."
"Sounds good."
Percy just shook his head but his lips twitched with a grin.
Daedalus explained he'd found the Hundred-handed one as he came through the maze. They both had the same idea to come help. Briares had been lost so they went together to come and make amends. Tyson jumped up and down and cheered yay and Briares name. He knew he would come.
"Never change Tyson," Chris said with a grin at the Cyclops.
Tyson looked confused but nodded.
Briares said he didn't know. But the younger Cyclops reminded him who he was. He was the hero.
Tyson blushed.
"Which we all knew," Percy said again. "General Tyson."
Tyson blushed harder.
Percy patted a blushing Tyson on the back and said he knew that a long time ago in a proud voice. Then he turned to Daedalus and his eyebrows creased with concern as he pointed out the titan army was still down there. Though they didn't have the string they'd be back. They'd find a way sooner or later with Kronos leading them.
"I feel like I shouldn't have said that now," Percy said.
"It was his choice."
"I planted the idea and it didn't work. The army is still there and the labyrinth came back better more dangerous and wilder than ever. What happened meant nothing."
"No," Clarisse said. "It needed to happen."
"She's right," Nico agreed. "We've all said that before things weren't natural."
"Plus it kept the camp safer for a while longer," Apollo said.
"I still feel guilty."
"It's okay. But he had his time," Annabeth said gently so no one else could hear. "More than enough."
Daedalus sheathed his sword and said he was right. As long as the labyrinth was here their enemies could continue to use it which is why it couldn't continue.
"Wait," Frank said. "Does that mean—"
"Shh!"
Annabeth gaped and said he'd said the Labyrinth was tied to his life force. As long as he lived- Daedalus interrupted her there and said yes young architect. When he died the labyrinth would die too. And so he had a present for her. He took the satchel off his back and unzipped it and brought out a silver laptop with a blue delta on its lid.
"But that's your—" Leo started.
"He just said he was giving it to me, didn't he?"
"But he's giving you these gifts so he can go commit suicide?"
"It's not exactly like that," Annabeth answered Magnus. "But yes. These were deathbed gifts."
He said his work was here. All he managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects not even started and some of his favorite designs. He couldn't develop them over the last few millennia and he didn't dare reveal his work to the mortal world but perhaps she'd find it interesting.
"I barely even scratched the surface," Annabeth said sadly.
"I would try and get it back for you but—"
Nico interrupted Percy's sigh. "Maybe I can do something. That's if I know exactly what happened to it?"
"I'm sure one of the gods can find a way to get it back if not," agreed Apollo. "Your mother would want it."
Annabeth smiled at them. "Thank you."
Annabeth took it and looked at it like it was the most precious thing on earth and asked he was giving her this? It was priceless, worth an amount she didn't even know.
"And I went and lost it," muttered Annabeth. "Great job, huh?"
"You did it to save the world and stop a war so yeah," Percy smiled into her hair. "So yeah, great job."
Daedalus said it was small compensation for how he acted. Annabeth was right about the children of Athena. They should be wise and Daedalus was not. Someday she would be a greater architect than he ever was. Take his ideas and improve them. It was the least he could do before he passed on.
"He was right about all of that," Percy said as he hugged her tighter. "My Wise Girl."
"I'm not so sure about that all yet Seaweed Brain."
"No," Apollo agreed. "The work you did on my temple with the surround sound and all the statues. And the acoustics! It's amazing. Better than anything that old guy did."
Annabeth beamed. "I mean… I had so many more ideas and I was going to add some things but then there was another quest and well…"
"Dad shut things down," Thalia interjected. "Stopping your work."
"Not the most important part of that but yes. He did."
Percy said whoa. Pass on? But he couldn't just kill himself. That was wrong!
"So wrong."
"No one should ever feel the need to do that," Zia said strongly. Around her, several people in the room's eyes looked down or away. Living lives like they did sometimes the thoughts flickered into their minds.
Daedalus shook his head and said it wasn't as wrong as hiding from his crimes for two thousand years. Genius didn't excuse evil. His time had come. He had to face his punishment.
"I mean we all agreed him living that long was unnatural but—" Will started.
"This is not what any of us meant," Reyna interrupted.
"In the Underworld, it's even worse than escaping death is bringing yourself to greet it too early and not enjoying what you have," Walt agreed. "Though all are welcome with open arms just the same."
Annabeth said he wouldn't get a fair trial. Minos sat at the judgment. Daedalus interrupted and said he would take what came and trust in the justice of the Underworld like it was. That's all they could do, wasn't it? He asked this and looked straight at Nico.
"Even if it's not fair sometimes," agreed Percy sadly. He looked between the two children of the underworld one who'd been under that unfair judgment herself.
"That was my choice," she told him and Frank who was also frowning.
"You shouldn't need to ever have made it," Percy said. "I've heard it happen a few times but I think you got the best ending."
"Because of Nico."
"It's the way the world works," Thalia said. "No matter how much we all might hate it sometimes. I think we'll all get what we deserve."
"Good or bad," muttered Percy.
"Good," Annabeth told him stubbornly. He sighed but didn't argue.
Nico said Yes. Daedalus asked if he'd take his soul for ransom then. He could use it to reclaim his sister. Nico said no. He'd help release his spirit. Bianca had moved on. She'd stay where she was.
"What happened to learning that lesson?" Thalia asked. "Not that I'm arguing. I needed another girl to balance out the testosterone in the family. And Sally's gonna make it even soon."
"My sister," Percy reminded her. Meanwhile Hazel smiled at Thalia who smiled back. They'd only met for the smallest of seconds before this. Now Thalia and her had spent a lot of time together. They'd talked and complained about the boys, compared weapons and powers. They'd talked about their deaths and bonded over that. Thalia asked Hazel to teach her a little more about controlling the mist and Hazel had been happy to practice with her. They'd also bonded over the time they'd lost while dead/a tree. There were a lot of amazing things about having an older girl cousin, not that she didn't love her other friends but Piper and Annabeth were pretty much part of the family too.
"Yeah, but Sally said she could still be our cousin. Back to the question. Why?"
"You wouldn't take the chance if you could? I knew Dad wouldn't really do anything. He was really upset by Bianca's death after he only just let us out of the casino," Nico told her. "And I wasn't even thinking of it until I got to the underworld that day. Something pulled me. Destiny I guess seeing how important Hazel was to everything. And to me."
Hazel looked at him gratefully.
"I'll take that," Thalia conceded.
Daedalus nodded and said well done calling Nico son of Hades. He was becoming wise. Then he turned to Percy. He asked him for one last favor. He couldn't leave Mrs. O'Leary alone and she didn't want to return to the underworld. Would he take care of her for him?
"She's taken more care of me than I have of her," Percy commented with a nostalgic look. "Especially because I'm almost never around."
"You know that's not your fault," Jason reminded him.
"Maybe not," Percy shrugged. He looked at two others in the circle. "But thanks for taking care of her when I couldn't."
Both Chris and Nico nodded. "She's a good dog."
"The best," Percy agreed with a grin.
"Fun puppy," Tyson clapped. "We are going to wrestle again soon."
"Well that answers the question of how you got her," muttered Frank.
"Pretty simple."
"I mean I thought getting a trained hellhound was a lot more complicated."
"Nah. Not if you find one already trained."
Percy looked at the whimpering hellhound. He looked unsure then said, of course, he would. Daedalus said then he was ready to see his son and Perdix. He had to tell them how sorry he was.
"So I guess you all learned your lessons then," muttered Piper.
"Except for Percy," Grover reminded her. "WE still had to endure his girl issues for another year."
"Gee, thanks."
Everyone else was quiet at Daedalus's words. There was no guarantee to anything like that in the underworld. Especially for a person who'd escaped death for as long as he had.
Annabeth was tearing up as Daedalus turned to Nico who drew his sword and Percy looked startled and opened up his mouth to say something and held out his arm for a second before withdrawing when Nico made no move to harm the inventor. The eleven/twelve-year-old said Daedalus's time had come long ago. He should be released and rest. Daedalus's face spread into a smile of relief. He then froze and turned transparent showing bronze gears and machinery. Then he turned to gray ash and disintegrated.
"Infinity War," Apollo muttered silently again being the only one who knew the future and the movie's creation. Luckily no one heard or he'd have been killed for spoilers.
"That's unnatural," muttered Calypso.
"And creepy," agreed Jaz.
"It's kind of cool," Leo muttered. "Look at the gears."
"It's not something that should be tried again though," Reyna said with a disapproving glare.
Mrs. O'Leary howled and Percy patted her head still looking at the place where the inventor had stood. Around them, the earth rumbled and shook. Percy looked around at the camp and then the people around him. He said come on. They had work to do.
"A lot of it," said Carter with an eyebrow raise.
"Trust me I know."
"What was that quake?" interrupted Blitz.
"The collapse of the Labyrinth. It was connected to his life force. His animus was gone and then so was the maze," Annabeth explained.
"He's gone," Frank gaped again. "He literally just disappeared."
Percy looked at him and sighed. "Look—"
