Warnings: violence, character-injury, angst.

Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Nico's POV:

He felt his heart beating quickly. Harley had just told them all to spread out. He didn't really understand how they would get into the maze, considering they were in the middle of a meadow. The satyrs were walking around the meadow, spreading out the teams, and making sure the bonds were secure.

Nico scanned the teams, giving him something to do besides worry about the maze. He gained eye contact with Chiara, who smiled and waved to him. Nico nodded back, greeting the girl as well. Malcolm and Sherman had teamed together, which didn't surprise Nico; Malcolm would strategize and go with the strongest demigod.

Harley clapped his hands, bringing order. "Okay!" He bounced up and down eagerly. "Here's the deal. Each team has to find three golden apples, then get back to this meadow alive."

Grumbling broke out among the demigods.

"Why is everything we do at this camp to the death?" Will moaned. "It would make life easier if no one tried to maim or kill anyone."

"Takes away the fun of it." Nico joked.

Laurel Victor raised her hand. "You mean the first team back wins?"

"Any team that gets back alive wins!" Harley said.

"That's ridiculous!" Holly said. "There can only be one winner. The first team back wins!"

Harley shrugged. "Have it your way. My only rules are to stay alive, and don't kill each other."

"O quê?" Paolo started complaining so loudly in Portuguese that Connor had to cover his left ear.

"Now, now!" Chiron called. His saddlebags were overflowing with extra first-aid kits and emergency flares. "We won't need any help making this a dangerous challenge. Let's have a good clean three-legged death race. And another thing, campers, given the problems our test group had this morning, please repeat after me: Do not end up in Peru."

"Do not end up in Peru," everyone chanted.

Sherman Yang cracked his knuckles. "So where is the starting line?"

"There is no starting line," Harley said with glee. "You're all starting from right where you are."

Nico looked around in confusion. Suddenly the meadow shook. Dark lines etched across the grass, forming a giant green checkerboard.

"Have fun!" Harley squealed.

"Oh schist," Nico muttered before the ground opened beneath their feet, causing them to fall into the Labyrinth.

They somehow both landed on their feet in the maze, holding each other for support. Nico withdrew his sword for the black light it emitted. As everyone had told him, he felt like the air was cleaner and it was less dark in the maze. The aura of death that the Labyrinth usually gave off had been extremely muted.

"Are you okay?" Will's eyes shone through the dark.

Even though some of the horrors of the maze had been reduced, this was still a dangerous place and associated with some of Nico's worst memories. He felt himself get pulled back in time

"She wanted you to have this." Percy brought a little figurine. Nico took it and just stared at it.

"You promised you would protect her," Nico said, anger coming to him.

"Nico," Percy said. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she—"

"You promised!"

Nico closed his hands around the statue. It bit into his hands, but he didn't care. It hurt less than Percy Jackson, his unrequited crush, failing to keep his promise. It hurt less than losing his best friend.

"I shouldn't have trusted you." His voice broke. "You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"

"Wait. What nightmares?"

He flung the god statue to the ground. It clattered across the icy marble. "I hate you!"

"She might be alive," Percy said desperately. "I don't know for sure—"

"She's dead." Nico closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. "I should've known it earlier. She's in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it."

"What do you mean, you can feel it?"

Clattering and hissing interrupted Nico's answer. Skeleton appeared inside the boundaries. Nico gaped as Percy withdrew his sword. They grinned fleshless grins and advanced with swords drawn.

"You're trying to kill me!" Nico screamed. "You brought these… these things?"

"No! I mean, yes, they followed me, but no! Nico, run. They can't be destroyed."

"I don't trust you!"

The first skeleton charged. Percy knocked aside its blade, but the other three kept coming. Percy sliced one in half, but immediately it began to knit back together. He knocked another's head off but it just kept fighting.

"Run, Nico!" Percy yelled. "Get help!"

"No!" He pressed his hands to his ears. Too many things were happening for the small boy. His sister was dead. These skeletons were trying to kill him. Percy was in trouble. "No!" Nico shouted louder. "Go away!"

The ground rumbled beneath the boys. The skeletons froze. Percy rolled out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth. Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud CRUNCH!

Silence.

Nico opened his eyes. In the place where the skeletons had stood, a twenty-foot-long scar wove across the marble floor of the pavilion. Otherwise, there was no sign of the warriors.

Awestruck, Percy looked to Nico. "How did you—"

"Go away!" he yelled. "I hate you! I wish you were dead!"

Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods. He ran away from Percy Jackson, who had just delivered the worst news of his life. His sister, his beloved Bianca, was dead. Tears freely flowed down his face as he ran away from the gash in the earth he had just made. From the skeletons that he had just made the Underworld swallow up. He realized who he was. He was a son of Hades.

He reached the forest, and looked around rapidly, looking for an escape. He could hear Percy calling out for him, but he didn't care. He couldn't stay here anymore. These- monsters had separated him from his sister and caused her death. The one he trusted most and had a crush on couldn't even keep a promise.

He reached a large mound of rocks. He slid in between two, trying to hide, but found himself free falling.

He hit the ground hard, pain shooting up through his arm. He gasped in pain and cradled his arm close to his chest as he dragged himself over to the wall to lean against it. Tears streamed down his face. He whimpered in pain and frustration. He lost his sister. He had fallen into a ditch. And now, his arm felt broken or fractured.

He felt energy building up inside of him. Anger, sadness, and rage exploded out of him. He hit the ground, hard, screaming at the top of his lungs. His vision went red, and he was unaware of what was happening around him. His only conscious thought was pure rage. He kept screaming until the red in his vision eventually faded. He leaned back against the wall; his arm definitely broken now. He grasped it close to his chest as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Will's POV:

"Are you okay?" He asked Nico when they landed in the maze.

Nico gained eye contact with Will, but his onyx eyes glazed over.

"You promised," Nico said with so much anger.

Will's tilted his head. "Promise? What did I promise?" Suddenly, Nico's eyes rolled into the back of his head. "No!" Will cried out, trying to catch Nico as best as he could while he was still attached to him.

The two boys fell into a heap onto the ground as Nico's sword fell in front of him. Will frantically shook Nico, trying to awaken the now shivering boy.

"Nico, wake up," Will pleaded, but he knew it was for naught; Nico was unconscious. He knew that his boyfriend coming in here would be a horrible idea.

Will forced himself to take inventory. He looked to his immediate surroundings. They didn't appear to be in any immediate danger. Nico's sword was casting a blackish light, and there was a torch further up the tunnel way.

He looked down at his boyfriend. He was still shivering, even though the tunnel was hot and muggy. He put his hand to Nico's head, closing his eyes. Neither pain nor panic had caused the boy to collapse. He had just fallen unconscious; it didn't make sense. Will opened his eyes. Just being in the Labyrinth shouldn't have caused Nico to pass out. He had been ten feet away from the entrance to Tartarus, but he had not passed out. He had had a panic attack, yes, but he hadn't just fallen unconscious. The only other time Nico had just passed out without explanation was when he had been talking to Percy on the beach and had collapsed because of near exhaustion. But Nico had slept all through the night. At least Will thought that he had. There was some outside interference meddling in the son of Hades' life. Will really hoped that Nico would consult his father to find out who the hell was messing with him.

Will removed Nico's gloves, to take his pulse on his wrist. He looked on in confusion, as he noticed the bandage on his boyfriend's wrist. No Will thought please gods, no! He removed the bandage quickly, terrified that he would find razor marks underneath. He looked and there didn't appear to be any new cuts. He gently moved the wrist around. Nico winced in his sleep. His wrist had fractured but was healing slowly. How had that happened? And why had Nico not told him about it? He could have healed the fracture in a second, but Nico had not asked.

Nico then screamed out in pain. Will's attention snapped back to his boyfriend. He grabbed his other arm. Will put his hand onto Nico's other arm and almost recoiled when he realized that the arm was breaking. He didn't understand since there was nothing attacking him. Nico was being assaulted in his sleep. Like with Aaron.

Fear soaked Will to his core. This couldn't be happening again. He pulled the knife that he armed himself with from his back. He tried to slice the band binding him and Nico together, to give the son of Hades space. The bond would not break.

"Chiron!" He cried, looking to the ceiling. "Please help! Please!"

Suddenly, a ramp appeared before Will and Nico. Will gasped in relief as sunlight shone down into the dark maze. Chiron's front hooves could be seen at the top of the ramp.

"Mr. Solace, you have only been in the maze for an hour, what is the problem?"

An hour? The back of Will's mind thought. They had been down there for ten minutes. His attention, however, was focused on Nico, whose clothes had started steaming, the heat radiating to Will, burning his leg.

Chiron came running into the maze, pressing a button on his bow. The band released, and Will leapt away from the heat. He briefly glanced at his leg. Nico had caused a minor first-degree burn to appear on Will's leg. It hurt like a mother, but Will didn't care. He knelt down beside his boyfriend, waiting for the steaming to subside.

"What happened?" Chiron asked, also kneeling down beside the boy.

"He just- we got into the maze, and he- he just collapsed!" Will exclaimed, his wound distracting him from his boyfriend.

Chiron put his hand to Nico's forehead as well. His face looked grim. "It's what I feared. A god/goddess caused him to lose consciousness. He is stuck in whatever memory or dream this is."

"Like with Aaron?" Will whispered. Chiron nodded gravely. "But he was unconscious for a week last time!"

"I have no idea how long he will be out. It might be only for the night; it might be—" Chiron stopped, looking around quickly. His tail swished nervously. "Get back!" He screamed.

Will was too shocked to move, so Chiron grabbed his arm pulling him away from Nico. Chiron shielded Will's body as Nico started screaming.

"Nico!" Will screamed, trying to get away from Chiron, but the centaurs grip was firm. Will peered over his shoulder.

Nico was writhing on the floor of the Labyrinth, screaming. His clothes were steaming again. The walls and ground were shaking. A huge burst of black energy was expelled from the son of Hades, scorching the earth before. The ground cracked open and Nico's screamed turned guttural before Will heard a snap. Then, silence.

Chiron slowly released him, turning to look at the damage. "Oh, ye gods!" He gasped.

Will ran around him and skid on the floor, landing by Nico's side. His clothes were starting to cool off. Will assessed the damage to Nico's body. The release of energy had drained the boy. He touched one of Nico's arm. The arm was broken, probably because of how much energy the son of Hades had just expelled.

He then turned to Chiron. "We need to get him to Infirmary. Now!"

Nico's POV:

"Well, well, well, someone has caused quite a mess here." A voice woke Nico.

Nico sat up gasping, looking around in a panic. He didn't know where he was. Had Percy found him? His eyes landed on a faint shimmering image of a man. He focused more closely and features of the man's appearance became more noticeable. He was very tall and imposing and had on white robes, with a thin royal circlet of gold on his head. He had a spear-blade shaped beard with eyes that glittered cruelly.

Nico picked up a pointed rock that was next to him and pointed it towards the specter. The motion hurt his already injured arm, but he held firm. "Get away from me!"

The specter merely held up his hands in surrender. "I mean you no harm, son of Hades."

The fact that he knew he was a son of Hades shortly after Nico himself knew, freaked the boy out. "How do you who I am? Who are you?"

The ghost smiled a creepy smile. "Knowing who you are is easy. Have you seen the destruction you caused?" He gestured around them.

Nico looked warily around, the specter lighting up the tunnel. All around him, there were black scorch marks. Nico realized that he had caused them. That energy that had released from him created these black scorch marks. The ground beneath him was steaming and, looking at his arms, those were steaming as well. He had caused all this damage?

There were also cracks in the floor. One especially large crevice opened, revealing open air beneath Nico. He peered down. He couldn't see anything but darkness, but he felt drawn to the place. He pulled himself back.

"Drawn to your father's realm, aren't you, Nico di Angelo?" The ghost asked.

Nico gulped down his fear, not releasing the stone he had in his hand. "Who are you? What- what is this place?"

"My apologies, Master," the ghost removed the circlet surrounding his head. He bowed down, the circlet on his chest. He replaced it swiftly. "I am King Minos of Crete, now one of the judges of the Underworld. I was sent, by your father, to aid you."

"My father?"

"Yes, my liege. Your father. Ruler of the Underworld. Lord of the Dead." King Minos said. "Have you learned nothing of your history?"

"I- I have. I just—" Nico was on the verge of freaking out, but he needed answers more than anything. "Is that where we are? The Underworld?"

Minos laughed. It was a ghastly sound. "No, of course not. We are in the Labyrinth!"

He spread his arms out and torches flickered on behind and in front of him, bathing the corridor in light. Nico now saw that they were in a tunnel. The walls were brick. The tunnel ends lead in different directions, in different pathways.

Nico screwed his face up, trying to remember. "Hang on, I learned about this. The Labyrinth. Didn't that famous inventor guy make it…. Hold on… Daedalus?"

It might have been a trick of the light, but the ghost appeared to flash red, his face angry. As soon as Nico noticed it, it faded. The king had a calm expression on his translucent face. "That is merely a rumor. The maze is my property, not Daedalus'! Very dangerous, unless you know where you are going."

Nico nodded, remembering one of the children of Athena explaining the monsters in the maze, including the Minotaur, which Nico remembered that Percy had beaten. Anger went through him again at the thought of the son of Poseidon, as well as, heartbreak. He had put so much faith in Percy. And he had been let down so hard. His feelings warped from an infatuation to deep hatred.

"So, my father sent you? Does he want to meet me?" Nico asked, hopeful. He had lost his mother and sister; he has just been run off from the only other place he had considered home. Maybe he could reunite with his father.

"Not exactly. I am here to guide you through the maze as well as assisting you in your quest for your true potential and extreme power." Minos explained. "Even now, your power and surge of energy summoned me here."

"I- I did that?" Nico was shocked. "I called you here?"

Minos inclined his head. "Yes, my young Master. And your powers will continue to grow."

Nico thought about that. He could be as powerful as Perc- Get out of my head he thought.

"I don't really care about power. I don't care about finding my way through the Maze." He confessed. "I just—" his voice broke, as tears threatened his eyes again. "I just want my sister back." He looked to the ground.

"With the right training, we can make that happen!" The ghost promised.

Nico slowly looked up, not daring to believe. "You mean- I- I could have the power to bring my sister back to life?"

Minos clasped his ghostly hands together. "And so much more, son of Hades. I can teach you the ways of the Underworld. Give you power over ghosts, so that maybe you could rise up to become the next Ghost King. Show you how to raise and control the undead. Help you travel, using the shadows. How to manipulate the earth, creating fissures that can send anyone straight to the Underworld. Walk amongst and control dreams. And that is only the beginning."

"What about sword-fighting?" Nico asked, his mind still going back to Percy.

"I am not very skilled with a weapon, but we can obtain a weapon for you, fit enough for a king, even a god." Minos promised.

The deal seemed too good to be true. This ghost promised to help him become a powerful demigod. But- "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I am a servant," Nico failed to notice how the king's voice caught on the word. "Of your father and the Underworld. Therefore, I am a servant of yours. I am yours to command, your highness."

"I want to bring my sister back to life." Nico asserted.

"And that is the goal of your training. There is much knowledge to be gained, and many obstacles to overcome before we can reach that point."

Nico scowled. "How long will it take?"

The ghost king considered this, putting his hand on his chin as if thinking. "There is no exact timetable. Bringing someone back from the dead is no easy feat. It takes years of practice and concentration to even summon one soul—"

Nico groaned, putting his hands over his face, feeling the full extent of his injury once again. "You said you could help me!" He felt anger surge through him again. He glared at the ghost. "You are a liar, just like the rest of them."

"Just like Percy Jackson?" Minos suggested.

Nico felt a rush of emotions: hate, anger, fear, love, trust, resentment. "How- how do you know him?"

"I know your deepest, darkest secrets, Nico di Angelo. I have peered into your mind. I know what you most desire in the world."

Panic ran through the boy. "You know nothing about me!"

"Oh, but I do! You yearn to be Percy Jackson, as powerful as your hero crush. You wish to become strong to prevent—"

"-anyone I love from dying again." Nico finished. "But, that's the problem, isn't it? Everyone I love is—" he trailed off, not finishing the statement. "I am alone. I'm an outcast."

Minos nodded knowingly. "That is what it means to be a child of Hades. Alone in this world, unable to find happiness or love."

He didn't want to believe it, but the ghost king was correct. Nico was alone and would never find love.

"But you don't need that love. All you need is power, and I can help you gain that power." Minos' words were enticing. Nico found himself nodding.

"Teach me to bring my sister back and I will follow you."

Minos smiled creepily. "Excellent choice, my lord. Let us start training!"