Chapter 13: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

3rd Person POV

The questers gathered at Zeus' Fist first thing in the morning with their bags packed and weapons at the ready. Chiron came to see them off and wish them luck for their journey. "So, you have a plan right, my dear?" Chriron asked Annabeth and she nodded. "We're going to find Daedalus," she said and Percy paused.

"Shouldn't he be dead?" Percy asked and the other two nodded their agreement. "Technically speaking, yes, but his death was never confirmed and the rumor has it that he tied his soul to the Labyrinth, so as long as it still exists-" Annabeth started and Percy picked up the slack. "So should he."

Annabeth smiled and nodded and the questers bid Chiron one final goodbye and delved into the darkness of the endless maze.

Percy POV

"Here, make sure you have all your essentials out of your packs," I said and the others looked at me weirdly. "Just do it," I reassured them and they did. After they did that, I shifted to my wolf form, scaring the shit out of Grover and gestured with my head to my back. Luckily, Annabeth knew what I was getting at and slung the packs onto my lupine back as we continued the trek.

"What's the plan?" Steven asked and Annabeth replied. "We're going to follow the left wall as we navigate our way to the center. That's likely where Daedalus is.' I nodded my wolf head and we walked along in darkness. Part of the reason I switched to my wolf form was so that I could see better in the dark, and it proved useful.

After Zeus knew how long of walking through the darkness, the smell of the sea hit my nose and I turned to Steven and gave him a look that he managed to understand, despite it being in my wolf form. I quickly shifted back and said, "We're near the ocean." Annabeth looked at the two of us and Tyson and we all nodded.

3rd Person POV

The group of 5 stepped out of the maze into a prison of some kind. "Alcatraz," Percy whispered and Annabeth and Grover looked to Tyson and Steven to confirm it, which they did with a nod. Percy took point and stopped them. "Something's here. Something big," Percy said and the questers readjusted their grips on their weapons.

"Steven, Tyson, and Grover hang back and stay out of sight. Percy and I will scout ahead," Annabeth ordered and Steven went to protest, but a hard glare from Annabeth shut him up. The two stealthier members cautiously approached the source of power and found a Hundred-Handed One crying. Percy scouted the remaining area with his abilities and nodded to Annabeth that they were all clear.

The remaining questers joined them and Tyson was fawning over the Hundred-Handed One. "Braires?!" Tyson yelled and Annabeth shushed him. Several dozens of the hands furiously wiped his eyes as he focused on the young cyclops in front of him. "W-Who are you?" he asked and Tyson smiled widely. "I'm Tyson! I can't believe you're here. You have to come with us!" Tyson exclaimed and the creature sniffled again and shook his head.

"I-I can't. She'll hurt me more if I try to escape," he sobbed and Annabeth gained a puzzled look. "Who?" she asked and Braires could hardly answer. "K-Kampe," it came out as a whisper. Annabeth and Percy's eyes widened. "We need to get out here. Now," Percy said, but Tyson refused. "We can't leave him here!" he argued and Annabeth and Percy shared a look.

Tyson tore off the chains from the Hundred-Handed One and coaxed him to move, but couldn't. "She's coming!" Percy yelled and drew his bow. Sure enough, the Jailor of Tartarus crashed into the prison. "Well, what do we have here? Friends of yours Braires?" Kampe cooed at the tortured creature who whimpered in response.

Percy wasted no time and fired endless arrows at the monster as he moved from location to location, using vapor travel to avoid several close calls. Steven tried to engage her for short periods of time, which actually helped to keep her off of Percy. Annabeth was sneaking around with her invisibility cap and slashed the beast here and there.

Tyson stayed with Braires. "Braires, come with us," he coaxed and the Hundred-Handed One still refused. "Braires, you are one of the Hundred-Handed Ones! The best forgers of Olympus!" Tyson told him and saw a small spark of hope in the blacksmith's eyes. "It's okay to be scared, but we'll help you!" Tyson told him and that spark erupted into a raging blaze.

Just as Steven was about to get stabbed by one of Kampe's scimitars, Percy vapor traveled in and parried it with Kurouzu, but before Percy could counter, at least 50 of Braires hands connected with Kampe and set her sprawling away from the demigods.

Annabeth materialized next to them. "Back to the Labyrinth now!" she ordered and they all took off with Percy bringing up the rear. He could sense Kampe recovering and gaining on them. "Keep going!" he yelled and the faintly heard Annabeth and Grover call his name, but he paid them no mind.

He flashed through his hand signs and yelled, "Doton: Doryuuheki!" The cavern began to shake in front of Percy as a wall of earth erupted to form a barrier between the group and Kampe as the cavern beyond the wall collapsed, buying more time.

The questers looked in complete disbelief and Percy just shushed them with a look. "That won't hold forever. Let's go," he said and they all nodded, albeit Annabeth did reluctantly and they returned to the Labyrinth.

Annabeth POV

'What the Hades was that? How did Percy do that?' I thought rapidly as we were walking through the maze again. Braires thanked us and left to find his own way out and return to help Olympus against the Titans, much to our relief. I found my gaze on Percy, who was back in his wolf form.

'Staring is a bit rude y'know' Percy sounded in my head and I tensed slightly before playing it off. 'What was that back there?' I asked him and he was quiet for a while as we trudged along. 'Abilities from my bloodline in the Shinto Pantheon,' he said finally and the gears began turning in my head.

'Why earth though? Unless they're playing off of your abilities as Poseidon's son,' I thought back to him and he audibly growled. 'I am not that bastard's son,' he snarled and I gulped. 'Right, sorry. What is it though?' I asked and he groaned in my head. 'It's complicated. Just know that I have a few tricks up my sleeve,' he said and left no room for more questions, much to my displeasure.

3rd Person POV

After another unknown amount of time, the group emerged from the maze on a ranch with bizarre looking creatures. "Well this is creepy," Steven said and the others nodded in agreement. "Welcome to my ranch!" a man said and the group turned with weapons drawn. Except the man had three separate torsos, but with still only two legs. "Easy there, children. You must be tired from traveling in the maze. You're more than welcome to stay here and rest for the evening. I already have another demigod residing here," he said and Percy stretched his senses out and gasped.

"Nico," he whispered and the others looked at him, while the "man" narrowed his eyes. "We appreciate the hospitality…" Annabeth began and trailed off. "Geyron, milady," he said with too much sweetness for Percy's comfort, so he narrowed his eyes, but followed the group up to the main house.

Night had fallen and Tyson, Steven, and Grover were already fast asleep, but Percy hadn't seen Nico yet and he was worried. "Can't sleep?" Annabeth asked him quietly and he turned around. "No. Something isn't right here," he told her and she rolled her eyes. "You're just on edge, Perce," Annabeth reassured and Percy played along to get her off of his back.

Before Annabeth could ask, Percy said, "And no, I'm not going into more detail about my abilities right now. The longer they stay hidden the better." Annabeth frowned, but understood from a tactical standpoint so she let it go.

Percy POV

I woke up the next morning and still couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. Unfortunately, I was right as I walked out of the house and I finally saw Nico. "Nico," I whispered and he whipped around with absolute rage and loathing in his obsidian eyes. "What are you doing here?' he spat at me and I frowned before steeling myself.

"I heard you went missing, so I came to find you," I told him and he clenched his fists. "I told you to stay away from me. You got her killed after all," he hissed through clenched teeth. I looked down at my shoes and took a deep breath before looking back at him. "Yeah Nico, I did. Her death is my fault… But I promised her I would look out for you, so if you're going to hate me fine, but I made a promise," I told him and his eyes softened a mere fraction.

"Well isn't that touching," Geyron's voice said with mock sweetness and I narrowed my eyes and made to draw a kunai. "Ah ah ah, none of that, or your friends get hurt," he said and sure enough Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover were all bound and gagged. I clenched my jaw as Geyron's partner, Eurytion, grabbed Nico, though I did notice he looked like he'd rather be doing anything else.

'Steven isn't bound or gagged and has his sword drawn. He could have fought them off for the short amount of time for me to get here, but something isn't right,' I mused and needed to buy more time. "Now, we will be shipping all of you to the Titans. They have offered quite a sum of money for the Prophecy Child," Geyron snickered.

"What if we made a deal?" I asked and looked around the ranch and saw a horse stable. "If Steven cleans those stables, you will let us go. Fair?" I asked and Geyron gained a contemplative look while Eurytion looked overjoyed with the idea of getting out of work.

I shot a quick look over to Steven that said "follow my lead". Thankfully, he understood and spoke up. "I'm a Son of Poeseidon. I can do it and will if you uphold your end of the deal," he said and I narrowed my eyes at him. 'He didn't make him swear by the Styx. He can't be that stupid,' I thought and filed that information away for later.

"Deal," Geyron said with a sickly sweet smile as Eurytion finished binding Nico and led Steven to the stables. "Now," Geyron started and turned to me, but I already had my bow drawn and three arrows notched. "W-What are you doing? What about our deal?!" he shouted and I smirked. "You didn't swear on the Styx," I said and let all three of them loose with enhanced speed from the winds and they all struck true in the heart of each torso.

Geyron looked down at the arrows and then back to me. "H-How?" he croaked and I put my bow away. "Percy Jackson, Son of Artemis," I said and his eyes widened before he turned to dust. I went over to the others and made quick work of unbinding them and got a few "thank you" from Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson.

I got to Nico and undid his as well, but before he could say anything, I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save Bianca, Nico. I have to live with the fact that I let you and her down, but I promised I would look out for you. Come with us," I pleased and he couldn't look at me at first.

"No. I don't belong at camp anyways," he said and I frowned, but I shook my head and looked him in the eyes. "I'm not your sister or your parent, but if you need anything at all, call me. I promise I'll be there for you. I may be a monster, but I'm the one that'll protect you no matter what," I told him and the shadow traveled away without another word.

I felt his aura still at the ranch, but I didn't chase after him. There was only so much I could do.

3rd Person POV

"Thanks for the save, Perce," Grover said to me and Percy nodded. "Why didn't Steven swear on the Styx for the deal?" Percy asked Annabeth and she blinked. "Because he's a Seaweed Brain. That was clever to pick that up on both ends and kill Geyron before he had the chance to betray the deal," she said with a smile and a laugh and Percy offered a small smile and a nod in return, but internally he was going over the details of Steven that he had gathered.

Shortly after, the two returned from the stables and all weapons were out and pointed toward Eurytion. "Geyron was going to back out of our deal. He's dead now, so you can either fight us all now, or you can take the reins here and let us go," Annabeth said with her dagger and hat in hand.

Eurytion rubbed his chin and offered a shrug. "I hated working for that creep anyways. I'll let you go, but take this," he said and produced a CD that made the questers look at one another. "Lord Hephaestus gave it to me as a way to get to one of his forges that's connected to the Labyrinth," Eurytion said and tossed the CD to Annabeth.

"Thank you," she said with a smile and the group headed back into the endless maze again.

AN: Chapter 13! Taking a vote for who to ship or if I should ship at all?

PercyxThalia

PercyxOC (Shinto Demigod Daughter of Amaterasu)

Please write a review with your vote and stay tuned! Until next time!