Chapter 9: Escape

Hi again. I tried to write this chapter as fast as I could so you guys wouldn't have too long to wait. ^_^ Oh and Nico (in this fic) is bisexual, not homosexual. Just to clear that up. Please read and Review!

Leo

Leo watched in awe, as his friend cut a slit in the wall. "J-Jason?" Without responding, the blonde put Ivlius back in his pocket (in coin form). He took a deep breath, the stepped forward and put his hands on the wall. He used all his strength and wedged open the crack with his bare hands. His arms were rippled with tense muscles. "Jason!" He finally got the crack about five feet open, when he stepped back and panted.

Leo took Jason's limp left arm and threw it over his scrawny shoulders. Jason gave a hint of a smile. "Thanks. I needed that."

Leo nodded his acknowledgement. "You... you just... pulled the wall apart." Jason grinned at his companion's concern.

"Yeah. I told you. I feel stronger. Let's get outta here." The duo fled their prison through the parting in the wall, and kept running.

Nico

"That wasn't so bad!" Nico rolled his eyes at Percy's weak attempt at optimism. "Oh come on. We're alive, aren't we?"

"Yeah I'll give you that. Jason and Leo are close. I can sense it."

Percy nodded. "Let's keep look—" Just then, the scrawny son of Hephaestus bolted around the corner, panting. The son of death was the first to react.

"Leo! What in Hades—"

"Cyclopes! Dozens of them!" Leo was obviously worn out and tired from whatever this place had put him through. Nico helped him walk to the corner of the wall against which the trio had previously fought desperately for their lives.

"Rest here. We'll protect you from them."

"J-Jason's right behind me!" Immediately, Mr. Blond Superman came into view, similarly panting for breath. He instantaneously smiled, seeing his friends together.

"Cyclo—"

"We know. Stay with Leo." Percy helped him over beside Leo's slumped body.

"Percy... we can fight." Leo was the one to complain. Jason nodded.

"I feel stronger. I took out three Cyclopes with only a few swings. Oh and my "weapon" is glowing."

Nico grinned. "I'll explain everything later. For now, just rest. If we need help, we'll screams."

Jason opened his mouth to protest, but the biggest Cyclops turned the corner, and the words stopped as his throat dried up. "Ok."

Nico and Frank were the first to charge. Frank had turned into a huge stallion—as in nine feet huge—and Nico was expertly riding, Ghostwalk unsheathed and glowing. The Cyclops let out a fierce roar, but he was only half finished when Nico sliced powerfully through his enormous chest. "Percy! We have you covered! Get in here!"

The son of Poseidon sprinted into battle, hiding behind Frank for protection. "How many more?!"

Leo shuddered and yelled back. "About sixty if I would guess!"

Nico cursed under his breath, earning him a disapproving whinny from Frank the Stallion. "We might need help! Be ready when we call!"

Just then, a horde of one-eyed giants turned the corner, and Nico fought for his life having been knocked off of Frank. He expertly killed seven great monsters, and was working on the eighth, when Percy chose to make his entrance. The two demigods stood back to back. "We're outnumbered."

"You think I don't see that?!" Nico's teeth were grinding on each other. He lunged forward and disposed of three more enemies. However, the seemingly endless number of Cyclopes had begun to overwhelm him and he was forced to retreat back to Percy. He backed up until his back was tightly against the taller demigod's. "Too many. Way too many. JASON!"

The cry was answered by none other than the former Roman praetor, Jason Grace. He swooped in to Nico's side, and took a stance, pushing his back against Nico's and Percy's shoulders. Surprisingly, but fortunately the Cyclopes had not advanced yet. If they had, the trio would undoubtedly have been dead. The white stallion also pushed its way through the crowd, and changed back to human at their side. "Sorry I couldn't reach you sooner." He put an arrow on his string and prepared for battle.

Then one of the Cyclopes had obviously gotten impatient. He let out a terrifying battle call and charged forward. Frank shot him in the leg, slowing him. Nico leaped up on its body and stabbed it in the heart, or atleast where the heart would be if Cyclopes had a heart—do they? The rest all closed in, and Percy and Jason were also fighting for their lives.

"AH!" Nico turned faster than lightning. Ironic since it was the son of lightning that had been stabbed.

Percy was already busy protecting him from more harm. "Jason? Jason!"

"Ahh..." Jason was trying his best to lift his sword arm. Finally he succeeded and took a stance back to back with Percy.

"Jason! You can't fight now!" The taller obviously ignored him and continued to fight through Cyclopes. There were only ten left now.

Nico immediately stood protectively in front of the three others. He concentrated until he thought his mind would explode. But thankfully it didn't. And the Cyclopes had turned a deathly gray color. They shrieked in pain, but nothing happened as Nico quickly transformed them into mere ghosts in the Fields of Punishment. Unlike Tartarus, they would need special permission to leave.

The son of Hades felt himself start to fall, but Percy caught him. "Nico that was amazing." Nico smiled in response.

"Thanks. I try." Then they both remembered their friend's injury.

Nico whipped his head around to see Jason with his arm around Frank for support. Leo was sprinting their way. He immediately took Jason's other side. The son of Jupiter managed to weakly smile. The two laid him down on the cold marble floor, and everyone knelt beside him.

Leo hurriedly pulled a few ambrosia cubes out of his pocket. "H-Here." He gently pushed them into Jason's mouth. "I'll take a look at the wound."

He lightly lifted Jason's shirt up, exposing the stomach. Nico shuddered. Oh gods. Jason's entire stomach was cut open. Blood was spilling out at an alarming rate. Leo nearly choked. Nico had to think quick. Thank Hades that Leo thought quicker.

The scrawny boy took off his shirt and wrapped the entire thing around Jason's stomach as a bandage—yes the wound was that big. Frank, who was sitting beside Leo, put a heavy hand around the more obviously scrawny boy now, sharing some of his bodily warmth as Leo shivered. "Th-Thanks big g-guy." Frank pulled him in closer until he stopped shivering altogether.

An idea came to Nico's mind. He quickly unzipped his leather jacket. He walked over to Leo's side and draped it around his thin frame. Leo looked at his face incredulously and found a playful smile—something he really didn't expect—and he also felt Nico's hand on his shoulder.

The son of Hephaestus smiled back and slowly put his bony arms into the warm sleeves—fleece on the inside. He nodded in thanks to Nico and started zipping the jacket, when Jason's hand touched his arm. "Water... please..." His voice was barely a croak, but it was enough to send Leo into a panic.

"Percy! Can you get any water?" Percy looked around quickly and passed his hand through the air, bringing a small amount to his hand. He lightly held it to Jason's mouth, and the wounded fighter gulped it down.

"Thanks guys... Sorry." Leo stopped Jason from apologizing more, ignoring the fact that the leather jacket was still unzipped, showing his scrawny physique. Nico at first saw muscles on the stomach. Wait... Leo has abs? But then he realized those were the ribs showing. Neeeeever mind. That makes more sense.

Leo stood up and draped Jason's arm around his shoulders, carrying him mostly. "Come on. Let's get out of here with our lives."

Frank nodded in agreement, and the rest of the group rose to their feet and began to go through the corridors, much slower now, because of Jason's wound. Not that Nico was complaining. As far as he knew, anyone in the group would gladly lay down their life for another. The same went for Jason.

Leo

Dang, Leo felt useless. First, he and Jason run for their lives from Cyclopes with Jason bringing up the rear. Then he watches as his friends fight for his life as he stands still. Then Jason gets injured.

He was forced out of his thoughts when Jason muttered something. "Huh?"

"I said thanks."

"Don't worry about it." Leo struggled to keep up with the others, still holding Jason up. Leo was the weakest physically, and it probably would have been faster if Frank had carried Jason, but Leo refused politely—well kind of—to leave Jason's side, and no one pressured him further. "A wimp's gotta do something huh?"

Jason looked down at the ground, and continued to walk, leaning on Leo. Wow they had fallen behind. "Guys. Wait up." The skinny boy struggled and caught up to the other three.

Nico grunted. "I found a way out of here. Come on." They briskly walked behind Nico. Somehow it didn't feel the same as running.

Percy let out a whoop as the group saw an opening less than a few yards away. They scrambled out of the death trap and found themselves back in the store—same aisle where Leo and Jason had disappeared. Leo's stomach nearly twisted. When he talked, it was a dry, raspy whisper. "We need to get out of here!"

Frank nodded in agreement, and he put Jason's other arm around his muscular shoulders. This time Leo didn't protest. Percy and Nico ran ahead, and the other demigods supported Jason as they came out closely behind them. When they exited the store, they found that it had only been a few minutes since Percy, Nico, and Frank had entered the store. So it had been about thirty minutes since Leo and Jason were trapped. Jason gasped, and he balanced himself without help.

The son of Jupiter grinned. "Now let's just get back to the Argo II. That ambrosia almost healed me. And Leo? You know that your body's showing right?"

Leo honestly had forgotten, but he took the opportunity. "Why? You like it?" He flexed his nonexistent stomach muscles.

His actions resulted in a stomach punch from Nico.

"Ack! Sorry sorry." Nico smirked as he saw his punch had the desired result. He hadn't hit his friend too hard, but he hit hard enough.

The ground shook with a loud battle cry. The blood drained from Percy's face. And it had good reason. The group had been through too much to fight even one more monster. They ran for their lives through the city—even Jason, who was mostly back to normal—and eventually reached the field above which their ship was hovering. Jason flew Leo up, and Leo in turn opened the hatch, lowering the rope ladder for the other four to ascend.

Once they were all safe, and the hatch was closed, they sat panting, backs against the walls.

The first sound other than heavy breathing was a laugh. It was Nico. Something compelled Leo, and he chuckled, until he was holding his stomach with laughter. Jason laughed. Percy laughed. Frank laughed. No one knew why they were laughing, but they just were.

Leo got to his feet and helped Nico up. It was different seeing him with a smile. Better. Frank slowly got up, and Percy scrambled to his feet, helping Jason up. The son of Hades led the way, and they all went up to the deck. Jason smirked. "Leo you look like you belong on the cover of Vanity Fair or Cosmopolitan or something. Only..." He lightly patted his friend on the stomach.

Jason pulled his shirt up and took Leo's shirt—now soaked with blood—and unwrapped it from his waist. "Oh and sorry about this." Leo took the shirt and stared at it.

"Um... Piper's the only one who can do laundry so I guess I'll give this to her." He ran into his room and returned with a Panic! at the Disco shirt on. He took off the black jacket and tossed it lightly to Nico who quickly put his arms into the sleeves, feeling their warmth.

Just then the thought hit them. Piper. Hazel. Annabeth. It must have occurred to them all simultaneously, since they all looked up at the same time.

Jason managed to stammer. "W-We have to find them—"

"That won't be necessary." Leo whipped around to the direction of the voice, and saw Piper, Hazel, and Annabeth all mounted on Arion. Piper was the first to dismount, then Annabeth, then Hazel. Arion disappeared in a flash of dust. Leo swallowed.

"Thank Hephaestus you guys are ok."

Piper smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Oh what's this? Leo Valdez is thanking the gods that we're ok? Oh my!"

Leo scowled. "Hey shut up." He cracked a grin, and failed to hide it fast enough. "And Festus? Take us somewhere a few miles away. Anywhere. I think..." He met eyes with Jason. "... I might need some rest."

Yeeeeeees Reyna next chapter! Oh and the prison may or may not have been a revived section of the labyrinth. Anyway please review! ^_^