Hey Guys! How are you? I hope well! After my huge delay (and unfortunately usual hahahaha), I brought news: now my dear wonderful friend, Silvarant, is helping me with the translation! I'm sure the story will be from now on more fluid and with faaar fewer errors. So all credits for the correction to this beautiful girl! ❤❤❤ (Little by little we will also edit the previous chapters). Now that my best-brazilian-friend moment is over, we can continue with the chapter hahahahaha Hope you like it


...

The corridor was strangely long, dark, and sloping as if they were descending to the ends of the earth (or at least those of the restaurant).

Percy felt like he was thirteen again, trapped in one of the claustrophobic passages in the labyrinth of Daedalus.

But ... No, he shook his head, trying to ward off unwanted thoughts. It was just an ugly corridor with ugly tiles and a damp ceiling. Only that. Only that. Besides, despite the darkness, he could see Nico, which meant that there was a source of light nearby - and that was already a hope.

The two, in the purest silence, walked for good meters. Maybe ten. Percy was trying to imagine when that corridor would end until, suddenly, they heard footsteps. And the steps became a race.

And the race was getting closer and closer.

"AHHHHH!" Shouted the monster that moved quickly towards them, emerging from the darkness. Percy barely had time to process the body full of hair (strangely like a dog, it is worth mentioning), nor the bizarre gigantic ears or just to think what the fuck is this? — all he could do was swing his sword before he became one of the restaurant's exotic dishes. It was extremely fast: while he and the monster collided with their weapons, Nico lowered his body, dodging the potentially fatal blow he would receive.

It was not possible to know which of the three seemed more surprised or nervous about the situation. The eared-humanoid-dog brandished his sword in an inexperienced stroke, which Jackson blocked easily. He couldn't see where Nico had gone.

"Hey, man!", Percy tried to get the opponent's attention while he collided with Riptide again, trying to come up with a plan.

"S-shut up!" The monster roared at him. And for some reason, contrary to everything he had felt in the past 20 minutes, Jackson did not want to see him dead. The other seemed to be nothing more than, um, a puppy, if he could even call it that. The monster didn't look like a bad guy. It was more like they had put a child in front of a battlefield — and Percy knew for himself how scary it could be. Seized by an impulse that defied the laws of common sense, he just exclaimed:

"Run! Get out of here and I oath by the river Styx that we will not go after you", and, in response to his sacred oath, the puppy only intensified his puny and inaccurate blows, as if he wanted to counteract Percy at all costs or just prove something meaningless. Percy also knew that feeling up close.

So, Jackson finally got to see where Di Angelo was. He stared into the black eyes — which were only a few feet away from him — for a few seconds in the darkness, and it was as if they were talking.

Now? Said Nico. The boy was ready to impale the monster, who seemed to have forgotten the fact that he was not alone with Poseidon's son. Serious error. Inexperience.

No. Just one more time. Let me try just one more time, begged Percy.

The son of Hades looked away, as if he were grumbling. Then he looked at Jackson again.

As you wish.

"Hey, please! Listen to me!", Percy exclaimed in a final plea. At that moment, however, the opponent came forward with the sword drawn, not wanting to hear what the other had to say. It didn't seem rational, and Jackson understood it too. Fear, adrenaline, being in a real fight; all of this was desperate. With two movements, however, Percy disarmed him. And he knew that he would only be able to intercede in that situation if he acted ... convincingly. Then, with an agility that came only from years of training, he unbalanced the dog and pinned it to the wall, lifting it by the collar a few inches above the floor. His face was furrowed, his teeth were showing; the pure ferocity of Lupa. Then he snarled: "Get out of here. Now."

The monster shook his head, finally defeated. Percy dropped the puppy and it fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. The half-animal dragged its body for a few steps until it was brave enough to get up and run.

The demigods did not hesitate; they were no longer hidden, especially with the escape of the host. They retreated, chasing the dim light, turning to the right when Nico smashed his hands flat against a wall and pointed out saying over there!

What they saw next was a large wooden door with a glass window. Next to the door was a chair, where that monster must have been standing guard before meeting them. Percy stepped forward without much thought, and Nico didn't seem to have a strategy in mind either when he followed him - Jackson just kicked the door, breaking it in the first try. He swung his sword to the right, letting his ADHD command his movements.

He cut another dog-monster, while Nico stuck his sword in the floor, crossing it as if made of butter, summoning two soldiers dressed in uniforms and bayonets.

- Attack! He shouted, watching the empousas barely react to the sudden onslaught.

The room was not long or wide, which did not make the handling of weapons much easier. At the same time, however, it was also a delay for the enemy, and this, in addition to the element of surprise, was his advantage.

Percy struck three times against the weapon of the other eared dog (who, by the way, had tried to behead Poseidon's son a couple of times in that short time), throwing him against the wall. He turned in time to see a dracaenae go towards the youngest from behind, then kicked a coffee table in the snake woman's chest, which fell on a dull thud.

"Thanks!" Shouted the boy, soon resuming orders to his soldiers.

"No problem.", Jackson replied, turning to the dog.

Altogether, there were two big-ears, one dracaenae, and two empousas. Yeah, they could do it. They just needed to end those monsters, find the laptop, find a way to open the refrigerator passage (or find an alternative passage), and run away without encountering Dr. Thorn and Sssssamantha. Nothing so complicated, right?

One of the big-ears had turned to dust, but the other was starting to get up. The empousas were beginning to have an advantage over the skeletons and Nico was already tired, but he was doing a good job in trying to obliterate the snake woman, who had risen from the allowance on her chest.

The dog tried to disarm Percy with a blow like the one that Luke Castellan had taught him so long ago, but he was already experienced; he did not let go of the sword and used the enemy's breach to cut him in the chest with the riptide. He almost felt sorry, since that one also had the appearance of a puppy, but there was no time to think about it or regret it: right after that, Jackson got hit hard on the back with some metal object.

He fell to the floor, rolling to the corner, breathless and coughing. Coloured stars danced in front of his eyes for a few moments, and Percy feared he was going to puke.

Nico was thrown right next to him like a rag doll, and he didn't seem like a difficult target. The boy moaned, dragging himself with the black sword. He looked more pathetic and tired than usual. In fact, Jackson was surprised that he was still awake.

He looked around, trying to situate himself in the environment. How had they been subdued so quickly?

Nico had managed to knock the dracaenae down, and probably his skeletons had done a wonderful job of turning the empousa of the green party dress into dust. Still, an empousa remained, and she had just struck him with the bronze leg.

"That", exclaimed the empousa ", was for Lilli!"

The three were silent for a moment, catching their breath and waiting for some speech or complement. The only sound in the room was the unfortunate moans of the demigods. The three faced each other. As the speech did not come, Poseidon's son ventured:

"Mm, Lilli?", He, taken with an act of stupid courage, questioned with his breathy voice. "Who's Lilli?"

The empousa made an exasperated face.

"Who's Lilli? Who is Lili?"

"Yes. Who's Lilli?"

"Yeah, who's Lilli?", Nico also asked, muttering and looking at the two of them with an idiot face.

"Lilli was my trainee, you son of a bitch!", She shouted, her blue eyes turning for an instant into that ghastly fire. "You murdered her this morning!"

"Did I murder?"

"You murdered, Percy?", Nico groaned, looking airy.

"Yes, you did!"

"Ah, I think I remember." He looked at the empousa. "Was she a skinny girl with pretty hair and a demon face?"

"That one."

"Damn, Nico, funny story", A pause, while he turned (with difficulty) to the youngest. Percy licked his dry lips, ready for his magnificent explanation: "You know, I murdered Lili."

"Wow", Nico replied with a minimal voice.

"Yeah. Wow."

"You deserve death for that, Perseus Jackson!"

"But she wanted to take my head off."

"People are picky about your head, Percy", Pointed Di Angelo, who closed his eyes, although he didn't look passed out. Yet.

"Do you know that I think the same thing?"

"Arg, stop, both of you"" She picked up a broken lampshade and tossed it from hand to hand. It could certainly be used as a lethal weapon with all that threatening porcelain shattering in random pieces, but Percy could only find the initiative hilarious. What did some really uncomfortable wounds do to someone's mind?

"Ah, for god's sake," he said through painful laughter, "do you want to kill us with a lampshade? A lot of things have tried to kill me with a lot of very strange objects. But a lampshade? This is awesome."

"Fuck you, Jackson", Her hair has become flaming. "Be quiet. I'll kill you."

"With a lampshade?", Percy asked, dragging himself to sit with a huge smile. His upper lip was bleeding, and it was starting to run down his chin. "Keep in this daydream. Oh, and think of another catchphrase. I already heard that today."

"Catchphrase?"

"Be quiet, I will kill you!", He replied in a mocking voice. He spits blood to the side. "That's what your little friend Lilli said to me before I cut her in half".

As predicted, the empousa was blinded with rage. She threw her body at Percy with all her strength, ignoring the existence of Di Angelo, who crossed her chest with the black sword in a single movement.

Jackson gasped. He had almost been killed by a lampshade, gods! But there was not much time to think about it, since Nico had dropped to his knees shortly thereafter, this time looking awfully close to fainting.

"Fuck, man...", Percy muttered as he supported Nico, giving him three careful slaps on his face to try to bring him back. "Are you okay?"

Di Angelo was lying on his chest, breathing hard. He was shaking. Percy moved to pick up ambrosia from his backpack, giving little pieces to the Italian. Nico chewed slowly, and the son of the sea stared at him, hoping that the boy would not die from exhaustion or spontaneous combustion. He couldn't even think about what he would do if that happened. He was going to drag Nico's body to the camp and say "hello, guys, I know I haven't been here in two years, but I came to bring Nico's body. Surprise!"? No, shit. No way. He must already be hated in the camp. If he appeared with the body of a camper, he would be lynched, and the others would eat his liver over the fire.

He shook Nico slowly as if he were cradling a baby.

"I think I can get up", Murmured the boy after good minutes of tension. Jackson couldn't say that he was not surprised.

Slowly, he put an arm around Nico's shoulders, lifting the boy with him. Already standing, Di Angelo said:

"I can't travel in the shadows."

"It would be suicide", He agreed.

Jackson looked around, wondering where they could hide a laptop. After making up his mind, he dragged Nico (and himself, let's face it) to a door, where a hastily made sign hung:

Cleaning products

(Staff only)

Sgd.: manager

Percy turned the handle. Inside the cubicle, as planned, sharing space with brooms and bottles of bleach, was the laptop (in fact, he was surprised to find that there were really cleaning products there. The guys were hardworking).

Instead of the expected we finally found this crap that he had dreamed of saying since Nico had persuaded him to be part of that crazy mission, the first sentence that came out of Percy's lips was, however:

"Nico ... are you sure this thing belongs to your father?"

"Son of a...", groaned the boy without finishing his sentence. Perhaps it was something quite offensive, which would curse his next 7 generations with the spontaneous growth of geraniums in places where, well, geraniums should not grow. Percy thought Di Angelo's action was correct, but he still didn't know if he would be capable of so much self-control if he were in the place of Hades' son.

It turns out that the laptop in front of them was in a tea pink case with small white flowers and darker roses beautifully painted and detailed in gold. It didn't match the Hades personality that Percy knew — dark, oppressive, and soul-eater of little children.

"Nico, was it your father who gave you that mission?

The boy was silent, still looking at the flowery case with bewilderment.

"Great...", Jackson muttered, sitting Nico in a nearby chair and then stuffing the device into his dusty backpack.

"She said it was his", Affirmed the boy shortly after.

"Nico, you know this has happened before." He looked to the right, his eyes meeting Nico with a lot of irritation. "Don't you remember the incident with Thalia?"

The boy looked away.

"I thought that..."

"Never mind, man. We have to focus on getting out of this shit first."

Nico just shook his head. He looked really sorry.

You know when you think "hey, things can't get any worse. We reached rock bottom. The only direction is upwards! "? So, I hope you will always remember these wise words, from one demigod to another: things can always go to a lower level.

Percy supported Nico again, and they took two steps towards the broken door when Dr. Thorn and Sssssamantha entered the room. Thorn looked around with a puzzled face as if wondering why the coffee table was so out of alignment. Sssssamantha had an almost invisible smile as if this were the first time she had had fun in centuries.

"You", growled the monster.

And then Percy knew they were fucked. Rock bottom was just beginning.

...

Surprisingly, the first to show a reaction was Nico di Angelo, even screwed up as he was.

"Pipes", He grunted very low.

"What?", Percy asked at the same time, feeling paralyzed.

"Pipes. We are surrounded by them", said Nico. And then, with a plan finally forming, Percy felt safe to do what he did best: Talk. A lot.

"Hey, yeah. Me. Myself. I. Percy Jackson. And who are you, fifty-fifty?". It wasn't exactly the best he could do, but let's be reasonable, the guy was fucked.

The manticore let out a snarl that was not even close to a human sound. Then he did something unexpected: he smiled.

"Annoying kid... You're not as smart as you think, you know?"

"Hm, I don't think I am", Percy also smiled, "I failed in statistics. But then, since we're here, why don't we have a chat? Like, do you really like Ethiopian food? Did you watch the last Avengers movie? Why did you steal Persephone's fucking laptop?"

His body was not as steady as his voice made him look. He thanked the gods for Nico being so light since his legs were shaking so badly that he could barely support himself on his feet.

"Well, first you insult me by invading my hiding place. Then you insult me by trying to make a fool of me, Percy Jackson?"

Jackson swallowed hard.

"Mm, no, of course not. I was just curious, I mean, it's not every day that we see a, uh, distinguished man like you stealing laptops around", His voice, this time, came out shaky.

The monster sighed. The thorn-tipped tail, resembling that of a scorpion, bounced off behind him. Percy wanted to run, but he didn't know where to run.

"Let's say that I'm trying to get noticed by a triumvirate. Other than that, it's not of your business, kid. I know your reputation for winning by words, son of Poseidon. Yours and from your little friend, Athena's child.

That simple mention made Percy hold his breath, his body tensing in the process. His eyebrows furrowed slowly.

"Oh", continued Thorn, with his unusually large canines grinning in a smirk, knowing that he had hit some weak spot. "But what a pity, isn't it?"

"What?", Percy forced himself to continue even answering between teeth.

"That she is not here to help you, of course. Save your butt. I know you are a complete idiot", The Manticore took a few steps forward, apparently forgetting to end the conversation, amused by verbal torture. "She was the brain of things."

"I can…"

"Can you what? Think?", Interrupted the monster, his voice drenched in that strange accent. ''I do not think so. After all, if you knew how to use at least half a neuron, you would be aware that being here is a bad idea and that following this child from the underworld is also a bad idea".

Percy took a step back, taking Di Angelo with him.

"That's it?", He replied vaguely. His mind seethed with hate.

"Oh, sure, Jackson", The monster leaned towards the boys. Percy could see the pleasure in his two-color eyes. Sssssamantha remained impassive, just watching the discussion. "Stories run, kid, even in Tartarus. You know it. And you know one more thing?"

"No. I don't."

Thorn took another step forward, speaking in a throaty voice:

"I know you're nothing without that little bitch."

A vein popped on Percy's forehead; he was no longer in pain, anesthetized by the insane desire to end Dr. Thorn with his bare hands. Controlling his instincts for a few more seconds, he had the coldness to say:

"Actually, I think your opinion is about to change, Thorn", He gave a smile that bordered on the maniac. "After all, you are standing exactly where I wanted you to be".

And then, Percy exploded.

First, the right wall fell to the strength of the water, which hit the Manticore like a giant whip. With the shock, the monster threw several thorns everywhere before colliding with the opposite wall. Already prepared for that, Percy took Nico to the floor while the other walls crumbled with the hate of the stinking water.

He felt his navel being pulled and had the vague notion that he was screaming very loudly while watching the whole place being flooded. His arms were shaking, he was sweaty and he certainly grabbed Nico's wrist much more tightly than he should have.

The next thing he remembered was being outside Abyssinia, still clinging to Nico, both completely dry. The street was soaked, and craters were opened in the ground due to the overflow of sewage pipes.

Percy gasped. The blood in his mouth was drying and his muscles were burning in silent protest. All he could do was stumble, pulling Nico in the opposite direction of that restaurant.

...

Percy only stopped after five blocks, after realizing that, in fact, it wasn't just him who was shaking.

"Nico...", He tried to start.

"We need to... continue", Grumbled the boy. His countenance seemed well decided, but the rest of him was certainly not. Jackson frowned.

"No, man, not really. We need to stop."

Percy looked around. They were not far from Madison Avenue. At the corner, there was a McDonald's.

They took a few more steps to the staircase of one of the buildings, where Percy helped Nico to sit down, then he did the same. There were few people on the street, who did not seem to have noticed them, and Jackson began to think of random things, such as how newspapers would publicize the explosion of so many sewer pipes. Nico leaned his head against the metal railing, closing his eyes as he sighed softly, and Jackson's mind still focused on useless ideas.

Maybe something to do with a gas leak? Mortals loved to blame gas leaks for things like that. Had they been seen outside the restaurant? Would he make the news again as a juvenile delinquent?

His back burned, and now every muscle in his body throbbed. The backpack seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

Slowly he took it to the front of the body, checking first if the laptop had not been broken in his escape. He was happy to see that he was not. Well, happy was not the right word, but what word is used for "I'm glad I didn't almost die to take something and break it soon after"? He didn't know, so happy was the best option. Then Percy took another tiny piece of ambrosia and offered it to Nico after getting the boy's attention. Reluctantly, he accepted. He also took a piece for himself, hesitating to taste it (which he didn't since even his mouth felt numb).

He couldn't say how long they stayed there. The only thing he knew was that Nico seemed to be exchanging the trembling of effort for tremors of cold. Jackson, who still felt hot from adrenaline and hatred, took off his coat and handed it to Di Angelo.

"Take it, put it on", He said.

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"No, Percy. Is cold. You need to st..."

"Get that coat, Nico. Please.", He interrupted in a tired voice.

"But…", the boy tried one last time.

"It's just a coat, man."

The jacket had cost him almost a hundred dollars because it had a thermal lining, it was waterproof (something a little useless for Percy, but let's ignore it), a great fabric, it was a good brand and it still managed to look cool. He spent almost a week pondering whether he should buy the oil-blue garment and finally decided that it was about three months ago when he convinced himself that it would be a durable and useful product.

At that moment, however, Nico seemed to need him more than Percy.

The youngest raised his hand and picked up the garment, putting it over his aviator jacket. Now he looked like a teddy bear, fluffy with so many layers of fabric.

"Thanks" He said. He seemed very sincere, and he didn't seem to be talking only about the coat. Percy blinked a few times, his exhausted brain not thinking long before saying:

"You're welcome."

Nor did Percy refer only to the coat.

They both dropped on the sofa after they managed, in some miraculous way, to get back to Percy's apartment. Nico still wore both coats. He slowly rotated the skull ring on his finger, his black eyes focused on, apparently, nothing specific.

Percy's eyes, in turn, began to close. It seemed that, even though he was not wet, the smell of the sewage had permeated his nostrils. He knew that taking a long shower could be invigorating, as well as doing some bandages and changing clothes. Gods, even cold and bad coffee would be refreshing under the present circumstances. Still, Jackson didn't want to get up. He just wanted to sit and be quiet, enjoying the faint sound of cars outside and old home appliances making sporadic clicks inside.

He and Nico hadn't said a word since they got back.

Percy didn't care much about it, and Nico seemed comfortable enough with it (in that weird, taciturn way typical of Hades' son, of course). Comfortable enough that they didn't have to exchange words. Comfortable enough for them to sit with their knees touching as if they were longtime friends.

Comfortable enough for Percy to close his eyes slowly and fall asleep on the hard sofa, imagining without much thought if they still had enough eggs for both to have breakfast the next day.

...

When Percy opened his eyes the Saturday afternoon, he did not expect to be covered with a grey bedspread, nor did he expect to see a note stick to the iron chair next to the sofa.

He also did not expect to be alone.

-I wanted to say that I-

Good Morning. I'm going to hand over my stepmother's laptop.

Wish me luck,

Nico

The phrase I wanted to say that I was crossed out by the black pen (which Percy assumed Nico had found on his desk when he went to get the bedspread, along with the green post-it note).

Di Angelo was nowhere in the apartment, and the laptop was gone. It seemed that if it weren't for the bruises and the missing coat, the night before would not have existed. Nico hadn't been there, they hadn't broken into a restaurant or blown up all the sewer pipes on 135th St. Persephone and her laptop were just another crazy dream. Dr. Thorn and Sssssamantha were nothing but elaborate hallucinations.

Basically, the boy had done everything that Poseidon's son thought he would do in the beginning: disappear.

-I wanted to say that-

What? What did you want to say?

"Extreme ways are back again

Extreme places I didn't know

I broke everything new again

Everything that I'd owned

I threw it out the windows, came along

Extreme ways I know move apart

The colors of my sea

Perfect color me"

Extreme Ways - Moby