Chapter 24.
Once everyone was settled inside, Percy turned to Nico with a curious expression. "Where's Bianca?" he inquired. Nico smiled warmly before responding, "She's probably helping with training recruits." Percy nodded in understanding before sending a silent mental message to Nico.
"These guys don't know about the Romans, so don't mention it. Also, Thalia is Jason's full-blooded sister, but for some reason, the gods haven't informed her. So until we figure out why, don't mention him either," Percy relayed silently.
Nico looked surprised by the message but nodded in acknowledgment, prompting puzzled looks from the rest of the group as they observed the silent exchange. "Anyway, what can I do to help?" Nico asked, turning his attention to Annabeth.
Annabeth glanced at him, her expression hopeful. "You wouldn't happen to know a way to reach Daedalus's workshop, would you?" she inquired. Nico shook his head, disappointing Annabeth. "Daedalus's workshop shifts around. The only way to reach it would be to have something that can directly take you to it," he explained.
Annabeth nodded in agreement. "We need Ariadne's string then. It's the only thing that could do it," she affirmed. Nico's expression shifted as a realization dawned on him. "That's how they are doing it," he exclaimed, his eyes widening with sudden understanding.
The demigods exchanged confused glances, prompting Theo to speak up. "That's how who are doing what?" he asked, seeking clarification. However, Nico seemed to ignore the question, turning instead to Percy with a sense of urgency. "Percy, sidebar," he requested, gesturing towards the front porch.
Percy, feeling puzzled, nonetheless complied, standing up and following Nico outside onto the front porch. Once they were alone, Percy looked to Nico for an explanation.
"Remember when Jason went out to figure out how the titans were moving their armies so quickly?" Nico began, his tone grave.
Percy nodded slowly, his confusion giving way to concern as the pieces began to fall into place. "They have the string," he realized, his voice tinged with worry. Nico nodded in confirmation. "You'll have to figure out who has it, and then get it from them," he advised, his expression reflecting his own concern.
"Shit, that just made this quest even more complicated than it already is with the labyrinth involved," Percy muttered, his annoyance palpable. Nico chuckled softly before offering Percy a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out. I've never seen you fail a mission before," he said with confidence.
Percy rolled his eyes in response before turning back towards the door, Nico following closely behind. As they reentered the house, Annabeth greeted them with a quizzical look. "Got anything to share with the class?" she asked, her tone laced with amusement.
Percy sighed before delivering the news. "The Titans already have the string," he revealed, his expression serious.
The group fell silent, the smiles disappearing from their faces as they absorbed the gravity of the situation. "How do you know that?" Thalia inquired, her voice tinged with concern.
"Because of my mother," Percy replied simply, his tone leaving no room for further questioning. He hated lying, but he knew it wasn't the right time to divulge the truth about Rome.
"What are we gonna do then?" Theo asked, his brows furrowed in worry.
Percy shrugged nonchalantly. "First, we need to figure out who has the string, and then I'm gonna steal it," he replied.
"How do we figure out who has it? That could literally be anybody in their army," Annabeth questioned, her brows furrowed in concern. Nico pondered for a moment before a spark of realization crossed his face. He hurried over to a nearby desk and rifled through its middle drawer.
After a brief search, he retrieved a disk-shaped item and rushed back to the group. "Here, take this," he said, extending the item to Percy, who accepted it with a puzzled expression. "What is it?" Percy inquired, inspecting the object.
Nico grinned mischievously before pressing the middle button on the disk. To everyone's surprise, the disc began to shake and transform, morphing into a spider-shaped robot as it fell to the ground. Annabeth's face paled, and she opened her mouth to scream, but Percy swiftly conjured a shadow gag over her mouth to stifle the sound.
"Sorry, Annabeth. Didn't want you breaking anybody's eardrums," Percy apologized with a chuckle, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
"It's a robot that will lead you to Hephaestus. If you can get him to help, he should be able to tell you who has the string or at the very least, tell you how to figure out who has it," Nico explained, his tone serious despite the incredulous situation.
Percy nodded in understanding, his mind already racing with possibilities of who possessed the string. He turned to Nico with a raised eyebrow. "You just have a robot that can take you to a god, stuffed in a desk drawer?" he asked, unable to contain his disbelief.
Nico chuckled at Percy's reaction before shrugging nonchalantly. "Yeah, don't ask questions," he replied with a grin.
Percy laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Fair enough, Death Breath, but I want an explanation later," he remarked, his tone playful yet firm.
Nico rolled his eyes good-naturedly but couldn't hide the smile tugging at his lips. "Deal," he agreed, knowing full well that Percy wouldn't let the matter rest until he got his answers.
"Good. Now then, we should get going as we have a long quest ahead of us," Percy declared with determination. Nico nodded in agreement as he led them to the front door and opened it for them. As they filed out, Nico reached out and grabbed Percy's arm, stopping him momentarily.
"Stop by when this quest is over. Bianca really misses you. She told me she got to see you for a few minutes a few days ago, but she wants an actual visit," Nico said earnestly.
Percy's grin widened at the mention of Bianca. "I'll make sure to come by once we're settled back home," he promised warmly. Nico nodded in appreciation before releasing Percy's arm and closing the door behind them.
The group followed the spider bot back to the spot where they had emerged from the ground, watching as it pressed the earth and revealed the staircase. "Well, let's get going then," Percy said with a grin, taking the lead as they descended into the depths of the maze. As Thalia descended far enough, the ground closed above them, sealing them inside the maze once again.
Meanwhile, Nico observed from the window as they disappeared underground before turning to tidy up the house. After a while, the front door opened, and Bianca returned. Nico greeted her with a warm smile. "Hey sis, welcome home," he said, embracing her.
Bianca returned the hug with a smile before replying," Hey Nico, what have you been up to while I was training?" Nico's smile widened as he shared the news. "Percy came by," he said.
Bianca's eyes widened in surprise, but then her expression shifted to annoyance. "He came to visit without me here? How rude," she remarked with a hint of jest. Nico chuckled before his expression turned serious. "He came by with some demigods on a quest. We figured out the Titans have Ariadne's string and that's how they are moving their armies so fast," he explained.
Bianca's eyes widened in concern. "That's not good. What is Percy going to do about it?" she asked.
Nico grinned, his confidence evident. "They are going to visit Hephaestus to see if he will tell them who has it or how to find out who has it. After that, Percy is going to attempt to steal it," he replied, his voice laced with determination.
Bianca smiled and nodded before making her way to the kitchen. As they sat down for dinner, another knock echoed through the house. The siblings exchanged puzzled glances before Bianca rose to answer the door.
Upon opening it, she was surprised to find Reyna standing there. "Hey Reyna, what brings you here?" she asked, her confusion evident. Reyna glanced around before responding, "Is Percy around?"
Bianca's eyebrows furrowed in surprise before she replied, "No, why do you ask?"
Reyna's expression fell, and she absently touched the pendant hanging from her necklace, which Bianca noticed bore a scythe reminiscent of Percy's weapon. "I thought... never mind. I'll catch up with you guys later," she said quietly, offering a small wave before retreating to her pegasus and soaring off into the sky.
Bianca closed the door behind her before returning to the kitchen. "Who was it?" Nico inquired. "It was Reyna," Bianca replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. Nico's brows furrowed in surprise. "Reyna? What did she want?"
Bianca shrugged, a perplexed expression on her face. "I'm not sure. She asked if Percy was here, but when I told her he wasn't, she seemed disappointed and left."
Nico's confusion deepened. "Why would Reyna come all the way out here just to ask about Percy?" he pondered aloud. Bianca furrowed her brow, lost in thought. "I don't know, but she seemed to focus on her necklace when she asked."
Nico's eyes widened with realization. "Her necklace?" he echoed. "Yes, her pendant looks eerily similar to Percy's scythe," Bianca confirmed. Nico's expression shifted to one of understanding. "Wait, Percy also has a necklace with a pendant resembling Reyna's golden shield. Do you think..."
Bianca's eyes widened as Nico's implication sank in. "You think Reyna and Percy might be in a relationship, and she could sense his presence but was confused why he didn't come to see her?"
Nico nodded solemnly. "It would explain her disappointment at not finding him here." Bianca nodded slowly, her mind racing with possibilities. Determined to get to the bottom of it, she resolved to ask Percy about it when he visited. With that decision made, she returned her attention to her dinner, her thoughts swirling with newfound intrigue in her friend's potential relationship.
After the questers departed from Nico and Bianca's home, they found themselves back in the maze, trailing the spider bot through the maze's corridors. Annabeth, opting to stay at the rear, kept her distance from the mechanical arachnid.
Percy,however, couldn't resist teasing Annabeth about her fear of the bot, much to her irritation. "So, Annie, what's with the deathly fear of spiders?" he needled, a mischievous glint in his eye. Annabeth shot him a glare before responding, her voice trembling slightly, "All children of Athena harbor a fear of spiders due to our mother's rivalry with Arachne."
Percy's eyes widened as he finally understood the source of Annabeth's fear. Just as he was about to offer an apology for his teasing, the spider bot came to a halt outside a massive metal door.
"I think this is it, guys," Percy announced with a grin. Stepping forward, he pushed the door open, revealing a cavernous workshop. The spider bot scuttled inside eagerly, making a beeline for a burly figure at a nearby anvil, diligently pounding away.
The group approached the man, who paused his work to examine the spider bot. After a brief inspection, he tapped it lightly with his hammer, observing as it moved more freely before reverting back into a compact disk.
"Lord Hephaestus," Percy greeted warmly. The man turned to face them, a soft smile crossing his rugged features.
"Ah Percy, what brings you here?" he inquired.