The next morning, I request a meeting with Reyna. She agrees and invites me to the Praetor tent after breakfast.
Once there, we go outside and talk.
"What did you want to speak with me about?" She asks, cutting to the point.
"I just wanted to tell you, I'm staying. At least until my friend picks me up. As they say, if you're lost, stay where you are."
Reyna nods. "I had an idea. There's a girl, a daughter of...Hermes, who is very good as finding people. I think we should send her to your friend, and then she can lead him back to camp."
My eyes widen, and I slowly grin. "That would be...great."
"I will send her out first thing tomorrow morning."
****
In an attempt to find some peace and quiet, I walk to the edge of camp and find a hiding place to think in. It's doesn't work. Nico finds me there ten minutes later.
"Go away," I say.
Nico sighs. "I was kinda hoping we could talk. It might make you feel better."
"I feel fine."
"I know you don't. I can see it in your eyes. It's the look of a lost soul."
I close my eyes, memories of the labyrinth flashing in my mind. Nico is right. I'm a lost soul, and I would probably be dead if I hadn't had a reason to stay alive. Noah. He is my reason.
"It was terrible," I begin, unsure what to say.
"I know. I've been in the labyrinth, back when it still existed."
"It's worse now. It's a hiding place for monsters, but that's not what made it bad. Most pathways ended in dead ends, and it felt like I was in a maze with no end. And then, I'd realize I might be living my nightmare, because there might not be a way out. Maybe the labyrinth had disappeared so much that there was no exit."
Nico has a look of death on his face. Maybe it's his Hades nature, or maybe my story is just that haunting. Either way, it's sad to see.
"What did you eat?" Nico asks.
The absurdity of the question is so great, I laugh. "Would you believe me if I told you I can grow food. Special Pan powers."
"Lucky."
I close my eyes once more, and concentrate on the ground. I feel the dirt beneath me and the water below that. From there I imagine strawberries growing from the ground. When I'm done, a patch of strawberries sits near my feet.
"Tada! I can grow strawberries!" My remark is a bit sarcastic sounding.
"What else can you do?"
"I can only grow plants and trees and talk to animals. Anything nature related is my territory."
"And anything not natural is my territory," Nico adds.
Silence. We just sit and watch the day go by. We skip lunch and nearly dinner, but we decide that we should get something to eat.
After dinner, Reyna calls me over. She beckons me outside, and I follow her, confused.
"I'd like you to meet our messenger," Reyna says once we're outside.
Next to her is a girl about my age with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She seemed very excited.
"Hi, I'm Luna," the girls says. We shake hands. Luna continues, "Anyway, I've already started looking for your friend, and I think I've got some good leads. He's pretty 'famous' right now." She put air quotes around "famous".
"Whatever," I reply. "Just find him and bring him here." With that, I walk away.
