𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋

𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐎 𝐜𝐡𝟏𝟐|48 hours to live

Nico

It hadn't gone completely dark though... A faint glow illuminated the corridor. I turned to see Will behind me. He was glowing. I stifled a laugh and the son of Apollo gave me a death stare.

Clarisse and Rachel, however, could not contain their laughter. I had to join in. Despite how desperate and fatal our situation was, the three of us were in hysterics.

"Night light," I snorted. This made the girls laugh even more and Will roll his eyes. "Come on guys, the camp is about to be destroyed! We don't have time for this!"

Clarisse wiped an imaginary tear from her cheek, "Sure night light."
Will groaned.

We walked down the tunnel in eerie silence. I realised what an unlikely group we were, and that the dynamic was finally actually working. My thoughts were snatched and refocused on what Rachel said next.

"Who do we think has the fleece? I mean, they are clearly in control of the Labyrinth. If we could figure out who she is, maybe we could use it against them."
"No clue," Will and I said simultaneously, before blushing and laughing awkwardly.
"Dunno, don't care as long as I get to pummel them with my spear," Clarisse shrugged. We continued to follow Rachel in thoughtful silence.

"Stop!" Rachel yelped. We turned and looked at her. "The Labyrinth... it's changing again. We need to move - now."
We didn't ask questions, we just ran. We followed Rachel through various different twists and turns until I was panting with exhaustion.

"Okay, we're good now," Rachel wheezed, slowing to a stop.
"What was that all about?" Will asked, extracting his question from my own thoughts.

"The route we had to take was closing up and I didn't know if it would open again," Rachel replied.
"She's testing us, and trying to tire us out," I responded, "I think it's time to try and get some sleep - I'll take first watch."

We agreed that after that, Will would take watch, and then Rachel and Clarisse would next time we had to sleep. When it was Will's turn, I lay down and had a deep, dreamless sleep.

____________

A few hours later, we were moving again. I thought about Will. I had had a crush of Percy for so long... I was starting to feel the same way about a certain son of Apollo. But I knew he would never feel the same way. I shook the thought out of my head. Focus, Nico.

But over the past few hours, Will had looked sickly pale and his eyes were plagued with deep dark bags. I was worried for him. I was wondering if it was because he wasn't near the sun; we were underground and he was a son of Apollo after all. I'd ask him later.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps up ahead. They didn't belong to us. We stopped and eyed eachother warily. "Do we have to go this way?" I asked Rachel. She nodded in response.

"Getting some action, Death Breath! This is my kind of party," Clarisse smiled, gripping her spear. Rachel held a rusty celestial bronze sword like it was a bomb. I heard her mutter something about sticking to paint brushes.

Will grabbed his bow and prepared an arrow. I took out my stygian iron sword.

A wave of dracaenae rounded the corner. They rushed towards us in delight.

"Why, hello there demi-" one began to hiss, but Will shot it with an arrow and it exploded into dust. Clarisse smirked.

The others roared in anger and surged forward. There was quite a lot - around twenty. Rachel looked fierce yet kinda scared.
"Okay, Clarisse and I will go offence. Will, you shoot from here. And Rachel... You can be back up."
They nodded. We ran at the enemy.

I swung my sword, pushing forwards. I vaporised one, two, three...

Clarisse was doing well - she always fights with a kind of ferocious recklessness that I would not like to be on the other side of.

"Duck! " Will shouted. Me and Clarisse hit the floor as Will shot a wave of arrows at a group in front of us. I noticed he was shakier than usual, but he still got the job done. We sprang back to our feet and kept fighting - though it was difficult in a thin corridor.

Speaking of which, the ground and walls began to shake all around us.
"We need to move! Now!" Rachel cried.
We ran forwards, Clarisse vaporising what we thought was the last monster.

We rounded the corner and I ran into another two dracaenae. Literally. One hissed and swiped across my torso, and I cried out when it slashed through my chest. I fell to my knees, disorientated. Pain and blood blossomed and I saw the monster go in for the kill.

This was not how I thought I was going to die. To a pair of lousy dracaenae.

But then Rachel was there. Her curly red hear pulled back into a messy ponytail, her face full of determination.

She swung her sword in an arc with a roar. It sliced seamlessly through both monsters and they disintegrated into dust.

Will immediately slung hid backpack in front of him, looking for the ambrosia. He looked absolutely exhausted - his usually tan skin was now the shade of mine - and tinged green. "You really need to stop getting hurt, Nico," he muttered. I managed to smile before slipping into unconsciousness.

Dream

I stood in front of a woman. She was hidden by a long, black cloak, her face was shrouded by mist.

We were still in the Labyrinth, but my friends weren't there and mist and smoke surrounded both directions.

"Nico Di Angelo," she greeted. I gripped my sword.

"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'll be asking the questions now, Nico."
I had an overwhelming urge to obey - I nodded. Charmspeak.
"I sense you care for the Apollo boy, no?" she asked me.
I felt myself go red. Seriously? How was this relevant?
"Um.. I-I," I stuttered.
The figure laughed, it was high and musical.
"Well I am going to tell you this now. He may look ill - I take it you have noticed. Yes, it is because he is away from the sun. But that is not all. He is poisoned."
I felt something snap inside me.
"What?" I stammered, "How? How can I stop it?"
"He didn't tell you? Oh dear. I know everything that happens down here. You were right about what you said earlier. That I was just trying to tire you out? Very true. While you were asleep, Solace ran into an Empousa.
I had given them a knife dipped in poison - it was meant for you. But the Solace boy protected you and fought them off. But he didn't get away with it - he got cut on his arm. He bandaged the wound and put a hoodie over it. He probably knows it's poisoned - he's an incredible healer after all. Probably knows there is no cure."
"What...?" I could hear my heartbeat loud and clear, roaring in my ears. How could I have not done something? I was right there! Did he not trust us to tell us? I felt so, so empty.
"Oh, but Nico. There is a cure."
"What? Tell me!"
"I have it," the figure laughed.

You have got to be kidding me.

"No. No no no.. Give it to me!"
"Only if you abandon the quest. He has about 48 hours to live. Make your choice."