{𝟒) 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚗

24.

⚔︎Ψ 𝐖𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 & 𝐎𝐥𝐝 Ψ⚔︎

𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I asked him with my arms crossed in front of my chest.

He nodded a bit hesitant to my question but he explained, "Minos should appear soon...it's night and the moon is full."

My anxiety was slowly creeping in and getting the best of me as I bit my fingernails.

"Maybe he got lost?" Percy questioned looking around because the apparition had yet to make its presence and I whined out, "don't say that. Monsters we can kill, ghosts? Last I checked you can't kill what's already dead."

Percy gave me a small nod as Nico continuously poured root beer inside the hole and the barbecue Geryon was preparing before we ended him.

He began to chant in ancient Greek the same words I heard in my dreams.

But as he continued the air turned cold and the wind picked up. I rubbed my shoulders and shivered slightly as mist and figures appeared from the ground in their ghostly forms. I stepped back kind of freaked out as suddenly a figure approached the hole to drink.

"Stop him!" Nico demanded mid chant, "only Bianca can drink!" I panicked but thankfully Percy drew Riptide and immediately the spirit hissed and whined only to run off because of the celestial bronze.

But it didn't matter as one figure stood out among the rest starting to materialize slowly, he had on a white robe and a large beard. He had a gold wreathed circlet on his head kind of gave off Olympian vibes. But his eyes creeped me out the most, they had a deep unsettling feeling within.

"Minos!" Nico shouted and it perked all our ears, "what are you doing?" He asked the spirit.

"My apologies, master, the sacrifice smelled so good, I just could not resist." His apology didn't sound genuine at all, I knew to be cautious around this man.

He clearly didn't have his heart working to be doing the best things for Nico in his current state. I knew to be weary of men like him, I mean have you met my father? Awful.

"It's good to see myself again. Almost in solid form-"

"You are disrupting the ritual!" Nico spat "Get-!"

But no one could finish a sentence as the spirits around us began to shimmer like glitter and brightly, it stung the eyes to look but Nico quickly went back to chanting to keep the spirits' calm.

"Yes, quite right master, you keep chanting. I've only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you." He turned to Percy and Tyson as I watched his eyes glance over to me full of mischief.

"You must be the girl the master has spoken of." Minos added.

"Hmm...the children of Poseidon together, Percy Jackson...and you...Hayley Reyes...well...I will say your father is more horrendous he makes me look like an Angel!" He cackled out and I clenched my fist tightening my sight at him like a target.

While I agreed with his comment of Poseidon, I hated him even being called my father.

He will never be my father...

Percy spoke, "We're looking for Bianca Di Angelo. Get lost." He spoke but the ghost laughed him off.

Minos scoffed at his words and shook his head, "I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you truly believe Daedalus will help you?" He asked curiously.

The spirits once again began acting up as I slipped out Sebastian's dagger and began swatting them away from the pit.

They continuously hissed at the blessed celestial bronze but I didn't know if I could keep up with their repeated lunges.

"Daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods. You can't trust him. He is old beyond counting, and he is crafty. He is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods." I laughed at his words, "sounds relatable..."

Percy gave me a face of annoyance by my words, and I just simply rolled my eyes as he turned back to Minos.

"The guilt of murder? Who did he kill?" The curious Percy Jackson asked.

"Do not change the subject!" He shouted at Percy. "You are hindering Nico. You try to persuade him to give up on his goal. I would make him a lord!" He grumbled.

"Enough, Minos." Nico commanded from him.

But he wasn't going to give in, "but master! These are your enemies! You must not listen to them! Let me protect you, I will turn their minds to madness as I did the other!"

I told the spirit, "He no longer needs your protection, I mean what can you do? I'm alive and you're dead."

Slowly both sides of his mouth began to lift into a grin going from ear to ear creepily and unsettling.

"You can do much when no one can come after you...especially when I can make you go insane." He whispered and it struck me as I held up my dagger.

"You..." I spoke softly.

Flashes of Chris began to appear in my mind, him shaking and trembling, speaking random words as I glared at Minos.

"It was you!" I spat out lifting up my dagger at him.

Nico turned to me, "what? What happened?" He wondered.

"He's the reason Chris Rodriguez went mad." Annabeth spoke for me, and I just nodded, "you hurt my friend..." I cracked out as I felt the pain begin to fill me once again.

Minos screamed in almost a shriek, "the maze is my property, not Daedalus'! Those who intrude deserve madness!"

I spat back, "and those who hurt the people I care about deserve death." I simply put it.

"Be gone, Minos! I want to see my sister!" Nico commanded once more and Minos smirked at me, "as you wish master. But do not forget, you cannot trust these heroes...even the ones you call friend."

I was about to lunge at him with the dagger, but he drifted into thin air as I groaned.

"Nico!" I shouted and he said, "we need Bianca! Please..." he begged me, and I frowned and simply turned away.

I was annoyed that I wasn't able to at least hurt Minos in some way or form, to avenge Chris.

Why do that to a kid? Just why?

"Bianca, appear!" Nico shouted again, chanting faster as the spirits stirred and gathered closer.

The dagger in my hand was distancing them but they still tried to move forth, shoving one another in the process.

"Anytime now!" Grover cried out as he, Tyson, Percy and Annabeth also were trying to ward off the spirits.

That's when the lights began to flicker near the trees calling out to something, it was the strongest light among any of the spirits and it grew closer. As it trailed in front it slowly knelt to drink from the pit and just like that the ghostly apparition of Bianca Di Angelo appeared before us.

I dropped the dagger seeing her Nico stopped chanting and rather began speaking out of order. All of us stared as Bianca raised her arms signaling all the other spirits to retreat into the darkness.

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Gear up for the next chapter because like I said Hayley is just gonna be going through it till she snaps like a twig.

Sorry...