¹𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 ! - percy jackson

-008

THEY DID THEIR SUMMONS after dark, at a twenty-foot-long pit in front of the septic tank. The tank was bright yellow, with a smiley face and red words painted on the side: HAPPY FLUSH DISPOSAL CO. It didn't quite go with the mood of summoning the dead.

The moon was full, casting a ghostly glow over the clearing. Silver clouds drifted lazily across the sky.

"Minos should be here by now," Nico said, frowning. "It's full dark."

"Maybe he got lost," Percy said hopefully.

Nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, the smell mingling with the damp, earthy scent of the woods. He began chanting in Ancient Greek, and immediately the bugs in the woods stopped chirping.

Stella felt her Iliaktída ring grow colder, the metal freezing around her finger like a warning. Her breath hitched, and she glanced nervously at Percy, whose eyes were fixed on the pit.

"Make him stop," Tyson whispered.

Part of Stella agreed. The atmosphere felt unnatural, the night air cold and menacing, wrapping around them like a sinister shroud.

But before she could say anything, the first spirits appeared. Sulfurous mist seeped out of the ground, curling and twisting as shadows thickened into human forms. One blue shade drifted to the edge of the pit and knelt to drink.

"Stop him!" Nico said, momentarily breaking his chant. "Only Bianca may drink!"

Stella twisted the sun on her ring, Iliaktída appearing in her hand with a soft, golden glow. She notched an arrow as Percy drew Riptide. The ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of the deadly celestial bronze weapons.

But it was too late to stop the first spirit. He had already solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes. A circlet of gold wreathed his head, and even in death, his eyes were alive with malice.

"Minos!" Nico exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"My apologies, master," the ghost said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "The sacrifice smelled so good, I couldn't resist." He examined his own hands and smiled. "It is good to see myself again. Almost in solid form—"

"You are disrupting the ritual!" Nico protested. "Get—"

The spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and Nico had to take up the chant again to keep them at bay.

"Yes, quite right, master," Minos said with amusement. "You keep chanting. I've only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you."

He turned to Percy with a look of utter disgust, as if he were some kind of cockroach.

"Percy Jackson...my, my. The sons of Poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

Stella's fists clenched at her sides, a surge of anger coursing through her. Yeah, right! Have you seen him?

She wanted to punch Minos, to wipe that smug expression off his ghostly face, but she knew her fist would go right through him.

"We're looking for Bianca di Angelo," Percy said firmly. "Get lost."

The ghost chuckled. "I understand you once killed my Minotaur with your bare hands. But worse things await you in the maze. Do you really believe Daedalus will help you?"

The other spirits stirred in agitation, their eerie forms shifting and murmuring restlessly. Annabeth drew her knife and moved beside Percy and Stella, helping them keep the rest away from the pit. Grover got so nervous he clung to Tyson's shoulder.