Solangelo 3

Part 35

WILL

Annabeth finds me and Nico at the dining area. She doesn't give any form of greetings, just starts talking before she's even sat down.
'So. There's been a minor blip. But I think it's ended up working to our advantage.' She says, sitting beside Nico.
'Gods, what now?' He asks. He hasn't touched his food. He's barely even drunk his water. I know how he gets sometimes. I can tell he still hasn't processed Jason's death.
'The location tracking didn't work. It's literally saying they're nowhere in the world.' She says, 'so that means they have to be somewhere that isn't really real, right? Not really a place?'
'Or you're wrong.' Nico says.
'Where are you going with this?' I ask, ignoring Nico.
'They never left the labyrinth.' She says. I can see Nico flinch slightly. I know how much he hates it down there.
'You can't know that.' He says.
'It makes sense though. It would explain why our tracker didn't work. It would explain why they made sure to leave Will outside the labyrinth rather than abandoning him down there.' She says.
'It does make sense. And they must have known there was an entrance in the house before the fire. They planned all that.' I say, nodding, 'it's worth a go.'
'Percy's checking the entrance out now, trying to see if there's still a way in after the fire. I was just about to go down, you guys want to come with?'
'Yes! Yeah. Please.' I say, eager to get the hunt for my family started. I look over to Nico and he stares ahead, his face pale. He blinks and looks up at me, gives me a thin lipped smile, trying to act casual. I hold his hand and they're cold. He doesn't speak as we walk down there.
Percy's scouting through the rubble when we find him. He looks disheartened, and a little distracted.
'Anything?' Annabeth asks.
'Huh? Oh. No. Sorry guys.' He says, seeing Nico and I.
'How are we meant to find another entrance now? And besides, how are we meant to fight these...what are they called again?' Nico asks.
'Eidolons.' Annabeth says.
'Exactly, I mean, we can't fight them because...I mean...we'd just be fighting ourselves. We should probably wait for Piper or-' He stops mid sentence, and his eyes glaze over.
'Nico?' I ask, moving round to look at hind front on, 'Hey, talk to me, what's up?'
'Is he okay?' Percy asks, moving over to us.
'I can't...' I trail off, and he makes a sudden left turn. He walks off without warning, leaving the three of us to trail after him.
'What's going on?' Percy asks.
'I have no idea.'
'Should I stop him?'
'No. No, I mean, it seems sort of like sleep walking and if you wake a sleep walker it can be really dangerous.' I say, 'just follow him.'
'I don't like this.' Annabeth says, warily.
Nico leads us into the forest, over to a huge tree I'd never seen before. Without hesitation he bends down and falls through a hole between the roots.
'Nico!' I yell, too late to stop him.
'It's an entrance.' Annabeth says, 'it's the labyrinth. He found it.'
'How in Hades did he do that?' Percy asks, confused.
'I have no idea. We have to go after him though. If he keeps going we might lose him. We have to go now.' Annabeth says.
I lower myself down through the hole and fall onto a dark wet gravel. My hands hold multiple small cuts. Percy and Annabeth drop down after me, far more gracefully than I did.
'There!' Annabeth says, seeing Nico down the end of one corridor, and rushing after him, 'come on.'