Iris Evans

Chapter 35: Nico Continues his Extra Classes after Iris Falls Asleep

The dynamic duo had entered the cavern once touching the delta symbol. "Oh my gods," Iris wheezed out as the last few moments rushed to her head. She slid down against the grimy walls, she pulled on her ginger waves. "I can't believe it, if I die here, tell Ka she's my favourite."

Nico ignored the girl's pitiful moans.

"The one of many names! You're his kid!" Iris groaned, "that means that he also broke the promise, no wonder she hates you." Nico huffed before turning around, he marched up to the girl and grabbed her forearm. The boy pulled her roughly towards him.

"No time for whining about it, we got to move. If you haven't noticed," he waved his hand towards the walls. "This place looks like it won't be holding up anytime soon."

Iris ripped her hand from his grip. "How come you're not shocked! Don't tell me you knew," she poked him in the side only for it to get slapped away.

"Stop it." Nico scowled. The girl blinked before lowering her hand awkwardly.

"What did you give up anyway?" She asked from behind him as he led them further into the maze. "It couldn't have been easy." She said.

Nico ignored the image of his sea green eyes staying back him. The way his black messy hair ruffled in the wind. It may have been just a handful of encounters, but Nico knew he shouldn't feel this way.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with." Nico huffed.

Iris stood still be frowning to herself. She flipped over her wrist to the face of the watch on her hand. "It's late, I think." She frowned. "We should rest and conserve our energy."

Nico turned to his own watch and observed the second hand ticking down. "What do you mean? It's still morning." Iris frowned before looking back her own, the hour hand speeding by.

"No it has to be night, look." She shoved her wrist into his face. Nico pushes the limb out his face before shoving his own into hers.

"Here!" He grunted. They stared at the watches, turning which way they wanted to.

"That's odd." Iris frowned. She turned around and looked down the ally that they had just walked, except that it was different. "Nico look!" She hit his arm, ignoring the hiss that he had let out and pointed down. "Tell me you think that's familiar, because I certainly don't remember walking past all that mess."

The overgrown plants that weren't there previously covered the corridor, making it impossible for anyone to traverse. At the end there was a collapsed end of the tunnel, the roots of the plants had broken through and into the earth.

"I don't." Nico frowned. "Is the corridor changing, like the stairs at Hogwarts?"

Iris frowned, "doubt it. I don't know of any charms that do this."

Nico sighed before dropping his bag onto the dusty brick. "Let's stay here and watch, maybe it'll change in a few hours. You wanted to rest anyways." Iris rolled her eyes.

"I can do some of the homework, go sleep while I do this." Nico shook his head before placing his hands on his shoulders. He shoved her onto her makeshift pillow.

"You sleep, I have to finish my essay anyways." Iris opened her mouth to protest only to meet Nico's glare.

"Fine." Iris huffed before rolling over, away from him. "But please get some sleep, you're starting to develop dark eye circles." Nico rolled his eyes and dig through his bag for paper and quill.

"Whatever." He mumbled to himself.

Nico waited till Iris fell into a dead sleep before shoving his empty parchment back into his bag. "King Minos, you can come out now." The ghost stepped out of the shadows before wading his way towards Nico, he grimaced as he stepped over the sleeping girl.

"I don't know why you have to keep bringing her along with you, she's only dragging you down." He scowled. "I see you entered the labyrinth. Dusty old thing." The old king glared up at the walls coated with vines.

"That doesn't matter now, do you have it?" He asked. The king nodded and pulled out a simple skull ring. It was silver and glinted in the fire that Iris had conjured up earlier. The skull was part of the design where the lower half of the jaw and nose was the shoulder of the band.

He placed it on his left middle finger, flexing it, letting it clink against the regular silver band on his ring finger. Nico twisted it three times before the second half of the skull clamped onto the ring and the Stygian iron sword was in his hands.

The dark metal blended into the shadows and the weight felt heavy enough in Nico's rough hands. "This seems suitable enough." He mumbled.

"Very fitting." King Minos acknowledged. "I suppose it is time we continued." Nico nodded without hesitation. He closed his eyes and let the ghost speak to him.

"You did very well last time Nico, but this time since we are in the ever changing labyrinth, I want you to travel to be able to come back to this very spot." King Minos circled the boy and watched his breathing, his chest heaving as he concentrated his energy, "I shall remain with the girl till you get back. But remember this scene, this place when you attempt to travel back. The damp atmosphere, the dirt on the floor, the dust in the air, the lack of heat, the crippling plants in the walls." Nico nodded once more and built up his energy to his core before bleeding into the shadows.

The cold wrapped around him and invaded him as hands crawled their way across his skin. When Nico felt it was right, he pulled himself out of the mass of darkness and stumbled out of an alleyway.

Right across a McDonalds.

His stomach let out an angry gurgle.