Souls, Spells, and Shadows

I Survive Off Spite While Writing The Most Awful Chapter Known To Man

Percy snorted, ripping off his wings. "Well, I don't know 'bout you, but I'm getting these out of sight."

Wordlessly, the girls ripped their wings off and handed them to him, and we all walked to the cafeteria to throw them away.

On the way there they did important social stuff like introductions and crying. Nico and Alys were rather frazzled, as were Percy, Rachel, and Annabeth.

A better way to put it would probably be 'traumatised', actually.

Percy tried to use the tourist binoculars to find Daedalus's workshop, but it'd disappeared.

Annabeth muttered absently "It moved. There's no telling where."

Worried, Percy asked "So what happens now? How do we get back in the maze?"

Alys snorted. "You want to go back in? Wow, Jackson, I thought one could only get so idiotic, but you've proved me wrong. Congrats." She did a little clap, rolling her eyes.

Annabeth sighed. "Our friends are in there. Also, we might not be able to get it. If Daedalus' life force is tied to the labyrinth-"

"Oh." Alys tapped her fingers on her thigh. "That's a problem."

"Daedalus isn't dead." All eyes turned to Nico, who'd been exceptionally quiet. "I can sense it. Like, there's this feeling I get-"

Alys nodded. "Ah. I guess my Hades lineage is too weak to sense that."

"What the fuck?" All four of them stared at her.

"What?"

"You're part Hades?"

"Yep.

Rachel stared. ""Cool. I guess. So, um, what about Grover and Tyson?"

Nico shook his head. "Uh, that's different. They don't have mortal souls, so I can't."

Annabeth sighed. "Well, we're gonna have to get into town, because there we have a better chance of finding an entrance to the labyrinth. We also have to get back to camp before Luke-"

Alys asked. "Before Luke razes it into the ground forever? Who's he, anyway? I thought the big baddie here was Kronos?"

Percy groaned. "Oh man, we're gonna have to explain so much."

.........................................................................

Several minutes later, Alys had explained who she was, what she could do, and why she was there. Throughout the whole thing, Nico hadn't looked at her once.

He was sitting quietly, head on his knees and an expression Alys couldn't identify on his tear-streaked face. Behind him, Percy and the girls were discussing their next move in a low voice.

Alys dropped into the seat beside him.

There was an awkward silence for a very long time. Alys tapped her long fingers on her thigh over and over, golden brown hands looking eerily like spiders.

Finally, Nico spoke, hands clutching the armrests of the chair so hard his knuckles were white. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Alys' fingers stilled. "Being a halfblood is scary, Nico. It mostly gets you killed in rather nasty ways. I've seen things you can't imagine, monsters, god, even other mythologies. I watched people die every day, every single day. I thought if you and-" Her voice faltered for a split second, sorrow flashing across her face. "You and Bianca stayed there forever, you'd be safe. It was paradise for you."

Nico growled "It wasn't. I was trapped in time. My sister died. Every good thing has to end."

Alys muttered, "You're right. Why's everybody always right?" She paused for a long, long moment. "I'm sorry. I'm not gonna make an excuse. You've had too many of those."

The silence was starting to weigh heavily on them both when she spoke again. "She's dead. She's really dead." She hugged her knees and rocked back and forth.

And then Nico was crying, soft and sad and broken, and through the tears he gasped, "It wasn't your fault. It was nobody's fault. I'm sorry."

The two sat, heads bowed and tears streaming down their cheeks.

But they were together, and that was what really mattered.

Eventually, Annabeth came to tell them that Rachel found a ride and Nico stood up, offering Alys his hand.

"Come on, sorella."

And for the first time in what seemed like forever, Alys smiled.

............................................

They drove for quite some time before Rachel saw the entrance to the labyrinth, a boarded up mine shaft.

Alys groaned. "Really?"

Rachel nodded. "Really.

Percy and Annabeth started bashing at the boards, trying to open the tunnel entrance. After some time, Alys stepped forward. Taking a paperclip from the pocket of her bike pants, she tapped it twice. It shimmered and transformed into a glass bottle. She poured it over the boards, and it steamed.

The boards started to melt.

"What." Percy said.

Alys grinned. "If you mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar, it becomes corrosive acid. I gave it a little boost."

Annabeth gaped. "But why do you have it in your pocket?"

"I keep everything I own on me. It's a surprisingly useful tactic." Alys tapped the pouch at her side.

Ignoring their looks, she jumped into the tunnel.

Nico followed. "Is this why you never let me touch your stuff?"

Snickering softly, Rachel asked, "Do you have, like, charms and stuff? Wait. Where do you keep your weapons?"

Alys tugged off a fake nail and Rachel watched it transform into an athame.

"Whoa."

"Yeah."

Talking quietly, the two girls walked further into the inky blackness of the tunnel.

They were back in the Labyrinth.

Hi. So yeah, I haven't updated for a while, and I'm so sorry. I've had a nasty case of writer's block, and I kinda forced myself to write this, so this chapter is actual shit. I promise I'll get better at writing! (I hope.)