σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

We Witness the Rise of the Mad Titan

Percy's POV

The dirt tunnels turned to stone. They wound around and split off and basically tried to confuse us, but Rachel had no trouble guiding us. We told her we needed to get back to New York, and she hardly even paused when the tunnels offered a choice.

To my surprise, Rachel, Zoe, and Annabeth started up a conversation as we walked. Zoe asked her more about her background, but Rachel was evasive, so they started talking about architecture. It turned out that Rachel knew something about it from studying art. They talked about different facades on buildings around New York—"Have you seen this one," blah, blah, blah, so Theo and I hung back and walked next to Nico in uncomfortable silence.

Percy: Thanks for coming after.

Nico's eyes narrowed. He didn't seem as angry as he used to—just suspicious, careful.

Nico: I owed you and Theo for the ranch, Percy. Plus...I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural.

Theo: That's what you wanted all along. Trade Daedalus' soul for Bianca's.

Nico: It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear.

Percy: You could be accepted. You could have friends at camp.

Nico: Do you really believe that, Percy?

I didn't answer. The truth was, I didn't know. Nico had always been a little different, but since Bianca's death, he'd gotten almost...scary. He had his father's eyes—that intense, manic fire that made you suspect he was either a genius or a madman. And the way he'd banished Minos, and called himself the king of ghosts—it was kind of impressive, but it made me uncomfortable too.

Theo: You already have friends.

Nico stared at him like he was stupid.

Theo: There's me, Percy, Grover...Tyson when he gets used to you. I know a few Apollo kids who would like to hang out with you. Beckendorf's the friendliest dude you could meet. You'll be alright.

Nico gave Theo a skeptical look before softly smiling.

Suddenly, I ran into Rachel, who'd stopped in front of me. We'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right—a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.

Percy: What is it?

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico's specters.

Zoe: Is it that way?

Rachel: No. Not at all.

Theo: Then why are we stopping?

Nico: Listen.

I heard wind coming down the tunnel as if the exit were close. And I smelled something vaguely familiar—something that brought back bad memories.

Percy: Eucalyptus trees. Like in California.

Last winter, when we'd faced Luke, Orion, and the Titan Atlas on top of Mount Tamalpais, the air had smelled like that.

Rachel: here's something evil down that tunnel. Something very powerful.

Nico: And the smell of death.

Theo, Zoe, Annabeth, and I shared a knowing look.

Annabeth: Luke's entrance. The one to Mount Othrys—the Titans' palace.