Little Ray Of Darkness {HOO/Solangelo}

Chapter XI

"Now if you follow me this way, you will see the cell where Al Capone spent his time here." The tour guide stopped in front of a cell that looked exactly like all the other cells. Tourists snapped pictures. Meanwhile the four demigods hung in the back of the tour group frantically looking around the hall of cells.

"Do you see him?" Will whispered, peering around the tour group, trying to see ahead.

Lou Ellen shook her head, "Nope." She sighed.

"Is this what the hall looked like in your dream?" Will asked Nico.

"No. It was darker. And it wasn't as clean." Nico recalled the dust and cobwebs.

"He's gotta be here. He just has to!" Will began to fret.

They reached the end of the halls of cells with still no sign of the sun god.

"Now we will head to the dining hall where the prisoners ate." The tour guide told the group, walking towards the door.

"Wait." Will's hand shot up in the air.

"Yes?" The tour guide stopped.

"Are there any other cells?"

The tour guide shook her head, "No, we saw all three floors." She then started to lead the group forward. Lou Ellen, Nico and Cecil began to follow, when they saw Will run the other way, back down the hall.

"Will!" Lou Ellen whisper shouted, turning around to chase after him, the other two demigods following behind her.

"He has to be here!" Will kept muttering like a madman. His head flicked back and forth, checking every cell, even though they were clearly empty. Will reached the end of the hall and slammed his fist against the stone wall.

"Why isn't he here? He has to be here!" He yelled, his voice echoing around the old prison. He hit the wall again.

Nico, Lou Ellen and Cecil stood back, not sure what to do to help their friend, who was on the verge of a breakdown. No one had ever seen Will like this.

"Will..." Lou Ellen carefully stepped forward, "It's okay. We will figure this out." She placed a hand on his back, comfortingly.

"If we fail, the world could end." He lowered his voice, which cracked slightly, "Everyone's counting on us. I can't fail again. I can't."

'Again?' Nico thought.

Lou Ellen sat Will down, their backs against the wall. Cecil and Nico joined them. No one spoke as they sat there. Lou Ellen picked at her nails. Cecil drummed his fingers on his knee. Will leaned his head back, closing his eyes. Nico looked ahead at the prison in front of them. It didn't really look like the one in his dream. In the dream the hall was smaller and darker, colder even. The hall they were in was too big. There were three floors, with cells lining each side. The cells were more spread out across from each other and there were multiple windows on the higher levels. In the dream there were no windows. Maybe this was the wrong prison. Maybe they were completely wrong. Nico leaned his head in his hands.

The four of them sat there for awhile as Will regained his composure. He took a deep breath before saying, "We better go. We are only wasting time by sitting here." They slowly made their way down back down the hallway. They reached the end and were about to go out the door when Nico spotted something.

"Wait, what's that?" Nico pointed to the wall by a staircase that led up to the second floor. The four gathered around the wall to where something was carved in the wall.

"It's a lighting bolt..." Cecil stated.

Will gasped, "A lightning bolt! That's Zeus' symbol!"

"So what's it mean?" Lou Ellen asked.

Will started looking all around him, "The place where Zeus locked people up! It must be around here!" Cecil and Lou joined him, looking around every square inch.

Nico looked closer at the carving. It was only a few inches tall, and a centimeter deep. It looked like an old carving. Perhaps from when the building was built. Nico went to trace his hand along the carving but suddenly jumped back in surprise. The bolt began to glow at his touch, faintly at first, but gaining brightness. The other demigods turned to see what was happening. Loud scraping noises began to ring out as the stone blocks began to turn and shift, opening up a crack-like door way.

"Holy Hephaestus..." Cecil said under his breath.

"Nico! You did it!" Will practically shouted in excitement. He ran over and scooped Nico into a hug, lifting him up off the ground slightly. Nico was taken by surprise, not processing what had happened until he was placed back down.

"Sorry." Will blushed at his impulsive movement, scratching at the back of his neck, sheepishly.

Lou Ellen looked into the newly opened passage, "It's a staircase."

Nico looked through the doorway. Inside the wall was a spiral staircase that lowered into the dark, so Nico couldn't see the bottom. Will took the flashlight out of his bag, shining it into the passage. He carefully descended the first few steps, the rusted metal creaking with each movement. Cecil started down the stairs right after Will, followed by Lou Ellen. Nico trailed behind. His eyes flicked around the stairwell. Cobwebs hung down from the ceiling. The walls were covered with paintings, like the ones on ancient pottery. The paintings depicted crimes. There were brutal murders, magic spells gone wrong, and betrayals. Some of the paintings were a little too detailed. Nico looked away with a shutter.

"This place gives me the creeps." Lou Ellen practically whispered. They finally reached the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in a square room. It was almost empty besides a few broken chairs and an old table. It looked like it had been heavily used before the prison had been shut down.

"This must have been a processing room." Cecil said, "Where they held people before locking them up." They crossed the room to a heavy metal door that stood ajar. It led to a long, dark hallway. Several doors were scattered about the walls. Will slowly walking into the hallway. One step into the hall and suddenly torches hung on the wall lit up with flickering fire, casting an even creepier looking glow on the walls.

Will turned off the flashlight as they continued down the hall. Their footsteps echoed off in the distance. They turned a corner into another room.

"It looks like this was a cafeteria." Cecil glanced around at the abandoned tables. Against one wall was an overturned buffet table. Stains of old food, and who knows what else, lined the walls and covered the floor. The smell of the room was rancid. Nico tried to breath through his mouth, to avoid the putrid smells.

"The cells must be that way." Will pointed to the right wall of the room, where another heavy metal door was. The four made their way towards the door when a loud growl stopped them in their tracks.