Jenna collapsed the shrapnel sticking out of her chest and I watched horrified as the life left her angry bitter eyes.

I heard the ragged deep breathing of someone else, and I tipped my head and saw Raph stood over us, his face twisted in furry and rage.

"Oh no." Will whispered. He scrambled backwards slightly.

"Raph...?" I whispered, slowly pushing myself onto my elbows. He slowly turned his face towards me. I tried not to flinch. I didn't see Raph in his eyes, I saw fire and anger, I saw the wild battle lust.

"Raph... it's me..."

He stared at me hard. The sword in his hand passing back and forth. Like he couldn't quite make up his mind if he wanted to run me through or not. I took him hesitating as a good thing. I slowly sat up and got toy feet. My legs shook and my head was dizzy.

"Nora! Not good! Stop! He needs to calm down!"

"It's fine Will."

I held my hands out towards him, showing I had no weapon.

"Hey, Raph. Breath, you hot head. Relax."

I saw his eyes flicked. He blinked. I smiled at him. I could see him fighting to come back.

"It's me. It's Nora."

"...Sunshine..." He whispered.

"Ya.." I nodded, that made my head spin and I stumbled. Raph dropped his sword and threw his arms out to catch me.

"Always falling for me, hey Sunshine?" He said weakly, but I knew he was back. I closed me eyes and sighed.

"Always there to catch me, hey Hot Head."

"I'm sorry Nora! I'm sorry!" He choked. I blinked my eyes open. His dark eyes looked scared and lost, and watery.

"Why?" I breathed. I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired.

"I went I to that...I lost myself to the fight! I. Sorry!" He held me tighter.

I wrapped my sore and exhausted arms around his shoulders and hugged him tighter.

"You did what you had to."

"Jenna was really going to kill me!" I heard another watery voice whisper. "I...I didn't know how deep the bitterness actually went!"

I opened an arm, and waved Will over, he crawled over and I wrappedy arm around him too. The three of us stayed huddled together in that hug for a while. Until Raph cleared his throat and pulled away.

"Come on let's get out of here."

We made it to the elevator and up to the show room floor again. We stepped out into the chaos, this time no one seemed to see us. Or they ignored us better this time around.

"Where do we go?"

"Need to find the Labyrinth entrance."

"Let's go back to where we came in. Start there."

We did our best to find our way back. But Ikea was just as confusing with its twists and turns and short cuts as the Labyrinth was. 

"I need the bathroom." I whinned. Giving up on trying to find the mark.

"You gotta pee? Really?" Will rolled his eyes.

"I'd also like to wash your blood off thank you, and all my own blood and monster dust..."

"Fine. Come on." Raph grumbled. "But keep an eye out for anything suspicious-"

"Or the mark of Daedalus."

We wondered around trying to find anything for a while. We were a hot tired, hungry and cranky. We needed food and sleep.

"Where in Tartarus are we?" Raph finally cried. I sports the back of a worker.

"Will... Go ask someone where we are and how to get to the bathroom!" I gave him a slight push.

"Why me?"

"You're the least scary looking."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. But he matched over to the guy wearing an Ikea vest. He tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi, excuse me-"

The man turned around. "Yes, hi! Names Hermes, how can I be of assistance today?"

We all froze. He was a middle aged man, tan skin, hair and a small bead and mustache.

"Hermes?" Will asked. "Like messaged god, god of travelers?"

"The one and only." He grinned, he was holding a plate of Ikea meatballs and popped one into his mouth.

"Why does Hermes look like Lin-Manuel Miranda?" I whispered to Raph.

"I have no idea who that is." He replied back, but didn't take his eyes of the god.

"He's like only the best American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals, In the Heights and Hamilton, and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana, Vivo, and Encanto and-"

"Okay fan girl. Chill." Raph rolled his eyes.

I pouted and crossed my arms, "you asked!"

"How can I help you demigods?"

"What..what are you doing here?" I stammered.

"Helping lost travels find there way."

"Okay, that actually makes sense. This place is confusing." Raph grumbled.

"Come my hungry demigods, come join me for lunch. These meatballs are surprisingly delicious!"

He turned and started down the hall. We followed and not even a two steps later we some how magically ended up in the middle of the Ikea cafeteria, Hermes was already sitting down at a table, with four plates of food.

Raph threw himself down and started inhaling food. Will and I were close behind.

"So. What can I do for you, my young questers?"

"Help us get out of here?" Will suggested.

He frowned and scratched his chin.

"I was hoping for something more grand."

"Okay." I said pointing my fork that has a meat ball at the end, at Hermes. "Can you lead us to Helios? Get us through the maze and help save camp?"

"Also, were on a time crunch- the Titan Hyperion probably kidnapped Helios. Trying to get the keys for the sun chariot." Will added.

He regarded me for a minute, his face impassive. For. Split second I thought I finally crossed a line. And then he threw his head back and laughed. I smirked and popped the meatball into my mouth.

"I can see why Apollo is so invested in you two."

Will held his hand up for me and I high fived him. Hermes finally caught his breath and leaned his elbows onto the table, and laced his fingers together.

"Well...let's see that was a long list of requests. I can help get you out if Ikea. That's easy." He waved his hand and pulled a map out of thin air and laid it on the table. It was a follow the red dotted lines from a YOU ARE HERE to EXIT.

"Seriously? The way back into the labyrinth is an Exit?"

Hermes leaned back in his chair, looking at each of us with interest. "Fun how that works."

"Irony at its finest." I rolled my eyes.

"As far as the other stuff? We cannot help directly with camp, I am sorry. That is something we just can't do. But your doing fine on your own. Your quest and the other quest is doing quite well, all on track."

"You know about Percy?"

"Yes. Haven't you seen them?"

I opened and closed my mouth, I did. One time, how does he know that. Maybe...maybe Hephaestus talked to him? Who knows, the gods were weird.

"Ahh." He said, understanding in his normally amused  eyes.

"Shhhhe is sssstill learning your powerssss."
A voice hissed.

We all jumped. Hermes rolled his eyes, clipped to his workers name tag was a pen I hadn't seen, two snakes were wiggling around the top.

"Martha. Shush." Scolded Hermes. "She needs to learn on her own."

"It will indeed take time to underssssstand....hmmm but yesssss..." The other one hissed, the little head looked at me, and tilted it's little snake head back and forth.

"George!"

"Those pills from the doctor...they might jusssst be the trick to jump sssstart it-"

"Martha George shush! Or I transform you back!"

"Noo! Please don't do that!"

"Last time was terible!"

"Then shush! You've said too much!"

I was looking back and forth between Hermes and the snakes. I had no idea what they were talking about. Pills? The vitamin D and Iron? They would help me what? See? How would vitamin supliments help me see? Wasn't that carrots, help with vission?"

"...and as far as help with Helios?"

I zoned back, Hermes was still talking.

"I can't really help with that, it's your quest. But I can, offer you these!" He produced three tickets.

"How does tickets to a flower garden help us find a sun god?" Raph asked skeptically?

"Trust the process son." He check his wrist, where a watch suddenly appeared. "Well my shift is over. And I must get going."

"There was a bunch of monsters and demigods in your wearhouse. They were selling and buy weapons for Luke and his army." Raph I formed him, as Hermes stood up.

"I'm aware." He said sadly.

"Well...they aren't anymore."

Hermes raised an eyebrow but then nodded. "The store closes in ten minutes. Get some rest. You'll be safe for the night." He walked away, and disappeared.

"What the actual heck?" I cried, throwing my fork down. "How is any of this helpful?"

"I dunno....but let's sleep." Will yawned.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I said and got up, I had seen the sings for bathroom. I got up and dragged my sore and tired body to the bathroom. Leaning on the sink I took a few deep breaths. I washed my face as best I could, and washed my arms and slashed cool water on the back of my neck.

I heard the door creak open, I had ripped my bow off my necklace and had it nocked and ready to fly, my fingers slipped in shock when I saw it was just Raph. He threw his shield up and the arrow glanced off harmless.

"I guess I should have knocked louder." He chuckled as he dropped his arm, revealing that he wasn't wearing armour, just his t shirt stretched tight across his chest.

"Ya! You idiot! I could have killed you!"

"Nah, Sunshine you wouldn't have." He smirked. But behind his smirk I could see something else brewing.

"Raph? Are you okay?" I asked. Lowering my bow.

"I can to here to see if your okay." He countered and ignored my question.

"I-" I was going to say fine. But I wasn't. I was angry, frustrated, exhausted. "Definitely far from okay." I finally confessed.

He stayed where he was for a minute then walked into the woman's bathroom and walked right up to me, he was toe to toe and looked down at me. His face was hard and I could see all the scraps and bruises from taking out all those monsters.

"You were glowing red." I finally managed to say.

"A blessing from my father." He said and I may have detected some bitterness.

I hesitated, but reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. His eyes flicked to mine in surprise.

"You saved me and Will. And stopped that huge shipment of weapons going to Luke. Being good in battle isn't a bad thing."

"It's a lot of death."

"Of monsters who were trying to kill us."

"I knew Jenna though." He whispered.

"She picked her side." I said firmly. "She was going to hesitate and kill Will. And Ms Black? That wasn't the first time she tried to kill me." I elaborated. My hand hadn't left his cheek. I felt a warm tingle in my fingers, the the glow of embers in the hearth, and I felt it transfer to him. I saw the bruises fade and the scraps and cuts heal. I saw colour come back into his face. I saw the tension and unease in his eyes lesson and became more relaxed and gentle.

"Hey stop!" He suddenly said, grabbing my wrist and pulling it away.

"Whoa..." I muttered, I felt the dip in my energy. "I need to sleep."

"Yeah. Will already crashed."

His voice was gruff yet gentle and made my stomach flip. Without letting go of my wrist Raph grabbed my bag and threw it over his shoulder. And tugged me out the door. He slid his hand down and intertwined his fingers with mine. I didn't say anything, and just went with it. My stomach was so full of butterflies. We walked slowly along the path through the show rooms. Now that it wasn't full of people it was easier to navigate.

He led me to the beds, and of course I saw Will sitting in a bed in the far corner. Raph dropped my hand and we walked over. Despite all the beds set up to pick from we all crowded together. Will read the directions on the back of his sleeping pills and the poped one. Raph took the brave off his knee with a groan. Pulling his pant leg up he applied the cream and I took the vitamin supplement and swallowed it with a swig of water.

I lay down and as I was falling asleep I remembered everyone's words about me seeing, how I somehow saw Helios and Percy and Camp, how I somehow video called Aphrodite, Martha and George's words about seeing...how Asclepius was suspicious of something. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew everyone knew something about me and no one was telling me.

My eyes grew heavy and I fell asleep and was pulled into dreams, only they weren't just dreams. They were something else.

🔆