Raph froze. His eyes shot open. My glowing gold hands held his face for a second long. Brushing my thumbs along his cheekbones. Maybe for a split second I saw the old Raph, the cocky broody Raph before he blinked and the broken confused Raph was back.

I dropped my hands and back away, a few gold tears slid down my cheeks. I used the back of my hands to wipe them away. He didn't move, slowly he lifted a shaking hand to his lips.

I turned away, but not before I saw him staring wide eyed at the paper clutched in his hand, and his fingers running over his bottom lip. Chocking back a sob I walked away. I didn't know if I just made his Lovesickness worse or if I helped. Will climbed into the back seat with Raph on the other side and Alister and another huge orderly climbed into the front seat. Will waved goodbye and I raised a hand. Raph glanced up. But the car drove off and disappeared out the iron gates. I didn't know if I would see them again. I was willingly walking into a possible trap.

I turned, my cheeks burning red and trudged back to Apollo and ignored his inquiring look.

"Where are they?" I signed.

"An attendee said something about Triple G Ranch..."

"I've heard of that." I signed and then frowned. Where had I heard of Triple G Ranch. I rubbed my forehead. I couldn't place the name, but I definitely heard the name.

"Do you know how to get there?" Apollo asked, "it's on the other side of the country."

"Quickest way is through the maze."

"But..."

"Trust me father. Helios told me something when we first rescued him. I know what to do."

"Be safe my child."

I nodded.

"We will catch up to you at the ranch. Thalia and I have something to check first." Artimis said.

I didn't say anything instead I rolled my eyes. Figures. I'd do this side quest alone. I'd do the Labyrinth alone. Dam immortal gods. I shouldered my backpack and walked back down the path and out the gate. I saw the outside slowly disappearing, the shrubs and flowers disappearing and blending into concrete walls. The further I walked the darker it became until I was officially swalled by the Labyrinth.

🔆

I

took a steadying breath and paused at the fork in the path. Closing my eyes I knew what I had to do, I just needed to figure out how to do it. I was confident in the fresh air with Apollo and Artimis and Will ..but now that I was alone in the dark, with the silence pressing in on me, my confidence was shaken.

Awake the flame with in.

Fire flared from inside, I felt the burning tingling sensation. When I opened my eyes I was glowing gold kind of like headlights of a car. Gold light flowed through my veins. I could see a gold path before me. Before I could question it I took off down the path that had a glowing path.

I ran. Taking turn after turn, ducking under metal spikes that flew over my head. Jumping over the stone floor that was suddenly not there. I ran for a long time. I had to slow down and take a break. I was sitting in some kind of basement, it looked like an old cellar. Some kind of old underground wine cellar. I sat catching my breath and sipping water. I rested my head back.

Awake the flame within. Let me see.

A wave of heat shimmered and I watched images flicker in the heat waves. I saw Nico running, what looked like for his life. A wicked looking black sword clasped in his own hand. He turned raising his sword and swinging it in an arch. The monster dissolved in dust. I saw him sink to the floor breathing hard.

"Your back." He panted.

I just nodded, still unable to talk.

"Your aroura is different."

I nodded again. He sat up and looked right at me. His dark eyes were very intelligent for being such a young child.

"I can feel your curse." He stated.

I nodded. He made a face. I nodded in agreement.

Have you eaten? I thought. I had no idea if he could hear me. Apparently he could because he wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes.

"I'm the ghost King. I don't need to eat." He laid his sword down and crossed his arms like the small pouty child he was.

"Nico Di Angelo! You eat some food right now or I swear to Zeus I'll find you and shove it down your throat." I narrowed my eyes

"Jeeze!" He shuddered. "Chill." Out of his bag he pulled a grana bar and nibbled the end of it. "Happy?"

"I can come find you and make you eat an actual meal...but it's a start. Now. Are you safe?"

He looked me dead in the eye and looked fully confused "why...why do you care?"

"Because there's something about you. I dunno. You remind me of me."

"We are complete opposites!" His dimenor changed and now I could see he was guarded and angry.

"I'm going to tell you something. We are quite similar. Just because I glow gold and hot, and your dark and emo."

He scoffed. Folded his arms and looked away. "leave me alone."

"Nope."

"You left last time!" He snapped.

"I didn't know how this works, still figuring it out. But right now. The bad guys will want to use you if they find you and figure out who you are. They apparently know who I am and are after me. We both have secrets were hiding. And. We're both outsiders wanting to fit in."

He sat huddled against the wall for a long time.

"How are you an outsider? Your a demigod of one of the recognized gods!"

"Ahh. One of my secrets."

He huffed and rolled his eyes.

"So why are you still alone in the dark Labyrinth?"

"Trying to find someone."

"Who?"

"Umm..Percy."

I wasn't sure, but I was positive his face was flushing.

"Nico. Percy is dead. I'm sorry."

"What?" His head snapped up and he looked at me hard, his eyes narrowed. "Who told you that? He's not."

"I saw it! I saw him die!"

"Then you saw wrong! I can still feel his spirit! He's not dead!" He was shouting at me. But all I could think was Percy wasn't dead? He's still alive.

"Nico Di Angelo! You better not be messing with me because I cusses out a god and I'll do so much worse to you if your messing with me!"

He held up his slender pale hands. "Whoa whoa whoa. One. You cussed a god out? Who? And two. No! I don't jome about those things! I can feel his soul, his spirit is still alive"

I was blinking so fast, tears had welled up and started escaping my eyelashes. There was a hot sizzle each time a tear fell. My vision was becoming steamy and hard to see.

"Nico! Don't you dare move your little emo butt! Stay where you are!"

My Sight was broken and I scrambled to my feet. I saw the gold path change course. I could feel my energy dip, but I needed to get to Nico. I ran flat out. The twists and turns weren't hard to navigate. The path led me through some sketchy looking places, but I trusted the Sight of Helios. I must have ran for at least an hour or two. I skidded around a corner and slid to a stop. Huddled in the corner looking like he was dead, was none other then Nico Di Angelo himself.

I saw his mouth move. But I frowned and tilted my head to the side. I motioned to my ears. And then to my forehead.

"Can you understand my thoughts?"

Nico nodded.

I used my hands and signed, "Can you understand sign?"

He looked at me blankly. I slowly walked over and sat down in front of him.

"Mind link it is. I can't hear. Or speak. I can sign. And apparently mind link with you."

"You have a curse. I can work around it. It's a gift...or a curse of my own."

"Well...it's nice to not have to use my hands and eyes constantly. For me, son of Hades, it's a blessing.

"I've -ive never had someone..." He trailed off and looked away and curled tighter into a ball in the corner, like he was trying to make himself smaller and disappear.

"...call you a blessing?" I asked

He just nodded. I picked up the granola bar he had discarded and held it out for him.

"Eat."

He narrowed his eyes at me. Possibly growled with the scowl on his face he probably did, and then snatched it out of my hand.

"Fine. Your impossible."

"Many call me impertinent." I smirked a little and leaned back on my hands. I saw his face snort and a small lip twitch. He nibbled the granola bar again.

" So...how did you find me so fast?"

"I have the gift of Sight. I followed the path."

"What in Hades? The gift of sight?"

I nodded and with a sly smirk I signed with my hands. "Secrets. Remember?"

He rolled his eyes. But he sat up a little straighter and looked me up and down, kind of wearily.

"So...your Percy's sister. Not what I pictured."

I smiled and nodded. "Step sister." I signed. "you couldn't see me before?"

"No. I could...feel you."

I nodded in understanding

"Tell me who you cussed out!" He asked eagerly. He leaned forward, his dark eyes lit up in a manic kind of delight. It was slightly unnerving, however I smirked.

"Aphrodite. She messed with me and hurt someone I deeply care about. You don't mess with me like that and get away with it. I cussed her out. She cursed me. Probably would have died in a poof of dust if Apollo and Artimis hadn't shown up."

"No way!" He almost squealed inside my head. "You actually totally did!"

I smirked and nodded. He threw his darky shaggy hair back as he tipped his head back and laughed. I imagined it like an evil villain cackle, not actually being able to actually hear his laugh, I made it up and I thought it was hilarious. His eyes lit up in a wild frenzied way. I could understand why people would be frightened of him. And it made me grin even more. He was such a cute little emo death kid. I laughed too. Or best I could bring cursed not to talk.

"So bad ass."

"Language!" I signed.

He rolled his eyes. I tapped his knee to get his attention and then flipped him off. And he cackled again.

"So. Why are you looking for Percy?"

"I need to warn him. He's in danger."

"Dude. We're all in danger. You and me included. So I have a proposition for you."

I leaned forwards. Nico was watching me, unsure what he was going to do. He seemed skittish.

"I need to get to a place called Triple G Ranch. Apollo's horses, that pull his sun chariot, were stolen. I need to get them back. And get back to camp and help save it before Luke destroys my home."

Nico frowned as he thought over my words.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. I thought Percy was dead....but you say otherwise-"

"He's alive. I know it!"

"I believe you! I do. So. We go together. You're looking for him, you say he's down here. I'll help you look for him and we travel together. Two demigods are better then one. I can see where to go. And you can hear. We team up."

"No catch?"

"Why would there be a catch? Also dude we can mind link! Know how handy that's gonna be? Know how many people we can mess with?" I smirked at him.

An evil smile twisted his face. "I do like messing with people."

"Do we have a deal?"

"On one condition." He said sitting up straighter.

"Name it."

"Tell me why you could see me, why could I feel you, your clearly not dead, your like glowing weird and I can see..like...fire in your veins."

"I have titan blood."

He blinked at me a few times. He was so frozen it looked like he died.

"Titan blood?"

I nodded. I stood up and threw my back back on and held a hand out for the kid. He hesitated and looked up at me. His dark eyes were calculating I could see him weighing his options.

"I don't have an alterior motive. I won't pry. I'll only make you eat and I'll have your back. If you have mine."

He slowly held out a hand and I clasped his ice cold hand in mine and hauled him to his feet.

"Your not scared to travel with me?"

"Do I have a reason to be? Dude your like 50 lbs. I could bench press you."

He gave me an evil glare but I had already turned away.

Awake the flame within - show me the Ranch.

The gold path appeared. And I started down the hall. Nico hurried to catch up. We walked in silence for a long time, until I my legs felt like giving out. We made a camp for a little. Nico insisted he didn't need a lot of sleep but promised he would after I had short nap. I didn't argue. I used my backpack as a pillow and was asleep right away and carried into a dream.

I was underground in a stone chamber. Luke and another half-blood warrior were studying a map by flashlight.

Luke cursed. "It should've been the last turn." He crumpled up the map and tossed it aside.

"Sir!" his companion protested.

"Maps are useless here," Luke said. "Don’t worry. I’ll find it."

"Sir, is it true that the larger the group-"

"The more likely you get lost? Yes, that’s true. Why do you think we sent out solo explorers to begin with? But don’t worry. As soon we have the thread, we can lead the vanguard through."

"But how will we get the thread?"

Luke stood, flexing his fingers. "Oh, Quintus will come through. All we have to do is reach the arena, and it’s at the juncture. Impossible to get anywhere without passing it. That’s why we must have a truce with its master. We just have to stay alive until-"

"Sir!" a new voice came from the corridor. Another guy in Greek armor ran forward, carrying a torch. "The dracaenae found a half-blood!"

Luke scowled. "Alone? Wandering the maze?"

"Yes, sir! You’d better come quick. They’re in the next chamber. They’ve got him cornered."

"Who is it?"

"No one I’ve ever seen before, sir."

Luke nodded. "A blessing from Kronos. We may be able to use this half-blood. Come!"

They ran down the corridor, and I woke with a start, staring into the dark. A lone half-blood, wandering in the maze. I sat up and looked around despiritly looking for Nico.

"Nico!" I screamed in my head.

"Chill woman! What's the problem?!"

I twisted around and saw him like melt from the shadow in the corner. I grabbed my chest, my heart was racing.

"I saw Luke and a few others. They had captured a lone demigod. I...I was worried it was you."

"Why are you so worried about me? I don't need anyone."

"No, it's true, you don't."

"And I'm strong!" His voice was shaky, and I could see his hands balling into fists.

"Yes. You are."

I said I can take care of myself."

His voice, even in my head wobbled, he was holding the tears back. I had no idea how long he had been on his own in the dark, with nothing but some evil ghost spirit as company. And he was just a child... So was I, but I hard learned that having people you trust around you who actually cared for you was very important.

"I know you can. And you have. For a long time Nico. For so long. And you will. I've just joined in too. Now we take care of each other."

"But...why? You don't even know me!"

"I know enough. I've had people hardly know me and still have my back. It's my turn to have your back."

He eyed me for another minute. His hands balling into fists. I could see his pulse in his neck, it was slow almost deadly slow, but he was healthy, which seemed like an oxymoron, but considering who he was, it made perfect sense.

"Fine."

"Fine." I smiled. " Let's go Dream Team!"

"Eww. Do not call us that!"

"Ha! Make me. I won't be sleeping after that creepy Sight vision. Shall we continue, Dream Team? We're almost there."

"I regret my decision already."

"Ha! Can't change your mind now! Your stuck with me!"

I could fe him groan and I saw his body sag like he was super annoyed. But he picked up his backpack and walked by the side down the hall. We didn't need a flash light, Nick could see perfectly in the dark and I glowed and could see the glowing path.

"I've been there before."

"Been where?"

"Triple G Ranch."

"Excellent. You can give me the tour."

🔆

NICO AND NORA THE DREAM TEAM WE DIDNT KNIW WE NEEDED!