A/N. Last chapter before we get into the Battle of the Labyrinth! This chapter kind of goes into it during one part, but at the end it really signals that the story is getting into the book. Enjoy!- Anna

~Lia's POV~

When I woke up, I didn't open my eyes right away, but I could still see a bit of light coming through my eyelids. Relaxing where I laid, I just listened to my surroundings and felt the grass prickle underneath me. A small breeze whisked across my face. My eyebrows furrowed when another breeze passed my face a couple seconds later. Breezes don't stop and then continue again constantly. I slowly opened my eyes, and they quickly widened when I saw a familiar face sleeping so close to mine: Nico di Angelo.

Suddenly, last night's memories came flooding back to me. Telling Nico all about my past and powers, Nico telling me about his own life, and the two of us falling asleep under the stars at the castle. I couldn't believe I did that. Was I that deprived of human contact that I would just spill my whole life story to anyone who would listen?

Nico's face was inches away from mine. His face seemed so peaceful while he was sleeping. His long dark hair hung over his eyes just barely, and I resisted the urge to push the hair to the side. As I went to get up, I was stopped by something holding me down by my waist. It was Nico's arms wrapped securely around me. I freaked out a bit and forcefully rolled my body out of his grip as fast as I could.

Nico's eyes snapped open at the movement to see me crouched at his side very much awake. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yes! I'm fine...I just woke up," I answered, still feeling a little flustered.

Nico raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about how I was. "We got anything for breakfast?"

I reached into my bag and pulled out the food we had and passed some to Nico. We ate in silence as we watched people go by and the sun rise in the sky. It was such a peaceful morning. Not a cloud in the sky and the park was the perfect temperature. I wanted to stay in the calm bubble forever that the park offered, not wanting to have to worry about anything for a couple more hours. 

When we finished our food, we put the trash in my backpack, and got ready to move.

"Where are we going today?" Nico asked.

I hefted the backpack over my shoulders and smiled at Nico. "Wherever we want to."

That's how it went for a while. We would walk around New York, see some sights, battle some monsters, find a safe place to sleep, and then repeat. Whenever we could, we would train together, and Nico was getting much better. Occasionally we would steal food and supplies, and I managed to get Nico to not waste his powers shadow traveling us out every single time. It would just tire him out for the rest of the day, and I did not feel like appearing in the middle of a monster area. 

Sometimes as we were walking, I would try my power on some random rat or bug by simply tapping them with my finger. It would only work sometimes, even when I tried so hard to will my powers to work, and rarely would they come back. It was the only practice I could get that I was comfortable with.

Nico started to worry me though. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I would wake up to Nico mumbling something, and an eerie blue glow lighting the night. Whenever I would try to see what it was, the glow went away, leaving Nico sitting there by himself saying that he had just woken up. He started to look paler than usual, and bags formed under his eyes. I tried to ask him what was up with him, but he would just tell me he wasn't sleeping well. He never told me why exactly.

One day while we were stationed in an abandoned house, Nico came up to me while I was tending the fire. "Hey, Lia? I need to tell you something."

He looked so nervous. I frowned a little and said, "What's up, Nico?"

"I...want...I want to end our agreement. I want to go on my own now," Nico said. It sounded like it took a lot for him to get those words out.

I froze. "Oh."

I looked at the flames. After being alone for so long, I had really enjoyed Nico's company. His companionship was completely different from when I was with Cameron. Cameron always tried to keep my spirits up by joking around constantly despite our circumstances and never took me for granted, but he would have his serious moments that I appreciated. Nico was quiet most of the time, and his demeanor screamed loner, but he seemed to enjoy having me around to tease him and didn't mind me filling the silence. But I couldn't force him to stay with me. Unlike Cameron, at least Nico had the decency to tell me he wanted to leave. I did feel bad that I didn't make much progress with my powers, and couldn't give him the solution he needed.

"Do you know where you're going to go?" I asked slowly.

"Not exactly, but I know what I'm doing," Nico said.

It sounded like he had found his own way to bring his sister back. I stood to face him. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," I said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Think I'll see you sometime?"

Nico gave me a small smile. "If we ever cross paths ever again."

"Or if I save your hide again." I smirked.

Nico snorted. "Next time it'll be me doing the saving."

"In your dreams."

"Sure, Callahan."

"Whatever, di Angelo."

Then I did something that surprised Nico and even me: I hugged him. I couldn't help myself. I focused all of my emotions into the hug, making sure the all the thoughts of my powers going off on him was at the very back of my mind. Nico stiffened, but eventually reciprocated the hug.

"I'll miss you, Nico," I whispered.

"I'll miss you, too, Lia," Nico said.

We parted and Nico stepped back into the darkness of the house. He gave me a small smile before melting into the shadows and disappearing. I was all alone again. I just hoped whatever Nico was plan was, it would succeed.

It had been a few weeks since Nico and I separated and gone our own ways. I really missed his company, and just being around someone who knew about the world I lived in general. My feelings about the son of Hades confused me, and I couldn't figure them out. Plus, I couldn't stop being worried if he was okay and how his plans were going. Now I had two people who I would have to constantly dread the day I would feel their deaths.

One night by some miracle, my questions were answered because I had a dream giving me a glimpse of what Nico was doing. My dream showed the shore of a river. Wisps of fog drifted across the black water. The beach was strewn with jagged volcanic rock. Nico was squatted at the riverbank, tending a campfire. The flames burned an unnatural blue color. He was throwing pieces of paper into the fire- Mythomagic trading cards. I remember Nico telling me about the game before. I had never played it, but he seemed to have been a big fan of it.

From the weeks we had been apart, Nico looked worse than when I last saw him. His shaggy hair had reached his shoulders. His eyes were dark. His black jeans were ripped, and his aviator's jacket was battered. His face was grimy, his eyes a little wild. I wondered if I looked like that at all.

"Useless," he muttered. "I can't believe I ever liked this stuff."

"A childish game, master," another voice agreed. It seemed to come from near the fire, but I could't see who was talking.

Nico stared across the river. On the far shore was a black beach shrouded in haze. I had never been there, but from what I had heard and read about the place, there weren't many other places where Nico could be: the Underworld. Nico was camping at the edge of the River Styx.

"I've failed," he muttered. "There's no way to get her back."

The other voice kept silent.

Nico turned toward the voice doubtfully. "Is there? Speak."

Something shimmered. I thought it was just the firelight. Then I realized it was the form of a man- a wisp of blue smoke, a shadow. If I looked at him head-on, he wasn't there. But if I looked out of the corner of my eye, I could just make out his shape. A ghost. I recognized the glow. That's who Nico was up so late with and talking to.

"It has never been done," the ghost said. "But there may be a way."

"Tell me," Nico commanded. His eyes shined in the firelight.

"An exchange," the ghost said. "A soul for a soul."

"I've offered!"

"Not yours," the ghost said. "You cannot offer your father a soul he will eventually collect anyway. Nor will he be anxious for the death of his son. I mean a soul that should have died already. Someone who has cheated death."

Nico's face darkened. "Not that again. You're talking about murder."

"I'm talking about justice," the ghost said. "Vengeance."

"Those are not the same thing!"

The ghost laughed dryly. "You will learn differently as you get older."

Nico stared at the flames. "Why can't I at least summon her? I want to talk to her. She would...she would help me. Maybe we should find Lia. She would help me, too."

"I will help you," the ghost promised. "What has that girl done to help bring your sister back? Have I not saved you many times? Did I not lead you through the maze and teach you to use your powers? Do you want revenge for your sister or not?"

Now I was really starting to dislike this ghost. He sounded really sketchy, and voiced his words like he had the answers to all of Nico's problems. Sadly, I did have to agree with the ghost. The time I spent with Nico was us just hanging out. There was not a whole lot of me trying to control my powers.

Nico turned from the fire so the ghost couldn't see him, but I could. A tear traced its way down his face. "Very well. You have a plan?"

"Oh, yes," the ghost said, sounding quite pleased. "We have many dark roads to travel. We must start-"

ROOOAAARRR!

I jolted straight up from my sleep. Breathing heavily, I looked down the alleyway from where I was sleeping, and saw a Cyclops barreling toward me from across the street. I just groaned, deeming it too early to be fighting any monsters. Begrudgingly, I moved my wings off of me as I was using them as a blanket, and flapped them to take off into the sky. As I flew, I could't help but wonder what was Nico was planning with the ghost?

A couple days later, I was trying to get some food from a store, but one of the employees called me out. I sprinted out of the store as one of the staff called the cops. Soon enough, I had two officers after me as they chased me through the crowded streets. I only looked behind me for a moment, and I ended up crashing into someone, the both of us getting knocked to the ground. Groaning, I opened my eyes to meet the surprised face of Nico di Angelo. He had ended up hovering over my body, his hands on either side of my head in the middle of the street.

"N-Nico?"

~Nico's POV~

I stared down at the astonished face of Lia Callahn. Before I could say anything, we heard angry shouts coming from where Lia came from and where I came from. Without a word, I jumped up and grabbed Lia's hand to haul her up onto her feet. With her hand still in my grasp, I dragged her through the ocean of pedestrians to find a way to lose the cops. I spotted an alleyway and we rushed inside it, pushing our backs tight against the wall. The officers ran right past us. We both breathed a sigh of relief.

"What in Zeus' name did you do?" Lia asked, breathing hard.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "I could ask you the same thing."

Lia rolled her eyes. "I was just getting something to eat when an employee spotted me stealing, and called the cops. Now, what did you do?"

I held up a Wal-Mart bag and took out one of the white paper bags decorated with cartoons. "I stole these."

Lia looked at me deadpan. "A McDonald's Happy Meal? Really?"

"It's not for me."

"Then why did you steal a perfectly good Happy Meal?"

I shifted my feet. "Um, let's just say it'll help me find a way to bring my sister back."

Lia raised a dubious eyebrow. "And you need a Happy Meal to figure out how?"

"Uh, yeah. It's just part of the process, I guess."

"Uh-huh." Lia didn't sound convinced, but she didn't say anything else about the Happy Meals. "Um, Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you let go of my hand now?"

I forgot I was still holding onto her hand. Looking at my side, I saw my hand was clenched tightly around Lia's. I could feel her hand shaking in mine. I swiftly let go and Lia wrapped her arms around herself tightly, hiding her hands under her arms. We stared at each other in silence for a couple moments.

Lia looked the same from the last time I had seen her. Long black locks of hair tied back into a tight ponytail, clear sky blue eyes staring intently into my own. Her olive skin was a little paler than what it probably should have been, but she looked as clever and determined as ever. She still wore her black bomber jacket and black boots, this time paired with blue jeans and a simple black shirt.

Finally, Lia broke the silence with a sigh. "If I'm totally honest, I really missed you, Nico."

My eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" I had thought she had forgotten about me by then.

"Yes, of course. Who else could be so annoying twenty-four-seven?" I stared at her, unamused. She chuckled. "Kidding. Really, it's been a little boring without you."

"I'm sure it has...I missed you, too, Lia." I shuffled my feet, starting to get nervous. I don't know why. It was just Lia. "Um, since we're here, I've been wanting to ask you...Do you want to travel with me this time? Maybe we can make another agreement?"

"Oh, it's your turn now I see."

"Yep." I couldn't help but smile a bit. It was so good to see her again. "Only terms are that you need keep me company and help me figure out how to bring my sister back. And you don't need to swear on the Styx for this one."

Lia stuck her tongue out at me for my last sentence and pretended to think about it. "Hmm. You drive a hard bargain. But...I accept. Plus, it means I don't have to run away from the cops by myself now."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you want to think that will get you to join, Callahan."

"Oh, shush, di Angelo."

We both laughed. No fear of dying or monsters was on my mind at all during that moment. Hope filled my mind now that I had Lia back in my life. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy and carefree. It was like Lia and I were normal friends, just hanging out and having a good time. I never wanted the feeling to end.

"So, what do we do first?" Lia asked.

I walked to the end of the alleyway where it ended with a brick wall, and turned to face Lia. "We go into the maze."

Pressing one of the bricks from the middle of the wall, the mark of Daedalus glowed bright blue. Lia's eyes widened as part of the wall slid aside slowly to reveal a short staircase down into the darkness of the Labyrinth.

"Hope you're not scared of the dark," I said.

"Please," Lia scoffed. She approached the entrance and stared straight into the maze. "The dark. My favorite place to be."

A/N. I rewrote Nico asking Lia to travel with him this time like four times. I couldn't really think of any other way to do it. I'm still not completely happy with how it turned out, but that way sounded the least cringy way to me. Might change that later. Sorry if the pacing in this chapter is a little weird. Also, Lia is the exact opposite of me; I hate the dark. Like so much. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Very joking and cheesy banter happening in this one. I honestly don't know how I feel about it. I mostly like it I think so I hope you guys enjoyed their interactions as well. We're finally getting into the Battle of the Labyrinth! I'm very excited to start writing the next chapters for this story, and I hope you all enjoy it! Comment and vote! -Anna