STRENGTH
━━ act three, chapter two.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

   NABI DIDN'T KNOW HOW LONG SHE HAD BEEN WALKING FOR. Her feet were really sore, and she felt like she was getting absolutely no where—the myths really weren't joking when they said the Labyrinth was endless.

At first, Nabi had wandered around aimlessly, and then when that didn't work, she placed a hand on the left wall as she continued travelling along. But the walls began to shift, and what was once solid concrete had turned into long corridors. So, she gave up on that entirely. But through her aimless traversing, Nabi had stumbled across a few random rooms, too. A room with a table and an abandoned tea set, with butterflies floating about; an odd room with a singular bed and a carousel; and there was a bunch of other bizarre and wacky things. Sadly, no exit, it seemed.

Now? Well...

"Hello?" Nabi called out, "Uhm, anyone?"

Oh, who was she kidding? Nobody would be here, apart from Luke's men, supposedly, and she did not want to bump into them. Nabi made an aggravated sound, the anger bubbling past her throat. What was she meant to do? Clarisse was probably waiting for her, and she was really wanting that spaghetti. Gods, she was really fed up with...

   There was a faint, shimmering image of man, almost translucent, the same way the ghosts that Nabi would summon seemed. His back was facing Nabi, and she mustered out a hesitant, "Excuse me, sir?"

When he shifted around, Nabi could see that he was short and stubby, with scrawny legs and arms that were the colour of a sickly orange, and a big loincloth worn around his waist. His hair was a little... ratty, sticking up in multiple directions.

"Eh?" He blinked, and then his eyes widened.

"Sir," Nabi said, "do you know a way out of here? I don't know— hey!"

He turned on his heel, sprinting off. What in the Hades? Nabi huffed, and decided to chase after the man.

   "Come back!" She cried.

   Somehow, though, whilst chasing him, he had swivelled past a corner and disappeared. But Nabi had collided with something else—stumbling and rolling onto the ground.

   She groaned, lifting her head up.

   "Watch where you're going!"

   A boy snapped at her, having been the thing she had barrelled into. He was... really, really emo. He had shaggy, messy black hair and eyes that were even darker. It didn't help that he seemed pretty pale, and that he was wearing dark clothing too—black jeans and a slightly oversized aviator jacket.

"Woah, sorry?" Nabi blinked, getting up.

Suddenly, there was a roar behind them.

It was a giant, watchful serpent that glared menacingly at the two of them with piercing, yellow eyes, baring giant claws. When it opened its mouth, Nabi could see that it had three tongues, with teeth as sharp as razors, and scales of a polished obsidian colour. Nabi's eyes widened. It was the Colchian Dragon—the original guardian beast who protected the Golden Fleece. She had wondered why it wasn't protecting it on Polyphemus' Island, and now, with it in the Labyrinth face to face with her, she knew why.

"Hey," The boy huffed from behind her—she was in the middle of him and the dragon, "I was just fighting this thing before you almost killed me!"

"Alright, I'm sorry." Nabi said, "Let me help, though."

The dragon breathed out flames, and Nabi evaded the blistering heat. The boy scowled, "I don't need your help! I don't need anyone's help!"

"How long has this thing been fighting you?" Nabi asked.

At that, he pursed his lips and grimaced. Okay, not a good sign. The monster lunged forward with a mighty claw, and that was when Nabi noticed he was holding a blade. A Stygian iron one, just like hers. She'd never seen anyone else wield a weapon of the same material. He parried the attack, skidding back a bit at the force. Then, he charged and slashed at it, but it didn't really do all that much.

"You," Nabi gasped, "you're an Underworld kid."

"Yeah?" He frowned.

They both yelped at the sudden tail that flew from behind them. Nabi got lucky, but the boy was slammed down. He yelped, wincing as he got back up.

"In the myths," Nabi said, ducking a claw her way, "Medea helped Jason put it to sleep—put it to sleep!"

"How am I supposed to do that?!"

Nabi had to think quick. She dodged another close call of the beast's fire breath, as the boy went to try stabbing it again. It just bounced off its scales, like a rubber toy. But the boy's next move was what really shocked her—he raised his arms up, and just like Nabi's powers, the undead had risen from the ground. They went straight for the monster.

For a moment, the ghosts were working. It roared, cornered by the amount of them that the boy had summoned. But eventually, it defeated them soon enough with a deadly swipe of its tail and a couple shots of fire. It wasn't looking good for them.

That's when Nabi had an idea—she raised an arm up, and summoned a ghost. Except, specifically, it was one that could play music. She had heard stories about Orpheus and his lyre's soothing abilities, so maybe it would work.

The boy gaped. "You— you're an Underworld kid!"

"You think you can play us a tune?" Nabi asked the ghost man with a guitar.

He nodded eagerly, and grinned. "Sure thing! I'll play something you won't expect!"

Nabi nodded, and she would've been proud of her fast thinking... if he didn't start playing Wonderwall. She groaned as the chords of the song reverberated against the Labyrinth's walls. Did it have to be this song? It seemed to have the opposite effect on the monster, fortunately, and the horrible choice of song was worth it after it began to slowly drift off to sleep.

She took her sword out, and walked up to it cautiously. This time, the weapon sank into its flesh and turned the Colchian Dragon into a big pile of gold dust—but it also dropped its teeth into the golden heap too. Nabi plucked them off the ground and placed them inside her pocket. Jason had used them for their magical properties, and she figured she might as well take them, just in case.

"Huh," The boy lowered his sword, and let out a sigh of relief, "thanks for... saving me."

Nabi shrugged. "It's no problem. My name's Nabi."

"I'm Nico." He said.

Now that they were calming from the thrill of battle, Nabi could notice the gash on his arm from being attacked, and the bags under Nico's eyes—he was younger than her, that much she could tell, but his tired face and frail figure... no kid at his age should've looked like that.

"Oh," She said, "I have some ambrosia in my pocket. How about we sit down for a bit?"

Nico seemed reluctant, but Nabi smiled gently, and he nodded. "Sure. That sounds okay."

【 🦋 】

   THE TWO OF THEM SAT FACING EACH OTHER, having found one of the maze's rooms with a fireplace. It was still a little dim, but it wasn't too bad. Nico nibbled on a bit of the ambrosia that Nabi had leant him. Luckily, she didn't need any. The dragon hadn't landed a good hit on her.

   "How did you end up in here?" Nico asked.

   Nabi sighed, inching closer to the crackling flames. "Well, I was at a restaurant with a... friend, and there was a funky stall in the bathroom."

   Nico cracked a small, hesitant smile. "And you decided to go in it?"

"Yeah, okay," Nabi laughed, "it wasn't the smartest choice ever, but you don't really expect to get trapped in a never-ending maze on a Saturday."

   Nico's smile grew, more genuine.

Her thoughts wandered to Clarisse, and she frowned. Was she still waiting for her in that restaurant? Had she figured out Nabi had disappeared? Nabi had probably been away for an hour or two, if she had to guess. Gods of Olympus... would Clarisse be angry that she left her to pay for the bill by herself?

   "So," Nico asked, "who's your godly parent?"

   "Thanatos. Who's yours?"

   "Hades." Nico mumbled, and Nabi didn't miss the small wince—he covered it up with a cheeky smile though, "You know, Thanatos works for Hades. I know cause of mythoma..."

   He cut his sentence off, and said teasingly, "That kinda means, technically, you work for me."

   Nico was a nice kid. After talking with him for a bit, Nabi was glad that he wasn't as harsh as he tried to be when they were fighting that beast.

"Uh huh," Nabi rolled her eyes, good-naturedly, "as if. Wait, were you about to say mythomagic? I used to play that game."

Mythomagic was a complicated collectible card and figurine game about the Greek Gods—the younger kids at camp played it all the time, before someone had made fun of Dionysus being the weakest card, and it was effectively banned by Mr. D. Nabi remembered the riots from young campers. Sure, she really liked the game, but the Ares kids always got too riled up about it and the Athena kids were too smart at their plays.

"Yeah, well," Nico said, irritated, "it's stupid and childish! I don't get why people like it."

He was just a kid, but something about him was so... Nabi couldn't really explain it. Nico had this sadness to his eyes when he spoke, and his hands trembled whenever she could tell he was thinking too hard. It wasn't that Nabi was particularly good at reading people, it was just that Nico's emotions were something he couldn't hide. It's like he was overflowing. Something inside her gut told her to look out for him; he needed it.

"Since you're a demigod, as soon as we get outta here, I'll take you to this place. Camp Half-Blood." Nabi said, "It's where we can be safe."

Nico's brow pinched together, and the frown that stained his features only deepened. "I've already been there. It sucks."

"What?" Nabi matched his expression, "But... I've never seen you at camp."

"I was there a week or so ago," Nico said, "before I left."

Nabi was completely and utterly confused. Everyone at camp knew each other; knew of the newcomers and the old campers. Had she missed his arrival? That didn't make sense. She stored it in the back of her mind to think about for later.

"So why'd you leave?" She asked him.

Nico crossed his legs together, his eyes fixated on the orange hues of the flickering fire. He muttered, "Shouldn't have trusted him..."

"What?"

"This guy at camp," Nico said, and his voice sounded strained, "I trusted him. I shouldn't have."

Nabi thought he was talking about being bullied. She pursed her lips, then sighed and gently said, "You can talk to me about it. I won't judge."

Nico swallowed, and he shook his head. "You wouldn't get it."

"Try me." She offered him a smile.

"I..." Nico thought for a second, before he caved in, "My sister went on this quest. Bianca. He promised me he would keep her safe. He promised. But she ended up dying, and I hate him, and—"

   He couldn't get out another word out before he was wracked with sobs, and Nabi instinctively wrapped an arm around him—each time he gasped for a breath and cried, he shook so violently.

"Percy." He sobbed, "His name was Percy."

"Percy Jackson?" Nabi said. But Percy was a nice guy. How did he manage to end up hurting this poor boy?

Nico looked up at her, tears streaming down his cheeks as he stuttered out, "You— you know him?"

   "Of course I do," She said, "He's..."

   Nabi's sentence died down. It wasn't the best idea to tell Nico that the boy he was crying over was her friend. But the quest... she hadn't heard about Percy leaving for anything, nor about any recent deaths. The last she had spoke to him, it was a few days before he was supposed to help Grover with a retrieval mission—bringing back some demigods from somewhere. Them, Thalia, and Annabeth.

   Thalia Grace. She was the daughter of Zeus that had been resurrected months back, and was civil with Nabi. Well, unless you counted how Thalia was so deeply offended by Nabi's distaste for Green Day that she targeted her in capture the flag for weeks... yeah.

   "Nico, what day did you leave camp?" Nabi said.

   He sniffed. "December twenty-first, I think."

   What? Nabi paused. That didn't make sense... the date that Nico had said hadn't even passed yet—the twenty-first was two weeks away. A rush of panic surged through her, and Nico could tell with how her grip on him loosened a little.

   "Are you okay?" Nico mumbled.

   "Are you okay?" Nabi replied, ignoring the dread pooling in her stomach, "I'm not the one who went through all of that, Nico. I'm sorry you did."

   Nico tried to wipe at the wetness on his cheeks, but a few more tears fell. He murmured bitterly, "Don't want sorry. I just want Bianca back."

   They probably would've stayed like that for a while, had it not been for a man—he was flickering too, just like the other guy that Nabi had chased after, except it wasn't him. He rose from the ground as mist coiled around him, his eyes were maliciously cold, and his grey, pointed beard made him look menacingly serious... wait a minute. He was the man in her dreams that had affected Chris. She clenched her jaw to avoid bursting out in anger.

   "Nico," He snarled out, scrutinising them under his harsh gaze, "do not trust her."

Nico stood up, and Nabi gave the two a confused look. She didn't know how the creepy dude was, but Nico seemed to. "Why not?"

"She'll only get in the way of it all. She'll only get in the way of bringing back Bianca." He stroked his beard, and situated his glare towards Nabi.

Nico turned back to her, and his face scrunched up like he was contemplating the man's words. "Nabi's not a bad person."

"And that's what you thought about Percy, wasn't it?" The man scoffed.

"Who are you?" Nabi scowled.

Percy was still her friend, and although she didn't know the full situation, she wasn't gonna let the old geezer talk badly about both of them.

The man's face mutilated into a sinister, chilling grin. "I am Minos, King of Crete; Judge of the Underworld."

At that, Nabi stood up too. Minos—he was vengeful, known for being manipulative and a horrible, horrible man. "Don't trust him, Nico! He's—"

"Giving you valuable advice." Minos sneered, "She is not trustworthy. In fact, how about you ask her of this Percy Jackson? How she's his friend."

At that, Nico's head jolted. His expression hardened, and Nabi backed up a little with how intense he was. Nico scowled, "You're friends with him?"

Nabi didn't have the heart to lie. "Listen, Nico..."

"Minos is right!" Nico yelled, "I can't believe it!"

   "You don't want a replacement for Bianca, do you?" Minos drawled, "She's just trying to take your dear sister's place. You should know better, Nico."

   "No, that's not it!" Nabi shook her head.

   She tried to take a step closer, but Nico raised his arms up and said, "Stop! I'll— I'll summon them if you try getting any closer."

   Nabi took another step. At that, a group of ghosts emerged. Her bracelet transformed into her sword, and she got into a fighting stance.

   "Go!" Nico cried.

   Nabi genuinely thought they'd attack her. But instead they... began squealing? It was worse than the terrorised guinea pigs on Circe's island.

   "Oh my gods!" One of the ghosts shrieked, "You're Nabi Cho-hee! I'm, like, such a big fan!"

   "I've always wanted to be summoned by you!"

   "Yeah, you're like a ghost celeb, dude! Sign my T-shirt!"

   Nabi blinked. Apparently, if they weren't fighting for her, they were declaring their love for her. She had never really gotten the chance to speak to any of them before they vanished after a battle. Well, it was kind of a nice ego boost, though.

She awkwardly lowered her sword, and thought about how useful Percy's weapon would be right now—well, in its pen form, that is. "I'd happily sign your shirt but, uhm, you're a little... ghosty."

   The undead beings didn't seem to care, though. They continued fangirling. Nico gaped, both in disbelief and anger. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Yeah," Nabi muttered, "didn't really think this would be the reaction, either."

Nico huffed. "You're all useless."

He did a motion with his hand, and they all began to sink into the dark holes he had created. Nabi was still stunned from being bombarded with ghost paparazzi, standing there a little bewildered—that was when Nico decided to sprint off.

"Wha— Nico, wait!" Nabi shouted.

What was with people running from her in this gods forsaken Labyrinth? Minos chuckled darkly, his figure disappearing as the mist evened out, and Nabi hurried to catch Nico.

"Please, just take a minute to stop and talk to me!"

They rounded a corner. But this time, it was straight into a dead end. Nabi softly said, "Look, I promise that I won't do anything."

"Yeah right," Nico frowned, his eyes flashing with that same melancholic twinge, "I know all about promises."

A passageway opened up—a flight of stairs that descended down. Nico scrambled to leave, almost tripping over his own feet in such haste, and Nabi was tempted to go after him. But the hurt on his face showed he wouldn't listen to her, no matter what, and she let him leave without any more protests. She was too tired to argue now, and way too tired to run.

Welp. So, Nabi was stuck in the maze alone again, after exhausting herself by chasing after two people and defeating a monster. She wouldn't be dripping with such fatigue if she hadn't been walking for probably hours, or if she wasn't starving. Just a casual demigod day... great.

She slumped up against a wall and sighed. Her thoughts about what Nico had told her were launched to the front of her mind. If the day he left camp was two whole weeks after she had fallen into the maze, somehow, then time must've worked differently in here.

Her head throbbed. If that was true, then her spaghetti must be really cold. Clarisse and the camp were most likely clueless about her whereabouts, too. Nothing about the whole ordeal screamed fun.

Just then, the wall she had been leaning against shifted, and her head hit the floor with a light thud. She hissed out a small curse, getting up slowly.

The room that had revealed itself was completely unexpected.

It was covered with pretty flowers of all kinds of eccentric colours, and the grass a vibrant green, like a miniature version of Hebe's garden. The sight was refreshing, compared to the dull and dreary corridors she had just been in. Except, in the centre was a fancy, marble gazebo, and sitting on a chair inside of it was...

"Clarisse?" Nabi murmured.

She really thought it was the Ares girl for a second, but immediately, she recognised the difference. This woman was way too elegant, dainty even, and she didn't look at Nabi the same way. Clarisse was rough, that usual scowl on her face and regular demeanour was missing. Whoever this lookalike was, it wasn't her.

"Come sit, Nabi," The woman said gleefully, and her smile practically shone, "WE HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS. I AM APHRODITE."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗔'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦!

જ⁀➴ hihi we're back w another chapter yippee !! i didn't post one last week bcoz i was on holiday, but here's one now 😛 currently sick tho, rest in peace rika smh ...

the abandoned tea set is a js a small reference / easter egg to my friend [ lesbology ] jaz's own pjo fic , elegy of madness ... but it won't make sense until she reaches her own labyrinth act so uhh 🫡 IT'S OKAY guys when it's out it will trust

   i've decided that either half way thru the labyrinth act or after it, i'm gna edit the chapters—there's some stuff i wanna add + js clean them up a bit. they won't get taken down or anything & i won't republish them, but i js wanted to say in case 🤷‍♀️ silly silly tehe ,, also super sorry but chapters might slow down a lil bcoz i've got a part time job now #rikainherworkera but i'll still try my best for u guys !!

   that's rlly all for now so thank u sm for reading this chapter ,, i love u all & i'll see u lovelies in the next one 🦭 bye bye !!