The air deep beneath the earth felt wrong.
It wasn’t just the suffocating heat or the endless maze of twisting stone corridors that made the Labyrinth so unsettling. It was the whispers. Every tunnel seemed to breathe, carrying distant voices that sounded almost familiar before dissolving into silence. Every shadow shifted when no one was looking. Every step felt like the maze itself was guiding its travelers toward something they couldn’t escape.
Nico di Angelo walked alone through the darkness.
At thirteen years old, he was exhausted. Dust clung to his black jacket, his dark hair hung messily over tired eyes, and every muscle in his body begged him to stop. But he couldn’t stop now. Not when he was so close.
Minos had promised him.
The ghostly king floated ahead, his golden crown glimmering faintly in the darkness as his transparent robes drifted without wind. His voice was calm, patient—almost kind.
“You’ve come farther than any son of Hades before you,” Minos said. “Your power grows stronger every day.”
Nico lowered his gaze.
“I don’t care about power.”
“No,” Minos agreed smoothly. “You care about your sister.”
Bianca.
The name alone made Nico’s chest tighten.
Ever since she’d died, every day had felt heavier than the last. Everyone kept telling him to move on. To accept it. To let her rest.
But Minos hadn’t.
Minos had given him hope.
He’d told Nico there was another way.
One final ritual.
One final bargain.
If Nico proved himself worthy… if he accepted the King’s terms… Bianca could return.
The cost had never been fully explained.
Whenever Nico asked, Minos simply smiled.
“Some sacrifices are necessary for miracles.”
They entered a massive circular chamber carved into black stone. Ancient symbols glowed across the floor, surrounding a cracked obsidian altar. Cold blue fire burned in braziers despite the sweltering heat, and dozens of restless spirits lined the walls, watching in complete silence.
Minos turned to face him.
“It is time.”
Nico hesitated.
Something about the room made every instinct scream at him to run.
“The bargain is simple,” Minos continued, extending one ghostly hand. “Swear yourself to me. Become my champion forever, and no force—not Olympus, not Hades himself—shall take you away. In return… your sister will walk among the living once more.”
Forever.
The word echoed through the chamber.
Nico’s heart pounded.
He wouldn’t be able to leave.
He wouldn’t see Camp Half-Blood again.
He wouldn’t see…
Percy.
Annabeth.
Anyone.
His hand slowly reached toward Minos anyway.
If it meant Bianca…
“I accept—”
“NICO!”
The shout exploded through the chamber.
A blur of orange Camp Half-Blood shirt and bronze flashed from the tunnel entrance.
Percy Jackson slammed between Nico and Minos, grabbing the younger boy by the wrist and yanking him backward just as their hands were about to touch.
“Don’t!” Percy shouted, pulling Nico behind him. “He’s lying!”
Annabeth raced in beside Percy, bronze knife already drawn, her gray eyes locked on the ghostly king.