CHAPTER XXIV:Losing Theseus In The Labyrinth.

Adam sat on the ground softly playing music. It was the only thing that lifted the depressing mood of the abandoned cemetery.

I sat on the ground with Olivia and Penny, while Seth and Mino talked away. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I could assume Seth was telling him to keep six spear lengths away from our group in the Underworld. Not to be mean, but if we got to close to Mino Thanatos wouldn't hesitate to kill some demigods to start their war. Especially if that said demigod was a son of Zeus trespassing in what Thanatos thought was his realm.

I looked at Olivia who was manipulating any water in her water bottle out of boredom. She moved it as quietly as she could and whistled along with Adam's music.

As for Penny, she sat next to me reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the fifth time this month. Harry Potter was her favorite book series, and Chamber of Secrets was her second favorite book in that series (her first is Order of the Phoenix). I only watched the movies last year with my brother Seth who wouldn't stop bothering me about it until I did. Even then I didn't quite understand why everyone liked it so much, especially demigods, we deal with enough hocus pocus bullshit in our lives that we didn't need movies to live it out.

I calmly meditated, which was the worse thing I could do, and entered my trance state. The Oracle was there, petting a snake as more surrounded her in the open field.

"Did you know that snakes like Oracles?" She asked calmly, and suddenly, still petting her snake.

The snake she had was different from the rest. While the other snakes were black with black doll eyes, hers was a pure snow white snake with blazing green eyes.

"Yes, they always follow you, and you seem to have your own." I said nodding as the snakes surrounded me as well circling us in the same field I was in when I had first met the Oracle.

I stood up, and one of the snakes slithered up my leg to meet me at my shoulder. The snake stared in my eyes slightly tilting it's head. I felt an immediate bond to it, like the one I shared with my twin brother. I knew this snake my whole life, but I had just met it. It had beautiful midnight black scales with a shiny white lining, and it's eyes were pure white like two pearls in it's skull.

I reached my hand out to pet the snake, and suddenly felt on edge. Like something was going to attack me, or death was looming over my shoulder. As I moved my hand the dread worsened, until I finally put my hand on the snake. I suddenly felt at ease as I moved my hand along the nice smooth scales.

"Do you understand what that is?" The Oracle asked.

I nodded as the snake slithered off of me, and into the group of snakes surrounding us.

"The snake resembles me, black is the color of Hades, but white is my color." I said.

"Good, you'll see that snake often in the real world as well. It follows you between the line of your dreams and the living world. It's also connected to your soul, whatever it feels you feel as well. The perfect familiar for an Oracle of your caliber, Mary." The Oracle said back.

She walked up to me, smiling sweetly, "It's time to wake up Mary." She said softly as I opened my eyes.

Everyone was walking towards the brand new hole in the ground that Adam had charmed open.

"All right!" Seth called out "Rule number one, stay close to your partner. Rule number two, wait for all of us to get through the path before proceeding forward. Rule number three. DON'T. LOOK. BACK. If you do you'll be detoured to Tartarus, That's definitely bad for most of us." Seth stared at Mino since it'd be the worse for him.

All of us nodded in agreement to the rules, and broke into groups. I was going with Penny, Seth was with Adam, and Olivia had Mino. I took the first trip down the path.

I stepped into the dark hole, onto an old staircase, and looked straight ahead, Penny following close behind. The steps were all broken, and withered away by time. An eerie light shined through the tunnel bouncing off anything shiny left in the tunnel.

"Mary? We can look back when we get to the river, right?" Penny asked. I

couldn't tell if it was fear or curiosity lining the edge of her voice, but I answered anyway.

"Yeah Owl Eyes, you should be safe. Just make sure we're not on the steps anymore." I said reassuringly.

We continued our descent until we got to the River Styx. I looked around, and I saw a few guards beside a broken up boat.

Me and Penny sat by the river until the rest of the group showed up. Seth and Adam came through the path without incident. The same couldn't be said about Olivia and Mino. Olivia made it through, but Mino was lost to the path.

"I swear he was just there then he wasn't!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Hey hey hey. It's okay. If anyone can make it out of Tartarus it's Mino." Seth said unsure of his statement.

Tartarus was the worse place to end up as a kid of the original six gods. I hoped that Seth was right cause I didn't want to be the one to explain to Zeus where Mino went.

We continued on without him, and went to the guards. Who, may I mention, looked none to thrilled to see us.