ch 14 a nico Diary and the red key

As the group entered the dimly lit hotel, a sense of urgency tugged at Cordelia's mind. Something was off. The luxurious surroundings of the Lotus Hotel shimmered, but the eerie calm didn't feel right. They had a mission, and distractions weren't an option.

"I think we should look around," Annabeth suggested cautiously. "There has to be a clue here. This place feels like it's hiding something."

Luke and Grover agreed, and they fanned out across the room. Cordelia, meanwhile, felt a strange pull toward a small, dusty table in the corner. A glint of something red caught her eye—a book lying partially open, its edges worn and stained.

As she approached the table, she realized it was a diary. The name inscribed on the cover sent a jolt through her: Nico di Angelo. Her heart raced as she carefully picked it up and began reading the last entry.

Nico's Diary:

"It's been days, maybe weeks since my sister and I were kidnapped from our home. We were taken by monsters, dragged through shadows, and I'm not sure where we are now. I've tried to keep her safe, but the creatures guarding us are relentless. They want our blood… Hades' blood. They need it to open the gates of Tartarus. I can hear them talking, whispering about how our blood is the key. I've managed to slow them down by hiding one of the keys—a red key made from our blood—but I don't know how much longer I can hold them off.

Whoever finds this… please, destroy the key. Or take it to my father, Hades. He'll know what to do. But don't let it fall into the wrong hands. If the key turns black, that means I've failed… that I'm already gone. I'm sorry. Tell my parents I love them. And find my sister. We got separated a while back, and I don't know where she is.

If the key is still bright red, there's hope. I'm alive and waiting for help. If not… well, I'm sorry."

Cordelia's breath caught in her throat as she finished reading. With trembling hands, she flipped through the remaining pages, but there was nothing more. Just a heart-wrenching silence.

Then, as she lifted the diary, something fell out of its pocket. A bright red key, slightly worn at the edges, but unmistakably vibrant. However, the edges were slowly darkening—turning a foreboding shade of black.

"Guys," she called, her voice shaking. "I found something."

Luke, Annabeth, and Grover hurried over, and their eyes widened at the sight of the key. "It's made from Nico and his sister's blood," Cordelia explained. "It's one of the keys to open the doors of Tartarus. He's managed to hold them off so far, but we don't have much time."

Annabeth's face paled as she took the diary from Cordelia. "If this key turns completely black, Nico's already gone."

"We need to destroy it or take it to Hades," Luke said firmly, his expression grim. "He'll know what to do."

"But we don't know where Nico is, or if he's still alive," Grover added, his worry evident.

Cordelia's gaze lingered on the key. "We need to hurry. This is bigger than we thought."

As they exited the hotel and sent the latest information back to Olympus, the tension in the air grew palpable. It wasn't long before a message from Olympus returned, but the news wasn't comforting.

Hades had been informed, and he was furious—blaming himself for not foreseeing the consequences of using his blood to seal the doors to Tartarus. His children, it seemed, had become the next targets of the monsters seeking to break open the underworld.

"I should have known," Hades's voice boomed through the Iris message, filled with regret and anger. "I used my blood to seal the doors, never thinking that my children would be hunted because of it."

Persephone, standing beside him, looked distraught. Tears filled her eyes as she clutched a hand to her chest. "My babies," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Please, find them."

Hades' rage simmered beneath the surface. "Do whatever it takes. Bring them back, and stop whoever is behind this."

Back on the quest, the weight of their mission pressed even heavier on Cordelia, Annabeth, Luke, and Grover. The red key in Cordelia's hand was a ticking time bomb, and they knew the clock was running out. Every moment they delayed could mean Nico's life—or his death.

With renewed determination, they set off again, heading toward their next destination with a sense of urgency. They had no time to waste, and with each step, the stakes seemed to rise higher.