DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN PJatO OR HoO! ANY CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE/PLOTS YOU RECOGNIZE BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN. I AM A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL PLAYING WITH FANFICTION.

A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, guys! I have decided to continue this story! *cheering in the distance* Sorry for a late update. This story will be updated randomly, with long intervals between chapters, because, well, school :P

Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

For the second time that day (or night, depending on how you look at it), Leo was running for his life.

He was already tired. Before his nighttime escape, he had only gotten an hour and a half of sleep. He entered the sewers at around 10:30 PM, and had been wide awake and partaking in strenuous activity for at least four hours since then.

"This way!" the redhead yelled.

"Why should we follow you?" The blonde demanded. "You led us straight into that death trap!"

"It was the way you needed to go, and so is this. Come one!"

Leo was already falling behind the group. He had no idea how Percy, who had just wrestled with a giant, was keeping pace at the front of the pack.

"Wait... for... me..." Leo wheezed.

The blonde rolled her eyes and roughly grabbed his arm. She dragged him through the maze.

Leo had no idea which direction they were going, or why the redhead seemed to have the layout memorized in her head. She dodged obstacles and didn't even seem to hesitate when there was a fork in the road.

At one point, Leo would've had his head chopped off by the huge, swinging axe; but the blonde yanked him down.

Leo was grateful. He would've hated to lose his gorgeous face.

Finally, they reached a large room, about the size of a gymnasium. The roof was supported by marble columns. The group stopped to rest.

Leo was panting and breathing hard. A sudden thought occurred to him: the car-sized dog was gone.

"You... dog... sword..." Leo managed to choke out. "What the heck is going on? Who are you people?"

"Half-bloods," Percy said smoothly, as if he hadn't run a marathon.

The blonde girl glared at Leo. Leo was instantly fearful. Her gaze was as scary as any monster.

"Why were you over there? Trying to join up with the wrong side?" She demanded.

"Calm down, Annabeth," Percy said. "He was kidnapped. He doesn't know about all this. I'll explain."

Percy turned to Leo. "News flash buddy: the Greek gods are real."

Leo waited for him to start laughing, or for one of the girls to giggle, but all of them were totally poker-faced.

Leo bit back a sarcastic remark. This was ridiculous. He was probably having a crazy dream. These people are lunatics.

No, a different part said inside. It's real.

Once again, Leo had that strange sense of déjà vu. A scene flashed through his mind.

He was on a bridge, made of glass. Leo looked around. Down below, a river cut through a deep canyon.

Next to him were two people - a tall guy that reminded him of a blond Superman, and a tanned girl with choppy hair.

"He called us... what, demigods?" The girl said.

"Don't know what demi means, but I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"

"Dude, you feeling alright? You spaced out for a second."

Leo blinked. If he didn't know any better, he would've said that was a memory. But he was certain he'd never met those people in his life.

"I'm... fine. So, Greek gods are real and alive. I'm half-god. Why am I in this maze? What is it in myth? The Labyrinth?"

The blonde girl studied him. "You're taking this awfully well."

"Makes more sense than the rest of my life," Leo joked. Then he turned to the redhead. "You a demigod too?"

She grinned. "Nope, 100% mortal." She held out her hand to shake. "Rachel Dare."

"Leo Valdez," he said, shaking her hand.

"Look, this meet-and-greet is touching, but we should probably start setting up camp for the night. Leo, you can stick with us. Afterwards we can take you to Camp Half-Blood - it's a safe place for people like us., Percy said.

Camp Half-Blood. The name made Leo feel happy, though he didn't know why.

Leo awkwardly sat on the floor as he watched Percy and Annabeth struggle with lighting the fire.

Percy struck a steel stick against a chunk of flint. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"You're doing it wrong, Seaweed Brain." She grabbed the pieces and used them correctly. A couple of sparks flew out, but didn't catch.

"Let me try," Leo said.

Without waiting for their reply, he took the firestarting kit. He was slightly tempted to use his fire-power, but the thought made him nervous.

Leo struck the flint against the steel and got the fire to start in less than thirty seconds.

The other three were staring at him in astonishment.

"Fire's my... specialty," he said in monotone. G'night."

He rolled over and faced away from the group.

As he was falling asleep, he heard the other three talking. He thought he heard an argument, but by then he was already asleep.

"Wake up!" Someone was shaking him by the shoulders.

"Whaa...?" Leo blinked a few times and propped himself up. Three blurry figures appeared in front of him.

"Earthquake!"

Leo was suddenly wide awake. He patted his sweater pocket - he had his compass and the flashlight with him. Then he got to his feet and ran after his friends.

When they were a few feet away from the far tunnel, the marble columns began to buckle. They barely made it out when the room collapsed behind them. A cloud of white dust surrounded the group, and Leo nearly tripped when he coughed.

"You know what?" Annabeth said. "I like this way after all."

Leo wanted to tell her to shut up, but he was still coughing from the dust cloud.

At some point, the stone corridors turned into stainless steel hallways,the kind in space ships in the movies. The floor was a metal grate, as if they were on a submarine or a boat, and the place was lit with fluorescent lighting. After being in the dark so long, Leo had to blink several times before being able to see normally.

"This way," Rachel said. Her eyes flashed excitedly. "We're close!"

Annabeth, who seemed inclined to disagree with everything Rachel said or did, disagreed. "His workshop should be in the oldest part of the maze! This can't -"

Annabeth faltered. In front of her was a set of metal double doors. Engraved in the steel was a large blue triangle.

"What exactly does the triangle mean?" Leo asked. "I've seen it before, when I entered the maze place."

"It's the Mark of Daedalus," Annabeth breathed out. "A Greek letter - Delta."

Percy seemed hesitant, as if he were recalling something unpleasant about this particular area.

"Daedalus's workshop," Rachel announced. "Let's go."

Annabeth gently pressed on the blue mark, and the doors slid open.

Percy snickered. "So much for ancient architecture."

Annabeth scowled, but walked through the door.

There was no other word to describe it but genius. The first thing Leo noticed was the chair - a bronze chair with a bunch of wires coming out of it. Next to it was a large metal 'egg', with various Greek symbols and a few dials decorating the outside. Farther back was a beautiful glass grandfather clock, with all the gears visible. And even better, blueprints and half-finished inventions littered the tables all around the workshop.

Leo was in heaven.

He ignored the conversation the other three had going and rushed towards the chair. He studied the wire arrangement and admired the craftsmanship. Something caught his notice.

Leo fingered a wire - it was the only wire that had a plug on one end. He circled the chair and found a panel on the back. Carefully, he lifted out the panel and studied the inside.

There was a generator, which confused Leo. Why would the chair need to generate power?

Unless... he thought. Leo glanced at the plug. It's a charger. It's charging something.

In Leo's mind, the only logical thing the chair would charge was a human-shaped automaton.

Leo was immediately on guard. What if that Daedalus guy had an automaton army? What if he didn't want them messing with his stuff?

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see Percy looking out the window.

"Where are we?" Percy muttered.

"Colorado Springs," a new voice answered. "The Garden of the Gods."

Leo whipped his head around so fast some of his hair got into his mouth.

At the top of the stairs behind him was an older man, with short gray hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing the same style shirt that Percy and Annabeth had, although his wasn't as dirty.

Judging by the way Annabeth and Percy were glaring at the guy, he had already met them. Leo absently noted the dark gray eyes and instead focused his attention on the man's arm. There was something off about him... Something not quite human...

"You!" Annabeth hissed. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

The man's expression looked somewhere between amusement and bitterness. "Trust me, you don't want to meet him."

"Look Mr. Traitor," Annabeth growled. "I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three-bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx to see you! Now, where is DAEDALUS?"

The man let out a quiet chuckle and descended the stairs. He paused at the bottom and studied their faces.

When his eyes landed on Leo, he seemed confused, but he was still wearing that annoying smile.

"You think I'm an agent of Kronos," He said, finally. "That I work for Luke."

"Well, duh."

The man's amused smile turned sad, almost wistful. "You're an intelligent girl... But you're wrong. I work only for myself."

"Luke mentioned you," Percy spoke up. "Geryon knew about you, too. You've been to his ranch."

"Of course. I've been almost everywhere. Even here." The man breezed past the group and stared out the window.

Leo had no idea what they were talking about, but he knew something was off with the guy.

"The view changes from day to day," the man mused. "It's always someplace high up. Yesterday it was a skyscraper, overlooking Manhattan. The day before that - a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. But it keeps coming back to the Garden of the Gods. I think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose." He sighed.

"You've been here before," Percy said,

"Oh, yes."

"That's an illusion out there? A projection or something?" Percy asked.

"No," Rachel said quietly. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."

That made absolutely no sense to Leo. As far as he knew, there was absolutely no way to walk (or run, he supposed) from Texas to Colorado in a day. But here he was.

"You have clear vision, don't you?" said the man. "You remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."

The man looked lost in memories. Leo was confused. The man definitely did not look old enough to be around in the days of princesses and kings. Unless it was a metaphor? Or unless he was talking about the English royalty, but...

Leo's eyes flitted to an ancient-looking scroll. Blueprints, for an automaton. Leo did not know how to read Greek, but somehow his mind translated one Greek word on the scroll: magic.

Something clicked in Leo's head.

"Enough games," Percy said. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

"My boy, you need lessons from your friends on seeing clearly. I am Daedalus."

Leo's mouth opened of its own accord. "You can't be Daedalus because you're an automaton!"

His three new friends stared at him as if he were crazy.

He wildly gestured to the chair. "It's so obvious! This chair - it's for powering a human-shaped automaton. There are blueprints on making those on the tables. And... There's something off about him. Can't you guys feel it? The robotics?"

Leo looked back at the man claiming to be Daedalus. It felt so obvious to him. If he concentrated hard enough, he could practically see the wires underneath his skin.

The man tilted his head. "A son of Hephaestus. Good eyes, child."

"Son of what?"

Percy was staring at the automaton, with a horrified look on his face. "I had a dream... You... You made a new body!"

"Percy," Annabeth said. "That's not possible! That - that can't be an automaton!"

The man chuckled. "Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"

"The fifth, in Latin. But -"

"This is my fifth body."

Leo watched, amazed as the man pressed on his elbow and a hatch on his wrist popped open. Gears whirred. Wires glowed. He whistled. "Nice workmanship."

"That's amazing!" Rachel said.

"That's weird," Percy muttered, staring at the arm uneasily.

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Annabeth said. "That's... not normal."

"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me. I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." Daedalus scowled and tugged on his collar. On his neck was a dark burn mark in the shape of a bird.

"A murderer's brand," Annabeth breathed out.

At the word murderer, Leo took a step away from Daedalus.

"For your nephew, Perdix," Percy said. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Daedalus clenched his fists. "I did not push him. I simply -"

"Made him lose his balance. Let him die."

Daedalus stared out the window, not meeting any of their eyes. "I... I regret what I did, Percy. I was angry, and bitter... But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird - a partridge. She branded the bird's shape onto my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin."

Rachel closed her eyes, as if she was imagining the story.

"You really are Daedalus," Percy said quietly. "But - why did you come to the camp? Why spy on us?"

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

"So you have talked to Luke."

"Oh yes, several times. He is quite persuasive."

Leo remembered the guy with the scar from the arena. He didn't see how he could be persuasive (he was rather bloodthirsty), but...

"Now you've seen the camp!" Annabeth said excitedly. "You know we need your help. You can't let Luke through the maze!"

Daedalus looked bitter. "The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

"Privacy from what?" Rachel asked.

"The gods. And death. I have been alive for two millennia, hiding from death."

"How can you hide from Hades? I mean, Hades has the Furies!" Percy pressed.

"They don't know everything," Daedalus said. "Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"You mean Minos."

"The dude who turned stuff into gold?" Leo asked.

"Dude who had a half-bull for a son," Annabeth supplied.

Wrong, Leo thought. He had always thought Greek mythology was interesting, but had other important things to worry about then. Obviously he needed to refresh his memory.

Daedalus nodded, lost in memories. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better that for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

"You did," Annabeth breathed out, her eyes slightly glassy. "For two thousand years."

Leo let out a low whistle. "With an automaton body. Nice work."

Rachel and Percy seemed less impressed.

Suddenly, a loud bark echoed from the corridor. Leo turned around, expecting a monster, but the big black dog that saved them earlier bounded into the workshop.

"There is my old friend!" Daedalus said, scratching it behind the ears. "My only companion all these long, lonely years."

"You let her save me," Percy said thankfully. "That whistle actually worked."

Daedalus nodded. "Of course it did, Percy. You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs. O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. Perhaps I - I felt guilty, as well."

Leo felt a sinking in his stomach.

"Guilty about what?" Percy demanded.

"That your quest would be in vain."

"What?" Annabeth shrieked. "But... you can still help us! You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it!"

Daedalus did not meet her eyes. "The string... I - I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. Not as well as your mortal friends here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough."

"Where is the string?" Annabeth said forcefully.

"With Luke," Daedalus said sadly. "I'm sorry, my dear. But you are several hours too late."

Leo glanced at his new friends' faces. They were shocked, afraid. The worst part was the defeat in their eyes. They couldn't save their home - the camp.

Leo suddenly got angry. He turned on Daedalus.

"Why would you give them the string? They make freaking kids fight to the death! They use monsters and... and giants and they're evil! Why would you side with them?"

"Kronos promised me freedom!" Daedalus protested weakly. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with Perdix. I will cast Minos's soul into Tartarus, and never be bothered again!"

"That's your brilliant idea?" Annabeth yelled. "You're going to let Luke destroy out camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed, my dear. The offer was too sweet to refuse. I'm sorry."

Annabeth yelled as she shoved an easel over. Blueprints scattered over the floor. Her eyes watered.

"I... I used to respect you. You were my hero. You -" her voice cracked. "You built amazing things, solved problems! Now... I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should've died two thousand years ago."

There was a pause. The only sound was Annabeth's sniffling as she tried to keep from crying.

"You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string -"

"Someone's coming!" Rachel warned, looking in the direction of the corridor. Mrs. O'Leary crouched down defensively.

The doors of the workshop slid open, and a tired looking boy with dark hair was shoved into the room. His hands were in chains, and he looked no older than Leo.

Behind, a stereotypical cheerleader and two monster Leo saw earlier marched in, followed by a ghostly looking man.

The ghost fixed his gaze on Daedalus. He smiled a cold smile. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus clenched his jaw. He looked at the cheerleader. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sends his compliments," she replied with a grin. Leo backed up when he saw her razor sharp teeth. "He thought you might like to see your old employer, Minos."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus hissed.

"No indeed," the cheerleader said in a bored tone. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have, ah, other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." She ran a finger under the boy's chin. "He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Get used to it."

"Nico," Percy interjected. "Are you okay?"

The boy nodded. "I-I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."

"You were trying to help us?"

"I was tricked! He tricked all of us."

Percy shot a glare at the cheerleader. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

The cheerleader smiled. "He's... busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry, we have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!"

Leo watched, horrified, as her hands morphed into claws. Her legs shifted - one into bronze, and the other a... donkey leg?

Rachel whispered something Leo couldn't hear, and Percy nodded.

Then he and Annabeth charged at the former-cheerleader.

The giants with them stepped forward to grab Daedalus, but the dog - Mrs. O'Leary - jumped to defend her master. The boy, Nico, was shoved to the side as the ghost cheered for the giants fighting Mrs. O'Leary.

Leo decided to be helpful. He picked up some metal bits off the easel next to him and ran over to Nico.

"Hold still," he instructed. Then he shoved the metal into the lock and began to pick it.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

The lock clicked open, and the shackles fell to the ground. "Leo Valdez, lock-picker extraordinaire -"

Leo was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. He looked to his right and saw a broken pot on the ground, surrounded by green flames.

"Greek fire," Nico hissed. "Not good."

"To me!" Minos cried. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his hands and the air suddenly grew agitated.

"No!" Nico yelled. He stumbled to his feet.

"You do not control me, fool! All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes, but not for your sister. It is I who will rise, as soon as I slay the inventor!"

Other ghostly figures shimmered into the air around Minos.

"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Be gone!"

"You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No," Nico said, pulling out a sword made of a strange, black metal. "I am."

He stabbed the sword into the ground as if it were a toothpick going through butter.

"Never!" Minos's form began to ripple. "I will not -"

Leo was knocked off his feet as the ground rumbled and the windows burst. A blast of fresh air blew into the workshop, and Minos and the ghosts disappeared into a large crack that appeared in the ground.

That is extremely creepy, Leo thought as Nico shakily stood up.

The sound of clattering drew Leo's attention. He froze.

Percy was on the ground, defenseless. Judging from his position, he had just hit his head on the table behind him. The former-cheerleader hissed in delight.

No! Leo thought.

Suddenly, Annabeth yelled and stabbed her in the back with a bronze knife. The monster disintegrated.

Leo registered the sound of pounding in the tunnels - more monsters were on the way.

"We have to help Daedalus!" Percy insisted.

"No time," Rachel called back. Leo blinked. She had metal wings attached to her back, and was helping Nico with another pair of them.

In a few seconds, the five of them had metal wings.

"Daedalus!" Percy yelled. "Come on!"

Leo glanced at the inventor. He was cut everywhere - but instead of blood, golden oil leaked out.

"I won't leave Mrs. O'Leary! Go!"

Leo turned and looked out the window.

They were really high up.

"None of us know how to fly!" Nico argued.

"Great time to find out," Percy said.

And together, the five demigods leaped out the window.

A/N: Sorry for so many book-quotes. The book quoting will likely continue until I reach the end of BotL. At that time, I shall start a story about Leo at Camp. I think it would be fun - his first impression of Camp Half-Blood being rather serious, because everyone is worried about the war.

I'm going to try and do some character development to Leo, and the minor characters of PJatO. That is, of course, about six or seven chapters away. In the meantime, read a revised version of BotL!

I hope I can give Leo a greater role in the next few chapters!

Suggestions? Comments? Please review!

-Lazuli Quetzal