AN: Hey guys! So first of all, I want to say a HUGE thank you for all of the positive feedback I've gotten on just the first chapter of this new book. I'm glad you guys like it so much! There's definitely more good stuff to come! First thing's first, though, it's time to respond to reviews.

WiseGirlGeek: "This seems a bit like a recreation of the Battle of The Labyrinth... But it's the third book... So, ugh, I just needed to say that."
A: Don't worry, there will definitely be some important differences between Battle of the Labyrinth and this book. But there will also definitely be some similarities, too. This is intentional on my part. One of the themes throughout the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series is the cyclical nature of the Greco-Roman myths. Stuff that happened to heroes millenia ago happens again to Percy and the gang. I'm continuing on with this trend in my own series, and you can find parallels between PJO, HOO, and Elizabeth Jackson in the previous books too. But don't you worry, there will be plenty of things to distinguish this book from Battle of the Labyrinth.

WiseGirlGeek: "So, are the other Roman Legacies going to make an appearance? Because that would be cool. And Are Frank & Hazels kids going to be a part in the series at all, or are they just there for being... Well their?"
A: I'm not 100% certain what you mean in the first part of your question. But I'll do my best to answer it. You will definitely meet/get to know more Romans and see more from the legacies that ended up going to Camp Jupiter. For instance, Matt and Sierra will both reappear in this book (Matt's on the cover, so you can expect him to have a pretty important role in this book). You'll also meet Reyna's daughter in this book. And yes, Frank and Hazel's kids will be in this series. You'll meet the older of the two in this book and the younger of the two in the next book.

AnamariaJovel: "It just occurred to me now, and this really has nothing to do with the stories but, how old are the original crew now? You may have mentioned this before but I just thought like, how old are Nico and the others?"
A: There's a short answer and a long answer to this. I'll give you the short answer, but if you'd like the longer answer let me know and I'll be happy to provide! So at the start of this book Percy: 42 (turns 43 in August), Annabeth: 42 (turns 43 in July), Jason: 41 (turns 42 in July), Piper: 42, Leo: 42, Calypso: 3000+, Frank: 42 (just barely), Hazel: 38 (turns 39 in December), Reyna 42, Nico 40.

AnamariaJovel: "Also, are we ever going to hear from Frazel in this series? Again really it has nothing to do with Elizabeth or her story, but I'm a bit curious as to where they've been, (with the addition of Caleo) thanks!"
A: Yes, you will see Frazel and Caleo in this series. In fact, you'll see every major PJO/HOO character at some point in this series (unless they're dead, e.g. Octavian), even if it's just a minor appearance. Frank and Hazel live out in California. That combined with the fact the Elizabeth is at Camp Half-Blood or on a quest for Camp Half-Blood for the majority of the two previous books is why you haven't seen them yet. Same thing applies to Leo and Calypso, who are based in Texas. I definitely have thought out what happens to every major character between the end of Blood of Olympus and the Elizabeth Jackson series and what role they'll have to play in this series. Maybe sometime I'll write up a couple of paragraphs about each major character and give a general account of what happens with them between BOO and the Stolen Goddess and post it.

Okay, that'll sum up my review responses. Keep the questions coming and I'll do my best to answer them next time! Enjoy the chapter! DFTBA!


Chapter 2: Nico Offers Me a Job

I tromped upstairs to my bathroom and examined the wound on the side of my face. It wasn't actually that bad, it had just bled a lot. I washed off the blood as best I could in the sink, then I pulled the first aid kit out from under it. I had never been great at first aid. I usually left that to kids of Apollo. But I knew enough basics to patch up the cut on my temple. I liberally applied the antiseptic, wincing slightly. Then I bandaged it awkwardly with a small piece of gauze and some medical tape. I looked at my reflection, examining my handiwork. Sloppy, but good enough.

Next it was time to do something about my hair, which looked like someone had tried to twirl it around a fork like spaghetti, then spat it out after realizing that spaghetti was not supposed to be black. I ran a brush through my hair to tug out the knots, then threw it into a ponytail.

Finally, it was time to do something about my dirty clothes. I went across the hall into my room. A half packed suitcase sat at the foot of my bed, full of black and grey items. The only color in the bag came from the orange camp t-shirts. I discarded my dirty clothes into the laundry hamper in the corner, then pulled a black tank top and grey jeans out of my bag. Next I went over to my closet and pulled out my spare leather jacket and a matching extra glove, still mourning the loss of my favorite one.

I turned and glanced at the full length mirror on the back of my door. "Good enough," I muttered.

I turned and left my room. I hesitated slightly before heading back downstairs, then turned towards Matt's bedroom. I pushed the door open and looked around the unoccupied space. Everything was much neater than it had ever been when Matt was actually living in the room. Seriously, my brother had been messier than Groucho from Sesame Street, and Groucho had lived in a garbage can. Now though, his room was neat and orderly. The books on the bookshelves were straightened. Nothing littered the floor or the bedside table. The bed was perfectly made.

I sighed. I really missed my brother. Last summer he'd started going to Camp Jupiter, so I'd hardly gotten to see him. Unlike Camp Half-Blood, where you could choose whether or not to be a year-rounder, being a member of the Twelfth Legion was a full time gig. As a result, after the summer ended and I'd come home, Matt had stayed at Camp Jupiter. He didn't get much time off. The last time I'd seen my little brother had been back at Christmas. He hadn't even been able to come home for my fifteenth birthday in April.

Matt and I had been really close. We were only a year apart, and had gotten along remarkably well. But now, living across the country from each other, it was hard to maintain the same closeness we'd enjoyed when both of us were living at home. Sure, we texted pretty frequently, but that wasn't nearly the same as being in person.

Still, with any luck, I'd see him in a couple of weeks. Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter made it a point to visit each other, especially for important events. And pretty soon, Camp Jupiter would be celebrating the Feast of Fortuna. The last couple of years, I hadn't gone on the Camp Half-Blood trip to the Feast. My first summer, I'd gotten back from a quest only a couple days prior, and my second summer…

At any rate, I was determined to go to the Feast of Fortuna this year. One of Camp Jupiter's Praetors, a daughter of Apollo I'd never met, had retired recently, and on June twenty-fourth – the day of the Feast – they'd be electing a new one. My friend, Sierra Grace, was running for the position. I wanted to be there to see how it went. Hopefully celebrate with her.

But it was hard to know for sure if I'd be able to make it. I'd had pretty rotten luck when it came to going on dangerous quests early in the summer. And this year we were officially at war with Gaius and his demititan army.

Suddenly he spat in my face. I yelped, shutting my eyes reflexively, but not nearly soon enough. Hs saliva got in my eyes, stinging and blinding me. The pressure of his sword against mine was gone. I stumbled forward a half-step, still blind, and raised my sword. Then there was a sickening fwip sound, and a thud as something heavy hit the roof of the car next to my right foot.

I gritted my teeth, gripping the door frame. My chest seized up, constricting like someone was tightening a belt around my lungs. I gasped, trying to force air into the feeble organs. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck. My legs wobbled beneath me. "Not again," I groaned through my gritted teeth. I knew what this was. Just after I'd gotten my first one, my parents had taken me to see Will Solace, a friend of the family, Nico's husband, and a doctor.

"Well it sounds like a panic attack," he'd said after I described it.

"A panic attack?" I'd asked incredulously.

Will had nodded. "Yeah. It's not uncommon for people to develop anxiety disorders or panic attacks after going through a traumatic experience. I'll prescribe you some anti-anxiety medication, but it won't solve the problem. I think the best thing for it is to go see a therapist."

The trouble was, I couldn't exactly explain the source of my anxiety problems to a mortal therapist. It was hard to explain to someone that my panic attacks happened because a guy named Gaius, who happened to be the son of Kronos – you know, the most evil character from Greek mythology – had chopped off most of my right arm. If I tried to tell a mortal therapist that, he'd probably lock me in a padded cell. And as for going to a demigod therapist – well no one seemed to know any demigod therapists.

Some days were better than others. Some days I could think about Gaius for hours, trying to figure out what exactly he was up to. Other days if his name so much as crossed my mind I'd drop into a panic attack instantly. And then there was everything in-between. The trouble was, I couldn't tell the good days from the bad ones until I was already having a panic attack.

I staggered across the hall, trying to reign in my increasingly spiraling emotions, slamming the door to Matt's room shut behind me. I went into my bathroom and, with fumbling fingers, opened the small bottle containing my anti-anxiety meds. I hated taking them. I didn't want to have to rely on the medications. But when I was in the middle of a panic attack, I always regretted not taking them earlier. Granted, the meds didn't always prevent me from getting panic attacks even when I did take them in advance, but they certainly helped me stay in charge of my emotions.

I popped the pills in my mouth and sank to the floor, waiting for them to kick in. Meanwhile, the fight on the highway – where Gaius had chopped my arm off – replayed over and over in my head.

I hated what Gaius had done to me, and I didn't just mean cutting off my arm. He'd turned my own mind against me. Before the fight on the highway, my mind had been one of my greatest assets. As a granddaughter of Athena, I understood the importance of the mind. But now my mind was a minefield. The slightest misstep could set me off. Ever since the panic attacks started I'd felt weak and vulnerable – like I really needed to feel even weaker than the loss of my arm had made me feel. I wasn't just broken physically anymore. I was broken mentally and emotionally.

I sat alone on the cold bathroom floor, waiting for the panic attack to subside. And it would. They always did. Thankfully, my parents had learned not to bother me while I was having a freak out like this. The first couple of panic attacks I'd gotten, Mom and Dad had rushed to my side, trying to help me in any way they could. But trying to help me only made me feel worse: weak, helpless, and unable to take care of myself. Usually, their "assistance" only made the panic attacks last longer. So after a while they'd learned to leave me be. I was determined that if I was going to handle it, I was going to do it on my own.

Finally the images of Gaius in my head faded. My emotions normalized. I stood up slowly, catching my breath. I looked in the mirror again. My grey eyes looked sunken. My skin was even paler than usual. I still shook in the aftermath of the panic attack. My stomach felt queasy. A brief surge of anger ran through me and I almost punched out the bathroom mirror. It wouldn't be the first time. But the anger drained just as quickly. "You're a mess," I said to my reflection. I filled up the cup by the sink and gulped down some water. I took a few more deep breaths, resolved not to go downstairs until I was one hundred percent.


By the time I made it downstairs, Mom had gotten home from work. I looked quite a bit like her. The only major difference between our appearances was our hair color: Mom's was blonde, but my own was black. She sat at the dining room table with Dad and Nico, the two of which had apparently resumed their argument quietly while I was upstairs.

I strode over to the table and sat down, clearing my throat as I did so. "You wanted to tell me something?" I asked Nico, not willing to beat around the bush or delay the conversation any longer. "You mentioned the Labyrinth?"

Dad opened his mouth, no doubt to object or keep arguing with Nico but Mom cut across him. "Percy, that's enough. Elizabeth at least has the right to hear what Nico has to say. And remember, she's older than we were when we went in." Dad shut his mouth, but his jaw was tense like he was angry.

"You want to send me into the Labyrinth?" I asked.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Nico said. "There's a lot I have to explain first. First things first, what do you know about the Labyrinth, Elizabeth?"

"Well," I said slowly, "the original Labyrinth was in Crete. Or at least, it started in Crete. Daedalus made it for King Minos, who then imprisoned him inside his own maze after Theseus killed the Minotaur."

"And ran off with his daughter," Mom inserted.

"Right," I said. "Anyway, he escaped eventually. After various misadventures, Daedalus returned to the Labyrinth, which had continued to grow out under the skin of the world in his absence. He made himself a new body to extend his lifespan. Because the Labyrinth was tied to his life force, it continued to grow over the centuries. Eventually all three of you ended up there on a quest, right?"

"Close enough," Nico said. "I wasn't really with your Mom and Dad for most of the quest. But we were in there at the same time."

I looked over at Mom and Dad. "You guys never told me a whole lot about it."

"Of course we didn't," Dad said. "The Labyrinth was an awful place. It tricks you, gets into your head. Trust me, I wish I could forget it."

"You've blown it up in your head, made it worse than it was," Nico said. "I thought after Tartarus you'd think the Labyrinth a joke." The room seemed to fill with frigid air, despite the fact that it was June.

"Tartarus being worse than the Labyrinth, doesn't diminish how bad the maze was," Dad said stiffly. "And if you think I'm just going to stand by and let you –"

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain," Mom said sharply. "I don't like this anymore than you, but Nico's right. It's not up to us."

"Um, yeah, hi," I said, thoroughly annoyed. "You know, I'm right here. And talking about me like I'm not is making me want to punch something."

"Elizabeth," Dad said, "I just… Look, I know you. I know that you're going to want to rush into this to prove yourself. Ever since the incident on the highway, you've been reckless. I don't want you to make a decision that's going to end badly for you."

"I can take care of myself!" I snapped. "Why does everyone think I can't? I can. And besides, I can't make the decision if you don't let me hear what it is!"

"Elizabeth," Mom warned. "Watch your tone."

My parents and I all looked at each other in tense silence. Finally, Nico cut in. "I came here to make sure you understood everything, Elizabeth. So that you'd have time to think about things. I don't want you rushing into this decision. I agree that the decision should be yours. But you have to promise that you'll think about it. I don't want you making a decision today. You couldn't start this quest I have in mind today anyway."

"So you do want me to go into the Labyrinth," I said.

"That's getting a bit ahead," Nico said. "We're still talking about what you know."

Dad had apparently decided to protest in silence. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms tightly. "When Daedalus died almost thirty years ago, the Labyrinth collapsed, right?" I said. "But then last year I had that dream I told Chiron about. Where…" I hesitated, steeled my nerves, then continued, "where Gaius said something about investigating the New Labyrinth. I'm guessing Chiron told you about that?"

Nico nodded. "I've been keeping involved. Mostly it's been spy work. I can use the spirits of the dead to spy on Gaius. It's not perfect. I don't hear about everything he's up to. In fact, I hear about very little. But whatever information I get, I pass on to Chiron. Chiron's been giving me leads to follow up on, including that tip off you gave us about the New Labyrinth."

"What is the New Labyrinth?" I asked. "How is that a thing? I wasn't even aware there was a new one until I got that dream." I glanced accusingly at my parents, sure it had been just another thing they'd hidden from me to "protect me."

"It's understandable that your parents didn't mention it," Nico said quickly, cutting off another argument. "They weren't there when it was made. Hell, I wasn't even there when it was made. Only your Aunt Hazel and Uncle Leo were present when the New Labyrinth got made. They've probably told you the story before, and you might not remember it. Think."

When he said that, the memory came to me I a flash. "Pasiphaë," I said. "Minos's wife. She was a powerful sorceress, helped breathe life into the original Labyrinth. She did something to offend the gods, so they cursed her to fall in love with Minos's prized bull, and the child was –"

"The Minotaur," Nico said. "Yes, exactly."

"And she came back during the war with Gaea," I said. "Gaea let Pasiphaë back into the world of the living."

"Right," Nico said. "See, Pasiphaë hates the gods and their descendants. So Gaea offered her a job guarding the mortal side of the Doors of Death. She knew the Seven would have to close it, see. Unfortunately, the group got split up for various reasons. Ultimately, it was just Hazel and Leo who faced her. She raised the New Labyrinth in their fight."

"But they beat her," I said. "Hazel used her magic, turned the Labyrinth against her."

"But the New Labyrinth is just like the old," Mom said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Which means the life force of the maze is tied to its creator. And Hazel and Leo didn't kill Pasiphaë."

"They beat her by opening a trap door in the maze, trapping her inside," Nico said. "The maze continued to grow, and after Pasiphaë recovered from her defeat, she started manipulating the maze around her. It is her Labyrinth now."

"Why hasn't she been taken back to the Underworld?" I asked. "After the war, didn't Thanatos go around, sending all the remaining escaped spirits to the Underworld?"

"It didn't end up being that simple," Dad said bitterly. "It never is."

"Your father is right," Nico said. "For many years after the war ended, hundreds of Underworld escapees continued to roam the land of the living. It was up to us demigods, more often than not, to send them back to Hades. For instance, your Uncle Jason and Aunt Piper had to go kill a bunch of them in England. Personally, I returned many spirits to the Underworld."

"Your father and I had to go find and kill our fair share of Underworld escapees, too," Mom said.

"But Pasiphaë was a different story," Nico continued darkly. "You see, her maze is nearly impossible to navigate through. As a result, Thanatos was never ever able to get down there. The few demigods who've tried going on quests to take her out have always been lucky to make it out alive, if they made it out at al. I lasted all of five minutes down there before I was forced to flee. I think she was particularly aware of me, which makes sense. As a son of Hades, she would've been on high alert for me."

"Many heroes have died on quests down there," Dad said. "Which is why I'm so against this." I could see the storm building in his eyes again, and I opened my mouth, ready to restart the argument, but Mom stopped it before it began.

"Enough," she said sternly. She laid a hand on Dad's arm, and glared pointedly at me.

Nico shifted uncomfortably. I could tell he didn't like being the cause of our family argument, but he was also there for a reason, and he wasn't backing down until he'd come to say what he needed to say. "At any rate," Nico said, "the New Labyrinth is an incredibly dangerous place. It spread out under the skin of the entire world, which is different from the old one, which moved to wherever the center of the West was and thus remained under that country alone."

"So for a couple centuries it was just underneath America," I concluded. "And then it was gone. And then Pasiphaë brought it back. And now it's under the entire world. Sound about right?"

Nico nodded. "You got it Elizabeth. But there's one other thing you need to know about the Labyrinth. What I said about Thanatos being unable to penetrate it? Well unfortunately many Underworld escapees found out about that, too. There are still about a hundred dead people unaccounted for from the war, and it's pretty likely most of them are in the Labyrinth, hiding where Thanatos and Hades can't get to them."

"A hundred?" I asked. "That's… a lot."

Nico frowned. "Yes, it is. I've been trying for the better part of the last two decades to help my father restore order to the Underworld. I've been pretty successful, but those hundred spirits are a blemish on my record."

"Which isn't strictly relevant," Mom pointed out.

"So Gaius is investigating the Labyrinth," I said, my stomach churning slightly. "Has been since at least last year. What does he hope to do down there? He's not… he's not planning to invade camp, is he?"

Nico shook his head. "No, that is not his plan."

"How do you know?" I asked, worried.

"Well for one, it's predictable," Nico said. "It's been done before, and if we know anything about Gaius it's that he's finding new ways to surprise us all the time. For another, there are no Labyrinth entrances in either Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter. Hazel and I did thorough searches of both camps. If anyone could find a Labyrinth entrance, it's your Aunt Hazel."

"So if he doesn't want to invade either camp, what does he want out of the Labyrinth?" I asked.

"Think, Elizabeth," Nico said. "What do we know Gaius has been trying to do?"

I got the feeling he didn't mean "destroy the gods." So what specifics did we know about Gaius's plan? What was he up to? He was after a prophecy, for one. Not the one that said he and I were fated to battle someday (which he apparently knew, despite the fact that no one else seemed to), but another one that was just as important to his big plan. But I didn't think Gaius would find answers about his missing prophecy in the Labyrinth. He may very well have already gotten it already, anyway.

So what else was Gaius up to? "Some kind of magic spell," I said slowly. "Gaius has been trying to cast some kind of powerful magic for the last two years. He stole one of Hecate's spell books. He got rid of Hecate somehow, making sure she was out of the way so he could cast the spell without anyone to counter it. And then there was that whole thing about blood. He was going to use Alex de Marco's blood, but we ended up saving him. He – or rather the people he's working with – is trying to cast some kind of powerful magic."

Nico nodded. "Exactly. And as we've already discussed, Pasiphaë is an incredibly powerful sorceress."

"He wants to convince Pasiphaë to help him," I finally said. "That's why he's been investigating the Labyrinth. That's what he wants." As soon as I said it, I remembered more details of dreams I'd had in the past, but been unable to hang onto. Eliana, one of Gaius's top lieutenants, protesting that the person Gaius was sending into the Labyrinth wasn't smart enough to negotiate. And from even further back, the first dream I'd had about Gaius's council of demititans, a pair of albino twins telling Gaius they needed a third person to help complete their spell. Gaius's plan to get Pasiphaë's help had been in the works for a very long time.

And now I knew what Nico was going to ask me to do. "You want me to take out Pasiphaë," I said. "You can't go down there without her sensing your presence. But me? I'd be an unknown. She wouldn't try any harder than usual to kill me. I'd have a chance to slip through the maze and take her out before Gaius can get to her. I'm in. Where's the nearest Labyrinth entrance?"

"This is exactly what I was talking about!" Dad exclaimed. "I told you she'd just jump on it!"

"Elizabeth," Nico said sternly, ignoring Dad's remark. "I already told you I didn't want you making a decision today. Besides, I haven't told you everything just yet. There's still a couple of important pieces of information you need to know."

I crossed my arms. "Fine. What else do I need to know?"

"First of all, navigating the Labyrinth is no easy task," Nico said. "It's not just any run of the mill maze. It's constantly moving, constantly changing."

"Back in the old Labyrinth," Mom said, picking up the thread, "there were only a couple of reliable ways to navigate. The first was Ariadne's thread, which would lead the holder wherever they needed to go in the maze. It wasn't efficient, but it got the job done. The second was to have a clear-sighted mortal guide. Ariadne herself was one such mortal. Rachel Dare was, too. It's because of her that we were able to find our way through the maze at all. The last way was to be guided by someone who had intimate knowledge of the Labyrinth and how it worked. Daedalus could get through the Labyrinth without assistance. As could the ghost of King Minos."

"Pasiphaë probably could have done it, too," Nico said. "But the rules are a bit different for the New Labyrinth. The entire maze is made of magic. There's no Ariadne's string to guide you through this one, and the only one with truly intimate knowledge of the maze is Pasiphaë, who's holed up in the center of the maze and wouldn't help you navigate it even if she wasn't. A clear-sighted mortal like Rachel, or your current Oracle, Gwendolyn, might still be able to navigate, but I wouldn't put my faith in that. The best way to navigate the current Labyrinth is receiving guidance from someone who can use magic themselves. You'll need someone like that on this quest with you, if you decide to go on it."

I thought about that. I could bring someone from the Hecate cabin, like their head counselor, Helen. She and I were on good terms. But I wasn't sure I wanted to go on a quest with her. We were friendly, but I didn't really know her all that well, and wasn't sure if I could trust her in a life and death situation. I decided I'd have to think about that. "Okay," I said slowly. "You mentioned there were a couple of important pieces of information I still needed. What else is there?"

"The first Labyrinth was tied to Daedalus's life force," Mom explained. "It stands to reason that the new one would be tied to Pasiphaë's."

"So if I take her out while I'm still in the maze, it'll collapse on us," I said.

Nico nodded. "Which means that you have to capture her, not kill her. And capturing her will be more difficult. Once you have her in your custody, she'll fight you every step of the way. Even if you restrain her in such a way that she won't be able to attack you directly with magic, she's powerful enough that any bonds won't hold her for long. And she'll probably summon waves of monsters to help her."

"Which is why this is so dangerous," Dad protested, crossing his arms identically to how I'd crossed mine just a couple minutes earlier. The parallel between my dad and I didn't make me feel better, seeing as I was angry with him.

"Percy, drop it," Mom said, clipping off each word. "You're only making this conversation longer. And the more you try to protect her, the more she's going to resist."

"And the more you talk about me as if I'm not here, the more I'm going to be pissed off," I growled. I crossed my arms again, then remembered Dad had his arms crossed and uncrossed them. "Look, Dad, I've already done lots of dangerous things. I got my godsdamned arm chopped off. This decision is mine. Would you have liked it if Grandma Sally kept trying to stop you from going on quests?"

The look on Dad's face was pretty grim, but he didn't say anything. I knew I had him. He'd once said that I was too much like Mom for his own good. At the time it had been a joke, but now… well Mom could always out-argue Dad, and it looked like I was starting to get the hang of it, too.

I turned back to Nico, trying to ignore the thickening tension. "So if capturing her is going to be so difficult and killing her in the Labyrinth isn't an option, what are you suggesting?"

"I think you and a small team can subdue her, temporarily," Nico said. "But not for long, and you won't be able to handle all the monsters she summons with a small group. A large group will draw too much attention, and any chance you had of slipping through without garnering extra attention would disappear. The only viable plan would be for you to go in with a small group, capture her, then run like the four winds for the exit. Monsters will follow you, which is why I'm calling in some favors so that you'll have some assistance once you get out of the maze."

"Sounds convoluted, tricky, and dangerous," I said. I grinned. "I like it. So I let you know when I've got my small team together, you take me to the Labyrinth entrance where you've got… whoever you're calling in favors from standing by, and we do this thing."

Nico frowned. "Not quite. You're getting ahead again, Elizabeth. All of this hinges on when Gaius enters the Labyrinth. Right now, he's still poking it. He hasn't committed a full operation yet. I'm not sending you in until he goes in."

Suddenly I felt like someone was pouring ice water down my back. I recoiled. My chest tightened slightly. Luckily my meds were still doing their job, so I didn't get a full on panic attack. Still, the idea of being in the Labyrinth at the same time as Gaius filled me with terror. And then shame at being so terrified. But I had been under the impression that I would be going in well before he finally made his own entrance into the Labyrinth. If we were actually going in at the same time, then that meant there was a very real chance he and I could run into each other, and I certainly did not feel ready for that.

"Why – why do you want to wait until he goes in to send me?" I asked hesitantly.

"Pasiphaë won't be able to sense the difference between your group and the demititans," Nico said. "You go in at the same as his group and it'll throw up a smokescreen. My ghost spies report that he's going to go in with a very large group. That'll distract Pasiphaë. It will force her to split her attention between your group and the larger one, and she'll almost certainly pay more attention to the larger one. It's the best chance we have of getting you through."

I frowned, looking down at the table. What Nico was saying made sense. And it really was the only way. But with my anxiety problems, how could I face Gaius? Just thinking about him made me freak out so badly half the time that I became debilitated. But then, maybe going into the Labyrinth anyway was the first step to overcoming my defection. And I was going to have to. Someday Gaius and I would have to fight again, and I wanted to be ready when that day came.

"You don't have to make the decision now," Nico said. "In fact, I don't want you to make the decision now. But think about it. If you're successful, we could deal Gaius a serious setback."

I looked over at my dad, who was so adamantly against me going into the Labyrinth. I looked at Mom, who'd stood up for my right to make the decision, though it was clearly more because she didn't want to push me even more towards doing it than because she actually was supportive of me making the choice. It was so hypocritical of them. They'd done dangerous things all the time when they were my age. But now they were trying to persuade me not to take the same risks? The thought fired me up.

"I'll do it," I insisted firmly. "And that's not likely to change."

Nico was still frowning, but he nodded. "Alright. I'll let you know when Gaius goes into the maze. You don't have to make your final decision until then." He stood up.

"Wait, you're leaving?" I asked. It didn't necessarily surprise me, but I didn't feel like getting trapped alone in the apartment with my parents. The high tension was going to make waiting until tomorrow to go to camp unbearable.

Nico nodded. "I've got a meeting with Chiron in a couple of hours."

My heart leaped up in my chest. My chance to escape the tension. "Can you give me a ride to camp?"

My parents looked at each other, then at me. I tried not to notice, but I saw the hurt on their faces. Part of me was still angry at them. Serves them right. But my anger was quickly fading. I felt guilty about my urge to get out of there so quickly. I knew I was being a huge brat, the exact nightmare teenager that parents dreaded having someday. My parents did love me and they wanted what was best for me. But it was a bit late for that. There was no escaping the war, and I had to play my part.

"I did bring the car," Nico said hesitantly. "So I'd be willing to give you a ride, but only if it's okay with your parents."

I looked over at Mom and Dad. They had one of their silent conversations. Then Mom nodded.

Regardless of the myriad of other emotions spinning around inside me like a hurricane, elation bubbled to the surface. I was going to camp a whole day early. It was the best news I'd had in a while. I sprinted upstairs and finished packing in a rush. As I packed, my guilt over fighting with my parents increased. I sighed. I couldn't leave things on such a bad note. Not when I probably wouldn't see them again for the better part of the next two and a half months. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, strapped my sword, Marianas, to my waist, and grabbed my suitcase by the handles.

When I got back downstairs, Nico was standing by the door. Mom whispered something in his ear and he nodded. They hugged briefly. Nico turned to Dad, and I caught his eyes flash with anger. No doubt it was related to the conversation we'd all just had. Stiffly, Dad stuck his hand out to Nico. Nico shook it, then turned to me, forcing a smile onto his face. "Ready to go?"

"Just a second," I said. I set down my suitcase, then wrapped both my parents in a hug. "I'll be fine, I promise."

They hugged me back. Dad bent and kissed the top of my head. "Good luck, Elizabeth," he said hoarsely. "I'm sorry about… everything." I got the feeling he didn't mean about the fight. Rather, he was apologizing for the whole war. He and Mom had fought their whole lives to make the world a safer place, but it was more dangerous than ever now. Neither of them had said it outright to me, but I got the feeling that they felt everything they'd done had been a waste.

"No matter what," Mom said, "we're proud of you. Remember that."

I nodded. I extricated myself from my parents' arms, then picked up my bag. I nodded to Nico. "Now I'm ready."

"Camp Half-Blood awaits," he replied, and led the way out of the apartment.


AN: That'll do it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll see you guys again on Tuesday with chapter 3!