A/N-So it's saturday so time for another update. Once again, this is more than 10k words so there's your warning. Enjoy!

I glanced toward the front of the classroom and saw Chiron writing on the chalkboard, his face pale. He was talking, but I didn't hear anything.

I tucked my hair back behind one ear and kept my hand there. Anything to keep me from hitting Luke, because it was a real possibility that I would. "We gave you a chance." I kept my voice low. "We won't do it again."

"But I think you will." He leaned over the small space, coming too close and causing my muscles to lock up. "Once you hear what I have to offer."

A crazed laugh bubbled up my throat as I kept my eyes fixed on Chiron. "You are so, so dead."

Silena glanced over her shoulder questioningly. I forced a smile.

"Speaking of dead," he murmured once Silena had turned back around. "I see Percy's long lost mother has returned." He picked up his pen and started writing. "I bet Percy is so thrilled."

My hand closest to him curled. A faint white light danced over my knuckles, flicking like the core of a flame. "You would know-you're the one who released her."

"She wasn't needed anymore. Percy's lucky that his father decided to spare her." Luke shrugged nonchalantly then glanced at my hand. "You should really work on that anger of yours."

I shot him a dark, promising look. "Why are you here? For real?"

He put his finger over his lips. "Shush. I need to learn about…" He glanced at the board, eyes narrowing in concentration. "Ankle Osteoarthritis. Yawn."

It took every ounce of my self-control to sit through that class. Even Chiron looked like he was having trouble, forgetting where he was going with his lecture every couple of minutes.

Frustrated, I blew out a breath. I needed to let Percy know that Luke was back asap.

I glanced at said douchebag. No doubt about it, Luke was good-looking. He rocked the preppy look and wind swept blond hair. But beneath that easy grin lurked a traitor.

The moment the bell rang, I gathered my stuff and headed toward the door, shooting Chiron a look. Somehow he seemed to know, because he jerked his head toward window, motioning to the Big House. He wanted a meeting. I nodded, going to find Percy first.

I made it about three steps before Luke stalked up behind me in the hall and cupped my elbow. "We need to talk," he said.

I tried to pull my arm free. "And you need to let go of me."

"Or what? Are you going to try to kill me again?" His head angled toward me and I caught the familiar scent of his aftershave.

I gritted my teeth. "What do you want?"

"Only to talk." He steered me into an empty classroom. Once inside, I tore my arm free as he locked the door. "Look—"

Acting on instinct, I dropped my bag on the floor and let my power soar through me. Whitish-red light spread over my arms, crackling in the air. A ball of electricity the size of a softball built above my palm.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Thalia, I just want to talk. You don't need—"

I released the energy. The light shot across the room in a bolt. Luke darted out of the way and the light smacked into the chalkboard. The intensity melted the middle of the green slate and the smell of burning ozone filled the air.

Rage built up in me again, and this time I wasn't going to miss. It rushed down my arms to my fingertips. In that moment, I really didn't know if it was powerful enough to kill Luke or just do some serious damage. Or maybe I did and I just didn't want to admit it.

Rushing behind me, Luke ran circles around me. I cursed his speedy son of Hermes powers. His speed increased and he managed to pick up some serious wind. The wind caused all the chairs to the left of me to fly to the right, smacking into my legs and crowding me. My aim was off and the electric ball skyrocketed over Luke's head, slamming into the circular clock above the board. It exploded in a hundred dazzling pieces of plastic and glass that rained down…

And then the pieces stopped in midair, hung there as if attached to invisible strings. Below them, Luke straightened, his eyes luminous.

"Crap," I whispered, my gaze darting to the door. There was no way I'd make it there and if he'd frozen those pieces, most likely everything was frozen. The door. People outside the room, I imagined. Somehow, he must've already inherited some of Kronos' powers.

"Are you done yet?" Luke's voice was harsh in my ears. "Because you're going to tire yourself out here in a few seconds."

He had a point. The more power half-bloods used, the more tired they became.

But it didn't mean I was going to just stand there and let Luke do whatever he planned.

I took a step forward and the chairs reacted in defense. They launched into the air, forcing me back as they stacked atop one another, forming a circle around me that reached the ceiling.

Raising my hands, I pictured the chairs with little desk areas attached flying apart. Moving stuff was easy to me now, so in theory, those babies should've shot at Luke like bullets. But the winds wouldn't listen to me; the chairs began to tremble and slid away from me.

Luke pushed back and the wall of chairs shook but didn't budge. I kept the image of them moving away from me, drawing on the static energy inside me until a fierce throbbing sliced through my temples. The pain increased until I dropped my arms. My heart tripped up as I whirled around. Trapped—encased in a tomb of freaking chairs.

Through the gaps in chairs, I saw him come around the desk. "I don't want to hurt you."

I paced in a tiny circle, dragging in deep breaths. My legs felt like jelly, skin dry and brittle. "You killed Lee."

"Technically, you did." He shot back then sighed. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have ran. You have to believe that the last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt. I just want to make the gods pay-I have nothing against their children."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh really?! Then why were you fighting me on Mount Tam?"

"I was defending myself. You attacked me." He followed me on the other side of the wall. "I'm sorry about Lee-I know he meant alot to Annabeth. I talked to him a few times, back when I was a camper. He was a nice guy—"

"Don't talk about him!" I stopped, hands balling into weak, useless fists. "You shouldn't have come back."

Luke cocked his head to the side. "Why? Because Percy's going to kill me?"

I mirrored his movements. "Because I'm going to kill you."

A brow arched and curiosity marked his features. "You already had your chance, Thalia. Killing isn't in your nature."

"You clearly saw that it was. I was going to kill you and I went through with it." I stepped back, checking the chairs. They shook a little. It was clear that Luke didn't have much experience using Kronos' powers. "Unfortunately, I missed my target. I'll kill you now-anything to protect my friends."

There was a pause. During those seconds, the shattered pieces of the clock fell. I did a little victory dance inside. "You have changed," he finally said.

Part of me wanted to laugh, but the action got stuck in my throat. "You have no idea."

Moving back from the chairs, he ran a hand through his perfect hair. "This is good, because maybe you'll understand the importance of what I'm about to offer you."

My eyes narrowed. "There is nothing you could offer."

A wry smile appeared on his lips—lips that I had kissed once. That memory was forever etched into my mind. Bile stung the back of my throat. "I've been watching you all for days. A child of Hecate did a spell on me-it makes me invisible to everyone but the specific people that I chose to see me. Once you see me, you can't unsee me again."

"Why are telling me this?" I interrogated, voice harsh.

"Because I need you to trust me." My expression must've been one of anger because he immediately held his hands up. A sign of surrender. "Well, at least temporarily."

He folded his arms when he realized he had my full attention. "I know Sally has been trying to find Paul, but she doesn't know where to look. I do. He should be near Daedalus' workshop, in the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is the maze Sally's been talking about."

I stopped pacing. The Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete. Its function was to hold the Minotaur eventually killed by the hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it. As far as I knew, the guy was dead and the labyrinth couldn't be found. "Where's the Labyrinth?"

Luke laughed. "I have no idea, that maze has a mind of its own. The entrances and exits pop up in different places at times. Look, Thalia, I'm in trouble. I wanted-and still do-to make the gods pay for their crimes against half-bloods. They leave us to the mercy of monsters at a young age and those of us lucky enough to survive and reach camp, never hear from our godly parents. It's unfair!"

My eyes widened and I think Luke realized he needed to calm the hell down. "Anyway, I want to make the gods pay but the stuff Kronos wants me to do is...insane." A shiver ran down his spine. "I can't be his host. I have already undergone tests that have allowed me to gain a little bit of his power and it already weakens me. If he posses my body, he'll kill me."

I tried not to show much emotion, but my heart was racing. Yeah, Luke was a traitor and tried to kill me but he was one of my first friends. My first love. Barely three weeks ago, I tried to kill him but I felt as though I had no other option. I didn't want him to die at the hands of Kronos though.

"So to avoid death, I need to find a durable host. Unfortunately, Percy isn't a willing participant and I'm failing. I may even die before he completely possess me. Daedalus built some automatons-they're in his workshop, those things can withstand anything, even a possession. Help me find the labyrinth and I'll get us to the workshop. Agree to help me get the automaton, and I'll make sure Sally gets to Paul. That's all I want."

Rendered speechless, I blinked. He was asking for our help after everything? That crazy laugh was building again and it came out this time, throaty and low. "You're freaking nuts."

His expression slipped into a scowl. "Kronos thinks I'm on a mission to make myself stronger for the possession. He thinks I'm going to walk through river Styx-like Theseus-and become stronger. I only have one shot before he realizes what I'm actually doing."

I gasped, he would certainly die if he went through that river. It made one practically invincible but many people had died trying to do so.

"I know someone who knows a lot about the Labyrinth. He doesn't have a map or anything like that but he should be able to tell us the obstacles we'll face."

He couldn't be serious. The chairs at the top wobbled, and I knew I was seconds away from being buried under the damn things.

"We don't need you. We'll find the Labyrinth and Sally can direct us to where we need to go. She knows where to go."

"Without me, you won't know what's coming. Paul is near the workshop and only I know where that is. Sally's never been there so while she could lead you through most of the maze, she won't know exactly where he is. And trust me, you don't want to stay in the place too long. You know what happened to Chris." I shot him a confused look but he ignored it. Luke took another step back. Over his shoulder, the air was distorted in waves. The kind of power he was throwing off…

"You need me," he said. "And yeah, I need you guys. I can't get to the workshop alone."

Okay, he was being for real. "Why in the world would we trust you?"

"You don't have a choice." He cleared his throat and the chairs rattled. My gaze dropped. The legs of those on the bottom bent toward him. "You'll never find her, and Sally will end up doing something crazy."

"We'll take our chances."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Luke picked up my bag and placed it on the teacher's desk. "Either you all help me or I invade camp with my army. And don't even think about pretending to trust me and then backstabbing me. Don't leave me hanging after I take you to my middle guy then looking for the Labyrinth and the workshop yourselves. In fact, if you kill me I have a message that will be delivered to Kronos and he will invade camp himself. On top of that, Kronos gets stronger everytime a half blood pledges their alliance. When he crushes your little camp, campers are going to realize that he will win the war and join him. And if Kronos gets stronger, he won't wait for Percy to come to him-Kronos will just possess him. Yeah, I've thought of everything."

Anger raged inside me and the chairs really started to shake. In seconds, he'd stripped away whatever power I truly gained, leaving me helpless. "You rat bastard…"

"I'm sorry." He was at the door now, and dear gods, I was an idiot, because he looked and sounded sincere. "I didn't want it to come to this, but you understand, right? You even said it yourself. You'll do anything to protect your friends. Well, I'm out to protect myself. We really aren't that different, Thalia."

Then he opened the door and slipped out. The wall of chairs crumbled, spilling out across the floor. Kind of ironic how they fell upon themselves, just like my whole life was collapsing onto itself.

In a daze, I stepped out of the demolished classroom and made it halfway through the hall before the stairwell door swung open and Percy burst through.

His eyes were an incredibly bright gold when his gaze landed on me, and he took about four ground-eating steps before he was in front of me, grasping my shoulders. Behind him were Chiron and a slightly-confused-looking Sally, but Percy…I'd never seen him so furious, and that was saying something.

"We've been looking everywhere for you," he said, jaw clenched.

Chiron appeared at our sides. "Did you see where he went? Luke?"

Like I needed the clarification. Then I realized they didn't know I'd been with him. How much time had passed in that room? It felt like hours but could've only been minutes. And if Luke had frozen everyone outside the room, everyone wouln't have noticed except for Percy, because it wouldn't have affected him. So Luke must not have affected anything out of the room.

I swallowed, knowing Percy's reaction was going to be epic. "Yeah, he…wanted to talk."

Percy went rigid. "What?"

I glanced nervously at Chiron. His expression was serene compared to the rage boiling from Percy's gaze. "He's been watching us. For days."

Percy dropped his hands and backed off, thrusting his fingers through his hair. "I cannot believe he's here. He has a death wish."

Confusion slipped from Sally's expression, replaced by curiosity as she inched around her son. "Why was he watching us?"

And here comes the kicker, I thought. "He wants to help us get Paul."

Percy whipped around so fast he could've pulled a muscle. "Come again?"

As quickly as I could, I told them what Luke had said, leaving out the part about how Kronos getting stronger would result in him possessing Percy . I figured that was something best communicated in private. Good call, because Percy almost went full Rambo mode right there.

Chiron shook his head. "He…he can't think we would trust him."

"I don't think he cares if we do," I said, tucking my hair back. All I wanted to do was sit down and eat a box of sugar cookies, my hands beginning to shake from exhaustion.

"But does he really know where Paul is?" Sally's eyes were feverish.

"I don't know." I leaned against a locker. "There's no telling with him."

Sally shot forward, suddenly in my face. "Did he say anything—anything we can use to find him?"

I blinked, surprised by her sudden animation. "No. Not really. Nothing but this middle man."

The mortal nodded. "If he knows—"

"Don't go there, mom. He's a dangerous traitor and he's tried to kill me on several occasions. We'll find another way-if he invades camp than so be it, we'll be ready for him. " Percy interrupted her. "We are not working with—"

My legs had started to wobble, and I swayed a little to the left. I really couldn't even begin to figure out how Percy knew, but he spun toward me before I could straighten. Strong arms went around my waist, tucking me to his side.

Percy's brows were dark slashes above his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I'm okay. Really, I am."

"You're lying." His voice dropped low, dangerous. "Did you fight him?" And then his voice went even lower and a chill ran down my spine. "Did he try to hurt you? Because I swear right now, I will tear through this entire state—"

"I'm okay." I tried to wiggle free, but his arm was like a vice grip. "I used more of the attack first, ask questions later approach. I tired myself out, but he didn't hurt me."

Percy didn't look convinced, but he turned his attention back to his mother. "I know you want to believe that Luke can help us somehow, but he can't be trusted."

Sally looked away, a muscle ticking in her jaw. Frustration rolled off her in waves.

"Percy's right." Chiron planted his hands on his hips. At the end of the hall, the door opened and campers began to stream out. "But this is not the place to discuss any of this. After school, counselor meeting at the Big House."

And with that, he spun in the other direction and stalked off.

"I know what you're going to say," Sally said sharply. "I'm not going to do anything reckless. I promised both of you I wouldn't and I'm keeping my end of the deal. You better keep yours."

Percy wasn't relieved as he watched Sally head in the opposite direction. "This isn't good," he said.

"You have no idea." I glanced up at him and waited for the campers to disappear into their respective classrooms. "Trusting Luke may be a moot point."

His eyes narrowed as he turned, angling his body as if he was shielding me. "What are you saying?"

I prayed he didn't lose it. "Luke is desperate—more so than we realized. Not only will he invade camp if we don't agree to help him, but he wants to crush us and campers that are doubtful will most likely join Kronos. He said that every person that joins Kronos makes him stronger. If enough campers join, he will have enough strength to take over your body immediately."

Percy's reaction was as expected. There was now a fist-sized indent in the wall beside us, and I grabbed his arm, dragging him into the nearby stairwell before campers started inspecting the source of the noise.

Helpless anger seeped into the air and settled over him like a blanket. He knew what I wasn't willing to say yet. We'd been blackmailed—trapped and what could we do? Refuse to go along with Luke and let camp be invaded? Or trust someone who had already proven he wasn't worthy of such a thing?

God, we were screwed to the tenth degree.

I could tell Percy wanted to ditch school and search the camp for Luke, but he also didn't want to leave me alone…no matter how hard I worked to convince him that I was the safe by myself. I could see Luke unlike him and could defend myself. And Luke knew that as long as he stayed invisible, there was nothing we could do.

Throughout the rest of the day, I expected to see Luke again, but I didn't. When the final bell rang, I wasn't surprised when Percy met me at my last class. "I'm walking you to the meeting," he said.

"Sure." No point in arguing over this.

"Do you really think he'll invade camp if we don't help him?" I asked once we were walking towards the Big House.

"He's obviously desperate." Percy absentmindedly tapped his fingers against his thigh as we walked. "Luke only cares for himself and he's really desperate. So, yeah, I believe he'd still do it."

I gripped my bag, welcoming the lava-like anger embedding into my skin.

I glanced at Percy. "What are we going to do?"

His jaw worked. "We have two options: work with him or kill him."

My eyes widened. "And you'd be the one to do that? Not right. It shouldn't always be you."

"I know, but I can't expect someone else to carry that burden." He looked at me. "And I'm not trying to start another argument over whether or not you'd make a good Wonder Woman, but I'd never expect you or anyone else to do that, either. I know you would have done it to…defend yourself, Thalia, but I don't want that kind of guilt on your shoulders. Okay?"

I nodded. Imagining what I felt already, just magnified, twisted my insides. "I could handle it if I had to."

A heartbeat passed, and I felt his hand on my cheek. He smiled a little. "When you use your powers, you have the whitish outline-it's amazing actually. You burn bright, to me at least, and I know you could handle it, but the last thing I want is your light to be tainted by something so dark."

Stupid girlie tears burned my eyes and the Big House became a bit blurry. I couldn't let them fall, because crying over him saying something sweet really didn't help the "I'm A Badass" case. But I gave him a watery smile, and I think he understood.

Filled with nervous energy, I followed Percy into the Big House, noticing that no one else was there yet. Before I could begin the agitated wearing of the carpet, Percy caught my hand and tugged me toward him as he sat, pulling me onto his lap.

Arms wrapped around me, he buried his face in my neck. "You know what we have to do," he said softly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Kill Luke."

He choked on his laugh. "No, Sweetheart. We're not going to kill him."

I was surprised. "We're not?"

He pulled back, meeting my questioning stare. "We're going to have to do what he wants."

Okay, I was more than surprised. More like dumbstruck. "But…but…but…"

A grin teased his lips. "Use your words, Sweetheart."

I snapped out of my stupor. "But we can't trust him. This is most likely a trap!"

"We're kind of damned if we do and damned if we don't." He shifted, sliding his hands along my lower back. "But I've given it some thought."

"What? The whole ten minutes it took us to get here?"

"I'm a quick thinker." His grin spread to his eyes, deepening their lustrous hue. "I know my mother. Sally's going to go to Luke if we don't agree." All his humor was gone in an instant. "It's what I would do if our positions were reversed. And we know Luke better than she does."

"I don't know about this, Percy."

He shrugged. "I'm not going to let him invade camp."

I frowned. "What about you? What if he's just leading you into a trap? What if he's taking you straight to Kronos so that he can possess you? Bringing Luke into the fold is going to be dangerous…and stupid."

"The risks outweighs the possible consequences."

"I hope you're right." I shivered.

"Me too." At the sound of feet approaching, I glanced out the window. Percy shifted quickly, clasping my cheeks and laying a deep one on me, and then he unceremoniously dumped me on the cushion beside him. "But my mind's made up. Be prepared. This meeting isn't going to go well."

Half sprawled across the couch, I gaped at him. Damn straight this wasn't going to go well. I sat up as Chiron and the counselors made their way in.

Annabeth immediately took up pacing in front of the TV. Her long, curly blonde hair streamed behind her. An unfamiliar, feverish glint lit her gray eyes. "So Luke is back?"

"Yes." Percy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching the daughter of Athena.

She glanced at me and then quickly looked away. "Of course he would talk to her like nothing happened. They were BFFs."

What the hell was up with the BFF statement? Anger stirred inside me, but I pushed it down. "It wasn't a particularly friendly conversation."

"Then what do we do?" Clarisse asked.

"Kill him," Annabeth said, stopping in front of the table.

At first, I thought she was kidding, because this was Annabeth. In the fall, I'd once seen her scoop up a pile of dirt full of ants and move them out of the flowerbed so they wouldn't be suffocated under the mulch. But as I stared at her—as the whole room stared at her—I came to realize she was serious.

My mouth dropped open. "Annabeth…?"

Her shoulders squared. "Don't. Seriously. He kidnapped me and it's partially his fault that Lee's dead." She glared at Percy.

"Still an accident." Percy reminded, fingers curling under his chin.

"Yeah, well, I want him dead." She scoffed. "And since when have you refrained from killing? You're an assassin, for Zeus' sake!"

"I refrain when it means that people I know will die." Percy shot back, raw emotion cutting through me like a knife. "If we don't work with him, he will invade us and kill campers."

I jumped in before he could continue. It wasn't his job to always rush to my defense. "Calm down, the both of you. No one's killing anyone."

Annabeth waved me off. She turned to Chiron. "We have to do something before someone else gets hurt."

Chiron looked just shocked. "My dear, we're not—"

"Killers?" Her face flushed red and then paled. "We have killed before to protect ourselves! We kill monsters all the time. Percy has killed so many people-most of them mortals!"

Percy flinched, and I immediately took offense to this. He may not show how much killing bothered him, but I knew it did. "Annabeth," I said, and surprisingly, she looked at me. "I know you're hurting right now, but this… This isn't you."

She sucked in a sharp breath. "You don't know me and you don't know shit. Luke kidnapped me and if he hadn't done so, Lee would have never gone after me. Lee…" Her voice caught. "Lee would still be alive."

Chiron stiffened. "That's enough, Annabeth. I don't want to eject you from this meeting."

Annabeth quieted and I sat back against the cushion, feeling as if the walls had shifted closer. Part of me almost couldn't believe Annabeth wanted Luke dead. Annabeth used to follow Luke like a lost puppy when we were on the run together. At one point, I was sure she had developed a crush on him. This isn't wasn't the same girl. Not the girl who had come into my life, wielding a badass axe and feeling just as scared as I had. This wasn't my best friend.

And then it hit me.

Annabeth wasn't my best friend anymore.

Gods, realizing that seemed more important than anything else that was going on. Yeah, that was stupid when the big picture was called into play, but Annabeth was important to me, and I had failed her.

Beside me, Sally shifted forward. "This is exactly what Kronos wants...chaos and disunion. He's already separating us and his actual plan hasn't even started yet."

Annabeth looked like she hadn't even considered that. She pivoted around, playing with a strand of her hair—a nervous habit of hers. She sighed and then she sat on the coffee table, her back to us.

From the arm of an recliner, Michael Yew sighed. "Guys, whether we like the idea of killing someone or not, we have to do something."

"We do," Percy agreed. He glanced at me quickly before facing the group. "Arguing about what to do with Luke is a waste of time. If we don't help him get his automaton and in turn get Paul back, he's going to invade camp and he's counting on campers to join Kronos' cause. The more campers join, the stronger Kronos. And if he gets strong enough, he'll use my body as a host."

A round of gasps erupted and instinctively, my head whipped toward Sally. She looked like she was hyperventilating.

"Mom?" Percy moved towards his mother but the mortal shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

She ran towards the door, stopping briefly before leaving. "I just need a second, Percy. I'll be right back...I-I just can't go through this again. I can't."

And with that, Percy's mother ran out the door. The door frame smacked and the sound seemed to jolt the room.

"If our father uses you as a host...we are truly doomed." Chiron muttered, his tail flickering out. And then he did something unheard of, for him at least. He swore.

Annabeth stood again, her gray eyes in deep thought. "Percy's the child of the prophecy-not only will Kronos have a durable body because of Percy's titan half but he can take down Olympus if he controls that prophecy."

"Then it's done," Sally was back, tears gone and spine straightened. "We help Luke, and he helps us."

Annabeth whirled. "You guys are freaking insane! We cannot help Lee's co-murderer!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Chiron asked. "Let him invade this camp and let Percy become the titan lord's host?"

Her eyes rolled. "No. Like I said, we kill him. That will stop him from doing anything."

I shook my head, stunned by the ferocity in her voice. I also believed Luke probably had to die, because I had tried to kill him myself, but hearing Annabeth like this cut through me with a dull knife.

Percy stood, drawing in a long breath. "We are not going to kill Luke."

The daughter of Athena had her hands balled into fists. "Your call. Not mine."

"We are going to help him and we're going to keep an eye on him," Percy continued sternly. "And none of us are going to kill him."

"Bullshit," she hissed.

On her feet, Clarisse took a step forward. "Annabeth, I think you need to sit down and think about this. You've never killed a person before."

She folded her slender arms and her chin went up a notch. "There's always a first time."

Clarisse's eyes widened as she slid a look at me that said, Holy crap. Even the daughter of the war god wasn't down for this. I wished I knew what to do or say, but there was nothing.

Quickly losing patience, Percy mirrored Annabeth's stance. "This isn't up for discussion, Annabeth."

"You're right. There's nothing you can say that will convince me that his life should be spared."

"We don't have a choice. Luke has it set up that if anything happens to him, Kronos will be alerted and the camp will be invaded. We can't kill him."

She was undeterred. "Then we find out who has the message or however Luke's planning to send it and take care of them!"

Percy's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

He turned away, seconds from losing it. My stomach rolled. This whole situation was all wrong.

Beside me, Sally leaned forward, taking on the same position that Percy had earlier. "Is your need for vengeance more important than finding Paul?"

She didn't look away, but her lips pressed into a grim line.

All eyes were on Sally. "Because, you promised you'd help me find him. Right now, you're not helping at all."

"You ask a lot," The demigod said hoarsely, lower lip trembling. But then her shoulders slumped, and she turned, walking to the front door. Without saying a word, she left.

Clarisse was already behind her, shooting Percy a look. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"Thank you," he said, rubbing his palm along his jaw. "Well, that went wonderfully."

"Did you really expect her or any of us to be okay with it?" Micheal asked.

Percy snorted. "No, but I have a problem with my best friend so willing to kill."

"I can't…" I couldn't even finish. Going into this, I knew it wasn't going to be good, but I wasn't expect her to want to go all serial killer—never Annabeth.

Chiron directed the conversation back to the present. "How do we contact Luke? It's not something I can or wish to discuss with him in class."

Everyone looked at me…everyone except Percy. "What?"

"Well, you can see him also so the next time he comes around, tell him." Beckendorf said, glancing at the clock.

I opened my mouth but stopped when the door flew open.

To everyone else, it would seem like the breeze opened the door but Chiron and I knew better.

Pefect blonde hair. Rumpled khakis and a blue v-neck. It was almost revolting how attractive he was.

"I'm hoping for good news..." He trailed off, looking at me and the centaur expectantly.

Chiron nodded at me and I told him we'd work with him.

"Excellent." Luke rubbed his hands together, smiling. "We should meet tomorrow. Le Parker Meridien."

"Tomorrow evening—Saturday." My voice rang throughout the silent room. "He wants to meet at le Parker Meridien."

"I'm coming with her." Percy said in Luke's direction.

I looked at the son of Hermes expectantly.

"Fine." He snapped, the jagged scar across his face becoming more visible. "Just the two of you. No gimmicks. No Percy-ing."

"You scared of us?" I challenged, throwing him a look.

He seemed to hesitate but scoffed. "No, I'll see you tomorrow then."

I nodded and watched him leave. The door shut and everyone seemed to relax. "It's done."

Chiron cleared his throat. "From now on, we have to tread carefully. Act normal around your siblings, perform cabin inspections and daily activities as normal. Do not let on that anything is amiss. Tell them the intruder is now gone. In the interim, I must report this to the gods and perhaps we can get Hecate to remove Luke's invisibility spell. In my abscence, Quintus shall take over."

"Quintus?" I questioned.

"The new swordmans trainer." Beckendorf informed me.

I nodded and listened as my mentor continued to speak. "Seeing as she is the only person who can see Luke, Thalia will need protection. Luke is most likely under the impression that she is still the child of prophecy. He may try to get her on Kronos' side or harm her."

"I can handle Luke, Chiron." I insisted but the centaur shook his head.

"We can't trust him." He said.

"I'll look over her." Percy responded, voice low.

"You should stay with your mom." I advised.

"I'll look after you." Annabeth volunteered. My head whipped around at the sound her voice; I hadn't even noticed she came in.

I guess that kind of worked out because I needed to explain things to her. "Yeah, okay."

"We'll take shifts." Percy insisted and surprisingly, the daughter of Athena didn't protest.

"Good." Chiron commented. "It's settled. Don't forget the war games are tonight. All of you, tell your siblings that nothing is wrong. Meeting adjourned."

No one looked relieved. There was a very good chance that working with Luke was going to blow up in our faces like there was no tomorrow. But our choices were limited. Like Percy had said, Sally would go to Luke whether or not we did. And working with the enemy we knew was better than the one we didn't.

But something cold and icky opened up in my chest.

Not because we were going to go down this road with Luke and not because Annabeth wanted Luke to die. But because deep down, underneath the layers of skin, muscle, and bone, hidden away from everyone, even Percy, I also wanted Luke dead. A possible invasion didn't faze me… My moral code wasn't at all offended by it. And there was something very, very wrong with that.

Once outside, I felt an arm slip around my waist.

"Hey." I said quietly.

"Hi." Percy tried to smile but it came out wrong-he was seriously worried.

"It's going to be okay," I told him. "I mean, we know what Luke is capable of and we know not to trust him so at least we're not going in completely blind, right?"

"That's true."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Do you think we could stop by the amphitheater? I want to meet the new swordsman trainer."

Percy's left brow rose but he took a right turn and we entered the amphitheater.

The first thing I saw was a massive lump of black fur. On closer inspection, I realized it was a hellhound and it looked quite comfy chewing the head of a practice dummy.

"Is that a hellhound or a tank?" Percy asked, uncapping riptide.

I threw him a look and slapped my bracelet, transforming it into my shield of terror. "You go right, I'll take the left." I twirled my mace canister once and it turned into a spear.

Before we could even move, the hell hound stood up on its hind legs and delivered a powerful bark that shook the arena.

"Now!" I yelled and dove to the right.

I ran up to the massive beast and swung my spear only to be met with a clash of metal.

Instinctively, I reared back and struck the blade, knocking it out of its owners' hand.

"Woah, truce!" The man raised his hand and I looked at him in disbelief.

"That's a hellhound!" I yelled at the older man. He had a gray hair and was dressed in full-body armor. With a huff, I realized he must be Quintus.

"It's also my pet." He stated then bent down to pet the hellhound. "Say hello to our guests, Mrs. O'Leary."

"WOOF!" The creature barked and bounded around Percy happily. Percy looked just as dumbstruck as I was but started petting the hellhound.

"She's kind of cute." He remarked, letting Mrs. O'Leary sniff him.

The swordsman trainer had a strange look on his face as he watched the two. "How peculiar."

"What?" I asked, retracting my shield and spear.

"Nothing." The older man said a little to quickly then turned to me, smiling. "I've heard a lot about you, daughter of Zeus. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Quintus."

"Thalia." I shook his outstretched hand while Percy stood up.

The demigod turned towards us, extending his hand. "Percy."

Quintus shook Percy's hand, seeming to search for something in his eyes before retracting his hand.

The swordsman trainer looked at us, fascinated. "You two are walking wonders, you do realize that?"

He motioned at me. "A girl returned to life after being a tree for years." He turned toward Percy, eyes widening. "A boy who is somehow a demigod, a demititan, and mortal all at once. How rare."

Quintus took a step towards Percy, kind of getting all up in his grill. "There's only one halfblood in history that created due to double paternity. Aegeus, one of the immortal kings of Athens, found a bride, Aethra who was the daughter of king Pittheus of Trozen. Following the instructions of Athena in a dream, Aethra left a sleeping Aegeus and waded across to the island of Sphairia that lay close to Troezen's shore. There she poured a libation to Poseidon, and was possessed by the sea god in the night. The mix gave Theseus a combination of divine as well as mortal characteristics in his nature, such double paternity."

"Yeah, my dad used to be real wild." Percy took a step back but Quintus managed to get even closer.

The old man actually touched Percy's face and took a soul-searching look into his eyes. If I didn't know any better, it seemed like Quintus recognized those eyes because immediately, he jumped back.

"Well, thanks for the history crash course, old man but I'm afraid we have to get going." Percy took my hand and jerked his head toward the entrance. "Say goodbye to the creepy man, Sweetheart."

"It's was nice meeting you." I offered then frowned. "Hey, are you a child of Athena by chance?"

Quintus' gray eyes darkened and for a second, I swore I saw a flash of fear and then it was gone, replaced by a meek smile. "Why, yes. How'd you know?"

"Just a feeling." I waved and let Percy lead me toward the door. Mid-stride, I stopped, looking at a stack of boxes in the corner. When I realized there were words printed on the box, it took my dyslexia a moment to decipher it. It read: TRIPLE G'S RANCH. Along the bottom, in smaller letters: OPEN WITH CARE. TRIPLE G RANCH IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE, MAIMING, OR EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATHS.

Quintus had a spark in his eyes. "Oh, it's just a little surprise for the war games tonight. I think you'll enjoy it, Thalia."

"Okay..." Once again, I let Percy lead me out of the amphitheater. Once outside, I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"That guys was..."

"Creepy, disturbed, insane?" Percy offered then shook his head. "The funny thing was, I couldn't get a read on him."

"A read?" I asked.

"It's part of my time powers. I can see bits and pieces of someone's past if I concentrate and look at them. It feels like I'm actually there, experiencing significant events in their life." He explained, running a hand through his hair.

"That's how you knew my last name when we first met." I concluded. Zoë told about this power last winter but I'd never heard it from Percy himself. "So you didn't see anything when you looked into his eyes? Was it just dark?"

"No, I looked at him and nothing happened. No images, no darkness, nothing." He answered, shrugging. "I was still in the arena, you were still there and he was all up in my goods, being a McCreep."

"That's strange..." I commented and then was sidetracked by campers streaming into the mess hall. The conch must've rang while we were still in the arena. "Let's get some lunch-I'm starving."

Percy chuckled but let me take his hand and lead him toward the smell of burnt food. Once there, I got a plate of nachos and donated a portion of it to my father. Percy left my side and sat the Poseidon table, alone. Camp had this rule where a camper had to sit with at their godly parent's table with their siblings. That seemed like a decent rule but Percy and I both had godly parents that had sworn not to have any more children so we sat alone.

To keep from dying of boredom, I would make silly faces at Percy and he would occasionally entertain me by sticking out his tongue.

Thirty minutes later, Chiron dismissed us and reminded everyone of the war games taking place tonight. Once free, Percy stopped by my table and we walked outside together, talking about seeing a movie sometime.

"Hey, it's my shift now." Annabeth came up to us, giving me a small smile.

"Right..." Percy trailed off, bouncing an apple off his knee.

"Pass it here, Jackson." The blonde said, patting her knee.

Percy shrugged and tossed it over. Surprisingly, Annabeth managed to bounce it off her knee and shoulder before tossing it back to Percy. Percy did a few show-off moves and tossed it back.

Annabeth laughed and bounced the apple off her elbow. "Remember when we played hacky sack during our first quest, Seaweed Brain?"

I almost gasped, surprised that she called Percy by his nickname. The nickname she gave him.

"And you still suck balls at it, Wisegirl." Percy grinned, bouncing the apple back to her.

"Low blow, Jackson." She countered, letting the fruit fall and throwing a punch at Percy.

The demigod caught her fist mid-swing and grinned smugly. "I win."

"You cheated." She pouted then burst into laughter.

I was stunned. I hadn't heard her laugh since...I couldn't remember the last time she laughed. Percy was over the shock and they both started cracking up over nothing.

When Annabeth laughed resided, she had a smile on her face.

Percy also had a smile on his face which made my heart ache-he had really missed his best friend. "Wanna play another round?"

"Yeah," Annabeth started excitedly then seemed to catch herself, realizing that she was talking to her boyfriend's 'murderer.' She sighed, stepping away from him. The smile on her face was gone, replaced by a scowl. "Sometimes, it's too easy to fall back into old habits."

Percy's face fell but he turned toward me, offering a smile. "I'll see you later tonight." He planted a quick kiss on my cheek before walking away, towards the big house; most likely going to visit his mother.

"You can't stay mad at him forever." I told the daughter of Athena.

"I can and I will." Her voice didn't waver but then she sighed again. "I didn't even realize what I was doing."

"It's okay to still want to be his friend, Annabeth. You two were best friends, practically inseparable-"

"Well, that was in the past." Annabeth voice was harsh but then she pulled back. "I'm sorry I said that you didn't know shit. You know alot of shit. Maybe even more shit than I do."

I laughed at her repetitive cursing, wondering where she'd picked up that habit. "It's cool. Besides, no one knows more shit than Annabeth Chase. You are the queen of knowing shit." I did a little bow.

"Thank you, Lady Thalia." She did a courtesy, giggling. She looped an arm through mine and steered us toward my cabin. "Let's make a plan for the war games. I want you on my team."

"It's a deal, nerd."

Over the next hour, Annabeth and I drew up a battle plan for the war game tonight. With every passing minute, we seemed to fall back into old habits. She told me about possibly adding an architecture class at camp and I suggested a Punk Rock music appreciation class.

"Oh please, only Apollo's kids would join that." She laughed then looked away, throat working on her next words. "Lee was a son of Apollo."

I bit my lip. "Hey, I have to tell you something. You're not going to believe me and I can't really prove it per se but I need you to hear me out."

Annabeth's tone was serious. "Okay, you look wigged out. What is it?"

I took a deep breath, a feeling of dread rising inside me. "Back on Mount Tam-"

"Knock knock. Time for the games." The son of Poseidon and Kronos let himself into my cabin. He took a good look at us, noticing that we were dressed in battle armor.

"You guys are partners?" He asked.

"Yep." I answered.

"You're going to cream the competition and kick my ass, aren't you?"

"That's the plan." Annabeth confirmed.

"Great...I'm going to partner up with Grover. If I have a loser as my partner, maybe people won't be surprised when I lose."

"That's a plan worthy of Athena." The blonde passed Percy, no longer hostile. "Know when to cut your losses."

Percy left to get suited up and returned a few moments later so we could head to the games together. All the teams meet at in the woods and although it was relatively dark, I still managed to recognize a few people.

Clarisse was paired with Silena. Beckendorf and Micheael Yew were a team. Percy had joined forces with Grover, just like he said he would and of course, the Stolls were a team. Then there was Annabeth and me. This war game was also kind of a tournament. This past week, several teams had competed each night. Whichever team won this round would advance to the second round. They would join the winners of the previous night.

Everyone gathered around as Quintus approached us, his face gaunt in the dim torch light. "Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course…you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive."

The crowd started murmuring excitedly. The task sounded pretty straightforward.

"And...begin!"

When everyone started running, it looked like a scene straight out of the Hunger Games. Clarisse was already knocking out the competition and no one had even seen a monster yet. Annabeth pulled me aside and we ran toward the woods. We found tracks almost immediately—scuttling marks made by something with many legs. We began to follow the trail.

We jumped a creek and heard some twigs snapping nearby. We crouched behind a boulder, but it was only the Stoll brothers tripping through the woods and cursing. Their dad was the god of thieves, but they were about as stealthy as buffaloes.

Once the Stolls had passed, we forged deeper into the west woods where the monsters were wilder. We were standing on a ledge overlooking a marshy pond when Annabeth tensed.

"Listen," She said, straining her neck. I heard the sound of rustling. A branch snapped in the woods. Dry leaves rustled. Something large was moving in the trees, just beyond the ridge.

"That's not the Stoll brothers," Annabeth whispered.

Together we drew our swords.

We got to Zeus's Fist, a huge pile of boulders in the middle of the west woods. It was a natural landmark where campers often rendezvoused on hunting expeditions, but now there was nobody around.

"Over there," Annabeth whispered.

"No, I think it's from behind us."

"Hey." A voice whispered.

Annabeth and I turned. And when I saw who it was, I wanted to clock him upside the head. "Percy, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Grover?"

"I was and then he saw Juniper's tree and went to talk to her so I guess we're just going to have to make this team a threesome."

"Don't make throw up my dinner, Jackson." Annabeth snapped.

"It's not my fault you have a dirty mind." He countered.

"Guys..." I tugged on my friend's armor, eyes focused on the massive creature barreling toward us.

"I'll have you know my mind is very clean!" Annabeth continued, hands on her hips. "Everything is compartmentalized, unlike yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Guys!" I yelled but neither of them were listening.

"You know what it means." Annabeth said.

"Guys! Monster at two o'clock! Impending death!" I yelled, finally get their attention.

"Where?" Percy uncapped Riptide, looking around. He stopped looking when he heard a low growl. "Oh. There."

Coming out of the woods was a glistening amber insect, ten feet long, with jagged pincers, an armored tail, and a stinger as long as my sword. A scorpion. Tied to its back was a red silk package.

"One of us gets behind it," Annabeth said, as the thing clattered toward us. "Cuts off its tail while the other distracts it in front."

"I'll take point," I said. "You've got the invisibility hat." She nodded. We'd fought together so many times we knew each other's moves. We could do this, easy. But it all went wrong when the other two scorpions appeared from the woods.

"Three?" Annabeth said. "That's not possible! The whole woods, and half the monsters come at us?"

I swallowed. One, we could take. Two, with a little luck. Three? Doubtful.

The scorpions scurried toward us, whipping their barbed tails like they'd come here just to kill us. Annabeth, Percy, and I put our backs against the nearest boulder.

"Climb?" Percy suggested.

"No time," Annabeth replied.

She was right. The scorpions were already surrounding us. They were so close I could see their hideous mouths foaming, anticipating an ice juicy meal of demigods.

"Look out!" Annabeth parried away a stinger with the flat of her blade. Percy stabbed with Riptide, but the scorpion backed out of range. We clambered sideways along the boulders, but the scorpions followed us. I slashed at another one, but going on the offensive was too dangerous. If I went for the body, the tail stabbed downward. If I went for the tail, the thing's pincers came from either side and tried to grab me. All we could do was defend, and we wouldn't be able to keep that up for very long.

I took another step sideways, and suddenly there was nothing behind me.

It was a crack between two of the largest boulders, something I'd passed by a million times, but…

"In here," I said.

Percy lunged at a scorpion then looked at me like I was crazy. "In there? It's too narrow."

"Ditto." Annabeth looked like she'd rather stay out here and fight the scorpions.

"I'll cover you guys. Go!"

Both of them ducked behind me and started squeezing between the two boulders.

Annabeth grabbed my armor straps, and suddenly I was tumbling into a pit that hadn't been there a moment before. I could see the scorpions above us, the purple evening sky and the trees, and then the hole shut like the lens of a camera, and we were in complete darkness.

Our breathing echoed against stone. It was wet and cold. I was sitting on a bumpy floor that seemed to be made of bricks.

Percy lifted Riptide. The faint glow of the blade was just enough to illuminate Annabeth's frightened face and the mossy stone walls on either side of us.

"Wh-where are we?" Annabeth looked around.

"Safe from the scorpions, anyway," I tried to sound calm, but I was freaking out. The crack between the boulders couldn't have led into a cave. I would've known if there was a cave here; I was sure of it. It was like the ground had opened up and swallowed us.

I lifted my spear for light.

"It's a long corridor," I muttered, reaching for Percy's hand.

He gripped my hand. "It must be some sort of passage way. Another entrance into camp."

We started forward, but Annabeth stopped us. "Don't take another step," she warned. "We need to find the exit."

She sounded really scared now.

"It's okay," I promised. "It's right—"

I looked up and realized I couldn't see where we'd fallen in. The ceiling was solid stone. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions.

"Two steps back," Annabeth advised.

Percy and I stepped backward together like we were in a minefield.

"Okay," she said. "Help me examine the walls."

"What for?" Percy asked

"The mark of Daedalus," she replied briefly.

"You think this is the labyrinth?" My mouth hung open.

"Got it!" she said with relief. She set her hand on the wall and pressed against a tiny fissure, which began to glow blue. A Greek symbol appeared-the Ancient Greek Delta.

The roof slid open and we saw night sky, stars blazing. It was a lot darker than it should've been. Metal ladder rungs appeared in the side of the wall, leading up, and I could hear people yelling our names.

"Percy! Thalia! Annabeth!" Grover's voice was the loudest, but others were calling out too.

I looked nervously at my friends. Then we began to climb.

We made our way around the rocks and ran into Clarisse and a bunch of other campers carrying torches.

"Where have you two been?" Clarisse demanded. "We've been looking forever."

"But we were gone only a few minutes." I said.

Chiron trotted up, followed by Juniper and Grover.

"Percy!" Grover said, relieved. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," I said. "We fell in a hole. There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute."

"You've been missing for almost an hour," Chiron said. "The game is over."

Clarisse was wearing the gold laurels, but she didn't even brag about winning them, which wasn't like her. "A hole?" she said suspiciously. "You found the Labyrinth, didn't you?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. She looked around at the other campers. "Chiron…maybe we should talk about this at the Big House."

A bunch of campers started asking questions, but Chiron raised his hand for silence. "Counselors, meeting at the Big House now. Grover, your presence is required as well." He stared at boulders as if he'd just noticed how dangerous they were. "The rest of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!" There was a lot of mumbling and complaints, but the campers drifted off, talking among themselves and giving me suspicious looks.

The other counselors, Grover, and I walked over to the Big House. Once there, Percy brought his mom downstairs and the meeting began.

"It appears as though the three of you have found an entrance to the Labyrinth, which also means it can also be used as an invasion route to camp." Chiron took a deep breath and the entire room was tense. "I've decided that a quest should be assigned. A group of you are going with Luke anyway, we might as well have a prophecy on our side that may provide some clarification." He looked between Percy, Annabeth, and me. "Well, which one of you will lead this quest?"

Before I could even speak, Percy stood up. "I will."

"Very well." Chiron nodded and I watched as Percy went up to the attic. Many heartbeats later, he reappeared, face as white as a sheet.

"Well?" I asked.

He looked at me but I had a feeling he wasn't really seeing me. He swallowed before speaking. "You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze, to find the two you seek to raise

First, you must play by the ghost king's hand, Then The child of Athena will take the final stand. And with one final breath..."

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I,um, don't remember the next line."

I ran the lines through my head a few times then sucked in sharp breath before glancing at Annabeth. She was a child of Athena.

Apparently Annabeth was thinking of that too because she was looking a little pale.

"Pan!" Grover exclaimed excitedly. "We're seeking to raise two people-Pan and Paul. Percy, I have to go on this quest!"

Before the demigod could reply, Chiron cleared his throat. "Percy will pick his quest mates tomorrow. There's been enough excitement for one day. Meeting dismissed."

The satyr looked like he wanted to disagree but remained quiet.

One by one, all the couselors, Grover, and Chiron left, leaving me and the Jacksons alone.

Percy was currently steering his mother up the stairs, trying to get her back to bed.

"We're really going to rescue him." She repeated over and over again. "I'm going to see him again."

I took this as my cue to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, Percy. Good night, Sally!"

The mortal mumbled a farewell and Percy nodded at me. "I'll stop by your cabin at twelve and we'll go meet Luke."

"Yeah, sure." I let myself out and the cold, January air hit me. I had a bad feeling about all of this: the quest, Luke, and the Labyrinth.

Nothing seemed to add up and that scared the crap out of me.

A/N-PLEASE READ! Okay so now that I've gotten your attention-hello, glad you made it down here. Um okay, this whole fic will be answering all the opened sub-plot like Percy's titan side taking over and whatnot. So shit's about to go down which means it going to be VERY DRAMATIC. Like from this point on, I claim no responsibility for the direction of this quest. My brain does all of this, I am just a vessel. Like when they go into the Labyrinth, chaos and drama will ensue. They're going in around chapter five/sort of six. Like half of the group is going in during chapter five and the other half will be there in chapter 6. It doesn't make any sense now but it will in the future. So if you don't like drama, don't read this. Like straight up, shit's about to hit the ceiling big time.

You've been warned.

And one last point, in the last fic Untamed I had Aphrodite say that Percy is going to get another love interest but I just changed my mind and decided that Thalia's going to have the love interest. So I've gone back and changed that in the last fic and I just wanted to tell you that. Um, I don't think I can update on Tuesday but I will update next saturday. Next week, I have to explain to guys the whole updating schedule for this story because I'm thinking I will have to update twice a week. I'll explain that next update though, thanks for reading and I'll see you then!