3. The Labyrinth


As I stared at the knife, the word Tharros kept coming to my mind. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I assumed that's what I should call my new blade.

I reached the Hermes Cabin. I stepped inside, hesitant at first.

Right, I thought, I should claim a spot. I guess.

I glanced around, looking for a good spot to use. There was one by the side of the bunk, but I was afraid I would be stepped on in the morning, so I ended up with one smack dab in the middle. I sat down on the wood flooring, not knowing what to do.

I heard the door creak open and turned. There, stood two identical boys.

"Hi, I'm Travis." The one on the left said.

"And I'm Conner." Introduced the other.

"We're the Stoll twins." The harmonized together.

I stood from my spot. "Charlie Andrews."

"Charlie." Conner mused, "Isn't that a boy's name."

"My real name's Charlotte." I explained.

"Oh. I see." Travis said. "Are you new?"

"Yeah, I am."

"We can get you some stuff from the store." Conner offered.

"Really? Thanks." I smiled at the offer. Travis crossed over to a corner of the room.

"But here's a sleeping bag for now." He grinned. "We'll have you're stuff by tomorrow." He tossed the sleeping bag and I caught with both my hands. Not that I could've with one hand.

I set it out on my space. I realized that Tharros was still in my hand, so I slid it in between my belt and my jeans. It hung perfectly.

"Thanks." I said. "So, um, I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing... ?"

"Oh, you don't have a schedule yet, so I would just hang around and wait for dinner. Everyone will be back before dinner. So don't worry about that." Connor told me.

"Okay, thanks, I just wasn't sure." This quickly turned awkward. "I'm just gonna go, explore."

"Careful for the monsters!" Travis called as I crossed from the cabin to near the Big House. I peeked inside, getting a quick look of the main room. I saw Percy and some other kids watching Annabeth. She was saying something that I couldn't quite understand.

"Child of Athena's final stand." I heard her say. Some of the kids looked nervous and the didn't look at Annabeth directly. Why? I wasn't sure, but I intended to find out. I stepped away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. It's not as though I had meant to. It was an accident. Sort of.

I couldn't help it. I pressed my ear to the door again.

"Tomorrow we send you off into the Labyrinth." A voice said. I wasn't quite sure who it was.

Anyways, I walked a few paces away and after that, the kids I saw inside left. I watched as Percy got pulled aside by Quintus, the new Activities Director, so I went to Annabeth.

"Hey, you're Annabeth, right?" I asked, making sure I was correct.

"Yeah, you're the new girl, correct?" she said, she looked kind of stressed, but I wasn't sure why.

"Yeah, you can call me Charlie." I stuck out my hand and she shook it.

"Nice to meet you. Well, I gotta go.." She said, taking a step away.

"Wait! What's going on, I swear I'm as confused as a fish out of water." I asked.

"I'm not sure you would understand, you know, being new and all."

"Try me."

"Do you know what quests are?"

"Yeah, I learned a lot of things before I came here."

She looked at me strangely. "Anyways, one was just issued, and I'm going on it. That's all that is happening." She started to walk away, and I had a feeling there was something else. She didn't say anything about the Labyrinth either...

I started walking again, finding myself going towards the cabins. Then I saw Percy. I ran up to meet with him.

"Hey, Percy, I've got a question." I said, pulling his attention from whatever it was he was thinking of.

"Hm? What is it?"

"What's the Labyrinth?"

He looked at me sharply.

"Wait, wait, wait a second." I started thinking. Wasn't there like some old myth with a Labyrinth.

"Oh right, it's that maze. The one where... Mmm. Okay, nevermind." I said, and started moving away.

"Wait. Charlie, um, why did you ask that?" Percy stopped me. I felt heat rising up to my cheeks.

"I must have overheard someone say it." I lied, well, it wasn't a complete lie.

"Oh." I could tell he was starting to get nervous, he twiddled his fingers together. The perfect oppurtinity.

"Alright, Percy, what aren't you telling me. And don't think about lying." I said, poking his chest. He fell back a little bit from that.

"Not here!" He exclaimed.

"Come on then." I pulled him over by the lake, where no one was.

"Answers, now." I demanded, trying to look fierce, I didn't think I did, but apparently he did.

"Well, Annabeth got a quest to go into the Labyrinth, and me, Grover and Tyson are going with her." He blurted out in a fast breath.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Sheesh, why were you so uptight about it?"

"Because most people don't come out of there alive." he said quietly.

"Oh." I thought about this.

"Can't you use a string to guide you or something?" I said, remembering a myth.

"It's a specific string, and we don't have it."

"Oh. Well, I don't know what I can say to cheer you up, but... Just don't die." I told him, patting him on the back.

"Thanks for the encouragment."

"Your welcome!" I grinned. "Come on, you still have to take me to meet Chiron."

****TIME LAPSE****

I had met with Chiron, he was a centaur. Yeah, he was kind of surprised I was calm about it.

I told him I had seen worse.

After I met with him, Percy asked me about a weapon, and if we needed to go to the armory shop and get one.

I flashed out Tharros.

"Nope, I think I'm covered." I smiled.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, looking at the blade.

"I made it, in the forges. With some help from Charles Beckondorf." I added.

"Wow, is that glass?" He asked pointing at the tip.

"Mirror, you know, the shard you saw I had on the hill."

"That's pretty cool."

I smiled. "Yeah. Now I can go and beat some monster butt!" I shouted. People stared at me.

But I didn't care, I was content with my knife.

"So you leave tomorrow right?" I asked Percy.

"Yeah, in the morning."

"Well, good luck, and you better get some sleep, you're going to need your energy." I told him, pushing him towards the cabins.

"It's not even dinner yet!" He complained.

"Don't care." I pushed him in the center of the U. "Which one's yours?"

"Number Three, the Posiedon Cabin." He answered walking towards it. I followed him.

"Oh! So you're that kid!" I said.

"What kid?" He asked.

"The one the monsters would say, "That stupid Son of Posiedon! Hope he drowns!" about" I laughed. "You're not very popular."

"Not with the monsters, but is anyone?"

"I am, they all loved me, before I killed them. Then they would blow up! Like dynamite!" I think I was a bit hyper right then.

"Right," Percy rubbed his forhead. I pushed him towards the door.

"Alright, it's nighty night for Sharkboy."

"Posiedon isn't the god of sharks." He noted.

"Don't ruin my moment!" I pushed him through the door and headed towards Cabin Eleven.

Tomorrow he left for the Labyrinth, which I knew was a bad idea already. I had told him, when in doubt, turn left.

Left. Or you would regret it.

A/N: Here's the third chapter. Next chapter in a week to a week and a half. School starts next Wednesday for me, so :/ I'll try to write on Monday and Tuesday. And the weekends. Hope you liked this chapter! Luvs!