"Wake up," I felt pushing against my arm. "Wake up, Greg!" My eyes opened and my vision cleared. Cynthia stood over me. I swatted at her gently, and rolled on my side, in attempt to get more sleep. The cold stone floors of the Labyrinth wasn't exactly a great place to spend the night, but I'd slept in worse. Cynthia sighed, agitated. "I'll put it this way, get up, or I'll make you get up."

"Fine," I mumbled, sitting up. That had been the most Ares-like thing Cynthia had ever said. Estelle had already gotten up, and was chewing on an apple.

"Toss something our way?" Cynthia asked, politely. Without a moments hesitation, Estelle reached in her bag and threw two apples through the air, one at a time. We each caught our own, I looked at mine disapprovingly.

"Got anything else?" I asked. "I'm not that big a fan of apples."

The African-American girl narrowed her eyes. "You want the apple," she said, as if trying to change my opinion.

"But—"

"You want the apple." She told me again, this time more harshly. "Trust me." I looked at the slick red surface.

"Fine, I'll have the apple," I said, annoyed. "But why? I saw your pack earlier, you practically have a garden in there." It was true, as we settled for the night, she had opened her sack, and there had been fruits of all different types, bananas, grapes, tomatoes, cherries, oranges, tangerines, pomegranates. I wondered how she held all of it in one bag.

"I need those," was her only response. We had been in the Labyrinth for Zeus-only-knows how long, and we hadn't had anything to eat or drink the whole time. I knew we hadn't been down there for long, but in my mind, it felt like years. And the whole step of the way, I thought of the winding tunnels ahead, and all the people who had gone insane traveling through them. I could go crazy...crazier down here—we all three can, I thought. I knew it, we knew it, but worst of all, my father knew it, and so did his brothers, and yet they were the reason we were down here.

"Where are we heading today?" Cynthia asked, nonchalantly taking a bite of her apple.

"I was hoping to get to Germany and Achilles today," I responded, sticking my fingernail under the red apple skin and yanking it off.

"Not likely," said Estelle pessimistically.

"Why not?" I asked, red glow coming to my face. This girl whom I had only met a while ago was starting to get on my nerves more than anyone ever had. I couldn't place my finger on why, it just seemed she thought she knew everything.

"We won't get to Germany today, because you have no idea where your leading us." She agreed, my fists had already balled. "And as for Achilles—we left on a Thursday, it's bound to be at least Friday, and Achilles' shop is closed Friday through Sunday." she smiled proudly.

"Alright you little—" Cynthia elbowed me in the stomach, and took over the conversation.

"Why would Achilles be living in Germany? I thought all mythology took place in America now."

"It does," Estelle replied knowingly. "That's the point. Achilles was tired of being hunted down by monsters, so he moved to Germany, where he could pursue his dream uninterrupted."

"His dream?" I asked, clueless.

"Computers," she explained, shrugging the thought off. "Well, his advertisement says computers, but since computers are only available to scientists, he gets most of his money by repairing typewriters."

"What is a computer anyway?" Cynthia asked. It was my turn to answer a question.

"It's a technology that's used by scientists and historians to store important information and documents that they need to keep track of, or don't want to be seen."

"So you could see why the government would need to have a repairman handy. If they lost some of the information stored on those things..." Estelle added, but didn't finish her thought. She took one of the last remaining bites of her apple.

"Sounds cool, why hasn't it been released to the public yet?" Cynthia asked.

"Won't sell well," I told her. "How many people do you know that have to obsessively store data like there's no tomorrow if they don't?"

She didn't say anything, she just nodded.

--1--

I heard the Labyrinth was tricky, that it held life-or-death twists and turns. That there were rooms that could haunt you for the rest of your life. That monsters that had no right to exist outside nightmares waited around every corner, stalking your every move. But, we hadn't seen any of that. It all seemed to be one long, dark and dusty hallway, with no tricks, and no monsters. We hadn't come across a single living organism.

That was, until I heard the noise. It was like a bird was cheeping in the distance, or a cricket rubbed its wings together. A short and simple squeak, squeak.

"Did you hear that?" I asked. They were already looking for the origin of the noise even as I asked.

"Where do you think it came from?" Asked Cynthia, I could see her squint from the dim light of the candle she held.

"Why don't you ask Estelle? She seems to know everything." I could hear the change in Estelle's posture, the way she breathed short and furious, in an embarrassed sort of way.

"I think I see something!" Estelle cried, thrusting her arm out to point into the distance. She was right, once again. A small light glowed a small dim of a glow far in the chamber. Like and aura of sort. The small squeaks echoed through the tunnels once more, and we all pressed on.

But something odd happened at the moment we all telepathically agreed to search for the aura, a previously compressed cold wind made its way through the tunnel, chilling us and canceling our only source of lights—our candles. But to the best of my knowledge, wind didn't cycle in tunnels, and if it did, I was seriously behind since I left school.

No comment was made about this wind from any of us. But we all three slowed down. Since the candles had been blown out, it was easier now to see the light ahead. After a few minutes of walking in silence, Estelle called out "Ouch!" I heard what sounded like a hard slam.

"What happened?" Cynthia asked sympathetically. I could see Estelle's shade rubbing her face.

"I think I ran into the wall," she said, pain and sear stupidity in her voice. I couldn't help but to laugh. But then I noticed something disturbing; the light was gone, replaced by a stone wall. We had been fooled.

"The Labyrinth tricked us!" I yelled, almost angrily.

"Looks like it," Estelle agreed, still in shock that she of all people had run into a wall. I pounded on the stone, to see if there was some sort of trap door or something. There wasn't, the stone was solid as a rock.

"What now?" I asked, a large sigh following my words. I looked around, I couldn't see anything, I could hardly see my own figure due to the shadow.

"I guess we walk along the walls and hope to find an exit out of this place. Hopefully somewhere in Germany."

They nodded, somehow I knew they did, and we began trailing along the wall, feeling the stone—relying on it as a guide. Though, I knew that wasn't the smartest thing, because the tunnels could pull a prank on us at any moment, and disappear into thin air. But we treaded on, knowing it was our only chance to make it through the maze. We walked in an order, Estelle in the front, me in the middle, and Cynthia at the rear. I thought about how I should be in the front, leading, but grateful I wasn't when I heard Estelle yell once more "Youch!" and a clunking sound.

"Hit your head again?" I asked. I heard her sniffle as I waited for a response, her voice was tearful and muffled.

"No," she said, sounding as if she was doing a duck impression. "Just my nose." she sniffed again. "But, hey! I found a door." not waiting for a reply, she opened the door, the hinges protesting as it slid open.

What was behind the door was the last thing I expected to see.

An aquarium. Yes, that's right, a large tank full of fish. That's what lay hidden behind the door in the Labyrinth. I heard Estelle let out gasp. A large sea-tank full of marine fish and fake decorations of coral and seaweed reflected a blue aura, lighting up the room in the same color. A rainbow swarm of different color fish swam through the water in all different directions. Their shadows reflected against the roof. We watched them, awestruck.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," I spun around. A boy, jet black hair, wearing khaki pants and a white button shirt strode easily and calmly to us. Cynthia tensed up. I knew who he was, also. Carter, arrogant son of Zeus. "So, what, Gregory? Our side gets the good cabins and your side of the battle gets the trash. That seems right, seeing as all your father is trash"

I wasn't going to argue with him there, but he walked closer, and I unsheathed my sword. "One more step, and you'll be surrounded by Skeletal Warriors."

He made a sound which might have been a laugh. "Relax, freak. I'm just here to talk with you and your pitiful team. It's not like your warriors, or these two pathetic excuses for half-bloods could harm e, anyway."

"I'd watch the smack-talk, Carter," Cynthia threatened. "You are alone, and accidents happen." he produced a sword.

"Am I?" He asked, gesturing to the tank. "Meet the demi-god who has been assigned to help me retrieve the artifact."

Artifact? What was he talking about. I turned, and the fish in the tank had began to scatter, heading for safety. A large tail had begun to sweep through the tank, swirling the water around inside. It rolled up, and swiftly fell back down, trying to begin to move. The rest of the body of the creature was hidden behind the build of large artificial rock. But the creature soon pushed off the bottom of the glass and was exposed. It was a woman. And a fish. A mermaid.

"Woah..." Estelle mused. "She's... beautiful." the creature swam majestically through the tank, fish darting out of her pathway. Her golden-brown hair flowing wildly with the water. Her tail was longer than the extent of a humans' legs, and sparkled a green-blue, the same vibrant colors of the ocean. A golden belt was wrapped around her waist, along with a sheathed dagger, and she wore a silver tiara in her hair. Another piece of golden jewelery was a necklace with a ruby red gem as the charm. Tattoos of green and blue spiraled around her right arm like a wrap. As she swam, she swung her massive tail in an up-and-down motion, as would a child on a swing set, slowly and steadily. A blue-colored bikini was what she wore to cover herself.

She looked as if she was enjoying her entrance, all the attention that she was getting. She swam close to the glass, and as she passed me, she flashed a smile, exposing her perfect white teeth. She took a turn upwards, and extended her hands to touch the top of the tank and pulled herself up, her stomach pressed against the glass. I stood there, sword in hand, speechless. She looked at me, then back to Carter.

"This is the cousin you told me about, I presume?" she asked. He nodded. She looked back down on me. "You forgot to mention he was so devilishly handsome." she smiled again. "Come closer."

I was as close as I could get. I wasn't tall enough to reach even half the size of the enormous fish habitat. A raw feeling ran through me as she talked, her voice was like a dream. "I... I can't—"

"Carter, be useful and get our cousin a chair." Almost immediately, almost like it was rehearsed, Carter pulled a metal foldable chair up to the glass. I looked at Cynthia and Estelle, they both shook their heads, telling me not to get any closer, but the girl, she was so beautiful... and she wanted me to. I couldn't resist, her voice was just so tempting. So I took the chair, unfolded it, and I stood on it, still not meeting the full size of the tank, so she towered over me by at least a foot.

She looked down at me, a warm expression painted across her face. "Hello, Gregory," she said softly, gently. "I'm Alexandria, daughter of Poseidon." Alexandria, a name like a poem. I thought incoherently. What was this girl doing to me?

"I've never known I child of Poseidon to have such... abilities." I stammered. She giggled, as if I was a cute little five-year old who had a crush on his teacher.

"I am unique," she agreed, her brown-gold hair sticking to the sides of her head. "When I was born, I was Poseidon's five hundredth daughter, and to celebrate, he bestowed upon me gifts possessed by no other half-blood."

"I...I—" I got caught in my own words as if they were mouse traps. I glanced over at the other side of the room, there was an exit different from where we had entered through the Labyrinth.

"But as one can quickly learn," Alexandria the Mermaid continued, looking at her nails. "Gifts given by immortals often turn to curses." she said it with a tone of bitterness, but quickly recovered. "What's a Big Three son like you traveling with a bunch of minor-Olympian duds like these two?"

"Hey!" Protested Estelle. "I'm a daughter of Demeter!"

Alexandria rolled her eyes. "Ask me if I care." she looked back at me. "You don't belong with them. You're so much better. You belong with me, don't you think?"

I didn't answer, I just looked at her. Finally I shrugged. "I don't.... don't know where I belong." I stuttered.

"Trust me, you and I, we belong together. And I can prove it. By singing you one simple song, I can show you your past, present, future, and even your inner-most desires and wishes. Even some things you didn't know you wished for."

Cynthia gasped, I could see her from my peripheral vision. "Greg, snap out of it! She's a siren! Greg!" she yanked at my sleeve, but I pushed her away, not taking my eyes off the beautiful girl in front of me.

She looked me deep in the eyes, and opened her mouth, a low musical note that sounded like it was imported from Olympus rang through my eardrum. The mermaid then began on a higher note, almost like opera, except she picked a pitch and stayed there... and she didn't scream at the top of her lungs.

"Greg? Greg!" Cynthia pulled desperately at my clothing, but I was already entranced. The reflection against the glass of the fish tank showed a moving picture. The vision I saw was definitely my inner-most desire. My mom and I, sat around the table at dinnertime. That was it. Just that. Simple, and sweet, no monsters, no swords, no ghosts. We were having a normal family dinner, and that's all I ever wanted. A normal life with my mother. In the moving picture, she had obviously said a joke at my expense, because I wadded up my napkin and threw it across the table at her. I grew misty-eyed as we both started laughing. The siren stopped singing.

"Come with me Greg," she ordered. Part of me wanted to say No! I can't go with you, you'll kill me! You're fighting against my father! You only want me dead! Which was true, but I couldn't resist her. Estelle had joined in on pulling at my clothes, and my sword was gripped firmly in my hand.

"Alright."

The fish-woman grinned. She looked so much older than me, at least in her twenties. And I was only fourteen. But she reached her head down, and brought her lips to mine. I met her halfway, despite the screams from Estelle and Cynthia, and as our lips collided, signals flashed through my body, my stomach did a loop. I was in love. Or, at least I thought, until the mermaid grabbed me, pulling me into a flip over the side of the tank, and into the water, she dove in after me. Automatically, I felt her hands on my again, dragging me to the bottom of the tank, fish scurried out of our way in avoidance of being trampled. I felt my back hit the tiny rocks that rested against the bed of the aquarium, and Alexandria's hand slip over my throat, her other free hand holding on to my arm. I looked out of the glass, and watched as Carter advanced on Estelle, and Cynthia desperately made her way over to the tank that I was being drowned in, and stood on the chair I had stood on only moments ago. My lungs cried for air.

Alexandria hissed as she saw Cynthia coming, she temporarily raised her hand and the water on the surface reacted, separating by magic and splashing out at Cynthia, hitting her with enough force to knock her off the chair and into Estelle, whom I had just realized was unarmed.

You really are cute, I heard Alexandria's voice in my head. Too bad it had to be this way.

Wait! My sword! I still had my sword! Alexandria had a hand on my free arm, but she had forgotten to suspend my sword arm. I lashed out instinctively, my lungs screaming for air. I heard my sword swipe against the glass, and it chipped a bit, letting water spew from the crack. The mermaid saw what I was doing , and moved her hand from my throat to my sword arm, but I had already brought my knee up, and it collided with her stomach, she let out a gross sound that was amplified by the water, and I kicked again, except this time at the glass, and it burst open, first a small hole, but the pressure of the water pushing against it, trying to get out was unbearable to the glass, and it erupted, sending glass and water flying through the air. Alexandria and I both rolled out onto the floor. Her tail flapped.

"You little mongrel!" She cursed at me as I took deep breaths, feeling light-headed. "I think I rolled on a fish!"

I automatically scrambled to my feet, slipping on a fish that was gasping for a breath. I regained my balance, noticing that everyone else was trying to do the same. Everyone had been swept to their butts when the water rushed from the fish tanks.

I heard Alexandria begin to speak again. "Élat Notǻ!" Her tail shrunk and flattened, until she had two human feet covered by a pair of tight blue jeans. She got up, as if she did it every day, drew her knife and charged me. I sidestepped at the last moment, and she cried out as she slipped on the wet floor.

"Greg!" Cynthia called, she and Estelle were already headed for the exit.

"Duck!" Estelle added, and she threw a small purple object through the air, I ducked to the ground, and Carter and Alexandria, who had been advancing on me from behind, jumped back as they saw the object coming.

Wait, was that a grape?

Alexandria screamed, in her human form, she looked no older than I, but she also looked angry. The grape exploded in a purple bomb-like magical energy, I ran to meet them at the door. Cynthia pushed the door open, and the daylight stung my eyes, temporarily blinding me. We left with the sound of Alexandria screaming, "Did you just throw a grape at us?"

We got outside and ran through the streets of whatever city in whichever country we were in. We ducked into and alley and hid behind a trash dumpster.

"Let me get this straight," I said to Estelle, panting. "You fight with magical exploding fruits?"

She nodded. "Sometimes," she explained. "Other fruits have different effects." I rolled my eyes. "What?" she asked defensively. "I told you I needed them."

A/N notice I didn't thank anyone this chapter. That is because I forgot to thank her at the beginning and didn't feel like changing it. I don't feel like it now, either after hours of writing, so she will be thanked next chapter. And I'll tell you this because I don't want a thousand qeustions about it. First, yes, Carter and Alexandria are going to play a huge roll in this story, and the reason Alexandria's siren didn't work for the girl is because she's a... specail siren. That's all I'll say.