I'm am an awful person who can't seem to write consistently. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Good news though, I'm back (literally and metaphorically) and have a lot of writing to do. This chapter's a little shorter than the others, but not by much. Besides, it was the right way to end it, cliff hanger and all. Oh, by the way Octavian's name has been changed to Octavius. Long story that will be explained at bottom. Enjoy, and as always, read and review!

Chapter 6: Fine, Done

I was getting tired of naming various ways to get to a place that didn't seem to have an exact location, or at least that particular memory as to the coordinates didn't appear to have come with the package.

"For what I have counted to be the sixteenth time, I only know east coast, up north maybe, really close to a body of water."

"Everything's close to a body of water," Reyna said, her face muffled by laying face down on a pillow.

"Okay, an ocean then," I said, throwing my hands up in frustration.

"An ocean? So, anywhere on either coast?" Bobby asked, sarcastically.

"No, the gods wouldn't have put the Roman demigods and the Greek demigods so close to each other. It would make more sense to have them, I mean us, on opposite coasts. Harder to run into each other and stuff," Reyna reasoned.

"The question remains," I said in an exasperated voice, "how do you get to a place that you don't know where it is?"

"Why not the labyrinth?" Bobby threw out. "It has an entrance directly into the camp. Then, technically we don't have to know exactly where we're going, so why not the labyrinth?" Bobby asked again.

"Because, Bobby, the ending of that story was the destruction of the labyrinth," I pointed out. "Besides," I continued, a shiver going through my spine, "I wouldn't go back in there without good reason."

"You don't think you'd use it to get back home?" Bobby asked with a raised brow.

I didn't respond.

"Even if the labyrinth was up and running," Reyna inputted, "that doesn't change the fact that we have no idea where this Greek camp is."

"It wouldn't matter if we had a mortal with the ability to see through the mist. That Rachel girl was able to lead Percy and his friends to places they had never been to. If we could do the same, Percy would be back among the Greeks in no time."

Bobby had a point, but that point alone wasn't going to raise the labyrinth again.

Voicing this though out loud, Reyna said, "But the labyrinth was destroyed, Bobby. Daedalus himself died with it."

"Ah, and that is where Percy's new friend comes in."

"What new friend?" I asked, completely confused, not that talking to Bobby didn't usually leave me scratching my head.

"That sorceress girl who gave you back your memory," he said as though it were obvious.

"Technically she stole it from Hera, who originally took it," I muttered bitterly, wondering why on earth Hera would take away my life, and plop me (almost literally) into a new one.

"Details," Bobby said, waving his hand as though swatting a particularly annoying fly.

"Plus there's no definite that she'll help us."

"Doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

"She just might if we do," I told him, remembering the look in her eyes as magic coursed through her.

"Well I'm going. Going to this Greek camp might give us answers about Jason, too," he said, looking pointedly at Reyna. "And she might be able to get you home without using the labyrinth, but it would be great if she could."

Reyna and I sat in silence. I did not want to go back. She had seemed welcoming enough, considering I practically barged in at 3 in the morning, but something told me that was a one time deal. But Reyna was about ready to give in and go with Bobby, Jason was going to pull her along.

"Fine," I relented, after Reyna had agreed. "You two are gonna need some back up."

"Oh, good, you got the visiting hours notice," Sophie said sarcastically as she opened the door and leaned against the frame as casually as though we were old friends having a chat over her threshold on a nice, warm summer morning.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, shrugging my shoulders.

"And you brought friends," she continued in that sarcastic tone.

"Yeah," was my witty comeback.

She gave us all a good look over, eyebrows raised, then, as though coming to an expected yet unfortunate conclusion, kicked her door open wide and said, "Well, I'm not getting rid of you, obviously, and lucky for you, I'm bored."

"Thought you said that you had an appointment later today," I countered, a little annoyed at her attitude, but still no wanting to push it.

"Pfft," she chuckled, plopping down on the little chair, and gesturing for us to take on seat on the sofa. However, it turned out that as we were fully armed and armored, Bobby took one for the team and said the floor, his back resting against Reyna's legs.

"What do you mean, pfft?" Reyna asked, puzzled.

"I mean, I was meeting Octavius," she said, with a great laugh.

It took me a minute before I got it. "You mean Snake."

"Oh, yes, I forgot that's what everyone else calls him. I suppose they're all scared of him now a days."

"Of him now a days?" Bobby asked, mirth evident in his voice. "What? Was he a big teddy-" Reyna cut him off, giving him a small kick, and Sophie a tight smile.

"That's right," Reyna said.

Sophie just rolled her eyes. "What exactly do you want?" her tone changing from lightly sarcastic and amused to annoyed and irritated.

None of us said anything for the longest time. Sophie finally got up and went into the adjoining kitchen. From our position on the couch (or on Bobby's case, the floor) we could easily her as she moved around, making something or another.

As a small growl escaped my stomach, I fleeting hoped that it was breakfast, but after seeing what looked like a pair of eyes go in a steaming pot, I immediately lost my appetite.

"Is the labyrinth lost beyond hope?" Bobby finally asked quietly.

Sophie froze and turned towards us. "The labyrinth? That old toy of Daedalus'?" she asked curiously.

"Uh, sure," I said, trying to figure out how anyone could call a architectural structure that enjoyed toying with your mind and trying to kill you an old toy.

"No."

"No what?" Reyna asked for us.

"No, it's still around, just . . . dormant, I guess you could say."

"What do you mean dormant?" I asked, I felt like I had been asking a lot. "I heard it crash of it collapsing coming out of Zeus' Fist."

"Let me put it another way. The magic it possessed is still there, if one were to revive that magic, the labyrinth would reform." By this point Sophie had come back, the drink she had previously been making, a ghastly color of gray and steaming, in hand, and was now sitting in the chair.

"Would you be willing to bring it back?" Reyna asked, slapping Bobby on the back of his head as he tried to get a better look at the liquid. Sophie had sat down on the coffee table.

"For a price," she shrugged, taking a drink of the gray substance.

"Another favor?" I asked, knowingly.

She smiled slyly, and just shrugged. "You want to try it?" She asked Bobby, never taking her eyes off me.

"Huh?" Bobby said, as Sophie's head swiveled in his direction.

"Resolutio vapore, do you want to try?"

"Paralysis steam?" Bobby asked, his face screwing up trying to gather the common sense to say no.

"Very good, the ancient Romans called it this because it would stop any agitation in the body, allowing faster reflexes, stopped tremors, or, well, paralyzed you."

"The steam part?" Bobby egged her on, clearly interested.

"It will remain steaming, not matter hold cold it becomes."

"So if I drink it, I'll be paralyzed?" he asked, still interested in taking a sip for some gods known reason.

"Not if you only have a sip," she told him, not at all reassuringly, while holding out the cup. "Actually you'd have to have more than a sip, since you have ADHD. It would only steady your nerves and increase your reflexes briefly."

With a cock of the head and a shrug, Bobby downed nearly of the cup. Thank the gods it was a small cup.

Swishing it around in his mouth for a few seconds, Bobby swallowed it and coughed.

After a second, Sophie stood and went back to the kitchen, cleaning up the mess she had made while making the potion.

"How do you feel?" Reyna asked tentatively.

Bobby gagged, and continued gagging, clutching at his throat, his body jerking violently.

"Bobby!" Reyna screamed, quickly moving to kneel over him. "Percy help me," she called over her shoulder.

Without a second thought, I rushed to Bobby's side, pinning him down which proved to be stronger than anticipated.

Reyna was still screaming Bobby's name, and we were both trying to restrain him. Sophie, on the other hand was as cool as a cucumber, leaning against the kitchen counter and watching the episode unfold as cool as a cat.

"Do something!" Reyna yelled at her. "Do something!"

"Oh, you people are so emotional," Sophie groaned, while turning around and supporting herself by leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Help, please," I asked her, as calm as I could, silently freaking out on the inside.

With a flick of her finger, Bobby lay perfectly still, except his rapidly rising and falling chest as he tried to catch his breath.

"I thought you said I would be calm and stuff," Bobby said, more disappointed than anything else.

"You will be now. The . . . episode you just experienced wasn't due to the potion," Sophie explained, hoisting herself onto the counter.

"You did this?" Reyna exclaimed, clearly pissed.

"Well, I wanted to see your reaction, allows me to get to know you better and whether or not I should raise the labyrinth for you, you know."

"No!" Reyna exclaimed. "I don't know. What I do know is that Bobby almost died! And that you were responsible."

"Plu-eaze," she muttered, rolling her eyes for what I was pretty sure had to be the thousandth time since we had set foot in her apartment. "He was just in serious pain. And I learned that Bobby has a rather high tolerance for that, is willing to take a risk, and is curious. You care deeply for your friends, have some seriously annoying motherly instincts, and that Percy is the one with the head on straight, somewhat anyway, among the three of you."

"You could have just asked," Bobby muttered under his breath, rubbing a spot on his head that had hit the floor pretty hard when he was flailing around.

WIth a chuckle Sophie said, "But what fun would that have been. Besides, now you three know not to mess with me."

"We, or I, knew that before," I said quietly, not looking her directly in the eyes.

After a few minutes of recuperation, Sophie asked, "So ready for the labyrinth?"

"What?" I asked, amazed. I mean this was a little to good to be true.

"Yeah, sure. If you've got a hundred bucks."

So it wasn't true.

"Why?" Bobby asked.

"Hundred bucks short on my rent," she said, nonchalantly, pouring herself another drink, smelling strongly of alcohol.

"Your rent?" I said slowly, wanting to make sure I heard right.

"Yeah, Travis, the guy that let's me crash here, gives me a break on the rent. I feel bad when I can't even come up with the slashed rate. I mean, he's got two little girls to raise. It's depressing the think about, and makes me want to throw up a little bit."

"What?"

Shaking her head, "Man, I used to be take no prisoners, didn't need magic, rarin' to go. Look at me now, Mom would be ashamed, feeling bad for weakling mortals," she finished almost bitterly.

"O-o-k-k-ay," I drawled, not really sure where to go from there. Bobby, on the other hand, was scrounging around in his pocket, pulled what looked like a wad of just what we needed.

"As luck would have it," he said with an impish grin, "the grand total comes to $108. Takers, takers, and takers?"

Sophie held out her hand expectantly, and Bobby counted out the one hundred dollars. She recounted the money herself. Then, appearing to approve, she went over to a cookie jar and stuffed the money down in it.

"Now our part of the bargain," Reyna all but commanded with gritted teeth, "How do we even know you can raise the labyrinth."

"I've got more witchy mojo than you know, dear," she retorted, snidely.

We all just stood there, in what I thought was an awkward moment, but Sophie obviously didn't think so because she just kept staring, like she was sizing us up.

"Are you gonna do it or not?" Reyna finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Fine," Soph said curtly, walking over to one of the, what I had presumed to be a bedroom or bathroom door, and swung it open with a great flourish, revealing a swirling darkness. "Done."

The Son of Neptune has recently come out. I had no idea until, like, two days ago. The long story short, I somehow ended up at a bookstore today and just so happened upon it. Guess Fortuna is in a good mood today (pun very much intended). Anyways, started reading and I have decided that I want to incorporate some of the book in here (i.e. Roman camp set up, Octavian *cough* name change reason for Snake *cough*, maybe Reyna's title and relationship with Percy, oh, and bigger part for those Hazel and Frank demigods). It will NOT change the story line I have in mind. Reyna and Bobby will still go on the quest with Percy into the labyrinth where a very strange world will appear. Just wanted to know, so my updating doesn't alarm anyone because you can't find the new chapter. It might just be a change in the previous chapter. Not finished with the SON book yet, so I'm not sure what will be added, but I like the idea of the camp set up, the differences from Greek, fauns (Don's a laugh), Nico, the Senate, and Octavian- a nightmare to stuffed animals everywhere. Let me know what you think!