AN: Hey guys! Welcome back to another chapter of Elizabeth Jackson! As always, thank you so much for your continued support. I won't take up too much of your time with this Author's Note, but I did promise you info on whether or not my upload schedule would be changing. I've decided that if I can get the next chapter ready to be uploaded on Friday, then I will continue with the current schedule. If not, I will be switching to a Sunday/Wednesday upload schedule. I'm actually very far ahead with first drafts (like almost at the end far ahead), but there's a lot of work to go from first draft to what ends up getting posted. Trust me, you do not want to read my rough drafts. So yeah. Keep an eye out for the next chapter on Friday, and if you don't end up seeing it then, you will see it on Sunday (and hopefully much earlier in the day if I do post it Sunday).
Alright, that is enough from me. Here's the chapter. Enjoy! DFTBA!
Chapter 8: My Grandfather Gives Me Even More Bad News
The next morning, an emergency meeting of the Roman war council was called to session in the principia to discuss my quest. All the Centurions were there, including Matt, who's been hastily promoted minutes before the meeting. Nico was there, too. The quest was his idea, after all, so it made sense for him to be there to explain the finer points. Elesa and Spencer were brought in on video message. I brought Theo and Jocelyn with me. I still planned on bringing Emily as the magic expert/guide, but if I brought her to the meeting at the start, everyone would know I was going to bring her, and it looked like I'd be facing stiff resistance from a couple of the Centurions anyway, or rather, one which made no sense seeing as I was even a Roman camper. So I'd quickly briefed Emily on everything before being called into the meeting. She'd agreed to come with me, which I was grateful for.
"Right," Tony said once everyone had settled into place, "this meeting has been called to order because Nico di Angelo has arranged a quest for Elizabeth Jackson. Mr. di Angelo, would you please explain the situation?"
"As you may know," Nico said, "I've been assisting your camps in the war effort as best as I am able. The spirits of the dead make decent spies. Not perfect, but I have been able to gather some important information. Thanks to a tip off from Elizabeth last year, I was able to focus my spying efforts on what Gaius was planning to do with the Labyrinth. I have discovered his plan."
One of the Centurions, a dark skinned girl with equally dark hair, rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "The Labyrinth, you said? I thought the Labyrinth was gone."
Another one of the Centurions spoke up – one I recognized, actually. It was one of Tony's friends that I'd met a couple years ago, Luke Eddy. He was a slender young man with wire frame glasses. "To answer your question, Rochelle, a new Labyrinth was constructed during the war with Gaea and the giants. A product of the sorceress, Pasiphaë."
"Pasiphaë is Gaius's play," Nico said. "He's going into the Labyrinth to get her help with a spell of some sort. We have very strong evidence suggesting that he stole a spell book belonging to Hecate, and he's using the information in that book to cast some sort of spell. But clearly, he needs help with it. Otherwise it would have been cast by now. That's why he's going into the Labyrinth – he wants Pasiphaë's help. And it makes sense that he would go to her. She's one of the most powerful magicians that ever lived."
Devon Roberts sneered. "So we're just going to send the Jackson girl into the maze to do… what exactly? Defeat the sorceress before Gaius can get to her? What if she fails? Or worse, what if Gaius catches her? She's already shown that she can't handle the son of Kronos."
Before I even knew what I was doing, I lunged forward. Before anyone could react, I had Devon by the front of his shirt and was holding him up in the air. He wasn't very tall, so his feet dangled above the floor. Was her heavy? Yeah, he was, but I was so angry, I didn't even register the fact. The jibe had gone way too far. "Shut up!" I spat. "You've never faced Gaius. None of you have."
"Elizabeth, put him down," barked Elesa over the video call. I looked over at the television screen displaying her and Spencer. Elesa's storm grey eyes were so dark they were nearly black. I dropped Devon none-too-gently and returned to my seat, fuming. Theo and Jocelyn laid a hand on each of my shoulders. I was pretty sure it was to restrain me if my temper boiled over again.
"To answer your questions," Nico said smoothly, as if nothing ever happened, "she and her partners need not defeat Pasiphaë on their own, at least not permanently. The plan is this: she goes into the maze, subdues Pasiphaë temporarily, and brings her to the surface where a team will help subdue Pasiphaë more permanently. This is important, because Elizabeth's group will likely be tailed by hordes of monsters. What if she fails? She won't. What else did you ask? Oh yes, what if Gaius catches her. The Labyrinth is vast, so the likelihood that their groups will cross paths is slim. Even if they do, Elizabeth would have the best chance of getting out of Gaius's captivity alive. Gaius refuses to kill her because he believes that they have some great prophecy together."
"And is that true?" one of the other Centurions asked me. I recognized her as one of Tony's friends, too: Alicia Hilton, a pretty Asian girl with streaks of red in her hair, big brown eyes, and flawless skin.
I shifted awkwardly in my seat, "I'm not sure. No one seems to know what the prophecy is, though several of the gods I've encountered have indicated that I have an important destiny, even though they claim not to know the details."
"And if you think about it," Sierra said, "it doesn't really matter whether or not there really is a prophecy about Elizabeth."
"That's true," Amy said. "If believing there is prevents Gaius from killing her, should they meet, then Elizabeth is the ideal candidate for this quest."
"I disagree," Devon said. "Elizabeth Jackson has had her chance to prove herself worthy. Her first quest was clearly beginner's luck, because she lost her arm on her second. Even when Percy Jackson went to Tartarus, he didn't fail so badly as to be permanently maimed."
The pressure on my shoulders increased, which was a good thing, because I almost lunged at Devon again. All the things I'd been telling myself were being thrown at my face by another person, and it hurt like Hades. I was so angry and in pain that I couldn't speak. Luckily, I didn't have to. Several people opened their mouths at once to defend me, but my brother beat all of them to the punch. "Shut up about my sister!" he roared. "And don't you dare bring our father into this you self-centered asshole!"
"This is the attitude of our newest Centurion?" Devon sneered. "We don't need a Centurion who can't control his temper."
"And we don't need a Centurion who has no sense of decency!" Tony barked. A hush fell over the room. "Devon, you will hold your tongue or else you shall be punished for insubordination. Because Elizabeth is part of Camp Half-Blood, it is not up to us to tell her whether or not she can lead this quest. That is up to her superiors. Frankly, we are just here so that we know what's going on."
Everyone looked at the screen, where Spencer and Elesa were watching everything. "It's fine by me," said Spencer.
Elesa considered a moment, meeting my eyes. I'm not sure what she was thinking, but I silently pleaded my case. Elesa nodded. "I approve as well."
"Theo and Jocelyn are your quest partners, I assume?" Amy asked.
"Well, you see, the Oracle back at Camp Half-Blood gave a prophecy," I said slowly. "The full details are not important and they are my business," I added before anyone could ask. "But it did say that the quest would have five members. So Theo and Jocelyn are only two of my companions. I also need a guide, someone skilled with magic. I would like to bring Emily Zhang as my guide, if that's okay."
Nico looked at me in surprise. Emily was his niece, and I was sure he didn't like the idea of her going into danger. But just as the decision on whether or not I could go into the Labyrinth didn't lie with my parents, the decision on whether Emily could did not lie with Nico. He seemed to understand that, though he didn't seem to be the hugest fan of the idea. Devon didn't look like the hugest fan, either, but he kept his mouth shut for fear of the promised punishment. Sierra and Tony looked at each other. "So this is more than just keeping us in the loop, then? You need our permission for Emily to go?" Sierra asked. I nodded.
"It's fine with us," Tony replied. "So long as her Centurions agree. Leila, Rochelle?"
Rochelle turned to the girl next to her, who I could only assume was her co-Centurion, Leila. Leila was a Middle Eastern girl – or at least I assumed she was based on her skin tone and the head scarf framing her face. They chatted quietly for a few seconds. Then Leila turned to me. "Emily Zhang is on probatio. You understand that right? She's not yet a fully-fledged member of the Legion. She's not proven herself yet."
"She just hasn't had a chance to," I said. "I'm not bothered by the fact that she's still on probatio. I trust her. She's the right person to bring, I know it. I already spoke with her, and she's willing to do it as long as you grant her permission."
Leila and Rochelle turned to each other, exchanged a few more words quietly, then turned back to me. "Alright, that's fine with us," Rochelle said.
"That's four," Matt pointed out. "Who else are you going to take?"
"Actually, Matt," I said, "I was hoping it would be you. Will you come on this quest?"
"Objection," Devon said, no longer able to hold in his grievances. He turned to Tony and Sierra. "First you made the mistake of making this boy a Centurion. Do not send him away while he still knows nothing of his role."
That was too much for Tony, who shot to his feet, red in the face. "Insubordination!" he yelled. "Outside, now!" Devon scrambled to his feet and flew out of the room at light speed. The sight of Devon running away with his tail between his legs brought me a lot of satisfaction. Tony took a deep breath, then said, more calmly, "I'm sorry everyone. If you'll excuse me, I have a disciplinary problem to handle. Sierra, the meeting is all yours."
Sierra shifted nervously in the Praetor's seat, but she nodded. She adjusted her new purple cloak about herself as Tony left the room. She cleared her throat. "Right. So. Since Matt is a Centurion, so long as the Praetors approve it and he agrees, he can go on the quest. And I approve it."
"Thank you, Sierra," Matt said, though he wouldn't meet her eyes. He turned back to me. "I will go on your quest."
I smiled gratefully, though a weight settled in my stomach. Would Matt be the one to die on this quest? Which one of my friends was doomed? I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind before they could take control.
Luke Eddy cleared his throat. "Sierra? Are we going to provide resources for this quest? It is a joint venture between our camps."
"Yes, of course," Sierra said. "What resources do you need, Elizabeth?"
"Not much," I said, trying to forestall any other arguments there might be. While no one had attacked me like Devon, a couple Centurions looked unhappy at the thought of allocating me too many resources. "We don't need much money, since we'll probably spend most of our time in the Labyrinth. Flashlights would be helpful, though. Maybe those ones that can clip to backpack straps? If you have them, of course. And some medical supplies, maybe?"
"It will be done," Sierra said. "Is there anything else?"
"What about transportation to the Labyrinth?" Amy asked.
"The nearest entrance is on top of Mount Tamalpais," Nico said. "I'll shadow travel them there around sunset. That gives Elizabeth and her team several hours to prepare."
"You mentioned a team waiting to help Elizabeth more permanently subdue Pasiphaë," Leila pointed out. "Do you have a team already assembled?"
"I do," Nico said. "And they'll be waiting on top of Mount Tamalpais as well."
Sierra looked around the group. There were no other comments, so she said, "Alright, meeting adjourned. Luke, would you please gather the supplies we have agreed to supply for Elizabeth's quest? The rest of you, back to work."
The Centurions all got up and began departing. The video call disconnected, but not before Elesa shot me one last appraising look. Matt turned to me. "I'll go pack. I'll also be sure to fill Emily in on everything. Do you want to meet right outside when it's time to go?"
I nodded. "Just before sunset. And Matt. Thanks."
He nodded, then turned to leave. Pretty soon, it was just me, Theo, Jocelyn, and Nico with Sierra, slumped in her Praetor's chair. She was rubbing her temples. "Stressful first day," she muttered. She glanced up at us. "Theo, Jocelyn, thank you for keeping quiet during the meeting. I have a feeling that if you'd said anything it would have only added fuel to Devon's fire."
"I did, too," Jocelyn said.
"I just didn't have anything intelligent to say during the meeting," Theo said.
"Oh, Theo," Jocelyn teased, "you never have anything intelligent to say."
"Hey!"
"I thought that these things were usually senate meetings?" I asked Sierra.
"During peace time," she said. "During war time, Praetors have the prerogative to conduct war business in whatever fashion they want. Tony and my predecessor, Valencia, decided to do it this way."
Nico turned to us. "I'll be back just before sunset," he said. "I have some last minute things to take care of."
"Who's guarding the entrance we'll be taking?" I asked before he could shadow travel away.
"You'll see this evening," Nico said. "I like to save some surprises. But I think you'll be pleased." With that, he strode to the corner of the room where there was a decent shadow and melted into it. My friends and I turned back to Sierra, who seemed deep in thought.
She looked up at me and smiled sadly. "You'd better go pack, Elizabeth. It looks like we won't be doing much catching up today."
I had several things to take care of before Nico got back, but lots of time to do so. I packed my bag, went over to the stables to tell Rocco I was going on a quest and to feel free to return to Camp Half-Blood, and sent Augustus a text explaining why I wouldn't be back so soon. He was still away on his quest in Pennsylvania, so a call probably wasn't the best idea. Plus a call would've inevitably led to a drawn out conversation and I didn't really want that. After all of that, I still had a lot of time to kill, and I didn't want to hang around in the Greek campsite. Theo and Jocelyn were pestering me about the contents of my prophecy, and I wasn't going to share it with anyone. It was just too frightening. So I wandered around Camp Jupiter aimlessly. Eventually, I found myself leaving the camp proper and wandering over to Temple Hill, to the temple of Neptune.
I stood in front of the altar in the modest building. Today, the offering of choice was a bowl of assorted fruits. I wasn't sure why I was here. Poseidon hadn't spoken to me in more than a year. I wasn't sure why he would now. Still, I attempted to reach out. "Grandfather," I said softly, "I know we haven't spoken in a while, but in the past you've always given me guidance for my quests. Please, help me again now."
There was silence. Of course it didn't work, I thought angrily. It was stupid to hope it would.
"Not that stupid," came a deep voice in reply, making me jump. I whirled around. Standing in the temple's doorway was my grandfather, though he looked a little different. He was taller and leaner. His smile lines, while present, were not as deep. His beard was well-trimmed. Most important of all, he wasn't wearing that repulsive Hawaiian shirt he normally wore. Instead, he wore a fancy uniform, like the captain of a cruise ship.
"I see that I surprised you," he said with a chuckle.
"I just… I didn't think you would respond," I said. "I haven't heard anything from you all year."
My grandfather sighed. "After our last chat, Zeus and I had a little spat. He seems to think I've been too cavalier giving out information to you. I was forbidden further contact with you."
"So how are you here?"
Poseidon smiled slightly. "Zeus told Poseidon he couldn't contact you anymore, but Jupiter never said anything about it to Neptune." I actually laughed aloud. The loophole was brilliant. "It is a loophole I could only exploit here in my temple," Poseidon, or rather, Neptune, went on. "And I fear that even so, this shall be the last time we talk for a long time. So please, listen carefully. We do not have long before Jupiter notices." I nodded, ready for whatever information he had.
"While you are in the Labyrinth," Neptune said, "most gods will be unable to reach you or help you. The maze and its creator are too crafty, even for Death. However, there are two gods who have powerful spheres of influence in the maze and may be able to help you, should you prove yourself worthy."
"Which gods?"
Neptune shook his head. "If I said, then Jupiter would notice immediately, and I would be unable to give you my warning." Warning? That sounded ominous. "I will say, though, that the two gods who might help you were never worshipped by the Greeks." Which meant they were Roman gods. I started compiling a mental list of Roman-only gods.
"You mentioned a warning just now," I said. "I'm almost afraid to ask after your last warning to me," I held up my robot arm, "but what is it?"
"You must not die in the Labyrinth."
I felt chills run down my spine, as Neptune's words reminded me of my prophecy. At the end a friend will die. Still, the warning seemed pretty obvious. "Oh darn," I said in a flat voice. "I was really hoping to give that death thing a try. I hear it's all the rage these days."
"Elizabeth," Neptune said seriously, "dying in the Labyrinth is not like dying anywhere else. Thanatos himself cannot penetrate the maze. That's why so many Underworld escapees have taken refuge there. However, that also means that if you do die there, your soul will not go to the Underworld. Instead, your soul will belong to Pasiphaë."
The room seemed to drop ten degrees. I zipped up my leather jacket nervously. "That uh… sounds bad."
"Pasiphaë hates the gods and our descendants," he continued. "She would like nothing more than to own your souls, especially that of your friend Emily, whose mother disgraced Pasiphaë so badly."
The belt was wrapping around my chest again, but I refused to lose my cool in front of Neptune. "So, let me review," I said. "There are only two gods that might be able to help me in the Labyrinth and don't die or else Pasiphaë will own my soul forever?"
"That is correct," Neptune said. He laid a hand on my shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something else, but just then thunder shook the hillside. Neptune sighed. "Jupiter has discovered the loophole. I must leave. Goodbye, Elizabeth, and good luck."
There was a gust of sea wind, and Neptune was gone. I hurried out of the temple and found a solitary spot as quickly as I could. I sat down hard. The Labyrinth was so real now. And according to my prophecy, not only was I going to fail, but someone was going to die. Plus, I very well might run into Gaius again. I couldn't help it. I fell into a panic attack like it was Tartarus itself.
When the sun was getting low in the sky, I met my team mates in front of the principia. Jocelyn and Theo were chatting with Luke Eddy, who was handing over our Camp Jupiter provided supplies. Jocelyn wore a brown duster over her orange camp t-shirt. Her short caramel was unusually tied back. On one hip hung a holster with her gun. In the past, she'd used a revolver, but this time she carried with her a 9mm. I wondered why she'd made the change. On her other hip, her whip made of Celestial Bronze filaments dangled from a belt loop. Theo was putting the new supplies in his backpack, which could transform into his bow and quiver at a moment's notice. A handy magic item. Not many people could say that their weapon also served as storage. He'd also strapped a knife to his thigh, just in case he got caught in close quarters fighting.
A little bit away, Emily was talking with Riley. She's pulled back her frizzy hair and wrapped it in a red bandana. Instead of the standard issue gladius all Legionnaires got, Emily had a spatha, one of the Roman cavalry swords, swung over her back. It was strapped in such a way that her backpack was slung over it. I had another surge of guilt, and I almost told Emily I'd changed my mind about having her along. She was so young, after all, and when we found Pasiphaë, she'd no doubt try extra hard to kill Emily. But I shoved it aside. Emily was no younger than I was on my first quest. And it was too late to change plans now, anyway.
Emily and Riley high fived, then went off in opposite directions. Emily towards me, Riley back to his barracks. He waved goodbye to all of us as he left, yelling out, "Good luck."
Emily must have seen some of my worry in my face. "What is it?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing besides the fact that we're about to embark on an extremely dangerous quest," I said.
Matt also stood apart from the rest of the group, having what looked like a pretty serious conversation with Amy. His new Centurion badge was pinned to the front of his purple t-shirt. His gladius was strapped to his waist. Amy looked concerned, worried even. Matt looked determined. After a few more moments of quiet conversation, Amy hugged Matt tightly. Matt hesitated before hugging back. It lasted quite a while. Then, Matt and Amy split apart and walked over to us. I noticed that Matt was blushing slightly, but I didn't give him any crap about it. At least, not yet.
"I just wanted to see you all off," Amy said.
"Thanks," I replied. "I know losing your co-Centurion can't be easy. I'll make sure to get Matt back to you as soon as possible."
"That's appreciated," Amy said. "And hey, maybe you can knock a few of those loose screws back into place while you're on this quest."
"Hey," Matt protested.
"I'll try," I said. "Though those screws have been loose as long as I can remember. Might take a while."
"Hey!" Matt protested.
"Are you making fun of someone without me?" Jocelyn asked, turning away from Luke Eddy.
I laughed. "Sorry, Joce."
Just then, the doors to the principia opened, and Sierra, Tony, and Nico all came out. Tony shook all of our hands, wishing us luck. When he got to me, he added, "You'll do well, Elizabeth. I have the utmost faith in you."
I tried not to throw up when he said that. "Thank you, Tony," I said. "I'll certainly do my best."
Sierra hugged me. "Good luck, Elizabeth," she said. "Stay safe."
I rolled my eyes. "It's not possible to stay safe on a quest. But I'll do my best to stay in one piece. Or keep what's left of me in one piece, anyway."
Sierra and Tony stood back, as did Amy and Luke. Nico stepped forward. "Are you all ready?" We each nodded in turned. Nico held out his hand. "Then grab hold." We linked hands and grabbed onto Nico's. I looked up at Sierra, Tony, Amy, and Luke one last time and tried to smile confidently, though I'm pretty sure it just came across as a grimace. Then we faded into our own shadow.
AN: See you guys either on Friday or on Sunday!
