Chris was getting sick of wandering pointlessly. He was in an abandoned subway tunnel now— or at least, he hoped it was abandoned. It wouldn't surprise him if trains ran through the Labyrinth on a regular basis just to crush unsuspecting demigods under their wheels. To be safe, Chris stayed away from the tracks as best he could.

There was no chance that this was where Daedalus hid his workshop. Well, there was a chance, but that seemed highly unlikely. Demigods did not have luck, and that would be lucky. The signs were in French and English, so Chris figured he was somewhere in Canada. If he was, then it was either the one warm part or the Canadians heated their subways.

He was walking calmly, hands in pockets, back beginning to get sore from his pack, when he heard the fight. Immediately, he started running, and when Chris started running, he typically got places very quickly. But not quickly enough this time.

Beside the tracks, he saw an auburn-haired boy stab a sword into the side of a large monster that defied description— it was a furry, four legged thing with sharp teeth, like a lot of very dangerous creatures. There were cracks in the ground around the fight, which didn't seem the right size or shape to be gouges caused by the fight.

"Hey!," Chris called out. "Are you okay?"

The boy turned around. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. Who are you?"

They were close enough now that Chris didn't need to shout. "My name's Chris. I heard you fighting that thing, thought I should help."

"Oh. Well, I didn't need it."

"I saw. So, what brings you to the maze of death?"

"I went on a quest. Successfully. But I'm having some trouble getting back."

"I thought all quests had to have three members?"

"The Labyrinth is worse the larger your traveling group. Well, in terms of the shifting. It's a bit easier to kill the monsters with an assistant."

"Do you have anything to help you navigate?"

"Not yet. There's a navigation rune on my arm, but if I said I thought it was doing much good I'd be lying. So, what's your story?"

"I'm questing too, or trying to, but I'm, um, not on that side of the war. I hope that doesn't put you off. I'd tell you what I'm looking for, but if you do make it out, can't risk Olympus knowing."

"Seriously?"

"What? Look, there are a lot of reasons for my life choices. Maybe if I explained them, you'd decide to fight for Kronos too."

The boy rolled his eyes. "It's really not that." He pulled a silver chain from underneath his shirt, from which dangled a set of dog tags.

"Oh. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because if I did and you were from camp, Olympus would know we're looking at the Labyrinth."

"They wouldn't know why."

"They could figure it out pretty easily."

"So, you're headed back to the base?"

"If all works out, which it probably wont."

"I'm trying to get to the center. I guess that puts us in opposite directions."

"So we should travel together."

Chris asked perplexedly,"How did you get the from 'opposite directions'?"

"That way, no matter which way we end up going, we're headed towards someone's goal. Besides, I'm keeping an eye out for a spell I was told could help me navigate for real."

"But won't the Labyrinth get nastier?"

"Slightly. But it'll be less boring too."

"Not the sort of less boring that I want."

"I didn't mean— I meant that we could talk to each other instead of driving ourselves insane with internal monologue."

"Oh. That is the sort of less boring I want."

"Then let's move. Which way are we walking? I just entered through the door on the side there."

Chris pointed in the right direction. For some reason it felt like they were forgetting something important, but he couldn't pinpoint what… oh. That was obvious.

"My name's Chris, by the way."

"Alabaster."


Ethan stared at the new arrival. She was more handsome than Thalassa, more dignified, with a haughty face. Her expression was anything else, though: a wide grin stretched across her face. The two goddesses embraced.

"Tethys, it has been a very long time."

"I know. I was just let out of Tartarus, can you believe that? Kronos is freeing all the Titans from the pit?"

"All of them?"

"All the ones that didn't fail him horrible last time."

Ethan felt like a giant third wheel, which was funny because he hadn't even chosen to be there.

"So, who's your guest?" asked Tethys.

"A demigod. I'm accepting sacrifices from a Labyrinth now, can you believe that?"

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"Anything not to fade, you know, Poseidon gives me much less credit than Oceanus did."

"Oh! My husband is preparing an offensive against that little upstart, getting all the old sea gods together for a rumble. You want to help out?"

"I can try. I'm not very powerful anymore."

"Look, I've got orders to recruit some demigods for Kronos. Do you have enough strength to give up this one? I promise to find my own next time." Ethan couldn't believe his luck. This goddess was just going to take him where he wanted to go?

"No," said Thalassa, crushing Ethan's hopes.

"Oh, come on, just one kid?"

"I need my tribute Tethys."

"But Kronos will get mad, and that's really bad." Ethan had an idea.

"Bad for you, and temporarily. Fading is forever." Ignoring their fight, he inched closer and closer to the gap in the wall from Tethys' entrance."

"I'll find you some more!"

"It won't count. You aren't a mortal."

"Neither is the Labyrinth." Ethan was in front of the hole now.

"But it was built by a mortal, and that's enough." He ducked through it, sliding away quietly.

"Thalassa, I'm sorry. I get it, you can— hey, where'd he go?"


Alabaster listened to Chris describe the mission Luke has assigned, and everything he had gone through to get it. They had been talking for at least half an hour.

"Good thing you killed that monokerata quickly," Alabaster commented. "They have poisonous horns."

"Of course they do. I couldn't just end up fighting a normal monster, could I? Anyways, what's your story?"

"There's a rancher who raises monsters, and I was sent to find him and get him to sell to us."

"How did you manage to get there?"

"Mostly? I ran into some sacred sun cattle that had gotten lost and stuck with them until the rancher sent his lackey to get them. They were too valuable to just let run off.."

"Wouldn't the keeper of sacred cattle be on the side of Olympus?"

"Geryon is on his own side, mostly, and the side of fabulous wealth. He's now getting paid by both sides."

"So, can I hear about the Marvelous Escapades of Alabaster C. Torrigton?"

"Not too much to say about the way in. I may have gotten on the bad side of a volcano goddess."

"Let me hear about that."

"Okay, so the goddess Aitna is the mountain where Typhon— big monster that almost defeated the gods— is trapped. Anyway, her new home is Mt. Saint Helens, and the Labyrinth brought me right to her before I could run hastily in another direction."

"Was she mad at you or something?"

"She was worried about Typhon being freed by Kronos, and wouldn't accept my word that it wasn't part of the current plan. You know, me having reasons to deceive her and everything."

"That actually sounds like a good idea, especially if we drew them to a place where they couldn't defend the Empire State Building."

"I know, right? I'm thinking if I ever get back, I'll suggest it to Luke."

"Alright, so that's all you're going to tell me about your trip to the ranch. What about the way back?"

"Well, I saw this drakon attacking a younger kid, and then I killed it. But the drakon had already bit the kid, so though I was trying to save him, it didn't look good. I try to drag him out of the room where the drakon had been, and then the craziest thing happens…"