Chapter 11: Welcome to the Labyrinth
"What was the prophecy my dear?" Chiron asked.
Annabeth nodded numbly before speaking;
"Four shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze
Two children of the sea shall lead the way
You shall rise or fall by the ghost kings hand
the child of Athena's final stand
Destroy with a hero's final breath
And lose a love to worse than death"
"Well this one sounds like a blast." Percy said sarcastically from his seat.
Zoe rolled her eyes but was extremely troubled by the words of the prophecy.
"Well I think the prophecy is pretty clear about who is going." Chiron announced to the room.
"Great so our success depends on Jackson; this won't end well." Theseus spat from his seat.
Percy raised an eyebrow, "Who said you were coming on this quest?"
Theseus' eyes narrowed, "The sea obviously refers to me you idiot."
Percy's eyes shifted to the pitcher of water at the end of the table. He raised his hand as the water floated out of the pitcher before it hardened into a shard of ice which floated over to Theseus, the sharp jagged end inches from his neck.
"Do not presume to think you know anything, brother" Percy spat saying the word brother with disgust.
The entire war room was in shocked silence the exception of those who already knew Percy's birth father. Thalia, Annabeth, Zoe and Artemis all smirked at the look of shock of Theseus' face as his eyes darted from Percy to the shard of ice pointed to his neck.
"T… T.. This is a trick… you are no son of Poseidon." Theseus sputtered out.
"Afraid not," Percy said with a smirk.
Percy smirked as the ice shard dug into Theseus' neck, "Trust me, I wish I wasn't but Poseidon is in fact the ass that knocked up my mother. But don't worry, you never have and never will be any brother of mine."
Theseus' eyes narrowed as his face reddened. A bead of sweat fell from his forehead making Percy start laughing loudly.
Everyone laughed. "Coward," Ares spat.
"For once, I agree with you, Ares," Hera laughed.
"Wow, you truly are weak; don't even have the power to move this shard of ice from your throat. You're lucky we have more important things to discuss than the unfortunate fact that we share the same birth father." Percy said before the ice backed away from Theseus' neck.
Theseus let out a sigh of relief before Percy flicked his wrist and the ice shard flew straight by Theseus' head and shattered against the wall behind him, eliciting a girlish yelp from Theseus.
Everyone laughed again.
"Perhaps we can take a break for you to go change your underpants." Percy said smirking; chuckling could be heard from most of the people in the room.
Everyone laughed harder at that.
Theseus' glared hard at Percy who just calmly stared back at him from his across the Ping-Pong table.
"So Annabeth, Jackson and I are three of the four quest members, who will be the fourth?" Theseus asked trying to change the subject off himself.
"Apparently he can't take a hint," Artemis mumbled.
"Not so fast." Percy said before anyone else could speak. "The prophecy said we need two children of the sea, not two children of Poseidon. If you think I'm going on the quest with you then you can go shit in your hat." He said in a deadly serious tone.
Theseus stood up, "There are no other children of sea gods or goddesses in this camp. I am going on this quest; I won't be screwed out of this one like you did to me on the last one." He said angrily.
"Wrong again," Athena muttered.
Percy smirked, "Wrong again dumbass. The only child of the sea who I am going to guide this quest with is Zoe."
Zoe smiled happily.
Theseus' eyes widened, "You can't seriously think that girl should lead the quest! She's a Titan! For all we know she could lead us right into their army!"
There was a moments silence. "Why that little, asshole!" Artemis screamed her eyes blazing a dark silver.
"Don't worry, Artemis. That's strike three for him," Persephone said smirking.
Before anyone could react, Percy leapt across the table and tackled Theseus to the ground where he started throwing heavy handed punches into the defenseless demigod's face.
"Woo, go Percy!" Apollo and Hermes cheered.
Chiron raced over to stop the fight but was met with a silver arrow aimed at his face. Artemis stood with a deadly serious look on her face, "That boy is getting what he deserves."
Artemis nodded in agreement with her future self.
A few seconds later, Zoe got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Percy and pulled him off the whimpering son of Poseidon.
"While I would love to see you kill him, I don't think this is the time or the place." Zoe said with a slight tinge of pink on her face.
"And then he stops," Annabeth muttered.
"Because he is whipped," Thalia smirked.
"So bad that he'll do anything for her," Clarisse grinned.
"And that's why I love him," Zoe finished.
Percy turned a little red as the gods chuckled.
Percy calmed down instantly and nodded before he glared down at the semi-conscious son of Poseidon, "I told you strike three would cost you your life. Be thankful that Zoe is more merciful than I am." He spat before he leaned down and wiped the blood from his hands on Theseus' shirt and calmly returned to his seat.
"Ah, it was actually getting good," Ares complained.
Most of the counselors were looking at Percy fearfully as they glanced between Percy and the injured and bloody Theseus.
Percy rolled his eyes, "Does anyone else here think Zoe would ever betray us?"
Everyone shook their heads quickly.
Percy smirked at their nervousness.
Percy smiled, "Then you have nothing to be scared of. I have no problem with anyone here at camp. But if you try to mess with my friends or family, you're going to get hurt."
"Lee, can you please bring Theseus to the infirmary?" Chiron asked tiredly.
"Can't we just leave him?" The Apollo cabin counselor asked in a hopeful tone.
Everyone laughed. "I wish," Percy mumbled.
"Just go." Chiron said annoyed.
Lee grudgingly helped Theseus to his feet and led him out of the war room.
"So," Artemis said cheerfully, "I believe we still need to decide the members of the quest. It appears Zoe, Perseus, and Annabeth are the first three, any ideas for the fourth?"
"How about Katie?" Percy asked sincerely.
Demeter beamed at her grandson. No child of hers has ever been looked at even once to go on a quest.
Everyone looked at Percy surprised. Percy's eyes narrowed, "Does anyone have a problem with the Demeter cabin being put on an important quest?"
No one said anything and all eyes turned to Katie who was looking at Percy confused.
"Why would you want me to go?" She asked shocked.
Percy smiled, "Why not? You're smart and you're decent with a sword and I know I can trust you. I think you would be a great addition to the quest as long Zoe and Annabeth are okay with it."
Demeter smiled with pride at her grandson. He just smiled and winked.
Annabeth nodded while Zoe smiled.
Percy smiled at his two friends before looking at Katie who nodded her consent, "Alright, the quest is set as long as it's okay with Lady Artemis and Chiron." He said happily.
"Yes I think this is a perfect group for the quest, you will need to leave at first light. I must go to Olympus and inform the council of the quest. I will return in the morning to see the four of you off." Artemis said before leaving the room and vanishing in a silver light.
"Well I suggest you four get some rest, you have a very difficult quest to begin in the morning." Chiron said before dismissing the war council.
Percy walked out of the big house but instead of heading to his cabin he headed off into the woods without a word to anyone.
Hades, Persephone, and Sally all glanced at Percy with concern, but smiled when they saw him happily playing with Zoe's hair.
Annabeth and Zoe watched Percy take off into the woods as they exchanged confused looks with each other.
"You should go see what's wrong with him. You're the only person he ever listens to." Annabeth said with a bit of bitterness in her voice.
Percy and Zoe blushed a little.
Zoe looked at Annabeth confused, "What are you talking about?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes at Zoe's obliviousness, "Just about every girl in this camp has a thing for Percy but they can never get his attention because it's always on you."
Zoe's eyes widened before her face turned a deep shade of crimson. She narrowed her eyes at Annabeth, "We are only friends."
"Only friends?" Percy asked pretending to be hurt.
"Well, now it's way more than just friends," Zoe smiled.
"Good, because I was going to cry if you said otherwise," Percy grinned kissing her on the lips.
Zoe cuddled with Percy.
Annabeth shook her head, "Yea I know, that's the most frustrating part." She said before taking off towards her cabin without another word.
"Ooh, a love triangle," Aphrodite said.
"No, I don't care what you say, the only person I'm being with is Zoe," Percy said.
"Good, because you better hope Artemis gets you before I do if you said otherwise," Zoe said.
"And you better hope Diana gets you before I do," Artemis said.
"And you better hope Thalia gets you before I do," Diana added.
"And you better hope Phoebe gets you before I do," Thalia said.
"And you better hope Atalanta gets you before she does," Artemis said.
"And don't get us started with everybody else," they all said at the same time.
Percy nodded. "You won't have to worry about who gets who first because I'm not leaving ever. Unless she get's tired of me or something," Percy said.
"I could never get tired of you," Zoe whispered.
"You better not because I really don't want even think of what my family would do to you," Percy shuddered.
Zoe stood in her place as she thought about Annabeth's words. Percy didn't really think about her like that, did he? She shook her head; Percy was her friend, if he thought differently, he would have said something.
"Knowing Percy, he probably wouldn't from the fear of messing up your friendship or something," Thalia said.
The campers nodded in agreement.
Then another thought crossed her mind; did she like him like that? She knew she cared about him a lot but whenever she would think about things like that she would push them out of her mind. She was a huntress and did not let herself be bothered by things like that. But then again, she was not a huntress anymore and she couldn't deny the fact that she did think about him like that more often than she liked to admit.
Zoe blushed a little.
Zoe shook her head again, there was no point in ruminating about it; Percy most likely had more important things on his mind than that. She took off into the woods towards Zeus' fist knowing that was where Percy went when he wanted to think.
When she reached the clearing, she stopped as she saw Percy sitting Indian style atop the rock formation with his eyes closed. The moonlight reflected off his face, revealing an expression that showed his mood at the moment. He looked stressed, multiple problems weighing on his mid at the moment.
Zoe smiled remembering how hot he had looked in the moonlight.
Zoe slowly made her way over to the rocks and climbed up next to him. Percy's eyes never opened but his expression seemed to soften a bit as she sat down. She looked at him closely until her eyes landed on his hand which was bleeding and swollen. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about the beating he gave Theseus in the big house. She could see the dislocated knuckle in his middle finger jutting out in an unnatural direction.
Percy's parents all cringed at that.
"Something on your mind Percy?" She asked softly.
"Just thinking about the quest." He replied.
Zoe nodded, "You should get your hand looked at in the infirmary."
Percy smiled a bit, "It's just dislocated, I'll have someone push it back in place later. It was well worth it."
Zoe chuckled, "That was pretty funny but you didn't have to do that you know."
"I know but it just made me so mad, I kind of snapped. Where does that kid get off questioning your loyalties?" Percy replied angrily.
Zoe smiled as she reached over and grabbed Percy's hand and took it in hers.
"This is going to hurt." Zoe warned.
Percy nodded and she held his hand in one hand before using her other to snap the knuckle back into place. Percy just sat there smiling while she reset the finger. Zoe shook her head at his non-reaction to the pain.
"Training with the greatest warriors gets you used to those things," Percy explained as he got some astonished looks.
Diana, Theseus, and Achilles all smiled sheepishly. "It was an accident!" all three of them yelled at the same time.
"An accident that happened 975 times a year?" Percy asked.
"Yeah," they replied.
As she sat there she realized she was still holding his hand. Despite her mind telling her to let it go, she didn't. She liked the feeling of his hand in hers and she let her heart win out over her mind. Instead of letting go, she laced her smaller fingers through his larger ones. Despite the calluses, his hand was soft and felt good in hers.
If Percy noticed what she had done, he made no indication and just sat there with a small smile on his face.
"Oh, I noticed," Percy grinned.
"Do you have any idea how we're supposed to lead the quest through the Labyrinth?" She asked after a moment of silence.
Percy shook his head, "No but I am sure however we do it, it's not going to be fun. I think I know where we're going though."
"That's reassuring," Thalia said sarcastically.
"Hey, if you had another idea that I would be glad to hear it," Percy said. "You know, since we're out of the maze, and this happened like two years ago or something like that."
Zoe raised an eyebrow.
"I am sure you know who made the Labyrinth." Percy said slowly.
Zoe nodded, "Daedalus, why? Do we need to find his soul in the Underworld?"
"That might be useful, if he were actually dead." Percy said with a slight smirk.
Hades growled. He hated when people cheated death.
Zoe gasped, "How is he alive? He's not immortal, is he?"
"No, he's not," Hades growled in frustration.
Percy shook his head, "I have no idea but trust me when I say he is alive. Minos never shut up about him before my father threw him off the judging table. He tried to demand that my father find Daedalus and drag him down to punishment."
Zoe chuckled, "I'm guessing that didn't end well for him."
Percy smirked, "Yea not at all. So I assume Daedalus has been hiding out in the Labyrinth all these years. That must be who the Titans plan to get Ariadne's string from. I guess we will have to find him first."
Zoe nodded as the two fell into silence. Instead of awkward, it was comfortable as they sat in the moonlight under the starry sky. After a few more minutes, Zoe grudgingly broke it.
"I should get back to my cabin to get some sleep." She said softly.
Percy squeezed her hand gently and nodded.
Before she could stop herself, Zoe leaned over and kissed Percy softly on the cheek,
Zoe blushed and muttered words under her breath.
"Thank you Percy." She whispered before he jumped down from the rocks with a blush on her face.
Before she could leave Percy spoke, "Thanks for what?"
Zoe turned around and smiled at him, "For being different than the rest." She said before taking off into the forest.
Zoe smiled brightly. She liked that Percy wasn't like most men, or a certain son of Zeus in particular.
Percy sat there shocked at Zoe's behavior. He had been wondering why she was holding his hand while they sat there but was enjoying it too much to ask about it. A smile crept onto his face and he touched the cheek she kissed him on before a shadow engulfed him and took him back to camp.
Line Break
Percy woke up the next morning and found Katie sitting on her bed with a nervous expression on her face. It was still an hour until first light and it looked like she had been up for a while. He quietly made his way over to her bed and sat down next to her.
"Why did you pick me for this quest Percy?" She whispered.
"Because you're practically my sister," Percy smiled.
Katie smiled at Percy.
Percy looked at her confused, "Do you not want to go? I can get someone else to go. I only asked because I thought you would want to.
Katie shook her head, "I do but I'm not like the rest of you. You and Zoe are really skilled fighters and Annabeth is super smart. Not to mention that you're like the most powerful demigod ever."
"Why wouldn't I want one of the greatest fighters by my side?" Percy grinned.
Katie and Demeter smiled at Percy.
Percy shook his head, "Do not doubt your abilities Katie. I didn't pick you out of sympathy or just to help you out. I picked you because you're the perfect balance between us. You're a good fighter and you're smart. You're also more powerful than you think Katie. No one else at camp has anywhere close to the power over plants that you do. You're a daughter of one of the most powerful Olympian goddesses.
Demeter beamed with at her grandson. No one ever really gave her any credit. Probably the only gods/goddesses ones to give her credit were Hestia, Athena, Artemis, and Hera.
"Your mom doesn't get a lot of credit because she is peaceful and kind like you but there is a lot of benefit to have someone to be a balance for the group. You will be fine. Annabeth and Zoe and just as happy to have you along with us as I am, you just need to be confident in your abilities, they won't let you down."
Katie went up and hugged her brother. "Thank you, Percy," Katie whispered.
"Of course, what are brothers for?" Percy grinned.
Katie smiled widely.
Katie looked over at Percy with surprise before she smiled and nodded, "Thanks Percy, I always wanted to go on a quest but no one ever looks to the Demeter kids for companions."
Demeter frowned at that. Her children basically never got any credit for anything. Not even Persephone got much credit.
Percy grinned, "Well that's about to change. Now let's go get some breakfast before we leave. We head into the Labyrinth as soon as the sun comes up."
Katie smiled and nodded as she and Percy quietly exited the Demeter cabin.
Line Break
The four companions stood in front of Zeus' fist waiting for Artemis to show up to see them off. Percy glanced over at Zoe at the same time that she looked at him; a small blush crept onto her face before she quickly composed herself.
Zoe currently had an identical face.
He could have sworn he saw a look of anger flash across Annabeth's face before it disappeared as she smiled in his direction. Before he could think any more about it, a flash of silver light alerted them to the arrival of the goddess Artemis.
"I spoke to Athena and she confirmed that Daedalus in indeed still alive somewhere in the Labyrinth. You must be quick and reach him before the Titans do." Artemis explained.
"We will find him Lady Artemis." Annabeth said confidently.
Artemis nodded, "Good, but you must be careful as the Titan army is surely already inside the Labyrinth." She said before she held out her hand and a silver bow appeared in it. She handed it to Zoe who looked at her shocked.
Artemis smiled, "You may no longer be my lieutenant but you will always be one of my girls. It only seems right for you to have the bow you've carried for two millennia."
Zoe smiled. She loved that bow.
Zoe smiled before stepping up and hugging the goddess. Artemis hugged her back before nodding to Percy as he put his hand up to the wall. The delta symbol began to glow before the rocks split apart, opening the entrance to the maze.
"Here we go," Percy mumbled.
"Well, here goes nothing." Percy grumbled before stepping through the door only to drop a good six or seven feet to the ground below on his face. Zoe jumped down and landed beside him with a smirk on her face.
Everyone laughed at that. "Smooth, Deadbrain," Thalia laughed.
Percy turned a little red.
"Graceful," She mocked as Percy glared at her and climbed to his feet.
The quest traveled for a few hours, Zoe and Percy trying to navigate their way through the maze but despite their best efforts, they had no idea what they were doing.
"So do you two know where we're going?" Annabeth asked for the tenth time in an annoyed tone.
Zoe stopped and turned back towards Annabeth with a glare, "We didn't volunteer for this. The prophecy said we had to guide the quest but if you think you could do better, then by all means."
"I'm just saying there must be a way to navigate it. It is pointless to just walk around aimlessly." Annabeth said returning the glare.
"She has a point," Artemis said.
"Although, she could've been a little nicer," Demeter said.
"Sorry," Annabeth said.
"It's fine," Percy smiled.
"Let's just take a break and eat some lunch; we're certainly not doing anything good by arguing." Percy said interrupting the two.
Annabeth turned to Percy and smiled, "Good idea Percy."
Percy clapped his hands together, conjuring up a plate of sandwiches for everyone to eat. Percy grabbed one and took a seat with his back against the tunnel wall. Annabeth took a seat right next to him, sitting awkwardly close to him. Zoe looked at her through narrowed eyes before grabbing a sandwich and sitting across from them on the opposite wall next to Katie.
"Oh, the possibilities," Aphrodite said with glee.
Zoe growled a little. "Aphrodite, you will not mess with my son's love life," Hades said. "Or it will be Tartarus for you."
Aphrodite quickly nodded not wanting to feel her uncle's wrath.
As they ate, Annabeth spent the entire time whispering things to Percy, her hand resting on his arm. Percy seemed oblivious to her obvious flirting as he ate his sandwich.
Zoe glared at Annabeth. "You know, that was a little annoying," Percy said.
"Sorry," Annabeth mumbled.
"It's fine now," Percy replied.
Zoe on the other hand ate her sandwich glaring at the duo across from her. She didn't know why she was so angry, Percy was her friend and he wasn't even paying attention to Annabeth but something about it made her blood boil.
Percy kissed Zoe on the forehead. "I love you," Percy whispered.
"I love you too," Zoe whispered back.
She was brought out of her thoughts as Katie nudged her while looking at her with an amused expression on her face.
"What?" Zoe asked as her expression turned emotionless.
Katie rolled her eyes, "Stop glaring at them, Percy is too oblivious to notice what she's doing."
Zoe tried to look confused, "I wasn't glaring at them."
"Sure you weren't," Artemis said sarcastically.
Zoe opened her mouth in protest. "Please, spare us, Zoe," Thalia said exasperated.
Katie smirked, "Whatever you say Zoe." She said before turning more serious, "You should know Percy won't ignore all other girls forever. The life of a demigod tends to be rather short and most don't spend the majority of it waiting around for someone to notice them."
"I think the oldest demigod was 35(A/N: I just picked a random number) years old, a son of Hecate," Athena said.
"That sounds about right," Zeus nodded in agreement.
Zoe's eyes narrowed when she realized what Katie was implying, "I am still a hunter at heart and always will be."
"Despite the fact she has a boyfriend, she actually does have a hunter's heart," Percy said.
"Yeah," Leo muttered rubbing his backside.
Katie's expression turned disapproving, "That's fine if that's how you really feel but you should make sure because Percy may not always be around for you to realize you missed your chance with someone special." She said before getting up and standing in the middle of the tunnel to wait for the others to finish eating and resume the quest.
"I'm glad you ended up changing your mind," Percy whispered to Zoe.
"I'm glad too," she smiled.
Zoe bit her bottom lip as she thought about Katie's words; they were truer than she probably realized. Zoe looked over at Annabeth doing everything she could to garner Percy's attention and couldn't help but smile at her failure.
Zoe got to her feet and walked over to the duo with a smile, "We should get moving." She said as she offered Percy her hand. Annabeth's expression turned annoyed as Percy took her hand and stood up.
The group walked for a few more hours until they reached a fork in the Labyrinth, splitting into two different tunnels that headed in different directions. Percy and Zoe stopped as they tried to examine both tunnels. Both tunnels went slightly uphill, making viewing beyond the incline impossible.
"We should go to the right." Annabeth said speaking up.
Zoe turned around and looked at her questioningly, "And why is that?"
"The walls look more ancient while the left tunnel's walls are more modern. If Daedalus has been down here for all this time then he is most likely in an ancient part of the Labyrinth." Annabeth said matter-of-factly.
Zoe turned to look at Percy but saw he was creeping down the left tunnel trying to get a look further down. Zoe walked a few steps into the tunnel before a door from dropped down from above, trapping the two inside the left tunnel and separating them from Katie and Annabeth.
"That's not good," Artemis muttered.
"No dip, Sherlock," Thalia said sarcastically.
"Hey, that's my son!" Athena yelled.
"Sorry," Thalia said.
Percy ran back towards Zoe and the door with a look of panic on his face, "What just happened?" He yelled.
"I don't know; I took a step into the tunnel to get you to come back when this door just dropped down out of nowhere." Zoe said as she tried to find some way of opening the door back up again.
Percy tried shadow travelling to the other side of the side but popped out of a shadow right near it and clutched his head from being blocked by the door.
"Damn it!," Percy yelled in frustration.
"What do we do now?" Zoe asked.
Percy was silent for a minute as he tried to think of some way to get to the other side of the door.
Before Percy could answer, a soft female voice spoke from behind Zoe, "You two will need to continue on by yourselves. You have your own things you must accomplish if you want to see them again just as they will have their own."
Percy and Zoe turned around and their eyes widened simultaneously when they saw the Queens of the Gods standing behind them with a warm smile on her face. They both bowed to the goddess before Percy stood up to speak.
"Hera, what are you doing on a quest?" Zeus asked.
"Probably helping Percy and Zoe," Hera replied.
"Why would you of all people be helping demigods on a quest?" Zeus asked.
"I've probably grown a bit of a liking towards them," Hera said.
"What do you mean our own mission? I thought we were supposed to guide the quest through the Labyrinth?" Percy asked confused.
"And not to be disrespectful Lady Hera, but why are you here? It is well known you are no fan of demigods." Zoe asked with as much respect as she could muster towards one of her least favorite goddesses.
"While you would normally have a valid point, Perseus here is one of the few demigods I like. After he pointed out how all the Olympian Gods are hypocrites in front of the council, I have taken a liking to him and I have decided to aide you two on this quest." Hera explained.
"What about Katie and Annabeth? What will happen to them?" Percy asked worriedly.
Hera smiled, "They will need to complete their tasks without the help of you two. To find them again, you must first locate my son's forge within the Labyrinth. Finding him will be the first step towards being reunited with your friends. Good luck." Hera said before flashing out of the Labyrinth.
Percy stared at the spot where Hera vanished from before shaking his head, "That wasn't really all that helpful. We still have no idea how to find our way to Hephaestus."
"Yay!" Hephaestus cheered.
Zoe sighed, "We had might as well get moving, we're not getting any closer standing around."
Percy nodded as they began walking again, the conversation was very light as they walked; Percy was worried about Katie considering it had been him that dragged her into the quest in the first place. They continued trying to navigate their way through the tunnels until they walked into some type a cavern, another door dropped from the ceiling behind them.
"Uh oh," Leo said.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" A voice in the back of the room said.
"Who is it?" Apollo asked.
"Sorry, but we'll have to wait and find out in the next chapter," Reyna said. "Who wants to read?"
"I do," a guy said from the shadows.
A/N: Who is it this time? Can you guys guess? Sorry for the delay in updating, my schedule has been really packed with softball tournaments, school, homework, band, other time consuming things. I will do my best to update ASAP. Don't forget to check out my other stories too. 100th reviewer is TimeLadyofTardis, 100th follower is 1, and the 100th favorite is Hocapontas. Keep it up guys.