A/N: I did say a Christmas 'surprise' was on its way, right? Hopefully this one is something to sink your teeth into. Happy Christmas, dear readers!

Chapter 20: Percy Reveals Plan B

The amphitheatre, so quiet only a moment ago, burst into cheers and applause. The flames in the campfire pit shot to the height of a two-storey building and turned a brilliant golden-orange. The ghost of Percy's shroud flickered in it for a moment, then it was consumed entirely, pointless now. Percy himself was engulfed in a wave of excited campers, all patting him on the back and screaming themselves hoarse, like he'd won a humongous prize.

It was a minute before I remembered I had legs. As I walked forward into the throng, my heart did a million somersaults in quick succession. Percy, Percy, Percy, it sang. My pace quickened until I was running, eager to close the distance between us, not even noticing the kids I pushed out of my way.

'Where have you been?' I cried.

Percy's eyes twinkled, the colour of the shroud I'd painstakingly woven. My heart was bursting with relief, with happiness, with hope, with a thousand different emotions I couldn't even begin to name.

I flung my arms around him. He was warm and solid, and if I'd had any doubt before as to whether I'd imagined him, it was swept away now. I didn't even care if this was just another twist in Aphrodite's stupid plot. I'd watched him burn up in a volcano but here he was, as whole and healthy and perfect as he'd been in my dream—no, more perfect, because he was real. He was here.

So was the entire camp. Everyone was watching us with silent, avid eyes, like we were a real soap drama.

I released Percy immediately. He gave me a hopeful smile. I'd thought I'd never see that single dimple ever again.

'I—we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!'

He winced. 'I'm sorry. I got lost.'

'Lost?' The word was a pitiful Band-Aid for the rollercoaster of terror and hopelessness and grief I'd ridden over the past two weeks. Amidst the relief bubbling up inside me, a seed of anger sprouted. 'Two weeks, Percy! Where in the world did you—'

Chiron cut me off. 'Annabeth, perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private, shall we?' He grabbed the back of my shirt. The next thing I knew, he'd swung Percy and me onto his back. 'The rest of you, back to your normal activities!'

The campers groaned, like they'd been cheated out of a particularly exciting ending to a movie, but Chiron didn't give them room to protest. He took off, carrying Percy and me towards the Big House.

'Now, Percy,' Chiron said when he'd set us down in his study, 'I'm sure you have a story for us.'

Percy glanced nervously at me, almost as if he were afraid of my reaction to what he had to say.

'I already told him everything … up to the volcano,' I said.

Percy nodded. 'I got cornered by the telkhines,' he admitted. 'They threw lava at me. I was burning up, but … I don't really know what happened, or how I did it, but I summoned water right out of the volcano. And then I made it erupt. I didn't even mean to. It just happened.' He looked at us pleadingly, begging us to understand.

'I know you didn't,' Chiron said gently. 'Go on. What happened then?'

'I, um, landed on an island.'

My eyebrows furrowed, thinking of the white beach I'd dreamt of. Percy paused for a second. For some reason, he wouldn't meet my eyes.

'I got marooned there for a while. Then Hephaestus came and found me and told me I could leave. He sent me a magic raft. I got on it and it just sailed me back to the beach here. That's when I, er, crashed the party.'

I looked at him closely. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed, but he was moistening his lips and clenching his fist the way he did when they got too sweaty. I'd known him long enough to know there was something he wasn't telling us.

Marooned on a desert island. A place totally out of this world. Something I'd heard before drifted through my head—a phantom island … going home … and if you're good, we could see about some visitors … It was accompanied by the image of a lovely, caramel-haired girl.

This week, on Calypso's Island … But it finally has a new twist! Another lost hero … will he finally be the one?

I shook Aphrodite's voice away. Wherever Percy had been, he was back now.

'You've been gone two weeks,' I said. Should I tell him about the ice cave I'd opened in Mount St Helens? Chiron and Hephaestus had been right. The eruption hadn't been from some chemical reaction between the glacier and the lava. Percy had drawn on the water supply and blown up the place. The amount of power it must have taken … it was insane. Like a god's power. I remembered the whirlwind, the storm of ice and fire before I'd toppled into the bronze cauldron. 'When I heard the explosion, I thought—'

'I know, I'm sorry,' Percy said. 'But I figured how to get through the Labyrinth. I talked to Hephaestus.'

His abrupt change of subject took my mind right off the volcanic explosion.

Your quest is not complete. 'He told you the answer?' Jealousy pricked at my skin. All I'd gotten were false leads and cryptic clues.

'Well, he sort of told me that I already knew,' Percy said. 'And I do. I understand now.' He ran a hand through his hair. 'We don't need Ariadne's string.'

'But—'

'We need a guide. Hephaestus said the string works, but the best way through the maze was with a a regular mortal with clear sight. Hera was right—I do know someone who can get us through: Rachel Elizabeth Dare.'

I stared at him. 'Percy, that's crazy!'

'There is a precedent, however,' Chiron said thoughtfully. 'Theseus had the help of Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason.'

'But …' The seed of anger swirled into a cloud in my chest, like all the conflicting emotions this day had put me through had decided to erupt into a storm. There was a logic to what Percy and Chiron were saying. I remembered how Ariadne had run through the maze, barely consulting her string. But to relinquish my quest to some mortal girl …

'This is my quest,' I said finally. 'I need to lead it.'

'My dear, it is your quest,' Chiron agreed. 'But you need help.'

Of course I needed help. But I had help. I had Percy, and Grover, and Tyson … I gulped. No, I didn't have Grover and Tyson any more. And I had Percy back, but the first thing he'd suggested was to go and find some mortal girl and invite her along, like this was some casual trip to the beach. It seemed like a million years since this girl, this Rachel, had ruined our movie date, but I could still see her grinning at Percy with her perky prettiness, scribbling her number on his hand …

How could he think of her at a time like this? How could Chiron think it was a good idea?

I looked pleadingly at Chiron. 'This is supposed to help? Please! It's wrong. It's … cowardly. It's—' I hated that I was already running out of arguments.

'Hard to admit we need a mortal's help.' Percy had that infuriating smirk on his face again. 'But it's true.'

I wanted to stamp my foot into the carpet. It wasn't about mortals. Of course I knew mortals could be helpful. My dad was a mortal, and he'd saved us on Mount Tam. But that was different. He was special. He was a mortal who'd caught Athena's eye. He had her favour. This girl was just …

Someone who caught Percy's eye?

Something shrivelled up inside me. Two weeks of utter despair while Percy luxuriated on an island paradise with a beautiful immortal, and now this? He hadn't even acknowledged our … my …

'You,' I fumed, 'are the single most annoying person I have ever met!'

And before I could burst into tears, I left the room, slamming the door behind me.

OoOoO

After two weeks praying for Percy's safe return, you'd think I'd be over the moon at his return. Don't get me wrong, I was happy that he was all right, and even more relieved that he'd managed to resuscitate my quest. But it was all mixed together with a spoonful of bitterness and a larger cup of confusion.

Stupid Fates. Stupid Aphrodite.

Silena couldn't understand why I was so grumpy. 'Isn't it romantic?' she sighed. 'It's like he came back from the dead, just for you!'

I muttered something about preparing to return to my quest tomorrow and stalked off to my cabin so I wouldn't punch her in the face. Before I entered, I threw an irritated glance across the green at cabin three.

Romantic, my ass. Percy had said nothing about our kiss. It was like it had never happened. Had I totally imagined him kissing me back in the heart of the volcano?

I couldn't help wondering what had passed on that island of his. Sure, he'd come back, but it definitely didn't seem like I'd been a motivation. It was camp he was all fired up to save. The mortal girl he was dying to find.

Maybe I'd been deluding myself all along. Maybe Percy had never really thought about me that way. Maybe it was Rachel he'd returned for.

All the tears I'd wept on his behalf seemed so empty and meaningless now.

Then I felt a prickle of guilt. If Grover and Tyson had been the ones to return, if they'd found a way to further my quest, I wouldn't be getting mad at them. It wasn't fair for me to take it out on Percy for not returning my feelings.

The important thing was that we still had a chance to find Daedalus. By this time tomorrow, we'd be back in the Labyrinth.

I dreamt of Percy's island again that night, only this time I saw the beautiful Calypso stranded alone on it, as she had been for thousands of years. She stood in the middle of a garden, tending a bed of glowing silver flowers under the light of the full moon. When she touched the petals, a shimmery image danced above them—the face of a handsome, rugged man. Calypso gazed at it for a minute before moving on to the next. Another flower, another face. At the end of the flowerbed, the smallest of the plants was just beginning to bloom. When she touched its petal, Percy's face appeared.

Calypso's expression was soft and wistful. She reached out to stroke Percy's cheek, but when her fingers touched the image, it dissolved into moonlight.

I should have been angry, but a sad camaraderie washed over me instead. She had loved and lost him, too.

The moonlight danced across the garden. Then the dream shifted, turning darker, more sinister. I was deep in the marble corridors of the Labyrinth, the sky a dark, narrow sliver overhead. Theseus followed half a pace behind me. In his hands was the bronze compass I had given him, with the unravelling ball of fine thread around it. Ariadne's string.

'I don't get it,' Theseus said. 'How is this going to help my friends tomorrow?'

'We have to find him,' I said.

'Who, the inventor?'

'No, my—' A deep, menacing growl came from within the walls. I took a deep breath. 'Come on.'

I grabbed Theseus's arm and tugged him along, plunging deeper into the shadowy recesses of the maze. We came to a fork in the tunnels.

From the left fork came a loud, savage roar—the bellow of an angry beast. The sound was just like the maze—something that should have been familiar, a friend, but no longer was. I looked between the tunnels. Somehow, I knew without consulting the string that the right tunnel, the one with no scary noises, would loop back to the exit. The left led to the heart of the maze, where the monster resided.

'This way,' I said, and took the left fork.

Several paces in, I turned back. Theseus hadn't followed me. He was still standing at the fork, looking uncertainly at my chosen path. With his head swivelling back and forth between the tunnels, he almost resembled Janus.

'Are you sure, Princess?' he asked.

For a moment, I faltered. Then I set my jaw.

'We're going to save him,' I insisted, and forged ahead. This time, Theseus followed.

It wasn't long before we found him. The tunnel opened into a circular arena, like a gladiator stadium with rows of spectator seats raised in incremental levels all around. I couldn't imagine why it had been constructed. Who would come into the Labyrinth to watch a fight?

The floor of the arena was littered with bones—human bones. No complete skeletons remained, but the skulls and rib cages were unmistakable. Some of them were cracked or split down the middle. Others were crushed so that the splintered pieces lay in a scatter of greyish dust. The few skulls that were wholly intact fixed their empty eye sockets on me, imploring me to leave while I still had the chance.

There came the loudest roar of all, one that shook the walls of the arena. Theseus clapped his hands over his ears.

A panel slid back from the base of the stands. Out it came: the monster of the Labyrinth.

He looked just like an ordinary bull at first, crawling out of the hidden door on all fours. Massive horns bulged out of either side of his monstrous head, ending in javelin-sharp points. Blood dripped from his mouth, along with a scrap of food that I suspected was human flesh. Only when he straightened could I see his human body. He'd grown into an incredible, muscular hulk of a man, at least seven feet tall. His arms and legs were thicker than tree trunks. He could have crushed me into dust with his pinky finger alone. He wore nothing but a white loincloth, stained with the blood of his prey.

He hadn't kept his promise. But then, neither had I—Ariadne. I, she, hadn't returned for so long.

He advanced on his trunk-like legs and for a moment, my courage failed me.

Then the Minotaur locked eyes with me. Something seemed to dawn in his expression: confusion, or maybe even recognition. My racing heart slowed. I could see the shade of the affectionate, lowing neighbour in the stables. The man-calf he'd once been before King Minos had thrown him in here to fight for his life against every murderer, every criminal, every tribute. None of them had realised that the first prisoner to be sentenced to the Labyrinth had been an innocent creature who hadn't deserved to be turned into the king's executioner.

Theseus was the first to regain his senses. He drew his sword.

'Princess, run!'

The spell broke. My brother—the Minotaur—turned to Theseus. Blood raged in his eyes when he saw the gleaming bronze blade in Theseus's hands. He bellowed a war cry and charged, no longer my friend but the bloodthirsty monster Minos had trained him to become.

Theseus pushed me out of the way and met the monster's first charge with his sword. The Minotaur swung his head. His horn met the flat of Theseus's blade. Theseus barely managed to hold on to his sword. The Minotaur grabbed him and launched him across the arena. He landed on one of the dusty rib cages, smashing it into a million vertebrae. He struggled to get up, to crawl towards his sword.

Meanwhile, the Minotaur advanced towards me, his bull's face menacing. There wasn't a trace of kindness in his expression now. I was just another mortal he had to fight. Another prey.

'Ariadne, run!' Theseus found his footing, grabbed his sword, and came in for another swing. The Minotaur turned just as he slashed upwards. The blade sliced off the Minotaur's left horn.

With an ear-splitting bellow, the Minotaur backhanded Theseus so hard, the sword flew clean out of his hands. It sailed across the arena and pierced one of the skulls straight through the mouth.

Blood poured from the Minotaur's injured stump, but this didn't seem to weaken him. He seized Theseus around the neck and squeezed. Theseus's face went purple.

Tears blurred my vision. I'd led Theseus here, hoping we could rescue my brother, but there seemed to be no saving him from what he'd already become.

But I could try to save Theseus.

He was still grappling with the Minotaur, trying to free himself from the Minotaur's grip. He wouldn't hold out for long. The Minotaur was too strong, too powerful. Theseus looked like a twig in his beefy hands.

A ghostly shade appeared before the two of them, with twin faces looking in opposite directions: one at the Minotaur, the other at Theseus.

'Which will it be?' said Janus.

'Asterion!' I cried out. 'You promised!'

The Minotaur faltered. His fingers twitched. Theseus tore himself out of his grasp, landing on the ground next to the severed horn.

Asterion turned wide, calf-like eyes on me.

'No!' I screamed, but it was too late. Theseus had snatched up the horn and plunged it into Asterion's chest, straight into his heart.

The shade of Janus laughed wickedly.

I woke with a start. There was a strange glow in my cabin, a multi-coloured light at the foot of my bed. Someone was calling my name. A strange voice that was slightly familiar, as if I'd only heard it a few times before.

'Annabeth Chase!'

I sat bolt upright. Before me was a holographic rainbow image. Shimmering in it was the ranchhand from Geryon's ranch, Eurytion.

'What's going on?' I couldn't fathom why Eurytion, of all people, was calling me. 'Is—is it Grover and Tyson?'

Eurytion shook his head. 'It's the kid—Nico di Angelo. He's missing.'

'What?' With everything that had happened since we left the ranch, I'd barely spared Nico a second thought.

'I think he's back in that maze of yours. I woke up an hour ago, feeling like something was off, and he was gone. Took Orthus to see if we could track him down, but the scent ended at the cattle grid. You know the one.'

'Oh no.' This was just what we needed. Another friend—however loosely that term applied to Nico—wandering the Labyrinth.

'He's been talking to himself the past few nights,' Eurytion said. 'Thought it was just dreams or something, but now that I think about it, it might've been that crazy ghost that came at the old pit.'

'Minos?' I shivered, thinking of Nico curled up in Eurytion's living room, crying over his sister. How had Minos enticed him back into the Labyrinth? I hated to think what lies he must have fed Nico. And worse … was Nico still mad at Percy?

'I'm sorry,' Eurytion said. 'I should've kept a better eye on the kid. I promised to keep him safe.'

'It's not your fault. We—we'll find him.' I didn't know if we could. We already had Grover and Tyson to look out for, not to mention we needed to get to Daedalus, fast. But if Percy's plan worked …

I thanked Eurytion for calling me and cut the connection. But after that little bombshell, there was no getting back to sleep. I got out my sketchbook and doodled building designs by the light of my dagger until the sun came up.

OoOoO

Argus drove Percy and me into Manhattan, to his mom's place on the Upper East Side. On the way, I told him about Eurytion's message. In return, he delivered even worse news. He'd dreamt of Luke, who was back in the Labyrinth, looking for some arena. They'd found a lone half-blood wandering in the maze.

I pressed two beads on my necklace together so tightly that my fingers hurt. This quest was just like the impossible maze. Every time I thought I might be closer to our goal, something threw us back five steps.

Sally Jackson fed us her famous blue chocolate chip cookies while we told her all about our quest. I wasn't all that hungry, but I defy anyone to taste those things and not scarf down half the plate.

'So you wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St Helens explode and displaced half a million people,' Sally said when Percy finished talking. (I noticed he left out all the details about the island he'd landed on, which made me feel a bit better.) I was prepared to pacify her, but Sally just shook her head and went, 'But at least you're safe.'

'Yep, that pretty much covers it,' Percy said with a grin. I remembered why I'd always been a bit jealous of him. His mom was so cool.

'I wish Paul were here,' she sighed. 'He wanted to talk to you.'

Percy and I exchanged a puzzled glance. Then he slapped his forehead. 'Oh, right. The school. What did you tell him?'

I fiddled with my necklace. This conversation was obviously something between the two of them. From what I could gather, Sally's boyfriend had gotten Percy admitted to his high school for next year—a high school Percy had managed to blow up a few weeks ago. Sally hadn't figured out how to explain that to her boyfriend yet.

I didn't even want to imagine how Janet would have flared up if I'd been in that situation. For the moment, I forgot how angry I'd been with Percy. I wanted to take his hand and reassure him that it would be okay.

Then Sally asked, 'What happens now?'

My irritation came flooding back. 'Percy has this plan.'

'Er, yeah.' He sounded a lot less enthusiastic than when he'd outlined the plan to me and Chiron. Was he nervous about the reception he'd get from Rachel, after hearing his mom's worries about her boyfriend's reaction to the mythological stuff?

That didn't make me feel any better.

'It sounds very dangerous,' Sally said. 'But it might work.'

Percy looked like he'd just had a brainwave. 'You have the same abilities, don't you? You can see through the Mist.'

'Not so much now,' Sally said, dashing my brief hope that she could guide us instead. 'When I was younger it was easier. But yes, I've always been able to see more than was good for me. It's one of the things that caught your father's attention, when we first met.'

The cookie I was holding crumbled between my fingers. I really didn't want to think about mortals catching the eye of gods right now.

Sally smiled. I got the sense she knew what I was thinking, as if she could see into my head the way she saw through the Mist. 'Just be careful. Promise me you'll be safe.'

'We'll try, Ms Jackson,' I said tightly. 'Keeping your son safe is a big job, though.' I glanced at Percy, then looked determinedly out of the window. Maybe in a few hours, that would be Rachel's job.

'What's going on with you two?' Sally asked. 'Have you been fighting?'

I kept my mouth shut. Percy could explain to his mom if he wanted to.

'I see.' Sally pursed her lips. 'Well, remember, Grover and Tyson are counting on you two.'

'I know,' we chorused. I glared at him.

Sally sent Percy off to call Rachel using the hall phone. I stayed at the kitchen table, breaking the remaining cookies in half one by one until Sally put her hand on my arm.

'Remember what I said when you and Chiron called me?'

I screwed up my face. 'That Percy wasn't dead?'

Sally laughed. 'Yes, but I meant not to give up on him.'

'Well, you were right. He came back.'

'Percy's always found it hard to leave the people he loves. Trust me, I know.'

'We're just friends,' I said stupidly.

'Oh, honey.' Sally brushed a few strands of hair from my face and tucked them gently behind my ear. 'Don't give up on him.'

My spirits started to lift, but then Percy came back. The bright grin on his face wiped the smile off mine.

'We're meeting her in Times Square,' he said. 'We'd better go.'

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A/N: Story note—the bit Annabeth heard before about Calypso comes from my earlier story, Necklace of Harmonia.

I'm sorry that I've not been able to do request fics at all this year; the only fandom thing I've been able to keep up with is this story and chapter-by-chapter updates. Hopefully getting this chapter out for Christmas will make up for that a little bit. I do want to say a huge thank you for those of you who have kept up faithfully with this fic and keep throwing me lines of encouragement to keep going. For all your attention to detail, and insightful comments, and excited squeals ... I can only say you guys are wonderful, and make sharing this a fantastic experience. I won't do the individual shout-outs this chapter (as I know many of you probably won't have had the chance to read chapter 19 yet anyway, given the short time between Saturday and today) but I've got to replies individually, either by PM or on the forum ... in a timely fashion for once!

Thanks for reading, and look out for next chapter on Saturday as usual!