Chapter 25: Love Isn't Easy, Nor Dares

"Okay. I think after the last few things we need something lighter, to make us laugh at least. Which I why it's the perfect time to work on these truths and dares," Rachel announced clapping her hands together as she stood in front of everyone at lunch.

"You already have them?" Thalia asked surprised.

"I mean yeah," Sadie shrugged. "There wasn't a lot of time so our truth's aren't so good. But truths are boring anyway."

"True," Alex said.

"Not funny."

"No," she told Magnus. "It's punny."

"We'll do one truth and then one dare," Jason announced.

"So who first, Will or Hazel?" Nico asked curiously. Both his boyfriend and sister glared at him.

"Let's start with Will," decided Percy.

Will groaned.

"Who was your first kiss?" Thalia asked him drawing a note that she was handed to read.

Will put his head in his hands and moaned louder. "Really? Nico's here! And my dad!"

"Yes. You still need to answer," Rachel wiggled her eyebrows.

"And I'll know if you're lying ," added Apollo.

"Dad!"

"So? Who was it?" Nico prompted. "You already know my answer. What's yours?"

"Mitchell," Will murmured.

"Louder," nudged Percy.

"It was Mitchell! I was the only out kid at Camp at the time and he was curious. I wasn't going to say no to Aphrodite's son," Will blushed.

Nico hummed. "Was it good?"

"Nico!" Hazel and Will both yelled. Thalia and Percy cackled. Jason stared at his cousin wide eyed as he high fived Alex.

"Explains a few things about my brother though," Piper noted. "But moving on. It's Thalia's turn."

"I can take anything you throw at me. Bring it," Thalia grinned.

"Leo has to do your make up."

"Okay. Maybe I can't handle that," Thalia blanched.

"Awesome. Is that my dare too?" Leo asked.

"No," Piper told him. "But you'll like it."

"Work on her while Hazel has her truth."

"Joy, oh joy," Thalia muttered.

"Okay Hazel. Who are the four most attractive guys here besides Frank," Jaz asked excitedly.

"I need to answer this?"

"Yes."

"And I can't put Frank on the list?"

"No."

"Okay. Last to first?"

"Yes."

"Um… I don't want to make anyone mad."

"It's a game Hazel," Thalia said from where she was turned around. Then she winced. "Ouch. Be careful!"

"You move too much," Leo replied with an intense look of focus on his face.

"Okay. Carter then," Hazel said after a moment.

"What?"

"Just take the compliment," Sadie told him.

"I don't know," Hazel shrugged. "After you it's Leo."

"No one can resist the bad boy supreme," Leo boasted flexing both arms.

"I can and I'll shock him back to the underworld if he isn't more careful!" Thalia threatened.

"I thought he'd be higher on the list," Frank said slightly surprised. "I mean… because of Sammy."

"You're always the highest though," Hazel told him. "But this is besides you."

"Two more," Jaz urged.

"Walt."

"Understandable," Piper said.

"Very," Rachel nodded. "The only one I really don't get so far is Leo."

"I don't think any of us do," Sadie agreed. "But yes, my boyfriend is incredibly hot and so is the god that possesses him so you all should be incredibly jealous."

"So who's first on the list?" Juniper asked. "After Frank of course."

"Percy."

Every single person attracted to men in the room nodded or hummed in agreement. Percy looked at Hazel flabbergasted. "Me?"

"You're my cousin so I don't think of you that way but the first time I saw you I almost mistook you for a god," Hazel admitted.

"Easy mistake to make," Nico told her.

"It's happened before," Annabeth agreed.

"It has?" Percy asked.

"Just keep thinking what you want Seaweed brain. And remember, you're all mine," Annabeth said kissing his cheek.

"I can do that."

"Leo, is Thalia ready?" Jason asked suddenly. "We have to start your dare too."

"She's ready." Leo said turning her around. "Ta da."

Thalia had black eyeliner dripping down her face and eyelashes hanging off her eyes. She wore purple lipstick smudged up her cheek clashing with the very deep red blush that really didn't match her complexion. Her blue highlights clashed with it all very well too. There was blue, gray and black on her forehead too that kind of looked like a bruise but was also sparkly.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be," Piper admitted.

"No. Not so bad," agreed Calypso. Then she saw Leo's face. "You shouldn't help any of us with our make up though."

"I think there could have been a little more eyeliner," Sadie said to Thalia.

"I feel like my eyes are already stuck shut between that, the fake eyelashes and mascara," Thalia groaned. "Please no more. Just give this idiot his dare."

"Finally," Leo grinned madly.

"I'm giving you three choices of people in your ear," Chris spoke up. "You choose one to act like for the next hour."

Chris whispered in Leo's ear and then Leo stomped with his arms crossed. "You can't make me do anything! I have a doctor's note!"

"Why?" Nico asked bluntly.

"It's funny," Percy said through laughter.

"Very," agreed Reyna to Nico's protest.

"You're lucky he didn't choose the other ones," Chris said to her. "You were one of the other choices."

"Thank the gods he chose to do you," Reyna said gratefully.

"I'm done," Nico groaned. "No more."

"I could just kill you," Leo mused. "Then raise from the dead to torture you some more."

Nico groaned again. "I thought these dares were punishments for the people taking them. Not for others."

"Don't worry," soothed Will. "It's only until dinner."

"It's good we're done with lunch then," Nico said. "THe sooner we watch the sooner I can get rid of him."

"And I can get rid of all this," Thalia said gesturing to her face.

"I agree. You've needed a new face for a while," Percy teased.

"Shut it Kelp head."

"I think you should replace it with a pinecone. That way the nickname's literal."

"Okay. Moving on," Grover said pushing them away from each other.

"If I remember correctly it's not us you're going to have to worry about right now," Thalia pointed out looking at Annabeth.

"I'm fine."

"You called me complaining at least twice a week in the next month after this," Thalia pointed out.

"You did?" Percy asked.

"That was then and this is now," Annabeth said. "I'm not upset with Percy and he doesn't have any reason to be upset with me. And Rachel's my friend. One of my best now."

"We're all cool," Rachel agreed walking up. "You ready to relive all the cat fights and the oblivious fourteen year old it was all for?"

"Maybe the last part," Annabeth mused. "He was cute then."

"But now?"

"Mine," Annabeth reminded.

"Oracle. No dating," Rachel said shaking both hands. "Remember?"

"You'd better."

Both girls walked in chattering and Percy sighed looking at Grover. "How much worse do you think this will get bud?"

"I don't want to know. I just know you'll get it worse then I will. Juniper gets to stop worrying soon enough."

"Dude, you really think we're done?"

"A satyr can hope, can't he?" Grover bleated as they sat with Juniper, Rachel and Annabeth. Magnus had sat next to his cousin again for the first time in a while.

"Good," Annabeth said as he sat with Hearth and Blitz next to Tyson and Ella. "You'll like this part."

"I will?"

"Let's just watch."

Percy's raft washed up on Camp Half Blood's shore waking him up. A couple of great white sharks circled him and steered him toward the beach with Percy talking and petting them.

'How are you even near those things?" asked Walt shivering.

"Are you scared of sharks?" Sadie asked him surprised.

"I don't like them, so what?"

"They're fine. Especially if you're with me," Percy promised. "It's like having several huge dogs."

"Except they won't attack if they smell blood," Walt grumbled.

"It's okay dear. I'll protect you," Sadie told him.

"I love you but no."

Sadie pouted and Walt rolled his eyes putting an arm around her. She grinned madly as she cuddled into his side and the others sighed.

Percy landed to a strangely empty camp. He walked in to the empty archery range, past the empty climbing wall, empty cabins and then he saw smoke by the amphitheater. He frowned and ran towards it cursing. Then he heard Chiron's voice and stopped. Chiron was saying they could only assume he was dead. After such a long silence it was unlikely their prayers would be answers. So he would have to ask Percy's best surviving friend to do the final honors.

"They're burying you," Walt muttered too familiar with funeral procedures.

"Awesome move. Interrupting your own funeral," Alex agreed.

"No," Magnus said looking at Annabeth.

"Yes," Annabeth said. "Too often for my liking."

"What in Hel's name does that mean?"

Percy snuck up to the back of the amphitheater as the campers all looked forward as Annabeth took a long green burial cloth the same color as Percy's eyes and embroidered with a trident and lit it on fire. She turned to face the audience with puffy red eyes from crying. She looked at them saying he was the bravest friend she ever had. Then she looked up to continue starting to say he was then frowned and her face turned red as she yelled he was right there.

"You literally just interrupted your own funeral," Carter said impressed. "I'm not sure what to say."

"You just move on and deal with it. It happens," Annabeth said.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Samirah asked her.

"Ah, he told you then," Annabeth noted.

"We all heard," Blitz agreed.

"Yes, it's happened to me all to often," she agreed.

"What's going on?" asked Jason confused.

"People find it necessary to interrupt their own funeral's when I'm there."

"I'm not the only person who's interrupted their own funeral in front of Annabeth," Percy explained for her as everyone just got more confused. "She was looking at her cousin's open casket when his afterlife form walked in."

"Einjheri form," Samirah corrected.

"I'm just gonna keep saying the other thing. It's too confusing otherwise," Percy muttered.

"You forgot Leo's scroll too," Annabeth reminded him.

"Oh. Yeah. I wasn't sure that counted," he said.

"But that brings it up to three," she said. "And I'm jinxing myself by hoping it's only that amount."

Everyone's heads turned and gasps and whispers broke out from everywhere. Beckendorf grinned and called Percy's name bringing him over as the others crowded around and clapped him on the back. Clarisse just looked at him and cursed rolling her eyes seeming to mutter the world typical.

"That's nice," commented Piper.

"It's Prissy, if anyone has the nerve to survive that all it's him. I had better things to do now that we didn't have to do a funeral anymore."

"Thanks Clarisse," Percy said. "I'm touched."

"Shut it."

Chiron cantered over and everyone parted for him. He sighed with relief saying he'd never been happier to see a camper return but he had to tell him— just then Chiron was interrupted by Annabeth yelling where had he been charging forward and shoving the other campers away. Percy braced himself for a punch but was tackled in a large hug instead as everyone stared at them silently. Suddenly Annabeth realized she'd got everyone's attention and pulled away.

"That's how we all knew something had happened by the way," Will said.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Annabeth had never just hugged you. She ususally would have punched you or something. There was a little less violence than expected."

"Once we started dating she started to do that all again," Percy assured him.

"Hey!" Annabeth yelped whacking him.

"See?"

Finally she told him they though he was dead and she made sure to call him seaweed brain while at it. Percy winced and apologized softly saying he'd gotten lost.

Everyone sputtered.

"Lost? This is what you call lost?" asked Zia.

"It's what Leo called it too," Percy said.

"Do you want to be sent to the underworld?" Leo threatened as Nico groaned again.

"I mean, Grover you too! It's happened with several of us," Percy excused.

"Yeah and it's never happening again," Grover said. "Death by Juniper isn't the way I wanna go."

Annabeth yelled lost questioningly. She asked two weeks. Where in the world had he. She'd been interrupted by Chiron saying her name.

Grover winced at Annabeth's yelling. "Yeah. Like that. So not going to happen again."

Juniper nodded firmly.

Chiron suggested perhaps they should discuss this somewhere more private. The rest of camp should go back to their normal activities. Then without waiting for them to say anything Percy and Annabeth were slung across the centaurs back as he galloped for the big house.

"Why do you guys get to ride on Chiron's back?" Apollo complained. "He's only let me do it twice in millennia."

"They're his favorites. That's why," Clarisse muttered. "Percy's rode on him several times by my count."

"We're not his favorites," Percy aragued.

"You are," Piper said.

"Totally."

"Out of anyone," agreed Grover. "But Annabeth has always been his favorite. Since she first got to camp. I wasn't that surprised after Yancy and you became his favorite too."

"I guess it makes sense," Annabeth said. "Chiron was like my dad for years. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Chiron's the best," Percy agreed.

"And this is why you're his favorites."

"I still don't agree to that," Percy argued.

"Dude. He has your pictures all over his wall. And all your medals, Annabeth's designs, everything," Jason said. "More than anyone else and Chiron's been around forever."

"And then the magic raft carried me back to Camp,"Percy finished looking at Annabeth and Chiron.

"You managed to forget the magical girl on the island."

"I shouldn't have even tried to lie about it," Percy muttered. "Nothing gets past you."

"You've learnt since then," Annabeth said.

Annabeth said slowly he'd been gone two weeks. She looked at him with a haunted emotion in her eyes saying when she'd heard the explosion she'd thought— Percy interrupted saying he knew. He was sorry. But he'd figured out how to get out of the labyrinth. He'd talked to Hephaestus. She looked surprised as she asked if he'd told Percy the answer. Percy rubbed the back of his head and said he'd sort of been told what he already knew. And he did. He understood now.

"Understood what?" Blitz asked. "I'm still confused."

Hearth facepalmed and started to sign at him rapidly. Blitz's eyes widened as he looked at Rachel. "Oh."

"What's oh?" Leo asked Piper dropping the Nico façade for a minute.

"Just watch."

"We call Rachel Dare. She can see through the mist. She could see where the Labyrinth leads. We need a mortal, not a demigod or anything else."

Annabeth proclaimed that was crazy. Chiron sat back and stroked his beard and said there was precedent. Theseus had Ariadne's help. Harriet Tubman was a daughter of Hermes and she used plenty of mortals on the underground railroad. Annabeth frowned and said this was her quest. She needed to lead it.

"Do you still think like that?" asked Piper.

"No way. I've had too many quests to lead," Annabeth said. "I know when to take the lead now and when to relinquish it."

Chiron looked uncomfortable as he told her it was her quest but she needed help. She yelled this was supposed to help? It was wrong. It was cowardly. Percy interrupted her there and said it was hard to admit they needed a mortal's help but it was true.

"You'll always need this mortals help," Rachel said proudly.

"And I'm glad to have it. Honestly, you probably keep camp sane," Annabeth said.

"Really, cause I don't feel that way," Rachel said. "I feel like it's driving me insane."

"I think it has for all of us at some point."

Annabeth glared at Percy getting up and yelling he was the single most annoying person she'd ever met. She then stormed out of the room.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," he told her taking a deep breath. "We both needed a breath there. There was a lot going on, a lot of it my fault. But we're both good now. We have been for years."

Percy stared at the doorway and clenched his fists against the table looking up at Chiron angrily saying so much for being the bravest friend she'd ever had. Chiron promised she would calm down. She was jealous.

"Dad Chiron is back at it, question is does his advice make it worse this time again or better?" Thalia questioned.

"I honestly don't think it did anything," Percy said. "I wasn't going to do anything yet. I knew deep down about what was coming. I couldn't let anyone get hurt because I decided I wanted to enjoy myself before it all went down."

Percy said that was stupid. She wasn't… It wasn't like… Chiron chuckled at Percy's confused blabbered reply saying it hardly mattered. Annabeth was territorial about her friends in case he hadn't noticed. She was quite worried about him and now that he was back she probably suspected where he was marooned.

"There's signs," Hazel agreed.

"Too many, " Piper nodded.

"Though I'm sure Percy wasn't as bad as Leo," Jason noted.

"For sure not."

Percy met Chiron's eyes and winced. Chiron told him they wouldn't dwell on his choices. He came back and that is what mattered. Percy muttered to tell that to Annabeth.

"He was right," she muttered.

"Still shouldn't have tried to hide it."

"I don't even know why you attempted it," Grover said honestly. "I'd ask if you were insane but I already know the reply."

"Geez. Thanks."

"What are friends for?"

Chiron smiled and said he'd have Argus take them into Manhattan in the morning so they could stop by his mom's. She was very upset. Percy looked startled and then paused for a second and asked Chiron what about Grover and Tyson.

"Wait if Percy was gone for two weeks you and Tyson were stuck together on the Labyrinth for that long too. Maybe even longer," Frank realized.

"Yeah," Grover said. "Honestly with what we went through and the amount we slept it felt more like a few days."

"Not fun," agreed Tyson. "It was really scary. Goat boy was brave."

"I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you," Grover bleated. "Like with that—"

"No," Juniper interrupted. "I don't want to hear it."

"Tyson is brave and strong. Grover too," Ella said. "But no more bad and scary things."

Chiron said he didn't know. Juniper was very distressed though. Her branches were turning yellow. The council of cloven elders had taken away his searcher's license in absentia. If he came back alive he would be forced into shameful exile. But Grover and Tyson were resourceful. They could still hope.

"Thanks Chiron," Grover muttered knowing their mentor wouldn't be able to hear him.

Percy muttered he shouldn't have let them run off.

"I needed to," Grover told Percy.

"I know G-man. I was just worried. I felt like I abandoned you when I was gone for that long."

"It all ended well," Grover assured him. "Nothing to worry about."

Percy raised an eyebrow. Grover bleated knowing what his friend was insinuating. He didn't worry anymore! Not like he'd used too!

Chiron assured him that Grover had his own destiny and Tyson was brave enough to follow him. But Percy would know if Grover was in mortal danger wouldn't he. Percy said he supposed because the empathy link.

"You would know," Grover confirmed.

Percy winced. "Yeah. I've realized that now."

Chiron said there was something else he should tell Percy. Two unpleasant things actually. Percy said great flatly. Chiron said first Chris Rodriguez their guest and Percy's eyes widened and asked if he was dead.

"Are you alright man?" Carter asked him.

"Now I am."

No one missed the now in that statement.

Chiron said not yet. But he was much worse. Now he was in the infirmary too weak to move. Clarisse had to be ordered back to her regular schedule because she wouldn't leave his side. He didn't respond to anything, eat or drink. None of Chiron's medicines helped. He had simply lost the will to live. Percy looked haunted and back at the amphitheater and then to the arena.

Clarisse didn't pull away when Chris pulled her hand into his and squeezed. She took a deep breath and kept watching.

Chiron said that the other news was even less pleasant. Quintus had disappeared. Percy asked disappeared, how? Chiron replied he'd slipped into the Labyrinth three nights ago. Juniper saw it. Percy must have been right about him. Percy said he was a spy for look.

"He bought his scorpions at the Triple G Ranch. Geyron was also supplying Kronos's army."

Percy insisted that couldn't be a coincidence.

"No. But didn't really mean anything except Geyron was evil and doing deals with anyone who offered," Percy said.

Chiron sighed saying there were so many betrayals. He had hoped Quintus would prove a friend but his judgment had been bad. Percy asked about Mrs. O'Leary. Chiron said she was still in the arena. But it wouldn't elt anyone approach but Chiron didn't have the heart to put her in a cage or destroy her. Percy argued that Quintus wouldn't just leave her.

"Is that how you got her? Quintus left her and she needed an owner so you took over?" Frank asked.

"More or less."

Chiron said they seemed to have been wrong about him. Now he should go prepare himself for the morning. He and Annabeth still had a lot to do. Percy looked behind him at Chiron one last time as he went out.

"That's it? You get back and are sent straight back out on this death quest?" Alex asked.

"Saving the world doesn't exactly wait for anyone," Percy said.

"No. It doesn't," agreed Carter.