"Why is that place never going to leave me alone?" Grover groaned. He glared at Apollo especially. He had a feeling where the sun god was going to come after he was done in the Midwest.

"I don't think it will leave any of us alone. Harley's started to use it as place for an obstacle race," Will said.

"I'm so happy I don't go year round," Percy said thankfully. "That kid is demonic."

"He also punches hard," Leo winced.

"You broke character," Nico pointed out. "And you deserved that punch. Now can we move on?"

Rachel yelled for them to go this way. Annabeth demanded to know why they should follow her. She'd led them straight into that death trap. Rachel said it was the way they'd needed to go and so was this. She yelled for them to come on.

"That sounds cryptically wise," Magnus commented.

"Like Hearth," agreed Sam.

"Thanks?"

"Thanks," Rachel said as Hearth signed.

"It's a compliment," Blitz assured them.

The scene skipped and they stood in a room the size of a gym with marble collumns. Percy looked around frantically and then looked down upset. Next to him Ethan collapsed. He said they were all crazy as he pulled off his helmet.

"You got that right," snorted Frank.

"It's a good thing."

"A great one," Alex agreed.

"The plans that work best are the crazy ones," Sadie agreed. "You have to be absolutely insane to do most the stuff we do."

"All the best people are crazy," Rachel agreed.

Most the demigods nodded.

"Yet somehow they drag the sane people into their plans," Sam sighed. Grover seemed to sympathize.

"What's that mean?"

"Have you met Magnus? Or yourself?" she asked Alex.

"Okay. Crazy conversation aside. What happened to Mrs. O'Leary?" Walt asked. A dog of the underworld stirred something inside himself and Anubis.

"She's okay. She probably left the same way she came after we were safe," Percy assured him.

Annabeth gasped saying she remembered him. He was one of the undetermined kids in the Hermes cabin years ago. He glared back and said she was Annabeth, he remembered. She asked what happened to his eye.

Hazel frowned. "His mom isn't Nemesis, is she?"

Percy looked at her surprised. "How'd you know?"

"We met her at the Great Salt Lake," Leo said thinking of that fortune cookie again.

"She mentioned she had a son sacrifice an eye to her," Hazel clarified.

"Yeah," said Percy. "That would be Ethan."

"She made her son do that?"

"Ethan and his mom have…. issues," decided Percy. "Definitely not normal. Not even for a demigod."

Everyone still looked disturbed.

Ethan turned away. Percy frowned and said that Ethan had to be the half-blood from his dream. The one Luke's army had cornered. It hadn't been Nico after all.

Most of the room sighed in relief.

"Good," Will said. "Though I know you don't stay out of that maze."

"I'm not apologizing."

"Why should I?"

"For making me worry."

"I can take care of myself."

"If that means overusing your powers, exhausting yourself, then pulling more stupid stunts."

Nico glared at him.

Will glared back.

Apollo squeaked. "Aww."

"Gross," Thalia decided. "Stop infecting the room with your weird romance."

Nico stuck out his tongue at her.

She reciprocated.

Will just rolled his eyes and watched the scene continue.

Ethan asked who Nico was.

"Good, they still don't know of you," Reyna decided.

Percy and Nico exchanged glances. That didn't last much longer.

Annabeth said never mind. She asked why Ethan was trying to join up with the wrong side. Ethan sneered there was no right side. The gods never cared about them. Why shouldn't he—Annabeth interrupted and finished by saying sign up with an army that made him fight to the death for entertainment. She wondered.

"He's not wrong," Percy muttered so lowly no one heard him. He knew similar thoughts ran through the others minds. The gods didn't seem to care most the time. There were exceptions like his father but the only reason a lot of demigods had sided with them was they realized that the titans would mean destruction and death for most of them and the world.

Ethan had been right about lots of things. So was Luke. There was no recognition or anything from the gods for most of them. Ethan and Luke, like so many others, all of them had been hurt and they'd been driven by that hurt. Percy was lucky. He had a good parent. He didn't need recognition from his godly parent though he had it as well.

But he also understood. There was times he'd been there himself. But that had also blinded them. Blinded them to what would happen in their quest to get recognition.

Ethan got on his feet and said he wasn't going to argue. He thanked them for the help but he was out of there.

"Good," said Juniper shivering. "He creeps me out."

Percy said they were going after Daedalus. He should come with them. Once they got through Ethan would be welcome back at Camp.

"Not then," Nico said. "Not till—"

"You won't be able to say it," Percy reminded him. "And maybe but I also know Camp is a home for a lot of us who haven't had homes before. Or just need a place to be accepted. It had it's issues then and it's now but we needed to try."

Nico wanted to scoff. Percy was too forgiving sometimes. Though that might be his flaw of holding grudges speaking. Most of camp wasn't so accepting. They hadn't been to Percy when he'd first arrived and killed a minotaur or when he'd been claimed. They were all part human and the might even be the less flawed part because the gods weren't accepting either. Not until Percy put them all in place.

Ethan said he was crazy if he though Daedalus would help them. Annabeth said he had too. They'd make him listen. Ethan snorted and said good luck with that. Percy grabbed his arm and asked if he was going to go off alone into the maze. It was suicide. Ethan looked at Percy angrily and said he shouldn't have spared him. Mercy had no place in this war.

"This is Percy," snorted Grover. "He's gonna try and save everyone."

"As much as I can."

With those last words Ethan ran off into the darkness. The other three exchanged glances. There were a few minutes of silence. "That was a lot for today. We should make camp."

"Sounds good to me," Rachel replied to Percy.

Annabeth opened her mouth to argue but didn't. "Go see if you can start a fire. I'll start setting up here."

Percy looked around and found some wood and built a fire which Annabeth poked at. She muttered something was wrong with Luke. Did he notice how Luke had been acting?

"There was something wrong," Thalia agreed.

"Really? He seemed to be happy watching people fight to their deaths," Piper said.

"No. There was something up," Grover agreed.

Everyone else looked skeptical too.

Percy said Luke looked pretty pleased to him. Like he'd spent a whole nice day torturing heroes.

"Percy agrees," Carter pointed out.

"Yeah. But I also didn't know Luke as well as Annabeth did, even if she was being a little too hopeful about him."

"Would you say that in the end of this all?"

"We both are. We were both completely insane," Percy said. "But that's mostly you. I did what you asked."

"No. You're crazy without me."

"You both scare me," Grover said. "Then and now."

"Anyone know what they're talking about?" Jason asked.

"No clue."

"Not really."

"Nope."

Annabeth said that wasn't ture. There was something wrong with him. He looked nervous. He'd also told the monsters to spell her like he wanted to tell her something.

"You were speaking about before that summer weren't you?" asked Percy. "The thing you told me about."

"Yeah."

"It was kind of disorienting," Thalia agreed.

"Still no clue what they're speaking about," muttered Will.

"Same here," Nico agreed.

Percy said it probably was hi Annabeth. She should sit here and watch while he tore his friends apart it'd be fun.

A few more snorts and snickers erupted.

Annabeth said he was impossible and then sheathed her dagger now looking at Rachel and asked her which way now calling her Sacagawea. Rachel was drawing on the floor with a burned stick making images of a dracanaea with the ash. She said they followed the ash. The brightness on the floor. Annabeth asked the brightness on the floor that led them into a trap? Percy said to lay off. She was doing the best she could.

Everyone winced again.

Annabeth stood and said the fire was getting low. She was going to look for some scraps while they talked strategy. Withthat Annabeth marched off.

"You went off alone?"

"In the Labyrinth?"

"It's fine I stayed in the room. I just left Percy with Rachel," Annabeth shrugged.

"Still separating gets you killed! We've all watched horror movies."

"Yet we're all alive," Percy pointed out. "Lay off."

Rachel drew Antaeus on the ground now as Percy said Annabeth wasn't usually like this. He didn't know what her problem was.

All the girls snorted as well as a few of the guys.

"What?"

"You really are so oblivious."

Rachel asked if he was sure he didn't know.

"See? Rachel knows."

"The only one who didn't was Percy," Nico pointed out.

"We get it. I'm an idiot."

Percy asked what she meant. Rachel muttered boys. They were totally blind.

"You've got that right," snorted Piper.

Most of the girls nodded.

"Not that girls are always much better," Walt said looking pointedly at Sadie.

"What?"

He pulled her closer and she didn't protest though she was sure she'd pay him back for that comment later.

Percy told her not to get on his case either. He apologized for getting her involved in all of this. Rachel told him no. He had been right. She could see the path. She couldn't explain it but it was clear. She pointed to the opposite end of the room and said the workshop was that way in the heart of the maze. They were close now. She didn't know why the path led through that arena. She was sorry about it. She thought he was going to die.

"You are human then," commented Sadie. "You were taking this so calmly I had no clue what to think."

"Definitely human. Though I do happen to get over taken but an ancient spirit every now and then."

Percy said he was usually about to die. She shouldn't feel bad.

"Not sure that makes anyone feel better," Magnus said with a raised eyebrow as the rest of the room laughed.

"It's true," Percy said.

"Yeah. But that's not how you make a person feel better."

"How do you then?"

"Not like that!"

She said he did this every summer? Fight monsters and save the world? Didn't he ever just get to do normal stuff.

"I wish."

"Seemed like it was finally going to happen. Until this," Percy said gesturing to the room at large. "You know before that question I hadn't even though of it as not normal."

More snorts and looks of disbelief came from that statement.

"And it's not just every summer. It's most of the year too."

"Basically if Percy isn't saving the world he's not Percy," summed up Grover.

"Something like that."

Percy shifted and said Half bloods got used to it he guessed. Or maybe not, but, then he paused and shifted again and asked what about her. What did she do normally? Rachel shrugged and said she painted and read a lot. Percy paused looking unsure what to say to that.

"This is getting more awkward every minute."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked Piper.

"You're trying to find something in common. It's not working."

"We have stuff in common."

"Just not hobbies or backgrounds."

"Only the lives you have now," Annabeth pointed out. "But Percy and I don't have so much in common either."

"Shared trauma," suggested Magnus.

"Yeah. That would do it."

Percy asked what about her family. Rachel stiffenedshe said they were just, then paused before saying family.

No one said anything though they all wore uncomfortable looks on their faces. It was clear Rachel had the same issues with families as most of them did. They all knew someone like that at the very least.

Percy pointed out he'd said that they wouldn't notice if she was gone. Rachel put down the stick she was drawing with and said she was really tired. She said she was going to sleep for a while. Percy said sure and started to apologize but Rachel was already curling up with her backpack for a pillow and he fell quite.

"Way to avoid the topic," Alex said.

"Won't be able to for long. Percy has a way of always finding out."

"She's right," Nico agreed. Next to him Thalia nodded as did Annabeth, Grover, Reyna, Clarisse and the rest of the seven.

Annabeth came back and tossed some more sticks in the fire and said she'd take the first watch. Percy should get some sleep too. Percy said she didn't have to act like that. She asked like what? Percy started to say like and grumbled never mind. He fell asleep the second he lied down with his eyes closed.

"More dreams," muttered Hazel.

"Joy," Leo said again in his best Nico imitation.