Atalanta POV:
I dunno how long it took, but my raft soon washed up onto the shore near Camp Half Blood. How I got there, I had no idea, but I could tell when the seas changed beneath the raft. It felt like a soft thrum against my body, like when you put a ringing tuning fork close to your ear, then spread that feeling across your entire self. The familiar shoreline of Long Island appeared up ahead, and several friendly great white sharks came up to greet me. I quickly ordered them back into the sea afterwards, not wanting to worry the poor mortal coast guards that would see a bunch of sharks circling a girl atop a raft. That would be a rather difficult misunderstanding to handle.
I skirted around the edge of the beach, heading straight for the Big House. I was sure asking Rachel for help would be the smartest thing to do, and even though Percy confirmed that he had done the same, I wanted proof from the mythological side that doing so had worked before. I also needed a phone, and the Big House was the only place I could call from, unless I took a taxi home back to my apartment. But given my current state, I had no money on me, so I would have had to head to the Big House anyways.
I somehow made it to the Big House without alerting any of my campmates of my presence. I felt it'd be weird to explain why I was here alone, appearing out of nowhere without Grover and Tyson beside me. I went straight to Chiron's office and knocked twice, relieved to hear his voice behind the door. When he saw who came in, Chiron's eyes widened in surprise.
"Atalanta?"
"Hey, Chiron," I chuckled at the sight of his face. "This must be unexpected huh?"
The centaur smiled nervously. "Depending on the circumstances for your return. How was the quest?"
I sighed. "That's the thing. The quest is still ongoing. I just came back from a two-week rehab period."
I then proceeded to tell Chiron everything that had happened so far, from the beginning of the quest all the way up to the volcanic explosion. Then, I asked him about the idea of using a mortal who could see through the Mist act as a leader through the Labyrinth, wanting some evidence that someone else had done it before.
The centaur sighed tiredly after I finished. "Well, it'd work, your idea at least. There are definitely precedents, including Theseus who had the help of Ariadne, and Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, who used many mortals on her Underground Railroad."
"That's reassuring," I said.
"What of your companions?"
I swallowed. "Not sure exactly. Before I set off for Mount St. Helens, we ran into a fork in the path, and Grover said he could feel the power of Pan through one of the tunnels. He and Tyson went down... and well, I haven't seen them since."
Chiron nodded. "Feeling anxious for them is natural... but don't despair too early; Tyson and Grover are rather resourceful together after all, despite their slight complications."
I gave a small smile, remembering Tyson's weird allergic reaction to Grover's fur. "Yah, I know."
"However, I do hope Grover succeeds in his endeavor," Chiron said seriously. "The Cloven Elders have officially terminated his license, and Juniper's entire bushel of leaves have yellowed everywhere between a two foot radius."
"He'll find Pan," I said confidently. I then turned my head sideways, staring out the window. "How are camp preparations going?"
"As best as we can afford," Chiron said. "Though, it's not like we're that optimal of an army. We can set up traps, and fight like demons of hell, but the chances of winning unscathed are difficult under the condition that Thalia's pine's protection is completely useless."
I frowned. "That just means that I gotta finish before the attack happens. Plus, I can ask Percy for help."
"Ah, your brother," Chiron said in a knowing voice. "If he can afford it, his help would be much appreciated."
I stood from my seat, pushing the chair back. "Well, I'd better hurry then. The earlier I finish, the better. Do you mind if I use the phone?"
"Go ahead." The centaur paused, then continued. "Atti, there are two more things you should know. Neither are good news."
"Great." I turned back, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Chris Rodriguez, our guest..."
"The spy Clarisse found right?"
"Yes. He's gotten worse."
"Is he dead?"
"No," Chiron said grimly. "The poor boy has simply lost his will to live. His body is too weak to move, and he refuses solid and liquid supplements. None of my medicines help to alleviate his pain."
"Shit," I cursed. "Where's Mr. D? Isn't he a..." I tapered off, seeing Chiron shake his head.
"The god is busy in aiding the war effort, dealing with the minor gods," Chiron explained. "I'm afraid he isn't currently available."
I grimaced. "Surely the second thing can't be as bad?"
"Quintus has disappeared," Chiron sighed tiredly. "Three nights ago, he slipped into the Labyrinth."
I closed my eyes. "I can't say for sure, but Quintus seems to have some sort of relations with Luke. He also seems to be familiar with the maze." I described to Chiron about the ranch we ran into, and how the name of the ranch matched the name of the boxes we had the night Percy found the Labyrinth's entrance in camp. I wasn't too surprised with the news however, as Percy had warned me beforehand to be wary of Quintus' behavior.
"So many betrayals," Chiron concluded. "I had hoped Quintus would prove to be an ally. Nevertheless, I can't say I didn't expect it."
I exhaled. "Our lives just can't get any easier huh?"
Chiron stared out the window, silent. Then, he spoke. "Time is of essence. You need to borrow the phone, yes?"
I nodded. "Yah."
"Then I shall take my leave," Chiron gestured to the office telephone hooked on the side of his room. "Make the call quick. And..." He rolled halfway out the door and stopped. "May the gods be with you, Atalanta."
§§§§§
That night, I finally earned a night's rest in my earn bunk. I realized before I fell asleep that this was the first time I was alone in the Poseidon cabin since Percy arrived into my life, and wondered briefly what he was doing. I'll call him tomorrow, I thought, before sleep took over and dreams invaded my mind for the first time since Calypso's island.
I was in a king's courtroom – a big white chamber with marble columns and a wooden throne. Sitting on it was this plump guy with curly red hair and a crown of laurels. At his side stood three girls that looked like his daughters. They all had his red hair and were dressed in blue robes.
The doors creaked open and a herald announced, "Minos, King of Crete!"
I watched as the familiar looking kind stepped through, his face as cruel as ever. Minos approached the throne, eyes glinting dangerously. "King Cocalus, I understand that you've solved my little riddle?"
"Hardly little," Cocalus smiled. "Especially when you advertise such a large reward for solving it. Is the offer genuine by the way?"
Minos clapped his hands. Two buff guards walked in, struggling with a big wooden crate. They opened it, revealing the stacks of golden bars inside. I inhaled. That was quite a sum for a riddle.
"Now that you know, who solved the riddle?"
"One of my retainers. He found it quite easy."
"Did he now?" Minos asked knowingly. He had already guessed the identity of the retainer it seemed, and I had a strong feeling I knew who it was as well. "And how, exactly, did he thread the string without breaking the shell?"
"He used an ant, if you believe it. Tied a silk string to the little creature and coaxed it through the shell by putting honey at the far end."
"Ingenious man," Minos growled. "Let's skip the pleasantries shall we? You're harboring Daedalus."
"How is it that you know his name?" Cocalus swallowed.
So this is where he ran to, after his son died, I thought.
"He is a thief," Minos explained, gnashing his teeth. "He once worked in my court, Cocalus. He turned my own daughters against me. He helped a usurper make a fool of me in my own palace. And then he escaped justice. I have been pursuing for 10 years."
I rolled my eyes in-dream. Minos was a dick of a man, and although Daedalus was far from perfect, Minos himself was flawed in many aspects, maybe even more than the bloody murdering inventor himself.
"I-I know nothing of this," Cocalus stammered, clearly incapable of speaking properly in Minos' intimidating presence. "But I–"
Minos cut the king off. "Here's my only deal. Turn the fugitive over to me, and this gold is yours. Or risk making me your enemy." He let the words hang, awaiting Cocalus' response.
"Father!" One of Cocalus' daughters called out, then caught herself, changing her voice to a sweeter tone. "You can hand over Daedalus later. At-At least, let us feast our guest first. After his long journey, he should be treated to a bath, new clothes, and a decent meal. I hope you don't mind if we draw the bath personally, King Minos." She smiled prettily at the King as she spoke.
"I suppose a bath would not be amiss," Minos grunted. he turned to Cocalus. "I will see you at dinner, my lord. With the prisoner."
"Of course," Cocalus said firmly. "You'll have your man in chains."
"This way, your Majesty." said the eldest daughter. She and her sisters led Minos out of the chamber.
I followed them into a bath chamber decorated with mosaic tiles. Steam filled the air, and hot water ran from the faucet into the tub. The sisters filled the tub with rose petals and what must've been Ancient Greek Mr. Bubble, because soon, the water bulged with multicolor foam. They turned aside to let Minos step into the tub.
"Ahhh." Minos sighed. "An excellent bath. Thank you, my dears. The journey has been long indeed."
"You have been chasing your prey ten years, my lord?" The elder sister asked as her sisters trickled scented oil over the King's head. I tuned out most of what she was saying as it seemed she was just trying to get the king to lower his guard, which seemed to be working, given how Minos was eating up her thick flattery like a sponge to water. It wasn't until the elder sister began praising Daedalus that I began to listen in again.
"Daedalus is a genius," The elder sister said, her tone chilly. "He believes that women are equal to men, and that we should be able to pursue what we want till the ends of the earth, teaching us as if we had minds of our own. Perhaps your daughter yearned for the same freedom we felt in our teachings."
Minos tried to sit up but the two other sisters somehow managed to hold him down. The elder sister came up behind him with three bronze orbs in her hand that she tossed into the water. The beads instantly sprouted bronze threads that wrapped around the old man, immobilizing him quickly and finishing when Minos was completely wrapped in a bronze cocoon that showed nothing but his head.
"What is this?!" Minos demanded, not missing the cold gazes each of the sisters now held. "Why do you do this?"
The eldest sister smirked. "Daedalus has been kind to us, Your Majesty. And I do not like you threatening our father."
"You tell Daedalus," Minos growled. "You tell him I will hound him even after death! If there is any justice in the Underworld, my soul will haunt him for all eternity."
"Brave words, Minos," The eldest sister said. "Good luck on finding your justice then." And with that, the bronze threads wrapped around Minos' face, making him into a bronze mummy.
The door of the bathhouse opened. Daedalus stepped in, carrying a traveler's bag. His appearance was much better than I last saw him, but he was once again, much older this time. He'd trimmed his hair short, his beard now pure white. He reached down and touched the mummy's forehead, causing the threads to unravel and sink to the bottom of the tub. I stepped back, slightly disturbed. Nothing fell out of the threads, as if Minos had simply dissolved into thin air.
"A painless death," Daedalus mused. "More than he deserved. Thank you, my princesses."
The sisters hugged him. "You cannot stay here," the eldest one said. "When our father finds out–"
"Yes, I fear I have brought you trouble." Daedalus nodded in understanding.
"Worry not," the sister said. "Father will be happy enough with the old man's gold. And Crete is a very long way away. But he will blame you for Minos' death. You must flee somewhere safe."
Daedalus gave a dry, humorless laugh. "Somewhere safe? I've fled from kingdom to kingdom, across every sea and plain. There is no place under the sun that will harbor me, once words of this crime gets out."
"Then where will you go?" The sister asked.
"A place I swore never to enter again," Daedalus said. "My prison may be my only sanctuary."
"But what of the Underworld? Every man must die. Minos will still get to you eventually."
"Perhaps not," Daedalus said, pulling out a familiar scroll, the very same that Perdix had given to him. "Anything is possible... after all."
My eyes widened at the thought. No way.
Daedalus embraced the sisters one final time before turning to the mosaic wall and touching a single tile. A glowing mark appeared, a Greek ∆, and the wall slid aside. the sisters gasped.
"The Labyrinth? You never told us of any secret passages!"
"That's right," Daedalus said grimly. "Do not try to follow me my dears, if you value your sanity." And on that note, he stepped back into the maze, the walls locking shut behind him.
§§§§§
It was Saturday, normally a weekend day that I'd be spending with my friends at camp, training my ass off for the upcoming fight against Luke and his monster followers. Instead, I was heading off to meet with Rachel, a part of my new plan to navigate the Labyrinth without dying... correction, to lower the chances of dying. We had arranged a meeting in Times Square. I jumped off the bus and found Rachel Elizabeth Dare in front of the Marriott Marquis, and she was completely painted gold.
I didn't really know what was going on, but deducted that it was probably some sort of art related thing. Cause next to Rachel were five other kids also painted entirely in metallic colors, holding poses as if to imitate a statue. I'd seen these types of acts on the internet before, and honestly, the adults did it a lot better.
I stood against one of the random traffic light poles, playing with my phone as I waited for Rachel. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait for long, as a kid in silver walked up to Rachel and took a pose beside her, snapping her out of her stillness. She turned towards me, smiling as she did. "Hey Atalanta. Good timing! Let's get some coffee, shall we?"
I smiled. "Sounds good."
We walked down to a place called the Java Moose on West 43rd. Rachel ordered an Espresso Extreme, the kind of stuff Grover and Zoe usually like. I settled with a fruit smoothie instead, and sat at a table with Rachel underneath a stuffed moose. Nobody looked twice at Rachel in her golden outfit. Guess New Yorkers were pretty used to weird stuff popping up all over the place, even if they couldn't see through the Mist.
"So, what's going on?" Rachel started off. "You going to tell me about all the weird monster stuff I'm seeing?"
"Yah," I said. "More or less. How much did I tell you last time?"
"All I remember is you saying that you were half human and half something else. A half-blood of sorts?"
I nodded. "Yah. I'm half-god. Long story short, the mythological world that you read in textbooks about Greek history and whatnot is somehow mixed into the fabric of our universe. Any monsters, gods, and heroes you can think of? They're real, existing in real life at some point in time."
"So, the gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades..."
"Yah," I waved my hand in front of her face. "They exist. But don't go throwing those terms around like nothing. Names have power."
"Makes sense." Rachel said. "So, I'm assuming there's a special branch of people who can see your world like me?"
I nodded again. "You're right. We have this thing in our world called the Mist, which is some sort of magical invisible screen that blocks the mythological world from being seen by mortals. Sometimes, there are mortals born with the ability to see through the Mist, people like you... and my mom."
"Can I have an example of what a mortal would see without the ability to see?"
"Uhh... well, my sword right?" I unsheathed Riptide beneath the table. "You see a sword, but mortals may see it as a baseball bat, a cricket bat, and even a gun apparently. Monsters usually look like trucks or something, which I'm not sure how that works, but magic doesn't usually make sense."
Rachel sipped another bit of her drink. "Is that all?"
I chuckled dryly. "Yes, in terms of explaining to you about why you're seeing the things you're seeing. No, in terms of the favor I want to ask you."
"Favor?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What can a mortal like me do for you?" She asked, smiling.
I told Rachel about the Labyrinth, and my quest experience inside so far. Then I told her my idea, making the redhead place down her drink in deep thought.
"So..." Rachel said seriously. "You want me to guide you, through a place I've never been in? That might be dangerous?"
"Yes," I said, wondering honestly why anyone would agree, even if it was someone like Rachel. I mean, unless you were obligated to do so, what would you want to go underground into a maze that covers the entirety of the United States, without a means of navigation? "You can see through the Mist," I explained to Rachel. "Just like Ariadne could with Theseus. I believe that you'll be able to see the right path, because the Labyrinth can't fool you as easily as it does us."
"And if I'm wrong?"
"Then we'll get lost," I shrugged. "Maybe even get decapitated. Either way, it's dangerous. Very dangerous."
"I could die."
"Yep."
"I thought you said monsters don't care about mortals. That sword of yours–"
"You're usually right," I said. "Except, Luke, he doesn't give a shit. He even personally forged a double edged blade made of both Celestial Bronze and mortal steel, just so that he could kill anything in his way."
"Nice guy," Rachel said. "Anyways, I'm in."
"That's great!" I said, then realized what she said. "Wait... what?"
"I said I'm in," Rachel repeated.
I blinked. "After all that, you're really good with it?"
"I would be a bad friend if I refused right?" Rachel smirked, then turned serious again. "No seriously, my summer was going to be boring as usual. This is the best offer away from boredom that I'm gonna get. So what do I look for?"
I shook my head, partially surprised, but half expecting as well. "We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth. There is one in camp... but I don't think you'd be able to use it."
"Okay, so we need an alternate entrance." Rachel concluded. "What does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?"
"It could be anything," I said. "A wall, a boulder, a doorway, a sewer entrance, a closet or whatever. It just needs the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek ∆, glowing in blue."
"Like this?" Rachel dress the symbol Delta in water on the table.
"Uh yah?" I said. "You know Greek?"
"No," Rachel said. She pulled a big blue plastic hairbrush from her pocket and started brushing the gold out of her hair. "Let me get changed. You'd better come with me to the Marriott."
"There's an entrance?"
"Yah, I think." Rachel said. "It's in a place where we store our costumes. And I'm 99% sure it's got the mark of Daedalus on it."
§§§§§
The metal door was half hidden behind a laundry bin full of dirty hotel towels. I didn't see anything strange about it, but Rachel showed me where to look, and I recognized the faint blue symbol etched in the metal.
"It hasn't been used in a while," I figured. "Makes sense, if it's in a hotel."
"I tried to open it once," Rachel said. "just out of curiosity. It's rusted shut."
I chuckled. "Good thing you didn't. The moment you step in, you could get seriously lost... except I actually don't know if that's possible in your case."
"So, do we need like, a magical crowbar or something like that?"
"No," I said, reaching forward. "I'm pretty sure it just needs the touch of a half-blood." Sure enough, as soon as I put my hand on the mark like it was some sort of handprint scanner, the mark glowed bright blue. The metal door unsealed and creaked open, revealing a dark staircase leading down.
"Damn." Rachel looked calm, but I couldn't tell if it was genuine or faked. She'd changed into a ratty Museum of Modern Art T-shirt and her regular marker-colored jeans, her blue plastic hairbrush sticking out of her pocket. Her red hair was tied back, but she still had flecks of gold in it, and traces of the gold glitter on her face. "That's something."
I pointed my arms at the entrance. "May I welcome you, to the Maze of Death!"
"Exciting," Rachel deadpanned. "I guess I'm going first then."
The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. It was so dark I couldn't see two feet in front of us, but thankfully, I had restocked the batteries in my flashlights. As soon as I handed one to Rachel and we switched them on, Rachel yelped as a massive skeleton hanging above us showed up.
The skeleton was grinning at us. It clearly wasn't a human one, not only was it at least 10 feet tall, but it also had only one eye socket in its skull. The skeleton was strung by its wrists and ankles so it made sort of an X across the whole corridor.
"Geezus, that nearly gave me a heart attack..." Rachel muttered as she calmed herself.
I grimaced. "A Cyclops. Really damn old, so thankfully, not anyone that I know. Though, I'm not sure I want to meet the thing that killed it."
Rachel shivered. "You have a friend who's a Cyclops?"
"Tyson," I said. "He's my half-brother."
"Half-brother?"
"Poseidon was both of our dads," I said. "Different mother. Mine mortal, his, a nature spirit."
"Huh."
We continued under and past the skeleton deeper into the maze. After fifty feet we came to a crossroads. Ahead, the brick tunnel continued. To the right, the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. To the left, the tunnel was dirt and tree roots.
"This makes no sense," I muttered. "So which way now?"
"Forward," Rachel said confidently. "You don't see it, on the ground?"
I looked down and saw dirt and rocks. "Perhaps because you don't have godly blood running in you, the magic of the maze can't use its usual ways of trickery to deceive you. I dunno what you're seeing, but I don't see it at all."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, the forward path is relatively trap free," Rachel continued. "To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don't like that. To the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think you want to risk that."
"How far can you see?" I asked incredulously.
Rachel shrugged.
"Let's keep going then," I said. "I just want this over with already."
We continued down the brick corridor, which twisted and turned, but didn't split off into any more tunnels. We seemed to be angling down, heading deeper underground.
"No traps?" I asked after what seemed like 5 minutes of aimless walking.
"Nothing," Rachel knit her eyebrows. "Should it be this easy?"
"Seems like its working..." I replied. "We're avoiding traps... but no, it shouldn't be this easy."
We continued in silence, stopping only after we heard creaking sounds of what seemed to be a set of doors opening ahead of us.
"Uh, that's new," I said, flicking my wrists and summoning two water construct daggers.
"Something's coming," Rachel said, right when thumping heavy footsteps sounded right after.
"Run." I said, and we fled back the way we came, only to run straight into a few familiar faces. Two dracaenae leveled their javelins at our chest. Standing between them was Kelli, the empousa cheerleader.
"Well, well," Kelli sneered. "What do we have here?"
I merely blinked and quickly erected a shield between us, unsheathing Riptide once I had safely surrounded Rachel and I in the shield bubble. "Hey Kelli, still trying to woo Luke? He doesn't like you, you know?"
Kelli sent me a hateful glare. "What do you know?" She turned her attention to Rachel. "Taking your little mortal pet out for a walk? They're such fragile things. So easy to break."
I raised an eyebrow. I could take Kelli down easily, I figured as much, until whatever was stomping around caught up to us. I turned halfway and gaped at the eight foot tall Laistrygonian giant that stared down at us with his red eyes, his mouth emitting a horrible mixture of growls and odors. "Shit." My chances were much lower. If it was me alone, I'd be less afraid, but Rachel couldn't actually fight.
"Can I eat them?" The giant asked behind us.
"You can if they try to fight us." Kelli chuckled. "Take down your shield, sea spawn."
I sneered and narrowed my eyes, but knew that I didn't really have a choice. "Fine."
Kelli moved faster than I could see as soon as the barrier dropped, her hand turning into a claw and wrapping around Rachel's neck. "Now that we're in a more amicable position," the empousa stated. "Let us continue shall we? I have a feeling that you'll make a great show of entertainment for Luke." She chuckled at my defiant expression. "Better fix that attitude, darling. Now march, or I'll kill you both here, starting with your little pet."
I sheathed Riptide and raised my hand up in surrender. Rachel tried her best to not look queasy whilst she was trapped in Kelli's kill hold. I turned and walked forward, back towards the sound of the doors that we'd heard earlier.
We soon arrived at a set of bronze doors that were about 10 ft tall. They were emblazoned with a pair of crossed swords. Behind them sounded like a crowd was cheering, like some sort of event was going on.
"Oh, yesssssss," hissed the snake woman on my left. "You'll be very popular with our hosssst."
"Lady, I'm popular everywhere," I deadpanned. "Though, I can't say I'm not curious. Who's the host?"
She laughed, which sounded like a spiked tire letting loose air. "Oh, you'll ssssee. You'll get along famously. He'ssss your brother, after all."
"Brother?" I asked dangerously. I swear, if Luke somehow brainwashed Tyson...
The giant behind us pushed ahead of me and opened the doors. "Here," he grunted.
"Go on, sea spawn." Kelli laughed. "Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."
I looked at Rachel and gave a grimacing smile. "Hey, sorry about this. I'll get us out."
Rachel nodded as best she could. "That would be nice."
The dracaenae who spoke to me prodded me in the back at javelin-point, and I walked out onto the floor of the arena.
It wasn't perhaps the largest arena I'd been in, but still a considerably spacious place for a location underground. The dirt floor was circular, just big enough that you could drive a care around the rim if you pulled it really tight. In the center of the arena, a pretty one-sided fight was going on in between a giant and a centaur. The centaur looked panicked, galloping around with nothing but a sword and shield, while his opponent wielded a javelin the size of a telephone pole.
I took the waiting time to carefully observe my surroundings. If I was to be entertainment, I'd bet that I was going to be the next contender in this underground deathmatch of sorts, because Luke sure as hell wasn't letting me get off alive, not if he could help it. The first tier of seats were about twelve feet above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. Despite Percy saying that he roasted a whole mountainside worth of troops, I couldn't help but feel skeptical, given the masses of giants, dracaenae, demigods, telkhines, and demons that filled the audience. Luke himself didn't look worried whatsoever; in fact, he was smiling, looking excited as if something good had just happened.
Speaking of Luke, he was sitting atop a set of honor wearing camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and a bronze chestplate. His sword was missing beside him, which was strange, because I'd never seen Luke without Backbiter close by. Next to him was a massive giant, easily larger than the Laistrygonians that I've seen. He must've been 15 feet tall easily, and so wide that he took up three seats. The giant wore only a loincloth, like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs. I didn't like the feeling he gave me, and wondered if he was Luke's new bodyguard, then quickly dismissed the thought. Luke was immensely powerful, and he had Kelli watching his back constantly. So was this giant a new ally?
I didn't bother much with the giant's identity because I was too disturbed by the decor of the arena. Ringing the arena ceiling and railings, piled up in stacks, and hanging from chains in bundles were hundreds of skulls. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands, a few of them not even remotely human. Some of them were pretty old: nothing but bleached white bone collecting dust. Others were fresher, some of them not of mythological origin, the bone tinged with red as if the blood of the body it was ripped from had tried to maintain its grip on the skull. A few others were even more disgusting, not something I could describe without puking.
Worse of all, right in the middle of all that, was a proudly displayed banner of green that I recognized queasily. A banner of Poseidon, with the familiar golden trident symbol in the center. What was that doing in a place like this? I suddenly had a thought. My brother, I gazed up at the giant besides Luke, the one with the wave patterns. Are you kidding me?
A cry from the arena floor startled me out of my thoughts, and I jumped back as the centaur crashed into the dirt beside me. He met my eyes pleadingly, "Help!"
I instinctively reached for Riptide, but felt a taloned hand rest on my shoulder. I resisted the urge to push the talon off when the dracaenae guard behind me hissed, "If you value your friend'sssss livessss, you won't interfere. Thisss isssn't your fight. Wait your turn."
"Got it," I said stiffly. "Now don't touch me again unless you want me to chop you into fine dust."
The centaur in front of me couldn't get up, as one of his legs were broken. The giant he was fighting put his huge foot on the horseman's chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke whilst the crowd cheered, "DEATH! DEATH!"
Luke didn't do anything, but the tattooed sumo dude sitting next to him rose. He smiled down at the centaur, who whimpered, "Please! No!"
I stared stonily as the sumo giant pointed his thumbs down, a familiar symbol seen in Ancient Greek fights putting the loser to death. The centaur managed a few more pathetic cries of futility before the gladiator giant thrust his javelin into the centaur's body, disintegrating it to ashes. All that was left was a single hoof, which the giant held up like a trophy and showed it to the crowd. They roared their approval.
A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium and the giant marched out in triumph. In the stands, the sumo dude raised his hands for silence.
"Good entertainment!" he bellowed. "But nothing I haven't seen before. What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?"
Luke's jaw tightened. I knew for a fact that he hated being called that, as he hated the gods more than anything else, especially his father. But he rose calmly to his feet, the good mood he was in not bothered much longer than a second or so. His eyes glittered, and his smile grew colder than it already was as he sneered my direction.
"Lord Antaeus," Luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You've been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."
"A favor I have not yet granted," Antaeus growled. "I want entertainment!"
Luke bowed. "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a sister of yours." He pointed at me. "Atalanta Jackson, daughter of Poseidon."
The crowd began jeering at me and throwing stones, but I wasn't even bothered. I put up a shield of water in front of me that deflected the projectiles away. It was while I was feeling each enemy's body fluid balance that I realized the sumo dude was a bit different. His blood content was surprisingly low, as was with most monsters normally, but even lower than the usual threshold I felt when fighting hellhounds, giants, and dracaenae. Something about his body composition made me uneasy, and I half hoped I didn't have to face him.
Antaeus' eyes lit up. "A daughter of Poseidon? Then she should fight well! Or die well!"
Luke narrowed his eyes at my casual show of power. "If her death pleases you," Luke said to the giant. "Will you let our armies cross your territory?"
"Perhaps!"
Luke didn't look too pleased about the "perhaps." He glared down at me, as if warning me that I'd better die in a really spectacular way or I'd be in big trouble.
I could care less about what Luke thought. So I shrugged and did the most sensible thing back at him. I put my thumb and index finger in the shape of an L and stuck it on my forehead, sticking my tongue out immaturely. It seemed to irritate him so much that I could almost see the vein in his forehead bulge in annoyance.
"Fight or die well," my dracaenae guard pushed me into the arena. "I prefer the latter."
I dropped my shield and moved to the center of the arena, not moving to draw Riptide. Despite the situation I was in, I decided to use this as training for my godly powers. When would I get the chance again to wipe the smirk off of Luke's face whilst getting stronger at the same time? Plus, like Percy always said, real experience is how to truly learn what one is capable of.
"First, Atalanta Jackson," Antaenus chuckled. "What weapons will you choose?"
I stared up at him. "You're a son of Poseidon?"
"I am his favorite son!" Antaeus boomed. "Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!"
"You're insane," I said as I shook my head, wanting to say more, then realized, there was no point. "So when do we begin?"
The crowd booed as if to discourage me, but I remained unbothered.
"Weapons," Antaeus raised his hand for silence. "And then we well see how you die? Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"
"You have flamethrowers?" I couldn't help but ask. "No, I'm not using one but... damn."
Antaeus remained silent, but I could tell he was getting a bit ticked off by my quips and ignorant behavior. I shrugged. "I'll just use my hands."
Laughter erupted from the monsters and Rachel stared at me like I was insane. Luke actually remained silent, wondering what on earth I was pulling.
Antaeus chuckled. "So be it! Round one!" The gates opened and a dracaenae slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other: classic gladiator style. I'd trained against this setup at camp for years, I was almost insulted by how small of a challenge they thought me to be.
She jabbed at me experimentally. I stepped away and thrust my hand out, shaping the water in the air behind her into spikes infused with a bit of my godly essence. The monster kept trying to attack me, but I simply erected a water barrier that kept her away, before I impaled the dracaenae with a mass of seven spikes into the barrier, vaporizing her into dust. I smirked at the result. I hadn't been able to properly test that move yet, and was glad to see its results.
According to Percy, demigods are able to infuse a bit of their godly energy into formed constructs or weapons derived from their powers. It's a tiny amount, only enough to deal half the power of what Celestial bronze does to monsters. In large amounts, the monster will die as if it were struck by a Celestial bronze armament. Nothing especially fancy, but useful in a fight when other choices aren't available. For example, Percy usually uses his hydrokinetic abilities to heal or incapacitate, but uses his knives, katana, or flames to finish the kill. Since I don't have access to the resources he has, I must rely on powering my hydrokinetic powers instead.
The crowd was silent for a few moments after my performance. Luke looked disturbed, as if he were wondering where my show of power came from. A few braver monsters jeered at me. Antaeus himself looked pissed. "No!" He bellowed. "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order!"
I raised my hands in surrender after vanishing my water constructs. "My bad, my bad."
"You've gotten powerful," Luke commented. "Atalanta."
"Round two!" Antaeus yelled. "And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody, OR ELSE!"
"Give me harder opponents then," I drawled. "Don't blame me for clapping easy monsters that you send out."
The gates opened once more, and this time, a young warrior came out. He was a little older than me, about sixteen. He had glossy black hair, and his left eye was covered with an eye patch. He was thin and wiry so his Greek armor hung on him loosely. He stabbed his sword into the dirt, adjusted his shield straps, and pulled on his horsehair helmet.
"Who are you?" I asked warily as I summoned a pair of dual blade constructs.
"Ethan Nakamura," he said. "I have to kill you."
I shrugged, rolling my shoulders back. "You're welcome to try."
"Hey!" a monster yelled from the stands. "Stop talking and fight already!" Others quickly took up the call.
Ethan let out a battle cry and charged. I dodged his first strike and parried the other, playing defense mostly just to get a feel of his fighting prowess. After a few steps of dancing around his blade and throwing a few of my own attacks, I knew that he'd been trained somewhere. He knew the Greek fighting style taught at Camp Half Blood, and his swordwork made me wonder if he'd learned his basics from Luke as well. Whatever the case, Ethan wasn't giving me much room to breathe, consistently pushing me back.
We exchanged strikes, parrying each others' attacks. He slashed, and I rolled to the side. I leapt at him, turning one of my swords into a mace that I slammed into the side of his head, making him lose his balance a bit. But he recovered quickly and continued to slash and hack, his ferocious swordplay eventually forcing me to exchange my dual blades for a water construct of Riptide.
"Blood!" the monsters cried.
My opponent glanced up at the stands. That was his weakness, I realized. He needed to impress them. I didn't.
He inhaled and yelled an angry battle cry, charging me with his sword raised. I sidestepped his slash and hooked his foot with mine, pulling it back to make him fall forward. Ethan snarled as he righted himself, turning angrily as he slashed at me again. I parried the blade and stepped back, keeping an uninterested look on my face, as if I was unfazed by the whole thing.
"Booo! Stand and fight!" Antaeus yelled.
Ethan pressed me, but I could tell that he was tiring. I continued to leap nimbly from side to side, avoiding his strikes and occasionally throwing in a strike myself to keep him coming. His heavy armor and shield was finally providing him more a disadvantage than advantage. The monsters in the stands yelled complaints and threw rocks, which bounced off the shield I erected around me.
Finally, Ethan made his mistake. He tried to jab at my stomach, and I locked his sword hilt in mine and twisted. His sword dropped into the dirt. Before he could recover, I swung my blade-turned-mace into the side of his helmet again, hard enough to dent the metal and send him staggering away. One push dropped him onto the arena floor. Within seconds, Ethan lay on the ground, finding the tip of my sword resting at the tip of his neck.
"Get it over with," Ethan groaned.
I looked up at Antaeus. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and put it thumbs down.
Now, I have morals against killing people. So I just did the simple thing. I dematerialized my constructs and held out my hand.
Ethan stared at me. "Are you serious?" When I didn't answer, he shook his head, and reluctantly took my hand. I helped him up. "When you see your chance, run."
Ethan nodded. "Thanks."
"No one dishonors the games!" Antaeus bellowed, looking like he was about to explode. "Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"
I turned to Antaeus. "Hey, fatso! Why don't you fight me instead? If you've got Dad's favor, stop complaining, get your ass down here, and prove it!"
The monsters grumbled in the stands. Antaeus looked around, and apparently realized he had no choice. He couldn't say no without looking like a coward.
"Are you stupid, or courageous?" Antaeus chuckled darkly. "I am the greatest wrestler in the world, girl! I've been wrestling since the first pankration!"
"Pankration?
"He means fighting to the death," Ethan said behind me. "No rules. No holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport."
"Glad it's no longer a sport," I muttered. "Imagine that, still being a thing. Thanks for the tip."
"Don't mention it."
I pointed at Antaeus. "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die obviously. Swear upon the River Styx."
Antaeus laughed. "This shouldn't take long! I swear on your terms." He leaped off the railing and landed in the arena, cracking his knuckles.
"This is gonna be fun," I said with a mix of nervousness and excitement.
"Fun for me," Antaeus grinned, showing that even his teeth were etched in wave patterns. "You're but an insect to me! Weapons?"
"I'll stick with my hands," I said. "I'm guessing you're the same?"
Antaeus held up his huge hands and wiggled his fingers. "That's right. Master Luke, you will referee this one."
Luke smiled down at me. "With pleasure."
Antaeus lunged. I rolled under his legs and slashed him in the back of the thigh with a sword construct.
"Argggh!" he yelled. But where monster dust was supposed to spill out, there was a spout of sand, like I'd busted the side of an hourglass. It spilled on the dirt floor, and the dirt collected around his leg, almost like a cast. When the dirt fell away, the wound was gone.
I didn't let that observation confuse me too much, as I was too busy dodging his next charge. Once again, when I stabbed him, this time in the arm, the same thing happened. He got wounded, it pained him slightly, but then he moved again, his arm healing with another spout of sand.
I dematerialized my blades and unsheathed Riptide. Maybe because Antaeus was a giant, and so my godly essence wasn't able to death as much damage as pure Celestial bronze. I sort of knew that was a lame explanation though, because I'd killed hellhounds the size of this guy and even bigger monsters with my hydrokinetic abilities just fine.
I charged in again and again, dodging his hands and leaving slash marks up and down his arms, along the back of his legs, and even stabbed into his back. But no matter what I did, the earth would just rise from the ground and cover him, healing whatever damage he took until he was fine again.
"Now you see why I never lose, demigod!" Antaeus gloated. "Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"
"That's stupid," I called back, thinking fast. What was so special about this guy? I ran in and ducked under his arm, swinging my arms as a massive hammer formed in my hands. I slammed it into Antaeus' shin, making the big guy stumble forward in pain, his body in midair for a moment. Before he touched the ground, I used the water in air beneath him to push him up, high enough so that when he impaled on the reformed spikes below, he wouldn't touch the ground. Antaeus cried in panic as his body was penetrated several times, struggling as he began to turn to dust, unable to reach the dirt floor. I had placed the spikes in specific areas to ensure that he wouldn't be able to move properly, a skill trained into me by Zoe during shooting practice. As I looked at Antaeus fading away into nothing but a loincloth, I nodded grimly. It seemed that as long as Antaeus was on the ground, he'd be able to heal himself with the earth. So, if one couldn't pick him up in any way, they were absolutely screwed for life. Still, it wasn't that easy a task. I could feel my head pounding from the expense of energy used, still unused to taking power from my magic core properly during a real battle.
The arena was in uproar. Monsters were screaming every which way, and it seemed some of them wanted to jump into the arena themselves. Luke gave me a face that was mixed between a smile and snarl, probably because I had killed Antaeus, which granted Luke's army past this area, but also, Luke wanted to see me die.
"Jackson!" Luke yelled. "I should have killed you long ago!"
"You tried, and failed," I reminded him. "Now let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."
He did just as I expected. He said, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly." Immediately, every monster in the audience drew a weapon or extended its claws. Some of them jumped over the railing already and creeped towards me, snarling and glaring at me through their beady eyes.
I tried to calm myself but found it difficult in my exhausted state. If they just gave me a few moments of meditation, I'd be fine again. And Rachel was still in the hands of Kelli, who I knew I still couldn't kill fast enough. We were trapped, hopelessly outnumbered and overpowered.
We needed a way out, and fighting was not an option. I only had two choices: Hera's wish, or the Stygian Ice whistle in my pocket, which I refused to trust, after knowing that Quintus had too many connections and relations with the Labyrinth. So even though Hera... I'm not gonna say it, not right before I pray to her for help.
Hey Hera, I muttered in place, ready to cast a shield around me in case. I know I'm in a hurry, and this might be interrupting some of your time, but could you please cause some sort of distraction that can get me and Rachel out of here?
I opened my eyes, and placed myself in one final battle stance, in case I'd really have to fight. Before I could even summon a weapon in hand, I heard a surprised yelp from behind me. The Laistrygonian giant who'd been guarding the now blasted open doors flew past me and smashed into the wall.
"MOOOOOOOO!"
What in the name of... I thought, eyes wide as a tank-sized fire breathing cow marched through, slamming an equally surprised Kelli against the arena railings. Within two seconds, the two dracaenae guards nearby were charred to fine dust, and nearby monsters began to suffer the same fater.
"Rachel!" I shouted over the chaotic din that ensued. With my final bit of strength, I wrapped a tendril of water around her and pulled her towards me.
"The far exit!" Rachel cried, pointing as she landed on her feet. "That's the right way."
"Alright!" I said. Ethan Nakamura took his cue. Together we raced across the arena and out the far exit, feeling the heat of the cow's flames on our backs. I had no idea Hera could summon fire-breathing cows, and knew in the future to be more careful with the goddess. I did not want one of those on my ass.
§§§§§
We continued to run, running as far away as we could to escape the army behind us. Ethan and I followed Rachel's words without question, whipping around corners and running past crossroads without a second thought. Once she said, "Duck!" and we all crouched as a massive axe swung over our heads. Then we kept going as if nothing happened.
I lost track of how many turns we made. We didn't stop to rest until we came to a room the size of a gymnasium with old marble columns holding up the roof. I stood at the doorway, listening for sounds of pursuit, but heard nothing. Thankfully, we'd lost Luke and his minions in the maze.
Ethan collapsed on the floor straightaway, pulling his helmet off as he did. "You people are crazy." His face gleamed with sweat.
"Well, we made it out," I said. "Would you have preferred staying behind?"
Ethan didn't answer, but the anger in his one eye said enough. "There's no right side, is there? The gods never cared about us. Luke or you... I believe in Luke more." He turned and stared at me. "So thanks for the help, but no thanks. I'm outta here." And without another word, he ran back from where we came.
"Should we stop him?" Rachel asked.
I shook my head. "Some people don't want to be saved. Blame the past for that. Let's keep going."
Eventually, we were so exhausted that we decided to set up camp in another wide room. I found some scrap wood and we started a fire. Shadows danced off the columns rising around us like trees.
"So, we're still going that right way right?" I asked after a few seconds.
Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd become quieter since the arena, like the reality of a demigod's life woke up her senses or something. Rachel had burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, creating images of monsters we'd seen. With a few deft strokes, she captured the likeness of a dracaenae perfectly.
"We'll follow the path," Rachel murmured. "The brightness on the floor."
"Right," I nodded cluelessly. "Sorry about all that... back there."
"I don't know why the path led through that arena." Rachel looked up, her eyes showing her fear. "I-I'm sorry about that. I thought you were going to die."
I sighed. "Hey, I'm usually about to die, every day," I promised. "Don't feel bad. And plus, even Luke needed to get past there, so I bet that arena was just a major checkpoint we all needed to cross."
Rachel studied my face. "So you do this every summer? Fight monsters? Save the world? Don't you ever get to do just, you know, normal people stuff?"
I thought about her words for a bit. "Well, since I got introduced into the demigod world yes. Train everyday, then fight everyday. It's a matter of survival. I've been told that we half-bloods average out to be in our twenties, or late teens, and that's if we're lucky." I paused. "But these last few months, whilst Percy was training me, I've been able to go sightseeing a bit, and even went shopping during the break too. What about you?"
Rachel shrugged. "I paint. Also, read a lot."
"Yah, you're pretty good at art," I observed, gesturing to the various ash pictures on the ground. "What about your family?" I suddenly asked, feeling slightly guilty. "Crap, what would they think about–"
"They're just... family," Rachel interrupted, her mood shifting guardedly.
"Right," I said intelligently. It must be a touchy subject, so I stepped over it, albeit awkwardly. "Anyways, get some rest alright? I'll take first watch."
"Sure," Rachel replied, curling up and using her bag as a pillow. I figured she was still doing quite a bit of thinking, and decided not to say any more about it.
When it was my turn to sleep, I handed Rachel a water construct blade then passed out immediately, hoping the blade wouldn't dissolve the second I did.
Of course, like always, dreams taunted the peacefulness of my sleep. This time, I heard cold, harsh laughter echo within my head. I gasped when I looked around, seeing that I was standing at the edge of a pit in the depths of Tartarus. Below my feet, the darkness seethed and hissed like a thick inky soup.
"So close to your own destruction, little hero," the voice of Kronos chided. "And still you are blind."
The voice was different than it had been before. It seemed almost physical now, as if it were speaking from a real body instead of... whatever he'd been in his Thanos-snapped condition.
"I have much to thank you for," Kronos continued. "You have assured my rise."
The shadows in the cavern became deeper and heavier, and I tried to back away from the edge of the pit, but it was like trying to run whilst stuck in a black hole of molasses. Time slowed down. My breathing became scarily slow.
"A favor," Kronos said. "The Titan lord always pays his debts. Perhaps a glimpse of the friends you abandoned..." The darkness rippled around me, and I was in a different cave.
"Hurry!" Tyson said. It was like I was viewing an Iris-message. Tyson came barreling into the room. Grover stumbled along behind him. There was a rumbling in the corridor they'd come from, and the head of an enormous snaked burst into the cave. I mean, this thing was literally the size of the tunnel itself. Its scales were copper toned, and its head was diamond-shaped like a rattler, with yellow eyes of hatred aimed at my friends. When it opened its mouth, its fangs were as tall as Tyson.
It lashed at Grover, who dodged quickly, throwing dirt into the snake's mouth. Tyson picked up a boulder and threw it at the monster, smacking it between the eyes, causing the snake to recoil and hiss angrily.
"It's going to eat you!" Grover yelled.
"How do you know?" Tyson picked up two rocks in his hands.
"It just told me! Now run!"
Tyson threw the rocks but the snake headbutted past them, slamming into Tyson like a battering ram and throwing Tyson off his feet. Before my brother could regain his balance, the snaked wrapped around him and began to squeeze.
"No!" Grover yelled, then frantically pulled out his pipes, playing a nervous tune that caused stalactites to rain from the ceiling. The room shuddered as it began to fall apart...
I didn't get to see more as I was awoken abruptly by Rachel shaking my shoulder. It seemed that the earth was shaking here too, rumbling dangerously as Rachel and I got on our feet and ran, once again dodging traps and whipping around turns with ease. At some point, the tunnels switched themes, matching that of a hallway seen commonly in high agency centers, a hallway of stainless steel or something lit up by modern electric lighting.
"This way!" Rachel said. "We're close!"
"This can't be right," I said. "Of all the themes, why would Daedalus' workshop be..." I stopped my train of thought as I looked up where Rachel had stopped running at. In front of us were a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, and eye level, was a large blue Greek ∆.
"Damn," I muttered. "So much for ancient architecture. This is... this is crazy."
"Yah." Rachel nodded. "This is it."
I walked ahead and pressed the symbol on the doors, stepping back as they hissed open. Then, Rachel and I walked inside.
The first thing that struck me was the daylight: blazing sun coming through the giant windows. Not the kind of thing you expect in the heart of a dungeon. The workshop was like an artist's studio, with thirty-foot ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches along with windows. A spiral staircase led up to a second-story loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams for buildings and machines that looked like Leonardo da Vinci sketches. Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil – Greek fire – lined one shelf. There were inventions, too: weird metal machines I couldn't make sense of, more or less like the animal automatons in Hephaestus' forge, but more creative and artistically unique, such as the grandfather clock made entirely out of glass, so that you could still see the gears spinning inside. Or the sets of bronze and silver wings I'd seen in my past dreams, though it seemed like the feathers were stuck with modern adhesives instead of wax this time.
"Holy shit," Rachel breathed in wonder. "The craftmanship is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
I didn't know much about architecture or art design, but was impressed regardless. "I can't believe half the things I'm seeing right now." However, I kept my guard up after noticing the strangeness of the place. Though empty, it looked recently used, given the laptops on the desks that were still running, and the half-eaten blueberry muffin and cup of coffee that also sat nearby.
I walked to the window and looked out, wondering if the sunlight was somehow faked, which I honestly wouldn't even be surprised if it was. The view that greeted me was just as breathtaking as the room inside. I could recognize the Rocky Mountains in the distance. We were high up in the foothills, at least five hundred feet, and down below a valley spread out, filled with a tumbled collection of red mesas and boulders and spires of stone. It was a beautiful place that I remembered visiting, but stood in disbelief of whether or not it was really there.
"Where are we?" Rachel asked.
"Colorado Springs," a familiar voice responded. "The Garden of the Gods."
I whipped around a blade forming into my hands as I did. "Quintus?"
"Nice to see you here, Atalanta," Quintus smiled faintly.
"I can't say the same exactly," I said. "What are you doing here, in Daedalus' workshop?"
Quintus held his sword at his side as he walked down the stairs he was on. He was dressed in jeans and boots and his counselor's T-shirt from Camp, which seemed like an insult now that I knew that he had connections with the maze. I wasn't going to label him a traitor exactly yet, but I was close to believing it so. "You think I am an agent of Kronos," Quintus said. "That I work for Luke."
"Not necessarily," I said. "But you have connections everywhere in the maze. You also seem to be able to navigate it just fine, as if you're familiar with the Labyrinth."
"You're right, I am." Quintus nodded. "I've been almost everywhere. Even here." He walked past me like the fact I was on guard didn't matter to him at all. "The view changes from day to day," he mused. "It's always some place high up. Yesterday it was from a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. The day before that, there was a beautiful view of one at the top of a ferris wheel in Paris. But it keeps coming back the Gard of the Gods. It think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose."
"You've been here a few times," I observed.
"Why yes."
"That's not an illusion I'm seeing?" I asked, looking out again. "Not some fancy screen?"
"No." Rachel murmured, still in awe of everything around her. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."
Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision, don't you? You remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."
Those words triggered something in my mind and I couldn't help but ask, "Was that girl's name Ariadne?"
Quintus tilted his head to the side and sighed. "Yes. Indeed it was."
My eyes widened. "No way. Don't tell me..." I tapered off, as if waiting for the man himself to confirm my thoughts.
Quintus nodded as if he knew what I guessed. "Seems to me that you figured it out. Well, you're right." He paused. "I am Daedalus."
A/N: It's getting harder and harder to publish chapters as the break comes closer to the end. I wanted so badly to finish this story before the next semester arrived, but sadly, that doesn't seem to be happening. Doesn't mean I'm quitting the story, hell no, I've come too far for that, but the end may come slower than a few of you expect, because college sure as hell won't cut me any slack to write as leisurely as I did on break.
Regardless, I'm quite glad that this chapter is finally out, and hope that you all will enjoy reading it. Thanks for you patience y'all. For the readers who are hoping to see Percy again, you will in the next one, I promise. Until next time.
Peace out, legends.
~ Zayden Shade
