Ch. 13

Life at Camp Half Blood had taken a turn for the morose.

In the months that followed the battle on Mount Othrys, camp was nothing like the one Thalia had left.

Even with the gods cutting off contact with the mortal world and Thalia keeping her mouth shut, word of the events on Mount Othrys spread like wild fire. The slaying of the goddess Athena had flipped the worlds of the demigods upside down. If an immortal Olympian goddess could be killed then what chance would they have against the titan threat? Never before had the campers even imagined what it would be like for an Olympian to fall.

They had been taught that the gods were infallible. They now knew that wasn't true. And the same force that felled the goddess was setting its sights on Olympus. And the only obstacle between the titans and their targets, were the demigods.

The deaths of Annabeth and Luke weighed heavily on the campers as well. Luke had been one of the leaders in camp and his loss left a void that could not be easily filled. He was the head of the Hermes cabin and also someone the campers, young and old, could come to when they needed help. Someone they could rally behind when things were bleak. Without him, they lacked someone capable of unifying the heroes and bringing out the courage needed to face the impending threat.

Annabeth had been universally loved by most of the campers. Her constant curiosity and thirst for knowledge had endeared her to most of her fellow campers. Her death at such a young age was a tragedy the campers struggled to accept.

It was true, campers had died before. But they tended to be older and fell at the hands of a monster or during a dangerous quest. To lose two campers in one quest, coupled with the fates of Athena and Hermes, it was a deep blow to the morale amongst heroes.

News of events on Othrys had another effect of the demigods. Slowly but in growing frequency, demigods began to disappear from camp. Their absences were only spoken about in hushed whispers but it was generally well known that their depleted numbers were a result of defections.

Demigods sneaking away from camp and making their way to the titan army, though no one was quite sure where that was or what happened to those who tried to find it.

The Hermes cabin was hit hardest. The unclaimed campers were the first to vanish. At first their absences had gone unnoticed, but as the number grew, it became clear the unclaimed had become disillusioned with Camp Half Blood and sought somewhere else to put their faith and their loyalty.

Adding to the overall bleak atmosphere at camp was the sudden permanent residency of the hunters. They hadn't left camp since the quest and though they boosted numbers, they weren't exactly a joy to be around.

Thalia had even noticed a few of the hunters had gone missing. Though no one dared ask them about it, Thalia was pretty sure Zoe and Phoebe had managed to lure away a few of their sisters to join their cause.

The hunters did not interact with the campers. They came to meals and then trained on their own in the forest. It wasn't unwelcome but it did add another level of tension to camp.

Thalia had been going stir crazy. It was five months since Artemis had dropped her off in camp and there had been nothing from the gods. No quests, no visits, no prophecies, just silence. It made her resentment towards the gods grow. She knew the enemy was just preparing itself. They would make a move soon and the silence from the Olympians left her and the rest of the campers in the dark. Simply waiting to be thrust into a fight that she wondered how much the campers even wanted to fight.

She stepped out of her cabin for their usual Friday night game of capture the flag. The hunters hadn't taken part since before the quest, so it would be campers versus campers yet again. She had made alliances with the Hermes and Athena cabins for the game.

She liked to think she did it for strategic reasons, but considering she always sided with both cabins, she knew better. She was doing it as a way to pay homage to her two dead friends. Even if they weren't there anymore, she felt a small amount of comfort to fight beside their siblings.

As they made their preparations, Thalia was sent to her usual post of guarding of the flag. It was a good strategy, considering that with her lightning powers, she was a difficult obstacle to overcome, even if she was by herself. More than one Ares camper had promised her a glorious death, but they usually shut up when she sent a tendril of electricity coursing through their bodies.

She heard the conch horn blow and waited. She leaned against an oak tree, the flag in sight but far enough away where she'd be out of view of any approaching enemies. She could hear the sounds of battle in the distance but they didn't seem to be coming any closer.

As she waited for the other team to make a play for the flag, she felt a cold shiver run through her body. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, the undeniable sensation of being watched making her senses snap to attention.

She spun around but in the dim moonlight, she saw nothing. No glint of bronze armor or weapons, her huffing and puffing children of Ares, winded from running through the forest.

Her eyes narrowed and she began to walk forward, away from her post of flag guard. Her steps were slow and stealthy, soundless as her ears tried to pick up the sound of an enemy.

"This way," a soft whisper carried through the silent forest. She couldn't tell who it came from but she grinned at the thought of ambushing a couple children of Ares.

She was so focused on listening for another sound, she didn't notice how far she was getting from her flag. Her mind was in predator mode and ignored the rational part of her brain that would have told her she was too far from the flag.

She barely noticed that rock formation that made up Zeus' fist as she approached it.

She heard a twig snap and ran forward. She raised her spear and charged ahead. She saw two shadows sprint into a small opening at the base of the rocks. She had to turn her body sideways and the rational part of her brain finally broke through, screaming at her that this was incredibly stupid.

One of the shadowy figures spun around and she couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips.

Beneath a dark hood, the dark eyes of Zoe Nightshade stared at her. Zoe was just as surprised as she was, though she recovered her wits much quicker. A flash of silver swatted Thalia's spear aside before Zoe jumped into her, turning her body and throwing her hip into a very unprepared Thalia. The force her body check knocked Thalia's spear out of her grasp. Before she could go for it, Zoe grabbed her by the arm and flipped her over her back.

Thalia hit the unforgiving rocks hard and cried out when she felt one of her ribs crack.

Zoe held a hunting knife to her throat and Thalia went completely still.

"You reckless fool!" A familiar voice said behind Zoe. Phoebe stepped forward, her head shaking as she looked down at her.

"Traitors!" Thalia growled, not caring if they slit her throat. If she was about to die, she'd at least tell these two what garbage she thought they were.

Zoe's knife dug a little deeper into her throat, "I told you on Othrys. To be traitors, our allegiance would have had to change. Since his banishment, our loyalty had never wavered, not even once!"

Thalia narrowed her eyes. She tried to push Zoe's blade away but her other hand pinned her arm down.

"So what? Here to try to recruit some more hunters for your precious Perseus?"

Phoebe shook her head, "The hunters remaining are loyal to Artemis. We would never try to convince a huntress to break their oath of service to Artemis."

Thalia mouth twisted and she tried to spit at Phoebe but it didn't have the velocity and ended up just landing on her pant leg.

"We're going to have to kill her," Zoe said. She didn't sound happy about it but she also didn't seem all that opposed to the idea.

"No!" Phoebe hissed. "Our orders were to kill no one!"

"Our orders were to not be seen," Zoe countered and Thalia couldn't believe the casual tone in which she spoke. It was like she was debating a lunch choice, not the fate of a life.

"It doesn't matter." Phoebe said firmly. "She's not going to be able to stop us."

Thalia's eyes narrowed as she suddenly realized she had no idea what these two were doing here. If they weren't trying to lure more hunters away, then she needed to know why they were there.

Zoe glared at Phoebe for a minute but when she didn't relent, Zoe just shrugged.

"Fine, then what do we do with her?"

Without answering, Phoebe began to dig into the backpack on Zoe's back. She fished around for a moment and then produced a roll of gray duct tape.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Thalia growled.

Zoe snorted and then moved with such speed Thalia couldn't even react as she was yanked onto her butt. Zoe slid behind her and kept the blade against her throat.

Phoebe pulled off a strip of tape and almost looked apologetic as she slapped it over her mouth. Thalia tried to scream but her voice was muffled by the tape. The two hunters proceeded to bind her wrists and ankles before doubling up the tape on her mouth. Zoe pulled her to her feet and had to support her from falling over.

Phoebe tucked the tape away and began to walk deeper into the crevice. She held her hand against the rock and Thalia's eyes went wide when a glowing symbol appeared. It looked like a triangle and Thalia's mind quickly realized it wasn't a triangle at all. It was a letter, a glowing Greek D, or a Delta.

Suddenly the rocks broke apart and an opening in the rocks appeared.

"Let's go, we're late." Phoebe said as she slipped into the opening.

Zoe held Thalia at arm's length and shook her head.

"It's not personal, Thalia. But in war, you can't afford friends."

Zoe's right hand came around and she slammed the butt of her hunting knife into the side of Thalia's head and the lights instantly went out for the daughter of Zeus.

-X-

Thalia found herself in a place she'd only seen once in her life. It took a minute but the sheer beauty of everything around her told her she was on Olympus. She tried to open her mouth but found she had no voice. She tried to look around when she was suddenly ripped away from the spot she stood. The world materialized inside an enormous room. A fire blazed in the corner of the room and radiated more heat than a single fire should have been able to produce. Torches burned intermittently around the room, filling it with light, shadows dancing along the walls from the flickering flames.

She gazed around the room and found the walls covered with incredible works of art and the pelts of exotic animals. Some she recognized, a lion, a leopard, a gazelle. Some looked strange, like they kind of looked like animals but definitely weren't any creatures she'd seen before.

Before she had a chance to think about it anymore, she heard the sound of soft footsteps approaching. She tried to slip behind a chair but found her body completely immobilized.

Artemis stepped into the room. She wore an old style Greek chiton and a silver crown on her head. Her hair was longer than she'd seen it before and maybe a tad darker. A deep auburn color that seemed to shimmer in the firelight.

Thalia was a little surprised by her appearance. She was a little older than she'd seen her, maybe twenty or so. Her chiton had a long slit running down it from the waist, showing off more leg than she'd ever expect a goddess, at least Artemis, to show. She wore Greek sandals, the leather wrapping around her calves almost to her knee.

Thalia knew Artemis was beautiful. She was a goddess, they were all beautiful. But this version of Artemis left her a loss for words... And she was a girl, she couldn't imagine what a guy would think when they looked at her.

Before she had a chance to analyze the goddess' appearance any further, another figure followed her into the room. Artemis' eyes glanced behind her and it was clear she was not in a good mood.

Apparently unaware of her mood, the second figure slipped his arms around her waist from behind her. Their head rested on her shoulder and Thalia simultaneously felt her blood boil and her face flush.

Perseus grabbed the goddess by the waist and tried to kiss her on the cheek only for Artemis to turn her head away from him, making him frown.

"Artemis," he said firmly. "You need to relax. Nothing is going to happen, I'm simply going to listen."

Thalia watched Artemis purse her lips, her expression clearly showing she wasn't pleased with his words.

With them apart, Thalia got a better look at Perseus. He looked much more similar to the god she'd seen recently than Artemis did. He was around Artemis' age, had a neatly trimmed black beard and long tied back hair the same as he'd had every time she'd seen him. He also wore a chiton but it only covered one shoulder and left a large portion of his chest exposed.

In whatever form Thalia was in right then, she felt herself swallow a lump in her throat. He was very muscled and his chiton didn't leave a lot to the imagination. Despite herself, Thalia could see why Artemis had fallen for him.

Artemis broke away from his arms and turned to look at him. Her silver eyes were staring into his dark ones, her expression was a combination of angry and concerned.

"Why do you have to go? Nothing good can come of this. If Zeus discovers..."

Perseus cut her off, "He's not going to find out. I'm simply going to hear what they have to say. If they believe they have a solution, then this will only strengthen Olympus."

Artemis didn't look convinced. But she also didn't seem like she had a good counterargument.

"Percy, you have angered father too many times already. If he finds you amongst them, he will punish you severely."

Those words seemed to sour the god's mood.

"That's part of the problem. Father's rule goes unchecked. We're supposed to be a council of gods yet we've been relegated to mere witnesses to his utter abuse and misuse of power."

Artemis' expression became less angry and much more worried. She gave him a pleading look.

"But... But if something were to happen..."

He stepped forward and grabbed her hands. He held them in front of him in his own. Even in her older form, her small hands looked tiny in his giant ones. He ran his thumbs over her palms and up and down her fingers. Despite what she knew about him and how much she hated him, Thalia couldn't deny the genuine love he seemed to have for Artemis. It was a small gesture but it was obvious Artemis saw it the same way she did.

She stepped closer and put her head against his chest.

"Tread carefully," she said into his chest.

He smiled mischievously as he rested his chin on her head "Aren't I always?"

She pulled back and gave him another glare that made him chuckle.

"Don't give me those angry eyes," he warned. "You know what happens when I see those."

Artemis' expression changed and Thalia suddenly felt all the blood rush to her face. Artemis' arms went around his neck while his slid around her waist. Her bow and quiver vanished as she started to walk him backwards, his hands gliding down the back of her chiton, their kiss never breaking.

Thalia's heart raced as she realized what they were about to do.

She felt a pair of strong hands under her arms as she felt her consciousness return to her body. She immediately began to thrash around but the hands gripped her shoulders and tried to hold her still.

"Thalia! Thalia!" The voice was Chiron's and it immediately got her to calm a bit.

She yelped as she felt the tape ripped off her lips. The metallic taste of her own blood made her a little lightheaded until Chiron's voice brought her back to reality.

"Yes," he didn't sound happy. "Thank you, Clarisse. I think I can handle it from here."

Thalia turned and found a less than apologetic Clarisse La Rue holding the duct tape in her hand.

"She looked like she had something to say," Clarisse tried and failed to hold in her smirk. Thalia gave her a death glare that only made her smirk grow.

Chiron pulled out a dagger and cut the tape from her wrists and ankles, letting Thalia pull them off herself.

"My poor girl," Chiron looked worried. "What on earth happened to you? We've been searching for hours. Thank the gods the nymphs were able to find you."

It wasn't until then that Thalia noticed thelarge number of campers were standing around her. She felt a wave of anxiety with that many eyes on her but thankfully Chiron noticed.

"Back to you cabins," he said firmly. "I want the cabin leaders in the big house. The hour is late, off to bed with everyone else. The harpies will be out in fifteen minutes and it'll be stable duty for a month to anyone who's caught out of their cabins." He threatened. "If you survive the harpies, that is."

The threat was enough to get the campers in motion, the sounds of their complaints and whining not hard to hear. But the harpies did tend to be rather vicious in apprehending campers out of bed past curfew, so they obeyed the command.

Chiron put a hand on Thalia's back and led her away from Zeus' Fist and back towards the big house. By the time they'd gotten there, the leaders from each cabin were already waiting around the ping pong table, all anxious to hear what'd happened to her. Chiron grabbed a chair for her and then stood at the head of the table, forgoing his wheelchair and opting to stand over the whole table.

Thalia swallowed hard as she looked around the table.

Katie Gardner, the leader of the Demeter cabin looked worried and concerned for her. She'd always liked Katie, she was incredibly nice. Well, until someone messed with her gardens. She could be downright ruthless when she needed to, as the Stoll brothers could attest to.

They were seated across from her. After the death of Luke, they'd both assumed the position of head camper. They weren't twins, though it was hard to tell considering how much they looked and acted alike. Idiots was usually the best term to describe them, though they did have their moments.

Clarisse La Rue was next to them, giving them sideway glares while looking impatient to hear Thalia's story. She was a typical child of Ares, perhaps a little more harsh than most but she would be a good ally to have in any fight.

Malcolm Pace was across from Clarisse. Thalia hated the way his stormy grey eyes bore into her. They reminded her so much of Annabeth that she usually tried to avoid looking at him. Which did make her feel bad, he was actually a good kid, quiet but also smart as a whip and always ready to help with anyone's problems.

Beside him sat Silena Beaurehard, the head Aphrodite camper. She was tall, slim and beautiful, everything you'd expect a child of Aphrodite to be. But unlike her siblings, she didn't possess the conceited vanity that many of the others did. Her beauty was all natural and her personalty only seemed to accentuate it. Thalia liked Silena, she was pretty awesome.

Across from her was the hulking form of Charles Beckendorf. The son of Hephaestus was built like a tank. His dark skin barely seemed to contain his thick muscles. His face seemed like it was always scowling but he was actually a pretty good guy; quiet but nice. He stole occasional glances at Silena who simply smiled back at him. The mutual attraction between those two was the worst kept secret in camp and that was saying something.

Next to Beckendorf was Michael Yew. The guy couldn't have been more than four foot six but he had at least a few extra inches of attitude. His features were scrunched up which was either from always looking down the shaft of an arrow or scowling. Having seen Apollo, he didn't look much like his father but his skills with a bow would beg to differ.

The last two were the twin sons of Dionysus, Castor and Pollux. They were the head and only campers of the Dionysus cabin. Thalia didn't know them that well but they seemed nice enough. They were spitting images of their father except their curly hair was blonde while the god's was black.

"Well?" Clarisse barked. "What happened?"

Thalia realized she was just sitting their blankly looking at the head campers. She cleared her throat knowing things were about to get chaotic.

"The hunters, Zoe and Phoebe, I found them in the forest. They attacked me and then tied to me up before slipping away."

For a fleeting moment, their was silence.

Then everyone began talking at once. The talking became yelling as everyone tried to be heard. Thalia just shook her head, sometimes she seriously didn't know about her friends.

Chiron slammed a fist on the table and sent a crack rippling down the center. The barking demigods instantly went silent.

"Quiet!" He demanded. "Let Thalia speak and then we will discuss, in a civilized manner, what happened. I am certain there is more for her to tell us."

All eyes went back to Thalia and she felt like she wanted to slip under the table. But she didn't and began to story again from the beginning, not leaving anything out, up until Zoe knocked her out. When she finished, several campers looked like they wanted to speak but were waiting for Chiron to say something first.

"What did you say you saw in the rocks?" Chiron's expression was a mask of stoicism but Thalia could see the apprehension in his eyes.

"The triangle thing?" She asked. "It was a Delta symbol, I think."

The campers all stared at Chiron, clearly noticing the worry in his face.

"What is it, Chiron?" Malcolm asked, his curiosity peaked.

Chiron took a deep breath, "This is not good."

"What?" Clarisse scoffed. "A secret entrance into camp? Let's just blow it up! Preferably with those two traitors inside."

"How did we not know about it?" Malcolm pressed. "Surely this can't be the first you've heard of it, right Chiron?"

Thalia actually felt bad for Chiron. The old centaur looked downright miserable.

"It's not that simple. That symbol, the Delta, its the symbol of something ancient, ancient and dangerous."

Malcolm's face became thoughtful while everyone else stared impatiently at Chiron.

"It can't be," Malcolm said looking at Chiron for confirmation.

"It is, my boy."

"IT IS WHAT?" Clarisse snapped, trying to glare the answer out of the son of Athena.

"The Delta is the symbol of Daedalus. It's the symbol that marks the entrance to the Labyrinth."

The room was filled with silence again as everyone tried to remember everything they knew about the Labyrinth.

"Wait," Connor Stoll said shaking his head. "Wasn't the Labyrinth back in Crete, like back thousands of years ago?"

"Wow," Katie muttered. "He does have a couple functioning brain cells." Both Stolls glared at her but Katie just rolled her eyes then looked at Chiron

"Yes," Chiron agreed. "But the Labyrinth was not just a bunch of tunnels underneath Crete. It was a mythological force created by a child of the gods and driven by the power of the gods."

Everyone was quiet again as they tried to comprehend Chiron's explanation.

"And like so many of the things linked to the gods and their power, it has moved with the gods through the centuries." Chiron finished.

"Okay," Clarisse shrugged, "So, we blow it up?"

Chiron shook his head, his face looked tired, aged. "That will do nothing. It would simply reform somewhere else."

"But, it wouldn't be in camp." Beckendorf added, earning a nod of approval from Clarisse.

"Maybe," Malcolm said. "Or it would. We wouldn't know."

Clarisse scowled at him but didn't respond.

"It's better that we know where the entrance is, that way we can watch it and make sure no one slips into camp without us knowing." Silena said, joining the conversation.

"But," Thalia cut in, "why were they in camp to begin with? They weren't trying to lure hunters away, so why would they even be here?"

"It could be used to attack us!" Michael said standing on his chair, a fiery look on his face. "They could lead an army right into camp and we'd be caught with our pants down!" The subtle southern twang to his voice usually sounded kind of funny but there was no humor to be had in the room.

"So, then what? What do can we do?" Pollux asked, looking around for someone to give him an answer.

"What can we do?" Silena asked. "All we can do is wait."

"A prophecy," the words tasted bitter as Thalia spoke them. She had no love for prophecies after the last one. "We could get a prophecy as ask the oracle what to do."

Everyone turned to Chiron who's shoulders seemed to sag as he noticed everyone's eyes on him. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"It might be our only option."

Suddenly everyone got an interest in the ping pong table. No one wanted to seek a prophecy, not after the way the last one ended.

Thalia stood up and turned away from the table.

"Where are you going?" Katie asked.

"To visit the oracle," Thalia said miserably. She waited, hoping someone would tell her to stop or offer to go instead. But all she heard was silence and she knew she had no choice.

She moved slowly, trying to put off what she was about to do. But sadly, it wasn't far to the attic. She stopped and looked up at the cord to lower the stairs.

"I am sorry," Chiron said as he grabbed the cord. "If I could go in your place, I would."

Thalia looked up at him and saw the genuine sympathy on his face. She forced herself to smile.

"It's okay, Chiron. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and the oracle will give a happy prophecy this time."

Chiron smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He wanted to say something comforting but he didn't seem to be able to find the right words.

She gave him a genuine smile and climbed the stairs until she was in the dark attic. She found a string and pulled, turning on a small lightbulb near the ceiling. She got her first look inside the attic. No one ever went up here unless they were looking for the oracle. As she looked around, she saw some of the strangest things.

There were dented shields scattered around the room. She saw shrunken heads, pickled in jars sitting on a shelf in front of her. Next to the jars, she saw a scarf with tag on it. She turned the tag over and read it.

APHRODITE'S SCARF

Next to it, she saw a stuffed hydra head, not a pleasant sight to find in the big house attic.

There was a pair of fuzzy dice with a tag that read, STOLEN FROM CHRYSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC BY GUS, SON OF HERMES.

Thalia shook her head, deciding not to think about how some of these things ended up in here. She turned and froze as she laid on the decrepit corpse of the oracle sitting on a tripod in the corner of the room.

In her flower printed summer dress and big peace sign necklace, Thalia had a flashback of her first encounter with the oracle, when the old hag had tracked her down in the forest to give her the worst prophecy of her life... Well to date, anyway.

She pushed those memories aside and focused on the task at hand. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do so she just winged it.

"What should we do about the Labyrinth?"

She tensed and waited for the mummified body to come to life. But as the seconds ticked by, nothing happened. There was no green smoke, no raspy combination of voices, nothing. The old had didn't move an inch.

"Hey! I asked you a question! Tell me what to do!" She yelled, trying to glare the oracle to life.

But still, nothing. She cursed under her breath and turned around to walk back down stairs.

"Typical of the gods, disappear when you're actually needed. Thanks for the advice on how to deal with the enemy you brought to our doorstep." She muttered as she made her way to stairs.

As she took the first step, she froze. A green mist floated by her head and her heard the creaking of the floor boards behind her.

She turned and her jaw dropped. The oracle floated a few feet above the floor, her body suspended in a shroud of green smoke. Her empty eye sockets bore into Thalia's and her mouth opened.

Delve into the darkness of the endless maze,

Find the lost god that you shall raise,

Guided by one who has the sight,

Witness the betrayal born from plight,

Child of Athena makes the final stand,

And see the deception centuries planned.

Thalia watched as the green smoke surrounding the oracle slowly began to dissipate until the body of the hippie oracle collapsed to the floor of the attic. She stared at it for a long moment, waiting to see if it would come back to life but it just stayed in a heap on the ground.

She didn't try to put it back. She made her way to the stairs and down where Chiron was waiting for her.

"Yes?"

She looked up at her mentor and shook her head, "I fucking hate prophecies."

A.N: That was a lot longer than I had planned. Kind of got into a groove writing. Be warned, the prophecy could change, I tend to change them as I write the following chapters, so you should probably reread it before reading the next chapter, whenever I get that written. So? Good? Bad? Stop writing cuz it was so bad you wanna scratch out your eyes? Let me know, I welcome ideas and comments, they help me write new chapters.