Percy
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Bianca and Katie avoided each other the next day, which saved us all the headaches. News of Michaela's pregnancy spread throughout the camp, and after a stern talking-to by Chiron (I was truly sorry for her), Michaela was excused from most activities. She was still allowed to do arts and crafts and often helped Zoe make her bows.
Surprisingly, Katie wasn't upset by the news. Well, not overly. Zoe told me that Silena had told her that Katie had told her that she was upset by it, but it was quickly rectified. Whatever that meant.
Two months passed, and not much happened. June had started, meaning that campers were starting to show up. Strangely, Alex didn't show up, but not many of us minded. Perhaps it was shallow and a bit twisted to hope that he had died, but it was a thought in my mind. I didn't like what it could mean if he was still alive and not coming to camp.
Michaela's gotten bigger. Much bigger. She was constantly being fawned over by Bianca, Katie, and Silena. She did admit that she liked the pampering.
During our first Capture The Flag game as a full camp, Zoe fell into the labyrinth, oddly enough. I wasn't sure anything with the labyrinth was going to happen since we didn't have Daedalus, or Quintus, as he went as, around this time, but I guess I was wrong.
Chiron, once again, insisted that we talk about it in the morning, which was annoying. We met in the sword arena, which I thought was pretty strange.
Chiron stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Zoe sat next to each other and led the briefing. Also present around the table: Michaela, Silena, Luke, Beckendorf, Katie, Malcolm, Lee, even Argus, our hundred-eyed security chief. That's how I knew it was serious. Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on. The whole time Clarisse spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.
"Whoever is leading Kronos's army must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Clarisse said. "They must know everything about camp."
"Who could it be then?" I asked.
Everyone looked at Luke, who looked mildly offended.
"Haven't I proven myself?" he demanded. "Why do you all still suspect me?"
"Force of habit," Clarisse huffed. "Either way, we need to figure this out. Not many people would have found it."
"What about Nico or Bianca?" Lee suggested. "They're children of Hades. Hades' children are notorious for finding hidden caves and stuff."
"It's not them," Michaela said. "Neither of them would betray us."
"It doesn't matter who it is," Clarisse said. "If they could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. They could wipe us out easy. They must've been planning this for months."
"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Lee said. "We know because...because we found one."
"Chris Rodriguez," I guessed.
Clarisse nodded. "The point is, this person has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. They're searching for Daedalus's workshop."
"That's the guy who created the labyrinth, right?" Michaela asked.
I nodded. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Kronos's new puppet managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, they wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. They could navigate anywhere he wanted—quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then...to Olympus."
The arena was silent.
Finally Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table. "Back up a sec, Perce, you said 'convince Daedalus'? Isn't Daedalus dead?"
Lee grunted. "I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"
"No one knows," Zoe said. "But there are rumors that he can still be around. Well, there are many disturbing rumors about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth toward the end of his life. He might still be there."
"Well, we need to find him, right?" Michaela said. "We have to find his workshop before our enemy. If Ariadne's string still exists, we make sure it never falls into this puppet's hands."
"Wait a second," Kaite said. "If we're worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?"
"Great idea!" Michaela said. "I'll get the dynamite!"
"It's not so easy, stupid," Clarisse growled. "We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn't go well."
Malcolm nodded. "The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Michaela. It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent the puppet from learning to navigate the Labyrinth."
"We could fight," Lee said. "We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they'll find us waiting with our bows."
"We will certainly set up defenses," Chiron agreed. "But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If this puppet manages to get a large army of monsters into the center of camp, bypassing our boundaries...we may not have the strength to defeat them."
Nobody looked real happy about that news. Chiron usually tried to be upbeat and optimistic. If he was predicting we couldn't hold off an attack, that wasn't good.
"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Zoe insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent the puppet from using it."
"But if nobody can navigate in there," I said, "what chance do we have?"
"I may not be a Hunter anymore," Zoe said, "but I can still track like one. I was also alive when it was created. I know the most about this labyrinth, and have the best chance of navigating it."
Chiron cleared his throat. "First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent the puppet from using the maze to invade this camp."
"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Zoe."
There was a murmur of agreement.
"Very well," Chiron turned to Zoe. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."
We waited for nearly ten minutes before Zoe came back. Her eyes looked haunted. Something told me she was going to snap the next time she had to see the oracle.
"I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop."
Nobody cheered. I mean, we all liked Zoe, but this seemed insanely dangerous.
Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. "What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important."
She took a deep breath before saying, "You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze,
Sea, sword, fire, and poison find their ways,
Ancient moon finds truth in the past,
New allies soon to be amassed,
Traitor unmasked by fire,
New lives to be caught in the crossfire,
A battle to end the shamed brain,
Creation destroyed by the slain."
It was silent as everyone digested her words.
"Sea, sword, fire, and poison," I repeated. "The sea could either mean Zoe or Alex."
"Let's go with Zoe since it's her quest," Michaela suggested.
I nodded. "The sword could mean any number of us. Fire and poison... That's Killian and Lilly. Hyperion and Achlys."
"Who will go as sword?" Luke asked. "I would, but Zoe doesn't exactly like me..."
"I'll go," I offered. Zoe's eyes caught mine and she nodded gratefully.
"Ancient moon is Michaela, right?" Lee said. "Selene was the Titaness of the moon."
"Yes," Chiron said. He stroked his beard. "Do we have any idea what 'past' the prophecy is meaning?"
Michaela shook her head. "No idea."
"The prophecy also says we will have new allies," I added. "Any ideas?"
No one spoke up.
"Traitor unmasked by fire," Beckendorf said. "If we believe that the fire still refers to Killian, then he'll reveal who Kronos's new puppet is."
"What about the next line?" Silena asked. "New lives caught in the crossfire? Does that mean our new allies, or new demigods?"
"I'm afraid we don't know," Chiron said. "I'm troubled by the next two lines. 'A battle to end the shamed brain, creation destroyed by the slain.'"
"Daedelus," I said. "He's the shamed brain. And maybe the creation is the labyrinth."
"Perhaps." Chiron turned to Zoe. "It is dangerous, having four go. Three has always been a sacred number. There are three fates, three furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Four...this is risky."
Zoe took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to. Please."
I could tell Chiron didn't like it.
He sighed. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."
"Another quest?" Killian asked. "Seriously?"
"I don't like it either, dude."
He sighed, leaning against the cabin. He'd grown in the few months since he'd started here. He was two inches taller than me. I had the distinct feeling he was going to keep growing. His brown hair was neatly combed, as always. His orange eyes scanned side to side, as if waiting for an ambush.
Or someone.
"And it's going to be me, you, Zoe, and Lilly?"
I nodded. "We'll be heading into the labyrinth."
"The inescapable maze built to house the minotaur."
"The very same. It's grown to encompass more than Crete over the past few millennia."
"Exciting." He looked up. "When are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning. You have a sword, right?" He nodded. "Good. You're going to need it."
I turned to leave but he grabbed my shoulder.
"You said..." he started. "You said I'd be the one to find out who the traitor is? That I'd...unmask him?"
I nodded. "Don't sweat it too much, Kil. You'll probably just catch a glimpse of his face and that'll be it. Hopefully you won't have to face Kronos like I did."
"Hopefully. Thanks for telling me."
"No problem, man."
I turned around the cabin and ran into Lilly. Literally.
She bounced off my chest and tumbled to the ground. She looked up at me with fear in her eyes.
"I-I...I'm sorry! I wasn't looking and I- Please don't do anything-"
"Hey, hey," I said soothingly, kneeling down in front of her. "I'm not mad. It was an accident."
Her breathing slowed as she took it in. "Right...Sorry." She took some deep breaths. "I...I just..."
"Hey, don't feel the need to explain. Michaela was the same way, once." I stood up and stretched out a hand. She took it and I hauled her to her feet. "Zoe tell you about the prophecy?" She nodded. "Good. And don't worry, I'll protect you."
"Thank you."
I smiled. "Thank me when we're back here safe and sound."
"I'm going to California."
"You're what?"
Michaela frowned at me. "I'm going to California. I've had an idea about what the prophecy might mean."
"And you're going alone?"
She shook her head. "I'm taking Katie and Bianca."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
She nodded. "I'll force them to understand everything."
"...everything?"
"Yeah!"
"...like?"
"That I love them both and will never choose one of them over the other."
...
"Percy? Your mouth is open."
I shook myself. "I'm just surprised you're...you're doing this."
She shrugged. "Eh, like you said before. I have to do something about them fighting."
"That's...very mature for you."
"Jeez, thanks." She rubbed her stomach. "Now, I gotta go let them know. And stop the inevitable power struggle between them."
"You have fun with that."
