Percy POV
LUKE CASTELLAN was a freaking imposter.
He worked for Elysium all along. In the instant that we were going to escape, he blocked us. He figured out our plan and rejoined Elysium to stop us. Luke failing the last phase was a cover to rejoin his place in the ranks of the enemy.
"How do you sleep at night?" I snapped with venom in my voice.
"I sleep quite nicely. Thank you for asking," Luke said confidently. He jabbed the gun into the back of my skull and forced me to walk.
The guards and Luke were leading us back to the bedroom. They had already confiscated Leo's device and destroyed it. Then, the guard punched Leo across the face.
His black eye was throbbing, and it looked painful.
The guards forced everyone into the bedroom. Their guns were trained on them, which forced everyone back into the bedroom. I was the last to arrive with Luke behind me.
An impact landed on my lower back.
I stumbled into the bedroom but caught myself before falling. I wasn't going to give Luke the satisfaction. He really fooled us all, didn't he?
"I wouldn't bother trying to escape again. There is no escape from Elysium. As proof, the exercise room is officially off-limits. That way, Leo won't be able to make any more toys," Luke said boldly.
"How could you do this, Luke?" Piper asked sadly.
"I've always worked with Elysium. They are the almighty power. I didn't even participate in the first, fourth, cafeteria, or blue room phases. That should've tipped you, idiots."
He crossed his arms as his cruel eyes scanned everyone in the room. His all-white clothing emphasized his superior rank in Elysium. He gave his gun to a nearby guard before stepping closer to me. His steely eyes bore into me, but my glare didn't falter.
Luke's evil smile didn't falter either.
"You suspected me all along, didn't you?" Luke asked quietly.
"My gut usually doesn't lie. I knew you were bad, but I never thought that you were as evil as them," I reprimanded.
"Well, that's one thing that separates. I never would've trusted another soul here. Yet, you always try to help others, don't you? Foolish," Luke spat.
His spit splattered across my cheek as he stepped away. I wiped my face as I went forward. My first raised, and it was so close to connected with Luke's face.
However, a nearby guard roughly caught my arm.
The big guard pushed me back before bowing to his leader. Luke smiled cunningly before turning back to the room. I forced myself to stand and walk towards Annabeth and Thalia. Everyone looked betrayed and angry as they should be.
The group was waiting for the guards to leave so that we could discuss everything and console Leo, who looked the most upset.
Luke commanded the room with raised arms.
"Have fun in the next phase, subjects. We forced Daedalus to design it before killing him, and we're very pleased with the result," Luke exclaimed.
Nico, especially, seemed startled by Luke's words.
Luke left the room with the guards in tow. The door slammed shut and locked behind them. We were stuck in here again.
Thalia immediately rushed towards Leo. Her motherly nature glowed on her face as she helped Will treat Leo's black eye and bruised cheek. Rachel was pacing back and forth as she ranted about everything that happened.
Honestly, her summary of the night's events helped everyone understand everything that was happening. And, it was awful.
It didn't feel good to be betrayed even when I was expecting it from Luke.
My leg was shaking as I sat on my bed. We had been so hopeful, especially after Leo succeeded in opening the hidden doors.
Now, it all came crashing down because of that traitor.
"Thanks, Thalia, I'll be okay though," Leo expressed. He took the cold pack from Leo and pressed it against his head. I've never seen Leo so down, but this wasn't his fault. If anything, his plan forced a spy out of our group.
"Leo, you did fantastic tonight. We are all so proud of you," Thalia said firmly. "If anything, we owe you a great deal."
"Thank you, Thalia. All of my efforts were useless though."
"Yeah, but you proved that you are the best engineer. Furthermore, you're one of the smartest people in the room. You did everything right," Thalia continued.
"Honestly, our lives just suck."
"Amen to that," I muttered.
Leo chuckled as he looked at me. He nodded his bruised head in support before deciding to change the subject. "Luke mentioned a Daedalus. Who is he?"
"Daedalus is a famous intellect," Annabeth started. It made sense that she would know him. Wise Girl knew everything. "Daedalus is most famous for the mazes that he created in central newspapers. His mazes are so complex that they even stump professors from time to time."
"So, our next phase is gonna be a maze?" Jason asked.
Annabeth and Nico nodded. A faraway look entered Nico's face as he looked down at his hands. I made the realization that Bianca must've passed away during a maze-like phase. That's why Nico was so unsettled by the news.
Even though we were all very stimulated, everyone retired to their beds. Today was a complete loss for us, and no one wanted to talk anymore.
The Somnus pill created a stinging sensation against my thigh. Figuratively.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I would have to ingest the drug. Leo's plan, unfortunately, failed, which meant that Annabeth and Nico's plan was the only option.
I frowned as I forced my eyes to close.
Somnus would also force my eyes to close. However, with Somnus, there was no guarantee that they'd open again.
...
They gassed us in our sleep and took us to the Labyrinth.
Honestly, I didn't know how last night played out. I was sleeping, so I didn't know what happened. Before we could wake up, the gas already spread through the room. We were knocked out cold for at least 8 hours.
In the meantime, Elysium brought us into the maze.
I woke up alone. I groaned as I sat up. My body felt like dead weight because of the lingering effects of the nitrous oxide gas. My eyes frantically searched my surroundings.
High concrete walls surrounded me. I was at a dead-end, so there was only one direction to go. Shadows fell everyone. Leaves and vines were hanging down the concrete walls. The ground was muddy and littered with dead leaves.
I watched the Mazerunner a while ago, and this looked exactly like that maze. I wondered if Daedalus also inspired the filmmakers of that movie.
I leaned against the wall before taking a deep breath.
It's been a while since I've been outside, so I wanted to absorb the fresh air. However, there was nothing fresh about my surroundings. Everything smelled toxic.
Darkness surrounded me. There was only faint light flooding from the sky above. The concrete walls were so high that practically no light was coming through.
I groaned as I rose to my feet.
My head spun, and I caught myself against the wall before falling.
I wished that the others were with me. We spent so much time together, yet I wanted them around me. I didn't want to do this (whatever it was) alone. Logic dictated that I had to find the endpoint of the maze to pass this phase.
I wondered if there was any time limit. Usually, our phases have a timer, but I couldn't see any indication of time.
I also had no idea how large this Labyrinth was.
I reluctantly started walking forward. There was only one direction to go right now. But, I saw a faint ending to this alleyway that divided into two more alleyways.
Random noises were creaking and echoing through the maze. My instincts were on high alert as I walked to the first division.
Once I made it to the end, I had no clue which way to go. The right and left paths stretched and disappeared into the shadows. There were no indications of the correct route. I wondered if the others were also in this maze right now.
The maze seemed so large. I was confident that the others were also dropped into various locations of the maze.
I had two goals: (1) find the others, and (2) find the exit.
Considering how clueless and bad at mazes I was, I needed help from the others. I'd give anything to reunite with Annabeth right now. Holding her hand would be a great source of relief in this dark situation.
I decided to go rightwards. The right had to be the right path, right?
I sighed as I continued walking. I ran across many routes and divisions, and I simply alternated between going left and right. Furthermore, I always chose the middle path when an intersection came along.
Honestly, there weren't any wrong answers here.
However, I was feeling exhausted. It felt like I was walking for an eternity. Several hours passed, and everything felt pointless. My feet hurt from the rough terrain. I had several scratches against my arms because some of the alleyways were quite narrow.
The branches were like rose stems (filled with spikes). Also, everything around me felt dead, and the shadows emphasized that.
This was so pointless. God-dam.
How the hell did Thomas escape his maze in The Mazerunner?
Finally, I exited a very narrow alleyway and walked into another large intersection. Eight possible routes circled me, and I had to decide on one.
Suddenly, a growling echoed from the right side. I heard footsteps pounding the ground quickly, and they were getting closer.
I hid in the narrow path that I came out of.
I turned my head to see what was happening. A dark figure was running through the shadows from one of the alleyways on the right. However, the scarier thing was the monster that was chasing him. It looked like a giant dog or wolf.
The beast resembled the mutated dogs that I encountered during the race.
The person was panting and yelling for help. Nico.
he was running closer and closer to the intersection, but the dog was also getting closer to him. He didn't have that much hope anymore.
Blood ran in my ears as I suddenly reached out. I grabbed Nico's right arm and yanked him into the narrow hallway. Nico collapsed on the ground in shock. I scampered away from the pathway's entrance.
The beast dog was barking, growling, and attacking the alleyway. However, it was too big to fit into the small pathway that we were hiding in.
My heart hammered as I stared at the dog's sharp teeth. The dog's golden eyes were lusting for blood and flesh.
"Percy," Nico acknowledged.
"It's fine," I shouted. "The dog can't fit into this path."
I backed away from the dog and helped Nico onto his feet. The alleyway was very. I couldn't even stand completely straight because my shoulders would be squeezing against the concrete walls. Nico's thinner body was more comfortable.
"Percy, thank you so much. You just saved my life," Nico expressed.
We walked away from the dog. I was technically walking in the same direction that I had come from. However, there was no way that we could pass that beast.
"Of course, Nico. I'm just so grateful that I ran into someone else. It's been hours of nothing but shadows and walls."
Nico was walking in front of me. His hands were clenched in fists.
"This place is freaking hell. Bianca had deep gashes on her stomach and legs when we found her in a random ditch. Now, it's clear what caused them," Nico expressed. He was speaking more to himself than to me.
It was awful what happened to his sister. The pain of getting mauled by a beast dog was probably terrible. I couldn't imagine. I was so glad that I was in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, we would've lost Nico.
"This labyrinth is never-ending. I have no clue where to go," I said.
"Me neither, Percy. This maze is huge, and I have no clue what to follow. We're missing something. We have to be following something."
I could only see the back of Nico's head, but I could feel the confusion and determination in his voice. He was just chased by a dog, yet he seemed to move on. I was still breathing heavily and panicking from the encounter.
We reached the end of the narrow pathway. This time, I turned left because it was a direction that I hadn't gone yet. This alleyway was much wider, which made me more nervous.
The beast dogs could easily hunt us in this open section.
"Do you still have the Somnus pill on you?" Nico asked suddenly. I hadn't even thought about checking my pants. Fortunately, Elysium didn't take it from my front pocket.
'Um, yeah, I still got it," I answered.
"Okay, that's good. I was nervous that they searched us before dropping us into the labyrinth. At least, you still have it."
"Well, it's pretty useless in our current situation," I said. I paused and stretched my right leg. My foot was hurting, and the shoes were pretty beat. I leaned against a clean spot of the wall. My head tilted to feel the cool concrete against my burning head.
"Percy, we have to keep moving."
"I know, but I'm tired and my feet hurt."
Honestly, I felt like such a baby as I complained aloud. I was just so sick of this. Elysium was beating our asses at every turn. Now, I was a lost boy in this huge labyrinth.
"Wait, Nico, do you hear that?" I asked suddenly.
I pressed my head against the wall, and Nico followed suit. There was a certain swishing sound coming from inside the wall. At first, it sounded like water. Then, tiny whispers aired through the wall.
East. Go east here.
"I hear it, too, Percy. Gods, I can't believe you noticed this. We're actually walking west right now, so we have to turn around," Nico acknowledged.
"How do you know which way is east?"
"The sky is brighter in the direction that we're walking. However, it has to be evening by now, so east is behind us," Nico explained quietly.
I trusted Nico's judgment. I wasn't the best at directions, so I let Nico take charge. We noticed quickly that the wall gave different instructions depending on the location. Near an intersection, the wall whispered the intended direction of travel (left, right, or middle). In different pathways, it expressed unique directions (east or west, north or south, forward or back, etc).
Nico didn't talk much, but I still appreciated that I had a friend. That was enough to keep me moving despite my aching body.
Finally, we were making real progress in this maze.
However, after a few hours of travel, darkness took over. There was no more light because it was nighttime. The whispers in the wall weren't as helpful anymore.
That was when we decided to rest. Nico took the first watch, so I laid down. The ground was hard and dirty, but my body was too exhausted to care.
I had just closed my eyes when Nico jolted me awake.
The beast dog found us again. Shit.
...