Check me out on Wattpad and RoyalRoad for Original Stories.

Some things are Fated to happen, so I cannot change everything.

"Signa hoc spatio, glacie et vento!" Aaron wove his hands in a circle, with Meggy and Annabeth's aid, and slowly a ripple of magic washed across the space around the Entrance to the Maze. Cold winds filled the space, and frost formed on the rocks. " There, if anyone crosses they will be buffeted by powerful cold winds. It is not majorly painful but it will slow them down, make them uncomfortable and weaken them."

The girls beamed as Metis approached. "Creative spell work. Where did you get inspiration to cast it?"

Aaron turned to them. "I realized, after casting the monitoring spell on it before, that the space around the Maze is not protected so why not make it harder once they get out if we cannot mess with them while they are in the maze. Ice is a specialty of mine, so that helped too." He shivered suddenly, a familiar presence making it's self known. "My tracking spell just kicked in. Percy is here, on the mortal plane. He is approaching Camp very fast from the waters."

Annabeth beamed and rushed away, to the waters, with Aaron and Meggy following suit. They, very soon, found a very thin but happy looking Percy approaching them on the beach. Annabeth, very fast girl she was, got there first and barreled into Percy with a warm hug.

"Seaweed brain, don't scare us like that again! If Aaron hadn't told us you were alive, we would have been having your funeral."

Aaron pulled Percy into a massive hug, squeezing him tight. "I can feel Calypso's magic on you, she is terrifyingly strong. I wish I could meet her."

Percy nodded, wistful sadness carving into his expression. "Yeah, she was pretty great. Where is everyone?"

"We are preparing for the invasion."

Percy nodded. "I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth. I talked to Hephaestus. The problem is you guys, you can see through the maze but you cannot control it. You need someone born to Clearsight, not earning or learning it through magic. Their vision is more pure, different... I am sorry but that is why you never got through all the way. You can't see the right path, just a path."

Aaron sighed and Annabeth pouted. "That's fine. We tried our best, but there is a reason they used Clear sighted mortals to get through the Maze during the Slavery era. My guess is that the magic responds better to their auras... sadly. We both know a great girl with powerful sight that could lead us through."

Annabeth nodded. "I hate it, but I know better than to underestimate mortals now." She looked at Aaron, smirking.

"Aaron" Percy said, "what about Grover and Tyson? Do you think—"

He cringed. "I can't track them down, the maze makes it impossible for even gods to find people. Juniper is quite distressed. All her branches' are turning yellow. The Council of Cloven Elders had revoked Grover's searcher license in absentia. Assuming he comes back alive, they will force him into a shameful exile. Or at least, they will try but if they do I will kill the Elders." Aaron cringed, enjoying the fear in his adorable friends' eyes.

"I shouldn't have let them run off."

"Grover has his own destiny, and Tyson was brave to follow him. You would know if Grover was in mortal danger, don't you think?"

"I suppose. The empathy link."

"I Will be dissolving that bond soon Percy, there is no good reason to keep it. If he dies so do you." He gave his brother a cold stare and Percy just nodded, knowing full well that he would do it.

"""

Percy and Aaron hiked over Half-Blood Hill the next morning and met Annabeth and Argus on the road. Annabeth looked queasy as if she'd slept terribly.

"Bad dreams? Percy asked at last.

She shook her head. "An Iris message from Eurytion."

"Eurytion! Is something wrong with Nico?" Aaron whipped over to her, eyes wide with rage.

"He left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze. Nico was gone before he woke up. Orthus tracked his scent as far as the cattle guard. Eurytion said he'd been hearing Nico talk to himself the last few nights. Only now he thinks Nico was talking with the ghost again, Minos."

Aaron growled. "Oh he is so dead when I find him, how did Minos get past my barrier... he would have to have been invited."

"He's in danger," Percy said.

"No kidding. Minos is one of the judges of the dead, but he's got a vicious streak a mile wide. I don't know what he wants with Nico, but—"

"That's not what I meant," Percy said. "I had this dream last night…" He told them about Luke, and how his men had found a half-blood alone in the maze.

Annabeth's jaw clenched. "That's very, very bad."

"Percy call Rachel now."

And so that is what Percy did.

'''

They arranged a meeting in Times Square. They found Rachel Elizabeth Dare in front of the Marriott Marquis, and she was completely painted gold. She was standing like a statue with five other kids all painted metallic—copper, bronze, silver. They were frozen in different poses while tourists hustled past or stopped to stare. Some passerby threw money at the tarp on the sidewalk.

The sign at Rachel's feet said, URBAN ART FOR KIDS, DONATIONS APPRECIATED. Aaron threw in some money, and sensed peace and pleasure coming from Rachel's aura.

After about ten or so minutes, a kid in silver walked up from the hotel taxi stand, where he'd been taking a break. He took a pose like he was lecturing the crowd, right next to Rachel. Rachel unfroze and stepped off the tarp.

"Hey, Percy, Aaron." She grinned and hugged Aaron tightly. He would have kissed her forehead, but she was covered in paint. "Good timing! Let's get some coffee." They walked down to a place called the Java Moose on West 43rd. Rachel ordered an Espresso Extreme, the kind of stuff Grover would like. The other three ordered fruit smoothies and they sat at a table right under the stuffed moose.

Nobody even looked twice at Rachel in her golden outfit.

"So," she said, "it's Annabell, right?"

"Annabeth," Annabeth corrected. "Do you always dress in gold?"

"Not usually," Rachel said. "We're raising money for our group. We do volunteer art projects for elementary kids 'cause they're cutting art from the schools, you know? We do this once a month, take in about five hundred dollars on a good weekend. But I'm guessing you don't want to talk about that. You're a half-blood, too?"

"Shhh!" Annabeth said, looking around. "Just announce it to the world, how about?"

"Okay." Rachel stood up and said really loud, "Hey, everybody! These two aren't human! They're half Greek god!" Nobody even looked over. Rachel shrugged and sat down. "They don't seem to care."

Aaron fell into tears of laughter. " I love you Rachel, you are a riot. Now enough." He snapped his fingers and the Mist descended around them, muting their conversation. "Now we can talk safely."

Rachel's eyes widened. "That is that cool magic stuff, right?"

"Yes, Annabeth can do it too, she is growing at a rapid pace. She might become immortal one day, she is that good. No shock, even Circe mentioned she had that potential."

Rachel nodded, beaming. " That is so cool!" She said.

Percy started next. "Rachel, we've got a problem. And we need your help."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Annabeth. "You need my help?"

Annabeth stirred her straw in her smoothie. "Yeah," she said suddenly.

Percy told Rachel about the Labyrinth, and how we needed to find Daedalus. Percy told her what had happened the last few times they'd gone in.

"So you want me to guide you," she said. "Through a place I've never been."

"You can see through the Mist," Percy said. "Just like Ariadne. I'm betting you can see the right path. The Labyrinth won't be able to fool you as easily."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then we'll get lost. Either way, it'll be dangerous. Very, very dangerous."

"I could die?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you said monsters don't care about mortals. That sword of yours—"

"Yeah," Percy said. "Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals. Most monsters would ignore you. But Luke…he doesn't care. He'll use mortals, demigods, monsters, whatever. And he'll kill anyone who gets in his way."

"Nice guy," Rachel said.

"He's under the influence of a Titan," Annabeth said defensively. "He's been deceived." Aaron just sighed, hating her love for Luke.

Rachel looked back and forth between us. "Okay," she said. "I'm in."

Percy blinked. I hadn't figured it would be so easy. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, my summer was going to be boring. This is the best offer I've gotten yet. So what do I look for?"

"We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth," Annabeth said. "There's an entrance at Camp Half-Blood, but you can't go there. It's off-limits to mortals besides Aaron"

Rachel just nodded. "Okay. What does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?"

"It could be anything," Annabeth said. "A section of wall. A boulder. A doorway. A sewer entrance. But it would have the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek ∆, glowing in blue."

"Like this?" Rachel drew the symbol Delta in water on our table.

"That's it," Annabeth 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."

"Why?" Annabeth said.

"Because there's an entrance like that in the hotel basement, where we store our costumes. It's got the mark of Daedalus."

Aaron beamed. "I knew you were the right choice, love. I will so be teaching you magic. Annabeth breath in her aura, tell me she is not a magnificent presence?"

Annabeth pouted but did as he asked, her eyes widening. "Wow, your aura is the most magical I have ever seen. Aaron, she feels like you do when you were showing me how to read the future?"

"Hun, you are right, she might have the gift of prophecy."

Rachel beamed. "I do see the past in my dreams sometimes... and I know things that I can't explain... I know I can trust you for example, but I also know that you had a rough childhood, you and Percy and Annabeth. I can feel things... when people lie."

They all gaped at her with Aaron saying. "We are so investigating but first the Maze... and Rachel, I give you permission to enter Camp Halfblood whenever you want."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a blast to write. Annabeth is not mean to Rachel as she has met Aaron and is not as judgy.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.