Atalanta POV:

If I thought that I wouldn't be plagued by demigod dreams that night, even after all the chaos with finding the Labyrinth tunnel, I would be totally wrong. Seriously, why can't the gods just let us sleep like a normal person, dream-free?

Like usual, demigod dreams offered memories of the past, or insights into the future or present moment. This time, I dreamt of a prison.

I saw a boy in a Greek tunic and sandals crouching alone in a massive stone room. The ceiling was open to the night sky, but the walls were twenty feet high and polished marble, completely smooth. Scattered around the room were wooden crates. Some were cracked and tipped over, as if they had been flung into the room without care. Bronze tools spilled out of one – saws, compasses, hammers, and a bunch of things I didn't recognize.

The boy huddled in the corner, shivering from cold, or maybe fear. He was splattered with mud, his legs and arms scraped as if he had been thrown alongside the crates. He stood when the set of double oak doors moaned open, revealing two bronze armored guards holding an old man between them. The guards tossed the man onto the floor in a battered heap.

"Father!" The boy ran to the beaten old man, whose robes were in tatters. The man's hair was streaked with gray, his beard long and curly. His nose had been broken. His lips were bloody. Whoever he went to see had given him a rough beatdown.

The boy took the old man's head in his arms. "What did they do to you?" Then he yelled at the guards, "I'll kill you!"

"There will be no killing today," a voice said.

The guards moved aside. Behind them stood a tall man in white robes. He wore a thin circlet of gold on his head. His beard was pointed like a spear blade. His eyes glittered cruelly. "You helped the Athenian kill my Minotaur, Daedalus. You turned my own daughter against me."

"You did that yourself, Your Majesty," the old man croaked.

A guard planted a kick in the old man's ribs. He groaned in agony. The young boy cried, "Stop!"

"You love your maze so much," the king said, "I have decided to let you stay here. This will be your workshop. Make me new wonders. Amuse me. Every maze needs a monster. You shall be mine!"

"I don't fear you," the old man groaned.

The king smiled coldly. He locked his eyes on the boy. "But a man cares about his son, eh? Displease me, old man, and the next time my guards inflict a punishment, it will be on him!"

The king swept out of the room with his guards, and the doors slammed shut, leaving the boy and his father alone in the darkness.

"What will we do?" the boy cried. "Father, they will kill you!"

The old man swallowed with difficulty. He tried to smile, but it was a gruesome sight with his bloody mouth.

"Take heart, my son." He gazed up at the stars. "I–I will find a way."

A bar lowered across the doors with a fatal BOOM, and I woke in cold sweat.

Even after a bit of the day had passed, skipping past the morning and lunch, I was still feeling shaky. When Chiron called a war council, I had more or less deciphered my dream, but didn't quite understand why it was important. The Labyrinth was the topic of the next quest, that much Percy had suggested. My dream had been showcasing HD footage of a history lesson, of Daedalus: the old man and Minos: the king in discussion. However, wouldn't all of them be dead already?

We met in the sword arena, unusual compared to the usual rec room, but also because Ms. O'Leary was chewing on a life-size squeaky rubber pink yak while we discussed the gravity of the situation. Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse sat nearby, leading most of the briefing since she went on the quest. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Juniper, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, even Argus, our hundred-eyed security chief. That's how I knew it was the real deal. 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.

Around the part where Clarisse got to the cave entrance, Juniper cleared her throat. She stared at me a bit embarrassed, then said, "I forgot to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there for a long time. Luke used to use it."

I snapped my fingers. "I bet that's how he got the hellhound into camp without any of us knowing."

Chiron seemed thoughtful. "Possibly. But Juniper, how come this passageway was not made to light to us earlier?"

Juniper's face turned green as she shrugged. "I didn't know it was important. It's just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

I elbowed Grover as he huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"So, if he has used this entrance before, you believe that this young man Luke would dare use this opening to invade the camp?" Quintus asked whilst polishing his sword.

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he 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. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months. Given that..." He voice cracked for a moment, barely noticeable, but there. "Given that, we've found scouts of his in the maze, I'd say that Luke already has some sort of idea on finding Daedalus' workshop."

"The guy who created the maze," I said, catching Chiron's nod. "But he was mortal wasn't he? How can that man still be alive?"

Quintus grunted. "That's true. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? and even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"

Chiron clopped restlessly on his hooves. "That's... debatable. No one knows exactly what happened to Daedalus after he escaped. There are many disturbing rumors about what he's done, or how he disappeared. Some rumors even say he went back down to the Labyrinth."

I thought about the old man for a while longer. I figured that if monsters like the Minotaur and Medusa could return to the current world and live among us, then why couldn't Daedalus, the greatest legendary inventor in the world, do the same? Still, I couldn't think of a solid explanation.

"In simple terms, we need to go in, find Daedalus if he's alive, and get him to help us. And if Ariadne's string exists, we need to make sure that Luke doesn't get it." Clarisse concluded. "He gets the string, and he's got unlimited access to all the safe routes of the Labyrinth."

"Wait a moment," Grover tittered nervously. "If we're worried about an attack, why not we just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?"

"It's not so easy, stupid." Clarisse growled. "Believe me, I tried that at an entrance in Phoenix. It didn't go well."

"Clarisse is right," Chiron sighed. "The Labyrinth is magical architecture. Clarisse demolished a whole whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent Luke from getting through by stopping him from navigating the maze."

"We could fight," Lee Fletcher 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 Luke 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 the news. How could we, just being told that probable death loomed over our heads, ready to strike at any moment. I silently thanked Percy again for training me throughout the summer. If I can become as strong as him, letting our barrier down wouldn't be such drastic news. If Percy can wipe out an entire encampment and army of monsters in a few minutes alone, this attack from a tunnel would be nothing to him. If all the demigods in camp matched up to Percy's power and experience, our border getting bypassed wouldn't be a worry that crosses our minds.

"Getting to Daedalus' workshop first is top priority," Clarisse insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent that blonde bastard from using it."

"A quest," Chiron said almost mournfully. "A quest that should be led by..."

We all knew (except for Tyson) that he wanted to say Annabeth, who not only wanted her own quest for years but also would've been the best candidate. The centaur sighed and turned to me expectantly, which I knew was coming.

"I'll do it," I volunteered. Nobody spoke.

"Are you sure?" Chiron asked gently, but I was in no mood to care. I knew this mission was dangerous, but the lack of Annabeth was already putting us at a disadvantage. In terms of knowledge, I had the second most to Clarisse, but I doubted the daughter of Ares wanted to return back to the maze.

"Yes," I said. "The rest of camp will be too important for defense. You're gonna need manpower, strong weaponry, and experienced fighters if Luke does get through. So sending Clarisse, Lee, or Beckendorf is out of the question. Plus, the Stoll brothers are excellent prankers, they'll know the best places and ways to set traps.

Chiron raised an eyebrow in surprise, and the Stoll brothers stopped their pretend sleeping to do so as well. Barely ever did they get mentioned or asked to talk in meetings, it was just mandatory that they were there. Clarisse narrowed her eyes at me, as if she were trying to figure me out.

"So be it." Chiron concluded with another heavy sigh. "Atalanta will lead the quest. My dear, it's time to visit the Oracle again. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

§§§§§

I headed towards the Big House, wondering if I should really listen to the Oracle or not. Maybe because of my extra knowledge was the reason why I felt so cocky, but I quickly punched myself mentally for thinking like so. Percy and Zoe would've definitely reprimanded me for not thinking carefully, overestimating my strength in a quest that I had merely heard bits and pieces about, but not actually done.

I'd heard the Oracle speak prophecies before, once on my first quest to fetch Zeus' thunderstick, and the second when the Oracle decided it needed a nice stroll through our finished Capture the Flag game against the Hunters. Both were somewhat nightmarish experiences, but not life-threatening. I mean, I'd heard stories of campers going insane or killing themselves from visions that were too real, which I don't really understand, because sure, the Oracle is scary, but not like I'm-going-to-sneak-into-your-bedroom-and-eat-you-alive scary.

I walked faster towards the attic, climbing up to the dusty and decrepit "trophy" room filled with various random loots from previous fights and quests littered all throughout the history of demigods from camp. I stared at the mummy that held the Oracle's spirit within, wondering how on earth the mummy hadn't rotted away yet. I guess the spirit just wanted to keep living in this decomposing corpse of bandages.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask." The raspy voice of the Oracle echoed between my ears, like bass boosted 8D headphone music mixed with a natural documentary on snake hisses. It was unnatural and I shuddered despite having heard it twice before. Green smoke twirled in tendrils around me and the mummy, seeping from the eyeholes and cuts between the worn bandages. I stood stock still, and spoke.

"What must I do on the quest in the Labyrinth?"

A vision formed before me in hazy green vapor, visualizing a dark maroon colored maze with what looked like the Golden Gate bridge on the left, mountains in the back, and the Empire State building on the right. Above the maze was a glowing golden sarcophagus with designs of war, and it didn't take me long to figure out who the sarcophagus belonged to.

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze,

The traitor and the lost one will raise,

You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,

The child of Athena's final stand.

Destroy with a hero's final breath,

And raise an enemy worse than death.

The raspiness ebbed away, and the smoke withdrew, taking with it the scent of rotting flesh and snakeskin until the attic was silent. For the first time ever, I didn't immediately run away, and instead, sat on a rickety stool near the Oracle mummy, somehow unafraid all of a sudden.

"Delve in the darkness, that would be the Labyrinth," I muttered. "The lost one, would be Pan. Then the ghost king? Is that reference to...hmmm." I realized there was a lot of the prophecy that I couldn't break apart, and many lines didn't make sense. At least, not currently.

I turned to the Oracle. "Thanks again." I figured no one had ever properly thanked the Oracle before, given that most people just ran away after getting a prophecy and hoping that they wouldn't die in the next few days. I thought I saw the Oracle mummy give a gruesome deadweight smile, but it must've just been my imagination.

I crawled back down the ladders from the attic, thinking about who to take on the quest. I knew Grover was coming for sure, the lost one being mentioned couldn't have been a more obvious line pointing straight at Pan, the missing wild god. But without Thalia, who was in the Hunt, Percy and Zoe, who were off on their "secret" mission, and Annabeth, who died, I tried to figure out who would be the third group member, before I realized the only obvious choice: Tyson. Even if he and Grover scare each other, I work well with both of them, and Tyson's strength and mechanical abilities are a plus. I clenched my fists in anticipation. That would be my quest group: me, Tyson, and Grover.

I was about to step off the last floor of stairs when I heard a sobbing sound from behind the staircase. Curious, I looked behind, finding a trapdoor that seemed to lead to the basement floor. I didn't even know that the Big House had a basement. I peered inside and saw two figures in the far corner, sitting amid a bunch of stockpiled cases of ambrosia and strawberry preserves. One was Clarisse. The other was a teenage Hispanic guy in tattered camouflage pants and a dirty black T-shirt. His hair was greasy and matted. He was hugging his shoulders and sobbing. It was Chris Rodriguez, the half-blood who had sided with Luke.

"It's okay," Clarisse was telling him. "Try a little more nectar."

"You're an illusion, Mary!" Chris backed farther into the corner. "G-Get away!"

"My name's not Mary." Clarisse's voice was gentle but really sad. I've never heard her sound so concerned about someone this way before. "My name is Clarisse. Please, Chris. Remember."

"It's dark!" Chris yelled, his face contorted. "So dark!"

"Come outside," Clarisse coaxed. "The sunlight will help you."

"A...a thousand skulls. The earth keeps healing him." Chris babbled.

"Chris," Clarisse pleaded. It sounded like she was close to tears. "You have to get better. Please. Mr. D will be back soon. He's an expert in madness, so please, just hang on..."

"No way out, Mary!" Chris blurted out. His eyes were frantic, like a cornered rat's, his gestures irrational. "No way out!" Then he somehow caught a glimpse of me and made a strangled, terrified sound. "The son of Poseidon! He's horrible!"

I backed away, repulsed. Not by Chris' condition, but by what the maze had turned him into. Merely two years ago, he was just another normal demigod. Now, whatever the maze had done to him had effectively done the damage that I had only heard of Dionysus doing. I was also even more confused. Son of Poseidon? He couldn't have been referencing me, I'm not a guy after all. So, did that mean there was a son of Poseidon on Luke's side? Because that would be troublesome.

I left the Big House, my mind filled with too many questions. The best way would be to discuss with everyone else what the heck was going on, before heading on with the quest.

§§§§§

"Atalanta, you made it." Chiron said, his tone worried. "So?"

I took a deep breath. "I got the prophecy. And it's... rather confusing."

"What did the prophecy say?" Chiron asked. "The wording is important."

I repeated the whole prophecy, however even more unsettled as each line seemed to confuse the rest of the head campers around me as well.

"The lost one!" Grover sighed happily. "That must mean Pan! That's great!"

"With the dead and the traitor," I chuckled humorlessly. "Not so great. Like a ripoff buy two get one free ad."

"Who is this ghost king?" Beckendorf asked. "And child of Athena? Isn't..." His words tapered off.

"Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena in the world." Chiron said. "It could easily reference to say, Daedalus, who was also a child of Athena."

"Does that confirm he's alive then?" Grover asked.

"I don't know," Chiron shrugged helplessly. "Prophecies are never straight forward with their meaning." He cleared his throat. "And what about the last line, an enemy worse than death?"

"It can't be foreshadowing the resurrection of... Kronos, right?" I guessed. Cue the shudders.

"There's plenty of monsters worse than death," Chiron sighed. "My father is merely a part of a long list of villains worse than death."

"..."

The centaur put his head in his hands. "Have you chosen your companions?"

"Of course," I said. "Grover, you're coming right? The wild god is waiting."

"YES!" Grover leapt up, completely ignoring the fact that the Labyrinth was underground. Hearing about the "lost one" had completely energized him. "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!"

"And Tyson," I said, smiling for the first time that day. "I'll need you too. We got some bad guys to smash and blow up."

"Yay!" Tyson clapped so hard that he woke up Ms. O'Leary, who had been taking a nap after ripping apart her squeaky toy.

"Wait, wouldn't taking Clarisse be a better idea?" Connor asked. "No offense to Tyson, but Clarisse has already been through the maze."

Chiron and I winced simultaneously. "It's not a good idea to bring Clarisse back into the Labyrinth, Connor," I said, surprising Chiron once again. "She's suffering some PTSD from her own quest after all."

"PT...SD?"

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," I explained.

"Uh...oh."

"Anyhow," Chiron brought attention back to him. "The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you to the Labyrinth. And Atalanta, a word please."

I stayed back as the rest of the room filed out, leaving only me, Chiron, and Quintus behind.

"Quintus, if you don't mind..." Chiron gestured out, and the swordsman nodded, leaving the room. "Atalanta, you seem... different."

I held up a finger. "Wait." I reached my senses out around me, using my control over water molecules in the air to make sure we were alone in case anyone were still eavesdropping nearby. All clear. "Okay, we're safe."

"Has Percy been training you?" Chiron guessed.

I nodded. Thanks to Zoe and Percy, I've gradually become not only better at fighting with both sword and bow (Percy lended me his during practice, cause I had yet to create my own successfully), but also learned to become more aware of my environment like a Hunter would've done, using more than just my instincts and vision to fight in battle.

"He's a good teacher," is what I told Chiron, not wanting to spill any secrets. I didn't know if Percy had talked with Chiron privately about his origins yet, and didn't want to spill anything about Percy's unique background. "I've improved to far greater extents than I ever imagined."

"Good." Chiron said. "Keep learning. That man is a very intelligent and powerful demigod. And if you become anything like him, you will only live a better life than most demigods. Don't waste that chance to survive. I rarely get to see my students live happy lives, away from this constant war."

I chuckled. "Don't worry too much, Chiron. I'm not afraid of Luke. He should be afraid of me now."

§§§§§

Quintus pulled me aside sometime after the meeting. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

I wanted to roll my eyes. No way, why wouldn't an endless dark maze evoke a bad feeling?

"I don't like the idea of you going down there," he said. "Any of you really. But if you must, remember something. The Labyrinth exists to fool you. It will distract you. That's dangerous for half-bloods. We are easily distracted."

I nodded mindlessly. I had already heard of enough warnings about the Labyrinth through Percy, and was also wary of Quintus for the very same reason. "You've been in there?" I asked instead.

"Long ago," His voice was ragged. "I barely escaped with my life. Most who enter aren't that lucky." He gripped my shoulder. "Atalanta, keep your mind on what matters most. If you can do that, you might find the way. And here, I wanted to give you something."

He handed me a little silver tube. It was so cold I almost dropped it. "A whistle?"

"A dog whistle," Quintus said. "For Ms. O'Leary."

"Um, thanks, but–"

"How will it work in the maze? I'm not a hundred percent certain it will. But Ms. O'Leary is a hellhound. She can appear when called, no matter how far away she is. I'd feel better knowing you had this. If you really need help, use it; but be careful, the whistle is made of Stygian Ice."

"What ice?"

"From the River Styx. Very hard to craft. Very delicate. It cannot melt, but it will shatter when you blow it, so it's a one time use." Quintus explained.

I wanted to trust Quintus, but remembered to stay wary. He seemed like a genuinely honest man, but then again, I trusted Luke once as well.

"Thanks," I told Quintus without revealing my doubt. I slipped the freezing whistle in my pocket, promising myself that I would never use it, and dashed off to prepare all my necessities for tomorrow.

§§§§§

At least I got a good night's sleep before the quest right? Lol, that's a funny joke.

The night in my dreams, I was in the stateroom of the Princess Andromeda. The windows were open on a moonlit sea. Cold wind rustled the velvet drapes.

Luke knelt on a Persian rug in front of the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. In the moonlight, Luke's blonde hair looked pure white. he wore an ancient Greek chiton and a white himation, a kind of cape that flowed down his shoulders. The white clothes made him look timeless and a little unreal, like one of the minor gods on Mount Olympus. If not for Percy's explanation about Luke having the Curse of Achilles, I would've questioned Luke's too clean look. Given that he did fall off a cliff after getting stabbed through by Athena's spear, even after a few months of recovery, Luke would've still looked a bit battered.

"Our spies report success, my lord," He said. "Camp Half Blood is sending a quest, as you predicted. Our side of the bargain is almost complete."

Excellent. The voice of Kronos didn't so much speak as pierce my mind like a dagger. It felt of like my soul was getting railed by freezing rain and getting microwaved at the same time, topped with a dash of cruelty. Simply hella uncomfortable. Once we have the means to navigate, I will lead the vanguard through myself.

Luke closed his eyes as if collecting his thoughts. "My lord, perhaps it is too soon. Perhaps Krios or Hyperion should lead–"

No. The voice was quiet but absolutely firm. I will lead. One more heart shall join our cause, and that will be sufficient. At last, I shall fully rise out of Tartarus.

"But the form, my lord..." Luke's voice began shaking.

Show me your sword, Luke Castellan.

A jolt went through me. I realized I'd never heard Luke's last name before. It had never even occurred to me.

Luke drew his sword, Backbiter, a sword made to kill both mortals and monsters. The blade glowed wickedly, the steel and celestial bronze edges emitting an almost evil aura. Seeing the sword made me clench my fists even in my dream. I had nearly been killed every time Luke fought me. Next time, I would beat him, no matter what.

You pledged yourself to me, Kronos reminded him. you took this sword as proof of your oath.

"Yes, my lord. It's just–"

You wanted power. I gave you that. You are now beyond harm. Soon you will rule the world of gods and mortals. Do you not wish to avenge yourself? To see Olympus destroyed?

Huh, now I knew for sure that Luke took the Curse. I continued to listen after Luke gave his reply.

The coffin glowed, golden light filling the room. Then make ready the strike force. As soon as the bargain is done, we shall move forward. First, Camp Half-Blood will be reduced to ashes. Once those bothersome heroes are eliminated, we will march on Olympus.

There was a knock on the stateroom doors. The light of the coffin faded, and Luke rose. He sheathed his sword, adjusted his white clothes, and took a deep breath. "Come in."

The doors opened. Two dracaenae slithered in – snake women with double serpent trunks instead of legs. Between them walked Kelli, the empousa cheerleader from my freshman orientation.

"Hello, Luke," Kelli smiled.

"What is it, demon?" Luke's voice was cold. "I told you not to disturb me."

Kelli pouted. "That's not very nice. You look tense. How about a nice shoulder massage?"

Luke stepped back. "If you have something to report, say it. Otherwise leave!"

"I don't know why you're so huffy these days. You used to be fun to hang around."

"That was before I saw what you did to that boy in Seattle." Luke retorted. "Thanks for whatever, but no thanks."

"Fine," The empousa shrugged. "The advance team is ready, as you requested. We can leave–" She frowned.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"A presence," Kelli said. "Your senses are getting dull, Luke. We're being watched."

She scanned the stateroom, her eyes pausing as they landed on my position. Her face withered into a hag's, before she bared her fangs and lunged.

I woke with a start, my heart pounding. My stupid dream self couldn't move, and I just stood there with Kelli's fangs an inch from my throat. If it were real life, she'd be at the end of my blade.

Tyson was snoring in the next bunk. The sound calmed me down a little.

I didn't know how Kelli could sense me in a dream, but I'd heard enough information from the dream regardless. Kronos was getting prepared, somehow, and Luke knew it. The time lord's resurrection was close, that's for sure. Another thing was that Luke was about to attack. We'd have to get through this quest as efficiently as possible. There were also traitors still within our camp, and one of them was a head cabin member, which didn't make me feel any better. I didn't remember thinking about anything else much longer, as I fell quickly asleep once more afterward.

§§§§§

Just after dawn, the quest group met at Zeus' Fist. I'd packed my knapsack (which was most likely going to be destroyed or vaporized in some sort of way, knowing past experience) – thermos with nectar, baggie of ambrosia, bedroll, rope, clothes, flashlights, and lots of extra batteries. I had Riptide in my pocket, and the two daggers Zoe gave me hidden in my clothes. The magic shield/wristwatch Tyson fixed for me was on my wrist.

It was a clear morning. The fog has burned off and the sky was blue. Campers would be having their lessons today: flying pegasi and practicing archery and scaling the lava wall. Meanwhile, we would be heading underground.

Juniper and Grover stood apart from the group. Juniper had been crying again, but she was trying to keep it together for Grover's sake. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his rasta cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt. Since we had no idea what we would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with a cap to hide his horns, and jeans, fake feet, and sneakers to hid his goat legs.

Chiron, Quintus, and Ms. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish us well, but there was too much activity for it to feel like a happy send-off. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided that we defend the Labyrinth entrance at all times, which was a smart move.

"Well, it appears you're all ready," Chiron tried to sound upbeat, but it was difficult knowing the situation.

I swallowed. "Chiron, could I ask you about something?" The centaur nodded.

We went to the side and I recalled my dream, the old centaur simply nodding anxiously. "I feared this," He said. "Against my father, Kronos, we would stand no chance in a fight."

"Can you think of anything he could've meant about the bargain?" I asked.

"I am not sure, but I fear they seek to make a deal with Daedalus. If the old inventor is truly alive, if he has not been driven insane by millennia in the Labyrinth... well, Kronos can find ways to twist anyone to his will."

"Not anyone," I promised.

Chiron managed a smile. "No. Perhaps not anyone. But, Atalanta, you must beware. I have worried for some time that Kronos may be looking for Daedalus for a different reason, not just passage through the maze."

"What else would he want?"

"Do you remember what you told me about your first trip to the Princess Andromeda, the first time you saw the golden coffin?"

I nodded. "Luke was talking about raising Kronos, little pieces of him appearing in the coffin every time someone new joined his cause."

"And what did Luke say they would do when Kronos had risen completely?"

A chill went down my spine as my brain raced at superspeed. I paled. "He said they would make Kronos a new body, worthy of the forges of Hephaestus. Daedalus is the greatest inventor in the world, and he made so many automatons..."

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "It wouldn't be unrealistic for Kronos to request Daedalus to build him a new body."

"That's pleasant." I muttered humorlessly. "What's more disturbing is him saying that the cause only needs one more soul. Last I saw, Percy wiped out nearly 60% of the army, so he said at least."

Chiron's eyes widened. "It's unsurprising, giving that demigod's prowess. Even more incredible is Kronos' ability to rebuild his army so quickly. This is furthermore unsettling."

We finished talking, and headed back towards the rocks. I gazed carefully at everyone else present, most of them the camp cabin leaders. Our spies report success, Luke had said. The same day we decided to send a quest, Luke had known about it. It was one of my friends in camp, and I didn't like that.

"Take care," Chiron told us. "And good hunting."

"Will do," I said. "You take care too."

I walked over to the rocks, where Tyson and Grover were waiting. I stared at the crack between the boulders, the entrance that was about to swallow us.

"Well," Grover said nervously. "Good-bye sunshine."

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

And together, the three of us descended into darkness.

A/N: Sorry for the delay of this next chapter, but there was a lot of chapter changes I needed to make. The plan is to finish Part I entirely for you guys (around 300,000+ words probably) and maybe throw in teasers for Part II.

A lot of you are asking if I'm going to be including more Perzoe moments and yes, I will be. It's going to be a long while still until Pertemis goes any further than what it is right now, so Perzoe people are going to be entertained for well... a long time.

Did any of you get the description of the vision Atalanta saw in the green smoke? (If not, it's the description of the image on the front of the Battle of the Labyrinth book, the entirely maroon one)

Atalanta's also gotten the spotlight for two chapters now, so we'll see Percy again in the next one. Anyhow, if y'all have any questions or comments, you know where to go to post them. I read them all, so don't worry I won't miss it.

Peace out, you legends!

~ Zayden Shade