Charlie took out his sword but I was empty handed since my available arm was broken and my other was wrapped around his waist.
I didn't notice many features about the man, I was too transfixed on his face. Well, faces.
He wore a long black coat and black shoes that had been dulled long ago. His top hat was the strangest thing. It didn't quite fit, but it wasn't falling off either, and it was set strangely between the two heads.
"Who's the two headed dude?" Charlie whispered.
"Why I'm Janus!" One head said.
The other head frowned. "No, we're Janus!" it argued.
"We're both Janus, although there is only one! And I'm here to help you make a decision!"
The first head stared at Luke out of the corner of his eye. I wasn't sure which head to look at so I continued to stare at his top hat.
"He will just trick you, I will help you choose the door that leads to certain death!" One of the hands motioned towards the red door on the left. I noticed that the exit behind us had disappeared.
"No, you idiot! You're supposed to say you'll show him the door that leads to safety!"
"That's what I said!"
While the heads argued, we quickly tried to come up with a plan.
"You ask him a question right, and whichever one says the right answer is the door you want to follow. I learned about this in like second grade," Charlie said. "We just need to think of a question… I read this one story where the dude asked him about how loyal his wife was and—"
"Make a decision, Luke Castellan! The left door or the right! Make the right decision this time," both heads of Janus said at the same time.
"No time for stories. Luke, ask a question!" I blurted.
Luke took a step forward, a smirk playing across his lips. "What is the mathematically correct answer to the equation 1+1?"
Janus frowned, apparently not liking this question.
"Two," one head answered.
"Window," said the other. Luke went to the door of the first head, who pouted.
"You're no fun."
"We're not here for fun," Luke responded. "And I learned that from Annabeth Chase."
A tunnel appeared next to his hand and we ran, not waiting to see the god's reaction. Once we were all through, Luke pressed his hand again to the wall and it closed up.
"How'd you do that?" Daedalus asked in amazement. Don't mind the pun there.
"Told you, I've been working for a very long time," Luke grinned at his success. "Now, we've got to be careful here. Despite the Labyrinth, there are other dangers as well. Lots of monsters have come through Tartarus to try to escape, that's why they keep reappearing so quickly up there in the real world. We should steer clear of those guys; never know what's around the corner."
We're coming.
I shuddered.
Sure enough, there was a monster around the corner. Well, two of them but who's keeping score? Luke didn't make a sound as he raised his blade to strike them down, but he didn't get a chance. He was struck in the chest by a long wooden stick and thrown into the wall with a loud oof! I went to help him, then I realized who his attacker was.
"Bob! Damasen!" Charlie screeched in joy. He pulled away from me to greet them, stumbling on his broken ankle. Bob perked up at the sound of his name and opened his arms to hug Charlie.
"You're alive!" Charlie cried. Damasen smiled warmly as he greeted me. Relief grew in my chest. I helped Luke up before moving to greet our friends.
"This is our friend, Luke," I introduced. Damasen narrowed his eyes.
"Annabeth spoke often of a Luke," he said.
I nodded and offered a funny smile. "Same one. Long story, he's not dead! Well, he is dead, but he's not." Damasen gave me a look that told me I'd be telling a long story tonight. I didn't add that Luke was a good guy because I wasn't 100% about that myself yet.
"You are hurt!" Bob noticed. He bopped Charlie on the nose and looked down to his ankle. I saw the pain melt from Charlie's eyes and he took a careful step forward and a grin lit up his face.
"I can walk!" he announced, turning towards me and wiggling his toes. He still looked sick, but I guess having Bob cure everything would be asking too much.
Bob tapped me on the head and the throbbing in my arm disappeared and the pressure from my broken rib finally ceased. Ismiled and helped Charlie take the brace off. "Thank you, Bob."
"Where's Small Bob?" Charlie asked. Upon hearing his name, the small kitten jumped from its place in the pocket of Bob's overalls and leapt onto Charlie's head.
Charlie laughed and began coddling the dead/undead cat. Back home, Charlie had a cat named Ernie. I think Small Bob was, in a way, the new Ernie.
"I see you have already lost your shoes?" Damasen said in a stern tone. We could tell he was only teasing to change the subject. Charlie scratched the nap of his neck and chuckled.
"Yeah, I was kidnapped by Aeternae. Not fun," Charlie said.
Luke watched our reunion with interest. It was obvious that we were happy, which was a big change from our previous demeanor. I was about to tell Damasen about the poison but Charlie quickly changed the topic.
"I'm so glad you're here! Now we can all get out and you can see Jase's parents and Nico and this is going to be great!" Charlie blurted. He spoke quickly and excitedly, almost like a child.
Bob held out his balled fist for a fist bump, then he and Charlie showed off an elaborate handshake they'd made up when we were staying at Damasen's cabin. It took Bob almost two weeks to learn the handshake and he loved it. Damasen's eyes twinkled in amusement and he set a hand on my shoulder almost in a fatherly way.
"Oh, and this is Daedalus," I introduced with a slight grimace.
Maybe Damasen noticed my look of distaste when I introduced the inventor, or maybe he was just a good judge of character, but he frowned at the son of Athena. For a nice giant, he could be damn scary when he wanted to be.
JASE POV"We should get going," Luke warned as he looked over his shoulder. A low growl from somewhere behind us tempted me to nod and grab Charlie's hand.
"Yea, good idea," I agreed. Bob took the lead, marching cheerfully with his broom in his hand. The actual sweeping part of the broom had been snapped off, but he didn't seem to mind. It was just as dangerous.
Luke hung back to talk to Damasen, and both of them seemed to be enjoying the conversation. I took a step back to eavesdrop and discovered they were talking about my mom. I smiled a bit before skipping ahead to catch up with Charlie. Trailing behind the group was Daedalus. He didn't talk to the rest of us; mostly just muttered about all the monsters in his Labyrinth.
We came to an opening in the tunnel. It was a circular cabin with three doors, all identical. "Which door?" Bob asked.
"Left," I answered immediately. I had no reason to choose left, which is why it seemed like the best idea. But there was still a tugging feeling in my gut, telling me to go left. Nobody argued, so Bob shrugged and opened the door furthest to the left.
The walls were lined with white bathroom tile, or the type you'd find in a kitchen backsplash. A fine dusty gravel crinkled beneath our feet.
Bob didn't seem to like the new galway. It was small and cramped, the right size for a human. Not for a titan, or a giant either. But the hall was well lit, so Charlie and I were ok.
I kept bending my arm, glad to have its use back, while Charlie teased me and we played never have I ever.
"You've never had friends sleepover?" Charlie asked.
I shrugged. "Mom and Dad have nightmares. It's kind of hard to explain to my friends why my parents wake the whole house by screaming in terror in the middle of the night," I explained.
Charlie nodded but didn't respond, probably thinking about how we'd have the same problem if we ever got out of here. The game ended pretty quickly after that.
I don't know if I could survive having nightmares every night. I could barely stand them now, and it had only been a few months since they'd started. They'd probably be better when we got home, when I could know for sure that my family was safe and check in with them when I woke up. My parents got nightmares all the time; they could help me cope with mine.
"I'm getting tired," Charlie said quietly. Remembering that he was sick, I nodded in agreement. We looked back to Luke, who had become the unofficial leader of our group.
"We'll rest for the night, take turns keeping watch," Luke decided.
Bob and Damasen nodded hesitantly.
Laying down to take a break, we took up the entire hallway. If any monsters came by while we slept, we'd have no choice but to fight them. There was nowhere to hide. The hallway seemed endless, no doorway to hide behind.
Charlie seemed hesitant to sleep but I knew he was exhausted. Damasen noticed this as well and eased his worries with, "I shall watch. Giants do not grow tired for long periods of time."
Charlie smiled and nodded gratefully. He got out our bloody flannel and bunched it into a pillow and set it on my lap. Bob plopped down next to me and I used his shoulder as a place to rest my head. Charlie played with fire for a bit as we settled down. I fell asleep watching the flames dance across his fingertips just as I had for so many nights before.
I stood up, the vaguely familiar feeling of soft grass beneath my feet. I felt myself sobbing in relief.
"Charlie! We did it!" I turned around to face Half Blood Hill, then looked back around to help Charlie. He stood in the entrance of the Labyrinth as he took a glad step onto the grass. His feet barely skimmed the ground before something yanked him backwards. I lunged forward when I saw the look of panic on his face.
The Labyrinth closed in on itself, rocks slamming together and reforming to close the doorway, separating Charlie and I.
I heard one last scream, then he went silent. The Labyrinth faded from existence with Charlie still inside. I stared in disbelief for a moment, then realization struck me. The Labyrinth was closed, and something had Charlie who was still stuck inside.
"Luke! Luke open it, get me inside!" I yelled. Luke appeared beside me.
"Where's…" Then he realized what had happened. In a rush, he slammed his hand to the wall. Nothing happened. He widened his eyes in alarm and tried again. "I can't get it open! What happened?"
"Something grabbed him, then it just closed! Like somebody had forced it to. How do we get back in?!"
"Daedalus," Luke cursed. "Jase, I don't think we can. If Daedalus died and the Labyrinth closed, then it's going to stay closed. He created it, I can't override it," Luke barely spoke above a whisper. I saw a tear of regret slipping down his cheek.
"No, no we have to get back in! Charlie's still in there!"
"Jase, I'm sorry. He's gone."
He's gone.
You lost him.
Charlie was still asleep when I woke up. Damasen noted my panic and I knew he was going to have me explain. I took a gulp of air and tried to calm myself down. What if that would really happen? If we escaped, only we didn't. If Charlie was still inside, and I was out, and I couldn't get back in.
I promised myself that when and if we got out, Charlie would be going first. I wasn't going to let my dream come true. Panic swelled in my chest as I thought about it. Getting out without Charlie was a scarier thought than never getting out. From his spot on my lap, Charlie must have been woken by my quickened panicked breaths.
"It's ok, not real," he muttered, raised his hand to lazily stroke my face. I smiled at his attempt and took his hand, placing it on my cheek. His skin had grown more dry since the recent attack. We needed to get out quickly; there was no cure for him here.
"I know," I lied.
You cannot change the future
You cannot change fate.
I ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. Just his presence helped my speeding heart. An oath to keep till the final breath. I wouldn't leave him behind.
"How long did we sleep?" Charlie asked.
Bob shrugged and opened his mouth to say something, then furrowed his eyebrows and went silent, a small smile on his face. "Time is strange," he said.
"About an hour and a half maybe," Luke answered.
I yawned and stretched, wincing as old wounds ached and protested.
"Did you sleep?" I asked, looked at Luke.
"A bit," he said shortly before changing the subject, "Are you two ready to go or should we rest more?"
Charlie sighed wistfully and glanced at me. "We're ready," he answered. I wasn't sure how true it was, but getting out sooner was worth a few hours of sleep.
JASE POVLuke nodded and stood up, putting his backpack on.
"Wait, Damasen do you have any more of those herbs?" I asked, halting the preparation. Damasen nodded once in answer, handing Charlie his satchel.
"Thank you. Charlie, take off your shirt. You need something for your shoulder."
He wasn't going to argue with me. He slipped his shirt over his head, wincing as the fabric made slid roughly past the wounds. His shirt had once been green, but the color was long gone. My own shirt was nothing but a tattered cloth; I couldn't even tell that it was once orange. Nearly the entire back had been ripped off and it did nothing to protect me from the elements. But it was one of the only things I had left of home. I wasn't ready to part with it.
Around my neck was a sturdy metal chain carrying a small sword shaped-pendant that I got from Thalia when I was a year old. It was faring better than I was in this place, and I had no doubt it would survive longer than me too.
It's the last thing you'll ever see of the home you once knew.
"You ok?" I asked once he was finished. Charlie nodded, not speaking.
Liar.
"Let's go," Daedalus whined. Damasen glared menacingly and the inventor looked away, muttering incoherently.
I helped Charlie get his shirt back on and we were off. Because I was left handed and he was right handed, we were able to hold hands and still arm ourselves. It was a small thing, but it made me feel better. I felt secure when I was touching him in some way, whether it be standing shoulder to shoulder or holding his hand.
"Where did the hallway go?" Charlie asked.
When we went to sleep, the hallway ahead was endless and hard to see. Now it was pitch black, but it looked like there was a door of some sort. Charlie and I took the lead so he could light the way with his fire.
You'll never find the way out.
It was the kind of door you'd expect to belong to a medieval castle. Charlie shot me a wary glance and backed away to let Luke open the door. He seemed hesitant and let Bob go ahead. Bob didn't seem at all bothered or worried. He just seemed glad to get out of the cramped hallway.
The new room was lined with torches, again reminding me of a castle. Then the smell hit me and I stepped backwards.
You'll never leave
The pain will never end
You'll be here forever
"Tartarus," I whispered.
Charlie nodded. "The lava," he added.
"River Phaethon," I corrected out of habit.
The river flowed through the center of the room. It was obvious it came from Tartarus. I knew it was the same river we'd been forced to live from. I hadn't eaten since we'd arrived in the Labyrinth, but I wasn't about to drink from the river. The very sight of it made my blood run cold. Charlie moved in closer and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
"We have to get past," Luke pointed out, trying to snap us from our trance.
Charlie cracked a small smile, a smile which I knew meant he had a jokingly stupid idea.
"Lavabending," he said.
"What?" Luke asked.
I rolled my eyes and translated, "He wants me to try and use my powers to move the lava out of the way."
Luke smiled for a second, then looked as if something had dawned on him.
"That might actually work, if you two worked together," he said. I gave him a questioning look and he continued with, "Charlie can control fire, right? This is fire water; literally combining the two elements you two can control."
Charlie grinned wickedly and I had to admit, the idea was pretty cool. "Let's try it Jack!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the river we both despised.
"Jack?" Bob questioned.
I rolled my eyes again. "Jackson." Charlie only used the nickname when he was in a good mood. That didn't happen often.
I concentrated on the river and waited to feel the familiar tug in my gut. Something happened, but it wasn't familiar. Pain raced up my spine, giving me a splitting headache. But I didn't stop. It was working. The river was parting.
"Call me Moses cause I'm parting the way!" Charlie shouted. He must have been going through the same pain as me, but his excitement took over.
The others rushed across, and Charlie and I raced after them. Once we were safe on the other side, we dropped the River.
Charlie fell to his knees, smiling.
"I don't think I've ever been this exhausted in my entire life, but that was so fucking awesome!" He pumped his fist, then promptly passed out.
I knew he was going through. The same thing happened to me the first time I'd used my powers on a larger scale. But unlike him, I had spent my entire life using my abilities.
"We should keep going," I said. "I'll carry him." I wanted to get as far away from the River Phaethon as I could. Bob helped me lift Charlie onto my back and I got him situated so he wouldn't fall off. The pain in my back flared but I didn't set Charlie down. Damasen smiled at me and we were on our merry way.
"Mother, I'm hungry!" A familiar voice whined.
"Shut up, we'll all eat soon."
It was the cyclops from earlier. I looked to Luke, then immediately felt guilty. When in battle, I was usually the one people looked at to lead. I knew how much pressure it was to have that position. I knew how much guilt it held.
"I don't think I can cross again," I warned, glancing back at the river. Since we had no other direction to go but forward, we headed towards the monsters. I lingered at the back of the group. I didn't want to get into a fight head on when I had Charlie unconscious on my back.
You'll get him killed
When we finally saw them, one was standing with its hand pressed to the wall.
"I think I've got it this time!" The empousa said. A blue triangle appeared, and the door opened. The breeze that followed was enough to wake Charlie. Fresh air. I barely recognized the feeling of the wind that ran gently past my cheeks.
Then I heard a nearly forgotten voice: Casey.
JASE POV"Look out!" Casey yelled from outside, but she wasn't talking to us.
My breath caught in my throat and I ran forward, letting Charlie slide off my back and propping him up behind the fight. The empousa hissed and raised its claws toward its victim, who stood right outside the Labyrinth entrance.
"Will!" Casey yelled again.
If I just jumped forward, I could escape. But Charlie would still be inside, as would Damasen and Bob and Luke. I didn't really care if Daedalus was stuck inside. It was his fault we were all here in the first place. But Charlie...
Then I saw Will, and I froze. His bow was at his side. He hadn't expected an attack. I saw him, but he didn't see me. I jumped forward and latched onto the empousa. I felt the wind on my arm. I felt the soft fabric of Will's shirt and the sun shining on my skin.
As much as I wanted to just sit there, I couldn't. I had to help Will. I leaned forward and shoved Will out of the way before being slammed into the arch by a cyclops. Half of my body hung through the doorway.
Will was safe.
My tactics surprised the cyclops with its hand on the rock, who dropped its arm to fight. As soon as its hand left the rockface, the real world disappeared behind rock. The Labyrinth was once again, beginning to close.
You'll never escape.
I didn't have time to relish what I had seen. I was still in the doorway. I jumped as it began to close but I was too slow. Luke grabbed my hand and pulled me through. I saw the look of relief on Charlie's face as my body landed on the ground beside him. I took a moment to wonder when he'd woken up. But then something went wrong. Of course.
At first, it was just a pinch. Then, the most pressure I had ever felt. My arm began to throb just below the shoulder. I felt the bones crushing in my arm. The pain was more than I'd ever felt, and I began to scream. I tried to drop to the ground but my arm was stuck in the disappearing wall. Then, with one more tearing thud, I dropped to the ground. I tried to catch myself, but was only met by a pool of blood on the ground. I was in so much pain. My vision became blurred. I didn't know what was happening.
The last thing I heard before I passed out was Luke screaming.
"CHARLIE! FIRE! WE NEED FIRE!"
Then I began to burn.
I didn't dream. When I woke up, the pain was better. Still almost intolerable, but better than it had been when I passed out. I raised my hands to rub my eyes, but something was missing. Panic bubbled up in my throat. Pain roared up my arm.
"Charlie?!" I called out.
Rapid shuffling came from the dark hallway in front of me, then Charlie appeared.
"You're awake! Thank the gods! Luke didn't think you were going to make it!" he cried. He latched his arms around my neck and hugged me. I had difficulty hugging him back. I vaguely realized Charlie looked utterly exhausted. He shouldn't use his powers when he was sick.
I was dizzy. I knew something was very wrong but the idea of what had happened made me believe I was dreaming.
"Charlie," my words were slurred. I tried moving my right arm again, but there was only pain. "What happened?"
A look of grief passed through Charlie's eyes. "Jase, I'm sorry. You didn't get all the way through the doorway. We had to burn over the wound to cauterize it so you wouldn't bleed out."
I was too drowsy to understand what he was saying. It felt as if I'd taken those prescription painkillers that make you really sleepy.
"What wound?"
"Jase, your arm," Charlie said.
My arm. I began to remember. I looked down. Where my right arm should have been was nothing but a bloody rag. It was gone. The whole arm was just… gone.
The amount of blood on the floor explained my dizziness. It was probably a good thing though. If I was in a better mental state I probably would have been freaking out and in a lot more pain.
"Charlie, my arm's gone," I noted. My right arm was missing. It was left behind on the other side of the Labyrinth wall. I understood what Charlie had meant by having to burn the wound now. Everything that was left of my arm- basically two or three inches under my shoulder- was burned badly enough to peel away if I poked it. Charlie's flannel, no doubt unsanitized, covered most of the injury.
The right side of my chest and even my neck had burn marks. Some of it looked to be healing, probably due to Damasen's herbs. I couldn't stop staring at the place where my arm should have been. I tried to clench my fist on the missing hand and the feeling was strange. I'd heard of phantom limb before, but I never thought I'd understand it. It was painful. I knew it was just a trick of my mind. I was so used to the feeling of clenching my fist that my brain was trying to fill in the gap where that action should be.
"Jase, are you ok?" Charlie asked. He usually didn't ask me if I was ok. He usually knew the answer.
"I don't know, Charlie. I'm so out of it that I'm really not thinking about what's going to happen because of this. How am I supposed to be of use if I don't have an arm?" I pointed out. "How am I going to fight?"
In this place, it was fight or die.
"You're left handed. I'll bet that you still fight better than I do," Charlie sarcastically responded. I raised my hand to caress his cheek. I felt a salty tear cross my lips.
"Come 'ere, Jack." Charlie spoke almost as if he's talking to a child. He gently hugged me, allowing me to rest my head on his shoulder and mourn.
It seemed silly to mourn for something as strange as a limb. It's something you wouldn't understand unless it happened to you. This whole time we've been in Tartarus, the only thing I had was my body, the shirt on my back, the small dagger emblem necklace Thalia had given me, and my life. My shirt was torn to shreds, the chain to my necklace was broken (I kept the emblem in a secure pocket of our bag,) I'd already lost my life once, and now I didn't even have part of my own body. I had Charlie. I needed to pull myself together because I was not losing him too.
I thought back to the fight that was happening before I lost my arm. I saw the real world. I felt the cloth of Will's shirt between my fingers. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the grass I'd seen for just a moment. I tried to imagine Will's face, but it had already been erased by the Arai.
"Jase, you saved them. You kept that monster from attacking Will," Charlie comforted.
"But who knows how many others will attack them while we're stuck in here?" I countered.
Damasen turned his attention towards me. I hadn't noticed him enter the room. "Jason, just one life saved can lead to many others in turn. Will, from what you have told me, is a healer and a good fighter. If they are attacked again, he may be of immense help when defeating your foe and aiding those who have been hurt," Damasen said. "And after what just happened, your family may have been warned that the Labyrinth has been opened. They can predetermine that their enemy can attack from seemingly anywhere, and they will be ready. They can be prepared for upcoming conflict. And I suppose they do have evidence that you're alive."
"What evidence? I didn't think anybody saw me," I said
Luke raised his eyebrows. He was tending to a small fire. "If you haven't noticed, your arm didn't quite make it back with the rest of you. It's still out there."
Well. At least part of me escaped.
(I just got an email that somebody commented on the last chapter of this book... It's been years, but deep in the catacombs of my Google Drive is the raw, terrible, unedited ending of this series. I don't have the time to edit any of it and have very little passion for this story because unlike when I first wrote it, I have a vague understanding of comma placement and grammatical law. Still, I don't want to leave you all hanging. Thanks to that one person who commented asking for an ending. Here you go. Be prepared for a few long chapters and a conclusion, and some extras after that.)
