AN: Before I begin I want to ask you guys a question. Why have so few people been reviewing this story recently? I'm really proud of this story, of the one's I've made I'd say I'm most proud of this one, but it doesn't seem to get a lot of reviews anymore. Has it been something I've been doing, are you guys losing interest in the story, or just not finding things you feel the need to comment on? I really want to make this the best story I can, so I want to know if I'm doing something wrong.

Son of the Moon

Chapter 54

-Jason-

Frowning, the son of Jupiter paced about the room, Pollux and Miranda nervously sharpening blades. "What's taking so long?" he finally snapped, unable to stand just waiting around for Thalia in silence any longer.

"The ritual is a delicate one." Pollux rumbled, a whetstone running along a dagger as the son of Dionysus focused on his task, but Jason could tell the two of them were as displeased as he was. "Our task is to remain here as guards once the ritual is complete to make sure nothing goes wrong. Kampe will be tasked for the attack on Camp Half-Blood and she's been given very specific instructions on who to capture and who to kill.

"So what?" Jason growled, his hair whipping in the winds he created, "I'm supposed to just sit back and twiddle my thumbs like a good little boy?"

"You want something to do?" Pollux grunted, getting up as he walked over, grabbing Jason by the scruff of his shirt and proceeding to drag him away, "Then come train. I need to make sure you won't be a liability in combat."

"A liability?!" Jason seethed, shoving Pollux off of him as Miranda silently got up to follow them.

"Yes, a liability." Pollux was unphased by Jason's anger "You don't want me to call you that? Then stop whining and fight."

"Gladly." Jason growled, pulling out his golden coin and turning it to lance form as he prepared to fight. At least this way he wouldn't be stuck worrying about his sister.

-Percy-

Frowning, Percy watched the door to the Labyrinth grind close behind them, torches igniting as the stone barrier was once more in place. "Alright Rachel, ready to guide us?" he asked, the redhead nodding seriously, pocketing as many of the bronze feathers from their wings as she could.

"Ready." Rachel looked at the floor, finding the glow she had mentioned to him before as they set off. Very quickly they noted that the Labyrinth wasn't acting as it had before. Before there were twists, turns, branching side paths and traps. Now it was a single straight passage, well lit by torches without a single deviation or surprise.

"This is…unsettling." Nico muttered, eyes flitting back and forth as the son of Hades clutched his hooks tight, ready for a fight.

"It…I think the Labyrinth is trying to help us." Rachel frowned, "Maybe Daedalus' ordered it to? Or it's reacting to his subconscious desire?"

"Maybe," Percy acknowledged "it's not out of the question. Stay on guard though, the Labyrinth was still trying to kill us a few hours ago."

"Do you think we'll get to the camp in time?" Amanda asked, her fear of failing clear in her tone "We still don't know how differently time moves in here or where the army for the Titans and Giants is in this place. They could be there already for all we know!"

"Even if they've reached the camp exit they won't be pushing forward just yet." Percy reached out to calm her, "We prepared for this remember? The camp has been preparing for this since we found the entrance to the maze. The enemy has no choice but to fight in an area we control, where we had time to prepare. They'll have to fight, claw, and bleed for every inch of ground they want to take outside that tunnel."

"Right," Amanda nodded, latching onto his reasonings to calm herself, "you're right." The daughter of Hermes took in a shaky breath, "Come on then, let's go. The sooner we get back to camp the better we can make add to the defense."

"That's the spirit." Percy nodded, smiling even as Nico put a comforting hand on Amanda's shoulder, "Let's hurry!" with that they picked up the pace, forced to walk a dangerous line between getting to the camp faster and not running to the point of complete exhaustion.

"Wait!" Rachel called out little over an hour later, staring wide eyed at the floor, "There…there's a second path of light. This one's a dark purple, it's curving away up ahead."

"A…second path?" Percy was confused. Rachel could see the signs for the path of where they wanted to go so he had no idea why a second path would be visible.

"Percy…what do we do?" Bianca asked, all of them looking to him for an answer.

"Rachel, you said the path to camp is a golden color and the second path is a shade of purple?" he asked with a frown as she nodded, "And what about the traps we ran into before? You knew what they were and how they worked. How?"

"The traps were," Rachel paused to consider how best to describe them "strange. I would look a direction and I could almost see the outline of the traps and I felt some sort of understanding of what each trap would do whenever I saw them." Rachel knelt down and ran her finger along the stones bellow their feet "The golden path pulses with…well almost an echo of where we're going. I can see flashes of the camp and the identity it has. The purple path feels similar, but it doesn't to camp, I don't know what that place is. I see black marble columns, a mountain plateau overlooking the ocean, and a name I can't quite make out. Oth…othy…"

"Othrys." Percy finished for her as Rachel's eyes lit up.

"That's it!" Rachel beamed, that smile wilting upon seeing their expressions, "Is that bad?"

"Mount Othrys is the seat of power for the Titans, much like Olympus is for the gods." Bianca explained, "And if the Labyrinth is saying we're needed there, we may have no choice but to go."

"…We'll go." Percy decided "Something is telling me we need to do this. But if we go we go with a plan. I'll sneak in with Bianca. Nico, I need you to stay in the tunnels with Amanda and Rachel. If there's trouble I'll have Bianca shadow travel us out to you."

"Right." Bianca, Nico, and Amanda agreed in unison, touching him with the faith they had with him. Drawing his sword, Percy and Bianca took point with Rachel who guided them to a side tunnel.

"The exit is down here." Rachel pointed when they reached another turn "There aren't any traps on the route."

"Alright guys." Percy nodded, drawing Riptide "Stay safe and stay out of sight. Ready Bianca?"

"Ready Percy." Bianca nodded, knocking an arrow to her bow, "Let's go." Silently opening the exit to the Labyrinth, they began to sneak through the halls, trying to find anything that would be of use to them or that they could sabotage. Hearing voices down the hall, Percy pulled Bianca into the shadows, the two of them pressed tight in a shadowy crevice as they listened in on those coming.

"At last," a hissing voice cackled, "at last it is finished. The Master will be pleased."

"And it's sharper than ever!" a second voice agreed, "Master's scythe will be ready when the ritual is complete, and our rewards will be absolute!" looking to Bianca, he signed out a message. They had to steal or destroy that scythe. Kronos losing his symbol of power would be a major boon for their side. Waiting for the two Telekhines to waddle past them, they slipped into a large room. Along the walls he could see tapestries showing the various Titans and Giants in victories of their foes. On a raised dais at the back of the room he saw a massive golden sarcophagus, the scythe of Kronos on a stand beside it.

Silently, Percy crept towards the dais, Bianca keeping watch at the door. He had barely made it halfway across the room before he felt the mountain top rumble, dust coming lose from the ceiling as a ball of pale blue light flew up through the floor and into the coffin. Percy stood stone still, praying to the gods that no one would come in, that the sarcophagus would stay shut. After a moment, he let out a relieved breath.

With a bang, the lid of the golden sarcophagus shot skyward, coming down with a crash onto the ground, the black marble cracking under its weight. "At last." The voice that came out from the now open sarcophagus sent a shudder down his spine, the depraved cruelty in the tone making him feel unclean. Slowly, a hand reached up and grabbed the scythe, sitting up as Percy saw who was inside.

Olympus had known of the plan to give Kronos a living host to reform within in since Luke's trial. With Luke gone, their forces had been sure Thalia would have taken his place for the ritual. But climbing from the sarcophagus was Kronos' host and it wasn't Thalia. Rising up, was Poseidon.

AN: A few things before I finish up. Item the first: YES! Item the second: I have been planning that little surprise for a long time in the story. Item the third: YES AGAIN!