They decided to leave at noon.

Chiron had received word that former campers would be arriving over the course of the morning so Percy decided it would be best to wait and brief everyone at once.

Alex decided to pass the time in the infirmary, at Sierra's bedside. She had packed the previous night with her father, who packed his travel bag like a high school senior would pack their bag for school: bare minimum for everything except food.

It made Alex felt like a freshman again.

"We shouldn't be there more than a few hours, our time," her father had told her as they packed. "Your mind will try to convince you that it has been a lot longer than that because of how the Labyrinth works, but your body will know the difference."

Alex nodded. "I know that." She discreetly removed the extra seven protein bars she had packed.

Alex was not able to eat that morning due to her nerves, and her heart was pounding from either non-stop adrenaline or her anxiety, she couldn't tell. Being by Sierra was the only thing keeping her heart in her chest.

It was funny. Normally, being around Sierra would have the opposite effect, but now that she was genuinely anxious, Sierra was her only medication.

Alex must have been staring unfocused in her chair for too long because Sierra waved a hand in her face from her prone position on the medical cot. "Hey, you here with me?" she asked gently.

Alex blinked and pulled at her ponytail subconsciously. "Yeah. yeah, sorry." She checked her watch. It was almost ten. Her throat tightened again as her mind processed the incoming deadline. She felt like she was watching the time tick away to her execution. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and took a deep breath to loosen the imaginary vest that was restricting her breathing. Her fingers started to involuntarily tap the bed sheets.

Had she prepared enough? Was she ready? Did she forget to pack her second knife? What if she did need those extra protein bars?

Her thoughts ended when Sierra chuckled. The injured girl stopped Alex's tapping fingers with her own, clasping their hands together.

"Well, that's obviously a damn lie." Sierra sat up, wincing slightly. She looked pointedly at Alex after she got comfortable.

"What?" Alex said defensively.

"You're obviously freaking out and you're trying to hide it."

"Am not."

Another pointed look.

"Okay, maybe a little."

Doubtful turn of the head.

"Sierra, what the fuck am I doing?" Alex groaned and let her head fall forward onto the cot, resting her forehead on the soft sheets. She felt Sierra pull her hand away from hers and start massaging the back of her head, her nails scratching softly at her scalp.

"Like, I've wanted this for so long," Alex continued, trying to keep her voice from wavering, "a-and now it's finally here, I'm leaving in a few hours and all I want to do is go back to sleep and not think about this at all-" she ranted, her voice slightly muffled, "-but I also want to go out there and kick ass and prove myself as the daughter of the strongest demigods of the millennia. I want to make my parents proud but if I fuck up, my dad could die and then I would never be able to face my mom and I would be exiled from c-camp and-"

"Okay, slow down there," Sierra cut her off. Her hand rubbed circles at the top of Alex's neck. "Let's break this down, okay?"

Alex nodded, her body starting to relax.

"You have been training since the age of, what, five? That's eleven years, more than any teenage campers at camp. You can control water. You're super smart. Besides your mom, you're the best knife fighter at camp. You'll be with your dad who is the strongest demigod, maybe ever. You're really freaking smart. You have the second fastest lava wall climb ever. And, most importantly-" her hand stopped, "-if you die, I'll find you in the Underworld and kill you again so you are not allowed to die."

She pulled away her hand so Alex lifted her head up to look at her. Sierra was looking at her intensely, their faces close enough that Alex felt heat rush up her neck. Her heart started to pound again, but she wasn't thinking of the quest.

"You're going to be fine, okay?" Sierra asserted quietly. "I know you will." Her eyes flicked down for a second before returning to Alex's.

Any other time, Alex would have cleared her throat and leaned back, protecting her priceless friendship from going too fast.

But between feeling like she was walking to her death and Sierra's words, Alex felt herself leaning forward. Her heart jumped violently when she noticed Sierra doing the same.

"Hey Alex- Oh!"

Alex sprang back into her chair and snapped to the doorway of the infirmary. It was Derrick, a son of Apollo who worked in the infirmary. He was looking at the floor. She bit her lip to keep herself from yelling at him to leave.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude- You're dad- He sent me- I should've knocked-" he sputtered out.

"It's okay, Derrick," Sierra said calmly. "What do you need to tell Alex?"

He straightened. "Uh, everyone's here. They're meeting in the Counsel Room in five minutes. Your dad sent me to get you."

Alex sighed, knowing this was coming eventually.

It just happened to come at the worst possible time.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a minute," Alex replied.

Derrick nodded and quickly walked out of the room. Alex turned back to Sierra.

"That's another reason I know you'll be fine," the injured girl said smugly. "You can't kiss me if you're dead."

Alex's eyes widened, but she couldn't help but laugh at her bluntness. "You are unbelievable."

Sierra smiled confidently. "I know." She held her arms out. "This isn't goodbye. I'll see you soon."

They hugged tightly, and despite her confident words, Alex heard Sierra sniffling next to her ear. As they pulled apart, Alex kissed her cheek. She went to leave before turning around in the doorway. She took in the image of her best friend (and kind-of girlfriend?) and every detail of the infirmary.

If Sierra was going to survive, Alex was going to have to succeed.

Alex smiled, feeling strangely calm.

"I'll see you later."

/

The Counsel Room was over-packed when Alex got there. She quickly recognized the new adults in the room: Leo, Malcolm, Will, Nico, Clarisse, and Chris, among others. Everyone was chatting, catching up as most hadn't seen each other since the previous summer. Most former campers would return for the final week of the summer as an annual reunion.

Her father was standing at the head of the table, her mother next to him. He gestured her over with a jerk of his head so she went to take her place next to him. He had a playful grin on his face as he nudged her with his shoulder. Her mom smiled at her, but her eyes were sad.

I need to hug her.

"Alright, everyone! Let's get started," he shouted over the noise. The room quickly quieted.

"Good to have you back, Perce!" Travis Stoll called out from the back.

Her dad smiled. "Missed you guys, too. Can't wait to beat you in Capture the Flag next week."

There was a roar of protest around the room.

"Okay, okay," he raised his hands to settle everyone. "We can discuss teams later. Alex and I don't have much time so we have to get this started."

All the eyes in the room went to Alex at her name so Alex scanned them. Most of the adults seemed proud to finally see 'the baby' head out on a quest. A few, mainly Aunt Piper and Grover, seemed nervous. Alex stood up straighter.

Percy leaned over the table, looking at a map of camp. "Alex and I are going to enter the labyrinth through Zeus' fist. As soon as we go through, Malcolm and Clarisse, I need you to set up defensive positions here-" he started to circle points around Zeus' fist with a marker, "-here, behind this boulder, and here. Will, get the archers up in the trees. Make sure they are stocked with fire arrows in case another hydra comes through. Leo, there's enough in supply?"

Leo nodded. "Yessir, the cabin finished twenty quivers of them this morning. We also rigged Greek fire traps around the Fist that are ready to fire on our command."

Percy continued going around the circle. "Piper and Katie, be ready with the pegasi. We might have to drop weapons, medical supplies, transport people or something. Make sure at least five people are ready to go any second. Chris, split your cabin based on skill and put people where we need them. Pollux, same thing. Grover, have you already told the wood nymphs to evacuate?"

Glover bleated. "The last one evacuated to Central Park this morning. No one is left."

Percy nodded and turned to his wife. "Anything else?"

Her mom stepped forward, examining the map. Her eyes were a sharp grey. "We have no idea what is going to come out behind them. Everyone needs to remain vigilant no matter how long Percy and Alex are gone. The Labyrinth isn't natural. It will strike when we are least prepared so everyone should be armed at all times. Guards at the defensive positions are to rotate every two hours to discourage distraction. If a battle happens and we fall below fifty-percent of our starting man-power, pegasi are to be abandoned, and we will need medics and supply runners to fill in fighting positions. Anyone below the age of thirteen will remain with Chiron and a small, predetermined guard unit at the Big House. They will help the infirmary and run supplies outside of the battlefield." Her mother's eyes scanned everyone in the room, looking for any objections.

"Our communications are down. We have no reinforcements so don't be dumb. Fight in pairs, only use special weapons if necessary. We are all we got. Don't abuse it," she finished. She looked at her daughter, and raised an eyebrow. "Anything to add?"

Alex's mind reprocessed everything she just heard, analyzing it for missing points. She nodded. "If we fall back, head towards the creek. Dad and I might need a quick soak to replenish once we get out." There were a few chuckles around the room. She continued, "In the last couple of fights, we tried to out-strength them. We have to be smarter today because whatever we do will probably piss the monsters off a lot so they're going to send everything they have." Alex looked at all of the adults around the room, looking at the sixteen-year-old like she was in charge. "We're the leaders here. If camp fails, we did something wrong. Adults, I know it's been a long time since a lot of you have seen a real battle, but the campers here have been fighting for their lives for over a week now. Remember what that's like before you interact with us. People are looking for someone to turn to, and you signed up for that by showing up here. Don't give us any bullshit. We need your best right now so you better remember your training really fast." Alex saw her parents looking at each other with proud grins in her peripheral vision, but she kept her head forward. "You will likely have at least a day before any attacks happen so get some training in when you are not on guard duty. There's no time for rustiness right now. The new generation needs you all."

There was a moment of silence before a female voice piped up, "If the rest of your generation is like you, I think we'll be the ones needing you." Piper looked at her proudly.

Alex felt her heart swell at her aunt's words.

"We have an hour before we leave so everyone start moving," Percy said, putting his arms around Annabeth and Alex. "We'll see everyone at the Fist."

/

The family sat in silence in the Poseidon cabin. They were next to each other on one bunk, with Annabeth in the middle. Her mother was holding her and her father's hands tightly. She brought her daughter's hand to her lips and their husband's, kissing them gently. She cleared her throat.

"I know you both know what you have to do," her voice was fragile, "and there's nothing I can do to stop you."

Alex hugged her mom tightly. She couldn't think of any words to say besides: "I love you."

Her mom kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you, Alex. I know I'm hard on you, but you're ready. You've been ready, for a long time. It's just hard to not see you as my little baby."

Alex felt a surge of power at her mother's blessing. She pulled away to look at her mom. "I still am your baby. I'm gonna need help asking Sierra out when I get back."

Her parents laughed and Alex fell back into her mother's arms.

All bias aside, her mom gave great hugs. She squeezed with the perfect pressure, her hands gently rubbed her back which sent warmth throughout Alex's body, and she knew the perfect time to hold on for. Their relationship had its fair share of bumps over the years, but Alex always felt safe with her mom, no matter what. It made pulling away now from that safety so difficult.

"It's my turn to be the hero now, okay?" Alex said to her mom with a smile.

Annabeth took a deep breath and nodded, releasing her daughter from her arms.

She sensed that her moment with her mother was over so she stood and went to gather her things to give her parents a minute.

Annabeth pulled herself into Percy, clinging tightly to his t-shirt. She took a deep breath, searing his smell into her brain for what could be the second-last time.

"We have a deal," she said quietly into his chest.

He shifted from her embrace and kissed her. Barely pulling away, he whispered against her lips, "I'm going to bring her home safe. I promise on the Styx."

She nodded, a tear falling down her cheek.

Annabeth knew her daughter was going to make it home, even if it took Percy's final breath. She didn't know if her husband would do the same.

/

Percy and Alex arrived at the Fist to see the defense operation was underway. Hephaestus kids were constructing battlefield infirmaries and guard posts. Hermes kids were running boxes of supplies to and from camp. Leo and Clarisse were inspecting the weapons as they were brought in.

The duo walked up to Chiron, who was directing a unit of guards. He turned to them when he finished.

"It is time."

Alex shouldered her travel bag (she made sure her backup knife was packed before they left) and followed the centaur towards the pile of rocks.

Alex stared at the black pit that was the entrance of the Labyrinth. She could not hear any claws scraping against the ground or howls bouncing off the walls. It provided a false sense of security that was not helping her nerves.

"Well at least there's only one way to go," her dad joked. His attempt at humor did little to ease her anxiety, but she appreciated the effort.

Percy could understand her trepidation. The Labyrinth was a difficult quest for even the most experienced fighter, much less a first quest. One of the few things a demigod can usually control in a quest is their environment. With the Labyrinth, this wasn't possible. It was unpredictable and out to kill anyone with godly heritage.

Alex nodded, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Down we go."

They both bid Chiron goodbye and took off into the rocks.

Percy drew his sword almost immediately, the blade providing light in the never ending darkness. The sounds of camp diminished behind them until they were left in the eerie silence of the cave they were traveling through. Only their footsteps could be heard. Their feet slightly sank with each step in the damp mud.

The younger demigod stayed a step behind her father, following him as they moved. At the first junction, her father did not hesitate as they went left.

"How can you be so confident in which way to go?" Alex asked as the dirt under their feet started to change to a stone pathway. Shifting walls could be heard in the distance.

"It doesn't matter which way we go," he said over his shoulder, "Eupalinos knew we're here as soon as we stepped foot in the cave. He'll lead us straight to him because that's what he wants."

"So they know exactly where we are?"

"Kinda. I think it's more of a general direction than distance. Mesperyian knows we're children of Poseidon because she can sense our blood, or something. Between the two of them, we should have no problem getting there."

A doorway suddenly opened on their right and Percy immediately followed the pathway.

"Where exactly is 'there'?" Alex asked.

"They constructed a mini city down here. Mesperyian has her own castle and everything. We're going towards the competition arena, at least I think."

"And that's where you were? For twelve years?"

There was a moment of silence before he replied, "Sometimes. If I wasn't in the arena, I was in my cell-" he made air quotes around the last word, "-It was literally an insulated, concrete box. They kept it as dry as possible so I couldn't pull water from anything. That's what affected me the most."

They came to a junction with three paths. Her dad stared at them, like he was waiting for something. Suddenly, the left and right paths crumpled, leaving the middle path as the only choice.

"Thanks," Percy muttered sarcastically. They continued forward.

"Isn't it kind of bad that we're heading straight to them? Shouldn't we try to find another way?"

The passage way widened so Percy slowed until they were walking side-by-side.

"It's not ideal, but since they know where we are and Eupalinos can make basically any path he wants, anytime we made a new path, he could connect to it. We would be going in circles."

Alex nodded and fell silent.

"And it didn't feel like twelve years," her dad suddenly said. "It felt like a year, maybe eighteen months. That's why I barely aged." He paused. "I mean, neither did your mom." He looked at her humorously. "We got good genetics, I guess."

Alex rolled her eyes, but laughed at his bad joke.

My dad is a dork.

/

Only took me four months this time. Go me!

College is hard. Engineering is hard. The weekends are fun though ;)

This chapter was a lot of dialogue and action, so I tried to keep it as interesting as possible. Hope y'all enjoyed the Sierra/Alex scene, I had fun writing it. Action next chapter so get ready, whenever it comes out. Also, I feel like there's a lot of continuity errors in this story since I wrote the chapters so far apart and I forget the little details so if there are, I apologize.

Please review because I'm needy and the email notifications remind me that this story exists.

Sorry for any errors, blah blah blah. See y'all in six months (or less! Because that seems to be the trend rn).