I apologize for not updating for a couple of weeks. But there's only one more chapter after this, so it should be finished soon.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that I did not create. All rights to the respective owners

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Dream

That night, Clarisse had one of her most vivid demigod dreams.

"You want us to do what now?" A boy, a couple years younger than Chris, asked. He and several other demigods, including Chris and a girl who Clarisse remembered to be Mary, were gathered in what looked like a nice hotel suit. They were dressed in a variety of styles, but they al had on breastplates and carried some sort of weapon.

Luke, dressed in slacks and a button-up, was standing in the front of the room, obviously giving some fancy announcement.

Clarisse felt a dying need to punch Luke hard in the face.

"Explore the Labyrinth. See if you can find Adriane's string, or some other way to navigate it. If we can get to the entrance at camp-"

"I thought you said we had a resource who was going to help us?" Mary questioned. She was sitting cross-legged in front of the bed, her long hair knotted into a bun. She twirled an arrow between her fingers. "Where is he?"

"His loyalties have been put into question. So for now we'll have to do it on our own. But you five are our best demigods in the entire army. If anyone could do it, you can."

"I thought you said the Labyrinth was unnavigable?" Chris said. He looked the most relaxed of the group. He was leaning against the wall, taking up most of the bed, with his sword on his lap. Minus the breastplate it looked like he was still in pajamas.

"Supposedly. But since when did you believe in impossible?"

"Since you asked us to go into a death maze," another demigod pointed out from the other bed.

"The Labyrinth is completely survivable. Theseus got out, remember?"

"With help!" The first demigod added.

"Yeah, and why are we separating? Wouldn't it be safer together?" Mary questioned.

"The more of you there are, the easier the Labyrinth will confuse you. Besides, you all can survive a couple of monsters on your own. I wouldn't have personally chosen you if I didn't think you could do it. Don't you trust me?" Luke put his hand on his chest and raised his eyebrows, as if he was the most trustworthy person in the room. Clarisse growled.

The dream changed, and now Chris and Luke stood alone at the top of a staircase. Chris was dressed in full armor, sword in hand, and Luke looked like he was from a school district with those stupid uniforms.

His pants were even creased.

"Come on, you can do it," Luke said gently. "I've seen you beat a lot harder stuff. You've always been one of my best fighters."

"Surely there are more experienced fighters," Chris argued. "Like Lou or-"

"Lou Ellen is very talented, I agree. But she's no you. It's you I have faith in. I know you won't disappoint me."

"You really think I can do this?"

"You, Chris, are the type of person who can do anything. This is nothing." Luke patted Chris on the shoulder, and Chris took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

It shifted again, and now Chris was running through a stone corridor cursing a stream of words that impressed Clarisse.

His face was more scrapes than skin and it shone with sweat. He looked beaten, but he was still sprinting at a fast speed.

Clarisse couldn't see what was chasing him, but whatever it was had him terrified.

The images kept changing, and with each one Chris became more tired, more beaten, and more scared. But he kept going, and Clarisse found herself impressed as well as sad as she watched him battle on.

Mary appeared briefly, out of arrows and a nasty cut on the side of her arms. They instantly teamed up, and for a while Chris seemed to regain some strength.

Then the two were overwhelmed by a pack of hellhounds, and he watched her be torn apart. After that, there was no recovery.

Chris now slept fitfully, haunted by dreams.

Clarisse sat at the edge of his makeshift bed, watching him toss and turn. After that dream, she had needed to see him. Even his state now was better than what she had seen in her dreams.

Part of her wanted wake him up, free him from whatever nightmare he was having. But it had been more and more obvious lately that he wasn't sleeping and needed the rest, as restless as he seemed now. Besides, whatever haunted him now didn't go away when he was awake.

So Clarisse just watched him fight whatever monsters he saw in his dreams.

The dream she dreamed the night after was less horrifying and more confusing, and definitely more annoying.

It was what looked like a restaurant on Olympus. The walls were marble, and winds served the food. The drinks refilled by themselves, and Clarisse instantly recognized the sweet smell of nectar.

In the center of the magical restaurant was a couple Clarisse instantly recognized - her father, Ares, and his girlfriend Aphrodite. Just by that she knew she was going to hate the dream - she always did when those two showed up. Ares didn't really care what she did, but she had a feeling caring for a traitor wasn't something he liked. Aphrodite, on the other hand, constantly poked her powdered nose in other's business.

"He's a traitor," Ares stated, slamming his fist down on the table. His steak - looking suspiciously uncooked - jumped an inch above the table. "Clarisse should run her spear through him, not take care of him."

"Don't you see what's happening?" Aphrodite asked. She wasn't eating; instead, she was primping herself with a handheld mirror. She already was drop-dead gorgeous, with her hair done in a perfect bun and eyes that popped like shook-up soda, but obviously she didn't think so.

"He's getting off easy?"

"No. Why do you think I guided him to Arizona? So they can fall in love." Surprisingly, Aphrodite dropped her mirror a little while speaking.

"Clarisse wouldn't. She's like me, you know. Focused."

"And yet even you find yourself at the most romantic restaurant on Olympus."

"They serve good steak here."

"Mhm. My point is that love is a force beyond controlling."

"I thought you controlled love?"

"I meant for mortals. Clarisse is strong, but even she - even you aren't immune to my powers. Besides, she's Clarisse - do you really think a little romance is going to hurt? It's like you said: she's focused. A little sidetracking might even be good for her." And, as if she wasn't making life-changing voices for Clarisse's life, Aphrodite went right back to fixing her hair.