NPU4: Battle of the Labyrinth

Chapter 6

XXXXX

It was just after dawn when Naruto and Silena arrived at Zeus' Fist, the place where Percy and Annabeth had found the entrance to the Labyrinth. It was a clear morning. The fog had 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 could be heading underground.

Naruto saw Percy and he looked like he had seen a ghost….or something worse. That was odd since Naruto did not feel Percy in the dreamscape after the Empousa tried to get them. He would have to figure that out. But he need to greet them all first.

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 they had no idea what they would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with the cap to hide his horns, and jeans, fake feet, and sneakers to hide his goat legs.

Chiron, Quintus, Tear, and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish them 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 they needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.

Annabeth was doing one last check on her supply pack and smiled at Naruto and Silena when she saw them, but that turned into a frown when she saw Percy and Tyson. "Percy, you look terrible."

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" she asked as Naruto and Silena blinked.

"Hmm, I guess you saw Nico in the fountain while I got the dream." Naruto replied, making Percy's eyes widen but before Percy could ask more Chiron and Thalia walked up.

"Well, it appears you are ready!" Chiron tried to sound upbeat, but he was anxious. After all, they were taking on a quest to save the camp from Luke and his minions by going through the Labyrinth.

"Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?" Percy asked.

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." Percy said as he and Chiron separated from the group to talk.

Thalia looked at them for a moment and then smiled at Naruto. "So what do you think that was about?"

"Most likely about the dream." Naruto replied.

"More dreams?" Zoe asked as she walked up.

"Yeah, first it was about Luke…with his talking to Kronos about having one more person to join them and getting a new body for the old titan." That made Zoe pale. "Then it was about Nico."

"Is that brat ok?" Clarisse asked as she walked up, casting nervous glances at the entrance to the Labyrinth."

"Somehow I doubt that since he woke up the entire cabin screaming." Silena replied nervously.

"Wait, really?" Grover said, looking nervous.

"I saw what Percy say for the most part." Naruto replied, making Tyson widen his eyes.

"You saw what scared brother?"

"Yeah." Naruto said with a nod. "As children of Hades, we can summon the dead and talk to them. However, it seems that it can only be a short period of time or something dark comes to interrupt things and that was the scary part. What does that?"

"You don't want to know." Zoe replied with a shiver.

"I'll take your word for it." Thalia replied. "So what else did this dream tell you?"

"That Bianca somehow got in contact with Morpheus to send me that dreamlink while also sending an Iris message to Percy. She is pretty busy and alive."

Thalia smiled. "I am glad. She was a good person and I was afraid that she did die. You think she will join you eventually one the quest?"

"One can hope." Naruto replied with a smile.

Soon, Percy returned to the group and they said their goodbyes to camp, eager to get this quest done. After all, it was underground and in a place that caused many people to go insane.

"You better protect the big idiot." Clarisse ordered to Silena.

"Oh I will." Silena said with a smile.

Clarisse nodded and looked uncomfortable for a moment before she brought them both in a strong hug. "Come back alive you two. That place is not to be taken lightly."

They nodded and the Daughter of War backed for Thalia and Zoe to saw their goodbyes. "I wish I could go, but I can't leave the camp completely in the hands of Zoe and Clarisse." Thalia then grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his shirt and then kissed him. "For luck." She said as she then hugged Silena after Zoe was done.

"I may not agree with Aphrodite still, but her daughter has a good head on her shoulders and I like that. You should be able to return with her as a teammate and the other." Zoe stated with a smile before hugging him. "You better come back, I don't want to lose you."

"Thanks." Naruto said with a smile as he hugged them all. "And don't worry, I will comeback, that is a promise."

With that, Annabeth lead them down into the depths of the Labyrinth.

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

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

"Oh joy." Percy murmured.

XXX

"Well, that was quick." Naruto replied when they figured out that after just a hundred feet of walking within the labyrinth, they were completely. "I thought it would take longer to get lost in this place."

"You are not helping." Silena replied.

"So?" Naruto asked with a smirk, not letting them know he was a bit spooked thanks to the area they were in. Percy had said that the first time they were there it was just a stone tunnel. Now it looked more like a sewer, constructed of red brick with iron barred portholes ever ten feet. Almost like his mindscape used to be with the Kyuubi with in him.

Percy shined a light through one of the portholes out of curiosity, but he couldn't see anything. Only infinite darkness, but he did think he heard something. It could have been voices or just the cold wind.

"Ok ok. I have an idea." Annabeth said as she tried to keep calm. She had the idea that if they stayed to the left, they would make it. "If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it, we should be able to find our way out again by reversing course."

Unfortunately, as soon as she said that, the left wall disappeared. They found themselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out, and no idea how they had gotten there.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously.

"Just turn around," Annabeth said.

They each turned toward a different tunnel. It was ridiculous. None of them could decide which way led back to camp.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson said. "Which way now?"

"Dunno big guy, maybe we should have brought some bread." Naruto replied.

"Like in the stories to leave a bread trail?" the Cyclopes asked.

"Yeah, maybe it could have helped." Naruto replied with a shrug.

"You sure?" Percy asked skeptically.

"Dunno." Naruto replied.

Silena just ignored Naruto and walked up to Annabeth. "So, which way?"

Annabeth swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the eight tunnels. As far as anyone could tell, they were identical. "That way," she said.

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So…you're guessing."

"Just come on," she said as she went on ahead.

"So that would be a yes." Naruto said as he walked next to Percy, who snorted.

The tunnel she'd chosen narrowed quickly. The walls turned to gray cement, and the ceiling got so low that pretty soon they were hunching over. Tyson was forced to crawl.

Grover's hyperventilating was the loudest noise in the maze. "I can't stand it anymore," he whispered. "Are we there yet?"

"We've been down here maybe five minutes," Annabeth told him.

"It's been longer than that," Grover insisted. "And why would Pan be down here? This is the opposite of the wild!"

"Maybe he got curious about it and got lost like we did." Naruto suggested.

"He's not a cat! I doubt he would have been that curious." Grover replied but still looked highly nervous.

Silena decided to help him out a bit. "Come on Grover, be brave. Juniper might like to hear a story of your bravery down here."

"Oh she already knows I am a coward!" Grover cried out as they continued walking.

"Then just think happy thoughts." Silena replied with a sad smile, knowing how bad this place must be for him as she rubbed his back.

So theykept shuffling forward. Just when it looked like the tunnel would get so narrow it would squish them, it opened into a huge room. Percy shined his light around the walls and said, "Whoa."

The whole room was covered in mosaic tiles. The pictures were grimy and faded, but they could still make out the colors—red, blue, green, gold. The frieze showed the Olympian gods at a feast. There was Poseidon, with his trident, holding out grapes for Dionysus to turn into wine. Zeus was partying with satyrs, and Hermes was flying through the air on his winged sandals. The pictures were beautiful, but they weren't very accurate. They had all seen the gods at one point in their lives. Dionysus was not that handsome, and Hermes's nose wasn't that big.

In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain. It looked like it hadn't held water in a long time.

"What is this place?" Percy muttered. "It looks—"

"Roman," Annabeth said. "Those mosaics area bout two thousand years old."

"But how can they be Roman?" Percy asked.

"The Labyrinth is a patchwork," Annabeth said. "I told you, it's always expanding, adding pieces. It's the only work of architecture that grows by itself."

"You make it sound like it's alive." Percy said.\

A groaning noise echoed from the tunnel in front of them.

"Let's not talk about it being alive," Grover whimpered. "Please?"

"Hmm." Naruto hummed. "The Romans did believe in the same deities, but with different names."

"Where are you going with this?" Silena asked as Annabeth listened.

"Well, the Greeks have their version of the Gods and so do the Romans, but that is where it ends. So I think the Gods have different versions of themselves to blend in with another culture. So maybe those pictures are accurate."

"I guess that is possible." Annabeth replied.

"So…do you guys think there is a Roman Camp?" Naruto asked.

"Who knows." Percy replied as he waved it off.

"I am not sure, but we should get moving." Annabeth stated, not wanting to think about it right now, but she felt that this new information was important. "Forward."

"Down the hall with the bad sounds?" Tyson said looking a bit nervous.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus's workshop would be in the oldest part."

That made sense. But soon the maze was toying with them—they went fifty feet and the tunnel turned back to cement, with brass pipes running down the sides. The walls were spray-painted with graffiti. A neon tagger sign read MOZ RULZ.

"I'm thinking this is not Roman," Percy said helpfully.

Annabeth took a deep breath, then forged ahead.

Every few feet the tunnels twisted and turned and branched off. The floor beneath them changed from cement to mud to bricks and back again. There was no sense to any of it. They stumbled into a wince cellar—a bunch of dusty bottles in wooden racks—like they were walking through somebody's basement, only there was no exit above them, just more tunnels leading on.

"Heh, Mr. D would love this place." Naruto commented.

Later the ceiling turned to wooden planks, and they could hear voices above and the creaking of footsteps, as if they were walking under some kind of bar. It was reassuring to hear people, but then again, they couldn't get to them. The group stuck down here with no way out.

Then came the first skeleton.

He was dressed in white clothes, like some kind of uniform. A wooden crate of glass bottles sat next to him.

"A milkman," Annabeth said.

"What?" Percy asked.

"They used to deliver milk."

"Yeah, I know what they are, but…that was when my mom was little, like a million years ago. What's he doing here?"

"Some people wander in by mistake," Annabeth said. "Some come exploring on purpose and never make it back. A long time ago, the Cretans sent people in here as human sacrifices."

"Cheery people." Naruto grumbled.

Grover gulped. "He's been down here a long time." He pointed to the skeleton's bottles, which were coated with white dust. The skeleton's fingers were clawing at the brick wall, like he had died trying to get out.

"Only bones," Tyson said. "Don't worry, goat boy. The milkman is dead."

"The milkman doesn't bother me," Grover said. "It's the smell. Monsters. Can't you smell it?"

Tyson nodded. "Lots of monsters. But underground smells like that. Monsters and dead milk people."

"Oh, good," Grover whimpered. "I thought maybe I was wrong."

"We have to get deeper into the maze," Annabeth said. "There has to be a way to the center."

She led them to the right, then the left, through a corridor of stainless steel like some kind of air shaft, and they arrived back in the Roman tile room with the fountain.

This time, they weren't alone.

XXX

"Yeah, that must be fun trying to see things with two faces." Naruto commented when he and the others entered the room and saw someone in there. Like Naruto said, he had two faces, which they all immediately saw.

They jutted out from either side of his head, staring over his shoulders, so his head was much wider than it should've been, kind of like a hammerhead shark's looking straight at him, then there were the two overlapping ears and mirror-image sideburns.

He was dressed like a New York City doorman: a long black overcoat, shiny shoes, and a black top-hat that somehow managed to stay on his double-wide head.

"Well, that was rude." The left face said.

"Oh you're one to talk!" The right face replied angrily. "Anyway, would you step forward Mrs. Chase?"

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Uh…I don't…"

Tyson frowned. "That funny man has two faces."

"The funny man has ears, you know!" the left face scolded. "Now come along, miss."

"No, no," the right face said. "This way, miss. Talk to me, please."

The two-faced man regarded Annabeth as best he could out of the corners of his eyes. It was impossible to look at him straight on without focusing on one side or the other.

"So…what is the point of this guy?" Silena whispered to Naruto.

"'This guy is Janus. He is the Roman God of Beginnings and Passages. In other worlds, a God of Choice. What he is doing now is having Annabeth choose which face to talk to and that could be a trap for the two passages behind him. He is forcing a choice on Annabeth." Naruto informed.

It was true, behind him were two exits, blocked by wooden doors with huge iron locks. They hadn't been there the first time through the room. The two-faced doorman held a silver key, which he kept passing from his left hand to his right hand.

Behind them, the doorway they had come through had disappeared, replaced by more mosaics. They certainly weren't going back that way. Tricky bastard….Bastards?

"The exits are closed," Annabeth said.

"Duh!" the man's left face said.

"Where do they lead?" she asked.

"One probably leads the way you wish to go," the right face said encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I—I know who you are," Annabeth said, having overheard Naruto.

"Oh, you're a smart one, just like that blond one!" The left face sneered. "But do you know which way to choose? I don't have all day."

"Is this really necessary?" Silena asked.

"Yeah, leave her alone!" Percy demanded.

Both faces frowned. "She must make a choice!" the right face said. "We represent a choice like Naruto Uzumaki stated. After all, I am you best friend!"

"I am your worst enemy!" The left face replied.

"I am Janus," both faces said in harmony. "God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices."

"As I will get to you, Perseus Jackson, and you, Naruto Uzumaki, later." said the right face. "But for now it's Annabeth's turn." He laughed giddily. "Such fun!"

"Shut up!" his left face said. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life. It can kill you and all of your friends. But no pressure, Annabeth. Choose!"

"You know, I hope my choice is not for a long time." Naruto grumbled, making Silena laugh nervously.

That was when Percy remembered part of the Prophecy Annabeth mentioned: the child of Athena's final stand.

"Don't do it," Percy said.

"I'm afraid she has to," the right face said cheerfully.

Annabeth moistened her lips. "I—I chose—"

Before she could point to a door, a brilliant light flooded the room.

Janus raised his hands to either side of his head to cover his eyes. When the light died, a woman was standing at the fountain.

She was tall and graceful with long hair the color of chocolate, braided in plaits with gold ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but when she moved, the fabric shimmered with colors like oil on water. "Janus," she said, "are we causing trouble again?"

"N-no, milady!" Janus's right face stammered.

"Yes!" the left face said.

"Wow, way to betray yourself." Naruto commented.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked.

"Not you, milady! I was talking to myself and the smart ass blond!"

"I see," the lady said. "You know very well your visit is premature. The girl's time has not yet come. So I give you a choice: leave these heroes to me, or I shall turn you into a door and break you down."

"What kind of door?" the left face asked.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Because French doors are nice," the left face mused. "Lots of natural light."

"Shut up!" the right face wailed. "Not you, milady! Of course I'll leave. I was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices."

"Causing indecision and messing with my chosen," the woman corrected. "Now be gone!"

The left face muttered, "Party power," then he raised his silver key, inserted it into the air, and disappeared.

When she turned to them, Percy felt that something bad was about to happen, her earlier words not boding well for him. However, she just smiled gracefully and said, "Hello Naruto."

"Hi Lady Hera!" Naruto waved cheerfully.

"No, call me mom please." Hera replied.

"Heh, alright, how many does that make now?" Naruto joked, making the Queen of the Gods laugh. The whole event confusing everyone else.

Hera seemed to notice them and said, "You all must be hungry. Sit with me and talk.

She waved her hand, and the old Roman fountain began to flow. Jets of clear water sprayed into the air. A marble table appeared, laden with platters of sandwiches and pitchers of lemonade.

"Are you really…?" Percy asked.

"Yes, like Naruto said, I am Hera, Queen of Heaven."

XXX

Percy couldn't believe how normal Hera looked. Last time he saw was back when the Gods were trying to decide whether or not to kill him. Of course, he was barely paying attention back then, but still, he was used to the twenty foot tall people he saw on Olympus. Now, she looked like a regular mom.

She even served them sandwiches and poured lemonade!

"Grover, dear," she said, "use your napkin. Don't eat it."

"Yes, ma'am," Grover said.

"Tyson, you're wasting away. Would you like another peanut butter sandwich?"

Tyson stifled a belch. "Yes, nice lady."

"Is the sandwich good Naruto?" Hera asked.

"Oh yeah! One of the best!" Naruto replied with a smile.

"Am I the only one that thinks this is weird?" Silena asked Annabeth.

"I am with you on this." Annabeth said nervously. "Um Queen Hera. "I can't believe it. What are you doing in the Labyrinth?"

Hera smiled. She flicked one finger and Annabeth's hair combed itself. All the dirt and grime disappeared from her face. "I came to see you, naturally," the goddess said.

Grover and Percy exchanged nervous looks. Usually when the gods come looking for you, it's not out of the goodness of their hearts. It's because they want something. But that didn't stop them from stuffing their faces.

"Oh? So you're here to help Annabeth her quest?" Naruto asked.

"Indeed." Hera replied a kind smile. "Plus you are here, so that is plus for me."

"I didn't think—" Annabeth faltered. "Well, I didn't think you liked heroes."

Hera smiled indulgently. "Because of that little spat I had with Hercules? Honestly, I got so much bad press because of one disagreement."

"Didn't you try to kill him, like, a lot of times?" Annabeth asked, making Silena look nervous.

Hera waved her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge, my dear. Besides, he was one of my loving husband's children by another woman. My patience wore thin, I'll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent marriage counseling sessions since then. We've aired our feelings and come to an understanding—especially after that last little incident."

"So, you don't actually hate us, you just hate what we represent." Silena deduced.

"Infidelity, yes." Hera replied with a nod.

"So, you don't really hate Thalia then?" Percy asked out of curiosity, but soon regretted it as she gave him a frost look.

"Percy Jackson, isn't it? One of Poseidon's…children." Percy got the feeling she was thinking of another word besides children. "As I recall, I voted to let you live at the winter solstice. I hope I voted correctly. But yes, I don't actually hate her and since she is with Naruto, I think she is in good hands."

She turned back to Annabeth with a sunny smile. "At any rate, I certainly bear you no I'll will, my girl. I appreciate the difficulty of your quest. Especially when you have troublemakers like Janus to deal with."

Annabeth lowered her gaze. "Why was he here? He was driving me crazy."

"Trying to," Hera agreed. "You must understand, the minor gods like Janus have always been frustrated by the small parts they play in the universe. Some, I fear, have little love for Olympus, and could easily be swayed to support the rise of my father."

"Your father?" Percy said. "Oh, right."

That's right, Hera, along with Hestia, was also a child Kronos.

"We must watch the minor gods," Hera said. "Janus. Hecate. Morpheus. They give lip service to Olympus, and yet—"

"That's where Dionysus went," Percy remembered. "He was checking on the minor gods."

"Indeed." Hera stared at the fading mosaics of the Olympians. "You see,

in times of trouble, even gods can lose faith. They start putting their trust in

the wrong things. They stop looking at the big picture and start being selfish.

But I'm the goddess of marriage, you see. I'm used to perseverance. You have to rise above the squabbling and chaos, and keep believing. You have to always keep your goals in mind."

"What are your goals?" Annabeth asked.

She smiled. "To keep my family, the Olympians, together, of course. At the moment, the best way I can do that is by helping you. Zeus does not allow me to interfere much, I am afraid. But once every century or so, for aquest I care deeply about, he allows me to grant a wish."

"A wish?"

"Before you ask it, let me give you some advice, which I can do for free. I know you seek Daedalus. His Labyrinth is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But if you want to know his fate, I would visit my son Hephaestus at his forge. Daedalus was a great inventor, a mortal after Hephaestus's heart. There has never been a mortal Hephaestus admired more. If anyone would have kept up with Daedalus and could tell you his fate, it is Hephaestus."

"But how do we get there?" Annabeth asked. "That's my wish. I want a way to navigate the Labyrinth."

Hera looked disappointed. "So be it. You wish for something, however, that you have already been given."

"I don't understand."

"The means is already within your grasp." She looked at me. "Percy knows the answer."

"I do?"

"But that's not fair," Annabeth said. "You're not telling me what it is!"

Hera shook her head. "Getting something and having the wits to use it…those are two different things. I'm sure your mother Athena would agree."

The room rumbled like distant thunder. Hera stood. "That would be my cue. Zeus grows impatient. Think on what I have said, Annabeth. Seek out Hephaestus. You will have to pass through the ranch, I imagine. But keep going. And use all the means at your disposal, however common they may seem."

She pointed toward the two doors and they melted away, revealing twin corridors, open and dark. "One last thing, Annabeth. I have postponed your day of choice, I have not prevented it. Soon, as Janus said, you will have to make a decision." She paused and walked over to Naruto, bending down to give him a hug. "Be careful." She then placed a hand on the boy's arm, a strange symbol appearing. "You will know when you should activated that seal." Of course Naruto just looked at her oddly before shrugging it off.

She waved a hand and turned into white smoke. So did the food, just as Tyson chomped down on a sandwich that turned to mist in his mouth. The fountain trickled to a stop. The mosaic walls dimmed and turned grungy and faded again. The room was no longer any place you'd want to have a picnic.

Annabeth stamped her foot. "What sort of help was that? 'Here, have a sandwich. Make a wish. Oops, I can't help you!' Poof!"

"Poof," Tyson agreed sadly, looking at his empty plate.

"Well," Grover sighed, "she said Percy knows the answer. That's something."

They all looked at Percy.

"But I don't," Percy said. "I don't know what she was talking about."

Annabeth sighed. "All right. Then we'll just keep going."

"Wait a second, how would Percy know."

"I dunno." Tyson said.

"Hmm, I guess we'll just have to think on the old stories of this place to try to connect them to Percy's life." Naruto suggested.

"That's not much help." Percy dead panned. "So which way do we go?"

"LEFT! Both Grover and Tyson shouted.

Annabeth frowned. "How can you be sure?"

"Because something is coming from the right," Grover said.

"Something big," Tyson agreed. "In a hurry."

"Left is sounding pretty good," Percy decided and together they plunged into the dark corridor. Naruto whistling a jaunty tune to liven the mood.

XXXXXX

And that is where I will end it. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Review!