A/N: Thanks again to everyone who's reading and reviewing! :) Hope this chapter doesn't dissapoint.

Love, bloomy.

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After almost a month, I had pretty much given up on hearing from Percy. I was pretty sure I wasn't crazy this time around, though, because every time I started to doubt I would see something freaky creeping around the streets of New York City. So I got along with my summer, mostly painting and working a couple art camps as a volunteer, while trying to avoid my family. The odd occurences at the beginning of the summer were at the back of my mind when my cell rang one day in July.

"Hello?" I said quizzically, because I didn't recognize the number.

"Hey, um, Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Percy."

"Oh, um, hi…"

"Sorry I haven't, like, called or anything. I've been really busy lately."

"It's okay. What's up?" I wasn't really okay with it, but I figured he'd been doing important half-blood stuff, or his supermodel girlfriend didn't want him talking to me.

"Well, the thing is, we kind of need your help."

"Help with what? And who's 'we'?"

"Well,um, you remember about the Mist and stuff, right?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Could we meet somewhere and maybe, uh, talk about it?"

"Um… sure. Who's we, though?"

"Me and Annabeth." Oh, of course. His girlfriend hadn't exactly seemed friendly the last time we'd met, but I wasn't going to pass up a chance to get some answers.

"Okay. Could you meet me in front of the Marriot Marquis in Times Square at three-thirty or so?"

"Sure. We'll be there. See ya."

___

I was working with a fundraiser for inner-city art programs that day. The idea was 'living statues'. I got painted gold all over and then stood there for half an hour like a statue collecting donations with five other kids. Percy and his blonde girlfriend got there a few minutes before the end of my shift, but I didn't move or anything. I couldn't spoil the show, after all. Plus, it gave me a chance to watch them.
Whoa. Percy definitely had not been that cute last time I saw him. I couldn't tell what he was thinking while he stared at me. 'Who is this weirdo', probably.

"Maybe if we push her over," the blonde said. What was her problem? I mean, other than the fact that I'd written my phone number on her boyfriend's arm. Seriously, she needed to lighten up.

Finally, my replacement showed up. I turned toward my guests. I smiled, hoping they wouldn't notice how nervous I felt all of a sudden.

"Hey, Percy. Good timing! Let's get some coffee." I didn't feel the need to acknowledge the princess after her unnecessary comment. I led them to the Java Moose. After we got our drinks, we sat down. Time to get some answers.

"So," I said. "Annabell, right?" I knew her name. I also knew that messing up people's names is one of the easiest ways to annoy them, and annoying Annabeth was not an idea that troubled me at all. She, of course, corrected me.

"Do you always dress in gold?" Oh yeah, every day, I just love the feeling of spray paint on my skin! I forced my eyes not to roll.

"Not usually. We're raising money for our group. We do volunteer art projects for elementary kids 'cause they're cutting art from the schools, you know? We do this once a month, take in about five hundred dollars on a good weekend. But I'm guessing you don't want to talk about that. You're a half-blood too, right?"

Annabeth jumped like I'd just run up behind her and said Boo or something. "Shhh! Just announce it to the world, how about?" If that's what you want, princess. I stood up and announced at the top of my lungs.

"Hey, everybody! These two," I gestured at Percy and Annabeth. "Aren't human! They're half Greek god!" As I expected, no one even turned around. This girl obviously didn't know New Yorkers. She looked ticked, but I saw Percy try to hide a smile with the straw of his smoothie.

"They don't seem to care." I observed, not bothering to suppress my smirk.

"That's not funny. This isn't a joke, mortal girl." Again, using mortal like an insult. Sorry I was born.

"Hold it, you two," Percy intervened. "Just calm down."

"I'm calm," I said, and just like that, I wasn't anymore. "Every time I'm around you, some monster attacks us. What's to be nervous about?"

"Look," he said. "I'm sorry about the band room. I hope they didn't kick you out or anything."

"Nah. They asked me a lot of questions about you. I played dumb." I decided not to mention the specifics of what I'd told Paul. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

"Was it hard?" his girlfriend interjected. Original!

"Okay, stop!" Percy snapped at her. "Rachel, we've got a problem. And we need your help."

He'd already told me this on the phone, but I wanted to hear Annabeth say it. "You need my help?" I asked her, looking as skeptical as I could manage.

"Yeah," she said, squirming. God, that was satisfying. "Maybe."

"You know the story of the Labyrinth, right?"

"Yeah… some Theseus guy got some yarn from this princess girl, Ariadne, and defeated the minotaur, right? Oh, sorry, I forgot not to mention monsters."

"It's okay. Anyway, that's pretty much the story."

"So why do you need my help? I've seen you fight. If anyone could take the Minotaur, it would be you."

"It's not that 's not the Minotaur we're looking for. It's Daedalus, the architect of the Labyrinth. But to find him, we have to get through the Labyrinth. And that's where we need your help." This was beginning to make sense.

Actually, it didn't make any sense at all, but at least I understood what he was saying.

"So you want me to guide you. Through a place I've never been."

He was even crazier than I'd previously imagined. How was I going to guide them through the freaking Labyrinth? The whole idea was that it was impossible to escape, right? And I was useless against the Minotaur or whatever else we would have to face there.

"You can see through the Mist," he explained. "Just like Ariadne. I'm betting you can see the right path. The Labyrinth won't be able to fool you as easily." That sounded good, but I wasn't really convinced.

"What if you're wrong?"

"Then we'll get lost," he replied honestly. "Either way, it'll be dangerous- very dangerous." The look in his eyes was kind of scary.

"I could die."

"Yeah." It hadn't been a question, but now I had one.

"I thought you said monsters don't care about mortals. That sword of yours-"

"Yeah. Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals. Most monsters would ignore you. But Luke… he doesn't care. He'll use mortals, demigods, monsters, whatever. And he'll kill anyone who gets in his way."

"Nice guy." This was beginning to sound like a very, very bad idea. But then Annabeth spoke up.

"He's under the influence of a Titan. He's been deceived." I got the feeling she was talking to Percy, not me. I looked at the two of them. I wasn't about to step down in front of this girl. If she was going to hate me, I might as well do something to deserve it.

"Okay. I'm in." Percy looked surprised to have convinced me.

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, my summer was going to be boring. This is the best offer I've gotten yet." I put on a brave face. "So what do I look for?"

"We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth," Annabeth said. "There's an entrance at Camp Half-Blood, but you can't go there. It's off-limits to mortals."

There we go with this mortals business again. No use taking it up now, though, I thought, and nodded.

"Okay. What does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?"

"It could be anything," she replied. "A section of wall, a boulder, a doorway, a sewer entrance… But it would have the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek delta, glowing in blue."

This was sounding scarily familiar. "Like this?" I drew the familiar shape on the table with the condensation on my Espresso Extreme.

"Tha'ts it. You know Greek?" Annabeth sounded as surprised as I felt. I got out my hairbrush and started brushing the gold paint out of my hair.

"No. Let me get changed. You'd better come with me back to the Marriot."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there's an entrance like that in the hotel basement, where we store our costumes. It's got the mark of Daedalus."

Come in to my world I've got to show, show, show you…

…I have dreams of orca whales and owls….

And I wake up in fear…

You will never be my dear, dear friend

-"Hotel Song", Regina Spektor