With Daedalus leading the way, they made it through the Labyrinth with tremendous ease. The walls seemed to shift so that they never had to turn. They ran in a straight line. Daedalus carried a bright Greek fire lantern so Percy did not need to glow to light their way. It didn't take long and soon they reached a small door.
"Camp Half-Blood is just behind this door. The Titan army may be there already." Percy nodded and pushed Daedalus to the side.
"When we finish with this, you and I will have a nice long chat," Percy told the old demigod. Daedalus sighed and nodded. Percy nodded back and pulled out Isorropia. "Come on. Let's make the Titan's pay for what they did to Luke." Thalia pulled out her spear and shield and Bianca pulled out Soulreaper. Even Daedalus pulled out a rather wicked looking celestial bronze sword. Percy opened the door and they could immediately here the sound of swords clashing. Percy stepped to the side and let Thalia lead them out of the Labyrinth. Percy was momentarily surprised to find that the entrance was in between Zeus' fist, the big stone structure in the middle of the woods. They all saw smoke coming from the camp and ran through the forest as fast as they could.
The first thought that came to Percy's mind was that it looked like the battle that had taken place over a year ago just as he, Thalia, Clarisse, and the hunters were leaving to save Artemis. This time was different. Instead of only a couple of monsters, there seemed to be around a thousand monsters and demigods attacking the camp. The campers only numbered around a hundred and fifty, however, Chiron had expertly militarized the camp. Percy scowled and uncapped Anaklusmos.
They hurried as fast as they could to the cabins. The Titan army had used their speed and surprise attack from the Labyrinth to their advantage. The campers, not knowing where the entrance to the Labyrinth was, were not prepared for such a full scale attack. The sheer number of monsters and demigods attacking them forced them to retreat to the cabins. Percy and the others finally reached the cabin area and paled. A massive army of monsters and demigods surrounded the cabin area where Chiron and the campers were valiantly trying to keep up their defenses. Percy looked at the area and was quite impressed. He didn't know how long they had been in the Labyrinth but it must have been a long time since Chiron had erected a stone wall around the cabins similar to the one around the camp's borders. Apollo campers stood atop the wall firing arrows down at the enemy. They took down several but there were still too many for them. Percy saw vines and trees creep through the Titan army suffocating and attacking several monsters. Pan, he thought. He narrowed his eyes. Even with Pan helping there were too many monsters. Percy closed his eyes.
Artemis, he called out to the goddess with his mind. He felt her stiffen.
Percy? Is that you? Percy felt himself smile at hearing her voice. You idiot! You've been gone for three months! Percy's eyes opened in shock.
Three months? He asked incredulously. He shook his head. Nevermind, Artemis you need to bring your hunters. Camp is being overrun by monsters. We need help.
We will come as soon as we can, but you will pay for leaving us for so long, she said. Percy laughed.
Just come as soon as possible. He pulled away from her mind and looked at the others.
"The hunters will be here soon. Daedalus, do you have any plans?" Daedalus looked at the Titan army.
"Yes I do." He pulled out a whistle and blew it. No noise came out but suddenly the shadows formed near him and a giant hellhound leaped out. Percy pointed his sword at it, but Daedalus stood up protectively. "Stop! Don't hurt her. She's mine." Percy lowered his sword.
"Explain," he demanded.
"This is Mrs. O'Leary. She's my hellhound." Bianca smiled at the hellhound. Mrs. O'Leary bounded up to Percy and licked his face. Percy scowled playfully.
"She's sweet, but this isn't the time for your pets, Daedalus." Daedalus shook his head.
"She is fierce in battle. She will help us against the Titans. Look there." He pointed towards the side of the cabins closer to the ocean where the Poseidon cabin was located. "There are fewer monsters there. If we attack that spot and force our way away from the ocean we will be able to take out more monsters and demigods without leaving our backs exposed." Percy nodded.
"Well I can't think of anything better. Alright, we'll go with your plan. Thalia, this is your quest. Lead us into battle." Thalia smiled and took off towards the coast. The Titan army was so focused attacking the camp's defenses that they didn't notice four demigods and a giant hellhound charging towards them. They plowed into the enemy from behind taking them by surprise. Percy was a whirlwind of death. He swung both swords with expertise and precision, leaving a trail of blood and dust in his wake. Mrs. O'Leary ripped through the monsters, sending many of them back towards the woods to retreat. In a few minutes, a quarter of the Titan's army fell due to their surprise. The walls around the cabins had three entrances and Percy and the others forced their way towards one of the doors. The Apollo campers above them called down to Chiron telling the centaur what was going on. The doors opened and Percy sighed in relief. All the remaining campers charged out of the cabin area joining the questers.
The Titan army was not prepared for the sudden insurrection and the campers quickly forced them on the run back towards the woods. Chiron galloped up towards Percy.
"You made it just in time. They overwhelmed us, forcing us to retreat." Percy stabbed a retreating empousai in the back.
"They made it to Daedalus before we could," he told the centaur. Chiron nodded and notched an arrow. He shot the arrow at a harpy. He turned back and looked around.
"Where's Luke?" Percy shook his head sadly.
"He didn't make it. Ethan stabbed him in the back." Chiron nodded sadly but now was not the time for grieving.
"Let's stop the Titans here and now. For Luke," he said. Percy nodded determinedly. Chiron pulled out his horn and blew it. The deep, resounding noise reverberated through the camp. The campers marched towards Chiron and formed a giant phalanx formation. Chiron pulled out his sword and pointed it towards the woods. He growled loudly and galloped towards the retreating army. The campers roared in unison and followed the centaur. Percy and the questers were incredibly impressed by the uniformity. They followed after them.
The Titan army backed circled around Zeus' fist. The campers reached the Titan army and plowed into their ranks. Percy saw Clarisse holding her spear up in the front lines impaling monsters and demigods as she fought. The other campers followed Clarisse and charged headlong at the enemy. They fought hard and the Titan army began to dwindle. Bianca and Thalia joined the campers. Suddenly, the monsters roared and a large swarm of empousai, demigods, cyclops, and Laistrygonian giants rushed out from Zeus' fist. Percy paled. He rushed forward, Daedalus and Mrs. O'Leary by his side. His eyes glowed and time slowed ever so slightly for the enemy giving the small demigod army a slim advantage. A giant cyclops lumbered towards Percy. The amount of power he was using the slow down the enemy was beginning to take its toll on his mortal body.
The cyclops swung a gigantic club at Percy. He managed to roll to the side and stabbed with both swords. His muscles ached and groaned. He hadn't gotten much sleep lately and combined with his drain of power, he was losing energy and fast. The cyclops roared with pain and swatted at Percy. He had little time to react and was flung violently to the side. He landed hard on the ground dropping both swords. He felt a trickle of blood run down his face, and his ears rang loudly. He thought he heard someone call his name, but he could barely concentrate on the cyclops in front of him. The monster lifted its club to crush Percy when a dozen silver arrows hit it in the chest. The monster exploded into golden dust. Percy looked towards his left and could faintly see the outline of several girls in silver clothing joining the fight. His eyesight became blurry and he felt himself slip out of consciousness. The last thing he felt was strong arms carrying him away.
Thalia knew it was too easy. They had managed to push the Titan army back towards the forest easily. They did not give the monsters time to regroup and chased after them. She was extremely impressed with the improvements to camp. She didn't know how long they had been gone, but things had changed a great deal. She was even more impressed when Clarisse called the campers to her and they filed into a large phalanx formation. Thalia and Bianca joined the campers and charged the monsters. The Titan army surrounded Zeus's fist, making one last stand.
The campers killed hundreds of monsters and enemy demigods. It was just too easy. Thalia stabbed a harpy in the side with her spear before spinning around and parrying a demigod's sword. Bianca came up beside her and planted a strong kick to the demigod's head. He crumpled to the ground in a heap. Thalia nodded her thanks to her cousin. Bianca smiled and rushed over to another part of the forest where Nico was fighting a group of empousai. Thalia smiled when she saw the Titan army begin to thin in numbers. She saw Chiron and Percy plow through the enemy covering the ground in blood and dust. Just as the battle seemed to be over she felt the ground tremble. She looked back at Zeus's fist and paled. Swarms of monsters came pouring out of the Labyrinth bolstering the enemy's ranks. Thalia cursed and charged back into battle.
A bright flash of golden light surrounded the enemy and she saw Percy struggling to slow down time. Thalia used the distraction to her advantage and stabbed, lunged, and sung her spear at enemy monsters. The campers fought hard and even with the arrival of new troops, the Titan army was still struggling. Thalia knew that had it not been for Chiron's revolutionary military techniques the campers would have been destroyed. An empousai lunged at Thalia. She sidestepped and hit it hard with her shield. The monster fell to the ground but rose up quickly. Thalia twirled her spear and plunged it deep into the monster's gut as it leaped in the air. Thalia heard a roar of pain and turned in time to see an enormous cyclops swat Percy to the side. Instantly she felt time return to normal. She paled.
"Percy!" she cried out. He lay on the ground not moving. She felt anger bubbling inside of her and she rushed towards her friend. Before she could reach the wretched monster that had hurt him, more monsters and demigods blocked her path. She battled them as quickly as she could but she could not reach Percy. She felt tears in her eyes as she saw the cyclops lift its club up into the air. Before it could kill Percy, silver arrows flew out of nowhere killing it instantly. Thalia breathed out in relief when she saw the hunters arrived. Zoe and Phoebe rushed to her side and helped her take down the enemies in front of her. She saw Artemis lifting Percy's broken body away from the forest presumably to the infirmary.
With her friend safely out of harm's way, Thalia returned her attention to the battle. With the arrival of the hunters, the campers fought with renewed vigor. The sounds from the battle, the roars of the monsters, the shouts from the demigods, and the clashing of metal on metal, reverberated throughout the camp. It was deafening. A Laistrygonian giant charged at Thalia. She knelt down on one knee as if overcome by fatigue. The giant smirked and raised its club to strike the puny demigod down. At the last second, Thalia lunged with her spear shooting electricity at the monster. The spear cackled with lightning with such an intense heat that surrounding monsters were burned to a crisp. The giant stood gaping at the charred hole in its midsection. It stared at Thalia in shock before crumbling to dust. The monsters and demigods around her stared at her in awe. She growled and charged back into the enemy lines.
Despite the military capabilities of the campers and hunters, the Titan army greatly outnumbered them. The battle was not going anywhere near as planned. Many campers had been killed. A loud cry of anguish broke Thalia out of her warmongering trance. She turned and felt her gut fall. Nico stood over the body of his dead sister. Thalia forced her way towards the young son of Hades. She hacked at anyone that dared cross her path. She finally reached her little cousin and dropped to her knees beside him. Bianca was still breathing, she noticed, but only barely. Blood poured freely from a large wound in her side. Her skin was paler than usual and her breathing was strained. Nico cried loudly throwing his body over his sister. The campers fought their way around them giving them protection. Thalia put a calming hand on Nico's shoulder.
"H-how?" she managed to ask. Her voice was overcome with emotion. Bianca smiled up at her but Thalia could tell it was hurting her to do so.
"She was protecting me," said Nico. He brushed hair out of his sister's face. "I would've died but she had to be stupid and dove in front of a spear." Thalia smiled sadly at Bianca.
"You were like a sister to me, B," she said. Bianca opened her mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Thalia stopped her and held her hand. "Shh, it's ok. We'll avenge you." Bianca smiled kindly and closed her eyes. Nico wailed but knew that there was nothing he could do. Bianca took one last breath and died in the arms of her brother. Nico roared with anger. Thalia eyed him warily. Nico grabbed Soulreaper from where it had fallen and lifted it up into the sky. Thalia paled when she saw his eyes. Instead of their usual brown, they had gone pitch black. The sky turned dark but the sword glowed brightly. Nico stabbed the ground and made a large fissure. Thalia jumped away in fright when a swarm of skeleton warriors emerged from the ground.
"I'm the Prince of the Underworld," bellowed Nico, his eyes cold with rage. "Avenge Bianca. Kill them all!" The skeleton warriors turned and charged the Titan army. Thalia smirked at her cousin and lifted her spear up.
"For Bianca! For Luke!" The campers cried out in unison and charged the Titan army. This time, they held nothing back. They fought with wild abandon. They fought to kill, they fought to avenge, they fought to win. It took little time and soon the enemy lay in complete ruins. No more monsters climbed out of the Labyrinth. The enemy lay dead and broken. Pan emerged from the forest along with several nymphs and satyrs. The ancient laws prevented him from taking part in the battle, but he was more than welcome to help in the burial. They removed the dead enemy demigods and took them into the forest where they would be buried separately. The Apollo campers took back their fallen campers to the infirmary where they would prepare them for burial.
Thalia put her spear and shield away and wiped the grim off her face. She looked over to where Nico was standing. He had sent the dead warriors back to the Underworld, and now he was shaking with grief. Thalia walked over to him and pulled him into a hug. He melted into her embrace, crying openly. Bianca hadn't been the only camper to die. Charles Beckendorf, Drew Tanaka, and Miranda Gardiner were the most notable deaths. Silena Beauregard was completely distraught over Charlie's death. Clarisse walked with her back towards the cabins. Thalia looked around and felt a tear coming to her eyes. If only they had succeeded in their quest earlier, they would never have had to face this battle. These deaths had been her fault. She heard footsteps from beside her and whirled around, releasing Nico. Her eyes glowed with electricity. Daedalus stood beside her hesitantly.
"I know that it is my fault that this has happened." Thalia narrowed her eyes at him. "But let me make it right. If I die then the Labyrinth will collapse." Thalia's eyes widened.
"How is that possible?" Daedalus shrugged.
"It is tied to my life force. As long as I'm alive, the Labyrinth will survive." Thalia nodded.
"So you need me to kill you?" Daedalus dropped his head.
"I have done much harm in this life. It is time that I go on towards the next great adventure. I know Gabriel is beyond angry with me that I have eluded death for so long. He's right. There's a time to live and a time to die. And now it is also time for me to pay for my crimes." Thalia nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. Daedalus looked up and reached into a bag he carried on his side. He took out a computer.
"Give this to the Athena cabin. They'll be able to enjoy the little good I have done in this life." Thalia took the laptop and nodded to him. Daedalus sighed and looked into her eyes. Thalia pulled out her spear and without another word, she plunged the head into Daedalus' chest. She saw light flicker behind his eyes before it died down. His body shook and she heard electricity popping. He really was an automaton, she thought. The ground around them shook with tremendous force for several moments before all grew peaceful once more. Daedalus collapsed to the ground only to fall through a crack. Thalia turned and saw Nico still standing beside her.
"I sent him straight to my father. He will judge him fairly. He deserves some good after all this." Thalia nodded and put an arm around him. Together they made their way back to the cabins where they could finally get some rest.
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Annabeth grimaced as she tried to stand. The wound in her stomach was still painful. It took some time but the wound had finally closed enough for her to stand up. She looked around the small workshop. The campers had left the room with Daedalus. Ethan had fled and she had no idea where he had gone off to. She didn't care. She had joined her master and betrayed Olympus because she had been blinded by her hubris. Being defeated once more by Percy and the campers had made her realize just how wrong she had been. To make things worse, the one person she had ever loved had died because of her.
She tried to find Luke's body but couldn't. She figured that the daughter of Hades must have sent him to her father. She held a hand to her chest and gently walked over to Daedalus' workbench. She found multiple blueprints and computers. She smirked. The nasty feeling of pride reemerged deep within her. She looked over the plans and cackled with glee.
"I'll be the greatest this world has ever seen!" She gathered the computers together and put them in a bag she found on the ground. She made her way to the exit she had seen Ethan go through when everything went wrong. The computers that she had left behind came to life and began flashing red. The lights in the workshop died out and only the flashing red light remained. The doors locked and Annabeth pulled and pushed with all her might to no avail. She looked around frantically. She had to find a way out. Suddenly the walls began to shake. Bits of the ceiling began to fall around her. Her eyes widened in fear. She looked up in time to see a rather large portion of the ceiling collapse above her. She managed to bring her arms over her head before she was crushed. In few moments the Labyrinth collapsed upon itself killing the child of Athena.
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Ethan growled in anger. He emerged out of the Labyrinth holding Ariadne's string. He was by the coast. He signaled the ship that was waiting for him. She betrayed me! He thought angrily. His body shook with malice. She who had been his link to the mortal world betrayed him. His eyes flashed golden for a moment.
She will pay for this in time, came the voice of his master. Ethan shook his head.
"She was my link to the mortal world! Have I lost the curse of Achilles?"
No. You are mine now. Have no fear. You are bound to me from now on. Ethan shivered with fear but nodded.
"Yes, master."
A/N: I'm back guys. I know this was a pretty short chapter especially since I've been gone for a week but it's been a long one. I had lots of papers due and didn't have much time for writing. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The main story will pick back up soon.
Now I have three things I want to say.
First, I was pretty disappointed to get only a few reviews the last couple of chapters. These reviews are my motivation and without them I don't really feel the urge to write. So please, keep reviewing and let me know what you guys think and what you guys want to see.
Second, after taking a week off from this story I have realized that in order to keep up my health (I don't sleep very well) I need to take longer breaks from writing since I spend most of my time doing this. So I have decided to take a week in between each chapter, though I promise that every now and then I'll release multiple chapters. Releasing one a day was just too draining for me.
And finally third, I have so many stories circulating through my mind right now and I don't want to forget any of them. I will be posting introductory chapters to one story that has been on my mind for years soon. I will still be continuing this story weekly. I will just be releasing one chapter per story per week. Now the next story, just to warn you guys, will be a Harry Potter story so if that's not your thing you don't have to read it. I do have ideas for future Percy Jackson stories but I'll wait to finish this one. Thanks for taking time to read this really long author's note. Thank you all for the favorites and follows they mean a lot to me. Until next time!