Emily remained where she was for the next few hours till the room started to rumble, Emily knew that something was happening but she wasn't sure what was. It could be countless things, this room was old so it could be the room itself, it was an earthquake or something else entirely. Emily woke up Hannah first, Hannah went to wake Annabeth up while Emily woke up Rachel. Percy was the last one to wake up in their group, the five of them ran for where the blue light was. When they reached to the far tunnel that a column next to them groaned and buckled, they kept moving as hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them. They made to to the corridor and the turned just in time to see the other columns that were in the room, go toppling. Emily knows that they would need to move to make sure nothing else happens, a cloud of white dust billowed over them and they resumed running.
"You know what? I like this way after all." As they ran that Emily felt something dropped into her pocket, she was unsure of what it was or how it get there. But the main thing was to get to Colonel Phillips and soon before Minos does. It wasn't long before they saw light up ahead of which Emily found odd, since they had been in the dark for so long or what seem like a long time for Emily knows time was different down here in the labyrinth. Emily was sure it had been longer for Rachel, Annabeth and Percy than it has been for Emily.
"There." They followed Rachel into a stainless still hallway, Emily raised an eyebrow at this, it was strange that there was stainless steel down here in the labyrinth but than again anything was possible in the Greek world or close to it anyway. It looked like it could be a space station or something that HYDRA would come up with. Fluorescent lights were on the ceiling and the floor was a metal grate, of which reminded her too much of World War II, Emily didn't have to squint as much as Annabeth or Rachel or even Percy. All three of them looked pale in the harsh illumination, Emily looks pale but it was more of her appearance than the actual light. "This way. We're close!"
"This is so wrong! The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can't - " Annabeth faltered for they had arrived at a set of metal double doors, inscribed in the steel was a large blue Greek delta.
"We're here, Daedalus's workshop." Annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors and the doors hissed open as soon as Annabeth touched them.
"So much for ancient architecture." Annabeth scowled when Percy said that, Emily smiled, true children of Athena like architecture and build it. But Emily knows Daedalus well enough to know he likes being kept up to date on everything or most things. They walked into the room, the first thing that Emily notice was the daylight, the sun was coming though giant windows. Emily smiled lightly at the sun that was coming though the windows, only Daedalus would managed to put windows in his workshop and somehow managed to bring in the sunlight. The workshop looked the same as the last time she saw it, it looked like an artist studio with thirty feet ceilings and industrial lighting. There was stone floors, there was also workbenches along the windows of the studio, there was a spiral staircase that led up to a second story loft of which was the bedroom. Emily was sure of that, for there was no where else that he could sleep in this studio other than the loft. There were easels with hand drawn diagrams for buildings and machines, there was laptops scattered across the tables, there was Greek fire on one shelf and so much more.
"Di immortals," Annabeth ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch on the easel. The sketch, on the easel, wasn't there the last time Emily was there, so Emily figured that Daedalus drew that sketch since than. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"
"And an artist. These wings are amazing!" There was wings on one side of the workshop, they were more advance than the last time Emily been here when she made that promise to Daedalus about not revealing his identity and to take care of Mrs. O'Leary. Emily has her hands on her necklace just in case anything was waiting for them in the shadows. It didn't seem like Daedalus was at home, at the moment, but it was clear that he was here recently. Percy went to the window to look out, Emily knew where they were the garden of the gods.
"Where are we?" Emily was about ready to say something when a voice spoke from the loft.
"Colorado Springs, The Garden of the Gods." Emily looked up at the loft, on the loft was a man in his fifties, his hair was gray as well as his beard. He looked like he could be a sword master, he was wearing black mountain climbing pants, a camp half blood shirt and a bronze breast plate. Despite the gray hairs that there was hints of brown in his hair as well as his beard and his eyes were gray. He has a sword drawn out, despite the change that Emily knew at once of who it was, it was Colonel Phillips. But it was clear that Colonel Phillips went to the camp once more as for why he was there, Emily could only guess.
"You, What have you done with Daedalus?"
"Trust me, my dear. You don't want to meet him."
"Look, Mr. Traitor, I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three-bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx to see you. Now where is DAEDALUS?" Colonel Phillips walked down the stairs and it was only than that Emily noticed the boots and his sword went to his side.
"You think I'm an agent of Kronos. That I work for Luke."
"Well, duh."
"You're an intelligent girl. But you're wrong. I work for myself or when I am needed but that is mostly due to my past mistakes. The gods didn't even know I was helping them during those times." That was not the first time Emily ever heard that from Colonel Phillips.
"Luke mentioned you, Geryon knew about you, too. You've been to his ranch."
"Of course, I've been almost everywhere. Even here." Colonel Phillips walked past Percy and stood by the window.
"The view changes from day to day. It's always some place high up. Yesterday it was from a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. The day before that, there was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. But it keeps coming back to the Garden of the Gods. I think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose."
"You've been here before."
"Oh, yes."
"That's an illusion out there? A projection or something?"
"No, It's real. We're really in Colorado." Colonel Phillips looked over at Rachel.
"You have clear vision, don't you? you remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."
"Enough games, what have you done with Daedalus?" Colonel Phillips started at Percy when he said that before Colonel Phillips could say anything that Emily spoke.
"Percy, don't you get it?" Percy and Annabeth look at her confused but it was clear that Rachel knew what Emily meant by that question. For Rachel knew who he was just as much as Emily knows who he was. "He is Daedalus."
Emily was sure that there was a lot of things that Percy and Annabeth wanted to say to Colonel Phillips. Or maybe even things that they could say to him, Emily didn't say anything as everyone stood there. No one said anything to what Emily just said or at least not yet. When Emily said that Colonel Phillips was Daedalus that they looked at her with some surprise, even Colonel Phillips seem a little surprised that she knew that he was Daedalus. He was looking at her carefully, he walked away from the window before he walked over to her. Emily didn't move as he looked up and down at her than he spoke at last.
"Who are you?" Emily tilted her head when he said that.
"Who do you think I am?"
"At the very least, you are a daughter of Hades." Emily smiled when Colonel Phillips said that.
"I am Rachel Blackthrone, daughter of Hades, the underworld princess, heir to the underworld, and champion of Hestia." He didn't look too surprised when Emily said that but he raised an eyebrow when she said champion of Hestia.
"Champion of Hestia?"
"Yes." But than Percy spoke before Colonel Phillips could say or ask Emily anything else.
"But you're not an inventor! You're a swordsman!"
"I am both and an architect. And a scholar. I also play basketball pretty well for a guy who didn't start until he was two thousand years old. A real artist must be good at many things."
"That's true. Like I can paint with my feet as well as my hands."
"You see? A girl of many talents."
"But you don't even look like Daedalus, I saw him in a dream, and..." Emily smiled when Percy spoke before he faltered when the idea dawn on Percy, when Colonel Phillips told her about himself that Emily knew that he was an automaton, there was no other way to explain of why he lived this long unless if he was a god or an immortal.
"Yes. You've finally guessed the truth."
"You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."
"Percy, that's not possible. That - that can't be an automaton."
"Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"
"The fifth, in Latin. But - "
"This is my fifth body." He held out his forearm and he pressed his elbow. Part of his wrist had popped open, a rectangular hatch in his skin and there was bronze gears whirred and wires glowing.
"That's amazing!"
"That's weird."
"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine? That's...not natural."
"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me. I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt to reveal a mark in a dark shape of a bird.
"A murderer's brand."
"For your nephew, Perdix. The boy you pushed off the tower."
"I did not push him. I simply - "
"Made him lose his balance. Let him die." Emily knew that must be one of his past mistakes that he tried to make up in World War II. Colonel Phillips had looked out the windows at the purple mountains.
"I regret what I did, Percy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird - a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin."
"You really are Daedalus. But why did you come to the camp? Why spy on us?"
"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."
"So you have talked to Luke."
"Oh, yes. Several times."
"But now you've seen the camp! So you know we need your help. You can't let Luke through the maze!" Colonel Phillips set his sword on the workbench.
"The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."
"Privacy from what?"
"The gods. And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my dear, hiding from death."
"But how can you hide from Hades? I mean...Hades has the Furies. Not only that he has her to help him." Percy pointed at Emily when he said that.
"They do not know everything. Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. Even I was out of their sight and they couldn't find me. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."
"You mean Minos."
"He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."
"And you did, for two thousand years." Annabeth sounded impressed.
Just then a loud bark echoed from the corridor. Emily heard heard the sounds of huge paws and Thron bounded into the workshop. He licked Percy's face once before he almost knocked Colonel Phillips over with an enthusiastic leap.
"There is my old friend!" Colonel Phillips scratched Thron behind the ears. "My only companion all these long lonely years."
"You let him save me. That whistle actually worked."
"Of course it did, Percy. You have a good heart. And I knew Thron liked you. I wanted to help you. Perhaps I - I felt guilty, as well."
"Guilty about what?"
"That your quest would be in vain."
"What? But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."
"Yes...the string. I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It's not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough."
"Where is it?" As Annabeth said that, that Emily felt something heavy in her pocket, she wanted to put her hand in her pocket but didn't dare to, not at the moment.
"It is not here, I made a machine of where I would be able to place into a pocket of someone I know. I already did that to prevent Luke from having the string but I fear that I was too late and it landed in his hands for the time being by accident. I tried to get it back but failed. The only reason it hadn't work was because the person is died or they are is in the labyrinth and I am afraid it is the former for I had forget that she died many years ago."
"That's your brilliant idea? You're going to let Luke destroy your camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"
"You didn't pay attention to everything, it landed in his hands by mistake."
"How could you let him have it."
"I was trying to help your cause over the guilt I felt with everything I did." It seemed like Annabeth was upset with over the fact that the string was in Luke's hands to hear every word Colonel Phillips said for she pushed over an easel and the drawings were scattered across the floor.
"I used to respect you. You were my hero! You - you built amazing things. You solved problems. Now...I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago."
"You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string - "
"Actually, Luke no longer the strong." Everyone looked at Emily when she said that. Emily put her hands into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out the string, Colonel Phillips looked shocked when she had pulled the string out.
"How did it go to you? I set it so that it only reach Emily Barnes." Emily was about ready to say something but Thron pricked up his ears.
"Someone's coming!" Emily managed to put the string away just in time as the doors of the workshop burst open and a male of no older than ten or eleven was pushed inside, his hands were chained. He was wearing black clothing and he had a skull ring on one of his fingers. His hair was black, it was shaggy and messy and hai eyes were dark. Unlike with his skin of which was so pale that it was white. Emily knew that it was Nico at once, but he was not the only one that was pushed in for Arabella was pushed in as well. Her hands were chained as well, Emily figured that Arabella went after Nico to stop him form doing something. Emily hoped that he wasn't doing anything that Minos told him to do. He was followed by an empousa and two Laistrygonians, they were followed by Minos. He looks almost solid, he was pale with a beard and cold eyes, there was tendrils of mist coiling off of his robes. He looked over at Colonel Phillips and Colonel Phillips has his jaws clenched.
"There you are, my old friend."
"Luke sends his compliments. He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos. Since we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod. He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."
"Nico, Are you okay?"
"I - I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."
"You were trying to help us?"
"I was tricked. He tricked all of us." Emily looked at Arabella question with her expression, Arabella merely nodded to show that she was fine.
"Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?" The empousa smiled like if she was sharing a joke with him.
"Luke is...busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" She changed into the demon form of which Emily never enjoyed looking at, for it was weird to look at.
"Percy, the wings. Do you think - "
"Get them, I'll try to buy you some time." When Percy said that, that all Chaos had exploded, Annabeth and Percy went for the empousa. The giants went to Colonel Phillips but Thron went to his defense as well as Emily while Rachel was getting the wings. Nico and Arabella were pushed to the ground, they were struggled with their chains and the spirit of Minos was wailing.
"Kill the inventor! Kill him!" Things were tossed around, among them was a glass of Greek fire and the green flames had started to spread quickly. "To me! Spirits of the dead!" Minos raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum around him. Emily notice that Nico and Arabella managed to get out of the shackles and Nico got to his feet before Arabella. Nico spoke as Arabella got to her feet.
"No!"
"You do not control me, young fool. All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!" Spirits began to appear around Minos and the forms began to multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.
"I am the son of Hades, Be gone!"
"You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"
"No. I am." Nico stabbed his black blade into the floor, the sword cleaved though the stone like butter. Minos's form started to ripple,
"Never! I will not - " The ground rumbled, the windows cracked and shatter to pieces. Emily could smell the fresh air coming from the windows, a fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop. Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void but the fight was still going on, Emily was still fighting against the giants with Colonel Phillips. Emily could hear the others fighting.
"We have to help Daedalus!"
"What about Emily!" Emily smiled when Arabella said that, even without looking that she knew that the others were confused by what Arabella called Emily.
"No time. Too many coming!" Emily could tell that the others were putting wings on themselves because of the sounds of things being put on, than Percy yelled at them.
"Daedalus! Rachel! Come on!" Emily have a couple of cuts, one on her cheek, a couple on her arms and one on her leg. But she was still able to move around rather well, besides the cuts were healing themselves, part of the blessing of being the champion of Hestia.
"I won't leave Thron! Go!"
"I am staying here to help him." The others jumped out of the window, Arabella took one last look at Emily before Emily nodded telling Arabella to jump of which she did. Colonel Phillips and Emily fought though the monsters till the last one was cut off with Emily's sword by head. As it turned into gold dust that Emily spoke.
"Cut off one head ..."
"Two shall take it's place." Emily looked at Colonel Phillips when he said that, he looked slightly surprised that she said that than he finished it. He was looking at her with a confused look on his face.
"So want to find two more?" Colonel Phillips was gaping at her, than he seem to found his voice.
"Who are you?" Emily smiled and spoke.
"An old friend that hasn't aged." Emily snapped her fingers, her tanned skin took the place of her pale skin, her wavy black hair became straight blond and her eyes became blue and a mischief gleam replaced the mad gleam in her eyes. Colonel Phillips smiled when her appearance changed, but there wasn't much time to say much more. As the fire started to grow more that he nodded telling her to get out. As Emily went to the door that he grabbed. Emily, Colonel Phillips and Thron got out of the workshop as it burned down behind them. As they ran out that Colonel Phillips spoke.
"I thought you were dead."
"Whirl if you came out in the last about three months, you would known that was not true." Colonel Phillips smiled slightly when Emily said that.
"Let's some find some HYDRA monsters to kick back to Tartarus or Germany."
"I am sure that there would be some at camp." They ran down the passageways to get to Camp Halfblood. As she ran with Colonel Phillips and Thron behind them that she felt like she was back at that final HYDRA base. As they ran through the labyrinth that Emily changed back to her daughter of Hades appearance. During their time down there of getting to the camp that they came across Briares, he joined them in their quest to save the camp. Emily also called Mrs. O'Leary to her while they were running through the labyrinth. Emily has to admit that this must be the strangest sight that anyone would ever see even in the demigod world. For it wasn't often to see Briares, the last of his kind, two demigods and two hellhounds in a group. They reached the entrance to where the camp would be and to their surprise and horror that there were monster getting though the opening. They fought their way though the monsters crowded in the passageways that lead to the entrance to camp. Thron was the first one out than Colonel Phillips, than Mrs. O'Leary, than Emily and lastly Briares.
Briares throw a bunch of rocks at one of the monsters that Emily had read about in monster fighting classes while she was at camp, Kampe. It seemed like the battle might have been over after that if the one dracaenae hadn't spoke up telling them to slay them or Kronos will kill them. They moved forward and one managed to throw a blow to Chiron busy surprise to his back legs making him unable to walk for the time being. Than gold arrows come from the trees taking down the monsters and the howling commandos had come out of the trees along with Lauren and Steve. Emily looked over at Colonel Phillips of who looked surprised at the fact that the howling commandos were still alive. Emily merely smiled, however the army had turned to the howling commandos to attack them. Than it happened, Grover, the satyr Emily had meet a couple of times as Rachel Blackthrone, opened his mouth and the most horrible sound had come out of his mouth.
The monsters dropped their weapons and ran to the entrance of the labyrinth, Emily looked at Grover hardly believing it. He just caused panic, if it was Emily and Steve in a middle of a HYDRA base causing panic that was one thing. For one would expect panic when that was happening, but a satyr making that sound and the monsters fleeing was something that hardly ever happen. When the monsters fled back into the labyrinth that the only left of the battle was some fires and the cries of the wounded, Emily saw Percy helping Annabeth before she went over to Chiron to heal some of his wounds. Than Emily and Colonel Phillips went over to where the howling commandos were standing, the howling comma does looked surprised when they saw Colonel Phillips. Than Steve spoke to Colonel Phillips.
"I thought you were died."
"No, I have been in hiding." Steve looked over at Emily before he and spoke.
"Do you always have this appearance when you come here?" Lauren was about ready to say something but Emily spoke and all of the howling commandos looked at her in surprise when she spoke.
"Yeah, I am usually in this appearance expect for the first couple of weeks that you were were awake." Lauren tilted her head with a confused look on her face.
"Emily?" Emily put her finger to her lips.
"Shh. But yes it is me, this is my daughter of hades appearance. In this appearance I go by Rachel Blackthrone." Lauren shook her head and smiled when Emily said that, the howling commandos just laughed. Out of the corner of her eye that she saw Percy going over to Nico and helping him up, so Emily went over to where he was as well as Colonel Phillips, Steve and Lauren. Arabella was on Nico's other side helping Nico to sit up, Arabella and Percy barely managed to sit him up and gave Nico some more nectar by the time Emily, Steve, Lauren and Colonel Phillips reached them. Nico noticed the four of them, than he managed to croaked.
"Daedalus."
"Yes, my boy, the machine made a mistake. I came to correct it." Colonel Phillips was bleeding golden oil, Steve was looking at the golden oil oddly and he looked a little confused as well. But Lauren was surprised than she spoke.
"You are Daedalus." Colonel Phillips looked over at Lauren when she said that.
"I am indeed, Lauren." At the moment Briares was surrounded by campers and he was signing armor and a few other things, he also looked bashful as he was signing the armor of the campers. Emily was sure that this was a change from the life he has for the last many years. Emily looked at Nico and Arabella, Emily was aware of what happened in December a few months ago. That Nico and Arabella meet a few months ago, even though they were brother and sister, she has no idea of how close Nico and Arabella would get. But it was clear looking at Nico and Arabella and her extra sense of family connection that she could sense their bond was forming and it was rather strong. Emily was glad of this, even if Nico was technically closer to her age than Arabella, Emily knows Arabella has friends and a couple of other sisters at Camp Jupiter. But the one thing she never had till now was a brother. However Chiron spoke dragging Emily out of her thoughts.
"Hang on, Lauren made it sound like that she had known you before?" Colonel Philips looked at Chiron before he spoke.
"She does know me. I only had come out one other time than when I come here for about the second or third time."
"You have been here before?"
"Yes, I come here once because one of my soldiers overused their powers like Nico just did." It was that made Chiron realize of who Colonel Phillips was or one of the other names that he went by.
"You are Colonel Chester Phillips." The demigods gasp slightly, all the demigods knew that Colonel Phillips was the commander over Captain America, Lieutenant USA and the howling commandos as well as being part of the SSF and later S.H.I.E.L.D. for a short amount of time before going back into hiding.
"That is one of the names I went by, yes." Than Colonel Phillips looked away from Chiron and he looked back at Nico. "I found the Hundred-Handed One as I went through the maze to get here. It seems that he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together. We both came to make amends. As for Rachel, she was going to come here anyway even without my help."
"Yay! Briares! I knew you would come!" It was a cyclops, Emily didn't expect to see a cyclops at camp, she expected them to be at the forges underwater.
"I did not know, But you reminded me who I am, Cyclops. You are the hero." The cyclops blushed and Percy patted the cyclops on the back, Emily figured that they were half brothers.
"I knew that a long time ago. But, Daedalus...the Titan army is still down there. Even without the string, they'll be back. They'll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them."
"You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."
"But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your life force! As long as you're alive - "
"Yes, my young architect. When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you." Colonel Phillips slung a leather satchel off of his back and unzipped it. Than he produced a sleek silver laptop, the same one that Colonel Pillips grabbed before Emily and Colonel Phillips left the workshop. On the lid of the laptop was the blue symbol delta, the same symbol that opened the labyrinth doors. "My work is here. It's all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn't develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting." Annabeth was surprised and took the laptop from Colonel Phillips.
"You're giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth...I don't even know how much!"
"Small compensation for the way I have acted as well as the things I have done. You were right, Annabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. But there is only one other thing that I had saved." Than Colonel Phillips turned to Emily before he tossed the satchel to Emily. Emily caught the satchel before she looked at him confused. "Put it on your back." Emily shrugged before she put the satchel on her back. As soon as the satchel was on her back that the satchel changed it's form, the satchel wrapped itself around Emily till it formed a more modern version of her Lieutenant USA Uniform with a silver shield that have drawings of the things she and Steve did in World War II. But the new uniform has the same design and coloring as the original uniform has. Emily looked down at the uniform before looking back at Colonel Phillips.
"You have been really busy in seventy years."
"I have been busy. I had some help with that uniform or at least with I needed to make it. When you want to be the satchel again just put the shield on the back. When you need it just tug on the zipper." Than Annabeth spoke.
"That is the Lieutenant USA uniform and she is not Lieutenant USA." Emily smiled when Annabeth said that, snapped her fingers and Emily's appearance appearance changed back to her blond hair, blue eyes and tanned skin. The campers gasp as her appearance changed.
"I am Lieutenant USA." Annabeth was about ready to say something. But Colonel Phillips spoke before Annabeth could say anything.
"It is the least I can do for you both before I pass on."
"Whoa, Pass on? But you can't just kill yourself. That's wrong." Colonel Phillips shook his head when Percy said that. Emily knew what Colonel was talking about.
"Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time has come. I must face my punishment."
"You won't get a fair trial, the spirit of Minos sits in judgment - "
"I will take what comes. And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn't it?" Colonel Phillips looked straight at Nico, his face darken.
"Yes."
"Will you take my soul for ransom, then? You could use it to reclaim your sister."
"No, I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is." Colonel Phillips nodded.
"Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise." Than Colonel Phillips looked at Percy. "One last favor, Percy Jackson. Something I found myself repeating." He had looked at Emily and Emily smiled slightly, Mrs. O'Leary was wagging her tail. Than he looked back at Percy. "I cannot leave Thron alone. And he has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for him?"
"Yeah. Of course I will." Percy looked at Thron of who was licking Colonel Phillips's hair. As they spoke that Emily could sense that Hades was punishing Minos for trying to rise up from the died as well as replaced Minos as a judge of the died.
"Colonel Phillips." He turned and looked at Emily. "You need not worry about Minos judging you, Hades removed him from his position and sent him to the field of punishment for trying to rise again by trying tricking his son. Besides even if Hades didn't do that, that I think he would have given you a special punishment himself." Colonel Phillips smiled slightly, Emily went over to him and hugged him. Colonel Phillips hugged her back as he hugged her that he whispered.
"You are like the daughter that I never had. I thank you for that." He let go of her, Emily stepped back and he looked at the howling commandos before he spoke. "I better not see any of you down there as spirits any time soon." He looked at Emily before going on. "You better come and visit me from time to time."
"Don't worry, I will. I will try to keep you up to date on the world of the living when I can managed it." Colonel Phillips looked at the howling commandos once more before looking at Steve.
"You better look out for your sister." Steve out one of his arms around her shoulders before he spoke.
"I will, she is my younger sister."
"By ten minutes."
"Of which makes me older." Colonel Phillips smiled slightly before he nodded, than turned back to Nico.
"Then I am ready to see my son...and Perdix, I must tell them how sorry I am." There tears in the howling commandos as well as Emily, Lauren, Steve and Annabeth. Nico drew his sword and spoke.
"Your time is long since come. Be released and rest." A smile of relief spread across Colonel Phillips's face and he froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body. Than the statue turned to gray ash before the body disintegrated. Both Mrs. O'Leary and Thron howled for their dead owner, Emily patted Mrs. O'Leary while Percy patted Thron. The following day that Emily and the howling commandos left Camp Halfblood, Steve and Lauren headed back to Washington D.C. while the howling commandos went their campsite. Before going down the hill to go to the underworld that Emily turned and looked down at the camp that laid before her, Emily smiled slightly before turning back and going down the hill with Mrs. O'Leary at her heels.