Things on my list to do in life:
1. Shadow travel with Mrs. O'Leary to Montauk
2. Become fluent in Ancient Greek (even with my dyslexia, it was still hard to learn)
3. Watch Ares suffer
Things on my list NOT to do in life:
1. Die a horrible death
2. Have Athena show up at prom
3. Clean up May's kitchen
You may think it's not that bad, but that's because you've never been there. The whole kitchen was covered in moldy sandwiches, burnt cookies, and juice-boxes. Once we'd finally convinced May that her son was outside, she wandered out and called, "Luke, time to come in! I've got lunch ready!"
We set to work. Nico managed to find the trash bags and we each took three. Within an hour, the table was cleared. Within two, the counter was done, and three, the refrigerator. We just cleaned the floor as we went to clear a path, and it was done, too. Annabeth looked around.
"We should wipe up the mold," she declared. "May could get sick from it. I mean, worse than now."
Going to the closet, she found bleach wipes, a spray bottle, and wash-clothes. This chore didn't take as long, and the mess disappeared before our eyes. Nico sighed and sat on the chair, admiring the spotless kitchen.
"No keys," he said.
"Are you sure you checked everywhere?" I asked.
"Percy," Annabeth said, "do you really think a daughter of Athena would forget to check somewhere?"
I was about to say something clever, like, "Yes", when there was a thumping in the basement.
"Does she have a dog?" Nico asked.
"No," I said. I'd known what a dog sounded like; we'd had several above our apartment before, including a German Shepherd with a liking for dog treats and biting.
We walked toward the basement. I uncapped Riptide, Nico took out his sword, and Annabeth her dagger. I held up three fingers, then two, then one, and we charged. Something squealed and I swung at it. Before I hit it, Annabeth used her dagger to block it.
"Percy!" she scolded. "Look before you strike!"
There was a little girl, probably seven, now crying silently on the floor. Annabeth knelt next to her.
"Hey," she said, "it's okay. I know he can be mean, trust me."
"Hey!" I cried.
The girl wiped her eyes and looked up at Annabeth, sizing her up. Her clothes were torn and she had a wild look in her eyes.
"Are you a monster?" she finally asked.
Annabeth smiled. "No, we kill the monsters. Have you seen any?"
The girl nodded. "A big doggy like a wolf, and a scorpion, but they both were killed by a boy. But the boy turned to stone."
"Okay," I reviewed, "a hellhound and a pit scorpion, but stone?"
Annabeth and I caught eyes.
"No," she said. "Not now. Not yet. Another lifetime at least!"
"If you're lucky," I muttered.
"The one who killed the boy," Annabeth told the girl, "was it a woman with snakes on her head?"
The girl nodded. "I saw her reflection in a mirror, but the boy said, 'Don't look!', so I didn't look."
Annabeth sighed and coughed. Nico studied the floor. I didn't know what he had to be upset about; he'd never faced Medusa.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Ariadne," she said.
"Very Greek," Annabeth commented. "Your parents chose well."
"Who are you?" Ariadne asked.
"I'm Percy, this is Annabeth, and this is Nico."
The girl grinned.
"Where'd you come from?" Annabeth asked. "We were down her earlier and didn't see you."
Ariadne pointed to the wall. "There. Upstairs. I was at home in the castle, but then-"
"Castle?" Nico asked.
"Yes, with Daddy and Mommy and my sister."
"Who's your sister?" Annabeth asked.
"Her name is Phaedra. Mommy's name is Pasiphaë, and Daddy's name is-"
"Minos," Nico and Annabeth said in harmony.
"Oh, you know them!" Ariadne said excitedly. "Yes, Crete is a very busy place and I don't have a lot of friends. But you know them, so we can be friends."
"Of course we can," Annabeth said. She looked nervously at Nico.
"Ariadne," she said, "can I talk to the boys in private?"
"Yes," she said, and walked up the stairs.
Nico and Annabeth looked at each other, and some mutual agreement passed between them.
"What?" I asked.
"Do you know Dionysus's wife?" Nico asked.
"Of course," I said. "Ariadne. But she's an adult, not a kid."
"Percy," Annabeth said, "Minos is Ariadne's dad. Pasiphaë is her mom. Phaedra is her sister. This can't be a coincidence."
"What are you saying?" I asked.
"That space and time is being played with," Nico said, "by the same Titan who gave Annabeth her disease."