A Maze and a Coffin.

"Jumping from a window one hundred and fifty meters high is not my idea of fun. Especially wearing bronze wings and flapping my arms like a duck," said Percy.

"It wasn't my idea of fun either," grumbled Nico.

"Percy was plummeting to the ground and needed instruction to stop him from falling," said Annabeth.

"Those instructions were to spread his arms and to keep them extended," advised Rachel.

"The wings stiffened and they caught the wind when I spread my arms and thankfully my descent slowed," said Percy.

"The feeling was unbelievable. We could soar, swoop and dive. It was so fun, but also peaceful," commented Rachel

"The wings did feel like they were part of our body," agreed Percy.

"I would love to fly again," admitted Rachel.

"Says the person who stole a Pegasus," said Percy.

"That is totally different…. It doesn't feel the same," admitted Rachel.

"The closest I can work out, would be hang-gliding," said Annabeth.

"Let's go hang-gliding, there is a place in Long Island we can go to," said Travis.

"You guys go, Percy and I will stay here," stated Nico.

"If Percy and Nico are not going, neither am I," protested Thalia trying to hide her fear of heights.

"Fine we'll go when you have organised your next big three outing," grumbled Annabeth.

"I'm surprised you weren't blasted out of the air," said Hermes.

"Especially the fact there were a son of Poseidon and a son of Hades," said Will.

"Maybe he was being nice," proposed Hera.

"He was probably busy," said Thalia.

"Or he didn't want the wrath of Athena for blasting her daughter out of the sky," argued Chris.

"Afraid that the wings wouldn't last, I directed us to land at the visitors centre. We landed on the terrace and quickly ripped off the wings even though the place looked empty," explained Annabeth.

"Annabeth was right in getting us to land. We had been shedding bronze feathers and the self-adhesive seals that bounded the wings to our backs were melting," described Percy.

"What did you do with them? They sound great," asked Katie.

"We threw them in the bin, stuffed down so mortals couldn't find them," admitted Nico.

"Why did you do that?" Will asked Annabeth "your siblings would have loved to work on design improvement plans, and the Hephaestus campers would have enjoyed fixing and creating them."

"When we get back, lets challenge the Hephaestus campers to a wing building contest," said Travis to Connor so all the demi-gods could hear.

"You wouldn't produce working wings," argued Katie.

"We don't need to produce them, we just need someone to make them," admitted Travis.

"And then they steal them," accused Chris.

"CHRIS," whined Connor.

"And they would give them to their favourite Oracle," remarked Rachel.

"Why would we give them to you?" questioned Travis.

"Blackmail," answered Rachel "I could tell Drew and Malcolm certain things…"

"Okay no wing making contest," grumbled Travis.

"Blackmail is so much fun," laughed Rachel.

"I used the tourist binoculars to look at the hill were we had come from, but any sign of Daedalus's workshop had vanished," said Percy.

"How are you going to get back into the maze?" questioned Hephaestus.

"Maybe they can't. If Daedalus died the whole thing may have been destroyed," replied Athena.

"Then Luke's invasion would be halted," said Artemis.

"Nico informed us that Daedalus wasn't dead," advised Rachel.

"How do you know that?" questioned Demeter.

"I know when people die. I get a feeling like a buzzing in my ears," admitted Nico with a shrug.

"What about Tyson and Grover, can you tell if they had died?" asked Will.

"That is harder. They are not human or half-blood, therefore they don't have mortal souls," informed Nico.

"So you couldn't relieve Percy's or Annabeth's concerns about the goat or cyclops," criticised Dionysus.

"It was decided that finding an entrance to the Labyrinth would be better in town. We had to make it back to camp before Luke and his army," informed Annabeth.

"I suggested a plane, but I was informed by Percy that he didn't fly," said Rachel.

"But you had just flown," objected Clarisse.

"That was low flying and that had been risky. A plane flies higher into Zeus domain and I wasn't going to upset Zeus by trying to fly more," admitted Percy.

"Flying would probably take too long. The Labyrinth is probably the quickest way back," added Athena.

"That was the conclusion we came to," said Annabeth.

"I also hoped that we might find Grover and Tyson along the way," admitted Percy.

"Did you?" asked Poseidon, but that question was ignored.

"It was suggested that we needed a car to take us into the city. I noticed a car in the carpark and told the others that I would organise the transport," said Rachel.

"I decided to go to the gift shop, to see if I could buy a prism to send an Iris Message to camp," informed Annabeth.

"A prism?" questioned Connor confused.

"Refracts light, causes a rainbow to occur," hinted Annabeth with an eye roll.

"Nico went with Annabeth so he could get food..," dobbed Percy.

"I was hungry….. I hadn't actually planned to go into the maze and hadn't eaten since the ranch," admitted Nico.

"You really need to improve your eating habits," sighed Will. "You can't skip meals so often."

"I went with Rachel, who told me to wait while she went and talked to the driver of a chauffeured Lexus. The driver frowned until Rachel said something that caused him to turn pale, hastily put the newspaper he was reading away and make a quick call on his cell phone. He then indicated to Rachel to enter the car," explained Percy.

"What did you say to the driver?" questioned Hera.

"The client who had rented the car was complaining, but the driver explained that it was an emergency and another car had been ordered for him," said Nico.

"Who are you?" questioned Aphrodite.

"Rachel Elisabeth Dare," answered Rachel.

"But why would a chauffeur drop everything to help you?" questioned Dionysus, he received no reply.

"I had managed to talk to Chiron. The camp was doing their best to prepare for battle but we were wanted back," informed Annabeth.

"We were going to need all the heroes we could get, and Annabeth and Percy were two of our best fighters," admitted Clarisse begrudgingly.

"We drove through town looking for a possible Labyrinth entrance but nothing looked right. We decided to head north towards Denver when I noticed something and told the driver to get off the highway," said Rachel.

"We arrived at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Rachel pointed to a nearby hill. The entrance to the maze was through an old mine," explained Percy.

"We exited the car and farewelled the driver. No one bothered us as we climbed the hill to the mine shaft. The mark of Daedalus was on the padlock," said Annabeth.

"How did you see that from the highway?" questioned Chris, Rachel shrugged, she had no idea.

"I touched the padlock and the chains dropped. We kicked down the boards shutting the mine up and entered the Labyrinth again," said Percy.

"The dirt tunnels of the mine turned to stone as we went further into the maze. The tunnels tried to confuse us and if we didn't have Rachel we would have been hopelessly lost. We were heading to New York but Rachel hardly stopped at intersections to make a choice," informed Nico.

"Rachel and Annabeth began a conversation on Architecture, so I dropped back to talk to Nico," said Percy.

"I knew a bit about the subject because it was included in an art class," reported Rachel.

"Finally she has someone to talk to about that interest," whispered Thalia to Clarisse.

"Yes and she doesn't have to bore us," replied Clarisse also in a whisper.

"Percy thanked me for coming for them in the maze, but I owed him for the Ranch," said Nico.

"Nico also admitted that he also wanted to meet Daedalus," informed Percy.

"Daedalus needs to die, I have to agree with Minos. It is not natural for someone to be able to avoid death for so long," explained Nico.

"I realised then that Nico had planned to trade Daedalus's soul for Bianca's soul. He never planned to use my soul," said Percy.

"Would you have accepted that trade," questioned Demeter looking at Hades.

"Probably not," replied Hades.

"You wouldn't let your daughter live again," gasped Aphrodite.

"No, coming back from the dead is cheating death. It is not natural. Even if she is my daughter," stated Hades.

"Nico admitted that it hadn't been easy for him," said Percy.

"I have only had the dead as company and they only respect me out of fear. It feels like I will never be accepted by the living," admitted Nico.

"You have been accepted," stated Will.

"At camp, and only by a few, the majority of those are currently here in this room," protested Nico.

"It is your eyes, you have your father's eyes. They have an intensity like manic fire that make people suspect you are either a genius or a madman," said Percy gently.

"Do I really scare people that much?" asked Nico.

"Yes," answered Travis and Connor, who were shot death glares from Percy, Annabeth and Thalia.

"They are just jealous," said Percy.

"Because Nico is a genius, and they are the ones who are madmen," sniggered Rachel.

"Hey, we are not madmen," said Connor.

"We are not the one who project green mist and futures from our mouth," jeered Travis.

"I have to admit that although Nico can make me uncomfortable, his power is impressive," said Percy.

"Really?" asked Nico perking up.

"Especially for your age. At age ten you got rid of those skeletons, and at age eleven you banished Minos," encouraged Annabeth.

"At that age I was just blowing up the plumbing," admitted Percy.

"We came to a crossroad and Percy ran into me," said Rachel.

"You stopped right in front of me," grumbled Percy.

"The tunnel we needed continued straight ahead. The side tunnel was carved from black volcanic rock and made me nervous," admitted Rachel.

"Why did it make you nervous?" asked Zeus.

"We realised an exit was down that tunnel as a wind blew down it. It smelt like Eucalyptus trees," said Annabeth.

"Luke's entrance, the one to the Titan's place at Mount Othrys," guessed Athena correctly.

"Rachel informed us that there was something very powerful and evil down that tunnel," said Percy.

"And there was also the smell of death," added Nico.

"Percy wanted to check it out. He needed to find out what was going on. He refused us going with him as well," grumbled Annabeth.

"It was too dangerous. What if Luke or Kronos had gotten their hands on Nico or Rachel?" said Percy.

"Annabeth was given the task of guarding Rachel and I," grumbled Nico.

"We don't want those two in Kronos's control," admitted Zeus.

"Annabeth gave me her invisibility cap and I used it moving down the tunnel. I heard voices of monsters before I even reached the exit. They were saying that they had at least salvaged a blade, when I heard the voice of a half-blood. It was Ethan Nakamura," informed Percy.

"Damn he didn't get lost in the maze," said Hermes.

"I exited the tunnel and found myself atop of Mount Tam. Two telekhines were unwrapping an item which they informed Ethan that one touch of the blade could sever your soul from your body," explained Percy.

"Please No…. Don't let it be that," groaned the big three gods.

"The item had a two metre long blade curved like a crescent moon and made of steel and bronze. It had a wooden handle wrapped in leather. It was the scythe of Kronos," described Percy.

"He reforged the weapon we used to cut him up," gasped Zeus.

"The same weapon he used to cut up Ouranos," pointed out Poseidon.

"The telekhines said that Ethan was to help present it, when the lord awakened," said Percy.

"Why did you save Ethan," groaned Hades.

"I dashed towards the fortress and entered the main hall. Black marble statues of the Titans lined the walls. At the end of the room was a golden sarcophagus on a dais. The room had no guards and I couldn't see Luke," said Percy.

"No guards?" questioned Artemis.

"It is a trap," said Ares.

"It can't be a trap, they would have guarded the tunnel exit," argued Athena.

"Why would they leave that item alone?" asked Demeter.

"I approached the coffin and it felt like I was walking into a freezer as the coffin gave off an aura of extreme cold," said Percy.

"So did Kronos talk to you in your mind?" asked Thalia.

"No, and I wondered why he was so quiet now that I was so close," admitted Percy.

"You have a great opportunity to stop Kronos before he gets his scythe," said Apollo.

"That's what I thought as I pushed back the golden lid and lifted my sword to strike," said Percy.

"That is the end of Kronos…. That seems too easy," objected Athena.

"I looked inside the coffin and couldn't understand what I saw. A human dressed in grey trousers and a white t-shirt. There was a bullet shaped wound right where his heart should have been. He had blond hair and a scar running along the left side of his face," described Percy.

"Luke… Luke is in the coffin," exclaimed Hermes and his children.

"I should have stabbed him, but as much that I hated Luke as he had betrayed me, I didn't understand why he was in the coffin and looking very dead," explained Percy.

"Where is Kronos if Luke is in the coffin?" asked Artemis.

"The telekhines entered and thought that their lord was stirring. They decided to present the gifts – his symbol of power that they had remade," said Percy.

"They thought he was stirring…. Oh they couldn't see you because of Annabeth's Invisibility cap," said Aphrodite.

"His scythe is his power symbol… I agree that thing is scary," declared Nico.

"The telekhines stated that he needed the half-blood first," said Percy.

"They require Ethan to die?" questioned Poseidon.

"Bet he regrets choosing that army," cackled Hera.

"They didn't need him to die. He needed to pledge his service. Renounce the gods. Pledge his allegiance," informed Percy.

"No… he can't," said Zeus turning pale.

"I admit I did a stupid thing and charged into the room, taking off the cap," said Percy.

"At least you know it was stupid," teased Thalia.

"I tried to talk Ethan into helping me to destroy the coffin and their lord," admitted Percy.

"But he wouldn't," sighed Apollo.

"You shouldn't have saved him," groaned Hermes.

"That is what Ethan said. He explained how he learnt what the saying an eye for an eye meant the hard way when he discovered his godly parent," explained Percy.

"His parent took his eye?" exclaimed Thalia.

"Who would take their own child's eye?" questioned Hera as the gods and goddesses scrutinised one another.

"Relax no one in this room is his parent. He is a child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge," informed Percy.

"So Nemesis has turned traitor and is assisting Kronos and Luke," sighed Hestia.

"Ethan stated that this is what he was made to do. He renounced the gods asking what they had ever done for him. He would serve Kronos and see the gods destroyed," explained Percy.

"That is not good," gasped Aphrodite.

"The building rumbled and from the floor at Ethan's feet a wisp of blue light rose and drifted towards the coffin. It developed into a shimmery cloud of pure energy before descending into the sarcophagus," described Percy.

"Why didn't you stop it?" questioned Zeus.

"How do you stop a cloud of pure energy?" asked Hades sarcastically.

"Luke sat upright, the hole in his chest gone. His eyes were no longer blue…. They were now gold," said Percy.

"Kronos is in Luke's body?" questioned Hermes.

"Kronos jumped out of the coffin. He said that the body he was in had been well prepared. The voice was Luke's but underneath was a more horrible, ancient, cold sound," informed Percy.

"It was a horrible voice," said Annabeth.

"Kronos informed me that Luke feared me, that his jealousy and hatred of me had been a powerful tool and had kept Luke obedient," said Percy.

"Jealous and hatred of you, why?" asked Poseidon.

"Who knows, there could be a number of reasons," said Chris "Percy had a better upbringing, was a better swordsman, was more successful on his quests, Annabeth stopped doting on him for Percy."

"What do you mean I doted on Luke?" questioned Annabeth.

"You followed him around camp and agreed with most things he said," accused Clarisse.

"Once Percy arrived a camp, you stopped following him around, spending your time and attention on Percy. It only intensified after your quest together," admitted Travis.

"I lunged at the thing that use to be Luke and thrusted my blade into his chest, except the skin deflected the blow," said Percy.

"How did it do that?" questioned Ares.

"Kronos flicked his hand and I flew across the room and slammed into a pillar," said Percy.

"How did he do that?" asked Katie.

"Kronos grasp his scythe. He was pleased that it had been reforged. They had used Backbeater and Kronos said it would indeed bite back," reported Percy "I was informed that Luke served with his whole being as was required. Kronos informed me that Luke feared me, he however did not."

"Why did Luke fear Percy?" asked Zeus.

"No idea," replied Thalia and Annabeth.

"That was when I ran. However time slowed down around me and it felt like my feet were lead. I looked behind and Kronos was approaching leisurely swinging his scythe. I thought no weapon could stop him," said Percy.

"Nico, Annabeth and I hadn't followed Percy's directions," admitted Rachel.

"He had taken a long time, considering he was just going to look," argued Annabeth.

"We thought he had captured and needed help," admitted Nico.

"Which he did," said Clarisse.

"Something flew past me and a plastic blue hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye," said Percy.

"Rachel you fought Kronos… With a plastic hairbrush," said Connor in awe.

"It was the only thing I had," said Rachel.

"Kronos yelled out in pain and surprise but only in Luke's voice," explained Percy.

"Is Luke fighting control or has the take-over not completed yet?" questioned Athena.

"Thankfully I was freed and could move again. I grabbed Annabeth who couldn't comprehend what had happened to Luke and hauled her after me as we ran to the Labyrinth entrance," explained Percy.

"Kronos bellowed for his supporters to go after us," said Rachel.

"Nico clapped his hands together and a spire of rock the size of a truck erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress," explained Annabeth.

"The tremor that occurred caused the front columns of the building to come crashing down, fortunately for us. We plunged into the Labyrinth running to get as far away from the Titan lord," admitted Nico.

"Kronos has returned."

Authors Note:

Thanks to the people who reviewed. Those lovely people who followed and favourited this story last chapter are invited to leave a review this chapter. Don't know what to say answer these questions:

Why did you favourite/ follow this story. Or What was your favourite part of this chapter. Let Me Know!

Reply to a guest review: They said that I was taking the words from the book too directly and could get into trouble for plagiarising. Well I tried to fix that concern in this chapter. Also they said that the characters remembered things in too much detail. They probably do but the fates possibly caused it to occur that way. They are there to explain what happened and the more details mentioned the better the outcome.