Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Camp Half-Blood or mythology. Rick does. Well, at least the characters and Camp Half-Blood.

IDEA #3 REMOVED FROM THE POLL! THOSE WHO VOTED IDEA #3 SHOULD RE-VOTE!

Chapter 24

He was so glad that there was water at the bottom instead of sharp rocks. It made his idea of jumping seem just a little less insane.

The wind raced past his face as he dove, and he had to squint so it wouldn't hurt. He eventually broke through the fog and saw the churning grey sea beneath him. But there was no sign of Annabeth or Dr. Thorn. Still, he had a feeling that they were still there. It was just a gut feeling but…

He felt himself slam down into the water with a huge floosh! He surfaced and looked around to see where the light came from, but it was too dark. He could barely see the outlining of the cliffs behind him. He scanned the area for any sign of the manticore. He closed his eyes and tried to use his sonar-like dolphin powers. But there was no signal. Just fish.

When he looked up, he could see the light of the moon through the fog and the falling snow. He remembered that the Hunters and Thalia and the di Angelo siblings were up there. He hoped Thalia was okay, but for some reason, he felt like he needed to find Annabeth. He couldn't describe the feeling exactly. It was just… impulse.

He swam toward the cliff to look for land. The manticore must've used some magic to disappear with Annabeth, and Percy figured they'd disappeared in midair. At least, that was what he figured to be the most reasonable answer.

There ended up being only one patch of land in the whole area. The rest was water and underwater caves. The only possible way for the manticore to escape if he hadn't teleported magically would be to go through the cave. Percy really had no choice. He had to make a choice, and if it was the wrong one, he wouldn't save Annabeth but rather wander off on a mindless journey to nowhere.

He could either go back to the top of the cliff and rendezvous with Thalia and Hedge and the di Angelos and the Hunters. Or he could head into the cave. There was no point in going out into sea because it wasn't likely that they escape through the sea. Of course, he had to take into account that he would probably get lost in the cave only to never escape but…

"I'm really, really, really fucking stupid," he muttered before walking into the cave.

The walls of the cave eerily reminded him of the cave that led down into Tartarus, only the ceiling was much shorter, and the stalactites less sharp. In scary movies and stuff there are always bats and creepy monsters in caves, but this cave had almost nothing. There was the odd family of rats but they paid him no attention. Once he couldn't see the entrance anymore, he uncapped Anaklusmos and the bronze light dimly illuminated the tunnel.

The cold, dark walls looked like they were about to cave on him, and he shivered. He hated confined spaces.

At least he wasn't actually trapped in a confined space. He could leave any time he wanted until he lost his sense of direction. But, also unlike other tunnels, this one had only one branch. All the holes and cracks in the walls were too small for any human to squeeze through. Not even a newborn baby. They were meant for small rats and mice. And surprisingly, the tunnel seemed to elevate. He got the feeling that he wasn't going down, and he could sense a subtle increase in elevation. But it was hard to tell because the ground was made of gravel and rocks that crunched under each step. They were scattered everywhere and it wasn't easy to discern whether the elevation was increasing or not.

After what seemed like an hour, though was probably less than that, he finally ran into a dead end. Well, sort of. He'd found no secret entrances on the way to the door at the end and didn't think this was supposed to be a trap of some sort. At the end of the long tunnel that carved its way through the ground was a stone door with a dusty symbol at about waist-height.

Percy brushed the dust off the symbol and saw that it was a Greek letter: Delta, the D in the English alphabet.

He raised an eyebrow and remembered the Eta on the boats back at Waterland a couple years ago. That was an H in English and symbolized Hephaestus. Percy wondered who this represented. The only deities he could remember were Demeter and Dionysus. But it was unlikely either of them owned something underground.

Demeter hates Hades, so she wouldn't have anything underground unless she felt like sneaking into the Underworld to see her daughter. But that wouldn't be possible. Hades was possessive and greedy despite often being misunderstood. He would never let Demeter in without permission, and gods were too powerful to sneak into such a place.

Dionysus might have had some underground party down here but Dionysus wasn't the kind of person to make an underground party room.

For a moment, Percy wondered if it was just a mortal symbol, but then he realized that would just be absurd. Why paint a Greek letter in the United States if it had nothing to do with the Greek gods? It had to have a connection. Percy tried remembering great Greek heroes who had names starting with the letter D. He knew that he knew one, but the name was just out of his grasp.

Swallowing nervously, he decided to take the plunge. He touched the delta, and it shone blue before the door slid open. All he could see was darkness ahead, and he had a skittish feeling about going forward, but he knew he couldn't go back now. It was too late.

He stepped into the tunnel, and the door slammed shut behind him. He looked at the wall and saw the glowing blue delta.

His breathing echoed against stone. It was wet and cold. His sword, still activated, revealed a bumpy floor made of crushed bricks. The mossy stone walls that surrounded him looked at least five hundred years old, if not older. It smelled like a sewer, though.

Percy looked back at the delta one last time before taking a deep breath and heading down into the tunnel. He went a hundred feet before he was hopelessly lost. After those hundred feet, he turned around to check if he could see the door... if it was too dark to see, but instead of seeing mossy stone walls, it had suddenly changed into concrete. Percy faced the front again, which was still mossy stone.

He frowned and chose to head down the cement path.

The further he walked, the more uncomfortable he got. The walls were cement for a really long time. And the path was linear for almost the same amount of time. But after what seemed like another hour of walking he came to a three-way intersection. He could either go straight or to the left.

It was right then when he realized something was wrong. Why was he walking down such a large tunnel? Surely, this couldn't fit underneath Westover Hall.

Then the delta clicked. Daedalus.

Percy froze in shock when he realized he was walking through the Labyrinth.

"No, this can't be possible," he said to himself. "The Labyrinth?"

There was a sudden creak behind and he spun around just in time to see the hilt of a sword coming smashing down on his head.

Percy had a nightmare.

Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog.

It almost seemed like the Underworld, because Percy immediately felt claustrophobic and he couldn't see the sky above—just a close, heavy darkness, as if he was in a cave.

Annabeth struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to ruins.

"Thorn!" Annabeth cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?" She scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill.

She gasped.

There was Luke. And he was in pain.

He was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched and drenched with sweat.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Help me! Please!"

She took a step forward and then froze.

Percy could hardly believe what he was seeing. What was happening to Luke? Why was he holding up a bunch of fog? There was something bad going on, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"What… what happened?" Annabeth asked.

"They left me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."

He wasn't lying. The fog looked like it was some invisible curse, as though it was trying to squeeze him to death.

"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked. "You tried to kill Percy."

"You shouldn't trust me," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, more than seven million people will die. You realize what this is, don't you? Even I don't want that to happen."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she took a step back. "No. This can't be…"

"PLEASE!" Luke begged.

Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow—tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to do that.

Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks," he managed.

"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.

Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily.

"I knew I could count on you." He began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth.

"HELP ME!" she pleaded.

"Oh, don't worry," Luke said. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."

The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.

Percy sat bolt upright in bed, clawing at the sheets knowing that Annabeth was in terrible danger. And Luke was responsible.

The door to his cell swung open five seconds after he woke. In the doorway, light streamed in as four demigods stepped into the room. There were two girls and two boys and they all looked at least fifteen. He didn't recognize them aside from the lead guy. It was Chris Rodriguez, a Hispanic dude who had spent a couple years in the Hermes cabin as an unclaimed kid, even though people always thought he would fit as a child of Hermes.

Now that Percy thought about it, Chris had been absent from cabin since July, which was weird. He'd never given it much thought, but that was probably his biggest mistake.

"Get up and follow me," Chris ordered.

Percy looked at his hands. "You're not going to cuff me up? What if I try something?"

"Then Adrian will put a bullet through your skull," Chris replied. He gestured to the pistols strapped to each of their belts. "Or perhaps Louise will. Who knows?"

Percy had no choice. He'd play along for now.

They stood in a square around him, their weapons drawn, ready to shoot him if he did anything suspicious. Each of them also had a long dagger for a quick close-quarters encounter. Percy touched his pockets, searching for Riptide, but he couldn't find it.

"If you're looking for your pen, I have it," said one of the girls. She had golden blonde hair and hazel eyes. Not quite a daughter of Athena. "As long as it remains in the hands of someone, it won't return to your pocket. The second I let go, it'll return."

"Yeah," Percy muttered. "That's how it works."

They made their way down a hallway that looked something like Alcatraz before they stopped in front of a brick wall. The two in the front searched the walls for something, like they were trying to find a hidden button or something.

They eventually found something, and the brick wall opened up to reveal a dark alley. It was nighttime.

There was a door a few feet in front of them, and they walked through it. They went down a flight of stairs and entered an underground hideout or something. There were guards at the front of the interior door: two dracaenae, snake-women. They hissed at him when he passed.

He stepped in and immediately heard voices.

"So Thorn is on his way to the meeting place now?" said a booming voice. It was so forceful, it made the ground vibrate.

"Yes." Luke's voice. "And Annabeth's holding up the sky for now. If we hurry, we can make it back across to capture Artemis."

"We should have stayed there. What reason did you have to come back here?"

"Percy Jackson."

The four guards ushered Percy forward, and he stepped into the light. Each of them took a step back, bowed, and then pointed their guns at him.

On a fancy couch, two men were seated, each drinking their own drink. Luke was drinking Coke from a can, and the man a wine in a glass. The only thing was that the man didn't seem to be drinking the wine quickly. Probably because wine was a drink made by Dionysus, and people on the Titans' side generally hated the gods.

Dracaenae were everywhere, as if they were Luke's personal bodyguards.

Luke looked different somehow. He still had blonde hair and blue eyes, but something didn't seem right. He looked skinnier, and the bags under his eyes were clearly visible. He looked even worse than he did in the dream. The cut that ran along Luke's face was red, as if it had been opened again. Percy suddenly felt angry at whoever did this to Luke. Then he felt angry at Luke for what he did to Annabeth.

Percy glanced at the other man. He was giant, even when sitting down. He wore an expensive brown business suit, but even then Percy could see the muscles protruding through the fabric. He had dark slicked-back hair, eyes like stone, light brown skin, and a very muscular build. His face was brutal like he'd been in fights for his entire life. He had huge shoulders and hands that could snap a flagpole in half. His expression was regal, and his stone eyes gave off a cold, proud look that looked a thousand times more evil when he was calm compared to Luke when Luke was furious.

"Welcome to D.C., Percy," Luke said, lifting his Coke can as if he was doing a cheers.

"What did you do to Annabeth?" Percy growled.

Luke looked pained. "I did what I had to. The plan'll be saved that way. Because Thorn only brought a daughter of Athena instead of a child of the Big Three like what we were looking for, we need a little bait. But seriously, man, I didn't expect you to jump off that cliff. What the Hades were you thinking? That Annabeth was going to be down there? Unfortunately, that also meant you discovered the entrance to the Labyrinth."

"Do not expose too much," commanded the muscle man. "His allegiance is still… shaky."

"Who are you?" Percy asked.

The man smiled grotesquely. "You may call me, ah, the General."

"General? Of the Titan army?"

"You could say that."

Percy racked his brain for myths. He found it. "You're Atlas, general of the Titan army during the first Titan war."

"Smarter than he looks," laughed the Titan. "I'll give him that."

"But that means…" Percy went pale. There was no way he could fight Atlas. Atlas was the best commander and warrior of all the Titans. And he wasn't even one of the original twelve. He was a son of Iapetus.

"Yes. And I do not trust you, Percy Jackson. You show no allegiance to either side. You help both. You attack both. But Luke says he can change you. I don't think it is possible, but my lord told me to watch. If something happens that I don't like, I have full permission to send my forces against you, son of Poseidon. And you will not survive."

Percy scowled.

"So, Percy, I'm pleading with you again," Luke begged. "Help us."

"Even after all I did to betray you?" he asked. "Even after all you did to betray me? You think asking me to work for people who want to kill me is something I want to do?"

"And the Olympians do not want to kill you?" questioned Atlas.

"I fight for camp's safety," Percy said. "Not the gods."

"Then why work for them?"

"I'm not necessarily working for them. It just so happens…"

"Camp does not have to be destroyed," Atlas said. "If they all defect, then it won't be an issue. We'll kill all the traitors… all those who believe in the Olympians. And we'll let all the gods who defect live freely on the world, free from the reign of the Olympians. My lord is willing to let Hades and Poseidon live if they defect, for it is Zeus and his children who are truly the enemies. Perhaps Demeter and Hestia can still live. Mmm, yes, Hestia sounds good…" There was a hungry look in the Titan's eyes.

"They wouldn't defect," Percy said. "They know that the Olympians are better than the Titans."

"Your world can exist, Percy," Luke reasoned. "The dead will be released by Hades. You can find Nathan. You can find Rose. Your mother. Grover. We can live happily, away from battles and horrors once the Olympians are gone from this world."

"If Kronos rises, it won't be a happy world!" Percy argued.

"If you don't join us, he'll use the other way!" Luke screamed. "You have to listen to me!"

"Other… way?"

"Please, Percy. You'll save me. We're friends, right? Or did that stop when I tried to kill you?"

Percy closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Why should I help you? I believed in you guys until you showed your true colours. You're no better than the Olympians. Lying traitors discarding of their tools when they have no more use. You're just like Athena, thinking of the 'wisest' action—the action that will make things easier and more effective. Who cares if Thalia is easier to control? You lost an ally who swore to take full responsibility of the prophecy."

"Percy—"

"Maybe the gods don't care about us, but that's because they're made that way. Prometheus made humans, Luke. We're literally toys to them. Do you not realize that? The Titans are only being nice because it will give them manpower to destroy Olympus. The Olympians are the heart of the west. Western Civilization will fall if they fall."

"That's exactly what I want!" Luke bellowed. "Western civilization is corrupt, Percy. Politics, crimes, even normal people. No one has morals anymore. We need to start fresh. We need to wipe the slate clean and start anew."

"You'd sacrifice Thalia and Annabeth for this?"

Luke's face turned red with anger. "Don't bring them into this! They have nothing to do with this!"

"They will have something to do with this! You tricked Annabeth into holding the sky. She won't forget that. Thalia always said she wouldn't change her allegiance."

"Shut up!"

"It's inevitable! You can't hide from it forever!"

"We have our ways. You would do well to stop, or I'll ask Louise to put a bullet through your leg."

Atlas chuckled. "Interesting, Percy Jackson. You care about your friends very much. I'll take that into account. But for now, we must be off. Chris Rodriguez? I believe it is Mr. Jackson's bed time, is it not?"

"Of course."

There was no punch this time, but still, Percy felt himself falling into darkness feeling helpless and scared, realizing for the first time that the Titans were far more dangerous than they'd let on. As he fell into a nightmare once again, he could only think about Annabeth and the fog that was swirling above her. Now he knew what it was, and fear and dread settled in his bones.

Please, Annabeth, he pleaded. Don't die.

Hey!

Another chapter! Woot! Woot! Did I change it up enough for you? Read and review! And if you haven't, vote on the poll!

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SharkAttack719