Chapter 17

Acquaintances Crash my Return Party

I couldn't tell you how long I stood watching the clumsy pyre burn. All I know is that when the flames sputtered and died it was late afternoon, and only ashes were left. Andi's body, and the spear I had laid across her chest, had disappeared in plumes of steel-smelling smoke.

I didn't wait for the embers to cool. There was nothing keeping me there anymore, and the heaviness in my chest wasn't going to get any lighter by sticking around.

At camp my bag was exactly where I left it. I unzipped it and stuffed the few things I had brought with me inside, before rolling up my sleeping back and clipping that onto the end. I glanced around the camp, still holding the backpack open. It seemed like a shame to leave so much nice stuff abandoned in a field, but it wasn't like I could shove a water cooler into my pocket.

Then my eyes landed on the table with dinnerware scattered across it, and on one glittering bronze set in particular. It was the plate and cup combo that Andi used to patch me up. I strode over and dropped them into the bag without a second thought.

Nothing else was both useful and portable, so I shoved a hand into a side pocket and rooted around until cold bit into the palm. Closing my fingers and pulling, I found stared at my reflection in a whistle of solid ice. I didn't hesitate to put it to my lips and blow.

I couldn't hear a thing, but Dedalus warned me that I wouldn't. The second my breath passed through it the whistle crumbled into shards and drifted away on the breeze. That meant it worked, I hoped. If it hadn't I was more stranded than a fish on Park Ave.

I strained my senses for signs of something changing. In the end, a single bark was my only warning before I was run over from behind by the hellhound express.

"Hey girl!" I said, my voice muffled by dog fur swaddling my mouth.

"Woof!" replied Mrs. O'Leary. In the background I heard what was either a chain of minor explosives detonating, or her tail striking the ground. With some effort I managed to wiggle free.

"It is really good to see you," I told her. Her enthusiasm was infectious. Plus, not being alone was already helping me feel a bit better.

She gave me a bump with the leather beachball she called a nose and I stumbled, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too. Now come on, let's get out of here."

I expected her to drag me right to the nearest shadow. She didn't usually need a second invitation to head home. But instead she whined and glanced around.

"What is it?" I frowned. "Is something wrong, girl?"

Abruptly, she bounded straight past me into the woods. By the time I spun around she had her jaws around a sapling. One yank and the tree was pulled from the ground, roots and all. Mrs. O'Leary padded back and dropped it at my feet, laying down expectantly.

"You want me to throw that?" I asked.

Her tail wagged harder, so yes. I laughed incredulously.

"I'd love to, but I'm not Hercules. Come on, let's head back and I'll play with you. Dedalus always has plenty of toys."

I walked to the shadow of the aluminum canopy. Instead of following, Mrs. O'Leary started whining.

"I can't throw it. Now come on!"

Very slowly, she picked herself up and headed over. Just before she got to me she whipped around and growled. Her ears went flat and she bared her teeth. I drew Aelia on reflex.

The woods were completely still. Nothing was crunching aside bushes and no thundering footsteps could be heard. Not a branch was out of place, and no ominous smells either. A chubby finch chirped and took flight. As the bird fluttered overhead Mrs. O'Leary bent her neck to track it, growling the whole time. I shoved Aelia away.

"It's just a bird," I complained, rubbing her behind the ears. "I know monsters come in all shapes, but I think I could disintegrate one that small with a drop kick. Let's go."

Mrs. O'Leary stopped growling, but she gave me a look I had only seen right before bath time- apprehensive, like she didn't want any part of what was coming next. I redirected my scratches to right under the chin- her favorite spot.

"What is it?" I asked, wishing she could answer. A bit of worry joined my frustration, but not enough to change my mind.

"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out with Dedalus. It can't be that bad." I leaned in and bumped her muzzle with my forehead, earning a satisfied snort. "I've been gone a while, it's time to head back. So let's go."

She slunk over to the shadow and brushed the ground with her paw. I wrapped my arms around her, and she grunted as if to say, 'I tried'. Then she lunged into the ground, and we were gone.

We appeared from underneath the door of the workshop, just managing not to upend a table coated in what looked like sticks of neon deodorant. They were all packed into plastic carrying cases, and glancing at the other tables revealed stacks of bankers' boxes. That was the first sign that something was wrong. Dedalus's things were never packed up. The second was the figure that appeared at the edge of the loft and made my blood boil.

I whipped out Aelia and clicked twice. The moment Anthea formed I had two hands on the shaft. Grinning down at me, leaning over the railing, was a face I'd hoped to go a lot longer without seeing.

"Wow! Look who it is!" Kelli called down. "To think that we'd meet again so soon. Talk about fate."

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Would you believe it if I said my job?" Kelli pointed. "Just look at the dog. See? She knows I'm supposed to be here."

It was true. Mrs. O'Leary didn't look thrilled, but she wasn't in attack mode. If anything she looked grudging, like I'd just told her I would take her for a walk another day.

I was about to tell Kelli I didn't care at all when the sound of banging metal came from down the hall. A moment later two Laistrygonians entered, both loaded up with piles of boxes. They trudged up to a still-empty table and deposited their loads, grunting. Striding in behind them, watching with a critical eye, was Dedalus himself.

"No, not there!" Dedalus snapped. "How many times do we have to go over this? Automaton parts go to table sixteen, basilisk pheromones to table eleven, and only automatic toiletry prototypes on table five. That is table five, and what is it in those boxes?"

One of the Laistrygonians leaned in and sniffed. "Smells like snakes," he declared.

"Right," Dedalus said. "So…"

The giant thought for a minute. Then his mouth dropped open, and he pounded his fist into his palm. "So it is in the right place."

Dedalus groaned, pulling at his hair with both hands. I cleared my throat, and he jumped.

"Percy! You're back already. I, ah, didn't expect that quite so quickly."

"What's going on?" I asked. "What is she doing here? And the giants, while we're at it?"

Kelli gave a little wave. Dedalus sighed and gestured for me to follow him.

"Things have occurred while you were gone," he said tiredly. "Come along, you'll need to be caught up."

I would've preferred a direct answer for why a flirty vampire that recently tried to suck my blood was now hanging out in my house. But Dedalus didn't look interested in giving the short version, so I trudged across the room. I didn't put Anthea away.

"See you soon," Kelli said. I glared and stepped out of the room. Dedalus followed a moment later once he'd shouted some final directions to his workforce.

"So, start talking?"

Dedalus placed his hand on my back and lead me toward my room. "I take it you two are somehow acquainted?"

"She tried to stab holes in me, and tried to stab even more in my teacher. So yeah, we've met."

"Brilliant," Dedalus murmured. "Because this situation was not complicated enough already."

The door to my room was standing open. When we entered I found that barely anything was how I left it. All the furniture except the bed was gone, broken down and packed into boxes. The walls were blank. Looking into the bathroom, even the showerhead had been disassembled.

"We are moving," Dedalus announced. I had kind of guessed with the state of the place, but that didn't help it make any more sense.

I nodded. "Amazing. That clears up nothing."

Dedalus walked around and plopped onto the bed, his hands resting on his knees. "While you were gone an… offer, came in for my services. A very lucrative one. In the end, I accepted. Kelli is an aid, one sent to help facilitate the transition. And, of course, to make sure I do not experience a change of heart."

Thoughts buzzed through my head. An offer, one he accepted, and whoever it was had sent Kelli to do their grunt work. An image of a polar bear flashed through my head, but just as quickly Andi's words came back to me: Something bigger is out there.

"The titans," I said. "You're working for the titans."

Dedalus coughed. "That's correct. Though I do wonder how exactly you could know that?"

I told him everything about the encounter with Kelli, including Coeus showing up to reign her in. By the time I finished, he was nodding.

"That does save time," he said, leaning back. "I would dearly love to hear all the details of your training, but that can wait. What do you want to know first? Ask away."

I pressed on the top of a cardboard box. When I found it was firm, I sat down.

"What do they want you to do?" I asked.

"A number of things. Some more important than others. I am to lend what help I can in navigating the Labyrinth, though I've already told them not to expect much. As you know, my creation is beyond my control. The price I pay for all these years of privacy. At first, they came asking for Ariadne's string, but-"

"But it isn't here anymore," I interrupted before he could get sidetracked whining. The old man really had a sore spot for people giving his stuff away, and I had no interest in hearing the same spiel I'd gotten a hundred times before. "Did you tell them about the other way?"

"I did," Dedalus said, reluctantly accepting the fast-forward. "They did not trust it though, no matter how many times I assured them. Their disdain for mortals seems to extend too deep- they could not stomach the thought of relying on one."

We'd talked about it before, the way to navigate the Labyrinth. Mortals with clear sight, like Mark or Ariadne herself, could see the way naturally. Even Dedalus wasn't sure why, but he was certain it was true. That was enough for me.

I leaned forward. "So you didn't have the string to give them, and they wouldn't listen afterwards. That sounds really sad for them, but how does it become us moving? And how did they even find the workshop in the first place?"

"Trial and error was how the found it," Dedalus said. "Quite a lot of it, too. They tossed monsters at the problem until some got lucky. Not the prettiest of methods, but effective enough. It got them here, anyhow. As to our moving, their deal had two parts. They have a job for me, an extremely important one. One for which they are willing to compensate very well."

I opened my mouth, but he cut me off.

"I'm being vague for a reason. I swore not to tell the details to a soul, that was one of their conditions. Suffice to say the task will require time and effort, and as finding their way here once was a significant feat, they wished for me to complete it closer to their home."

It was a lot to take in. Dedalus had spent thousands of years hiding out down here, so for him to pack up and ship off…

"What did they offer you?" I asked. "You can talk about that at least, can't you?"

He nodded. "You are likely aware of this already, but the Titans' goal is the same as it was a thousand years ago- the defeat of the gods. Only now it is a revolt, rather than a suppression. If they are successful, certain vacuums will be created. I will be allowed to fill one of those vacuums."

Dedalus leaned forward, his face more serious than while mixing explosive chemicals. "The whole underworld will be my domain. A chance to reunite with Icarus, to atone with-" He cut off, fear in his eyes.

"Atone? Atone for what?"

"It's nothing. A slip of the tongue." Dedalus sat up straight, his intensity swapped for unease. "What is important is that it is a chance to correct my fate. For the first time since Crete, I won't have to flee from shadows. In truth, there are few tasks I would not take on for that."

He was hiding something. My test scores may've said otherwise, but I wasn't dumb enough to miss something so obvious. Still, prying would get me nowhere. Dedalus had as much stubbornness in him as I did, which is to say way too much.

That reminded me. Grinning like a lunatic, I hopped to my feet.

"I told you!" I said, pointing at his chest.

"Pardon? Told me what, exactly?"

"That I would do it. That I would follow your plan and come back just fine. And look at me- not a scratch."

I stretched my arms out wide, showing off my still-operational body. Dedalus snorted.

"So you have," he said. "I must admit, I had forgotten your self-imposed mission-"

"No you hadn't."

He stopped, staring. I shrugged.

"You aren't a good liar. At all. You always start talking slower, and you raise your chin up a little bit."

"I do not," Dedalus said indignantly, lowering his chin.

"You do," I said, "and there's no way you would forget. Not with this. Come on, you know I win this one."

He looked pretty ready to keep arguing, but at that moment the door banged open. One of the Laistrygonian helpers stood in the hallway. He had to lean down to keep his head from rubbing the ceiling, which was pretty impressive considering Mrs. O'Leary could fit fine. His knuckle was raised from knocking, and he stared at the door in befuddlement.

"Only meant to tap," he mumbled. "Silly weak doors."

"Is something the matter?" Dedalus asked, an undertone of irritation to his voice. "Don't tell me you need the directions clarified. Surely Kelli can do that much."

"Not that." The giant shook his head. "Moving team sent message. They are coming."

Immediately, Dedalus straightened. "So soon? Talk about impatient. How long until they arrive?"

The giant started raising fingers. He stopped with eight fingers raised and showed them off.

"Six hours!" he said proudly.

"Um, wonderful." Dedalus cleared his throat. "You may head back now. We must work quickly to have the last bits packed in time."

"Work," said the giant. "I am good at work. Yes I am."

He turned and shuffled off like a hunchback. Dedalus stood with a sigh.

"It will take supervision if I want them to finish on time," he said. "They're horribly inefficient without it."

I started to get up, but he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"You rest up." Before I could protest, he fixed me with a look. "Believe me, you'll be thankful later. The moving team is led by the army's general himself, and I think you're acquainted. A demigod, by the name of Luke Castellan."

A million and two questions flashed through my head, but Dedalus was through the door before I could get out a single one . How helpful of him. I reluctantly shed my bag and dropped onto the bed. Chasing him down now wouldn't do any good. As frustrating as it was, answers would have to wait.

I would love to say I stayed up and analyzed all the new information I had learned, but the moment my head hit the pillow I was out. Duels, deaths, and discoveries… it had been a really long day, and my body was at its limit.

Apparently my mind wasn't, though. As quickly as sleep came, so did the visions. It had been years since my last proper Demigod dream, but the sensation was still the exact same- one moment of weightlessness, like gravity had been reversed, the next I was somewhere new.

I appeared on a mountaintop. Black clouds swirled overhead like dirty bathwater down a drain. Glittering lights and rolling hills made for a fantastic view. On one side the ocean stretched away, and in the opposite direction a huge bay was wedged between cities. It was all really pretty, but not enough to distract me from the man looking out over it.

He was tall, about half the height of the scraggly trees that lined the cliffside. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he was dressed casually- a button-up, khaki shorts, and moccasins. He was the second person I had ever seen with grey eyes, but his were a different shade than Annabeth's. Dull like pavement, though just as sharp. All over his arms and face were crisscrossing scars, enough that two tattoo artists could've had an epic game of tic-tac-toe on him. He could probably look wicked scary if he wanted to, but there was an easy air about him as he smiled at an unadorned steel box in his hands.

"Progress is a wonderful feeling, isn't it?"

A gust of wind rustled the surrounding plant life. In the background a group of tourists chatted while snapping photos, oblivious to the deadly-looking clouds blotting out the sun. But the scarred dude nodded like someone had answered him.

"True, true. Much work to do yet. But I must confess, simply feeling the air on my face is invigorating. It has been such a long time since I could move so freely." Then he gasped, pressing a hand to his mouth. "Oh! That was insensitive of me, wasn't it."

Another gust of wind, but this one felt different. Unnatural. It almost seemed to emanate from the metal box, like a localized tornado of irritation. His ponytail flapping, Scar Dude chuckled to himself.

"Sorry, so sorry. Don't take it to heart, you'll be out in no time. After all, the pieces are already falling into place."

He looked to the side, straight into my eyes. More wind rippled his clothes, echoing like a baritone chuckle. My surroundings melted.

A new scene crystallized, one with even less natural light than the first. It was the middle of the night and pouring. A gutter rattled overhead, lining the overhang of a dingy minimart. Neon letters advertised AS to a barren highway, the opening G completely burned out. I turned in a circle, trying to find what I was supposed to be looking at. A demigod's dreams could be random and confusing, but there was always a point to them. Was this a regular dream?

But it couldn't be. It was too vivid, and I was too aware. Then I noticed them.

It was no wonder it took so long- they were the exact same color as the shadow they were hunched in. A person, one with unkempt black hair blocking their face. They were wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers, which all really contrasted with their pale hands and neck. A light-up CLOSED sign sprayed traces of amber light across something small laying in front of them.

"Are you certain this will work?" the person asked in a hoarse voice.

"Have I done anything to earn your doubt, master?" another voice answered. My head whipped around, but I couldn't spot anyone else. "You must only be patient and follow my instructions, then you will be reunited. I promise it."

The one I could see looked up, and I realized he was only a kid. He couldn't have been older than eleven or twelve. But his eyes looked like a veteran's.

"I'm trusting you," he said. "But if things go wrong, if you're tricking me…"

The shadows stirred. Darkness started to slither, like a sword pulling back to swing. But when the voice answered it only sounded indignant.

"That you would think so low of me! Surely if I wanted to lead you astray, I would have done so already. You know me, master, just as you know that you have nothing to fear from me, only to gain. As it should be."

The surroundings went still again. "Alright," said the kid. He picked up what was laying in front of him- a thin rectangle, about the size and shape of a business card or a nametag. "One month. Just hold on a bit longer."

I woke up with a jolt, hands clenching my blanket. Something was blaring, a distant but incredibly loud alarm. By the time I had stood up, straightened my clothes, and pocketed Aelia, the noise was gone. A moment later Dedalus appeared in the doorway. He was smiling, but it seemed nervous. In his hands was the typewriter-looking machine that had gone off just before he sent me to Andi. That must've been my impromptu alarm.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

"About seven hours," Dedalus said. "The perfect amount of time to prepare your politest behavior. What do you say, ready to meet our new coworkers?"

I slipped past him into the hallway. "If they say one word about me looking tasty, I reserve the right to stab them."

He ruffled my hair. "Nothing to worry about. The most you're capable of is edible."

"Cute."

Before reaching the workshop Dedalus grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. There was nothing cheery or teasing about his firm expression.

"Be careful, Percy," he said. "The group we are about to meet was not due for at least another month. I requested a larger window, to make sure you would return before the time came. That they are here now, so far ahead of schedule and at such a perfect time…"

"They knew when I was coming." My spine tingled. "They were keeping tabs on me."

"It could have been a coincidence," Dedalus said, his tone showing what he thought of the possibility. "Just watch your step around them. You are more important than you realize."

He gave me a pat on the back and walked through the door. I took a deep breath. Hiding out in the hallway wasn't a long-term solution, no matter how much I may've wished it was.

It was time to meet an old friend.

(-)

Aaand we're back. The intermission to plan the next arc, research myths for use, etc. is through and done with. Thank god. That's the part that sucks.

For this arc I'm going to try and keep the chapters slightly longer, and also to stay ahead so as to keep updates more regular. As of posting this, two-and-a-half chapters are just a few editing runs off their final form, and I want to keep that buffer as much as I can so that more or less a chapter a week can go up on here.