"Come on, you can do better than that." My opponent said, effortlessly redirecting my polearm to the ground.

I grit my teeth, shadow travelling away before he could perform a follow up attack. The bad thing about being trained by someone like Achilles was that he had learned all my tricks. And that even in death, his curse remained.

We circled each other for a bit, never once taking our eyes off each other, and then I lunged, spear held horizontally as I shot forward like an arrow. Achilles tensed, holding his golden spear up.

Darkness embraced me, warping me to the other side, my spear heading straight for his neck.

Achilles moved with mind boggling swiftness, he knocked the bident out of my hand, effectively destroying my balance as I crashed into the ground.

The cold edge of his spear tapped lightly at my throat, drawing just a bit of blood. I sighed, slumping down. I had lost, again.

"Don't take it to heart, lad." Achilles said, offering me his hand, "For merely four months of training, you've advanced farther than most."

"It is enough, though?" I accepted his arm, getting back to a standing position.

"Combined with your shrewd fighting style, I'd say you're a force to be reckoned with, but don't let that get to your head." He warned, "Overconfidence has been the cause of many deaths."

"I know," I said, "Same time tomorrow?"

Achilles shook his head, "I'm afraid that won't be possible, lad. It seems your father has a few tasks for you to complete."

I frowned, "Those normally don't take very long."

"These ones will." He said knowingly, patting my shoulder encouragingly, "Good luck out there."

I sighed, "See you soon Achilles."

Only once had I bid the golden haired man goodbye did I realize the implications of his words. My father would be sending me to the surface.

"Perhaps he thinks your training is complete?" My sister suggested, walking beside me, holding her longbow as easily as one would hold a twig.

I shook my head, "It's far from complete, four months isn't nearly enough to finish my training."

"Maybe he wants to test you then."

I shrugged, "Possible. The prospect of actually hitting something does sound tempting though."

She chuckled, "Achilles is a legendary hero."

Grumbling under my breath, I decided to change the topic, "How is your training coming along by the way?"

"Oh it's actually going really well. I can hit targets a hundred metres away now, can you believe it!" She looked positively beaming.

I smiled, "That's impressive, you're going to make an amazing archer one day Bianca."

She blushed at the compliment, "You think so?"

"I'm sure you will," I said, reaffirming my words, "Though, you do need to know to fight in close combat, your bow won't help you every time."

"I am, Mel is teaching me how to use my powers more effectively."

I nodded, "I still don't get how you can address her so casually."

"She's our sister, Valen." Bianca reminded me, "We don't need to hold up formalities in front of family. You sure don't with our dad."

"That's different," I said vainly.

"How? They're both directly related to us, we're all family here Valen." Bianca said, "You really should try talking with her more."

I sighed, "Maybe once I return." I stopped; we had reached father's chambers. "Well, see you then."

Bianca nodded, walking in to give me a hug, "Stay safe out there."

"I make no promises." I said as she released me.

"You'd better come back alive, or do you want to make Nico cry?"

I winced, "Low blow Bianca, low blow."

She smiled, "Then make sure to return alive."

"Ah, Bianca you're here too." Hades said as he walked into the hallway, "Good, I'll send someone to fetch Nico too."

I furrowed my brows, "They're going too?"

"Not with you, but yes." Hades said, opening the door to his chamber, "Come, I'll explain."

And so we did, Nico arriving barely five minutes after.

"So let me get this straight, the camp has found an opening to the labyrinth inside the boundaries and thinks the titan army is going to invade?"

Hades nodded, "Yes, they've requested for backup, hence why I am sending Nico and Bianca. As for you, you shall enter the maze yourself, rendezvous with the team they have sent from their side and aid them in their quest."

"What's their aim?"

"To find the legendary inventor Daedalus," Hades said.

"But, isn't he supposed to be like, dead?" I asked, Daedalus existed eon's ago.

"He is," Hades said grimly, "But he has somehow escaped death."

"And you want me to bring him here the hard way?" I guessed, he seemed pretty pissed at the man.

"Yes, he has escaped death for too long, the moment you see him, I want you to send his soul straight to me."

I nodded, "Will do,"

"And what of us?" Bianca suddenly asked, the di Angelos had remained uncharacteristically silent till now.

"You shall aid the camp when the invasion occurs, which hopefully will never happen if the quest succeeds."

"I won't get to fight?" Nico asked.

"Hopefully," he said, "But be prepared nonetheless."

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Right now, I have all your belongings prepared for you in these." He extended his hand, three signet rings on his palm.

Shrugging, I took the one directed to me, Nico and Bianca following soon after.

"Inside you may find nectar and ambrosia, a near endless supply of currency, both mortal and divine, and a sigil which you shall use only when you're in extreme danger."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Hades beat me to it, "And yes, I've included a plethora of spare weapons if you find the need."

He really had thought of everything. He sighed, getting up from his chair, "I must send you off now. Good luck, my children, and may the fates be kind to you."

Probably won't, but it doesn't hurt to hope.

.

.

.

The labyrinth was…annoying to say the least. I began my journey through one of its openings near phlegethon, using my sword to mark the walls to make it easier for me to escape. But a moment after I thought of that, the wall disappeared, now in a completely different alignment.

I cursed underneath my breath, stupid sentient mazes.

And so, I treaded in blindly.

Being who I was, I could sense my surroundings and how deep into the earth I was. So it was even more confusing when one moment I was metres from the surface, and the next I was deeper than man had ever been. I blocked my earth sensing ability to preserve my sanity.

I walked straight, ignoring any corridor that appeared, no matter how appealing. One literally had a hole in the ceiling with sunlight coming in, but I also smelled eucalyptus heavily, and if my mind was not playing tricks on me, the sound of a hundred people snoring.

The garden of the Hesperides, definitely not going there.

The path ended in a massive chamber, rubies and obsidian lining the walls. If this room didn't have a monster, then I was a cyclops.

Seeing no exit to the room, I could only assume one would open up once the beast is slain. Taking a crisp breath in, I jumped in. It was as if that was a trigger, and a part of the floor opened up, a pedestal rising.

A distinct chill blanketed the room, the temperature dropping at least fifteen degrees. I shivered, what sort of monster had such an effect?

When it finally revealed itself, I couldn't help but be confused. It looked like a congregation of ice taking the form of a humanoid being. It looked normal enough, if blue skin was normal. Its hair looked normal, dyed white-blue, but normal. But they stood stiff, and light glinted off some.

In its hand it held a singular icicle carved to the liking of a sword, raising it above its head, it roared.

Instantly I began moving, my first thought was to use hellfire to melt it, but decided against it, the consequences were too high.

Sliding to a stop beside it, I stabbed my spear into the ground, willing the earth to obey my command, and yanked it forward.

The earth broke, jagged rocks blossoming out of the crack in the ground, cutting deep into the being's calves, drawing blue blood.

Explains the blue skin I thought. The beast charged, sword held high. I sidestepped its swing, the blade clattering harmlessly against the floor.

Unsheathing Stormguard, I swiped across its chest, splitting it open and spraying its blood all over my face.

I recoiled, blood was not supposed to be cold! How did this thing function? I shook my head, throwing the blood off my face.

It glared at me, holding its arm across its wound. I glared back, waving my hand as half a dozen boulders levitated off the ground. It raised its sword arm, and I flicked my fingers, the boulders shooting towards it, pinning it to the wall.

Raising my hand towards the ceiling, I focused, imposing my will on the earth. And then I pulled.

The beast could only throw its sword at me in a desperate attempt as the ceiling crushed it to pulp, removing all trace of it.

The blade closed in on me, and I warped away. Its aim was true, even near death. With its death, the temperature began rising once again, and a part of the seemingly seamless walls split open to reveal a gateway.

So I was right. I trotted up to the gate, It's eerily like a game. Ah well, I can't claim to know what goes on in Daedalus' head.

.

.

.

In contrast to the chamber before it, the pathway was warm, teetering on the edge of blistering hot. While I did appreciate the warmth, I did not like the uncomfortable heat.

I sighed, nothing I could do.

Soon enough I came across the source of all this heat. A door, circular not rectangular. Akin to ones in bank vaults, if movies were a trustable source. In the center of the wheel, the same one that acted as it's doorknob, sat a greek Ȇta, inscribed into it.

Seeing no other path, I grabbed the wheel, spinning it counterclockwise. A distinct click signalled the door being opened. Pushing the solid steel door in, I walked into what looked like a workshop on steroids.

It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had stranger things: a bronze hippalectryon with its horse head off and a bunch of wires hanging out its rooster tail, a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.

But what caught my eye the most was the 9mm pistol sitting on a table, unattended for. It looked to be carved straight out of a chunk of Stygian Iron. I picked it up, taking comfort in the touch of cool metal.

I frowned, suddenly noticing the lack of a magazine. What sort of gun didn't have bullets?

Nevertheless I held it up, pointing it towards one of the targets. Aiming with one eye, I pulled the trigger, and almost dropped the gun when I felt it leeching energy from me. A bullet of pure shadows shot out, skewering past the target, entirely missing the bullseye, and carved a hole in the wall.

I whistled, I see now why it has no magazine. The thing basically had infinite bullets, as long as the wielder had energy.

"Fifty Drachma," the voice shook the room, making the floor tremble. I panicked, warping by reflex, and away from my previous location.

Once calm, I scanned my surroundings for the owner, and there he was in all his misshapen glory, Hephaestus the god of the forges.

Honestly, I didn't see why he was considered so ugly. Sure, he wasn't handsome, but he wasn't completely repulsive either. Humans could look much worse under the wrong conditions, I had seen entirely too many of those during my homeless years.

I considered the price, fifty Drachma was a lot, but I had checked my father's funds, and there were a lot more than fifty Drachma there. It didn't mean I couldn't haggle.

"Tell you what, throw in another for seventy-five."

"Eighty-five." He rumbled.

"Eighty."

Hephaestus sighed, "Very well, anything else?"

Did I need anything else? I hadn't come here for shopping after all. But it didn't hurt to get souvenirs.

I walked over to the weapons section, searching specifically for weapons suited to my half-siblings.

"There it is," I said, looking at what looked like a mix between a crossbow and a bracer. Like Arno Dorian's phantom blade, only bigger and more dangerous.

"Twenty Drachma," He said without even looking.

I nodded, That sounds fair.

Moving on to the swords section, I began looking for one that would suit Nico, but something else caught my eye. A pendant in the shape of a teardrop, made entirely out of-

"Is that human bone?" I said, mortified.

Hephaestus nodded, "Mixed with some stygian iron, it can hold a near endless supply of chthonic energy.

I pressed my lips to a thin line, while perfect for Nico, I didn't know if I wanted him to have something so…morbid.

Ah well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him.

"That'll be a hundred Drachmae," He said, breaking my line of thought.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute-!"

"That trinket was a challenge to make, not to mention the process of fusing bone and stygian iron is strenuous."

I furrowed my brows, "How about this, the guns, the crossbow and the pendant for one-fifty."

"One-Eighty," He said, "Nothing lower."

"One-seventy?" I tried.

Hephaestus didn't budge, staring down at me expressionlessly. I sighed, holding my arm out, my ring glowing as I brought out the necessary Drachma.

The sack flew up to the god, who glanced in for a moment before nodding contentedly. He flicked his fingers, and the items flew up to him, another gun appearing out of somewhere in the room.

His palm hovering over them, he muttered a few words in ancient Greek, the weapons glowing dull orange when he was done. Once the glow had receded, he pushed it towards me, the weapons disappearing into my ring. "Anything else?"

I shook my head, "No, noth- actually, did you see a group of demigods pass by here?"

He raised an eyebrow, "You mean the sons of Poseidon, daughter of Athena and the satyr? I did see them momentarily, I sent them to clear one of my forges for a way to find the old inventor."

"Where?"

"Mount St. Helens, the satyr had said, but I'm afraid you are too late."

My heart sank faster than the titanic, "What happened?"

"The blonde returned alone," He said, making my breath hitch, "The Satyr and the Cyclops had gone off to find the lost one."

"What about Percy?"

"Worry not, the boy lives, although if he wishes to return or not, is completely up to him."

I narrowed my eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said, I shall pay him a visit to confirm it, but he might choose to remain. Of course, anyone would in his situation."

"I-" I began, unable to form a complete sentence. "Can I come along?" I decided to say.

Hephaestus shrugged, standing up, "Do as you wish."

I averted my eyes as divine light flooded the room.

.

.

.

"I have to say Hephaestus," I began, "When you said he might not wish to return, I was expecting something akin to elysium or the isles, not a beach."

Hephaestus grumbled, "The location is not the reason he would choose to stay, it is the being who lives here."

"What?"

"Lord Hephaestus," A girl greeted, walking closer to us. She had caramel hair braided in traditional greek attire. Walking behind her was no other than Percy, his skin red as if he had been dipped in boiling water.

The fire god grunted. "Calypso. Beautiful as always. Would you excuse us, please, my dear? We need to have a word with our young Percy Jackson."

"Valen," Percy ran up to me, grabbing my shoulders, "Long time no see man."

I smiled, "Hey Perce, been a while."

His grin melted off when he looked at Hephaestus, "So, what's going on? Is Annabeth-"

"She's fine," he said. "Resourceful girl, that one. Found her way back, told me the whole story. She's worried sick, you know."

"You haven't told her I'm okay?"

"That's not for me to say," Hephaestus said. "Everyone thinks you're dead. I had to be sure you were coming back before I started telling everyone where you were."

"What do you mean?" he said. "Of course I'm coming back!"

"Damn right you are, I was going to drag you back via shadow travel if you chose otherwise."

Percy laughed nervously, "Don't want to know what that feels like."

Hephaestus fished something out of his pocket—a metal disk the size of an iPod. He clicked a button and it expanded into a miniature bronze TV. On the screen was news footage of Mount St. Helens, a huge plume of fire and ash trailing into the sky.

"Still uncertain about further eruptions," the newscaster was saying. "Authorities have ordered the evacuation of almost half a million people as a precaution. Meanwhile, ash has fallen as far away as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver, and the entire Mount St. Helens area is closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. While no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illnesses include—"

Hephaestus switched it off. "You caused quite an explosion."

I whistled, "That's an impressive feat."

"The telekhines were scattered," he said. "Some vaporized. Some got away, no doubt. I don't think they'll be using my forge any time soon. On the other hand, neither will I. the explosion caused Typhon to stir in his sleep. We'll have to wait and see—"

"I couldn't release him, could I? I mean, I'm not that powerful!"

The god grunted. "Not that powerful, eh? Could have fooled me. You're the son of the Earthshaker, lad. You don't know your own strength."

"Percy, children of the big three are considered threats for a reason." I said, "It's no surprise they decided not to have kids post world war 2."

Percy remained silent, solemn horror etched on his face. He seemed to heavily regret what he had done. Good, he has a conscience.

"What about Grover and Tyson?" he suddenly asked.

Hephaestus shook his head. "No word, I'm afraid. I suppose the labyrinth has them."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Hephaestus winced. "Don't ever ask an old cripple for advice, lad. But I'll tell you this. You've met my wife?"

"Aphrodite, we both have." I said, "It was an…interesting meeting."

"That's her. She's a tricky one, lad. Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong."

"I second that." I nodded sagely.

"Is this part of her plan?" he asked. "Did she land me here?"

"Possibly. Hard to say with her. But if you decide to leave this place—and I don't say what's right or wrong—then I promised you an answer to your quest. I promised you the way to Daedalus. Well now, here's the thing. It has nothing to do with Ariadne's string. Not really. Sure, the string works. That's what the Titan's army will be after. But the best way through the maze…Theseus had the princess's help. And the princess was a regular mortal. Not a drop of god blood in her. But she was clever, and she could see, lad. She could see very clearly. So what I'm saying—I think you know how to navigate the maze."

"A clear sighted mortal," I said, "But where will we find one?"

"I know where she is." Percy said, enlightenment visible on his face.

"Then you'll need to decide whether or not you're leaving."

"I…" Percy tried to say, his gaze switching towards a nearby lake.

I narrowed my eyes, was he considering staying?

"Don't decide yet," Hephaestus advised. "Wait until daybreak. Daybreak is a good time for decisions."

"Will Daedalus even help us?" he asked. "I mean, if he gives Luke a way to navigate the Labyrinth, we're dead. I saw dreams about…Daedalus killed his nephew. He turned bitter and angry and—"

"It isn't easy being a brilliant inventor," Hephaestus rumbled. "Always alone. Always misunderstood. Easy to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes. People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed."

"Daedalus started well enough. He helped Princess Ariadne and Theseus because he felt sorry for them. He tried to do a good deed. And everything in his life went bad because of it. Was that fair?" The god shrugged. "I don't know if Daedalus will help you, lad, but don't judge someone until you've stood at his forge and worked with his hammer, eh?"

"I'll—I'll try."

Hephaestus turned back. "Good-bye, lad. You did well, destroying the telekhines. I'll always remember you for that."

As Percy began walking off, I didn't follow him, instead choosing to lay down on the sand, allowing my muscles to relax. It had been a while since I rested.

I looked up at the stars, the entire galaxy visible in this far, cut off corner of the world, where no light pollution defiled the night sky. It was mesmerizing.

Before long, I had fallen asleep.

I woke up of my own volition, just before daybreak as well. Taking a deep breath in, I got up, washing the sleep off my face with the cold ocean water.

"Now, which direction had he walked off to?" I muttered to myself, his footsteps had long disappeared. Shrugging, I chose a direction at random and began walking.

It wasn't long before I heard snippets of a conversation.

"...What have I done to make you sad?" I heard Percy's voice say faintly.

"They send a person who can never stay," the girl, Calypso, whispered. "Who can never accept my offer of companionship for more than a little while. They send me a hero I can't help…just the sort of person I can't help falling in love with."

Did she just…propose?

If I was drowsy before, I was definitely wide awake now.

Silence reigned supreme, neither party muttering a word. It took Percy a few minutes to come up with a response.

"Me?" He said dumbly.

"If you could see your face." She said, sadness evident in her voice. "Of course, you."

"That's why you've been pulling away all this time?"

"I tried very hard. But I can't help it. The Fates are cruel. They sent you to me, my brave one, knowing that you would break my heart."

"But…I'm just…I mean, I'm just me."

"That is enough," Calypso promised. "I told myself I would not even speak of this. I would let you go without even offering. But I can't. I suppose the Fates knew that, too. You could stay with me, Percy. I'm afraid that is the only way you could help me."

I scoffed. That wasn't happening if I have any say in the matter. Percy had people waiting, depending on him back at camp. Heck, I couldn't let him abandon his mother like that!

"I can't," he told her, and I released a sigh of relief.

"I would never do anything to hurt you," he said, "but my friends need me. I know how to help them now. I have to get back."

Exactly!

"Then come to the beach, my hero. And we will send you on your way." She said after a while.

"Wait, I need to find Valen." Percy said, "I can't leave him behind."

"I'm glad I mean so much to you Percy." I announced my presence, making both beings jump in surprise.

"Oh, it's just you." Percy said, relieved, "I thought another god had snuck up on me."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not." I said to him, before turning to Calypso, "Valen Steensen, son of Hades and this idiot's cousin."

"I am Calypso," she nodded, answering simply, "Come, we must leave immediately. The raft will not wait long."

The raft was a ten-foot square of logs lashed together with a pole for a mast and a simple white linen sail. It didn't look like it would be very seaworthy, or lakeworthy.

"This will take you wherever you desire," Calypso promised. "It is quite safe."

"Maybe I can visit you," Percy grabbed her hand, but she pulled it away.

She shook her head. "No man ever finds Ogygia twice, Percy. When you leave, I will never see you again."

"But—"

"Go, please." Her voice broke. "The Fates are cruel, Percy. Just remember me."

I almost snorted, "Kinda hard to forget someone who proposed to you."

"Not the time, Valen." Percy said under his breath, before turning back to Calypso.

"I will remember you Calypso."

Traces of a smile returned to her face, "Plant a garden in Manhattan for me, will you?"

"I promise." Percy said, walking onto the raft, and I followed suit. Immediately it began to sail from the shore.

I left Percy to his thoughts as I guided the raft, "Camp Half-blood, Long Island, Manhattan."

At last Percy heaved a great sigh, staring into the dot that was Ogygia.

"I suppose you don't want Annabeth to know about that conversation?" I said.

Percy's face suddenly lost all its color. "Oh gods no."

I chuckled, "Your secret's safe with me but, although…" I trailed off. "Is that a confirmation of you liking her?"

Percy's face reddened and he turned away. "No it's not." He said with a small voice.

"So you wouldn't mind her knowing about Calypso?"

He rounded on me, "No! I mean yes! I mean… you know what I mean!"

I laughed, "Just messing with you Percy."

"Jerk." He whined, hitting my shoulder none to lightly.

Hours later, the raft washed up on Camp Half-blood, how it got there so fast was beyond me so I just chalked it to magic.

When we landed, the camp seemed deserted. It was late afternoon, but the archery range was empty. The climbing wall poured lava and rumbled all by itself. Pavilion: nothing. Cabins: all vacant.

But then I noticed the rising smoke from the amphitheatre, it wasn't time for the campfire yet, it must have been something else. Sharing a glance, Percy and I ran towards it.

We heard Chiron before we saw him, Percy stopped in his tracks, listening intently.

"—assume he is dead," Chiron said. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors."

They think he's dead?

Percy walked up behind the amphitheatre, signalling me to do the same. No one noticed us, they were too busy looking forward, watching as Annabeth took a long green silk burial cloth, embroidered with a trident, and set it on the flames.

Annabeth turned to face the audience. She looked terrible. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but she managed to say, "He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He…"

The words died in her throat, her eyes fixated on us. "He's right there!"

Heads turned. People gasped.

"Sup." I waved, "Didn't see that coming did you?"

All chaos broke loose, the entire amphitheatre crowding over to us. There were more than a couple claps in our backs, I noticed Nico and Bianca keeping their distance, hints of a smile visible on Bianca's face with Nico flat out grinning like a madman.

Chiron cantered over and everyone made way for him.

"Well," he sighed with obvious relief. "I don't believe I've ever been happier to see a camper return. But you must tell me—"

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" I winced at the volume as Annabeth stomped up to us, shoving aside the other campers.

Now, being the self preserving man that I am, I hid behind Percy, "He's all yours midget."

Annabeth glared at me, and I gulped. She could be scary when she wanted to.

Instead of punching him, like I had thought she would, she proceeded to pull him into a fierce hug. The other campers fell silent.

Annabeth seemed to realize she was making a scene and pushed him away. "I—we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!"

"I'm sorry," he said. "I got lost."

"LOST?" she yelled. "Two weeks, Percy? Where in the world—"

"Annabeth," Chiron interrupted. "Perhaps we should discuss this somewhere more private, shall we? The rest of you, back to your normal activities!"

Without waiting for an answer, he picked up Annabeth and Percy like house cats and slung them on his back, turning to me.

I raised my arms placatingly, "I'm fine walking, thank you very much."

Chiron nodded, trotting away and I followed behind.

Inside the Big House, Percy began explaining how he had caused Mount St. Helens to explode, and I took over, fabricating a story to save his skin.

"I found him in the labyrinth, half dead and roasted. I'm no healer, but I could do enough to get him back on his feet, of course the ambrosia did most of the work." I began, casting Percy a look that said 'Let me handle this.'

I continued, "It took him a few days to return to fighting condition. Once we could move around without fear of Percy dropping dead, we scoured the labyrinth for a while before appearing in front of Hephaestus' forge. After that, it was short work getting back here."

"You've been gone for two weeks." Annabeth's voice was steadier now, but she still looked pretty shaken up. "When I heard the explosion, I thought—"

"I know," Percy said. "I'm sorry. But I figured out how to get through the Labyrinth. I talked to Hephaestus."

"He told you the answer?"

"Well, he sort of told me that I already knew. And I do. I understand now."

Percy told us his plan, involving a mortal girl named Rachel who could see through the mist.

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Percy, that's crazy!"

Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and stroked his beard. "There is precedent, however. Theseus had the help of Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason."

"I agree," I said, "With the three of us, we could keep the mortal safe long enough to reach our objective."

"But this is my quest," Annabeth said. "I need to lead it."

Chiron looked uncomfortable. "My dear, it is your quest. But you need help."

"And this is supposed to help? Please! It's wrong. It's cowardly. It's—"

"Hard to admit we need a mortal's help," Percy said. "But it's true."

I sighed, "It's logical to use a clear sighted mortal, especially when it's been proven that they can help. Refusing to do so for no valid reason, is just setting us up for failure."

Annabeth glared at us, "You guys have to be the most annoying people I've ever met." And she stormed out of the room.

Percy stared at the doorway for a while longer, "So much for being the bravest friend she's ever had."

"She will calm down," Chiron promised. "She's jealous, my boy."

"That's stupid. She's not…it's not like…"

"Turns out your feelings aren't one sided," I teased, "might wanna give it a shot."

Chiron chuckled. "It hardly matters. Annabeth is very territorial about her friends, in case you haven't noticed. She was quite worried about you. And now that you're back, I think she suspects where you were lying."

"Well, never thought I could fool you anyways," I said with a sigh, "What really happened was Percy got marooned on Calypso's island. I simply happened to be with Lord Hephaestus when he teleported to talk to him."

Chiron nodded, "I suspected as such, but it's best you tell her the truth. She will know sooner or later."

"Once she cools down, sure." I said, "possibly after she stops worrying about competition."

"What do you mean competition?" Percy asked.

Chiron smiled. "In the morning I will have Argus take the three of you into Manhattan. You might stop by your mother's, Percy. She is…understandably distraught."

Percy looked devastated, with what I'd heard he'd been missing for two weeks, I had no doubts the camp informed Ms. Jackson about it.

"Chiron," he said after a while, "what about Grover and Tyson? Do you think—"

"I don't know, my boy." Chiron gazed into the empty fireplace. "Juniper is quite distressed. All her branches are turning yellow. The Council of Cloven Elders had revoked Grover's searcher license in absentia. Assuming he comes back alive, they will force him into a shameful exile." He sighed. "Grover and Tyson are very resourceful, however. We can still hope."

"I shouldn't have let them run off."

"Grover has his own destiny, and Tyson was brave to follow him. You would know if Grover was in mortal danger, don't you think?"

"I suppose. The empathy link. But—"

Empathy link? I hadn't heard of anything like that in the myths, then again Satyr's in myths weren't exactly friendly.

"There is something else I should tell you two," he said. "Actually two unpleasant things."

"Great."

"Chris Rodriguez, our guest…" he trailed off.

"The unclaimed guy who defected? He's back?" I asked with narrowed eyes, why the camp had let a deserter back was beyond me.

"Is he dead?" Percy asked.

"Not yet," Chiron said grimly. "But he's much worse. He's in the infirmary now, too weak to move. I had to order Clarisse back to her regular schedule, because she was at his bedside constantly. He doesn't respond to anything. He won't take food or drink. None of my medicines help. He has simply lost the will to live."

"He had it coming," I said coldly, "He betrayed the camp. Should've just stayed with the titans."

"That's…" Percy looked appalled.

"Valen," Chiron said calmly, "He is a child, we all make mistakes when we're younger."

"Chiron, we're at the brink of a war. Our forces are teenagers, with a few young adults. We stopped being children the moment we left our homes."

I stared in his eyes, "Look. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of wars, and you know how nasty it can get. Especially an Olympian war, a second titanomachy, if you will."

Chiron sighed, "You are not entirely wrong, I do expect the titan lord to use everything to his advantage. But everyone deserves a second chance."

"When it comes to such pivotal decisions, I wouldn't say they do unless they've done anything to atone." I sighed, "I suppose the gods will decide his fate."

"One god in particular." He said, glancing at the unattended magazine and coke can.

"So that's why the camp is so pleasant."

Chiron cleared his throat, "The second thing I wished to tell you. I'm sorry to say Quintus has disappeared."

"Who?"

"He was our new swordsmanship mentor, he said he was a veteran demigod. But Chiron, how did he disappear?"

"Three nights ago he slipped into the Labyrinth. Juniper watched him go. It looks like you might've been right about him. He's a spy for Luke."

He told us about something called the Triple G Ranch—how Quintus had bought some scorpions there and Geryon, the owner of the ranch, had been supplying Kronos's army. "It can't be a coincidence."

Chiron sighed heavily. "So many betrayals. I had hoped Quintus would prove a friend. It seems my judgement was bad."

"What about Mrs. O'Leary?" he asked.

"Now who's that?"

"That is Quintus' hellhound. She's still in the arena. She won't let anyone approach. I did not have the heart to force her into a cage…or destroy her."

"I could send her back to the underworld," I offered. "Painlessly." I added.

"No," Percy shook his head, "That's no different than killing her."

I was about to point out she was a monster, but decided not to. Percy was too stubborn to argue against.

He turned back to Chiron, "Quintus wouldn't just leave her."

"As I said, Percy, we seem to have been wrong about him. Now, you should prepare yourself for the morning. You three still have much to do."

I took that as a cue to leave, Percy alongside me. The old centaur was staring sadly into the fireplace, and I wondered just how many heroes he had expected to come back, but never did.