Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto nor Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I am just a lowly writer with too much time in my hands.

Warning: This is a sequel story. Read the following first before you read this story.

Child of the Moon: The Lightning Thief
Child of the Moon: The Sea of Monsters
Child of the Moon: The Titan's Curse

Chapter 4

"Father!"

A young boy called out to a frail man as the two massive oak doors moaned open and the poor old man was flung in the room. This man wore tattered robes. His hair was streaked with grey, and his beard was long and curly. For some reason, his nose was broken, and his lips were bloody.

The boy cradled the old man in his arms. "What did they do to you?"

He turned to the guards responsible with a murderous look, "I'll kill you!"

"There will be no killing today," A voice came.

The guards at the door parted, revealing a tall man in white robes. He was wearing a thin, gold circlet on his head. His beard was pointed like a spear blade.

"You helped that Athenian kill my Minotaur, Daedalus," he addressed the old man with eyes glittering cruelly. "You even turned my daughters against me!"

"You did that to yourself," The now named Daedalus croaked.

Not happy with his prisoner answering back, the king ordered the guard to plant his boot on the poor old man's chest causing him to writhe in agony. Worried about his father's wellbeing, the boy cried, "Stop!"

"You love your maze so much that I decided to let you stay here," The king continued. "This will be your workshop. You will make me new wonders. Amuse me. Every maze needs a monster; you will be mine."

"I don't fear you," The old man answered, as he recovered from the beating he was given.

The king's face morphed into a cold smile, "But you love your son, don't you?"

He swept out of the room letting the threat hang in the air. Not long after, the doors were shut leaving the father and son in complete darkness.

"What shall we do?" The boy moaned. "They will kill you, Father?"

Daedalus swallowed with difficulty but tried to smile for his son. It was a gruesome sight with the blood everywhere and all.

"Take heart, my son," He gazed up to look at the stars. They shone brightly in the dark of the night, a reminder of the outside world. "I-I will find a way…"

CAMP HALF-BLOOD

The excitement that finding the Labyrinth's entrance within their own camp was cut short when Chiron sent everyone away to sleep, but everyone found it hard to doze off. Why don't you try falling asleep when there's a looming threat to your home and your well-being.

But as soon as the sun was ruling the skies once again, Chiron called for a war council. Usually, this council would be held in the rec room, but today, the Activities Director decided to hold it in the Sword Arena. Everything was normal, well, except for the massive mastiff chewing on a life-sized rubber while you discuss the fate of your home.

The heads of the camp stood at the front by the weapons rack. Clarisse and Annabeth, an unusual combination, sat next to each other leading the briefing. Tyson and Grover made sure to sit as far away from each other as possible. The others present, the head counselors of the cabins and Juniper, sat around the table. And since this meeting involved the safety of the camp, the head of security, Argus was also attending the meeting. The whole time the two girls were talking, he trained his eyes on them making them go bloodshot from the staring.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Silena told the tree nymph. "You've seen Luke use the entrance multiple times, but you didn't say anything until now."

"Hey! How should I know that cave was important?!" Juniper protested. "It was a cave. Caves are yucky." She cringed at the thought.

"She has good tastes," Grover sighed dreamily.

"I wouldn't have paid attention, but you know…It was Luke," The dryad blushed a darker shade of green.

"Forget I said anything," The satyr huffed jealously.

"And you believe Luke would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?" Quintus asked as he polished his sword.

"Now, now Quintus," Kakashi said. "They may be on to something here."

"From what Clarisse and Annabeth had said, Luke had been scouting the Labyrinth all this time," Naruto said. "And if they succeed in looking for the string…"

"They'll be able to sneak a whole army of monsters right underneath our noses without having to worry about the boundaries protecting us," Clarisse completed the sentence left hanging.

"How did you know he was sending scouts?" Connor asked.

"Because I found one," Clarisse answered.

"Who?" The other Stoll asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Chris Rodriguez," it was Chiron who answered.

"Wait, you mean, you found Chris in the Maze?" Travis's eyes widened when they heard about their missing cabinmate.

"Is he okay? What happened to him?" Connor asked.

Clarisse shot the both of them a glare causing the 'twins' to drop the question, "The point is, Luke has been searching for Daedalus's Workshop."

"Daedalus? The guy who created the maze?" Percy asked like he was remembering something.

"Yes, the greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time," Annabeth explained with a bit of sparkle in her eyes as he talked about her idol. "He's the only one who can navigate the maze perfectly. If they manage to convince him to help them, they wouldn't fumble about looking for paths leading to the camp. They wouldn't risk losing minions to the traps in that maze. They'll be able to navigate perfectly and safely. First, to Camp Half-blood, then to Olympus after wiping us out."

The whole arena fell silent, save for the squeaking produced by Mrs. O'leary's yak. They sat in silence contemplating their fate, and the fate of their camp.

After a few seconds of silence, Charles Beckendorf spoke up, "Back up a second, did you just say 'convince Daedalus?' He lived a thousand years ago. Shouldn't he be dead?"

"Coming to this world, there are a lot of things I didn't think was possible or would ever think existed," Kakashi spoke up. "Let us approach this as if anything could be possible. For all we know, he could be listening in on us from somewhere."

The jonin eyed his fellow counselor as he spoke.

Quintus was taken aback by his fellow counselor, but he hid it well. He cleared his throat, "You may be right. But didn't the old stories say he fled into his maze all those years ago?"

"There certainly were– how do you put it– disturbing rumors about the ancient architect, but no one truly knows what truly happened to him." The centaur answered the question, his hooves clopping nervously on the stone floor. "One of them though suggests that he disappeared into the labyrinth at the end of his life. He might still be there."

"Which is why we have to explore the Labyrinth ourselves," Annabeth announced. "We will have to find Daedalus's Workshop and convince him to help us and not them. And if Ariadne's String really does exist, then we make sure it does not fall into their hands."

"Wait, wait, wait," Percy spoke up. "If the attack is our problem, then why not just blow up the entrance?"

Grover brightened up at the suggestion, "Why didn't we think of that in the first place?! I'll get the dynamite."

"Not so fast, goat-boy," Clarisse said, grabbing the satyr by the scruff of his neck preventing him from going anywhere. "It's not that easy. I tried it before, and it didn't work."

"In any case, we'll just fight," Naruto's cousin spoke up. "We know where they'll appear from, so we know where to blow them up when they appear."

"We will certainly set up a defensive line surrounding the rock formation," Chiron nodded. "But we are severely outnumbered. We might not survive the fight even if we prepare."

Whatever good mood the campers woke up with was immediately shattered by that piece of news. It was rare for Chiron to sound so pessimistic like this, which didn't help the already sour mood.

"Our only chance is to get to Daedalus's Workshop before they do," Annabeth insisted on her plan. "While we're at it, we find the string and keep it off Luke's hands."

"You seem to believe in this plan of yours," Naruto spoke up. "If you really think that it would work, then I'm in. I'll help you. We'll save the camp, no matter what it takes. That's a promise, and I never go back on my word."

"In that case, we'll need a quest, and I know just who to lead it," Chiron turned to Annabeth, but before he could speak, Percy voiced out his concerns.

"Woah, hold up, how do we navigate through it?" He said. "How do we know we can even do it?"

"I've studied the Labyrinth's architecture for years now," She countered. "If anyone has even a remote idea of how to find our way through the maze, that would be me."

"Do you think that's enough?" Percy argued.

"It has to be!" Annabeth snapped.

"Well, it isn't!" Percy yelled as well.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Naruto raised his voice stopping the two arguing demigods. "If Annabeth says she can do, then she'll lead us through it."

"But–"

"We have to put our trust in her, Percy," The blonde didn't even give him time to speak, effectively putting a stop to the subject. "Now Chiron, if you will…"

"As I was saying…" The said centaur cleared his throat. "Annabeth Chase, it is your turn to lead a quest. Now child, go visit the Oracle."

A FEW MINUTES LATER

It was hard waiting for Annabeth's first visit with the Oracle to finish. Naruto was worried about his friend. He already had his chance at meeting his uncle's seer, but it didn't help with easing his anxiety. It didn't help that there were these rumors that campers had gone insane or died in fear.

Naruto watched Percy pace the arena for the umpteenth time. He had lost count after the fifteenth pass in favor of thinking about Annabeth. Not even Quintus's and Argus's argument was able to ease their worry one bit; curiosity did not hit them one bit.

The blonde looked up from his thoughts to see that Percy wasn't in the arena anymore. He must have been so deep in thought that he had missed when his brother had left.

Checking his watch, he noticed that a considerable amount of time had passed. It shouldn't have taken this long to get the prophecy from the Oracle. Something must have happened. He decided to go see for himself what happened.

He reached Big House's front parlor. It was strangely quiet. Or maybe he was just used to seeing the old wine god playing cards and complaining about ungrateful demigods and the lack of wine in his diet.

It was so quiet in fact, that every squeak from the floorboards echoed through the building. He walked through the hallways of the Big House towards the stairs. He remembered the route he took to get to the Oracle's room in the attic.

Before he climbed the stairs though, something broke through the silence. It was soft as if someone didn't want to be heard, but through Naruto's trained ninja senses, he could hear it as clear as day. It was the sounds of sobs.

Naruto listened further. Not long after, a voice came.

It's okay. Try a little more nectar.

It almost sounded like Clarisse, but the sobs say otherwise. Naruto never heard her like this before.

You're an illusion, Mary!

Naruto recognized this one. He stayed with this guy way back when he still lived in Cabin Eleven. It was Chris Rodriguez.

My name's not Mary. My name is Clarisse. Don't you recognize me? Please remember.

No! It's so dark. Help me!

The blonde sighed. He felt like he was eavesdropping on something that he shouldn't have. He decided to continue on the way and give the couple privacy. He had never heard Clarisse speak with such tenderness in her voice before, not even to her siblings, so he was surprised to hear her talk to someone this way. He decided to help them out.

The rest of the way, he carried his feet with practiced ease so that the two wouldn't hear him skulking around. As he left them to their own devices, he thought to himself, 'Maybe I could get Mr. D to help you, Chris…not for you but for Clarisse.'

As he neared the ladder to the attic, he heard a sob. It sounded like someone had just finished crying. It was followed by creaks and footsteps. Not long after, Annabeth descended the stair with her eyes a little red.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sternly. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"I know, I know, but I was worried about you," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "So…are you okay?"

Annabeth felt touched by the gesture and looked away in embarrassment, but she still answered the question, "I'm…fine,"

"I see…" Naruto knew that she really wasn't. He didn't pry any further. "I guess we should head back."

"We should, but what about you?" The quest leader asked in worry. "You might get in trouble."

Naruto just winked at her and disappeared in a golden flash that was subsequently followed by a puff of smoke.

Annabeth shook her head and left the Big House.

WAR COUNCIL

Annabeth walked up to her fellow camp counselors. She met eyes with Naruto who winked at her.

Chiron was the first to greet her though, "My dear. You made it."

Her face was unreadable, but she still spoke up. "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's Workshop."

Nobody cheered. Contrary to what they showed though, everyone was happy for Annabeth. She lived in the camp for far longer than anyone present in this council, so it was about damn time that she get a quest of her own. The problem was, this was an extremely dangerous quest.

"What did the prophecy say, my dear? Remember, the wording is important." Chiron asked. Hmm…Funny…Why did this sound familiar?

"Um well…"

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze.
The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise
You shall rise and fall by the Ghost King's hand
The child of Athena's final stand

Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to state more lines, but she seemed reluctant to share.

"The prophecy doesn't sound complete," Chiron said. "Are there any more lines?"

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably. "Something about Destroy with a final breath, th-then that's it, I think."

Naruto gave her a skeptical look. He knew that Annabeth had a good memory, so he knew that she didn't forget the lines. Still, he didn't pry any further. Prophecies tend to be depressing, so he assumed it had something to do with it.

"I see…" Chiron had the same idea as Naruto. "Just know, child, prophecies have double meanings."

"Yes, I know…" The girl's voice trailed off.

"But we have good news!" Grover spoke up. "The lost one, if that's not Pan in the prophecy, then I don't know what is."

Percy, ever the optimist, added, "Yeah, but the line also mentions the dead and the traitor. Them, not so great."

"And who's this ghost king?" Charles added. "He doesn't sound good either if you would fall by his hand as the prophecy says."

Percy and Naruto looked at each other. It was like their minds synced. Was Nico involved in this quest somehow?

Naruto sighed. "The final stand doesn't sit right with me. I'll go with you to make sure this isn't YOURS."

Annabeth smiled. "Thank you…"

"That's two, who else?" Kakashi asked. "You usually do it with three in a quest, right?"

"Count me in," Percy volunteered.

The quest leader nodded. "Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting."

Earlier, the satyr was adamant about going underground, but the prospect of encountering the Wild God in this quest seemed to wash away his fears and renew his vigor. "Right! I'll pack extra recyclables!" He shouted excitedly.

"And Tyson too," Annabeth said. "I need you."

"Yay! Blow up thingies time!" Tyson cheered.

"Wait Annabeth," Chiron warned the girl. "You should think twice about this one. You know that the Ancient Laws states that a hero is only allowed two companions. Three is a sacred number."

"Relax, Chiron, I'll watch over them as I always do," Naruto said.

"Naruto has always been unpredictable, Chiron," Kakashi vouched for his student.

"We'll all come back," Naruto gave him a pose that gave the silver-haired jonin shivers. It reminded him of Gai somehow, except without the glistening teeth and evil genjutsu behind him. "I never go back on my word."

Chiron sighed. He had trained so many heroes with as much confidence as Naruto had, but they still met untimely ends.

"Very well," He reluctantly said. "The members of the quest shall prepare, and at dawn, we shall send you off to the Labyrinth."

SOMEWHERE IN THE WOODS OF YELLOWSTONE
HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS CAMP

Thalia Grace, the newly appointed lieutenant of the Hunt, watched over her sisters as they set up camp. They had just finished taking down another monster from Tartarus. It seemed that there were more of them than usual, and their prey was getting more dangerous as the inevitable war drew closer.

They were currently resting in their base camp somewhere deep in the forests of Yellowstone.

It was then this feeling of unease snaked its way into the lieutenant's stomach. Her head whipped to the direction of Camp Half-Blood.

This went unnoticed to her companion, Zoe Nightshade. "Is something the matter?" She asked.

"I-I don't know," Thalia shook her head. She was unsure of what to tell her. "Ever since I was turned into that tree, it's like I was connected to Camp somehow. Now…"

"What are you feeling?" Zoe pried further.

"It's a foreboding feeling," She tried to explain. "It's like the camp is in danger somehow."

Zoe frowned. She still didn't hold any attachment to the camp, but it was still home to her mistress's son.

"Shake it off, for now," She advised. "That is why we are out hunting for the monsters."

"I guess you're right," Thalia nodded.

She turned to the rest of the Hunt and announced. "Rest up, fellow sisters. When we get back to work, we are doubling our efforts. We are doing this for our brother!"

THE NEXT DAY
IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING

*Knock knock knock*

Naruto awoke to the knocking in the other room. He was having a dreamless sleep like in most nights which he was thankful for. You didn't need to have dreams clouding your mind before a quest.

The blonde groaned as he got up and opened the main door with a yawn. He was surprised to see that Bianca was responsible for the knocking.

"Bianca…what's wrong?" Naruto asked, the worry creeping up in his voice.

"Hey, Naruto…" Bianca greeted, trying to find the words to tell him. "C-can we talk inside? I had this dream…"

Naruto sensed the distress in the girl's voice. He wanted to invite the girl inside, but he knew the rules were strict, and he wasn't sure if his mom would agree to let other people enter her cabin.

"I don't know, Bianca…You know the rules…" Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head.

Bianca knew that the blonde would say that, so she decided to tell him right off the bat what this was all about.

"It's about Nico…" She said, causing the boy to widen his eyes.

"Now, that changes everything," Naruto said.

Looking up at the night sky to look at the moon, he made a request, "Uhm…Kaasan? Are you listening? Can Bianca come in for a while? We really need to talk about something important…"

It was subtle, but Naruto noticed the moon brighten just a smidge, giving him the answer that he wanted to hear. He beamed up to the moon, showing his signature grin at the moon and thanked his godly parent. "You're the best, kaasan! Thank you!"

"It's cold outside," He told the girl. "Why don't you come in and tell me what happened while I pack up for the quest? I have to get ready in a few hours anyway."

The two entered the cabin and went straight to the blonde's separate room.

"You can sit on the bed," Naruto offered to the girl which she gladly accepted.

Bianca did a quick scan of the room. It was unusually organized. She saw the large cabinet filled with trinkets, the spoils of war from his various quests. There was also one next to it which he opened filled with various clothes. She also noticed two mannequins, one held a chunin vest while the other held a green full-body spandex.

"So, tell me what happened," Naruto said breaking the girl from her wonder.

"Well, you see…"

*FLASHBACK*

Nico stood at a graveyard. He watched as gravediggers dug a hole out of the ground. He, himself, dressed in a black cloak in the foggy night despite the warm and humid. Frogs croaked in the background, but he paid them no mind as he clutched a red box with a letter M serving as the handle.

"Is it deep enough yet?" Nico spoke sounding irritated. It seems that he had been watching the gravediggers for quite some time now.

"Nearly, my lord," a ghost spoke. Whatever this spirit was, it was standing beside him. "But lord, I tell you, all this is unnecessary when you have me for advice."

"Silence!" Nico raised his voice slightly, his irritation already getting to him. "I will admit that your advice has been helpful thus far, but I want a second opinion. Is that too much to ask?"

"Very well, my lord," The ghost bowed.

Nico said nothing. He just snapped his fingers causing the gravediggers to stop what they were doing. They climbed up from the newly dug pit, revealing what they truly were. They weren't human. They were skeletons.

"You are dismissed," The boy said. "Thank you."

"You might as well thank the shovels," The ghost complained sarcastically. "They have as much sense in them."

Nico was irritated by the ghost's constant talking. He opened the red box and poured the contents into the pit. It contained some chicken with a side of fries along with a little plastic toy. He reached to the bag he placed on the ground. It contained a cup and, instead of drinking it, poured it into the same hole.

"Let the dead taste again," He chanted. "Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember."

"In my day, we used live animals for the ritual," The ghost commented again. "This will suffice. The dead will not taste the difference."

"Still, I treat them with respect," Nico said.

"Can I have the toy instead?" The ghost said.

After pouring the contents of three more red boxes and three more soda cups, he began chanting in Ancient Greek.

As Nico chanted, the soupy mixture in the grave started bubbling. The frothy brown liquid rose to the brim of the pit as if more soda was being added. In addition to that, the mist thickened around them, and the animals were silenced. Just then, dozens of figures rose from the gravestones. They were bluish and humanoid.

"You don't know your own powers," The ghost said nervously. "You summoned too many of them."

"I know. I've got it under control," Nico said, trying to act tough, but his voice betrayed him. He drew his sword. It wasn't made of either bronze or gold. Nor did it look like it came from steel. Nevertheless, the spirits took the message and retreated.

From the crowd, one single figure floated towards the pool of fast food, a literal brave soul. It knelt down and scooped up a piece of french fries.

When it stood again, his figure was more solid now. It was a teenage guy wearing Greek Armor. He had curly hair and green eyes, a clasp of seashell in his cloak.

"Speak," Nico ordered. "Who are you?"

The young man frowned as if trying to remember his identity. Then, he spoke, his voice dry like crumbling paper, "I am Theseus."

A/N: Finally, after new year's break, I was able to continue writing and complete the story. Sorry for the wait.