That night after dinner, Quintus made everyone armour up. Sometime during the day, the crates had disappeared. The mood in the camp was pretty grim and they all figured that whatever was in the crates, were all scattered in the woods.

Quintus stood at the head table, decked in black leather and bronze. He announced, "For this activity, you will all be in teams of two. Which have already been chosen."

Many campers, who had begun to grab their friends, groaned. Quintus ignored them and announced, "Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And of course, you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive."

As the campers began murmuring excitedly, the man continued, "I will now announce your partners! There will be no trading, no switching and no complaining."

He produced a big scroll and began reading off names. Charles Beckendorf was partnered with Silena Beauregard. The Stoll brothers were together, Clarisse was partnered with Lee Fletcher. Grover partnered Bianca di Angelo, Harry was partnering Tyson. Fleur Delacour was with Nico di Angelo, and Viktor Krum partnered Lou Ellen. Finally, he read out, "Percy Jackson with Annabeth Chase."

Soon, the game began and everyone split up immediately, sticking with their assigned partners. With Percy and Annabeth, they discovered several tracks, scuttling marks made by something with a lot of legs. As they tailed the animal prints, they got a small scare, courtesy the Stoll brothers, who had yet to learn the meaning of the word, 'stealth.'

While standing on a ledge, Annabeth tensed up. This was because a nearby branch snapped in the woods. Dry leaves rustled. Something large was moving in the trees, just beyond the ridge. They hurried over to a pile of boulders, that was dubbed Zeus' Fist. It was a natural landmark where campers often rendezvoused on hunting expeditions, but now there was nobody around.

Annabeth drew her dagger and bent her legs, ready to pounce. She pointed to her left and whispered, "There's something over there."

Percy drew his own sword and whispered back, "No, wait. It's behind us."

They stayed silent, back-to-back, and around them, scuttling noises reverberated from different directions. Suddenly, a voice behind them cheerfully said, "Hi!"

The demigod spun around and pointed their swords at Juniper, who yelped. She snapped, "Put those down! Dryads don't like sharp blades, okay?"

Annabeth slumped in relief, "Juniper! You startled us! What are you doing here?"

She pointed to the edge of the clearing, "There's a clump of juniper flowers. I live here. Duh! Are you guys busy?"

Percy was about to point out that they were in the middle of a game, but Annabeth interrupted, "We're not busy. Something wrong, Juniper?"

The dryad sniffled, "It's Grover. He seems so distraught. All year he's been out looking for Pan. And every time he comes back, it's worse. I thought maybe, at first, he was seeing another tree."

Percy calmly said, "Juniper, I know him well. He's extremely awkward around other girls. He's smitten with you, I'm sure he would never cheat on you."

Annabeth placated, "Percy's right, Juniper. Grover would never even look at another tree. He's just stressed out about his searcher's licence.'

The dryad protested, "He can't go underground! You can't let him."

Annabeth uncomfortably said, "I know the risk, but it might be the only way to help him. We just need to know where to look."

Juniper looked like she was about to say something, but then her eyes widened. There was another rustle in the woods and she hissed, "Hide!"

With that, she disappeared in a puff of green mist. The two demigods turned, just in time to see a glistening amber insect. This creature was three metres long, with jagged pincers, an armoured tail and a sting as long as Percy's sword. He grimaced as he recognised it as a scorpion. Tied to its back was a red silk package.

As it advanced towards them, Annabeth whispered, "One of us distracts it, the other gets behind it. Cut off its tail while the other distracts it in front."

Percy murmured back, "You've got the invisibility cap. Your move."

Unfortunately, things went pear-shaped when two more giant scorpions appeared. Annabeth was aghast, "Three! That should not be possible! The whole woods and half the monsters come after us!"

The scorpions advanced threateningly as the pair pressed up against the nearest boulder. Percy muttered, "Climb?"

She breathed back, "No time! They've got us surrounded."

Suddenly, Annabeth parried away a sting with her dagger. Percy stabbed with Riptide, but the scorpion backed out of range. They clambered sideways along the boulders, but the scorpions followed them. Percy attempted another attack, but the scorpions were too smart. He realised that targeting the body meant that the tail could stab him. However, if he went for the tail, it would leave him vulnerable to the pincers.

Percy took another step and nearly stumbled into a small crack between the boulders. He ordered, "Annabeth! In here!"

She glared at him as if he was crazy, "In there! It's too narrow."

He hollered back, "Go! I'll cover you!"

She decided not to argue and began squeezing between the rocks. Suddenly she yelped and grabbed Percy's armour straps. The next thing they knew, they were tumbling into a pit that hadn't been there a moment before.

The sight of the scorpions, grew smaller and then there was nothing but darkness. The place that they were in, was wet and cold, and they were sprawled on a bumpy floor made of bricks.

Annabeth fearfully asked, "W-where are we?"

Percy raised his sword and the faint glow from the blade lit up their faces. The boy breathed, "At least we're safe from the scorpions. Though this is a long room."

His friend shook her head and gripped his arm, "It's not a room. It's a corridor."

Percy started forward by Annabeth stopped him. She warned, "Don't… We don't want to get lost in here. Let's find the exit."

Percy glanced up, and the entrance that they fell through, was gone. He was close to freaking out, but then Annabeth's hand snaked over and found his. This successfully calmed him down, because he could now tell where she was. She took a deep breath and calmly ordered, "Percy? Take two steps backwards."

In unison, they stepped back, and then she turned, "Okay, now help me examine the walls."

He tilted his head in confusion, "For?"

The reply came, "The mark of Daedalus… Got it!"

She pressed a certain spot against the wall and it began to glow blue. A Greek symbol appeared, a triangle signifying the Ancient Greek Delta. Sure enough, the ceiling above them slid open to reveal the sky.

However, the sky was a lot darker than before. Meanwhile, metal ladder rungs appeared on the side of the wall, and the two began climbing up. As they came closer to the surface, they heard people yelling their names. The two emerged just around the rocks and saw campers hunting frantically with a bunch of torches.

Just then, they bumped into Harry, Bianca and Clarisse. The daughter of Ares demanded angrily, "Where have you two been! We've been searching for forever!"

Harry joked, "Did you two sneak off for a quick snog or something?"

Clarisse smacked the back of his head, "Not the time, Magic Man. But seriously, where the fuck were you two?"

Percy protested, "We were only gone a few minutes. We just happened to fall in a hole."

By then, Chiron had trotted up, followed by Tyson and Grover. Percy continued, "I'm telling the truth! Besides, we were only gone for a minute."

Chiron had a serious look on his face, "You two have been missing for nearly an hour. The game is over."

Clarisse was wearing the golden laurels, but her attention was elsewhere. She repeated with a suspicious tone, "You fell into a hole…?"

Annabeth quietly said, "Maybe this is not the best place to discuss it. Can we go to the Big House?"

Clarisse gasped, "You found it, didn't you? This explains a lot. It explains what Luke is after."

Annabeth nodded grimly, "An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp."

Chiron cleared his throat, "Perhaps it is better that we discuss this in the morning. It is past curfew."

No one argued and they headed straight to bed after getting cleaned up.

That night, Percy had a dream. He saw boy in a Greek tunic and sandals crouching alone in a massive stone room. The ceiling was open to the night sky, but the walls were seven metres high and polished marble, completely smooth. Scattered around the room were wooden crates. Some were cracked and tipped over, as if they'd been flung in there. Bronze tools spilled out of one –a compass, a saw and a bunch of other paraphernalia.

The boy huddled in the corner, shivering from cold, or maybe fear. He was spattered in mud. His legs, arms and face were scraped up as if he'd been dragged here along with the boxes.

Then a set of double oak doors moaned open. Two guards in bronze armour marched in, holding an old man between them. They flung him to the floor in a battered heap.

The boy ran to the old man, "Father!"

The man's robes were in tatters. His hair was streaked with grey, and his beard was long and curly. His nose had been broken. His lips were bloody.

The boy cradled the old man's head in his arms. He moaned, "What did they do to you?"

His hate-filled eyes turned to the guards and he yelled, "I'll kill you!"

Then, a different voice said, "There will be no killing today.'

The guards moved aside. Behind them stood a tall man in white robes. He wore a thin circlet of gold on his head. His beard was pointed like a spear blade. His eyes glittered cruelly. "You helped the Athenian kill my Minotaur, Daedalus. You turned my own daughter against me."

The old man, now identified as Daedalus, croaked, "You did that yourself, Your Majesty."

A guard planted a kick in the old man's ribs. He groaned in agony. The young boy cried, "Stop it!"

The king sneered, "You love your maze so much,' the king said, 'I have decided to let you stay here. This will be your workshop. Make me new wonders. Amuse me. Every maze needs a monster. You shall be mine!"

Daedalus groaned, "I don't fear you."

The king smiled coldly and turned his gaze on the boy. "But a man cares about his son, eh? Displease me, old man, and the next time my guards inflict a punishment, it will be on him!"

The king swept out of the room with his guards, and the doors slammed shut, leaving the boy and his father alone in the darkness.

"What will we do?" the boy cried. "Father, they will kill you!"

The man tried to smile reassuringly, "Take heart, my son. I – I will find a way."

As a bar lowered across the door with a *BOOM*, Percy woke up sweating. It was morning, so he headed to the bathroom for a shower and to get ready. From there, he headed straight to the sword arena, where Chiron had called a war council.

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat down with Harry and Bianca separating them. Nico had gone off to parts unknown. Also present around the table: Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, and many more. Percy then gauged the seriousness of the situation because Argus the security chief had shown up.

Annabeth spoke up, "Luke must have known about the Labyrinth Entrance. He knew everything about camp."

Juniper piped up, "That's what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena Beauregard frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

Quintus polished his sword and mused, "Interesting. And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

Clarisse nodded, "Definitely! If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

Annabeth added, "He's been sending scouts into the maze. We know because we caught one. Chris Rodriguez."

Clarisse chipped in, "Listen… Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. His best chance is to search for Daedalus' workshop."

Annabeth nodded, "Precisely! He is the greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the centre of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted – quickly and safely."

Beckendorf raised a hand, "Back up a sec. Convince Daedalus? How can he still be alive after all these millennia?"

Quintus grunted, "I hope for your sakes, that he's dead. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And, even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"

Chiron replied, "That's the problem, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumours… well, there are many disturbing rumours about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth towards the end of his life. He might still be down there."

Annabeth cleared her throat, "That's why we need to go in. Find the workshop before Luke. If Daedalus is alive, we try to sway him onto our side. If Ariadne's string still exists, we must get it before Luke."

Percy raised a hand, "Wait… Now that we know where the entrance is, can't we just seal it up?"

Clarisse growled, "It's not that easy, dumbass. We tried that at Phoenix and failed."

Annabeth backed her up, "The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Percy. It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few metres. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth."

Harry asked, "What about setting up defences? Now that we know where it is, we keep an eye on it."

Chiron nodded, "That's an idea, and we will certainly set up defences. However, my only fear is being overwhelmed by sheer numbers."

Annabeth insisted, "That's why we have to find Daedalus' workshop and find Ariadne's string. I've studied about it and know more about it than anyone else."

Clarisse stood up, "Well, that clears it. Annabeth, you should lead this."

Strangely, the daughter of Athena looked uncomfortable, "You've done as much as I have, Clarisse. You should go, too."

However, Clarisse vehemently shook her head. "I'm not going back in there. Never again!"

She stormed out of the arena. After a few minutes of stunned silence, Chiron spoke to Annabeth, "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

The waiting was the hardest part. There were so many times where Percy was tempted to look for her, but Harry managed to distract him with a few games of Exploding Snap. Just then, a voice hissed, "Harry! Percy!"

They turned to find Juniper standing in the bushes. She whispered, "There's something else you need to know. Luke wasn't the only one I saw around that cave. I was trying to say something, but he was right there. The sword master. He was poking around the rocks."

Harry glanced at Quintus, who was in deep conversation with Chiron. Percy asked, "When was this?"

She shrugged, "Maybe a week ago? It was around the time he first showed up. He's creepy, Percy. I didn't even see him come into the glade. Suddenly he was just there. You have to tell Grover it's too dangerous."

Harry promised, "We'll keep an eye on him."

Percy gazed at the Big House, as Annabeth was still not back yet. He began to move towards it, but Harry stopped him, "Mate… Give her some more time."

Finally, after an agonising wait, Annabeth emerged from the Big House, on wobbly legs. Staggering to a stone bench, she sat down, and the two boys went to see her, along with Chiron and Quintus. Even Grover and Tyson showed up, though they looked like they were trying to avoid each other. Staring at the floor, she spoke hollowly, "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus' workshop. The prophecy said… You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze. The dead, the traitor and the lost one raise."

Grover brightened, "The lost one! Does that mean Pan? That's great!"

Percy quipped, "That's cool and all, but I'm not too sure about the 'the dead and the traitor' part."

Chiron coaxed, "Anything else?"

She stammered, "You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand…"

She paused and took a deep breath, "Chiron, I- Is it okay if I tell you the full prophecy, alone?"

The centaur nodded, "I understand, my child. Come with me, we will just be a moment."

A minute later, they were back, and Annabeth looked like a load had been taken off her back. Chiron squeezed her shoulder, "Not to worry, young one. As I always say, prophecies are not always straightforward. They are all open to interpretation."

The daughter of Athena took a deep breath and faced her friends, "Percy? Harry? Will you come?"

They did not hesitate, "We're in!"

She turned to Grover, "Grover, you too… The wild god is waiting."

He saluted with a broad grin on his face, "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!"

However, she was not done recruiting, "Tyson, I need you too."

The Cyclops clapped happily, "Yay! Blow-things-up time!"

Chiron frowned though, "Annabeth… This goes against the ancient laws. Heroes are generally allowed just two companions."

She argued back, "Chiron, I need them all! It's really important!"

The ancient centaur was still hesitant, "Annabeth. Consider well. You would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Three is a sacred number. There are three Fates, three Furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Five people on a quest, is taking a massive risk."

However, she stood her ground and he finally relented, "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."

Just as Harry headed to his cabin, Quintus called him aside. He murmured, "Listen Harry, I have a bad feeling about this. I'm not really comfortable with the idea of any of you going down there. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you have a choice. Listen up, the Labyrinth exists to fool you and distract you. As half-bloods, we have a tendency to get distracted."

By then Percy had joined them. He asked, "You've been in there?"

Quintus nodded gravely, "Long ago… I barely escaped with my life. Most who enter, aren't that lucky. Just keep your mind on what matters most. If you can do that, you can find a way out."

Then he dug around in his pocket and fished out a silver tube, "Here, take this. It's a dog whistle for Mrs O'Leary. Harry, I suspect she will listen to you better, since you are the son of Artemis, you keep it. I'm not a hundred percent certain it will. But Mrs O'Leary is a hellhound. She can appear when called, no matter how far away she is. I'd feel better knowing you had this. If you really need help, use it, but be careful: the whistle is made of Stygian ice. Forged from the River Styx. Very hard to craft. Very delicate. It cannot melt, but it will shatter when you blow it, so you can only use it once."

Harry reluctantly accepted the gift and put it in his bag. The boys then headed out to finish out the day, but their hearts were not in it.

The next morning dawned bright and early and all five of them had gathered outside by Zeus' Fist.

Harry was busy listening to a beetle that had crawled onto his hand. After listening and frowning, it crawled away as fast as it could. Annabeth raised her eyebrows and he indicated that he would tell them later. Even Percy had something to say, but he also said that he would share it later.

Around Zeus' Fist, campers were setting up defences and traps. As Chiron trotted up, Harry went over to him. He murmured, "According to my spy, Luke is already aware of our quest. I'm assuming that he has some spies in our own camp. Anyway, the point is, that once Luke finds a way to navigate the maze, Kronos himself will lead the army."

Chiron looked grim, "I feared this. Against my father, Kronos, we would stand no chance in a fight. I am not sure what they mean by a bargain, but I fear they seek to make a deal with Daedalus. If the old inventor is truly alive, if he has not been driven insane by millennia in the Labyrinth… well, Kronos can find ways to twist anyone to his will."

Harry then remembered his and Percy's talk with Juniper. When he informed the centaur, he didn't seem surprised. He chuckled, "My dear boy, when Quintus showed up at camp to offer his services, I would have been a fool to not be suspicious. But sometimes, it is better to have someone you mistrust close to you, so that you can keep an eye on him. He may be just what he says: a half-blood in search of a home. Certainly he has done nothing openly that would make me question his loyalty. But, believe me, I will keep an eye on him."

Finally it was time for them to descend into the maze. Grover gulped, "Well… Goodbye sunshine."

Tyson nervously agreed, "Hello rocks."

As they entered, they were briefly plunged into total darkness. Fortunately, Harry solved that by raised his wand and chanting, "Lumos!."

Sure enough, a bright bead of light emerged from the tip of the wand. They five forged ahead, with Annabeth coming up with the idea to stick to the left wall. That plan worked until the wall disappeared and they entered a massive circular chamber. There were eight tunnels leading away from the chamber.

Harry pointed his wand at the entrance of each tunnel. As far as he could tell, they were all identical. Percy asked, "Hey Harry, isn't there some kind of location spell that you can use?"

Harry raised two fingers with his free hand, "Two problems. First and foremost, I need to know where I'm going. Secondly, if I use the location spell, I'll have to stop my Wand-Lighting Charm."

Annabeth grinned, "Luckily, I have a few flashlights. How about we stick to the flashlights for now, and use Harry's Wand-Lighting Charm as a last resort. I don't want him to drain his magic with constant use of it. The Gods know how long we'll be down here."

Everyone turned on their flashlights, and Harry stopped his spell. He laid his wand in the palm of his hand and explained, "This is known as the Four-Point Spell. It always points due North."

He spoke, "Point Me"

On cue, the wand spun on the flat of his palm and pointed north. He said, "Alright, let's take the northernmost tunnel."

As they walked, the tunnel grew narrower and narrower. The ceiling also dipped so low that Tyson was forced to crawl. Grover hyperventilated a little bit until Harry used a Calming Draught on him. The tunnel then reached its narrowest point, before opening up into a huge room.

As they shone their lights, Percy couldn't help gasping, "Whoa! This place is amazing!"

The whole room was covered in mosaic tiled walls. The pictures were grimy and faded, but they could still make out the colours. There was a giant frieze depicting the Olympian gods at a feast. There was Poseidon, with his trident, holding out grapes for Dionysus to turn into wine. Zeus was partying with satyrs, and Hermes was flying through the air on his winged sandals. Though if there was one critique, the pictures were not accurate, as the demigods had seen the Gods in person.

In the middle of the room was a giant water fountain, which had dried up long ago. Annabeth murmured, "This place looks Roman. Those mosaics are about two thousand years old. I'm guessing that the Labyrinth is a patchwork. Like I said, it's always expanding, adding pieces. It's the only work of architecture that grows by itself."

Harry tilted his head curiously, "So it's alive?"

A groaning noise echoed from somewhere ahead of the group. Grover whimpered, "Can we please not talk about things that are alive?"

Annabeth took a deep breath, "Okay… Let's continue onwards. The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus' workshop should reside in the oldest section."

Unfortunately, it was easier said than done, because the clearly sentient maze was toying with the group. After a few minutes of walking, the tunnel transitioned from brick to cement, with brass pipes running down the side. The walls also had graffiti sprayed all over it.

The tunnels twisted and turned, and all the time the floor kept cycling between cement, mud and brick. At one point, they accidentally stumbled upon a wine cellar, but the tunnels kept forging ahead. At some point, the ceiling transitioned into wooden planks. They could even hear people above them as they clomped around.

Soon, they stumbled upon their first skeleton. A poor milkman, with a crate of glass bottles sitting next to his sprawled body. He was positioned in such a way that it looked as if he was trying to claw his way out.

Annabeth mused sadly, "Poor guy… Some people wander in by mistake. Some come exploring on purpose and never make it back. A long time ago, the Cretans even sent people in here as human sacrifices."

Harry shuddered, "That is bloody barbaric."

Grover also shuddered, "Let's get out of here. Getting the smell of a lot of monsters."

Annabeth began walking, "Come on, we need to go deeper into the maze. There has to be a way to the centre of the Labyrinth."

She led the quintet through another series of twists and turns before they were back in the Roman themed room. The only difference was that there was another presence in the room.

The most striking feature about the newcomer was that he had two faces. They jutted out from either side of his head and he also had overlapping ears and mirror-image sideburns. He was dressed in a long black overcoat, shiny shoes and a black top hat that somehow managed to stay on his double-wide head.

The left face snapped impatiently, "Well Annabeth? Hurry up!"

Meanwhile the right face scolded, "That was rude! Don't mind him, miss. His brain-to-mouth filter does not exist."

Tyson frowned. "That funny man has two faces."

'The funny man has ears, you know!" the left face scolded. "Now come along, miss."

"No, no," the right face exclaimed. "This way, miss. Talk to me, please."

Right then and there, it hit Harry and Percy, this person wanted Annabeth to choose a path. They looked around them and saw that two of the exits were blocked by wooden doors with huge iron locks. The doorman had the only key,, which he juggled in between his hands.

Behind them the way which they came, shimmered out of existence and replaced by mosaic tiles. Annabeth asked, "Where do the exits lead?"

The right face was only too happy to answer, "One probably leads the way you wish to go. The other leads to certain death. But do you know which way to choose? I don't have all day. You're in charge now, my dear. All the decisions are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

The left face was not about to let his twin do all the talking, "We know you, Annabeth. We know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

The colour drained out of Annabeth's face. "No… I don't –"

Percy had had enough, "Leave her alone. Who are you, anyway?"

The right face said cheerily, "I'm your best friend.'

The left face said just as cheerily, "I'm your worst enemy."

In unison, they announced, "I'm Janus. God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices."

The right face tried to look at Percy, "I'll see you soon enough, Perseus Jackson. But for now it's Annabeth's turn. Such fun!"

The left face snapped, "Shut it! This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life. It can kill you and all your friends. But no pressure, Annabeth. Choose!"

The girl nervously licked her lips and stammered, "I-I choose…"

However, before she could make her choice, there was a brilliant flash of light flooding the room, forcing everyone to avert their eyes. When it died down, there was a new occupant in the room.