While Chiron may have been over exaggerating about the Labyrinth at first, now I truly had a reason to be afraid of that stupid death maze. I had half a mind to kill Quintus the minute Percy and I returned to Camp Half-Blood, but I knew better. Maybe Hades would let me visit him in the Underworld after Nico releases his soul.

Percy had woken up before me, and according to Calypso, neither one of them were able to wake me up from my dream. From what I could gather, I'd been out for another two days, perhaps my overexertion finally catching up to me. I really didn't know.

I was currently sitting by the water, watching the gentle waves rush up to greet the sand before retreating back into the ocean. Calypso and Percy were talking behind me, the concern palpable in their voices.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"I do not know," Calypso replied. "She was fine the last time she was awake. Perhaps she had a dream of some sort?"

"More like a nightmare."

He was right, of course. While Percy wasn't the smartest book-wise, he was one of the most observant people I'd ever met, able to distinguish someone's emotions by picking up on a few cues. It also helped that he'd known me for eight years, meaning he knew exactly how horrific my nightmares could be.

Could Kronos really inhabit me instead of Kyle?

I exhaled shakily, shoving that thought out of my mind. No, Kelli had to be lying. I hadn't bathed in the Styx, and nothing short of a complete brain washing would be enough to convince me to join my father.

Then again, this was uncharted territory. Even Salina had never heard of a mortal child of Kronos until the Fates told her about me, something that made me extremely dangerous. My powers alone were that of a minor god, which I knew Zeus hadn't been too happy about when he learned just how much I could affect the natural world simply based on my emotions.

Even so, I'd never heard of any god or Titan having the ability to possess one of their own children. Sure, they could influence a person using multiple different methods, but it's not like Poseidon was going to take over Percy's body and use it to do his bidding.

But this was Kronos we were dealing with. Thousands of years in Tartarus was more than enough time for the Crooked One to pick up on even darker tricks than he'd been aware of when he was king, which may have included possessing one's child.

Gods, I knew I'd be needed back at camp to help out in the fight, but maybe it was better if I accepted Poseidon's offer. At least I'd know that my mind would stay my own.

"Want to talk about it?" Percy asked, taking a seat next to me in the sand.

I sighed again, pulling my knees up to my chest. "Not really. You just need to know that my father is almost awake and that I won't be able to help you anymore on this quest. Once we get back to camp, I'm staying there."

"Not to sound rude, but why now? You promised to always be there for me, but now you're taking that back when the Labyrinth is involved?"

"It's not like that, Percy." I grabbed a fistful of sand. "I promised to be there, I know, but what I saw in that nightmare…" I shuddered.

"What did you see?"

"Percy, I-"

"Andy, I've always respected your privacy," Percy interrupted, "but I need to know why you're pulling away now of all times. If things go south, I knew I could always count on you to show up and help us out. If you're no longer available, I want to know why."

"Fair enough."

I told Percy everything I'd seen in that dream, including details about Kelli. Percy seemed relieved that he wasn't the only one the cheerleader could sense whilst in dreams, but he wasn't all that thrilled at the mention of her name, either.

Calypso soon joined us as well, paling at the mention of Kronos' dubious plans. I guess she was happy to be stuck on Ogygia now, far away from the schist show that was going to go down in the upcoming weeks. I know I would be.

"Stay away from the Labyrinth," Calypso said, and Percy nodded so violently it's amazing he didn't give himself whiplash.

"No kidding," I scoffed. "Chiron was right; that place is a menace."

"That I still have to go through," Percy grumbled, earning a small but sad smile from Calypso. "Stupid Daedalus. Why couldn't the Ancient Greeks just die when they were supposed to?"

I cracked a small smile at that. Yeah, while the sentiment seemed a little abrasive, Percy was technically right. We wouldn't be dealing with this whole Labyrinth mess if Daedalus had died thousands of years ago like any other person. But no-o-o, this is a son of Athena we're dealing with, the most ingenious son of Athena, actually. Of course he learned how to pass his soul into different automaton bodies.

When Percy noticed Calypso smiling at him, he began blushing, and she turned away, her smile fading from her face.

"May I have a moment with Percy?" Calypso muttered, her voice soft but laced with anguish.

"Of course." I stood up and dusted the sand off my clothes. "I'll be in the garden if you need me."

I worked in the garden for a couple of hours, loving the feeling of plants and dirt against my hands. The last time I truly got to plant anything was over eight years ago, when I had gone into the strawberry fields with the Demeter kids my first week of camp. Ever since then, I'd never had a chance to have a garden of my own.

Even when I trained with Demeter, she spent more time teaching me how to identify different plant species and how to use different plants to my advantage than letting me work in any type of field or garden. I mean, her training was very helpful, but some weeks I would've enjoyed nothing more than to live inside a garden.

Once the sun began to set, an invisible servant rang a little bell, signaling that the table had been set for dinner. I wiped off the remaining dirt onto my jeans and brushed a stray hair out of my face.

As the stars started taking their spot in the sky, many of Calypso's flowers began to glow like the sea anemones we had back in cabin three. But the prettiest flowers by far were the moonlaces, which glowed silver when the moonlight reached their petals. Such a shame that mortals were missing out on such a beautiful sight.

I was the last one to take a seat at the dinner table, Percy and Calypso having already started to eat. The servants had prepared beef stew and apple cider that night, which tasted as amazing as it sounds. They'd also lit up a few candles, making me feel like I was intruding on a date rather than eating dinner with some friends.

Eventually, I felt so awkward sitting at the table while Percy told Calypso about Manhattan that I left, taking a candle with me, so I could read. I didn't go that far, sitting in the mouth of the cave, which was only ten or so feet away from the dining table. I could still hear every word of their conversation, though I zoned out as I picked up where I left off in City of Glass.

I'd gotten so sucked into my book that I hadn't realized Hephaestus appeared until I heard a can of soda spewing its contents and various swear words in Ancient Greek. I tucked my book away and looked up just in time to see Hephaestus swat away a can of Pepsi, his work clothes and beard completely doused from the soda.

"Stupid servants," he muttered. "Good automatons are what she needs. They never act up!"

I rolled my eyes at the comment. Clearly the god had forgotten about the time his automatons rebelled and nearly blew up half of Olympus and most of Asia. The aftermath of that disaster hadn't been fun to clean up. Imagine Avengers: Age of Ultron on steroids. Yeah, that's how badly things went.

Hephaestus waved Calypso away, and she wordlessly stood up, her face expressionless as she took a seat beside me.

"Curse the Fates," she muttered bitterly, digging her nails into her biceps. "Playing with my emotions like this."

"For what it's worth," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault that I'm imprisoned here."

After a few minutes, we watched as Hephaestus erupted into a column of flames, moving across the surface of the water before disappearing into the horizon.

Percy stared at the ocean, biting his bottom lip as his eyes flitted back and forth from Calypso to the sky, like he was staring at Atalanta's constellation. He then exhaled loudly, shutting his eyes for a brief moment before turning to face Calypso.

To my surprise, he didn't say anything before taking off in the other direction.

Calypso went to chase after him, but I caught her wrist, saying, "He needs some time to think."

"What do you think Hephaestus told him?"

"I think it's time to give Percy a choice."

Percy didn't come back until five fifty-three in the morning, the sunrise mere minutes away. While we'd waited for him to come back, Calypso had gone to work in her garden while I finished my book and moved onto the next one, City of Fallen Angels. And that got me thinking that maybe the Shadow World existed in another universe. Heck, as far as I knew, all book universes existed now. But I digress.

I read by firelight, only putting my book down once Percy arrived. Calypso hadn't noticed, still tending to her plants, which glowed in response to her magic. The Demeter kids would love her when she got to camp.

"He has ordered you to return," Calypso guessed as Percy approached, never looking up from her garden.

"Well, not ordered. He gave me a choice," Percy said.

Calypso finally looked up, her gaze meeting Percy's. "I promised I would not offer."

"Offer what?"

"For you to stay."

"Stay," he said wistfully, clearly imagining living a life on Ogygia. "Like…forever?"

"You would be immortal on this island," she said quietly. "You would never age or die. You could leave the fight to the others, Percy Jackson. You could escape your prophecy."

He stared at her, stunned. "Just like that?"

She nodded. "Just like that."

"But…my friends."

"Bad time to mention this, I know, but Percy, we've been gone for two weeks," I said. "Our friends think we're dead."

Percy's face fell, his skin turning pale very quickly. Calypso then took his hand into his own; some of the color returned to his face.

"You asked about my curse, Percy. I did not want to tell you. The truth is the gods send me companionship from time to time. Every thousand years or so, they allow a hero to wash up on my shores, someone who needs my help. I tend to him and befriend him, but it is never random. The Fates make sure that the sort of hero they send…"

Calypso's voice trembled, and she had to stop.

Percy squeezed her hand tighter. "What? What have I done to make you sad?"

"Land here," I said. "That is Calypso's curse. She falls in love with every hero that is sent to Ogygia." I turned to Calypso, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Odysseus almost stayed, you know. He said that he wanted to take you with him."

"But he had Penelope," Calypso said confusedly. "I thought…"

"I've spoken to his ghost, and he told me you were his biggest mystery. He wanted to come back."

Then Percy said, "Me?" like he couldn't fathom that someone like Calypso had fallen in love with him. Clearly, he was just as oblivious about Annabeth's feelings, even though she had literally kissed him before he blew up a volcano.

"If you could see your face," Calypso said, suppressing a smile. Her eyes were still cloudy with tears. "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."

"Amen!" I shouted, earning a genuine smile from Calypso this time. Percy stared at me in confusion, but I waved him off.

"They sent you to me, my brave one," Calypso continued, "knowing that you would break my heart."

"But…I'm just…I mean, I'm just me."

"That is enough. 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."

Percy stared at the horizon, watching the first red streaks of dawn appear. His hesitation was answer enough for Calypso, who retracted her hand back to her side.

"I can't," he told her.

She looked down sadly, but we both knew that would be his answer.

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

Calypso bent down and picked up a sprig of silver moonlace from her garden. The silvery glow started to disappear as the sun's rays reached the petals. She then tucked the little sprig into the pocket of Percy's t-shirt and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Then come to the beach, my hero. And we will send you on your way." Calypso turned to me. "I assume you will leave with him?"

"Duty calls and all that," I said. "But, as someone who knows the Fates personally, I promise you that you will leave this island, Calypso. Maybe not now, not with Percy, but another hero will finally break your curse."

I then reached into my bag and pulled out a watch that I'd made during my training with Hephaestus. The strap was made of Celestial bronze, the arms made of gold. The watch glass changed to match the color of the sky, giving it a little pizazz that was to be expected from an Olympian apprentice. At the bottom of the watch's face was the date, which read June 26th, 2008.

"I know time is hard here, but this watch won't be affected by this place's magic. It shall move consistently until the battery dies, which won't be for another 489 years. It even accounts for Daylight Saving Time."

I helped Calypso, who'd never seen a watch before, clasp it onto her wrist. She then flexed her hand, watching as the glass turned red and pink with the morning light.

"Thank you, Andy," Calypso said, moving towards the water, where a ten-foot square raft made of logs appeared. "But you may have to send someone to bring some battery replacements. You say I will be freed, but I don't know when."

"It'll be sooner than you think."

Calypso bit her lip. "This will take you wherever you desire," she promised, gesturing to the raft. "It is quite safe."

Percy took her hand, but she let hers slip out.

"Maybe I can visit you," Percy said.

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

"But-"

"Go, please." Her voice broke. "The Fates are cruel, Percy. Just remember me." A little trace of her smile returned. "Plant a garden in Manhattan for me, will you?"

"I promise." Percy and I stepped onto the raft. Immediately it began to sail from the shore.

It wasn't long until the island of Ogygia faded into the morning mist, becoming a blur on the horizon. I leaned against the wooden pole that was the mast and pulled out my book, figuring that it would take us some time before returning back into the real world.

"So," I said, removing my bookmark. "Where to?"

"Camp Half-Blood," Percy told the raft. "Take us home."

Hours later we landed on the shore of Long Island Sound. Even from here, I could see the smoke rising from the amphitheater, and though I really didn't want to witness our shroud burnings, I knew we had to go anyways.

Oh gods, Chiron was going to kill me when he found out about what happened. I mean, it's not like I was in the Labyrinth or anything, but I think Mount St. Helens was too close for comfort in his opinion.

"What's going on?" Percy asked as we made our way up from the beach, not a single soul in sight.

"Remember what I told you," I said, grabbing Percy's wrist and gently leading him towards the amphitheater. "We've been gone for two weeks. And with the explosion you managed to pull off, Annabeth probably thinks we died."

Percy froze in his tracks, going deathly pale for the second time that day. "Gods, Annabeth is going to murder me."

"What do you think Chiron's going to do to me? Come on, we're almost there."

The two of us snuck into the amphitheater via the back entrance, which was opposite of the altar where Chiron conducted shroud burning ceremonies. Annabeth was standing next to him, her eyes bloodshot and her hair a mess of knots. She held a torch in her hand, waiting next to a long green silk shroud with a gold trident embroidered into the fabric.

Cleo stood on the other side of Annabeth, dark circles under her eyes and red stained cheeks from her tears. There was another shroud in front of her. This one was made of a myriad of different silks, as if a child of Iris had accidently touched the silk. In the middle of the shroud, where the person's heart would be, was a silver star, an almost exact replica of the brooch I had on my bag.

"-assume they are dead," Chiron was saying. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked their best surviving friends to do the final honors."

"Jesus, Chiron," I muttered under my breath. "Do you really think the gods wouldn't tell you if I died?"

Annabeth lowered the torch over Percy's shroud, the silk catching fire instantaneously. She then passed the torch to Cleo, who did the same thing to what I assumed was my shroud.

Annabeth then looked up to face the crowd, wiping away a stray tear that had made its way down her cheek. "They were probably the bravest friends I've ever had. They…" Then she saw us. Her face went blood red. "They're right there!"

Heads turned. People gasped.

"Bye y'all!" I shouted, promptly walking into a shadow to disappear from the fallout of our disappearance. I shadow-traveled to the back row of the amphitheater, far away from everyone else.

"Andy!" I heard Percy shout, laughing slightly as Annabeth screamed, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" at the top of her lungs, shoving other campers aside. She pulled Percy into such a fierce hug that it was amazing that she hadn't broken any of his ribs. The other campers fell silent. Annabeth seemed to realize that she was making a scene and pushed Percy away. "I-we thought you were dead, Seaweed Brain!"

"I'm sorry," he said. "We 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!"

I almost got away, too, getting as far as the ground floor before Chiron said, "This includes you too, Andromeda."

"Damn," I swore under my breath, feeling Chiron toss me onto his back behind Percy before galloping off towards the Big House.

People stared at Percy and me as we cut through camp, like they still couldn't believe we had had the audacity to come back alive after being missing for two weeks. It's not like we could've come back earlier, what with Percy being extremely weak after that burst of power and my inability to use any of my powers to get us out of there.

Back on Ogygia, I'd tried to shadow-travel myself off the island so that Percy would get to be alone with Calypso, but I was stuck. It was like Ogygia was covered in Celestial bronze saran-wrap, preventing me from using my powers, just like what had happened while I held the weight of the sky.

Anyhow, when we got to the Big House, Chiron and Annabeth interrogated the hell out of us. Annabeth was on the verge of throttling Percy with her bare hands, but Chiron's calmness and the mention of the island, which Percy refused to name, managed to bring her down a notch.

"Percy, that explosion was massive," Annabeth said, some of her anger fading. "Even if you did end up on an island, how is every bone in your body not broken right now?"

"We landed in the water," he said.

"We?" Chiron raised an eyebrow. "Then that question applies to you, Andy. How are you still in one piece?"

"When Mount St. Helens erupted, I held onto Percy to prevent Lord Zeus from blasting him out of the sky from how high we were shot up. Plus, most of my water powers are on par with Percy's, so even if I had let go of him, the water landing wouldn't have hurt me," I explained. "I regained consciousness first, so I took care of Percy until he finally came to. Then Hephaestus found us and said that we could leave. We got on a magic raft, and boom, here we are, safe and sound."

"You've been gone two weeks," Annabeth reiterated, her voice steadier than it had been earlier. "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 them his idea. I informed them of the dreams I'd been having about Ariadne and Theseus, reminding both Annabeth and Chiron that I'd had that information written down in the notebooks I'd given them last winter.

"What notebooks?" Annabeth asked. "I didn't get any notes from you; neither did Clarisse."

"Chiron?" I asked, turning to face the centaur. He turned red and wouldn't meet my gaze. "What did you do with my notes?"

"I kept them in my office. The contents were far too dangerous for the others to know about."

"Whatever you say." I was scowling, but I figured there was no point in arguing over this now. What's done is done.

"Still, that idea is crazy, Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed.

Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and stroked his beard. "There is precedent, however. Like Andy was telling us, this happened with Theseus and Ariadne. Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason."

"But this is my quest," Annabeth said, crossing her arms over her chest. "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 finished. "But it's true."

Annabeth glared at Percy, her anger returning as quickly as it had vanished. "You are the single most annoying person I have ever met!" And she stormed out of the room.

"Ah, hubris," I sighed. "One of the more annoying fatal flaws, if I do say so myself."

"So much for being the bravest friend she's ever had," Percy spat bitterly, his hands curled into fists at his sides.

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

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

Both Chiron and I chuckled. "Gods, you two are so oblivious," I laughed. "No wonder it took so long."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it."

"It hardly matters," Chiron interrupted. "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 marooned."

Percy met Chiron's eyes for a moment before glancing back down at his feet. Though we hadn't mentioned Ogygia directly, Chiron had lived long enough to know that that was the only possibility for us to have disappeared to.

"We won't dwell on your choices," Chiron said. "You came back. That's what matters."

"Speaking of which," I said, "I got an offer not too long ago to leave Camp Half-Blood."

"Where would you be going?" Chiron asked, his eyes lighting up in alarm. "Has someone threatened you, ordered you to go somewhere?"

I cracked a smile at Chiron's concern. "Relax, I'm not joining the Titans. It's just that Lord Poseidon asked for me to fight at his side against the Titan of the Sea. The fighting has already begun for him."

"Then why are you still here?" Percy asked, appearing hurt that his father hadn't asked for him instead. "Shouldn't you be under the sea in the fight?"

"If you've forgotten, we're kind of under siege at the moment, Percy. I will be here until the Labyrinth threat is dealt with. But once the camp is safe again, I have to give your father my answer."

"And what do you think you're going to do?" Chiron was staring at me so intently that I thought I was going to spontaneously combust.

"It depends on what happens in the next few weeks. Because if there is the slightest chance that I can be kidnapped, I have to go."

Chiron was genuinely confused by now. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Unless you want me to become the host for our father, I have to stay away from Kyle."

With that final statement, I turned on my heel and exited the Big House, going in search for a certain daughter of Apollo.