Chapter Twelve

Follow the Golden Skull Road

"Hello, my child," Ran greeted me, coming to a stop in front of me. I suddenly felt very weak. Ran twirled the trident in her hands, admiring the workmanship. She caressed the tip with her nails, grinning wickedly.

"Your father was easier than I expected. Almost as if he didn't want to put up a fight at all. But nonetheless, his motives do not matter. I'm your Daddy, Percy!"

She spread her arms, as if expecting a hug. Ran laughed, soaking in her victory. I wanted to throw up. To state the obvious: this wasn't good. I clenched my fists. Magnus stood defensively next to me, looking ready to take on the world. Alex seemed agitated, standing in a defensive manner as well.

"You may, or may not, have noticed. I restricted your access to the power of the sea. Perhaps, if you impress me, I'll let you have it back. At the same time, though, I could not care any less whether you live or die. But, I will be watching you."

"Is Poseidon dead?" I questioned through grit teeth.

"Well, that is a complicated question, now, child." Ran was clearly enjoying herself. "As you know, gods never truly die. They simply fade. I captured your father in my net, dear boy. And I stripped him of his power. The more I rule his domain, the more he fades until, eventually, he is dead. But don't worry. With Grendel on the loose, it will be quick. Just a tip, follow the Yellow Brick Road. It will lead you to what you fear most, which, unfortunately for you, is exactly what this Quest needs."

She paused. "Well, it's less brick, and more skull. Oh, well!"

She tapped my nose with the Trident.

"Make me proud!"

She exploded into a mini flood, dousing me. For the first time that I could remember, I was wet. Magnus placed a hand on my shoulder.

"We'll figure this out, Percy."

"Will we?" I shot back bitterly. "How am I supposed to finish this journey if I can't use my powers? That's what makes me powerful. I can use a sword alright without them, but I'm virtually useless."

My bad luck was coming full circle it seemed. I raced through the possibilities. There was no way we came out on top.

"Okay, she said my dad was just captured, right? What if we free him? Does he get his powers back? Let's find my dad."

Magnus shuffled his feet. Alex spoke up.

"That's not the Quest. Its out of the way and no guarantee it will be successful. Let's keep doing what we're doing."

"No guarantee that will be successful either! Bang up job we're doing right now!" I retorted. I stretched my hand, trying as hard as possible to create a stream of water. I roared in frustration.

"Zeus dammit! How can gods restrict their kid's powers? Why didn't they do that thousands of years ago when their kids got out of hand and nearly destroyed the world?"

"There's probably more to it that we don't realize," Magnus said. "Ran said she restricted your powers, not that she took them away. Maybe you just have to figure out how to tap into them again."

I punched the wall of the Monster Donut.

"I can't do this! My daughter is missing, I've lost my strength, and I'm supposed to burn to death!"

Alex snorted and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Coward."

I stopped. Annabeth was the only other person on this planet who had ever called me a coward before. At the time, I think she was right. But that was when I had ever reason to be. I squinted at Alex.

"What did you call me?"

She stared me down.

"You're a damn coward, Perseus Jackson."

Her gaze dared me to disagree.

"I don't think you know who you're talking to," I said evenly, keeping my temper in check. "I've been through the heart of the Sea of Monsters, held up the sky, traveled the Labyrinth, fought Kronos. I mean, I've been through fucking Tartarus, for Zeus' sakes. I jumped in there to protect Annabeth and you want to call me a coward? I'm sure I've had my moments, but I'm far from being a coward."

I was heated. I don't typically get offended, but Alex didn't know me. Magnus tried to intervene. Alex shoved him to the side.

"Take Annabeth out of the equation. Take everyone you've ever cared about out of the picture."

I was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

"If you didn't care about Annabeth, would you have gone through Tartarus?"

Gods, that hit home.

"I'm not saying you wouldn't have volunteered eventually. I'm sure you're a good person, but would you have jumped in so willingly?"

Maybe she knew me better than I thought. Most every choice I had ever made was based around those I cared about.

"I-I don't know," I confessed

"Exactly. Your motivation is everything you care about. Why don't you use that to your advantage here? What would Annabeth do?"

Like I've said before, I hate logic. Annabeth wouldn't want me to give up. I had to finish this and find Sophia. She could be in some sort of danger. I was determined. Maybe I wasn't completely a coward, but maybe I was closer than I thought. Gods, I needed some help. I said a silent prayer.

Dad, if you can hear me, I really need some help. . . if you're able. Why would you not fight back?

The three of us stood in awkward silence until I saw something wash up on the shore. I looked at it bewildered. Alex and Magnus followed my gaze. I jogged to the object, scooping it up. It was a solid gold skull, perfectly chiseled to show every feature in great detail. Written on the temple was a simple inscription in Greek: Trust the Prophecy

"Can you read that?" Magnus asked.

"Trust the Prophecy. I said a prayer to my dad. I think this is his response."

"Well, what do we do with this?" Magnus followed up. Alex pointed to our right.

"I think we head over there."

There was a trail of Golden Skulls. They were five across, cemented together with gold as well. Gods. That was unsettling.

"Well," I said. "Follow the Golden Skull Road?"

"Follow the Golden Skull Road," Magnus confirmed.

"Follow, follow, follow, follow, Follow the Golden Skull Road." I finished. "Should we link arms?"

Magnus chuckled. Alex looked on in disgust. "What the Hel are you talking about?"
"The Wizard of Oz," Magnus said. "My mom showed it to me when I was little."

"Same," I said.

"That's incredibly stupid," Alex decided. "Let's just go."

So, we did. The path led straight under the rock face, descending slowly down. I sniffed, getting a familiar whiff of death. The color drained from my face.

"Oh, gods."

"What?" Magnus glanced at me.

"We're in the Labyrinth." I said.

They both stopped, looking at the surroundings. A chill seemed to settle over the corridor

"How sure are you?"

"I can't forget that smell. This is definitely the Labyrinth. And I can just. . . feel it."
"Then we'll stay close," Magnus said. He shuddered. "Annabeth has told me stories."

I was more nervous now. We continued down the path, making sure we kept on the right path. It seemed like we were traveling for hours. Then, the road led directly to a rock wall. Vines entangled the walls, tree branches sticking out of the ground. It was a dead end. I groaned; Alex cursed. We were stuck in the Labyrinth with no where to go. I looked behind us. The golden skulls were gone.

"Styx! The path disappeared!" I cried out. "Okay, okay, let's not panic. Styx!"

"What about a hidden door?" Magnus suggested.

"Yeah, that's actually a really good idea," I said.

We began scrambling for and entrance. After a while, I realized I still had a skull in my hands. I studied it. Next to me, a stick stood erect, with two eye-sized prongs. Hm, suspicious.
"Guys, I think I got it."

I slowly slid the skull over the branch so that the eye holes were gouged. Nothing happened.

"Maybe it's a lever?"

I pulled back. There was a click, followed by a rumbling. The foliage disintegrated. The rock face crumbled, revealing a new room. A rope bridge swung perilously over a large chasm. A sulfuric smell rose from the depths. In the middle of the cave was a large, skull temple. What was with all this skull imagery? It was very unsettling.

"Perseus! Welcome to my temple!"

The voice was familiar, but I couldn't place it. The tone was one of disgust and anger.

"Come on in. I've been waiting on you."

I gave a sideways glance at my friends and shrugged.

"I mean, we might as well," I said, trudging along. I stepped onto the bridge, a shrill creaking echoing off the walls. Deciding I didn't have any other choice, I walked across the bridge. Amazingly, I didn't die. Magnus and Alex soon followed. Except Alex turned into a large eagle and flew Magnus across.

"Gee, thanks for that offer," I muttered. We entered the temple cautiously. It was pitch black inside. After a few moments, I heard a fwoosh sound and torches lit up the temple. I flinched, pulling Riptide from my pocket. At the far end, about 400 feet away, a man sat upon a throne.

"Ah, but the sword away, Percy. You know it won't work on me. I'm what you fear most."

I recognized the voice now.

"Styx, this is a trap," I said, turning to Magnus. "We need to go,"

"What?"

"No, Perseus! You can't leave yet. You just got here!"

I heard a snap. Suddenly, my body was forced into a chair that appeared out of nowhere. Black vines sprouted out, restricting my body. The same happened to the others. Without warning, we shot forward to the front of the throne. I grimaced, glaring at our captor. I stared into the face of Phobos.