Nothing is mine.

Another happy chapter!


Ariadne's String

Raindrops pattered on the small green leaves of familiar fruit trees, drumming on the orange tiled roof and the stone paving beside the well.

No. Percy's heart plummeted. No I can't look. I can't look back.

Calypso curled up beneath the slim trunk of the pear tree, her arms wrapped around her shoulders and her leaf-strewn dark hair pooling over her grass-stained chiton. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into her knees.

Let me out of this dream. Percy found himself drifting closer, bitter guilt bubbling up from his gut. No, let me out. I don't want to see. Let me out. Let me out!

'Why did you have to leave?' she whispered. 'Why? There was nobody to go back to. You should have stayed. You were supposed to stay, Percy.'

Guilt swallowed him, sweeping over him in a wall of cold, dark water; it poured over him, an endless flood, crushing him down into the depths, grinding his heart away like a grain of sand beneath all the weight of the sea.

A soft hand rested between his shoulder blades, easing him from under the storm.

'I can't save her, Perseus.'

His blood ran cold. 'But…'

Calypso's island faded into a tangle of trees and brush upon the mountain slope. Bars of bright moonlight fell through the boughs from the cold, distant face of the full moon. The stars shone around it, twice as many as he'd ever seen, and at their forefront, brighter than all the rest, shone Zoë.

'I can't save her.' Artemis sat upon the curving branch of an oak, swinging her bare legs through the bushes below; her white chiton bright against the dark bark. 'It is Zeus's decree that she remains there. She had the chance to aid my father against Kronos's tyranny but did nothing for love of her father. And did she not ask you to do the same for love of her?'

'You really can't?' he whispered.

'Even a goddess can't save everyone.' A small sad smile curved her lips. 'Do you think I would have let Zoë die if I could have saved her?'

'No.' Percy sighed. 'I just… hoped…'

'You chose to leave her.' Artemis sprang from the branch, landing on the balls of her feet before him. 'If you wanted to save her from that, you should have stayed.'

'I thought if I did that, I might fall,' he said. 'I thought… I hoped… that you…'

'I heard your prayer.' Her silver eyes roved over him. 'I thought Aphrodite's dream was something you should be spared.'

'It was her?' Percy snorted. 'Of course it was. I'm just a toy to her. Poke Percy in the heart and see what he does next. Maybe the next mountain he accidentally blows up will be Othrys, wouldn't that be convenient.'

'She takes companions more often than I.' Artemis's lips twitched. 'But I daresay your description of her companions is apt enough.'

But not for you. You called Zoë your sister.

'Was I wrong?' he blurted. 'At Hephaestus's forge? At Ogygia? Did I make the right choice?'

Would Zoë be proud? He bit the words back from the tip of his tongue.

'Wrong?' She glanced up at the stars. 'Who can say? But I am pleased you chose to return, Perseus. Calypso… I do not truly wish her pain, but I know well the flaws of Zeus's daughters and Hades's sons. If there is a demi-god who is to lead your camp, I would rather it be the one Zoë trusted so deeply.' Artemis's molten silver eyes pierced through him. 'Does that lift some of the weight, Perseus? Zoë would not be disappointed in you.'

A ragged gasp of relief slipped through Percy's lips and his heart soared. 'Thank you.'

'Do not thank me. It was you who chose.' She stepped alongside him, resting one hand between his shoulder blades. 'Do not let Aphrodite's words trouble you overmuch, Perseus. She can only lead you astray if you allow her too.'

'I just don't want to break my promises,' he mumbled. 'That's all.'

A faint smile flitted across Artemis's lips. 'When you wake, you will find a gift. Perhaps Ariadne's words will help ease the weight on your shoulders.'

'The string?' Percy took a deep breath. 'Then I didn't fail?'

'You will see,' she said as the light of the moon dimmed and the forest. 'And yes, Perseus, I will look after Thalia.' The corner of Artemis's mouth twitched. 'After all, you may yet find yourself a guinea pig should you disappoint Zoë...'

'Or a jackle-ape,' he muttered.

'Jackelope,' she murmured. 'They're a favourite of mine. But you, I think, would make a proud stag should hubris lead you astray.' She grinned, the tip of her tongue poking through her teeth, and her eyes bled red as Calypso's amaranth flowers, her hair shivering dark as pine bark. 'What fine sport you would be...' The crimson faded from her gaze and Artemis swept her auburn hair over her shoulders. 'But you do not seek the wilderness. Not yet, at least.'

Percy shuddered. 'I'd prefer the guinea pig option, if it's all the same to you.' He stared up at the stars. 'But if I do disappoint, I think I'd like to die before I fall too far and do something awful like Heracles did.'

A fierce, bright pride flashed through Artemis's molten silver eyes, ripping his breath away. 'I do not think you will disappoint her, Perseus. But if you do, I will not allow you to dishonour her memory for long. You have my word.'

'Thank you,' he whispered. 'Thank you, Artemis.'

'She asked me to watch over you so long as you deserved it. And you know that I do not break my word, Perseus.' A faint smile flitted across her face and she lifted her hand from his back.

He blinked awake into the bright, golden light.

What is that? Percy squinted at the light, blinking until his eyes adjusted.

A loop of shining string hung from the roof of his cabin; its single thread held a slip of paper in its coils.

He jumped out of bed and gathered it up, stuffing Ariadne's String into the pocket of his jeans and dragging them on. 'Well done, Percy.' Percy unfolded the rest of the note. 'For leaving Calypso behind without hubris, you pass the second half of the labyrinth's test. This part of my string will lead you to the other and the one who solved the first half of my test.'

I need to find Annabeth.

He pulled his t-shirt over his head and jammed his feet into his trainers, stumbling out the door into the morning light.

The harpies cocked their heads at him from the rooftops.

'Try it.' Percy patted Anaklusmos in his pocket and strode toward Athena's cabin. 'I'll take some spicy harpy wings as labyrinth snack food.'

She's going to be mad for waking them all up. He knocked.

A loud thud echoed through the cabin and low voices groaned.

A dishevelled mop of blonde hair opened the door. 'Percy, what the in the name of the Gods?' Annabeth glowered at him through the gap. 'It's too early.'

He admired the little Parthenon facades on her pyjamas. 'Cute.'

'Shut up. Why are you awake?'

'Had a dream. Two dreams actually. One was pretty awful but the second one was better.' Percy pulled the slim golden thread from his pocket. 'We've got half of it. Ariadne said it would lead us to the other.'

Annabeth's grey eyes widened. 'So we go back and get the other half, then we can find our way through to close it.'

'Yeah. Also we should probably find Tyson, Grover and Nico if they're still in the labyrinth. I don't know how. But there must be a way.'

'Obviously.' She rolled her eyes. 'Let me get dressed and then we can leave.'

The cabin door slammed in his face in a gust of cold air.

Percy stuffed the thread back into his pocket and stared up at the fading crescent moon. Thank you for watching over me for Zoë. I really didn't want to dream that dream.

The door creaked and Annabeth trod on his foot.

'Why are you right next to the door?' She tossed her hair over her shoulder and shoved at his shoulder. 'Come on, brine-brain, we have a quest.'

'I know. Something about sworn siblings.' Percy frowned. 'Wait does that mean us?'

'You're not my sibling, limpet-face.' Annabeth hurried up the hill, one hand on the hilt of her knife. 'It's not you and me.'

A nasty thought bubbled up. 'Then—'

'It's not Tyson either. You didn't swear to be his brother, did you?' She grabbed his arm and dragged him after her to the entrance to the labyrinth. 'Just get Ariadne's String out so we can figure out how to use it.'

Percy dug it out and held it up. 'It didn't come with any helpful instructions.'

Annabeth laughed and squeezed in, her footsteps echoing back up to him. 'Gifts from the gods never do.'

He followed her down, shaking the string. 'I was hoping it would—'

The gold thread wriggled through his fingers, one end slipping free and floating out in front of them. Faint golden light shone from its tip as it pointed down the steps.

'They usually work out though,' Annabeth said. 'Let's follow it.'

'I liked the spider more,' Percy joked as they jogged past the blinking bronze doors. 'It was cuter.'

She elbowed him in the ribs. 'Don't even think about asking one of Hephaestus's kids to make one.'

'When's your birthday again?' Percy grinned. 'Completely unrelated.'

Annabeth glared at him out of the corner of her eye, picking up the pace.

Ariadne's string led them to a thick, iron door. The battered scarred metal thrummed with distant drums.

'So some monster probably has it.' He sighed. 'Oh it better not be a really annoying one like the Nemean Lion.'

'Just go through.' Annabeth tugged the door open to reveal smooth brown sand. 'How bad can it be? We've beaten plenty of monsters.'

'True.' Percy leapt through.

A great amphitheatre rose up from the sand at his feet to the sky, its stands thronging with scores of monsters. The walls and columns stared back with hollow bone sockets.

The whole place is made of skulls. Percy shuddered.

'You jinxed it, Column-hugger,' he muttered. 'There's a whole army here. And just look at the decor, it's horrible.'

'For the first time we actually agree about interior design,' Annabeth replied, clutching her knife as she glanced around. 'There's another door, over there. We're going to have to run for it.'

A second iron door stood on the far side beneath the skull-banistered balcony.

Percy turned on his heel. 'Or we could…'

Countless skulls stared back where the door had been.

He scowled at them. 'That's very unfair. Why are all the entrances so annoying.'

'Welcome!' A loud voice boomed. 'Welcome, brother, to the Arena of Antaeus!'

'Oh joy,' Percy said, pulling Anaklusmos from his pocket and clicking it into a xiphos. 'I found a new sibling. Actually…'

That might not be so bad.

'All who seek to cross this place must fight!' Antaeus shouted. 'Those who win and honour Poseidon may pass on.'

'Let's just get this over with,' Percy yelled. 'Come on down.'

'Me?' Antaeus laughed and waved a huge hand at the iron door. 'You will not be fighting me, little brother.'

Chains rattled behind the wall and the door sank down into the ground.

'Percy Jackson.' Ethan Nakamura strode from the dark behind the arch, his helm in one hand and his sword in the other. 'Surrender that half of Ariadne's String and I will spare Annabeth.'

'Or…' Percy pointed Anaklusmos at Ethan. 'You could give me your half and we'll not try to kill each other just because a giant guy in a massive skull building said we should.'

Ethan clapped his helm onto his head and shook the black horsehair crest over his shoulder. 'There must be balance. No matter the price.'

A quiet ripple of rage swept through Percy. 'You chose this. Not the gods. So what happens now is because of you.'

Annabeth drew her knife.

'No cheating!' Antaeus shouted. 'This is a fuel to the death between two champions.'

'It's fine, Wise-girl. I already beat him,' Percy said, passing her the handful of gold thread. 'I can do it again.'

Ethan sprinted across the sand and brought his blade down with both hands. Percy side-stepped and shoved Ethan away, but he rolled in the sand and bounced back to his feet, spinning around.

'Still haven't learnt, have you?' Ethan sneered. 'Did you even bother to check my mother's domains, or did you just dismiss me without a second thought?'

'I was busy,' Percy said.

'Blowing up a mountain.' Ethan clenched his jaw and circled closer. 'If I had your power do you know how many things I could fix? How many wrongs I could right?'

'Maybe if I wasn't so busy having to stop you and Luke, I'd be able to help fix those things,' Percy replied.

Ethan lunged.

Percy cut the thrust away to his left and punched Ethan in the chest, sending him staggering back.

The sea is always with me. He snatched a breath, letting the calm wash of the tide clear his thoughts. And the sea is unpredictable.

Ethan charged, slashing at Percy's chest. He caught the blade on Anaklusmos's edge and swept their hands over Ethan's head, ripping the xiphos from his fingers and sending it flying into the sand.

Ethan hammered his helmed head into Percy's forehead and pain exploded through his face. He clapped a hand to his brows and smashed Anaklusmos's hilt into Ethan's helmet, knocking the black-crested helm free with a clang and sending it bouncing across the sand.

'You're not that good.' Ethan jumped back, snatching his sword from the ground. 'Not really.'

Percy poked at the side of his face, wincing at the jolts of pain. 'I don't think I ever claimed to be Achilles.'

Ethan charged, swinging for Percy's neck with both hands.

Percy ducked and pressed the tip of his blade into Ethan's throat. 'Drop it. Slowly.'

Ethan's lip curled as the sword fell from his fingers to thud into the dirt. 'Didn't want to kill me on even footing, Percy? Had to have the child of a minor goddess on his knees first, right?'

'I'm not going to kill you.'

Annabeth stuck out her hand. 'Give us the other half of Ariadne's String and we'll let you go, Ethan.'

'I don't have it,' Ethan replied. 'I never did.'

Well then who does? Antaeus?

'It is a duel to the death!' Antaeus boomed. 'Finish him, brother. His skull will join the others to honour our mighty father.'

'Nope. I don't want to.' Percy kicked Ethan's sword away against the wall of skulls and stepped back. 'If you want me to kill someone down here, then send someone I think deserves to die. Like you.'

Antaeus stood up in the box and the earth shuddered beneath Percy's feet. 'Very well, brother. Get down there,' he boomed, turning aside. Or I will claim both halves of Ariadne's String myself.'

So Antaeus doesn't have it.

'Get out of the way,' Percy told Ethan.

Ethan scrambled to the side.

'Percy,' Annabeth hissed. 'Who's coming?'

'I don't know.'

'Is it Luke?' Her knuckles turned white around the knife hilt. 'Is it him?'

'I said I don't know. I can't see anyone if they're sitting down in that stupid box.' Percy pointed Anaklusmos at Ethan. 'Just make sure he doesn't do anything annoying.'

Luke stepped out of the dark passage, a slim, dark curved blade resting on the shoulder of his white t-shirt.

'Percy!' Annabeth's grey eyes stuck to the tip of the blade as Luke strode forward. 'That's—'

'I know.' He scowled. 'I thought I destroyed the forge.'

Ethan laughed. 'You did. But not the blade. You can't destroy that. It came forth from Gaia and it will be until there is nothing to be anymore.'

'I suppose I should just avoid being stabbed with it,' Percy said. 'Which I'd do anyway, so what difference does it even make?'

Luke trudged across the sand. 'Hello Percy. Hey Annie. This is a bit of a tricky one, I'm afraid.'

'Oh I'm sure it is,' Annabeth snapped.

'Antaeus isn't joking around and I need the other half of Ariadne's String, so… one of you is going to have to die. And, no offence Percy, I'd rather it was you.'

'I'm still slightly offended. She's really annoying.'

Luke laughed. 'Yes. She is. But in the very best way.' He raised Kronos's sickle. 'Well then, no point wasting time.'

Percy ducked the swing of the dark blade, feeling the wind whisper through his hair and stabbed Luke in the ribs.

Luke smiled and wiggled a finger through the hole in his t-shirt. 'Questing is always so hard on the wardrobe. You should see what Ladon did to the t-shirt I was wearing when I tangled with him.'

'That's very unfair.' Percy frowned at the tip of his sword. 'I'm quite sure I didn't miss, too.'

'You can't hurt me, Percy.' Luke shrugged. 'I always wanted to see which of us ended up best, but it's too late for that now. There are more important things than us.'

Percy stepped forward, cutting at Luke's chest with short sharp strokes, wincing each time Anaklusmos's edge rang off the sickle's.

Ethan lunged from the floor, snatching Ariadne's String from Annabeth's hand.

Luke let Percy's sword bounce off his shoulder and caught her knife in his bare hand. 'Even now, Annie?'

We can't even cut him. Percy glanced at the passage. There must be another way. Some way to get to Antaeus and complete the prophecy.

Annabeth ripped the knife from his fingers and clenched her jaw. 'The knife has never let me down.'

'I am sorry, you know,' Luke said. 'But there's no other way.' He turned to Ethan, keeping one eye on Percy. 'Don't hurt Annabeth. Only Percy has to die to keep Antaeus compliant.'

'I'd rather not die.' Percy drew the sea in, dragged it back from the beach down into a tight fist clenched about Zoë's smile somewhere in the pit of his stomach. 'So we're going to take door number two.'

Percy let the sea burst free and drove his heel into the ground.

The arena lurched, sending Luke stumbling to his knees and Ethan sprawling to the floor. Skulls showered down around them as the monsters fled the crumbling stands.

'Come on!' Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and dragged her forward toward the passage. 'We need to get to Antaeus!'

They stumbled into the darkness.

Percy turned up the steps, sprinting up into the box.

Empty seats lay on the floor.

'Well that went well,' Annabeth said.

The balcony collapsed to the dirt and beyond it Luke pressed two pieces of golden thread together, a sad smile on his face.

'We need to get back to camp.' Annabeth grabbed his wrist. 'Come on. That door we came through has to open somehow. We just need to find the mark.' She swept her cap from her pocket. 'I'll find it. When you see me waving and yelling, just run right for me.'

'That seems like a terrible plan.'

'Oh you have a better one do you?' She vanished from sight, tugging him down to the edge of the ruined arena. 'Sneak around the side behind the collapsed pillars until you're on the far side. I'll run across and try to find the mark.'

'Dad might be kind of mad,' Percy muttered, ducking behind the sprawling heaps of skulls. 'This was meant to be his temple. Although—' he peered down into the gaping nose socket of the nearest skull as he tiptoed around '—it wasn't exactly the nicest.'

A skull bounced across the ground past his toes. A second rolled after it.

'Percy,' Annabeth hissed, sweeping the cap off her head and pointing it into the wall. 'Get your lobster legs moving. I've found the entrance.'

'There they are!' Ethan sprinted across the sand.

Percy darted for the gap, hurling his shoulder into Ethan's and knocking him to the ground. Annabeth dragged him into the bronze corridors and shoved him through another door, slamming it shut.

'What now?' Percy cast a quick glance across tool-strewn benches and dust-veiled books. 'We need Ariadne's String, but Luke is…'

'I saw,' she murmured. 'We go back to camp. Luke will bring his army through and we need to be there. You need to be there. We'll get it back off him then.'

'It might be tricky to find our way back.'

'Perhaps I can help.' A low tired rasp echoed across the benches and a thin figure stepped from the shadows.

'An automaton?' Annabeth squinted into the gloom. 'Who left you here?'

'I can lead you through the labyrinth.'

'How?'

'I designed it.'

'That's impossible. Daedalus has been dead for millenia.'

The figure limped closer, tramping forward on bronze feet. 'Not so. I knew what I would face after death, our mother marked me so I could never forget, but I found a way to cheat it.'

'Perdix…' Percy muttered.

Daedalus stepped into the light, glowing white lamps flaring in place of eyes. 'And Icarus. I rebuilt this place as penance and hid within it, but Ariadne found me.'

'We don't have time for this,' Annabeth snapped. 'Lead us back to camp, if you can.'

'The door you first entered through?' Daedalus's bronze skull dipped. 'Follow me.' He tramped around the benches and through another door.

'I don't trust him,' Annabeth whispered. 'He could be a monster. Like Medusa. Cursed by mom and now serving Luke.'

'I dreamt of him,' Percy said. 'Ariadne showed me what he did. And he said Ariadne found him. Let's follow him for now.'

She scowled. 'I guess we have no choice.'

Percy stepped past her and through the door.

Daedalus stood in the corridor between the blinking doors, the passage behind him unfolding into a fork like the opening pages of a book. 'Hurry. Your enemy has Ariadne's String and will have no trouble navigating through my maze.'

'What about the maze within himself?' Percy joked, hurrying forward. 'Can he find his way through that.'

Daedalus's glowing white eyes pierced through Percy's head to a point somewhere between his ears. 'You have spoken to Ariadne.'

'She gave me half of the string, but Luke took it,' Percy replied. 'I passed half the test.'

Daedalus limped down the left fork. 'We must make a short detour.'

The floor shifted beneath their feet, unrolling into the distance like an endless scroll. Annabeth turned green and closed her eyes.

'Through here,' Daedalus said, pulling open a weathered wooden door. 'Two of the others you came here with are waiting.'

Tyson and Grover. Percy jumped through and stumbled headfirst into a mound of cold, damp dead leaves.

'Percy!' Grover bleated. 'Thank the gods.'

'We need to get back to camp,' Percy said, picking himself up and peering around through the rotting trees. 'Is Tyson alright?'

'I am fine.' Tyson poked his head around a tree trunk. 'We found the goat god. He is dead.'

'Oh.'

Grover nodded, his expression long and sombre. 'Pan faded years ago. The Cloven Council were just chasing echoes.'

'Come on then.' Percy put one foot through the door. 'Luke had Ariadne's String and we need to get back to camp before he attacks it.'

'Where's…?'

He caught Annabeth's grey eyes as she watched Daedalus, one hand on her hip and the other on her knife hilt. 'She's fine. Nico's the only one we've lost.'

Percy's blood ran cold. Was it him? It never did say dear to who.

He dragged himself back into the rolling bronze corridor, Tyson and Grover clambering after him.

'This way,' Daedalus said. 'It's only a few doors back to the entrance you first came through.'


AN: Shout out to the guest review who said I should release my own original novel. Guess what, I have! xD If you're curious, check out my profile for links or come join on Discord etc etc etc