Barely a few metres down the tunnel, they got their first jump-scare. Rounding a corner, Rachel nearly screamed when her flashlight illuminated a giant grinning skeleton. The corpse was two and a half metres tall and clearly not human. It had been strung up, chained by its wrists and ankles so it made a kind of giant X over the tunnel. Percy felt very uneasy when he spotted one hollow eye socket in the centre of its skull.

Annabeth murmured, "A Cyclops. If I had to guess, it's a wild one and very old. Don't worry."

She placed a subtle emphasis on 'wild', which appeared to calm Percy down a little. The group forged ahead, with three of them trying not to worry about a certain Cyclops that they knew, or his satyr companion.

After 15 metres, they came to a crossroads. The path leading to the right were made from ancient marble slabs. The path leading in the other direction was made of earth and tree roots.

Percy pointed left, "That looks like the path that Tyson and Grover took."

Annabeth agreed, but said, "Yeah, but the architecture to the right – those old stones – that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, towards Daedalus' workshop."

Rachel consulted with Harry and he performed a 'Point Me' spell with his wand, which pointed straight ahead. The redhead nodded firmly, "I thought as much. We need to go straight."

Annabeth looked at her doubtfully, "Are you sure? How can you tell?"

Rachel insisted, "There's a brightness there. Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, further down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. That sounds disturbingly like Devil's Snare, which is an automatic Hell No! from me. To the right, there's a trap about seven metres down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think we should risk it in an Indiana Jones-style adventure."

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and had a silent argument. Finally, Percy said, "Okay… Forward it is."

Annabeth didn't look like she was fond of the decision, but followed anyway. They walked together down the brick corridor. It twisted and turned, but there were no more side tunnels. However, the tunnel seemed to be angling down, heading deeper underground.

Just then, Annabeth sidled up to Rachel. She casually said, "Hey Rachel, I was just curious about why you signed up on this quest. I mean, it will be dangerous, if that Cyclops skeleton is any indication. Won't your parents be worried?"

Rachel shrugged nonchalantly, "Well… Mum might go spare and potentially lead a man hunt. However, I know that Aunt Molly trusts Harry to keep me safe, so she can calm her down. Dad on the other hand… I could be gone for a week and he would never even notice."

At that moment, Annabeth's attitude towards Rachel changed a little bit. Strained parental relationships was something that she could understand and sympathise with. However, her attempt to get to know the other girl was cut off by a noise in the distance. Instantly, the three demigods entered a formation. Annabeth and Harry positioned themselves in front of Rachel, Percy protected the rear. Harry also turned his wand back into a sword and instructed Rachel to hide her own wand.

Then, there was a set of giant footsteps which began heading in their direction. Rachel trembled, "O-okay… That sounds big… Can we run for it now?"

The trio exchanged glances and came to the same conclusion, "Run".

Everyone turned and fled back the way they came, but they barely made it a few metres before they encountered trouble. Two dracaenae cornered the group with javelins aimed. Standing between them was an empousa dressed as a cheerleader.

She promptly pounced on a terrified Rachel held her by the neck before any of them could react. She purred, "Taking your little pet for a walk? They're such fragile things, mortals. So easy to break."

As she spoke, the footsteps behind them grew louder and louder. Then from the gloom, a three-metre-tall Laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs, emerged. He licked his chops before grunting, "Can I eat them?"

The empousa who introduced herself as Kelli chided the giant, "No. Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment. Now march, half-bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the redhead."

The group were frog-marched down the tunnel, going in the original direction. Up ahead, there was a set of large metal doors that stood three and a half metre tall. Emblazoned on the doors was a symbol of a pair of crossed swords. One dracaena hissed gleefully, "Oh, yes. You'll be very popular with our host."

Percy asked, "Who's your host?"

She hissed in laughter, "Oh, you'll see. You'll get along famously. He's your brother, after all."

That threw Percy off guard, and that allowed the giant to barge past and opened the doors. Annabeth's knife and Harry's sword were confiscated, as was Percy's sword. The giant then turned back and picked up Annabeth and Harry like they were kittens. Kelli the empousa giggled mirthfully as she continued to keep Rachel hostage.

She purred, "Go on, Percy. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."

The dracaena forced Percy through the doorway onto a floor leading to an arena. It wasn't quite as large as the Colosseum in Rome, but it was still fairly spacious, despite being underground. In the centre of the arena, a fight was going on between a giant and a centaur.

The centaur was terrified out of his mind, but tried to put on a brave face. It galloped around his enemy, using a sword and shield, meanwhile the giant was wielding a large javelin, and all the while, the crowd cheered raucously.

The first tier of seats was four metres above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenae, demigods, telkhines and other strange creatures.

However, the most unnerving feature of the venue was that it was decorated with skulls. From ringing the edge of the railing to metre-high piles on the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like horrible chandeliers.

Proudly displayed on the spectator wall, was a sea-green banner with the trident of Poseidon in the centre. The sight of it, clearly freaked Percy out, but then he spotted a familiar figure. Luke Castellan was in a sort of VIP box, sitting as a guest of honour. The traitorous son of Hermes spotted the group and smiled coldly.

He wore camouflage combat trousers, a white T-shirt and a bronze breastplate. Oddly enough, his sword was absent. Next to him sat a large giant, much larger than the one fighting the centaur. The seated giant wore only a loincloth, like a sumo wrestler. His skin was dark red and tattooed with blue wave designs.

Just then, with a cry, the centaur crashed onto the arena floor. He looked around pleadingly, and Percy badly wanted to do something. As the centaur struggled to get to his feet, the giant approached while lazily brandishing his javelin.

The dracaena hissed in Percy's ear, "If you value your friends' lives, you won't interfere. This isn't your fight. Wait your turn."

With an agonised cry, the centaur fell back down, as he broke one of his legs. The giant planted a huge meaty foot on the horseman's chest and raised the javelin. He looked up at Luke and the unknown giant. The crowd cheered, 'DEATH! DEATH!'

Luke didn't move, but his companion rose from his seat. He shot a feral smile down at the centaur, who whimpered, "Please! No!"

Then the giant thrust out a clenched fist with his thumb pointing sideways. A moment later, he tilted his hand and gave the 'thumbs down' sign. On cue, the gladiator giant thrust his javelin, and the centaur was dead. The corpse disintegrated to ashes, leaving behind a single hoof. The giant seized the hoof as a trophy and triumphantly brandished it to the crowd, who burst into cheers.

On the back of the reception, the giant strutted out of the arena. Up in the VIP box, the giant bellowed, "Good entertainment! But nothing I haven't seen before, and I grow tired of it. What else do you have, Luke, son of Hermes?"

Luke's jaw tightened, evidently showing that his hatred for his father was still at an all-time high. However, he rose calmly to his feet and spoke, "Lord Antaeus. You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favour of passing through your territory."

Antaeus growled, "A favour I have yet to grant. I want entertainment!'

Luke spotted the scowling prisoners and grinned, "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have a brother of yours. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

As the crowd began to jeer and pelt rocks, Antaeus sat up with an interested look on his face. He said giddily, "A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well! Or die well!"

Luke bowed and smoothly said, "If his death pleases you. Will you let our armies cross your territory?"

Antaeus absently replied, "Perhaps!"

Then he focused on Harry, "What about that one? I sense some power in him, rivalling my brother."

Luke grinned, "Oh yes! Meet Harry Potter, the Firstborn son of Artemis."

Antaeus matched his grin, "Now, you have my attention. It's been centuries since I've seen a Firstborn in action."

Annabeth yelled, "Luke! Stop this. Let us go!"

Luke did a double-take, "Annabeth?"

Antaeus flippantly said, "Enough time for the females to fight afterwards 'First, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, what weapons will you choose?"

The dracaenae pushed both boys into the middle of the arena. Percy asked, "How are you a son of Poseidon?"

Antaeus boasted, "I am his favourite son! Behold, my temple to the Earthshaker, built from the skulls of all those I've killed in his name! Your skull shall join them!"

Annabeth could not help screaming, "Percy! Harry! His mother is Gaia! He-"

Any further response was cut off by the Laistrygonian who clamped his giant meaty hand over her mouth. That got Harry thinking, while Percy yelled at his deranged brother, "You're crazy, Antaeus. If you think this is a good tribute, you know nothing about Poseidon."

The audience booed loudly and pelted stones at the boys. However, Antaeus simply raised a hand to quieten them. He repeated louder, "Weapons. And then we will see how you die. Will you have axes? Shields? Nets? Flamethrowers?"

Percy grinned, "My sword."

Harry also cheekily replied, "Bow and arrows."

The audience laughed at them, which quickly died down in shock when Riptide appeared in Percy's hand. At the same time, Harry took off his rings, which were still on him, and turned them into his bow and arrows.

Antaeus was unfazed, and simply boomed, "Round One! Fight!"

The gates opened, and a dracaena slithered out. She had a trident in one hand and a weighted net in the other – classic gladiator style. Harry and Percy glanced at each other as they got ready. Harry asked, "Do you want to take her, or should I?"

Percy smirked, "All yours, dude."

He retreated to one end of the arena, leaving Harry with the dracaena. She slithered forward and jabbed at Harry, but he dodged and backed away. He fired a bunch of arrows at her, some of which, she swept away with the trident. Up until then, the crowd was egging on the monster. She jabbed again, and this time he rolled to the side and fired an arrow through a chink in her armour. With a painful wail, she vaporized into nothing, and the cheering of the crowd died.

Antaeus bellowed, "Too fast! You must wait for the kill. Only I give that order."

Luke whistled appreciatively, "Damn Harry! You're quick!"

Then Antaeus yelled, "Round two! And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody, OR ELSE!"

This time, a Telkhine exited the gates and prepared to attack. Percy dominated the monster, but just to be impertinent, executed the creature before Antaeus could give the word. The giant was once again fuming, but managed to calm himself and signalled for the gates to open again.

The third opponent was a young demigod, who looked to be around sixteen. He had glossy black hair, and his left eye was covered with an eye patch. He was thin and wiry so his Greek armour hung on him loosely. The demigod stabbed his sword into the ground, adjusted his shield straps and pulled on his horsehair helmet.

Harry and Percy looked at each other, debating on what to do next. Percy gave him a look, suggesting that he had it handled. He approached the unknown teenager, "Who are you?"

The guy replied shortly, "Ethan Nakamura, I have to kill you."

A monster bellowed from the audience, "Hey! Stop talking and fight already!"

Other monsters began to chant, as Ethan said, "I have to prove myself. Only way to join up."

Then he charged, and Percy retaliated immediately. Percy really did not want to fight to entertain, but Ethan was not giving him much choice. All the while, the crowd began to cheer wildly. The boy was good, especially with making up for his lack of an eye.

Then the monsters began baying for blood, and Ethan glanced at the stands. This was all that Percy needed to take advantage of. Ethan charged forward with a war cry, and Percy switched to defence. Even without a shield, Percy was able to defend, as Ethan was dressed for defence. In other words, Percy was lighter and faster on his feet.

Finally Ethan made a mistake by trying to attack Percy's stomach. The son of Poseidon trapped his sword hilt and twisted. His sword dropped into the dirt. Before he could recover Percy slammed the butt of Riptide into his helmet and pushed him down. At that moment, the heavy armour became a hindrance for Ethan. He fell on his back, dazed and tired, and Percy put the tip of his sword on his opponent's chest.

Ethan grunted, "Fine… I lost… Just get it over with."

Up in the VIP box, a scowling Antaeus gave a thumbs down. Ethan resigned himself to his fate, but then heard a sound of a sword being sheathed. He looked up in surprise as Percy bluntly said, "Forget about it."

Ethan groaned, "Don't be a fool. They'll just kill us both.'

An enraged Antaeus roared, "No one dishonours the games! Your heads shall both be tributes to Poseidon!"

Percy glanced at Ethan, "When you see your chance, run."

Turning back to his deranged brother, Percy yelled, "Why don't you fight me yourself? If you've got Dad's favour, come down here and prove it!"

As soon as he finished those words, he realised that he had set a trap for Antaeus. With the surrounding monsters grumbling in the stands, Antaeus knew that he had no choice. He couldn't say no, not without looking like a coward.

So he got up from his seat and boasted, "I am the greatest wrestler in the world, boy. I have been wrestling since the first pankration!"

In the corner of the arena, Harry muttered to himself, "Yeah, and I single-handedly thrashed six Seventh-Year Slytherins with my pankration skills."

Percy blanked, "Pankration?"

Harry helpfully called out, "Think ancient mix martial arts, mate! Though you can use weapons here."

Ethan also supplied, "He's right. You are fighting to the death. No rules, no holds barred. It used to be an Olympic sport."

Percy pointed his sword at Antaeus, "Winner takes all! I win, we all go free. You win, we die. Swear upon the River Styx!"

Harry raised some appreciative eyebrows, "Good call, mate."

Antaeus let out a belly laugh, "This shouldn't take long. I swear to your terms!"

He leaped into the arena, as Harry and Ethan evacuated. Antaeus cracked his knuckles in anticipation and grinned, "Weapons?"

Percy gestured to his sword, and Antaeus wiggled his meaty fingers. He boasted, "I don't need anything else! Master Luke, you will referee this one."

Luke smirked, "With pleasure!"

Then, Antaeus suddenly lunged, but Percy managed to dodge in time. He rolled under the giant's legs and stabbed him in the back of his thigh. Antaeus howled in pain and anger, and staggered. However, where blood should've come out, there was a spout of sand. It spilled to the ground, and the earth rose up to collect around his leg, almost like a cast. When it fell away, the wound was gone.

The newly healed giant charged again, but Percy was ready once again. He dodged sideways and stabbed him under the arm. Riptide's blade was buried to the hilt in his ribs. Unfortunately, it was wrenched out of his hand when the giant turned, and the momentum flung Percy across the arena, without a weapon.

Instead of disintegrating, Antaeus grit his wavy teeth and pulled out the sword before chucking it away. More sand poured from the wound, but again the earth rose up to cover him. Dirt coated his body all the way to his shoulders. As soon as the dirt spilled away, Antaeus was fine.

The giant gloated, "Now you see why I never lose, demigod! Come here and let me crush you. I'll make it quick!"

Then it struck him, what Annabeth was trying to say. With a new plan. In mind, Percy tried to skirt around his opponent. He was blocked every time and it looked like he was cornered.

Antaeus taunted, "Puny boy. Not a worthy son of the sea god!"

Percy ignored him and looked above, where he saw chains hanging from the ceiling, dangling the skulls of his enemies on hooks. Suddenly a ghost of an idea began forming in his head.

Unknown to Antaeus, Riptide returned to Percy's back pocket. With his sword back, Percy implemented his plan. He charged straight ahead, crouching low so that it looked like he was going to roll between Antaeus' legs again.

The monster took the bait and stooped, ready to catch. At the last moment, Percy jumped in the air, kicking off his forearm, scrambling up his shoulder like it was a ladder, placing a shoe on his head. Naturally, Antaeus indignantly straightened up and exclaimed in annoyance. Percy used the momentum to push off, using his force to catapult him towards the ceiling.

He caught the top of a chain and wrapped his legs around it like in gym class. With the help of Riptide, he sawed off an adjacent chain. Antaeus' arms flailed as he desperately tried to grab his opponent, but Percy was out of reach. He howled, "Come down here, coward!"

Percy sassed, "Come up and get me! Or are you too slow and fat?"

Antaeus made another grab, and managed to latch onto a dangling chain. He struggled to heave himself up to reach Percy's level and get to him. All the while, Percy was on the move himself, as he attempted to hook Antaeus. It took a couple of tries but the hook managed to catch Antaeus' loincloth.

The giant flailed before grabbing onto some other chains to avoid flipping upside-down. From there, he tried to get back onto the ground, but got a bit tangled up. All the while, Percy swung on the chains and began slashing away. Within a couple of minutes the giant was suspended above the ground, hopelessly snarled in chains and hooks.

He angrily demanded, "Get me down!"

Luke also yelled, "Free him! He is our host!"

Back on the ground, Percy grinned, "Don't worry! I'll free him alright."

Uncapping his sword, he stabbed Antaeus in the gut. He bellowed in pain, and sand poured out. Unfortunately for him, he was too far up to touch the earth, and the dirt did not rise to help him. Antaeus just dissolved, pouring out bit by bit, until there was nothing left but empty swinging chains, a really big loincloth on a hook and a bunch of grinning skulls.

Enraged, Luke yelled, "Jackson! I should have killed you long ago!"

Percy shot back, "You tried. Let us go, Luke. We had a sworn agreement with Antaeus. I'm the winner."

He grinned maliciously, "Antaeus is dead. His oath dies with him. But since I'm feeling merciful today, I'll have you killed quickly."

Harry yelled from his corner, "Oi! Offside! Foul! Unsporting! I call bullshit!"

Luke ignored him and pointed at Annabeth with his voice hitching slightly. He said, "Spare the girl. I would speak to her before – before our great triumph."

Several monsters snarled and got up, ready to pounce on the three boys.

Just then, Harry felt a cold burning sensation in his back pocket. Immediately he remembered the dog whistle that Quintus gave him. At first, he was loath to use it, as Quintus' loyalty was spotty at most. However, looking at all the monsters arming themselves, he realised that there was no choice.

He re-joined Percy, along with Ethan. Then he dug out the whistle and blew. Luke jeered, "What's that supposed to do?"

A few seconds later, he got his answer. The Laistrygonian giant guarding Annabeth and Rachel suddenly yelped in surprise as he was sent flying into the far wall. A deafening bark drowned out Kelli the empousa's scream. Before anyone could react, a giant 200-pound black mastiff bounded inside the arena and grabbed the empousa in its mouth. Kelli was tossed in the air before landing on Luke's lap.

After enjoying Mrs. O'Leary's sudden brand of chaos, Harry whistled again. This time he did it normally and she bounded towards him. She stood expectantly and Harry rushed forward and clambered onto her back. Percy looked at him as if he was crazy, but clambered on. Ethan also hesitantly clambered on.

While all this was going on, Annabeth and Rachel managed to escape and join Harry. Rachel was freaking out and had to be helped up by Annabeth. The daughter of Athena managed to rescue Harry's sword and returned it to its owner.

Clutching tightly onto the Hellhound's fur, they braced themselves as Mrs. O'Leary made a quick exit. Rachel calmed down after they exited the arena and then tapped Harry's shoulder, "We need to go that way!"

From her position behind Percy, Annabeth eyed her warily, "How can we trust you? You led us straight into that death trap."

Rachel sighed, "Look… I don't know why myself, but apparently, that was the place where we needed to go."

Harry let her take over the navigation as their Hellhound taxi bounded around corners and Rachel guided her through crossroads. Eventually, she slowed down and stopped at a room the size of a gymnasium, with old marble columns holding up the roof.

Ethan hopped off immediately and staggered away, trying not to throw up. He took off his helmet and wheezed, "You people are freaking crazy!"

Annabeth gasped, "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in Hermes cabin, years ago."

He glared at her. "Yeah, and you're Annabeth. I remember."

She stammered, "What – what happened to your eye?"

He stayed silent and she changed the subject, "Alright, sorry. Touchy subject. Why were you trying to join up on the wrong side?"

He snapped, "'There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I –"

She pointed back, "-Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment? Gee, I wonder."

He began to step away, "I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks for the help, but I'm getting the hell out of here."

Percy said, "We're going to find Daedalus. Come with us. Once we get through, you'd be welcome back at camp."

Ethan shot back, "You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you."

Annabeth stubbornly said, "He has to. We'll make him listen."

The one-eyed teenager snorted, "Yeah, well. Good luck with that."

He was about to leave when Harry exclaimed, "Oi! You're just going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide. We can take you back."

He hesitated and then glowered, "You two should not have spared me. Mercy has no place in this war."

With that, he plunged back into the darkness. The four remaining people elected to camp out in the room. Mrs. O'Leary gave Harry and Percy one last bath before Shadow-Travelling away. The quartet started a campfire and sat around it in silence.

Annabeth contemplatively poked the fire with her knife. She murmured, "Something was wrong with Luke. Did you notice the way he was acting?"

Percy wanted to say something, but Harry shot him a warning look. Annabeth continued, "He looked… I don't know… nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something."

Harry replied, "Who knows… Maybe one day we'll find out."

Rachel was ignoring the group and doodling on the ground with a stick. Annabeth turned to her and snarked, "So which way now, Sacagawea?"

Rachel simply responded, "I can see the brightness of the path. We should continue to follow that."

Annabeth deadpanned, "That same brightness that led us straight into a trap?"

Percy snapped, "Hey! Lay off her, will you! She's doing the best she can."

The blonde shot to her feet, "Listen, the fire's getting low. I'll go look for some scraps, while you guys talk strategy."

She marched away, and Harry got up to follow her. He caught up to her, "Hey! Beth! You alright mate?"

She didn't say anything for a moment, and then began to vent. She babbled, "Ughhh! That Percy! She's not even a demigod! She doesn't understand a damn thing. That girl could have gotten us all killed! Why does he still trust her with his life even after all that she's done?"

It dawned on Harry, "You're jealous of her, aren't you? You think that they might have a thing for each other? Don't bother denying it, I can see it written all over your face."

She gaped, "H-h-How!?"

Harry shot her a wry grin, "Perks of being raised in an all-female household, mate. I can understand girls thought process better. Listen up… Are you two officially dating?"

She muttered, "I… er… I don't know yet."

Harry smiled and continued, "Because I don't think Jackson is the cheating type. So what if they have a thing for each other? It's not like you've staked a claim on him as his 'girlfriend'. As far as Rachel is aware, you and Jackson are just really good friends. Obviously she's going to try and shoot her shot. I suggest you just wait a little. Besides, she's only going to stick around for this quest, and that's it. Jackson's known you for 3-4 years now, and if I'm not mistaken, they've only met last year, and that was by chance."

He waited for a minute, "Have you calmed down now?"

She nodded firmly, "Yes… Now let's go get that firewood."

After a few minutes, the two of them reunited with Percy and Rachel. The redhead was curled up and seemingly asleep. They strengthened the fire before Annabeth insisted on taking first watch.

Harry was in a fit-full sleep when he was suddenly woken up by Rachel. The first thing he noticed was that the room was shaking. Annabeth had just shaken Percy awake when the boy exclaimed, "Tyson and Grover are in trouble!"

Annabeth attempted to calm him down, "We'll find them Percy. We currently have our own problems. Earthquake."

The four of them hastily packed up and bolted immediately. They scrambled towards the far tunnel, and just in time too. A column next to them groaned and buckled before toppling. No one stopped running as a hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them.

Eventually, the whole place stopped shaking and they slowed down. Rachel fished out her wand and lit it up. Harry also did the same with his wand as they led Percy and Annabeth. After a while, there was light up ahead, regular electric lighting.

Harry and Rachel shut off their wands and the girl pointed, "There!"

The quartet found themselves in a stainless steel hallway. Fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling. The floor was a metal grate. Rachel moved forward eagerly, "We're close! I can feel it!"

Annabeth followed her with an unhappy look on her face. She complained, "This is so wrong! The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can't –"

Whatever she was going to say next, died in her throat. The four of them arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek Delta.

Rachel triumphantly announced, "We're here. Daedalus's workshop.'

Annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors and they hissed open.

Percy quipped, "So much for ancient architecture."

Annabeth scowled as they all walked inside. The first thing that struck them was daylight from a blazing sun shining through giant windows. The workshop was like an artist's studio. Ten-metre ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors and workbenches. A spiral staircase led up to a second-storey loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams for buildings and weird machines.

Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of Greek fire lined one shelf. There were inventions, too – weird metal machines that looked bizarre. One was a bronze chair with a bunch of electrical wires attached to it. In another corner stood a human-sized metal egg.

Harry quipped as he saw the egg, "Blimey! That thing's got to make the world's biggest omelette!"

Annabeth glared at him, "Harry! That's not funny!"

There was a grandfather clock that appeared to be made entirely of glass, so it's inner workings were visible. Finally, hanging on the wall were several sets of bronze and silver wings.

An awestruck Annabeth murmured, "Di immortales. He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

Rachel was also in fangirl mode, "He's an artist! These wings are amazing!"

Harry and Percy were still a bit alert. The same thought ran in their heads, This work space doesn't look like a place that belongs to a man who was supposedly dead for centuries.

Outside the window, was the view of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Wherever this place was, it was in the foothills, around 150 metres high. Percy asked aloud, "Where are we?"

They all jumped when a familiar voice said, "Colorado Springs. Welcome to the Garden of the Gods!"