The Demigod Alien Hero

⭐⭐|¦_Surprises_¦|⭐⭐

I whipped around immediately, looking for the man who was in shadows. "Such a genius invention, whoever made the watch must have been truly genius." he said.

He stepped out of the shadows, and it was... Quintus!?

He chuckled "I assume you didn't expect me? Most do not. I am Daedalus."

"But you are not an inventor!" Percy blurted out. "You're a swordsman!"

He raised one of his eyebrows "I am both. Swordplay was one skill I picked upon when I was living for 2000 years. I am also an architect, and a scholar, and I am also a master basketball player? Are you surprised? A person can pick up any skill given enough time. Some people also have some inborn talent that is harder to master for other people."

"That's true," Rachel said. "Like I can paint with my feet as well as my hands."

"You see?" Quintus said. "A girl of many talents."

"But you don't even look like Daedalus," I pointed out. I looked at Percy for support.

He had a look of horror on his face. He gulped and started slowly "If those dreams were true... Then you're- are..."

"You guessed it correctly. I am an automaton." he said while mock bowing. "I worked upon the works that Perdix had tried to do. I transferred my Anima, my Soul to an automaton to survive."

"But... But it's not possible!" Annabeth protested. He replied in a bored voice "We live in a Greek world. Anything is possible, my dear. Deal with it."

He sighed "An automaton does not last for long. This is my 5th body, Quintus in Greek means 5."

"You really are Daedalus," I decided. "But why did you come to the camp? Why spy on us?"

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own
conclusions." he replied wearily

"So you have talked to Luke." Percy accused

"Oh, yes. Several times. He is quite persuasive." he answered nonchalantly

"But now you've seen the camp!" Annabeth persisted. "So you know we need your help. You can't let
Luke through the maze!"

Daedalus set his sword on the workbench. "The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth Chase. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for my privacy."

"Privacy from what?" I asked

"The gods," he answered "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my boy, hiding from death." he answered, looking regretful

"But how can you hide from Hades?" Percy asked, confused "I mean...Hades has the Furies. They oversee who has to die."

"They do not know everything," Daedalus said. "Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"You mean Minos, don't you?" Percy said. I got confused. Who was Minos? It wasn't the time to ponder who he was now.

Daedalus nodded at Percy's question "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's
ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing
I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."