ETERNAL! | percy jackson

chapter eight - in which they meet the heavenly queen

CHAPTER EIGHT
𓆉☾

          THEY WERE lost, utterly lost.

They hadn't even walked that far forward until they realized this fact. The tunnel was far different from the one Percy and Estella had previously stumbled into. Even with Estella's night vision, the winding road led to nothing but darkness.

It seemed the magic of the tunnel worked in ways that confused people with even the best vision. But even so, Estella was grateful she could see things a few feet ahead of her. It was unlike Annabeth and the rest, who clutched the left wall in fear.

"If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it," she said, "we should be able to find our way out again by reversing course."

As soon as she said that, the left wall disappeared. They now stood in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously.

"Just turn around," Annabeth said.

They each turned toward a different tunnel. They were so lost.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson said. "Which way now?"

Annabeth swept the flashlight over the archways of the tunnels. "That way," she said.

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So... you're guessing."

"Just come on," Annabeth said.

The tunnel they followed started to narrow. The walls turned into grey cement and the ceiling was so low that they all had to crouch. Tyson (poor guy) had to crawl.

"I can't stand it anymore," Grover whispered. "Are we there yet?"

"We've been down here maybe five minutes," Annabeth said.

"It's been longer than that," Grover insisted. "And why would Pan be down here? This is the opposite of the wild!"

They kept moving forward, despite Grover's protests. Soon enough, the tunnel opened into a huge room. Estella practically stumbled into it, now feeling like she could breathe.

The room was covered in colorful tiles. Everything was faded, but the Greek Gods were visible on the tiles. Poseidon, Dionysus, Zeus, and Hermes were some of the few portrayed. In the middle of the room was a fountain, but it looked decrepit.

"I didn't know there were rooms in the Labyrinth," Estella said. "I thought it was just a maze."

"The Labyrinth is a work of architecture, so there is more to it than just tunnels. It's always growing, adding pieces. The room we're in is Roman," Annabeth explained.

"You make it sound like it's alive," Percy said.

There was a groaning noise that came from ahead. Just as Annabeth said, it was like it was shifting, moving just as one of us would.

"Let's not talk about it being alive," Grover whimpered. "Please?"

"All right," Annabeth said. "Forward."

"Down the hall with the bad sounds?" Tyson said. Even he, the big Cyclops, seemed nervous.

"Yes," Annabeth said. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus's workshop would be in the oldest part."

While that seemed logical, everything in the maze was not. It was as if it heard the very words we spoke. The tunnel turned to cement fifty feet forward, and the walls were painted with graffiti.