LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . pjo

III.

THE NEXT MORNING, Mia was invited to a war council. Why? She didn't know, but she was just happy to be involved.

They met in the sword arena, which she thought was pretty strange — trying to discuss the fate of the camp while Mrs. O'Leary chewed on a life-size squeaky pink rubber yak.

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, even Argus,
their hundred-eyed security chief. That's how Mia knew it was serious. Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.

Meanwhile, Mia sat next to Percy, her chair scooted closer to his because he'd agreed to be her personal hair binder holder. His arm draped on their armrests and rested at her propped up knee as she tried to recreate the bun that she'd gotten at Circe's spa, and Mia tried to pretend like the bun was just really hard to do ( it was ), but Percy's hand on her knee, lifting when she nudged it as she grabbed hair binders off of his arm, was really why she was becoming more and more flustered.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about camp."

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Mia thought that this was really hypocritical of her to say, considering they knew about the Labyrinth entrance and didn't say anything, but she didn't comment, because if she did, then their covers would be blown and Sophia would die. Wonderful, happy thoughts.

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except . . . well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting," Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because . . . because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

"Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the . . . Yes, I understand."

"The one in the what?" Percy asked.

Clarisse glared at him. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

"The guy who created the maze," Mia offered.

"Yes," Annabeth said. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted — quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then . . . to Olympus."