Quest of the Half Gods

Chapter 7: Γαλάτεια

Galatea jolted awake after only having closed her eyes for a few minutes. She squinted in the darkness of the Labyrinth and looked to her side, checking on Apollo who slept peacefully beside her. She stood and summoned fire in her hands, igniting the halls on either side of them. "Will?" She called out, hoping for a response. "Hey!" He called out, appearing with Nico and Icarus by his sides. "Come this way! We found something." Galatea turned to Apollo and gently shook him awake. He opened his eyes and looked up at Galatea. "How are you feeling?" She asked, brushing the misplaced curls out of his face. "Better." He said, his voice still hoarse from the night before. "The noise is still there but it's quieter now."

"Come on!" Will called from behind them. "Can you walk?" Galatea asked, looking back at him. "Yeah, I think so." He said, pushing himself up, wincing slightly as he gripped the wall for support. He stumbled and Galatea slung his arm around her shoulders to help him stay up. "Thanks." He mumbled, smiling weakly. "No problem. Come on, they're this way."

Together they slowly made their way to a part of the hallway that was unfamiliar to both of them. Nico, Will, and the ghostly form of Icarus stood in the dark archway that led to a room completely covered in pitch-blackness.

"I think I can stand on my own now," Apollo said, lifting his arm off of Galatea. She nodded though kept an eye on him. "What is this place?" She asked Will. "I don't really know but it smells like grass so I thought it could be an entrance to Camp. Problem is that we can't see anything through there and we don't know if the entrance will close off once we step through so we wanted to make sure that you and Apollo got here first." As Will spoke, his eyes drifted to Apollo who was peering into the darkness. "What are we waiting for?" He asked, looking back at the rest of them.

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The five of them stepped through the wide archway all at once, none of them wanting to be accidentally left behind. As soon as they stepped over the thresh hold, the dark room immediately was bathed in sunlight, illuminating the scene before them.

There was no hesitation that they were out of the Labyrinth, though where they were, they had no idea. Greek pillars lined a walkway through an expansive field that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Various different trees dotted the landscape along with bright flowers and plants that shouldn't have been blooming in the drab weather that they had expected. The air was warm with the smell of the blooming plants. Down the path, a temple of dark wood stood in the center of the pathway. Something in Ancient Greek was carved into the wood above the entrance but Galatea couldn't read it from where she stood.

She looked over at Apollo who had closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "It smells like springtime here!" He said, opening his eyes and smiling. The sun shone on his face and made his brown hair glow gold in the light. Galatea looked around them, "This place reminds me of your sacred field at Camp." She said, gesturing to the temple. He nodded in agreement, "This place isn't mine though. I've never seen it before." Will shook his head, "You have a sacred field at Camp?" Apollo laughed awkwardly, "Did I not tell you about that?" Will raised an eyebrow, "Must've failed to mention it." Apollo cleared his throat and started down the path, "Oooh I wonder what that sign says!" Will rolled his eyes, "He's clearly feeling better." Galatea grinned and jogged after her friend.

They got to the temple and looked up, reading the words on the sign. "Tα Πεδία της Περσεφόνης." Galatea read out loud. "The Fields of Persephone," Apollo repeated. He turned around and frowned, "I didn't know Persephone had a place like this. Why's it in the Labyrinth?" Galatea pointed at the sky, "We aren't in the Labyrinth anymore." Apollo seemed to remember and blushed, his hand fidgeting with his necklace. "Right." Galatea grinned, their conversation reminded her of when they'd gone into Apollo's sacred field at Camp Half-Blood, before their quest. "Where are we then?" Apollo wondered aloud.