A BLACK HEART

THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH!

A BLACK HEART Chapter 12
A/N:- So, well... here's the twelfth chapter! Hope you like it!

"What are you two doing?" Cam asked, incredulously as she looked at the teenagers.

"Nothing!" Percy said quickly, coughing as they detangled.

"We.... We were playing a game!" Rachel said blushing.

"What kind of game? I don't know any game where you need to get so close to each other," Cam asked, a celestial bronze gun in her hand, scaring Percy out of his wits.

"Uh... it's nothing, anyway, Cam, how are you? And why are you here? How did you come here?" Percy asked.

"I'm fine, thank you... I followed Helena here. I was in the arena, and I suddenly saw that her ears perked up and she just jumped into a shadow, I followed her as well, so I appeared one minute later... then I saw you all running and then followed you after killing some monsters, and well here we are!" Cam said sitting down next to the fire.

Rachel set down her drawing stick. "Wow! That's great! I'm really tired. I may sleep for a while, is that okay with you?"

"Oh, sure. Goodnight..." Percy said.

Rachel curled up, using her backpack as a pillow. She closed her eyes and lay very still.

"What were you guys actually doing?" Camilla asked after a pause.

"She had started crying and I was comforting her... that's all."

"Oh."

"So, anyway, Cam, what are you going to do now?" Percy asked after a long time.

"Oh, me? Nothing, I will just go back to camp," Cam said.

"How? You should come with us." Percy said.

"No... it's your quest, it has nothing to do with me, so I should go..." Camilla said, standing up and getting ready.

Percy grabbed her hand. "Cam? What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I should get going." Cam said shaking off Percy's hand and walking out, leaving a confused Percy behind.

A few minutes later, Annabeth and Hector came back. She tossed some more sticks on the fire. Hector sat next to them, followed by Annabeth. She looked at Rachel, then at Percy.

"I'll take first watch," she said. "You should sleep, too."

"I'm ok... go to sleep you both... I'll take first watch." Percy said miserably.

"Are you sure? You don't seem ok," Hector said.

Percy smiled. "I'm fine."

Both the demigods nodded and lay down.

***
"Hector, Annabeth, Rachel! Wake up!" Percy said shaking his friends awake.

"Tyson-Tyson's in trouble!" Hector said. "We have to help him!"

"First things first," Percy said. "Earthquake!"

Hector looked around and sure enough, the room was rumbling.

He quickly shook Annabeth awake and Percy woke up Rachel, who was not asleep at all.

They grabbed their things and bolted. They were almost to the far tunnel when a column groaned and buckled. They kept going, jumping above it as a hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them.

They made it to the corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppling.

"You know what?" Annabeth said. "I like this way after all."

"There," Rachel said as they followed her into a stainless steel hallway. Fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling. The floor was a metal grate.

"This way," Rachel said, beginning to run. "We're close!"

"This is so wrong!" Annabeth said. "The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can't-"

She faltered because they'd arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek Delta.

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

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

"So much for ancient architecture," Percy said.

Annabeth scowled but walked inside.

There was the daylight-blazing sun coming through giant windows. The workshop was like an artist's studio, with thirty-foot ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches along with windows.

A spiral staircase led up to a second-story loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams for buildings and machines that looked like Leonardo da Vinci sketches. Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil-Greek fire-lined one shelf.

There were several inventions, like a bronze chair with a bunch of electrical wires attached to it, like some kind of torture device. In another corner stood a giant metal egg about the size of a man. A grandfather clock appeared to be made entirely of glass, so you could see all the gears turning. And hanging on the wall were several sets of bronze and silver wings.

"Di immortals," Annabeth muttered. She ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

"And an artist," Rachel said in amazement. "These wings are amazing!"

The feathers in the wings were tightly interwoven. Instead of wax seals, self-adhesive strips ran down the sides.

The laptops were running their screen savers. A half-eaten blueberry muffin and a coffee cup sat on a workbench.

Percy walked to the window. The view outside was amazing. There were the Rocky Mountains in the distance, down below a valley spread out, filled with a tumbled collection of red mesas and boulders and spires of stone.

"Where are we?" Hector wondered.

"Colorado Springs," A voice said behind them. "The Garden of the Gods."

Standing on the spiral staircase above us, with his weapon drawn, was the missing sword master Quintus.

"You," Annabeth said. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, my dear. You don't want to meet him."

"Look, Mr. Traitor," she growled, "I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three-bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx and a Big giant to see you. Now, where is DAEDALUS?"

Quintus came down the stairs, holding his sword at his side. He was dressed in jeans and boots and his counselor's T-shirt from Camp Half-Blood.

"You think I'm an agent of Kronos," he said. "That I work for Luke."

"Well, duh," said Annabeth.

"You're an intelligent girl," he said. "But you're wrong. I work only for myself."

"Luke mentioned you," Hector said uncapping Riptide. "Geryon knew about you, too. You've been to his ranch."

"Of course," he said. "I've been almost everywhere. Even here."

He walked towards the window. "The view changes from day to day," he mused. "It's always someplace high up. Yesterday it was from a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. The day before that, there was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. But it keeps coming back to the Garden of the Gods. I think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose."

"You've been here before," Percy said.

"Oh, yes."

"That's an illusion out there?" Hector asked. "A projection or something?"

"No," Rachel murmured. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."

Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision, don't you? you remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."

"Enough games," Hector said. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

"Hector, can't you see? He IS Daedalus." Percy said.

Quintus stared at him. "You're smart, and right boy... I am Daedalus."

"Yeah right, and I'm Zeus," Hector said, as thunder rumbled outside.

Annabeth said. "But you're not an inventor! You're a swordsman!"

"I am both," Quintus said. "And an architect. And a scholar."

"Do you play basketball? Sing? Or dance?" Percy asked.

"I play basketball pretty well for a guy who didn't start until he was two thousand years old. For singing, I must say that I am pretty rusty... and I can dance pretty well." Quintus said. "A real artist must be good at many things."

"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."

"And I can fight with any weapon?" Percy asked.

"That too is a talent."

"But you don't even look like Daedalus," Hector protested. "I saw him in a dream, and..." Hector suddenly stopped talking.

"Yes," Quintus said. "You've finally guessed the truth."

"You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."

"Hector," Annabeth said uneasily, "that's not possible. That-that can't be an automaton."

Quintus chuckled. "Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"

"The fifth, in Latin. But-"

"This is my fifth body." The swordsman held out his forearm. He pressed his elbow and part of his wrist popped open-a rectangular hatch in his skin. Underneath, bronze gears whirred. Wires glowed.

"That's amazing!" Rachel said.

"That's cool!" Percy said.

"That's weird," Hector said.

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Annabeth said. "That's...not natural."

"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me. I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was a mark, the dark shape of a bird grafted to his skin.

"A murderer's brand," Annabeth said.

"For your nephew, Perdix," Hector guessed. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Quintus's face darkened. "I did not push him. I simply-"

"Made him lose his balance," Percy said. "Let him die."

Quintus gazed out the windows at the purple mountains. "I regret what I did, Percy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird-a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin."

"You really are Daedalus," Hector 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."

"So you have talked to Luke."

"Oh, yes. Several times. He is quite persuasive."

"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. 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 privacy."

"Privacy from what?"

"The gods," he said. "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my dear, hiding from death."

"But how can you hide from Hades?" Percy asked.

"He doesn't know everything," he said. "Or see everything. 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," Hector said.

Daedalus nodded. "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."

"And you did," Annabeth marveled, "for two thousand years." She sounded kind of impressed, despite the horrible things Daedalus had done.

"Yes I did, but now I feel guilty..."

"Guilty about what?" Percy asked.

"Guilty about your quest going in vain."

"What?" Annabeth said. "But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."

"Yes...the string. I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It's not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough."

"Where is it?" Annabeth said.

"With Luke," Daedalus said sadly. "I'm sorry, my dear. But you are several hours too late."

"Kronos promised me freedom," Quintus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

"That's your brilliant idea?" Annabeth yelled. "You're going to let Luke destroy your camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed, my dear. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos."

"That's not true!" she cried.

"I am doing what I must, my dear. The offer was too sweet to refuse. I'm sorry."

Annabeth pushed over an easel. Architectural drawing scattered across the floor. "I used to respect you. You were my hero! You-you built amazing things. You solved problems. Now...I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago."

Instead of getting mad, Daedalus hung his head. "You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string-"

"Someone's coming!" Rachel warned.

The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He looked solid -a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.

He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus's jaw clenched. He looked at Kelli. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sends his compliments," Kelli said. "He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

"No indeed," Kelli said. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." She ran a finger under Nico's chin. "He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Get used to it," Kelli said.

"Nico," Percy said, running to him quickly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded morosely. "I-I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."

"You were trying to help us?"

"I was tricked," he said. "He tricked all of us."

Hector glared at Kelli. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

The she-demon smiled. "Luke is...busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" Her hands changed into claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form-one donkey leg, one bronze.

"Percy," Rachel whispered, "the wings. Do you think-"

"Get them," Percy said. "I'll try to buy you guys sometime."

And with that, all Hades broke loose. Annabeth and Hector charged at Kelli. The giants came right at Daedalus, but Percy quickly leaped to help him.

Nico got pushed to the ground and struggled with his chains while the spirit of Minos wailed, "Kill the inventor! Kill him!"

Rachel grabbed the wings off the wall. Nobody paid her any attention. Kelli slashed at Annabeth. She was trying her best, but the demon was quick and deadly. She turned over tables, smashed inventions, and wouldn't let them get close.

Percy quickly punched one giant in the arm and then in the face, making him stumble back.

Daedalus grabbed for his sword, but the second giant smashed the workbench with his fist, and the sword went flying. A clay jar of Greek fire broke on the floor and began to burn, green flames spreading quickly.

"To me!" Minos cried. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.

"No!" Nico cried. He was on his feet now. He'd somehow managed to remove his shackles.

"You do not control me, young fool," Minos sneered. "All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your mother who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!"

Spirits began to appear around Minos-shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.

"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Be gone!"

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No." Nico drew his sword and looked at Percy who nodded. "I am."

He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.

"Never!" Minos's form rippled. "I will not-"

The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.

More monsters had rushed into the room as they fought.

Hector got distracted and Kelli pounced on him so fast he had no time to defend himself. His sword skittered away and he hit his head hard on a worktable as he fell.

Kelli laughed. "You will taste wonderful!"

She bared her fangs. Then suddenly her body went rigid. Her red eyes widened. She gasped, "No...school...spirit..."

And Annabeth took her knife out of the empousa's back. With an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapor.

Annabeth helped Hector up. Percy and Daedalus were still locked in combat with the giants, but more monsters were coming, and they couldn't fight them all.

"We have to help Percy!" Hector said.

"No time," Rachel said. "Too many coming!"

She'd already fitted herself with wings and was working on Nico, who looked pale and sweaty from his struggle with Minos. The wings grafted instantly to his back and arms.

"Now you both!" Rachel said.

In seconds, Nico, Annabeth, Rachel, and Hector had fitted themselves with coppery wings. Greek fire was burning the tables and furniture, spreading up the circular stairs.

"Percy! Daedalus!" Hector yelled. "Come on!"

Daedalus was cut in a hundred places-but he was bleeding golden oil instead of blood. He'd found his sword and was using part of a smashed table as a shield against the giants.

Percy also was pretty roughed up, but they both were holding up pretty well against the assault of the monsters.

Two giants, one hellhound, and two dracaenae were the only ones left.

"No, I can't leave Daedalus here... Go!" Percy said, punching the Hellhound to dust and Daedalus killed one giant.

"Alright then, don't die!" Hector said and they jumped out of the window, immediately spreading their arms.

The wings stiffened, caught the wind and they soared downward, but at a controlled angle, like a kite in a dive.

Daedalus and Percy, while doing well before, were cornered now. More monsters had poured in.

One giant swatted Percy to the side, and kicked Daedalus to the back.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh? It's been nice knowing you, Percy." Quintus said, sighing.

"Yeah, yeah," Percy replied groaning as he punched a hole in another draecaena.

The monsters towered over them, ready for a kill, but suddenly, an arrow hit the ceiling and burst into smoke, covering the entire room, as Percy and Daedalus coughed.

The monsters roared but were silenced as the son of Hades heard shots. Clear and Precise.

Someone had brought a gun to the party and was killing each and every monster with extreme precision, as they disintegrated into dust.

When the smoke finally dissipated, there was gold dust all over the room, and standing in the middle was the white-haired shooter, Camilla, standing with her gun in her hand and a bow slung around her shoulder.

"Cam?" Percy asked, holding his stomach as he stood up, groaning. "You saved us?"

"Yeah, I did." She said.

"Now what?" Daedalus asked as he winced, hearing the roars of more monsters down the line.

"You both go, I'll hold off the monsters." Cam said, taking out another arrow and shooting it at a disgruntled hyena who exploded into golden dust.

"No, I can't leave you here, alone." Percy said.

"He's right, the labyrinth's dangerous, I'll stay with you," Daedalus said.

"What?"

"Yes, now go, Percy. Help your friends, we'll meet you again if we all get out of this alive."

Percy looked at the daughter of Apollo reluctantly who refused to meet his eyes but when she did, she smiled and Percy immediately gained hope as he turned around.

"Alright then, bye!" He said and jumped out of the window as he heard the unsheathing of swords.

While he was falling, a few thoughts were racing through Percy's head, like 'Stupid, stupid!', 'Why?', 'Fuck you! wait you and me, we're both the same... so fuck me!'.

'Alright, Percy...' His mind, the conscious part of his mind, the rational part, or maybe a god, said. 'First of all, focus on your breathing. Inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. This will help to clear your mind. Only if you manage to calm down will you be able to find a way to survive.'

Percy did as he was told. He breathed in and out.

'You know, you can slightly slow down your fall if you manage to position yourself like the letter X in the air.'

Percy spread out his arms and legs according to his brain, the same brain that made him jump out of the window.

His feet hit the side of the labyrinth building and then he propelled himself forward.

Percy twirled in the air and then noticed the bronze wings glinting in the sunlight.

He grinned and then tilted towards the ground, tucking himself into a ball, and then landed on the land, rolling forward, scaring off a few tourists.

Up ahead Hector and friends were soaring across the valley, over a road, and then they landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty.

They quickly ripped off their wings and stuffed them in trash bins outside the cafeteria.

Hector used the tourist binocular camera to look up at the hill where Daedalus's workshop had been, to look for Percy and Daedalus, but it had vanished. No more smoke. No broken windows. Just the side of a hill.

"The workshop moved," A voice came from behind them.

"AAH!" Hector screamed and looked around to see Percy sitting on the ground, twirling a flower in his hands.

"How did you get here?" Annabeth asked.

"Shadow Travel, Duh!" Percy said.

"Alright, what do we do now?" Nico asked. "How do we get back in the maze?"

Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died...he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."

"No," Nico said. "He isn't dead."

"How can you be sure?" Hector asked.

"Children of Hades know when people die. It's like a buzzing in our ears." Percy explained.

"What about Tyson and Grover, then?"

Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."

"We have to get into town," Annabeth decided. "Our chances will be better of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."

"We could just take a plane," Rachel said.

Hector shuddered. "I don't fly."

"But you just did."

"That was low flying," He said, "and even that's risky. Flying up high that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The labyrinth is the quickest way back."

"So we need a car to take us into the city," Annabeth said.

Rachel looked down into the parking lot. She grimaced as if she were about to do something she regretted. "I'll take care of it."

"How?" Annabeth asked.

"Just trust me."

Annabeth looked uneasy, but she nodded. "Okay, I'm going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris message to camp."

"I'll go with you," Nico said. "I'm hungry."

"We'll stick with Rachel, then," Percy said. "Meet you guys in the parking lot."

Rachel headed toward a big black car parked at the edge of the lot. It was a chauffeured Lexus. The driver, wearing a dark suit and tie, was out front, reading a newspaper.

"What are you going to do?" Percy asked Rachel.

"Just wait here," she said miserably. "Please."

Rachel marched straight up to the driver and talked to him. He frowned. Rachel said something else. He turned pale and hastily folded up his magazine. He nodded and fumbled for his cell phone. After a brief call, he opened the back door of the car for Rachel to get in. She pointed back in Percy and Hector's direction, and the driver bobbed his head some more, like Yes, ma'am. Whatever you want.

Rachel came back just as Nico and Annabeth appeared from the gift shop.

"I talked to Chiron," Annabeth said. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?"

"The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said.

The chauffeur was now talking to another guy in khakis and a polo shirt, probably his client who'd rented the car. The client was complaining.

"Come on," Rachel said. She led them to the car and got in.

A minute later they were cruising down the road. The seats were leather. There was plenty of legroom. The backseat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water, sodas, and snacks.

"Where to, Miss Dare?" the driver asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Robert," she said. "We just need to drive through town and, uh, look around."

"Whatever you say, miss."

Percy asked Rachel. "Do you know this guy?"

"No."

"But he dropped everything to help you. Why?"

"Just keep your eyes peeled," she said. "Help me look."

They drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance.

After about an hour they headed north toward Denver, but they all were losing time.

Then right as they were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"

The driver glanced back. "Miss?"

"I saw something, I think. Get off here."

The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.

"What did you see?" Percy asked.

Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road.

They drove by a sign too fast, but Rachel said, "Western Museum of Mining Industry."

For a museum, it didn't look like much; a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, some drills and pumps and old steam shovels on display outside.

"There." Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill-a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. "An old mine entrance."

"A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked. "How can you be sure?"

"Well, look at it!" Rachel said. "I mean...I can see it, okay?"

She thanked the driver and we all got out. He didn't ask for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your-"

"No!" Rachel said. "No. Thanks, Robert. But we're fine."

"Thanks for the ride, Rob!" Hector said and gave him a tip.

The museum seemed to be closed, so nobody bothered them as they climbed the hill to the mine shaft.

When they got to the entrance, they saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock.

"Do the honors," Percy told Annabeth and she touched the padlock and the chains fell away.

Hector kicked down a few boards and walked inside, followed by Rachel, Annabeth, Nico, and Percy.

The dirt tunnels turned to stone. They wound around and split off, but Rachel had no trouble guiding the demigods through the maze.

Hector told her that they needed to get back to New York, and she hardly even paused when the tunnels offered a choice.

Rachel and Annabeth started up a conversation as they walked. It turned out that Rachel knew something about architecture from studying art. They talked about different facades on buildings around New York-"Have you seen this one," blah, blah, blah.

Percy, Hector, and Nico hung back walking in uncomfortable silence.

"Thanks for coming after us," Percy told him at last.

Nico's eyes narrowed. He seemed suspicious, careful. "I owed you for the ranch, Percy. Plus...I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid their death that long. It's not natural."

"That's what you were after all along," Hector said. "Trading Daedalus's soul for somebody else's."

Nico walked for another fifty yards before answering. "My mother's. It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."

"You could be accepted," Percy said. "You could have friends at camp."

He stared at him. "Do you really believe that, Percy?"

"Yes," Percy said firmly, but before he could say anything else, he bumped into Rachel, who'd stopped in front of him.

They'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right-a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked.

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico's specters.

"Is it that way?" Percy asked.

"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."

"Why are we stopping then?" Hector asked.

"Listen," Nico said.

There was wind coming down the tunnel as if the exit were close. There was also the smell of a familiar tree.

"Eucalyptus trees," Hector said. "Like in California."

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."

"And the smell of death," Nico added.

"Luke's entrance," Annabeth guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys-the Titans' palace."

"I have to check it out," Percy said.

"Percy, no."

"Luke could be right here," Percy said. "Or...or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on."

Annabeth hesitated. "Then we'll all go."

"No, it's too dangerous. If they got hold of Nico, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You and Hector, stay here and guard them."

"Percy, don't," Rachel said. "Don't go up there alone."

"I'll be quick," Percy promised. "I won't do anything stupid."

"I'll come too then," Hector said. "I have left you alone in too many life-or-death situations, so this time I want to come with you."

Percy sighed and nodded. "Alright you can come."

Annabeth took her Yankees cap out of her pocket. "Hector, take this. And be careful."

"Thanks. What about one for Percy?"

"He doesn't need it," Annabeth said and fist-bumped Percy.

Hector put it on. "Here goes nothing." And they both sneaked down the dark stone tunnel.

Before they even got to the exit Percy heard voices: the growling, barking sounds of sea-demon smiths, the telekhines.

"At least we salvaged the blade," one said. "The master will still reward us."

"Yes! Yes!" a second shrieked. "Rewards beyond measure!"

Another voice, this one more human, said: "Um, yeah, well that's great. Now, if you're done with me-"

"No, half-blood!" a telekhine said. "You must help us make the presentation. It is a great honor!"

"Gee, thanks," the half-blood, Ethan Nakamura, said.

Hector moved forward, while Percy crept toward the end of the tunnel, mixing with the shadows.

The air was cold.

They were standing near the top of Mount Tam. The Pacific Ocean spread out below, gray under a cloudy sky. About twenty feet downhill, two telekhines were placing something on a big rock-something long and thin and wrapped in a black cloth. Ethan was helping them open it.

"Careful, fool," the telekhine scolded. "One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body."

Ethan swallowed nervously. "Maybe I'll let you unwrap it, then."

Up at the mountain's peak, a black marble fortress loomed, like an oversized mausoleum, with walls fifty feet high.

Above them, the sky swirled into a huge funnel cloud. Atlas was groaning in the distance, still laboring under the weight of the sky, just beyond the fortress.

"There!" the telekhine said. Reverently, he lifted the weapon.

It was a scythe-a six foot-long blade curved like a crescent moon, with a wooden handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colors- steel and bronze. It was the weapon of Kronos, the one he'd used to slice up his father, Ouranos, before the gods had taken it away from him and cut Kronos to pieces, casting him into Tartarus. Now the weapon was re-forged.

"We must sanctify it in blood," the telekhine said. "Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord awakes."

Hector ran toward the fortress.

Percy quickly followed him.

Together they dashed through a dark foyer and into the main hall. The floor shined like a mahogany piano-pure black and yet full of light. Black marble statues lined the walls, statues of the Titans, who ruled before the gods.

At the end of the room, between two bronze braziers, was a dais. And on the dais, the golden sarcophagus.

The room was silent except for the crackle of the fires. Luke wasn't there. No guards. Nothing.

They approached the dais.

The sarcophagus was about ten feet long, much too big for a human. It was carved with elaborate scenes of death and destruction, pictures of the gods being trodden under chariots, temples and famous world landmarks being smashed and burned. The whole coffin gave off an aura of extreme cold. Percy's breath began to steam.

Hector drew Riptide.

They stood over the coffin. The lid was decorated even more intricately than the sides-with scenes of carnage and power. An inscription carved in letters even older than Greek was in the middle, a language of magic.

'ΚΡΟΝΟΣ, ΚΥΡΙΕ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ' or 'KRONOS, LORD OF TIME'.

Hector touched the lid while Percy hung back waiting for him. Hector's fingertips turned blue.

Then they heard noises behind them-voices approaching.

Hector pushed back the golden lid and it fell to the floor with a huge WHOOOOM!

Inside were mortal legs, dressed in gray pants. A white T-shirt, hands folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest was missing-a clean black hole about the size of a bullet wound, right where his heart should've been. His eyes were closed. His skin was pale. Blond hair...and a scar running along the left side of his face.

The body in the coffin was Luke's.

Hector faltered... Riptide was about to fall from his hands but Percy grabbed it to stop it from making any sound.

When he looked inside, he gasped too.

Then the voices of the telekhines came, and Percy quickly grabbed Hector's hand and hid behind a column.

"What has happened!" one of the demons screamed when he saw the lid.

"Careful!" the other demon warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately!"

The two telekhines shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth. "My lord," one said. "Your symbol of power is remade."

Silence. Nothing happened in the coffin.

"You fool," the other telekhine muttered. "He requires the half-blood first."

Ethan stepped back. "Whoa, what do you mean, 'he requires' me?"

"Don't be a coward!" the first telekhine hissed. "He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."

"No!" Hector yelled and charged into the room and took off the cap. "Ethan, don't!"

"Trespasser!" The telekhines bared their seal teeth. "The master will deal with you soon enough. Hurry, boy!"

"Ethan," Hector pleaded, "don't listen to them. Help me destroy it."

Ethan turned toward me, his eye patch blending in with the shadows on his face. His expression was something like pity. "I told you not to spare me, Hector. 'An eye for an eye.' You ever hear that saying? I learned what it means the hard way-when I discovered my godly parent. I'm the child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. And this is what I was made to do."

He turned toward the dais. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? I will see them destroyed! I will serve Kronos!"

The building rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at Ethan Nakamura's feet. It drifted toward the coffin and began to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended on the sarcophagus.

Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened, and they were no longer blue. They were golden, the same color as the coffin. The hole in his chest was gone. He was complete. He leaped out of the coffin with ease, and where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.

He looked at Ethan and the telekhines with those horrible golden eyes, as if he were a newborn baby, not sure what he was seeing. Then he looked at Hector, and a smile of recognition crept across his mouth.

"This body has been well prepared." His voice was like a razor blade, it was Luke's, but not Luke's. underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound-an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Hector..." Kronos took a little time and turned towards the shadows. "And Percy?"

The son of Hades exited the shadows and stood next to Hector.

"Fuck you," He said and stuck out his middle finger.

Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar on his face rippled.

"Luke feared you, both of you," the Titan's voice said. "His jealously and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you both."

Ethan collapsed in terror. He covered his face with his hands. The telekhines trembled, holding up the scythe.

Hector lunged at Luke or the thing that used to be Luke, thrusting Riptide straight at his chest, but his skin deflected the blow like he was made of pure steel.

Kronos's face was full of amusement. Then he flicked his hand, and Hector flew across the room, and slammed against a pillar.

Percy lunged and punched Luke's face, and while it may have not dealt much damage, the force was enough to make the Titan lose his balance.

Hector struggled to get to his feet, blinking.

Kronos got up and grasped the handle of his scythe as he closed his eyes.

"Ah...much better," he said. "Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name. now that it is re-forged completely, it shall indeed bite back."

"What have you done to Luke?" Percy asked.

Kronos raised his scythe. "He serves me with his whole being, as I require. The difference is, he feared you, Perseus Jackson. I do not."

"Hector, run. Inform the others and go away while I take care of this bastard." Percy said, slamming his fists together.

"Alright! Don't die!" Hector said and ran, he ran as fast as he could.

Kronos swung his scythe around and slashed at Percy who blocked it and then kicked the Titan's face.

Kronos stumbled and Percy took that opportunity of attacking him. He punched his open stomach and kicked him back.

Percy knew that his efforts to hurt Kronos were futile, but he was just doing this to buy time for his friends as he tried to call upon the death flash.

He joined his hands together and then slammed the ground.

The marble floor cracked and spouts of water rose up and twirled around Percy. He pushed his hands forward, but Kronos raised his hand time stopped, literally.

The water stopped, and Percy was unable to move.

Kronos laughed and said, "You know, you look like somebody I used to know..."

"How could.... How could you... you know a human? You're a Titan!" Percy struggled to speak.

"Not me, but Luke, you both used to be friends, am I right?" Kronos said, and after seeing the look on Percy's face, he smiled an evil smile.

"We... we... weren't friends, just allies... I helped him collect some rocks when... when he was in the underworld..."

"Yes, and you helped him fight a monster, didn't you? Then he thanked you and gave you something to remember him by, and then you gave something as well?" Kronos said and opened his hand, in which there lay a necklace made of silver, with a skull dangling on it.

Percy stuttered and brought out a necklace from his pocket as well, a gold necklace with a Caduceus.

Kronos grinned.

"I have to thank you Perseus, just because of you, I am here right now! And just because your world will end!" The Titan grabbed his scythe. "Those rocks that you thought you were collecting... those were pieces of me! The thousand parts in which Zeus cut me and spread me into Tartarus. You helped Luke find me, and here I am! So because you helped me, I guess I'll reward you with a quick and painless death!" Kronos took the scythe and brought it down on Percy's neck who was stunned. He had fallen to his knees, the gold chain held tight in his hands as his eyes stung.

"PERCY!" Rachel's voice yelled, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

"Ow!" he yelled. For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain.

Percy looked up, tears streaming down his face. His lip was quivering from anger as he punched Kronos in the chest and this time, it came by itself.

Lightning coursed through his fist and hit the Titan's body as the skin spasmed and he flew back and hit the wall.

"Percy come on!" Hector yelled, as Percy looked down to see Rachel, Nico, Annabeth, and Hector standing in the entry hall.

"Luke?" Annabeth called. "What-"

Percy quickly ran down the stairs to Hector, Annabeth, Rachel, and Nico, and they ran as fast as they could, straight out of the fortress.

They were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when the voice of Kronos, coming back into control, bellowed. "AFTER THEM!"

"No!" Nico yelled.

He stomped his leg down, and a jagged spire of black rock fell on the ground and tremors shook the building.

It was so powerful the front columns of the building came crashing down. Dust billowed everywhere, and telekhines got crushed.

They plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running. The titan lord howled so loudly that it felt like the whole earth shook.

Percy wondered how in hell the gods didn't hear him.

They ran until they were exhausted. Rachel steered the demigods away from traps, away from the dark mountain and the roar of Kronos.

They stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave.

"I can't go any farther," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

Annabeth had been crying the entire time they'd been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel.

Nico and Percy and Hector sat next to each other. Nico dropped his sword and took a shaky breath.

"That sucked," he said.

"You saved our lives," Percy said.

Nico wiped the dust off his face. "Blame the girls for dragging me along. That's the only thing they could agree on. We needed to help you both or you'd mess things up."

"Nice that they trust me so much," Hector shined my flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like a slow-motion rain. "Nico...you, uh, kind of gave yourself away."

"What do you mean?"

"That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now-a child of the Underworld."

Nico frowned. "Big deal."

Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What...what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

Percy told her everything they'd seen in the coffin, the way the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered Luke's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service.

"No," Annabeth said. "That can't be true. He couldn't-"

"He gave himself over to Kronos," Hector said. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. But Luke is gone."

"No!" she insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."

Percy nodded, looking at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

Rachel looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."

"But you saw," Annabeth insisted. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."

"So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," Hector said. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."

"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled. "You didn't know him before, Hector. I did!"

"What is it with you?" Percy snapped. "Thalia knew Luke as well, and may I add, she knew him longer than you! Yet she didn't hesitate to try to kill him last winter!"

"Whoa, you two," Rachel said. "Knock it off!"

Annabeth turned on her. "Stay out of it, mortal girl! If it wasn't for you..."

Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. She put her head down and sobbed miserably.

"If it wasn't for me, what? Huh, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have found out the truth of your pedophilic boyfriend becoming Kronos who can destroy us?"

Annabeth just sniffled.

"We have to keep moving," Nico said. "He'll send monsters after us."

Nobody was in any shape to run, but Nico was right. Percy hauled himself up and helped Rachel and Hector to their feet.

"You did good back there," Percy told her.

She managed a weak smile. "Yeah, well, thanks."

Hector knelt next to Annabeth. "Hey, I'm sorry. We need to move."

"I know," she said. "I'm...I'm all right."

She was clearly not all right. But she got to her feet, and they started back through the Labyrinth again.

"Back to New York," Percy said. "Rachel, can you-"

He froze. A few feet in front, his flashlight beam fixed on a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground. It was a Rasta cap: the one Grover always wore.

Hector walked forward and picked up the cap. It looked like it had been stepped on by a huge muddy boot.

The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites. There were large footprints like Tyson's, and smaller ones-goat hooves-leading off to the left.

"We have to follow them," Hector said. "They went that way. It must have been recently."

"What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico said. "There's no time."

"We have to find them," Annabeth insisted. "They're our friends."

She took Grover's smashed cap from Hector and forged ahead.

They got to the bottom of a slope and reached a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the banks, cradling Grover in his lap. Grover's eyes were closed. He wasn't moving.

"Tyson!" Hector yelled.

"Hector! Come quick!"

They ran over to him. Grover wasn't dead but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.

"What happened?" Percy asked.

"So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then...we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this."

"Did he say anything?" Hector asked.

"He said, 'We're close.' Then hit his head on rocks."

The rocks glittered when Hector shined his flashlight on the cavern walls. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds.

"Grover," Hector said. "Wake up."

"Uhhhhhhhh."

Annabeth knelt next to him and splashed icy cold river water in his face.

"Splurg!" His eyelids fluttered. "Hector? Percy? Annabeth? Where..."

"It's okay," Hector said. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."

"I-I remember. Pan."

"Yeah," Percy said. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

"Alright, before anything... Tyson, Rachel, Rachel, Tyson." Hector said introducing the two.

"And Grover, Rachel, Rachel Grover," Percy said.

"Anyway," Hector said. "Come on, Grover. Lean on me."

Together they waded across the underground river. The current was strong. The water came up to the waists.

Percy and Hector willed themselves to stay dry, which is a handy little ability, but that didn't help the others, and the water was still cold, like wading through a snowdrift.

"I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth said, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."

"How do you know?"

"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain last winter."

As the crystal pillars loomed larger, they started to feel the power emanating from the next room.

Percy's skin tingled with living energy and his weariness fell away.

He was growing stronger, and the scent coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.

Grover whimpered with excitement. Everyone was stunned. Even Nico seemed speechless. They stepped into the cave, and Rachel said, "Oh, wow."

The walls glittered with crystals-red, green, and blue. Beautiful plants grew-giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, and vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals in the strange light. The cave floor was covered with green moss.

Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it-but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, and roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk, was a wooly mammoth.

On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched as they approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. His horns were enormous- glossy brown and curved. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.

Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!"

The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."

"I...got lost," Grover apologized.

Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. It hummed a song.

Still, Pan looked tired. His whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist.

Everyone got to their knees, even Tyson.

"You have a humming dodo bird," Hector said.

The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."

Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge.

"This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth said. "It's better than any building ever designed."

"I am glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed...for a little longer."

"My lord," Grover said, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"

Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."

"Chose?" Grover said. "I-I don't understand."

Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The wooly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan re-formed.

"I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end."

"What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"

"My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. he lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead.'"

"But that wasn't true!" Grover said.

"Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."

"No!" Grover's voice trembled.

"Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, he understands."

Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This...this is more like a memory."

"But gods can't die," Grover said.

"They can fade," Pan said, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must-"

He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again.

"Dede, what are you doing?" Pan demanded. "Are you singing Kumbaya again?"

Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes.

Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."

"But...no!" Grover whimpered.

"Be strong," Pan said. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."

Pan looked straight at Hector with his clear blue eyes.

"Hector Babington," the god said. "I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."

He turned to Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

He looked at Percy. "Son of Poseidon and Hades, remember, remember everything you have ever learned, use everything you have."

Then he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson-your name shall live among the Cyclopes for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare..."

Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed up like she was guilty of something, but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing.

"I know you believe you cannot make amends," he said. "But you are just as important as your father."

"I-" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

"I know you don't believe this now," Pan said. "But look for opportunities. They will come."

Finally, he turned back toward Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan said kindly, "will you carry my message?"

"I-I can't."

"You can," Pan said. "You are the strongest and the bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

"I don't want to."

"I know," the god said. "But my name, Pan...originally it meant rustic. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now...I release you."

Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy, it filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into Percy's mouth, and Grover's and the others.

The crystals dimmed. The animals gave them a sad look. Dede the dodo sighed. Then they all turned gray and crumbled to dust. The vines withered. And they were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.

Hector switched on his flashlight.

Grover took a deep breath.

"Are...are you okay?" Percy asked him.

He looked older and sadder. He took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly on his curly head.

"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

-------------TIME-SKIP----------

The distance was shorter in the Labyrinth.

They climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

Hector led the way into an alley and whistled loudly, five times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by four of his white friends. (Was that racist?)

'Yo, boss!' He spoke and Percy and Hector could hear him. 'You lived!'

"Yeah," Hector told him. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need a ride to camp quick."

That's my specialty! Oh man, you got that Cyclops with you? Yo, Guido! How's your back holding up?

The Pegasus Guido groaned and complained, but eventually, he agreed to carry Tyson. Everybody started saddling up-except Rachel and Percy.

"Well," she told Percy, "I guess this is it."

He nodded uncomfortably.

"Thanks, Rachel," He said. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"I wouldn't have missed it. I mean, except for almost dying, and Pan..." Her voice faltered.

"He said something about your father," Percy remembered. "What did he mean?"

Rachel twisted the strap on her backpack. "My dad...My dad's job. He's kind of a famous businessman."

"You mean...you're rich?"

"Well, yeah."

"So that's how you got the chauffeur to help us? You just said your dad's name and-"

"Yes," Rachel cut him off. "Percy...my dad's a land developer. He flies all over the world, looking for tracts of undeveloped land." She took a shaky breath. "The wild. He-he buys it up. I hate it, but he plows it down and builds ugly subdivisions and shopping centers. And now that I've seen Pan...Pan's death-"

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that."

"You don't know the worst of it. I-I don't like to talk about my family. I didn't want you to know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No," Percy said. "It's cool. Look, Rachel, you did awesome. You led us through the maze. You were so brave. That's the only thing I'm going to judge you on. I don't care what your dad does."

Rachel looked at me gratefully. "Well...if you ever feel like hanging out with a mortal again...you could call me or something."

"Uh, yeah. Sure, I'd like that," Percy said.

"You don't have my number, do you?" she asked.

"I'll... I'll pick it up from Hector."

"There'll be no need for that," Rachel said and wrote her number on a slip of paper and gave it to Percy.

"It's been real Rachel..." Percy said and engulfed her in a big hug.

Rachel smiled. "See you later, Percy. Go save the world for me, okay?"

She walked off down Seventh Avenue and disappeared into the crowds.

Nico was having trouble. His Pegasus kept shying away from him, reluctant to let him mount.

He smells like dead people! The Pegasus complained.

Hey now, Blackjack said. Come on, Porkpie. Lotsa demigods smell weird. It ain't their fault. Oh-uh, I didn't mean you, boss.

"Go without me!" Nico said. "I don't want to go back to that camp anyway."

"Nico," Percy said, "we need your help."

He folded his arms and scowled. Then Annabeth put her hand on his shoulder.

"Nico," she said. "Please."

Slowly, his expression softened. "All right," he said reluctantly. "For you. but I'm not staying."

Percy raised an eyebrow at Annabeth.

"Percy, you don't have a Pegasus, how will you come to camp?" Hector asked.

"Oh, don't worry about me, race you there!" Percy said and
dissolved into the shadows.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Hector yelled but as an answer got only a happy laugh.

Everyone shot into the air quickly to follow up.

***

Percy reappeared in Long Island in just 2 seconds, but he didn't enter the camp's borders, instead, he just sat down next to a tree, thinking about everything...

Percy was 6 years old, his first year of training had started, and he was sent on a quest.

It was simple, he had to just retrieve Cerberus, who had run away to eat some cupcakes, and now he was missing and all the ghosts were out of order.

Percy was good friends with Cerberus, so he walked off, trying to look for him, finding his scent, and following his trail of large paws and drool.

Dad had given him a pack of blue cupcakes to lure Cerberus in, like bait. The pack had exactly 9 cupcakes.

On his way, Percy bumped into another demigod, much older, about 15, 16, or 17 who was walking in the opposite direction.

The older boy looked down. He had blonde hair and his eyes were crystal blue. He looked confused. "Who are you?"

"Uh, I'm Percy, want one?" Percy asked, giving the boy a cupcake from his box.

"Uh, thank you..." The blonde boy said, taking a cupcake and eating it. "Hmm! This is good! Who made this?"

"Well, my dad and I baked it together, and he made a lot more, but he said that I will get it later after I bring back our big dog who ran away," Percy said. "What's your name, mister?"

"I'm Luke. Mind if I help you look for your dog?" Luke asked.

"Not at all, mister Luke! Come on, we need to follow these footprints or pawprints..." Percy said pointing to the ground and they followed it.

"You can call me Luke, I am of your age only, may I ask your dog's name?"

"Oh, he's Cerberus! A really good boy!"

"Cerberus? Does he have... three heads?" Luke asked.

"Yes! How did you know?" Percy asked, excited.

"Oh, I read about it in mythology."

"That's nice!"

"Who is your dad, exactly?"

"Hades, he is like the coolest god ever, plus he also is the best dad ever! He cooks, he plays, he dances, horribly though, he sings horribly. His favorite song is All the Single Ladies, though he improvised it to make, 'All the Single Hades, All the Single Hades' and he sings it the entire winter, whenever Persephone isn't home."

"Wait, you're a demigod? Like me? You are the son of a god?" Luke asked astounded.

"Yeah! You too? Who's your dad? Let me guess, blue eyes, so you might be Apollo, Hermes, or Zeus? Am I right?"

"It's Hermes, he's boring."

"Oh, Well to me, it doesn't matter what your parentage is, to me it matters, who you are! It won't matter whether you are the son of a hero or the son of a bad guy, it depends on you, and only on you, if your dad is a hero, doesn't mean you are, and if your dad is a crime lord, doesn't mean you are," Percy said.

"Oh, thanks," Luke said and ruffled Percy's hair. "Oh, look, the trail has come to an end!"

Percy looked down and saw that the pawprints had stopped.

"That means that Cerberus must be here somewhere," Percy said and started looking around.

"Hey, Luke! I think he is behind that tree, want to check it out?" Percy said after a long time.

"Sure," Luke said and they went behind the bushes to see Cerberus sitting there munching, his face or faces blue from the icing.

"Woah, you're going to get a sugar rush," Percy said as two heads smiled shamelessly while the other was still eating.

"How many cupcakes did he take?" Luke asked.

"I don't know, anyway let's get him home," Percy said and started placing cupcakes all the way back to the underworld.

Cerberus saw the treats and then followed them, eating each cupcake and then licking each face.

Finally, they reached the entrance to Hades's realm.