σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

We Play Tag with Scorpions

Annabeth's POV

The next morning, there was a lot of excitement at breakfast.

Apparently, around three in the morning an Aethiopian drakon had been spotted at the borders of camp. I was so exhausted I slept right through the noise. The magical boundaries had kept the monster out, but it prowled the hills, looking for weak spots in our defenses, and it didn't seem anxious to go away until Lee Fletcher from Apollo's cabin led a couple of his siblings in pursuit. After a few dozen arrows lodged in the chinks of the drakon's armor, it got the message and withdrew.

Lee: It's still out there. Twenty arrows in its hide, and we just made it mad. The thing was thirty feet long and bright green. It's eyes—

He shuddered.

Chiron: You did well, Lee. (pats Lee on the shoulder) Everyone stay alert, but stay calm. This has happened before.

Quintus: Aye. And it will happen again. More and more frequently.

The campers murmured among themselves.

Everyone knew the rumors: Luke and his army of monsters were planning an invasion of the camp. Most of us expected it to happen this summer, but no one knew how or when. It didn't help that our attendance was down. We only had about eighty campers. Three years ago, when I'd started, there had been more than a hundred. Some had died. Some had joined Luke. Some had just disappeared.

Quintus: This is a good reason for new war games. We'll see how you all do with that tonight.

Chiron: Yes...Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat. (raises his goblet) To the gods.

I took my plate to the bronze brazier and scraped a portion of my food into the flames.

Annabeth: Athena. (whispers) Please, make sure Theo's okay.

I headed back to the table.

Once everyone was eating, Chiron and Grover came over to visit Percy and Tyson. Grover was bleary-eyed. His shirt was inside out. He slid his plate onto the table and slumped next to Percy.

Tyson got up and left the table. I saw Chiron tell Percy something before walking away. I took that as a sign to walk over to the Poseidon table.

I got up and walked over to Percy and Grover, and I saw Zoe walking to them as well.

Percy: (to Grover) What's he talking about?

I sat next to Grover, and Zoe sat next to Percy.

Annabeth: I'll tell you what it's about. The Labyrinth.

Percy: You're not supposed to be here, either of you.

Annabeth: We need to talk.

Percy: But the rules—

Annabeth: Look. Grover and Theo are in trouble. There's only one way we can figure to help them. It's the Labyrinth. That's what Clarisse and I have been investigating.

Percy: You mean the maze where they kept the Minotaur, back in the old days?

Annabeth: Exactly.

Percy: So...it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore. The Labyrinth is under some building in America.

Zoe: It is not simply under one building. It is too large to fit under the state of Texas.

Percy looked like he was thinking about something.

Percy: So...is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?