𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲.

Nothing but darkness

Just after dawn, the quest group met at Zeus's Fist.

Lilia had packed her backpack—thermos with nectar, baggie of ambrosia, bedroll, rope, clothes, flashlights, and lots of extra batteries. She had whisperer on her wrist and a dagger stashed in her bag incase.

It was a clear morning. The fog had burned off and the sky was blue. Campers would be having their lessons today, flying pegasi and practicing archery and scaling the lava wall.

Meanwhile, they could be heading underground.

Juniper and Grover stood apart from the group. Juniper had been crying again, but she was trying to keep it together for Grover's sake. She kept fussing with his clothes, straightening his rasta cap and brushing goat fur off his shirt. Since they had no idea what we would encounter, he was dressed as a human, with the cap to hide his horns, and jeans, fake feet, and sneakers to hide his goat legs.

Chiron, Quintus, and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who'd come to wish them well, but there was too much activity for it to feel like a happy send-off. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided we needed to guard the Labyrinth exit at all times, just in case.
Annabeth was doing one last check on her supply pack.

"I'm getting a bit sick of you running off Lil." Celia smiled sadly.

"Hey, at least I told you this time." She tried sounding upbeat but no one was fooled, the girl was terrified and her friends could see it.

"Promise you'll get back safe." Celia whispered, pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah." She sighed. She knew better than to actually promise her that. That was a big chance one of the wasn't making it back home.

Silena pulled Lilia in next, too busy crying to say anything. Lilia held her tight, Silena was one of the few people she could truly call family and that comforted her slightly.

Connor and Travis pulled her into a group hug and tried giving her a farewell gift but she didn't want to risk taking it, she knew what they were like.

She gave them all one big smile before taking a deep breath and turning toward the others. She walked down the hill and frowned. "Percy, you look terrible."

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" she asked.

Before he could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

He tired to sound calm but it was clear even he was anxious for this quest.

"Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?" Percy asked.

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." He nodded toward the woods. Chiron raised an eyebrow, but he followed.

Lilia stared after them, they stood talking for a few minutes, Lilia twisted her ring anxiously, they were taking a while.

"I'm going over there." She huffed.

"But it might be important." Annabeth said.

"If we don't go now, I don't know if I'll be able to at all." she sighed.

She trudged over to them. "Percy, you ready?"

He nodded, his hands slipped into his pockets and turned to Quintus who raised his hand in farewell.

"Take care," Chiron told them. "And good hunting."

"You to." Percy said.

They walked over to the rocks where Tyson, Annabeth and Grover were waiting for them. Lilia stared at the crack between the boulders, she shivered, despite sunlight hitting the passage directly, it remained pitch black.