Child of the Moon

Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Rocks

The next morning, Chiron called a war council.  We met in the sword arena, which I 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, Annabeth, and I sat next to each other and we led the briefing.  Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible.  Also present around the table were Grover's girlfriend Juniper, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Charles Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, Sean Beckett, and even Argus, our hundred-eyed security chief.  That's how I knew it was serious.  Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on.  The whole time Annabeth and I spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on us so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.

YN: Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance.

Annabeth: He knew everything about camp.

I thought I heard a little pride in her voice, like she still respected the guy, as evil as he was.  Juniper cleared her throat.

Juniper: 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 Beauregard frowned.

Juniper: You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?

Juniper's face turned green, well greener than it was already.

Juniper: I didn't know it was important.  Just a cave.  I don't like yucky old caves.

Grover: She has good taste.

Juniper: I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke.

She blushed a little greener.  I made a fake gagging expression.

YN: Good taste.  Right.

Quintus: Interesting.  And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?

Clarisse: Definitely.  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.

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

Chiron: Chris Rodriguez.

He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

Quintus: Ah.  The one in the... yes, I understand.

Percy: The one in the what?

Clarisse glared at him.  I spoke up, trying to keep Clarisse from killing Percy.

YN: The point is that Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze.  He's searching for Daedalus' workshop.

Percy: The guy who created the maze.

Annabeth: Yes.  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.

The arena was silent except for Mrs. O'Leary's toy yak getting disemboweled.  Finally Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table.

Charles: Back up a sec, Annabeth.  You said "convince Daedalus"?  Isn't Daedalus dead?