Born To Die

The labyrinth

The next morning, the tension on the ship was palpable. The crew was gathered in the war room, a spacious area that had been converted into a makeshift strategy hub. Maps and documents covered the table, and the faint hum of the ocean outside seemed louder in the quiet focus of the room. I stood near the back, leaning against the wall in Luke's leather jacket. The jacket hung a little loose on me, but the way it smelled faintly like him was comforting. Paired with a sleek black dress and my favorite heels, I felt like I was projecting the confidence I wasn't entirely sure I had.

Luke stood at the head of the table, his commanding presence filling the room. His brown  curls  was disheveled in that effortless way of his, and his eyes darted across the map as he spoke.

"We can't just march into Camp Half-Blood," he said, his voice calm but resolute. "They'll see us coming a mile away, and we'll be outnumbered. We need another way to gain the upper hand."

"We could wait," Chris suggested from his spot at the table. "Build up the army more. Strengthen the alliances with other minor gods."

Luke shook his head. "We don't have time. The longer we wait, the stronger they get. Chiron will be preparing, and so will the demigods. We need to move quickly, but strategically."

He looked up, his gaze meeting mine. I straightened under his attention, suddenly feeling the weight of being his second-in-command.

"What do you think, my love?" he asked.

I pushed off the wall and stepped forward, my heels clicking against the floor. "If we can't attack them head-on, we need to hit them where they least expect it. The labyrinth is our best bet. It's unpredictable, and most of them won't know it well enough to navigate. We can use it to infiltrate the camp without being detected."

Luke nodded thoughtfully. "The labyrinth. That's exactly what I was thinking. But we can't just wander in and hope for the best. We need a way to navigate it."

"Adriadne's string," I said, my voice steady.

All eyes turned to me, and I could feel the weight of the room's curiosity.

"Explain," Luke said, though the glint in his eye told me he already knew where I was going with this.

"Ariadne's string," I repeated. "It's the only way to reliably navigate the labyrinth. It's what Theseus used to find his way out after defeating the Minotaur. If we can find the string, we can find the quickest path to Camp Half-Blood."

"And where exactly do we find this string?" Chris asked, leaning back in his chair with a skeptical look.

"That's the tricky part," I admitted. "It's not just lying around. The myths say it was enchanted by Daedalus himself, so it could still be tied to him—or his workshop, wherever that is."

Luke straightened, his gaze sharpening. "Daedalus. That's a lead we can work with. He was obsessed with immortality, so there's a chance he's still around, or at least that his workshop is intact. If we can locate it, we might be able to find the string."

"And then what?" another crew member asked. "Even with the string, there's no guarantee we'll make it to the camp in one piece. The labyrinth is alive, and it's always shifting."

Luke smirked, the corner of his mouth lifting in that way that made it clear he was already ten steps ahead. "That's why we'll have Isla and me leading the charge. We'll handle the labyrinth. The rest of you focus on securing the army and supplies."

I crossed my arms, feeling a mix of pride and dread. Leading the charge into an ancient, shifting maze? No pressure.

"What if the camp realizes what we're doing?" Chris pressed.