The Labyrinth *editing*

Chapter 26

So, back to the normal POV.....sorry if you get really bored! If you're still reading this story, I LOVE YOU because I know it's boring :D

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XENIA'S POV

In the dim light, my eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Ariadne positively glowed. "I knew you'd help us, Daedalus!" she cried.

"Shh, Ariadne. Excitement shall come after the deed is done. We are not sure if their fate is sealed quite yet," Daedalus warned.

"But you just said--" Ariadne began to protest, but Daedalus cut her off sharply.

"I am aware of what I said, princess. But you must work to keep them alive."

"Or you could ask your daddy," I reminded, just to agitate her.

"Xenia," Theseus warned quietly. I bit my tongue back obediently.

Daedalus silently threw open the drawer to his desk, and papers flew everywhere. He rummaged hastily through the mess, evidently searching for something. Nobody spoke.He chucked papers in every direction in desperation to get to the thing he looked for so feverishly. I watched in fascination as he finally made a sound of triumph and pulled out the item. I waited with baited breath as he held the object behind his back.

"Behold! The thing that will save you!" he cried and held it out to us....a ball of string?

"What? A ball of thread? Are you kidding me?" I rebuked in disgust. It was a thin coil of fine gold thread that looked as delicate as a spider's web.

"Not just any thread, miss! No no, you are much mistaken! This, ma'am, is magical." He dropped his voice to a whisper as he spoke the last word.

"Excuse me?" I asked in abhorrence.

"Please refrain for any rude remarks, Xenia," Daedalus chided calmly.

"I...wait, what?"

He ignored me. "This is finely crafted, and finely spun by the Sirens, out of gold. It's gold silk I suppose you might say! However, that is not of importance at the moment! What is important is its length. It is the single longest piece of thread you can find," he boasted, gazing at it fondly.

"And that's going to save us?" I queried.

"Yes. Yes it is. In fact, it could save you all."

I laughed. "String? Are you insane?" I inquired rudely while laughing my head off.

Ariadne flared. "Shut up and listen to him!"

I fell silent.

"Of course. Just listen, girl!" Daedalus fretted, pacing about the room. "I do have a plan for this thread. You see, it is incredibly strong and durable (being made by The Siren Sisters, of course it would be). It is a vague and foggy idea, I will admit. Nevertheless, we must try, as it is the only hope I see for you now," he ranted.

"Well just tell us what you plan to do with the darned string already!" I cried impatiently.

"What dear girl, did you say something? I'm afraid my hearing is departing me... Oh, right, of course.The whole point of a labyrinth is to get one lost in its depths, am I correct? Well, if you could find a way to not get disoriented, you could potentially find your way out, correct?"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. No duh," I said spitefully.

Again, I was ignored. "What if we could elude the labyrinth? What if you could leave a marker to help you find your way back to the light? You would live!" he cried in delight.

"But you're the one who created the maze in the first place! Why can't you just...shut it down? Destroy it? Something!" Theseus asked, knitting his brow together in concern.

"You ask deep questions, my boy," Daedalus stuttered, shaking his head in disappointment.

I was officially convinced this guy was a nutter.

"I cannot," Daedalus continued in dismay, "shut down the maze! You see, I created it so that it works an operates on its own. It has become independent! It is a threat to itself! You cannot control it! It's a threat to us all now!" He cried, flailing his arms wildly in the air, jumping up and down like an insane man.

All I could do was stare at him in something of wariness. This guy was crazy with a capital C.

"Then I despise you, Daedalus," Ariadne spoke quietly.

Daedalus ceased jumping up and down frivoulously. "No Ariadne, I'm not yet finished. This string! This string will help you! It shall guide you out of the labyrinth, into the arms of Ariadne! Simply lay the string down in a path wherever you go from the entrance, find the Minotaur, slay the beast, and follow the string out! It is brilliant, no?" he cried indulgently.

All three of us exchanged uncertain looks, and it worried me that even Ariadne looked skeptical. Ariadne reached out in one swift motion, plucked the string from Daedalus' hand and placed it in Theseus'.

"It's the best plan we've got," she reasoned mildly.

"It's the only plan, Ariadne," I reminded her blandly.

"Which means it's the best!" she insisted.

"Yes, but it's also the worst."

"The first, last; best and worst....only plan." Theseus whispered, staring at the string, mesmerized. "It's our only hope now."

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