In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 156: We Play Tag With Scorpions.

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 led a couple of my siblings in pursuit. After a few dozen arrows lodged in the chinks of the drakon's armor, it got the message and withdrew.

"It's still out there," Lee warned us during announcements. "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.

"You did well, Lee," Chiron patted him on the shoulder. "Everyone stay alert, but stay calm. This has happened before. "

"Aye," Quintus said from the head table. "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. Four years ago, when I'd started, there had been more than a hundred. Some had died. Some had joined Luke. Some had just disappeared.

"This is a good reason for new war games, "Quintus continued, a glint in his eyes. "We'll see how you all do with that tonight. "

"Yes..." Chiron said. "Well, enough announcements. Let us bless this meal and eat. " He raised his goblet. "To the gods. "

We all raised our glasses and repeated the blessing.

Will, Char, and I took our plates to the bronze brazier and scraped a portion of our food into the flames. I hoped the gods liked raisin toast and Froot Loops.

"Apollo," I said. Then I whispered, "Help me with Nico, and Luke, Grover's problem, and help Harry figure everything out..."

There was so much to worry about I could've stood there all morning, but I headed back to the table.

"Karls," I looked behind me to see Annie. "We have to go talk to Percy."

"What. Why?" I asked. But she just pulled me up by my arm and dragged me over to the Poseidon table.

"What's he talking about?" Percy asked Grover.

Grover chewed his eggs. I could tell he was distracted, because he bit the tines of his fork and chewed those down, too. "He wants you two to convince me," he mumbled.

"I'll tell you what it's about," Annie said as we sat down on either side of Percy. "The Labyrinth."

"You're not supposed to be here," Percy said.

"We need to talk," Annie insisted.

"But the rules..."

"Look," Annie said, "Grover is in trouble. There's only one way we can figure to help him. It's the Labyrinth. That's what Clarisse and I have been investigating. "

"You mean the maze where they kept the Minotaur, back in the old days?" Percy asked.

"Exactly," Annabeth said.

"So...it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore," I guessed. "The Labyrinth is under some building in America. "

See? It only took me a few years to figure things out. I knew that important places moved around with Western Civilization, like Mount Olympus being over the Empire State building, and the Underworld entrance being in Los Angeles. I was feeling pretty proud of myself.