The Half-Blood Project

32- The Maze

Annabeth Chase 

The future is an ever-shifting maze of possibilities until it becomes present 

-Terry Brooks 

I already dislike Rachel Dare. 

The way she looked at Percy made my stomach turn and twist into this tight, boiling knots of unprecedented rage and fury. Why? I think I know why. 

We head in the taxi, back to the strawberry fields in utter silence. My mind feels like a computer, so many different tabs open, so many different emotions, thoughts, and feeling, I feel overwhelmed by them all and I kind of want to barf. 

I want to say something, but no words escape my mouth, no words spill from my tongue. 

I want to say something. But I can't. 

I want to say something, but I won't 

You're a coward. 

You are feeling again Annabeth. 

Feelings only weaken you. They stray you far from the common goal, they let you believe when you shouldn't. 

Feelings are useless Annabeth. 

"Going through the maze would be dangerous and there is a little guarantee you would survive, much less find what you are looking for," Chiron said, he was in his centaur form, which was kind of funny to me but I didn't tell that to him. 

"We need to find answers. And Luke's army is going through the Labyrinth, looking for, something...." 

Chiron nodded. "I understand. You may even land in Luke's hideout and gain information from there. But you also lose time in the maze." 

"How so?" 

Chiron stirred his tea with a small spoon and looked at the wall behind us, his brown eyes muddled with mystery. I wonder how he had survived these two thousand years, doing nothing but training hero's, only for them to die. 

"I've estimated that a week in the maze, is equivalent to two weeks. An hour is two hours and so on. If you do go through, you must be careful." 

I looked to Percy who hadn't spoken since we entered the Big House, he just stared at the table, his hands clasped together. Grover was, of course, chewing on an empty can of noodles. 

"We met with the mortal girl today and she told us that she's had dreams of us in the maze, in a room, within the  coffin." 

Chiron's eyes widened slightly and nearly spit out his tea but didn't and set the mug down, then spoon in the hot steamy liquid. 

"If the mortal girl had dreams of you three, she is important, but I wouldn't dare to bring her into this mess, you must." 

"Why not?" Percy spoke up and he was frowning, the smile line that he so is rarely hadappeareddddd. Why all of a sudden was he speaking out on that Rachel, the golden painted redhead couldn't come and be silent for the majority of conversation? 

"The gods hate having mortals and hero's together. It normally ends badly." 

"But how will we navigate the maze, if it's ever-changing?" 

Chiron shrugged. "You will find a way I'm sure. I'm afraid there is only one entrance to the maze that I know of." 

"Where?" 

"Here. Right in the heart of Camp-Half-Blood." 

---

We stand at the cluster of boulders, vines crawl over the rough, uneven surface and spool to the ground, snaking through the grass and dirt. I don't see an entrance to a maze that would spread all across the United States. Is Chiron sure about all of this?