twenty-four
rapunzel's scratch

LENNON HADN'T SLEPT, BUT WHEN the ground started rumbling, she and Annabeth snapped into action. Lennon put out the fire and started gathering their things.

Annabeth shook Percy's shoulder. "Percy, wake up!"

"Tyson—Tyson's in trouble!" He said. "We have to help him!"

"First things first," she said. "Earthquake!"

"Rachel!" Lennon yelled.

Her eyes opened instantly. The redhead yelled a few curses as she grabbed her pack, and the four ran. They were almost to the far tunnel when a column next to them groaned and buckled. They kept going as a hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them. They made it to the corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppling. A cloud of white dust billowed over them, and they kept running.

"You know what?" Annabeth said. "I like this way after all."

"Ditto!" Lennon agreed.

It wasn't long before they saw light up ahead—like regular electric lighting.

"There," Rachel said.

They followed her into a stainless steel hallway. Fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling and the floor was a metal grate. They squinted in the change of light.

"This way," Rachel said, beginning to run. "We're close!"

"This is so wrong!" Annabeth said. "The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can't—"

She faltered because they'd arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek ∆.

"We're here," Rachel announced. "Daedalus's workshop."

Annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors and they hissed open.

"So much for ancient architecture," Percy commented.

Annabeth sent him a heated glare and together they walked inside.

The room was illuminated by the blazing sun coming through the giant windows. Seeing the sun made Lennon feel at home. It was also surprising, to see sunlight when they were supposed to be deep underground.

The workshop was a studio, with thirty-foot ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches along with windows. There was a spiral staircase that led up to a second-story loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams of buildings and machines that looked a lot like Leonardo da Vinci's sketches. Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil—Greek fire—lined one shelf. There were inventions too, but they made no sense to Lennon.

One was a bronze chair with many electrical wires attached to it. Lennon hoped it wasn't some kind of torture device. In another corner stood a giant metal egg about the size of a man. There was a grandfather clock that appeared to be made entirely of glass, so you could see all the gears turning. And hanging on the wall were several sets of bronze and silver wings.

"Di immortals," Annabeth muttered. She ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

"And an artist," Rachel said in amazement. "These wings are amazing!"

There was a small smile on her face as she watched them look around in awe. The feathers of the wings were tightly interwoven. Self-adhesive strips ran down the sides.

Percy and Lennon glanced at each other, locking eyes. They still needed to be cautious. The workshop looked like it had been recently used. The laptops were running their screen savers. A half-eaten blueberry muffin and a coffee cup sat on a workbench.

Lennon looked out the window to see the Rocky Mountains. They were high up in the foothills, at least five hundred feet, and down below a valley spread out, filled with a tumbled collection of red mesas and boulders and spires of stone.

"Where are we?" Percy wondered aloud.

"Colorado Springs," A voice said behind them. "The Garden of the Gods."

Standing on the spiral staircase above us, with his weapon drawn, was their missing sword master Quintus.

Lennon blinked, "How..."

"You," Annabeth said. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, my dear. You don't want to meet him."

"Look, you dirty fucking traitor," she growled, "I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three-bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx to see you. Now where is Daedalus?"

As they spoke, Lennon snapped her hair tie and summoned her sword.

Quintus came down the stairs, holding his sword at his side. He was dressed in jeans and boots and his counselor's T-shirt from Camp Half-Blood. It was irritating to see him wearing the camp tee knowing he'd betrayed them.

"You think I'm an agent of Kronos," he said. "That I work for Luke."

"Well, duh," said Annabeth.

"It's kind of the obvious deduction," Lennon chimed.

"You're an intelligent girl. Both of you," he said, sending Lennon a kind smile that just made her scowl. "But you're wrong. I work only for myself."

"Luke mentioned you," Percy said. "Geryon knew about you, too. You've been to his ranch."

"Of course," he said. "I've been almost everywhere. Even here."

He walked past them like they weren't a threat at all and stood by the window. "The view changes from day to day," he mused. "It's always some place high up. Yesterday it was from a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. The day before that, there was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. But it keeps coming back to the Garden of the Gods. I think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose."

"You've been here before," Lennon said in confusion.

"Oh, yes."

"That's an illusion out there?" Percy asked. "A projection or something?"

"No," Rachel murmured. "It's real. We're really in Colorado." She looked confused by the entire situation.

Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision, don't you? you remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."

"Enough games. What have you done with Daedalus?"

Quintus stared at Percy. "My boy, you need lessons from your friend on seeing clearly. I am Daedalus."

Lennon couldn't help but let out a scoff. "What?" How could the person they'd been searching for have been at camp this entire time?

"But you're not an inventor!" Percy said. "You're a swordsman!"

"I am both," Quintus said. "And an architect. And a scholar. I also play basketball pretty well for a guy who didn't start until he was two thousand years old. A real artist must be good at many things."

"That's true," Rachel said. "Like I can paint with my feet as well as my hands."

Lennon gave her a confused look.

"You see?" Quintus said. "A girl of many talents."

"But you don't even look like Daedalus," Percy protested. "I saw him in a dream, and..."

"Yes," Quintus said. "You've finally guessed the truth."

"What?" Lennon asked, glancing at Percy.

"You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."

"Percy," Annabeth said uneasily, "that's not possible. That—that can't be an automaton."

Quintus chuckled. "Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"

"The fifth, in Latin. But—"

"This is my fifth body." The swordsman held out his forearm. He pressed his elbow and part of his wrist popped open—a rectangular hatch in his skin. Underneath, bronze gears whirred. Wires glowed.

"That's amazing!" Rachel said.

"That's weird," Percy said.

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Annabeth said. "That's...not natural."

"Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me. I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." He pulled back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was the dark shape of a bird grafted to his skin.

"A murderer's brand," Lennon muttered.

"For your nephew, Perdix," Percy guessed. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Quintus's face darkened. "I did not push him. I simply—"

"Made him lose his balance. Let him die."

Quintus gazed out the windows at the purple mountains. "I regret what I did, Percy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird—a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin."

"You really are Daedalus. But why did you come to the camp? Why spy on us?"

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

"So you have talked to Luke," Lennon said.

"Oh, yes. Several times. He is quite persuasive."

"But now you've seen the camp!" Annabeth persisted. "So you know we need your help. You can't let Luke through the maze!"

Daedalus set his sword on the workbench. "The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

"Privacy from what?"

"The gods," he said. "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my dear, hiding from death."

"But how can you hide from Hades?" Percy asked. "I mean...Hades has the Furies."

"They do not know everything," he said. "Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"You mean Minos," Lennon furrowed her brows.

Daedalus nodded. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

"And you did," Annabeth marveled, "for two thousand years." She sounded kind of impressed. It was kind of impressive but then Lennon remembered how he'd been spying on their camp and all she could do was glare at him.

A loud bark echoed from the corridor. There was a loud thump of huge paws, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded into the workshop. She licked Percy's face, then almost knocked Daedalus over with an enthusiastic leap.

"There is my old friend!" Daedalus said, scratching Mrs. O'Leary behind the ears. "My only companion all these long lonely years."

"You let her save me," Percy said. "That whistle actually worked."

Daedalus nodded. "Of course, it did, Percy. You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs. O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. Perhaps I—I felt guilty, as well."

"Guilty about what?"

"That your quest would be in vain."

"What?" Annabeth said. "But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."

"Yes...the string. I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It's not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough."

"Where is it?" Lennon asked.

"With Luke," Daedalus said sadly. "I'm sorry, my dear. But you are several hours too late."

Lennon realized why Luke had been in a good mood. He had already gotten the string from Daedalus. His only obstacle had been the arena master, and Percy had taken care of that for him by killing Antaeus.

"Kronos promised me freedom," Quintus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

"That's your brilliant idea?" Annabeth yelled. "You're going to let Luke destroy your camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed, my dear. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos."

"That's not true!" she cried.

"I am doing what I must, my dear. The offer was too sweet to refuse. I'm sorry."

Annabeth pushed over an easel. Architectural drawings scatter across the floor. "I used to respect you. You were my hero! You—you built amazing things. You solved problems. Now...I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago."

Instead of getting mad, Daedalus hung his head. "You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string—"

Suddenly Mrs. O'Leary pricked up her ears.

"Someone's coming!" Rachel warned.

The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He looked almost solid now—a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.

He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus's jaw clenched. He looked at Kelli. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sends his compliments," Kelli said. "He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

"No indeed," Kelli said. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." She ran a finger under Nico's chin. "He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Get used to it," Kelli said.

"Nico, are you okay?"

He nodded morosely. "I—I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."

"You were trying to help us?"

"I was tricked," he said. "He tricked all of us."

Percy glared at Kelli. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

The she-demon smiled like they were sharing a private joke. "Luke is...busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" Her hands changed into claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form—one donkey leg, one bronze.

"Percy," Rachel whispered, "the wings. Do you think—"

"Get them. We'll try to buy you some time."

Just like that, they charged into a fight. All it took was one look for Percy and Lennon to both decide to charge at Kelli. Annabeth had begrudgingly joined Mrs. O'Leary in helping Daedalus. Nico got pushed to the ground and struggled with his chains while the spirit of Minos wailed, "Kill the inventor! Kill him!"

Kelli was quick and deadly. She slashed wildly at Lennon and Percy, She turned over tables, smashed inventions, and wouldn't let them get close. Lennon did her best to focus on the fight ahead of her, but it was kind of hard when a jar of Greek fire crashed to the floor.

The she-demon knocked down a shelf and Percy and Lennon scrambled back before hopping over it and trying for another slash at the monster.

"To me!" Minos cried. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.

"No!" Nico cried. He was on his feet now. He'd somehow managed to remove his shackles.

"You do not control me, young fool," Minos sneered. "All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!"

Spirits began to appear around Minos—shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.

"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Be gone!"

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No." Nico drew his sword. "I am." He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.

Lennon was sure something was happening, but she looked back to Kelli just in time to deflect one of Kelli's slashes with her sword. The she-demon hissed in pain and knocked over another table of inventions. Percy was distracted so Lennon grabbed his hand and yanked him back.

"Never!" Minos's form rippled. "I will not—"

The ground started rumbling and the windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.

This time, both Percy and Lennon were distracted. Kelli took the opportunity to push Percy back. His sword skittered away and Lennon was pretty sure she heard his head hit the worktable. One thing was sure, he could barely move to defend himself.

Kelli laughed. "You will taste wonderful!" She stalked towards him and Lennon was sure she was going for the kill.

In that split second, without thinking, Lennon dashed in front of Percy. She flashed light in the she-demon's eyes and she screeched, slashing even more wildly. Just as her claws raked against Lennon's arm, her body went rigid.

Kelli's red eyes widened. She gasped, "No...school...spirit..."

Annabeth took her knife out of the empousa's back. With an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapor.

Lennon pressed her hand to her bleeding shoulder and despite the searing pain in her arm, she grinned at the blonde. "Nice one, Beth,"

Her eyes widened, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she waved her off. "It's not as deep as it looks, just help Percy up,"

Mrs. O'Leary and Daedalus were still locked in combat with the giants, and Lennon could hear shouting in the tunnel. More monsters were coming toward the workshop.

Lennon groaned as she ripped a strip off her camp shirt off and wrapped it as tightly as she could around the wound.

"Oh my god!" Rachel was carrying wings toward Nico. She'd already fitted some to herself. "Are you—"

"I'm okay. You help Nico, I've got it,"

"We have to help Daedalus!" Percy said. He was leaning on Annabeth's shoulder for support. He shot Lennon a worried look and she avoided his eyes, continuing to get the wings on.

"No time," Rachel said. "Too many coming!"

She was fitting wings on Nico, who looked pale and sweaty from his struggle with Minos. The wings grafted instantly to his back and arms.

Eventually, they each fitted themselves with coppery wings. Lennon could already feel herself being lifted by the wind coming through the window. Greek fire was burning the tables and furniture, spreading up the circular stairs.

"Daedalus!" Percy yelled. "Come on!"

Daedalus was cut in a hundred places—but he was bleeding golden oil instead of blood. He'd found his sword and was using part of a smashed table as a shield against the giants. "I won't leave Mrs. O'Leary!" he said. "Go!"

There was no time to argue.

"None of us know how to fly!" Nico protested.

Weakly, Lennon tried for optimism, "Maybe it's like riding a bike,"

"Great time to find out," Percy agreed. And together, the five of them jumped out the window into the open sky.

"Land!" Annabeth yelled. "These wings won't last forever."

"How long?" Rachel asked.

"I don't want to find out!" Annabeth said.

They swooped down toward the Garden of the Gods. It was mainly a blur for Lennon as she was bleeding profusely from her arm. They landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty, but they ripped off their wings as quickly as they could. The self-adhesive seals that bound the wings to their backs were already melting, and they were shedding bronze feathers. They couldn't fix them so they elected to stuff the wings in trash bins outside the cafeteria.

As soon as Lennon gets the wings off she brings a cautious hand to her wounded arm and audibly winces.

Percy hurries over to her. "Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah," she says weakly, trying for a smile. "Just gotta... heal,"

Percy looks unconvinced and it seems like he wants to say something about it but Annabeth speaks.

"The workshop moved," Annabeth says after looking through the tourist binocular cameras. "There's no telling where."

"So what do we do now?" Lennon asks. She can't take all the concerned glances everyone keeps sending her, she wants them to focus on the quest. "How do we get back in the maze?"

Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died...he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."

It wouldn't be any better if the Labyrinth was destroyed. Grover and Tyson could still be underground somewhere.

"No," Nico said. "He isn't dead."

"How can you be sure?" Percy asked.

"I know when people die. It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."

"What about Tyson and Grover, then?"

Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."

"We have to get into town," Annabeth decided. "Our chances will be better of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."

"We could just take a plane," Rachel said.

Percy shuddered. "I don't fly."

"But you just did."

"That was low flying," he said, "and even that's risky. Flying up really high—that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The labyrinth is the quickest way back."

"So we need a car to take us into the city," Annabeth said.

Rachel looked down into the parking lot. She grimaced as if she were about to do something she would regret. "I'll take care of it."

"How?" Annabeth questioned.

"Just trust me."

Annabeth looked uneasy, but she nodded. "Okay, I'm going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris message to camp." Her concerned eyes fell on Lennon. "Bring some bandages for you, Len?"

"Please do," she says with a small smile.

"I'll go with you," Nico said. "I'm hungry."

Percy glanced at Rachel. "Will you be okay by yourself?" The girl nodded, almost as if she was hoping he'd ask that. "Ok, we'll meet in the parking lot,"

As their group split off, Lennon dropped onto one of the benches with a hiss. She can feel Percy's eyes on her and she tries to ignore it but his gaze is like a heavy blanket over her.

She unwraps the bloody piece of cloth, wincing. The orange has run red. Her sight blurs for a moment and she has to pause to steady herself.

"Lennon, are you okay?"

She glances up to see him sitting beside her on the bench, facing her. "Yeah. I told you, I've just gotta heal this,"

She surveys her arm. The scratch is deep and bloody and she can see Percy grimacing in her peripheral.

"How? Don't tell me you're gonna pull a Tangled?" He tries for a joke.

She appreciates the effort, and even glances up at him with a smirk. "Somewhat,"

"Wait, really?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, Lennon takes a deep breath. She's seen Julian do this countless times, though, he's much better at it. When she'd first been claimed by Apollo, she would feel like she wasn't enough of an Apollo kid. She wasn't exceptional at Archery and her healing abilities were average at best. She's since resolved those insecurities but they always linger in her mind.

Her hand hovers over the wound as she quietly sings a hymn to Apollo. A warmth spreads from the wound across her body and she can already feel her energy wavering. This type of healing can take lots of energy if you don't do it right. Finally, she feels satisfied that it's healed enough and stops singing, removing her hand.

"Wow," Percy breathes out.

She gives him a look. "It's not that amazing. Most Apollo kids can do it. Plus," she gestures to her arm. The wound is no longer bleeding and is healed for the most part, but there are still raised jagged ridges outlining where Kelli's claws had scratched.

Percy is looking at her oddly, in a way that throws her off. He seems like he's in a daze as he says, "You're always amazing me,"

Lennon's eyes widen and she laughs awkwardly. "I think that's a bit of an overreaction," she was sure her cheeks are terribly flushed.

He doesn't respond. Instead, he dips his head. "I'm sorry,"

"Why—"

    "If I had been paying better attention you wouldn't have had to throw yourself in front of me,"

"Percy," she frowns. He doesn't look up at her so she reaches out and places a hand on his shoulder. "Please, don't beat yourself up about it. People get distracted, it happens. You would've done the same if the roles were reversed, Annabeth too,"

He finally looks up and locks eyes with her. It's overwhelming for her, the way he looks at her. He sees her. Completely. She feels like he could easily see her thoughts and even what was in her heart.

Lennon clears her throat, her cheeks pink as she retracts her hand and throws away the bloody cloth. "C'mon, Rachel is probably waiting on us,"

"Oh, yeah,"

He follows after her and they see Rachel talking to the driver of a chauffeured car. She pointed back in their direction, and the driver bobbed his head, Yes, ma'am. Whatever you want.

She walked back towards them just as Nico and Annabeth appeared from the gift shop.

"I talked to Chiron," Annabeth said as she handed Lennon a roll of bandages which she takes gratefully. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?"

"The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said.

The chauffeur was now talking to another guy in khakis and a polo shirt, probably his client who'd rented the car. The client was complaining. "I'm sorry, sir. Emergency. I've ordered another car for you."

"Come on," Rachel said. She led them to the car and got in without even looking at the flustered guy who'd rented it. A minute later they were cruising down the road. The seats were leather and there was plenty of legroom. The backseat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water, sodas, and snacks.

Lennon couldn't help but be a little excited by the fact. She gratefully had some of the snacks.

"Where to, Miss Dare?" the driver asked.

"I'm not sure yet, Robert," she said. "We just need to drive through town and, uh, look around."

"Whatever you say, miss."

Percy looked at Rachel. "Do you know this guy?"

"No."

"But he dropped everything to help you. Why?"

"Just keep your eyes peeled," she said. "Help me look."

Lennon takes note of Rachel's behavior with a frown.

They drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance. Lennon was very good at not noticing the way Percy's shoulder pressed into Rachel's, nor the way he kept glancing at her curiously. Instead, she focused on the chocolate bar she was eating and Annabeth's rare smile as the blonde took advantage of all the snacks.

After about an hour they decided to head north toward Denver, hoping a bigger city would be more likely to have a Labyrinth entrance. The brief elation they'd experienced had wavered, now replaced with anxiety. They were losing time.

Just as they were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"

The driver glanced back. "Miss?"

"I saw something, I think. Get off here."

The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.

"What did you see?" Percy asked.

Rachel had the driver turn down an unpromising dirt road. They drove by a sign that Rachel read out loud. "Western Museum of Mining & Industry."

It didn't look like much. It was a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, with some drills and pumps and old steam shovels on display outside.

"There." Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill—a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. "An old mine entrance."

"A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked. "How can you be sure?"

"Well, look at it!" Rachel said. "I mean...I can see it, okay?"

She thanked the driver and they all got out. He didn't even ask for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your—"

"No!" Rachel said. "No, really. Thanks, Robert. But we're fine."

They climbed the hill to the mine shaft and saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock when they reached the entrance. It was impressive that Rachel had even been able to see it from the highway. Percy touched the padlock and the chains fell away. They kicked down a few boards and walked inside. Just like that, they were back in the labyrinth.

Lennon is feeling hopeful as they traverse the Labyrinth. Rachel hasn't had trouble guiding them, barely even hesitating when they had come to a fork in the tunnels. And, Annabeth had struck up a conversation with Rachel.

The blonde asked her more about her background, but Rachel was evasive, so they started talking about architecture. They'd discovered they had some similar interests after all. Lennon, Percy, and Nico hung back behind the girls in silence.

"Thanks for coming after us," Percy breached the silence.

"Yeah," Lennon hummed. "You didn't have to do that, but you did,"

Nico's eyes narrowed. He didn't seem as angry as he used to—just suspicious, careful. "I owed you all for the ranch. Plus...I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural."

"That's what you were after all along," Percy said. "Trading Daedalus's soul for your sister's."

They fell into a bout of silence before Nico spoke up again. "It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that the living will never accept me. Only the dead respect me, and they do that out of fear."

"You could be accepted," he said. "You could have friends at camp."

He stared at him. "Do you really believe that, Percy?"

Percy didn't answer but Lennon spoke up. "I do. If there's no one, you have a friend in me." She was sure the rest of Apollo cabin would accept him too.

Nico didn't answer, mainly because Percy had run into Rachel.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel.

"Is it that way?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."

"Why are we stopping?" Lennon frowned.

"Listen," Nico said.

They heard wind coming down the tunnel as if the exit was close. There was a scent that gave Lennon bad memories. It made anxiety bubble within her.

"Eucalyptus trees," Percy said. "Like in California."

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."

"And the smell of death," Nico added, which did nothing in raising the mood.

Annabeth, Lennon, and Percy each exchanged knowing glances.

"Luke's entrance," Annabeth guessed, and Lennon glanced in agreement. "The one to Mount Othrys—the Titans' palace."

"I have to check it out," Percy said. Of course, he was the one saying it.

"What? No," Lennon gasped incredulously.

"Luke could be right here. Or...or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on."

Annabeth hesitated. "Then we'll all go."

"No," He shook his head. "It's too dangerous. If they got hold of Nico, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You stay here and guard them."

Just like that, Lennon was brought back to St. Helens. The last time she let Percy go off by himself, he'd almost died. She wouldn't let it happen this time.

"Percy, don't," Rachel said. "Don't go up there alone."

"He won't. I'm going with him,"

"No—"

"Percy, you're not going by yourself," She settled with a withering glare. "Remember last time,"

Percy opened his mouth and then closed it. He knew he couldn't argue with her.

"It's settled," Lennon said.

Annabeth sent her a look. "Be careful guys," Lennon nodded. "Percy, take this," the blonde handed him her Yankees cap.

"What about Lennon?"

The girl in question flicked her wrist and the light waves curved around her, effectively turning her invisible.

"Oh,"

Lennon took his hand, still a bit angry that he had even suggested going alone. "Come on,"

Percy sighed as he put on the cap. "Here goes nothing." Then the pair started down the tunnel.

AUTHORS NOTE:
i sincerely apologize for all the pain lennon is going through. i regret to inform you that it's not gonna stop and is def gonna be worse next chapter :)

i swear i love her but likeeee i gotta stay true to the whole tragedy curse. anywho don't forget to vote and comment, i love hearing your thoughts!!!

also, we're getting very close to the end of act two!! there's probably gonna be maybe 3-4 chapters left 🤗