✦ ༉‧₊˚⋆˚( ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ )˚⁺✧₊˚.*♡

🍦— 017. fight for your life.

RIGHT, so being met with Chiron, a fat Satyr from the Council whose name was Silenus, and some archers from the Apollo Cabin who were all ready to fight whatever was to come, didn't really lift Vivi's spirit up. The group of six all landed in the middle of the Cabin area and slid off their respective pegasi.

Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico, but if Vivi expected him to be surprised by their latest news about Quintus being Daedalus, or Kronos rising, she was mistaken.

"I feared as much," Chiron replied. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan Lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"

"Wait a moment," Silenus interrupted. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's license is revoked!"

Grover took a deep breath, standing up straight and looking Silenus in the eye. "Searchers' licenses don't matter any more. The great God Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."

Silenus' face turned as red as Apollo's cows back on Geryon's ranch. "What? Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"

"It's true," Percy argued. "We were there when he died. All of us."

"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature destroyers!"

Chiron studied Grover's face. "We will speak of this later."

"We will speak of it now!" Silenus demanded. "We must deal with this ─ "

"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."

And on that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving them to follow as best they could.

It was the biggest military operation Vivi'd ever seen at camp, and she saw none, so there you go. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth ─ razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's Fist.

The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Vivi saw George all ready for the enemy army to arrive. Apollo's and Hermes's cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

Annabeth went to join her siblings from the Athena cabin, who had setup a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Their security chief, Argus, stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of our horse hair plumes. Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do. The god himself was still nowhere to be seen, but his two blond twin sons, Castor and Pollux, were running around providing all the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juice boxes.

"Vivi!" a voice shouted.

The said girl turned her head. A relieved smile appeared on her face as her brothers ran up to her, with Isa not far behind. Vivi let out a sigh of relief and let Connor pick her up in a tight hug for a moment before he set her back down, just for Travis yanked his brother back and immediately scooped Vivi into his arms. But Isa, forceful as ever even in her small body, pulled Travis away and hugged Vivi around her waist.

"You're alive! You're alive!" Isa said happily, looking up at the older girl.

"I'm alive!" Vivi said.

Vivi looked around at the clearing. The set-up was impressive, but deep down she knew it wasn't enough. With all the monsters that they had encountered, half of them would probably show up ( just not Kampê, please ). However, Camp Half-Blood wouldn't go down without a fight.

Over at the edge of the clearing, Grover was talking to Juniper. She held his hands while he told her about the quest. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan. Tyson helped the Hephaestus kids prepare the defenses. He picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.

"So, the quest. . ."

"Awful. Monsters. Fighting. Luke. And a lot of shit I want to forget." Vivi smiled at Connor.

"So great!"

Vivi rolled her eyes and turned to Isa, "Lou, how about you stay at the cabin ─ "

"I want to help!" Isa said with her sword in her hand. It was too big for her, a spatha, but it somehow fit so well. Her cat, Red, was nuzzling into her leg, "I can do it!" 

The older girl sighed. "All right. Stick with me or anyone from the Hermes' cabin."

"Vivi," Chiron said and the girl turned towards him, "You should all join your siblings. Prepare."

Vivi nodded. She turned towards Percy, her finger pointing at him, "If you die, Aquaboy, I swear I will drag you from the underworld with by bare hands."

Percy laughed, and if the battle was not starting, she would have stayed and admired him, "I promise I won't die."

"I'm keeping you on that."

The three siblings and an unclaimed child, raced towards the rest of the Hermes' cabin, ready for the attack.

The Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth. Even if Vivi saw the monsters that could appear, she wasn't prepared for a full-on battle field to appear. The first thing she saw were a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly her ears felt like bursting. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.

"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled.

The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Apollo's archers fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants like porcupine quills. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.

But just when it looked like the Lastrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps the Hephaestus cabin had laid. One got stuck on the spikes and became an easy target for archers. Another triggered a tripwire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. But many more kept coming. Argus and Athena's warriors rushed forward to meet them. Vivi, from her place, saw Annabeth draw a sword and engage one of them. Nearby, Tyson was riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a bronze shield ─ BONG! BONG! BONG!

Vivi saw horrible scenes on the battlefield as she charged into the battle, her dagger at her side, ready to be used. An enemy Half-Blood was fighting with Castor, the son of Dionysus. He stabbed Castor in the arm and hit him over the head with the butt of his sword. The son of Dionysus went tumbling down to the ground. Another enemy warrior shot blazing arrow into the trees which sent the archers and Dryads into a panic.

Another enemy warrior shot flaming arrows into the trees, sending their archers and dryads into apanic. A dozen dracaenae suddenly broke away from the main fight and slithered down the path that led toward camp, like they knew where they were going. If they got out, they could burn down the entire place, completely unopposed. The only person anywhere near was Nico di Angelo. He stabbed a telekhine, and his black Stygian blade absorbed the monster's essence, drinking its energy until there was nothing left but dust.

"You okay, di Angelo?" Vivi appeared at his side, slashing her dagger at the dracaenae that tried to attack the boy from behind.

"Could be better." he said, his black blade stabbing into another one.

The pair looked at each other as almost a dozen new dracaenae charged at them. With a nod, the two ran beside each other as they yelled curses in their native languages and slashed at the monsters that were about to kill them. With her speed, Vivi sliced a dracaenae's head clean off it's head and stabbed the second one that appeared in front of her. Nico took a deep breath and held out his black sword. "Serve me," he called.

The earth trembled. Vivi jumped back as a fissure opened in front of the dracaenae, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth ─ horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods ─ U.S. Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeletal horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaenea. Nico crumpled to his knees, and Vivi quickly ran to his side.

"Nico!" the girl kneeled down beside the boy, keeping him up as he leaned on his sword.

"Fine, fine," the boy muttered.

"Bitch, you clearly are not." Vivi stressed over.

"Go and fight,"

"And leave you here? Hades no!"

Being a son of Ares, people expect a lot from you. They think you're gonna be the best swordsman in the Camp ( that's Percy ), or how strong you can be ( that's Clarisse ), or how you should know the battle strategists in the middle of the night ( that's Annabeth ), or even have some cool power gifted to you by your godly parent ( that's Vivi ).

George was nothing of that. He was a skinny boy with a lean figure. Sure, he had abs that he was proud about, but he was nothing like his siblings. He wasn't bulky and strong like Clarisse and the rest, he wasn't even tall nor did he have any defined muscles. He's an inch taller then his crush and she always teases him how he wouldn't grow anymore. People always assume he's either a child of Aphrodite ( which, don't get him wrong, he loves the idea ), because of his looks and his interest in fashion, or some minor god or goddess that hasn't claimed him. And that pisses George off.

Currently, the boy had his sword raised and was fight a Laistrygonian giant with his siblings, slashing with his sword whenever he could when he got swatted to the side like some kind of a rag doll. He tumbled to the side and straight in front of a bunch of Telekhines who were fought by the blonde girl George could recognize anytime and her siblings.

"George!" Annabeth yelled, cutting into the monsters arm before dodging and kicking the fallen monster, "Nice seeing you here ─ hey, let go of my brother!" she went after the second Telekhines who had her brother pinned onto the ground. George quickly grabbed his sword and stood up, running after the blonde and stabbing his sword into the monsters gut, ending his life.

"Good job!" Annabeth praised, "Wait a moment," she sliced a dracaenae that was approaching the pair, a hissing sould leaving the monster's mouth.

"Cool move." George said, "Wanna keep a score?"

"Why not," Annabeth said, "Be prepared to lose."

On the other side of the Camp, Percy closed on the hellhound, which was now pushing the satyrs back toward the woods. The beast snapped at one satyr, who danced out of its way, but then it pounced on another who was too slow. The satyr's tree-bark shield cracked as he fell.

"Hey!" he yelled.

The hellhound turned. It snarled at the son of Poseidon and leaped. It would've clawed him to pieces, but as Percy fell backward, his fingers closed around a clay jar ─ one of Beckendorf 's containers of Greek fire. Percy tossed it into the hellhound's maw, and the creature went up in flames. He scrambled away, breathing heavily. The satyr who'd gotten trampled wasn't moving. He rushed over to check on him, but then he heard Grover's voice: "Percy!"

A forest fire had started. Flames roared within ten feet of Juniper's tree, and Juniper and Grover were going nuts trying to save it. Grover played a rain song on his pipes. Juniper desperately tried to beat out the flames with her green shawl, but it was only making things worse. Percy ran toward them, jumping past duels, weaving between the legs of giants. The nearest water was the creek, half a mile away. . . but he had to do something.

He concentrated. There was a pull in his gut, a roar in his ears. Then a wall of water came rushing through the trees. It doused the fire, Juniper, Grover, and pretty much everything else. Grover blew a spout of water. "Thanks, Percy!"

"No problem!"

He ran back toward the fight, and Grover and Juniper followed. Grover had a cudgel in his hand and Juniper held a stick ─ like an old-fashioned whipping switch. She looked really angry, like she was going to tan somebody's backside. 

Just when it seemed like the battle had balanced out again ─ like they might stand a chance ─ an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth, asound Percy had heard before.

Kampê shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended. She landed on the top of Zeus's Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. In her right hand she held a glittering ball of thread ─ Ariadne's string ─ but she popped it into a lion's mouth at her waist and drew her curved swords. The blades glowed green with poison. Kampê screeched in triumph, and some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by hellhounds or giants.

"Di Immortales!" Chiron yelled.

He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense his presence. She took flight with amazing speed, and Chiron's arrow whizzed harmlessly past her head. Tyson untangled himself from the giant whom he'd pummeled into unconsciousness. He ran at our lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Fight!" but then a hellhound leaped on him, and Tyson and the hound went rolling away.

Kampê landed on the Athena command tent, smashing it flat. Percy ran after her and found Annabeth at his side, keeping pace, her sword in her hand.

"Seen Vivi?" she asked, "I can't find her."

A dread washed over the boy. He hadn't seen her since the battle begun. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Was she. . . alive?

Percy shook his head, "Have no idea. Seen her when she went with her siblings and Isa."

"Yeah, me too," Annabeth said, "I've seen Isa fighting with the Hermes' cabin, but not V. Even George doesn't know where she is." 

Percy's blood begun to boil. If the monsters did something to her, they were gonna regret it. His hold on Riptide tightened, "Let's finish this off."

Together they leaped into the monster's path. Kampê hissed and sliced at them. Percy dodged, trying to distract her, while Annabeth went in for a strike, but the monster seemed able to fight with both hands independently. She blocked Annabeth's sword, and Annabeth had to jump back to avoid the cloud of poison. Just being near the thing was like standing in an acid fog. Percy's eyes burned. His lungs couldn't get enough air. He knew they couldn't stand their ground for more than a few seconds.

"Come on!" Percy shouted. "We need help!"

But no help came. Everyone was either down, or fighting for their lives, or too scared to move forward. Three of Chiron's arrows sprouted from Kampê's chest, but she just roared louder.

"Now!" Annabeth said.

Together they charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard, and almost. . . almost managed to stab Kampê in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and they had to stumble backward to avoid getting bitten. Slam!

Percy's eyesight went black. The next thing he knew, Annabeth and he were on the ground. The monster had its forelegs on their chests, holding them down. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above Percy, hissing like laughter. Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and Percy knew the two of them were out of options. Then, behind them, something howled. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. And Mrs. O'Leary was standing over them, snarling and snapping at Kampê.

"Good girl!" said a familiar voice.

Daedalus was fighting his way out of the Labyrinth, slashing down enemies left and right as he made his way toward them. Next to him was someone else ─ a familiar giant, much taller than the Laistrygonians, with a hundred rippling arms, each holding a huge chunk of rock.

"Briares!" Tyson cried in wonder.

"Hail, little brother!" Briares bellowed. "Stand firm!"

And as Mrs. O'Leary leaped out of the way, the Hundred-Handed One launched a volley of boulders at Kampê. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they left Briares's hands. There were so many, it looked like half the earth had learned to fly.

BOOOOOM!

Where Kampê had stood a moment before was a mountain of boulders, almost as tall as Zeus's Fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were two green sword points sticking through the cracks. A cheer went up from the campers, but their enemies weren't done yet. One of the dracaenae yelled, "Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"

Apparently, that threat was more terrifying than the campers were. The giants surged forward in a last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.

"No!" Percy screamed, but he was too far away to help.

Then it happened. Grover opened his mouth, and the most horrible sound Percy'd ever heard came out. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times ─ the sound of pure fear. As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaenae trying to get into the Labyrinth first. Telekhines and hellhounds and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them.

The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over. The clearing was quiet except for fires burning in the woods, and the cries of the wounded. Percy helped Annabeth to her feet. They ran to Chiron.

"Are you all right?"

He was lying on his side, trying in vain to get up. "How embarrassing," he muttered. "I think I will be fine. Fortunately, we do not shoot centaurs with broken. . . Ow! . . . broken legs."

"You need help," Annabeth said. "I'll get a medic from Apollo's cabin."

"No," Chiron insisted. "There are more serious injuries to attend to. Go! I am fine. But, Grover . . . later we must talk about how you did that."

"That was amazing," Percy agreed.

Grover blushed. "I don't know where it came from."

Juniper hugged him fiercely. "I do!"

Before she could say more, Tyson called, "Percy, come quick! It is Nico!"

When Percy saw him he felt relief washing over him as he saw that Vivi was, alive, by Nico's side. Second was the worry for the said boy. There was smoke curling off his black clothes. His fingers were clenched around Vivi's hand, like she was his support for surviving, and the grass all around his body had turned yellow and died. He was leaning onto the girl; his heart was beating faintly.

"Get some nectar!" Vivi yelled.

One of the Ares campers hobbled over and handed the girl a canteen. Percy ran to her side and helped her with the younger boy. "Nico. . ." Vivi's voice was soft, "Hey, wake up. No sleeping."

Percy trickling some of the magic drink into Nico's mouth and the boy coughed and spluttered, but his eyelids fluttered open.

"Nico, what happened? Can you talk?" Percy asked.

Nico frowned and held onto Vivi more tightly. He nodded weakly. "Never tried to summon so many before. I-I'll be fine."

Vivi and Percy helped him sit up and gave him some more nectar.

"Don't scare me like that ever again, emo boy." Vivi hugged him and the younger boy looked so confused. Percy tried not to laugh, but he wondered when did the two become close all of a sudden.

"I won't," he said and blinked at all of them, like he was trying to remember who they were, and then he focused on someone behind me. "Daedalus," he croaked.

"Yes, my boy," the inventor said. "I made a very bad mistake. I came to correct it."

Daedalus had a few scratches that were bleeding golden oil, but he looked better than most of the campers. Apparently his automaton body healed itself quickly. Mrs. O'Leary loomed behind him, licking the wounds on his master's head so Daedalus's hair stood up funny. Briares stood next to him, surrounded by a group of awed campers and satyrs. He looked kind of bashful, but he was signing autographs on armor, shields, and T-shirts.

"I found the Hundred-Handed One as I came through the maze," Daedalus explained. "It seems he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together. We both came to make amends."

"Yay!" Tyson jumped up and down. "Briares! I knew you would come!"

"I did not know," the Hundred-Handed One said. "But you reminded me who I am, Cyclops. You are the hero."

Tyson blushed, but Percy patted him on the back. "I knew that a long time ago, but, Daedalus. . . the Titan army is still down there. Even without the string, they'll be back. They'll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them."

Daedalus sheathed his sword. "You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."

Annabeth stared at him. "But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your life force! As long as you're alive ─ "

"Yes, my young architect," Daedalus agreed. "When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you."

He slung a leather satchel off his back, unzipped it, and produced a sleek silver laptop computer ─ one of the ones I'd seen in the workshop. On the lid was the blue symbol L.

"My work is here," he said. "It's all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn't develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting."

He handed the computer to Annabeth, who stared at it like it was solid gold. "You're giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth. . . I don't even know how much!"

"Small compensation for the way I have acted," Daedalus said. "You were right, Annabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. It is the least I can do before I pass on."

"Whoa," Percy said. "Pass on? But you can't just kill yourself. That's wrong!"

He shook his head. "Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time has come. I must face my punishment."

"You won't get a fair trial," Annabeth said. "The spirit of Minos sits in judgment ─ "

"I will take what comes," he said. "And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn't it?" he looked straight at Nico, and Nico's face darkened.

"Yes," he said. "Will you take my soul for ransom, then?" Daedalus asked. "You could use it to reclaim your sister."

"No," Nico said. "I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is."

Daedalus nodded. "Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise." then he turned toward Percy. "One last favor, Percy Jackson. I cannot leave Mrs. O'Leary alone. And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for her?

Percy looked at the massive black hound, who whimpered pitifully, still licking Daedalus's hair. He was thinking that his mom's apartment wouldn't allow dogs, especially dogs bigger than the apartment, but he said, "Yeah. Of course I will."

"Then I am ready to see my son . . . and Perdix," he said. "I must tell them how sorry I am."

Annabeth had tears in her eyes.

Daedalus turned toward Nico, who drew his sword. At first Percy was afraid Nico would kill the old inventor, but he simply said, "Your time is long since come. Be released and rest."

A smile of relief spread across Daedalus's face. He froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent, revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body. Then the statue turned to gray ash and disintegrated. Mrs. O'Leary howled.

Percy patted her head, trying to comfort her as best he could. The earth rumbled ─ an earthquake that could probably be felt in every major city across the country ─ as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed. Somewhere, he hoped, the remains of the Titan's strike force had been buried. Percy looked around at the carnage in the clearing, and the weary faces of my friends.

"Come on," he told them. "We have work to do." 

niki speaks!

we're almost at the end,
one more chapter that i might publish
later in the day or tomorrow
and then the battle of the labyrinth is done!!

this week's has gone quite fast
since i have nothing to do for school.
three more weeks (i think) and it's done!
gonna be in my last year next school year
and it doesn't feel like it.

anyways, have a good day/night!
bye!