Chapter 22: Enter the Labyrinth

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Percy's POV

Just after dawn, the quest group met at Zeus's Fist. I'd packed myknapsack—thermos with nectar, baggie of ambrosia, bedroll, rope, clothes,flashlights, and lots of extra batteries. I had Riptide in my pocket. The magicshield/wristwatch Tyson had made for me was on my wrist.It was a clear morning. The fog had burned off and the sky was blue.Campers would be having their lessons today, flying pegasi and practicingarchery and scaling the lava wall. Meanwhile, we could be headingunderground.

Pretty much everyone knew about Four's situation. Some people even have conversations with them privately. Blue had almost caused a tsunami during a spar. It was terrifying to know what power he held, and possibly every one of the Colours. 

Vio frowned, "Percy, did you even sleep?"

I realised what a mess I looked like.

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" Annabeth asked.

Before I could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you areready!"

 He tried to sound upbeat, but I could tell he was anxious. 

I didn't want tofreak him out any more, but I thought about last night's dream, and before Icould change my mind, I said, "Hey, uh, Chiron, can I ask you a favor whileI'm gone?""Of course, my boy."

 "Be right back, guys." I nodded toward the woods. Chiron asked aneyebrow, but he followed me out of earshot.  


"Well...goodbye, sunshine," Grover said nervously.

"Hello rocks," Tyson said.

"Let's go, guys," Green ordered the rest of the colours, and they all nodded.

Together, we descended into darkness.

~~~

We made it a hundred feet before we were hopelessly lost.The tunnel looked nothing like the one Annabeth, Four (or rather, the Colours) and I had stumbled intobefore. Now it was round like a sewer, constructed of red brick with ironbarred portholes ever ten feet. I shined a light through one of the portholesout of curiosity, but I couldn't see anything. It opened into infinite darkness.I thought I heard voices on the other side, but it may have been just the coldwind. 

"I'm still saying that this could've been a dungeon," Blue said. 

"They don't know about that kind of thing, Blue," Green said. "Blue, can't you just leave a trail of water so we know how to get back?"

"No. It'll be gone by the time we turn around." Blue answered. 

He locked eyes with Vio, and it looked like they were communicating via telepathy. Something they didn't want anyone to know. Vio shook his head. Red stared too, and suddenly he put his left hand on the wall, like Annabeth suggested. His hand glowed, and the wall charred in a line as we went along. So Blue could control water, and Red fire. I wonder...

"Nice. Thanks, for the idea, Vio." Red said.

Of course. Vio was the smart one apparently.

Annabeth nodded. "If you keep on doing that, then we can follow our path back out."

Unfortunately, as soon as she said that, the left wall disappeared. Wefound ourselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnelsleading out, and no idea how we'd gotten there.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously. 

"Just turn around," Annabeth said. 

We each turned toward a different tunnel. There was no burn marks. It was ridiculous. None of uscould decide which way led back to camp. 

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