σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

We Play Tag with Scorpions

Annabeth: No. Well, there may be passages from the Labyrinth down into the Underworld. I'm not sure. But the Underworld is way, way down. The Labyrinth is right under the surface of the mortal world, kind of like a second skin. It's been growing for thousands of years, lacing its way under Western cities, connecting everything together underground. You can get anywhere through the Labyrinth.

Grover: If you don't get lost and die a horrible death.

Annabeth: Grover, there has to be a way. Clarisse lived, and Theo's still alive.

Grover: Barely! And the other guy—

Annabeth: He was driven insane. He didn't die.

Grover: Oh, joy. That makes me feel much better.

Zoe: Wait. How do you know Theo is still alive and in the Labyrinth?

I told them about my dream. Zoe, Grover, and Percy looked relieved to hear that Theo was still alive and well.

Percy: Wait a sec. Can we go back to the crazy guy? What's that about?

I glanced over toward the Ares table. Clarisse was watching us like she knew what we were talking about, but then she fixed her eyes on her breakfast plate.

Annabeth: Last year, Clarisse went on a mission for Chiron.

Percy: I remember. It was secret.

Annabeth: (nods) It was secret because she found Chris Rodriguez.

Percy: The guy from the Hermes cabin?

Annabeth: Yeah. Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse's mom's house.

Percy: What do you mean he just appeared?

Annabeth: He was wandering around the desert, in a hundred and twenty degrees, in full Greek armor, babbling about string.

Percy: String.

Annabeth: He'd been driven completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mom's house so the mortals wouldn't institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health. Chiron came out and interviewed him, but it wasn't much good. The only thing they got out of him: (shudders) Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth.

Percy shivered, then he looked at Grover, who was chewing up the rest of his fork.

Percy: Okay. Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?

Annabeth: We weren't sure. That's why Clarisse went on a scouting expedition. Chiron kept things hushed up because he didn't want anyone panicking. He got me involved because...well, the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects. The architecture involved—The builder, Daedalus, was a genius. But the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. If Luke could figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed.

Percy: Except it's a maze, right?

Grover: Full of horrible traps. Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters.

Zoe: Not if you had Ariadne's string. In the old days, Ariadne's string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris Rodriguez was mumbling about string.

Percy: So, Luke is trying to find Ariadne's string. Why? What's he planning?

Annabeth: (shakes her head) I don't know. I thought maybe he wanted to invade camp through the maze, but that doesn't make any sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn't help Luke get past our borders. Clarisse explored a little way into the tunnels, but...it was very dangerous. She had some close calls. I researched everything I could find about Daedalus. I'm afraid it didn't help much. I don't understand exactly what Luke's planning, but I do know this: the Labyrinth might be the key to Grover's problem.