σɾɳιƚԋαʂ (ρʝσ x ɱαʅҽ σƈ)

We Pass by a Ranch

Finally, Annabeth stood and shouldered her backpack.

Annabeth: Come on, guys. This pit is making me nervous. Let's find a better place to camp for the night.

Timeskip

We settled in a corridor made of huge marble blocks. It looked like it could've been part of a Greek tomb, with bronze torch holders fastened to the walls. It had to be an older part of the maze, and Annabeth decided this was a good sign.

Annabeth: We must be close to Daedalus' workshop. Get some rest, everybody. We'll keep going in the morning.

Grover: How do we know when it's morning?

Annabeth: Just rest.

Grover didn't need to be told twice. He pulled a heap of straw out of his pack, ate some of it, made a pillow out of the rest, and was snoring in no time. Tyson took longer getting to sleep. He tinkered with some metal scraps from his building kit for a while, but whatever he was making, he wasn't happy with it. He kept disassembling the pieces.

Percy sat next to Tyson and talked with him for a while, but Tyson was not in the mood for a conversation. He let out a heavy sigh before closing his eye and falling asleep. Percy just sighed before lying down and sleeping as well.

I sighed, feeling bad for Tyson, which Zoe noticed as she put her hand on my shoulder.

Zoe: I am sure he will be fine, Theo.

Theo: I know. It's just that...The way Tyson reacted...It kind of reminded me of how I reacted when Eric died.

Zoe: I know. I felt the same when Bianca died.

Theo: (sighs) Us demigods never have it easy, do we?

Zoe: No, we do not. I don't believe we ever will. Especially since Kronos may rise at any given moment.

I just nodded as I looked at Annabeth, who was keeping watch. If Kronos does come back, it'll mean war...I may not know much about war, but what I do know is that nobody wins. Both sides always lose one way or another.

Theo: You should get some rest, Zoe.

Zoe: As should you.

Theo: I will in a bit.

Zoe nodded before lying down. I picked up my bedroll and dragged it over to where Annabeth was sitting before sitting down next to her.

Annabeth: You should sleep.

Theo: In a bit. You doing alright?

Annabeth: Sure. First day leading the quest. Just great.

Theo: We'll get there. We'll find the workshop before Luke does.

She brushed her hair out of her face. She had a smudge of dirt on her chin, and I imagined what she must've looked like when she was little, wandering around the country with Thalia and Luke. Once she'd saved them from the mansion of the evil Cyclops when she was only seven. Even when she looked scared, like now, I knew she had a lot of guts.

Annabeth: I just wish the quest was logical. I mean, we're traveling but we have no idea where we'll end up. How can you walk from New York to California in a day?

Theo: Space isn't the same in the maze. I mean, I walked from Austin to Long Island in three days.

Annabeth: I know. It's just...Theo, I was kidding myself. All that planning and reading, I don't have a clue where we're going.