¹𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐒 ! - percy jackson

-002

"Exactly," Annabeth said.

"So...it's not under the king's palace in Crete anymore," he guessed. "The Labyrinth is under some building in America."

Stella turned her head to him, "Sort of, but it's not under just one building."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Please, Percy. The Labyrinth is huge. It wouldn't fit under a single city, much less a single building."

"So...is the Labyrinth part of the Underworld?" He asked.

"No." Annabeth frowned. "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."

"If you don't get lost," Grover muttered. "And die a horrible death."

"Grover, there has to be a way," Stella insisted as they had been over this a thousand times before. "Clarisse lived."

"Barely!" Grover exclaimed. "And the other guy—"

"He was driven insane. He didn't die," Annabeth interjected.

"Oh, joy." Grover's lower lip quivered. "That makes me feel much better."

"Whoa," Percy said. "Back up. What's this about Clarisse and a crazy guy?"

Stella glanced over toward the Ares table. Clarisse's gaze bore into them, a mixture of intensity and curiosity evident in her eyes. For a moment, it seemed like she knew every word of their conversation, but then her attention abruptly shifted, fixating on her breakfast plate.

"Last year," Annabeth said, lowering her voice, "Clarisse went on a mission for Chiron."

"I remember," Percy said, a flicker of interest in his eyes. "It was secret."

"It was secret," Stella confirmed, leaning in slightly, her tone hushed, "because she found Chris Rodriguez."

"The guy from the Hermes cabin?" Percy questioned.

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

Percy's brow furrowed. "What do you mean he just appeared?"

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

"String," Percy repeated.

Stella nodded, "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: Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth."

"Okay," Percy asked. "Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?"

"We weren't sure," Annabeth said, casting a quick glance at Stella. "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—" Her expression turned a little dreamy. "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."

"Except it's a maze, right?"

"Full of horrible traps," Grover agreed, a shiver of unease evident in his voice. "Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters."