The Battle of The Labyrinth [Book Four]

Fear.

"Percy, what are you doing?"

He's pushing the lid up, grunting from the weight. "Help me."

I frown, awkwardly finding solid spots to grip so that I can help him. With both of us, it became easier to push the top off. Managing to slide it, we push it back enough to explore what was beneath. I audibly gasp at what I see: Luke is laying there, looking rather peaceful in a coffin. There's the scar on his lip, pale blonde hair, it is him. And then in the center of his chest is a small, clean hole the size of a quarter. I'm pulled from my thoughts at the sound of Percy uncapping Riptide at my side.

"What are you doing?" I ask again, my voice wavering just a little with uncertainty.

"We have to end this now." Is his response as he raises Riptide to strike.

"No!"

Before he can say anything or stop me, I shove into him with all my strength. His sword clatters against the sarcaphagus edge, missing Luke's chest mere inches. We stumble down the few steps and hit the ground hard, wrestling each other before we disentangle from each other.

"What are you doing?" Percy demands angrily, exasperation clear in his voice.

I aim my spear at his chest once I'm off the ground. "That's Luke, not Kronos!" I snap. "You can't do this. I won't let you."

For a few seconds, we face each other, and I think that Percy might go to attack Luke's body again, but before anything could happen we hear inhuman voices getting closer. We give each other these wide stares before darting in opposite directions to hide behind some tall columns. Those creatures from Hephaestus' forge, Telekhines, come into view, marching in order and carrying a giant scythe towards the coffin. To my dismay, Ethan Nakamura was mixed in there, like the Telekhines were escorting him personally.

"So that's all I have to do?" I hear Ethan ask nervously, and I tilt my head around the stone pillar enough to watch them congregate before the coffin.

A Telekhine gasps. "Has the Lord stirred?" it hisses, eyeing the now open sarcophagus with unease.

There's chattering among them, all seemingly uncomfortable with the idea of Kronos awakening so suddenly without warning.

"Yes," a creature answers momentarily. "Just pledge your allegiance to the Titan Lord, and he will awaken anew."

"Ethan, no!" My eyes widen at Percy's sudden outburst, and he comes out of his hiding place suddenly. "You can't do this."

The boy looks at Percy sympathetically. "You should have killed me back in the arena, Percy," he says morosely. "My mother is Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance, I had to learn that the hard way. I lost an eye. Now it's the gods' turn to pay." He bows before the coffin, settling on one knee and lowering his head. "I, Ethan Nakamura, pledge my allegiance to the Titan Lord Kronos."

Fear courses through my system. Could this have been me, if they hadn't taken me off that ship way back when they were on the Sea of Monsters? If I had stayed, would I have been the one to really wake up Kronos? As I throw myself out of my own hiding place, intending to attack Ethan and the Telekhines, a blast of blinding light from the golden coffin throws me off my feet. Groaning as I recover, my eyes flutter open and look up, freezing as Luke rises from the case and climbs out.

"Luke-" I rasp, voice dry from being knocked out of me from the fall. "What-" But when his eyes open, I'm struck by his eyes, they're entirely golden now.

His head turns in my direction, and when those eyes train on me, I feel like they are looking right through me. I'm torn between wanting to talk to him, or turning to run in the opposite direction. Anything but those eyes.