They thought they'd lost the spider until Tyson heard a faint pinging sound. They made a few turns, backtracked a few times, and eventually found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door.
The door looked like one of those old-fashioned submarine hatches—oval, with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. Where the portal should've been was a big brass plaque, green with age, with a Greek Êta inscribed in the middle.
They all looked at each other.
"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover said nervously.
"No," Percy admitted.
"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, and he turned the wheel.
As soon as the door opened, the spider scuttled inside with Tyson right behind it. The rest of them followed, not quite as anxious.
The room was enormous. It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had stranger things: a bronze hippalektryon with its horse head off and a bunch of wires hanging out its rooster tail, a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.
Smaller projects cluttered a dozen worktables. Tools hung along the walls. Each had its own outline on a Peg-Board, but nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.
Under the nearest hydraulic lift, which was holding a '98 Toyota Corolla, a pair of legs stuck out—the lower half of a huge man in grubby gray pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's. One leg was in a metal brace.
The spider scuttled straight under the car, and the sounds of banging stopped.
"Well, well," a deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"
The mechanic pushed out on a back trolley and sat up. Majority of the group had seen Hephaestus once before, briefly on Olympus, so Percy himself thought he was prepared, but the god's appearance made him gulp.
Percy guessed the blacksmith had cleaned up when they saw him on Olympus, or used magic to make his form seem a little less hideous. Here in his own workshop, he apparently didn't care how he looked. He wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime. Hephaestus, was embroidered over the chest pocket. His leg creaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder was lower than his right, so he seemed to be leaning even when he was standing up straight. His head was misshapen and bulging. He wore a permanent scowl. His black beard smoked and hissed. Every once in a while a small wildfire would erupt in his whiskers then die out. His hands were the size of catcher's mitts, but he handled the spider with amazing skill. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together.
"There," he muttered to himself. "Much better."
The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.
Hephaestus glowered up at the group. "I didn't make you, did I?"
"Uh," Annabeth said, "no, sir."
"Good," the god grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."
He studied Annabeth, Noelle, and Percy. "Half-bloods," he grunted. "Could be automatons, of course, but probably not."
"We've met, sir," Percy told him.
"Have we?" the god asked absently. Percy got the feeling he didn't care one way or the other. He was just trying to figure out how the boy's jaw worked, whether it was a hinge or lever or what. "Well then, if I didn't smash you to a pulp the first time we met, I suppose I won't have to do it now."
He looked at Grover and frowned. "Satyr." Then he looked at Tyson, and his eyes twinkled. "Well, a Cyclops. Good, good. What are you doing traveling with this lot?"
"Uh . . ." said Tyson, staring in wonder at the god.
"Yes, well said," Hephaestus agreed. "So, there'd better be a good reason you're disturbing me. The suspension on this Corolla is no small matter, you know."
"Sir," Annabeth said hesitantly, "we're looking for Daedalus. We thought—"
"Daedalus?" the god roared. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare to seek him out!"
His beard burst into flames and his black eyes glowed.
"Uh, yes, sir, please," Annabeth said.
"Humph. You're wasting your time." He frowned at something on his worktable and limped over to it. He picked up a lump of springs and metal plates and tinkered with them. In a few seconds he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. It spread its metal wings, blinked its obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.
Tyson laughed and clapped his hands. The bird landed on Tyson's shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately.
Hephaestus regarded him. The god's scowl didn't change, but Noelle thought she saw a kinder twinkle in his eyes. "I sense you have something to tell me, Cyclops."
Tyson's smile faded. "Y-yes, lord. We met a Hundred-Handed One."
Hephaestus nodded, looking unsurprised. "Briares?"
"Yes. He—he was scared. He would not help us."
"And that bothered you."
"Yes!" Tyson's voice wavered. "Briares should be strong! He is older and greater than Cyclopes. But he ran away."
Hephaestus grunted. "There was a time I admired the Hundred-Handed Ones. Back in the days of the first war. But people, monsters, even gods change, young Cyclops. You can't trust 'em. Look at my loving mother, Hera. You met her, didn't you? She'll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? Didn't stop her from pitching me off Mount Olympus when she saw my ugly face."
"But I thought Zeus did that to you," Percy said.
Hephaestus cleared his throat and spat into a bronze spittoon. He snapped his fingers, and the robotic falcon flew back to the worktable.
"Mother likes telling that version of the story," he grumbled. "Makes her seem more likable, doesn't it? Blaming it all on my dad. The truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. Perfect families. She took one look at me and . . . well, I don't fit the image, do I?"
He pulled a feather from the falcon's back, and the whole automaton fell apart.
"Believe me, young Cyclops," Hephaestus said, "you can't trust others. All you can trust is the work of your own hands."
It seemed like a pretty lonely way to live. Plus, Noelle didn't exactly trust the work of Hephaestus. One time in Denver, his mechanical spiders had almost killed her and Percy. And last year, it had been a defective Talos statue that cost Bianca her life—another one of Hephaestus's little projects.
He focused on her and narrowed his eyes, as if he were reading her thoughts. "Oh, this one doesn't like me," he mused. "No worries, I'm used to that. What would you ask of me, little demigod?"
"We told you," she said. "We need to find Daedalus. There's this guy Luke, and he's working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade our camp. If we don't get to Daedalus first—"
"And I told you, girl. Looking for Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you."
"Why not?"
Hephaestus shrugged. "Some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Some of us . . . the way we learn not to trust people is even more painful. Ask me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steed. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."
"You know where he is, then," Annabeth pressed.
"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."
"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."
Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "Who's your mother, then?"
"Athena."
"Figures." He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."
"Name it," Annabeth said.
Hephaestus actually laughed—a booming sound like a huge bellows stoking a fire. "You heroes," he said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"
He pressed a button on his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a huge window or a big-screen TV, Noelle couldn't tell which. They were looking at a gray mountain ringed in forests. It must've been a volcano, because smoke rose from its crest.
Despite the disaster obviously present, Noelle found it beautiful. The different shades of greens provided from the trees surrounding the mountain made her smile. She was grateful that she inherited the ability to appreciate nature from her mother when seeing things like this.
"It's beautiful," she said.
"That's one of my forges," Hephaestus said. "I have many, but that used to be my favorite."
"That's Mount St. Helens," Grover said. "Great forests around there."
"You've been there?" Percy asked.
"Looking for . . . you know. Pan."
"Wait," Annabeth said, looking at Hephaestus. "You said it used to be your favorite. What happened?"
Hephaestus scratched his smoldering beard. "Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There's always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smoldering all the time. He's restless with the Titan rebellion."
"What do you want us to do?" Percy said. "Fight him?"
Hephaestus snorted. "That would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. But lately I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone or something is using my forges. When I go there, it is empty, but I can tell it is being used. They sense me coming, and they disappear. I send my automatons to investigate, but they do not return. Something . . . ancient is there. Evil. I want to know who dares invade my territory, and if they mean to lose Typhon."
"You want us to find out who it is," Noelle said.
"Aye," Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."
"Glad you noticed," Percy muttered.
"Go and find out what you can," Hephaestus said. "Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."
"All right," Annabeth said. "How do we get there?"
Hephaestus clapped his hands. The spider came swinging down from the rafters. Annabeth flinched when it landed at her feet.
"My creation will show you the way," Hephaestus said. "It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons."
~
They were doing okay until they hit the tree roots. The spider raced along and they were keeping up, but then they spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth, and wrapped in thick roots. Grover stopped dead in his tracks.
"What is it?" Noelle said.
He didn't move. He stared openmouthed into the dark tunnel. His curly hair rustled in the breeze.
"Come on!" Annabeth said. "We have to keep moving."
"This is the way," Grover muttered in awe. "This is it."
"What way?" Percy asked. "You mean . . . to Pan?"
Grover looked at Tyson. "Don't you smell it?"
"Dirt," Tyson said. "And plants."
"Yes! This is the way. I'm sure of it!"
Up ahead, the spider was getting farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and they'd lose it.
"We'll come back," Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."
"The tunnel will be gone by then," Grover said. "I have to follow it. A door like this won't stay open!"
"But we can't," Annabeth said. "The forges!"
Grover looked at her sadly. "I have to, Annabeth. Don't you understand?"
She looked desperate, like she didn't understand at all.
The spider was almost out of sight. But Percy thought about his conversation with Grover last night, and he knew what they had to do.
"We'll split up," he said.
"No!" Annabeth said. "That's way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can't go alone."
Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder. "I—I will go with him."
Percy couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Tyson, are you sure?"
The big guy nodded. "Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."
Grover took a deep breath. "Percy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just . . . have to."
Percy didn't blame him. This was his life's goal. If he didn't find Pan on this journey, the council would never give him another chance.
"I hope you're right," Percy said.
"I know I am." He'd never heard Grover sound so confident about anything, except maybe that cheese enchiladas were better than chicken enchiladas.
"Be careful," Percy told him. Then he looked at Tyson. The cyclops gulped back a so band gave his brother a hug that just about squeezed his eyes out of their sockets. Then he and Grover disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in the darkness.
"This is bad," Annabeth said. "Splitting up is a really, really bad idea."
"We'll see them again," Percy said, trying to sound confident. "Now come on. The spider is getting away!"
Noelle led the way, having the best vision in the dark tunnels, and she could hear the spider's metal legs scuttling along the floor. Percy and Annabeth made sure to keep quiet, knowing it was harder for her to listen than it was for Grover and Tyson.
It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot. The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if they were walking through an oven. The tunnel sloped down and they could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Noelle and Annabeth right behind.
"Hey, wait up," Percy called to the girls.
They glanced back at him. "Yeah?"
"Something Hephaestus said back there . . . about Athena."
"She swore never to marry," Annabeth said. "Like Hestia and... Artemis." The blonde spared Noelle a sympathetic glance before continuing. "She's one of the maiden goddesses."
Percy blinked. He'd never heard that about Athena before. "But then—"
"How come she has demigod children?"
Percy nodded. He was probably blushing, but hopefully it was so hot anyway that neither of them noticed. But Noelle smirked and he could tell she knew he felt a little embarrassed.
"Percy, you know how Athena was born?"
"She sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something."
"Exactly. She wasn't born in the normal way. She was literally born from thoughts. Her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love with a mortal man, it's purely intellectual, the way she loved Odysseus in the old stories. It's a meeting of minds. She would tell you that's the purest kind of love."
"So your dad and Athena . . . so you weren't . . ."
"I was a brain child," Annabeth said. "Literally. Children of Athena are sprung from the divine thoughts of our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena on the men she favors."
"But—"
"Percy, the spider's getting away. Do you really want Annabeth to explain the exact details of how she was born?" Noelle asked.
"Um . . . no. That's okay."
She smirked. "I thought not." And she ran ahead. The other two demigods followed, but Percy wasn't sure he would ever look at Annabeth the same way again. He decided somethings were better left as mysteries.
The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, they emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Their spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. They had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.
There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil Percy had ever seen—a block of iron the size of a house. Creatures moved around the platform—several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to make out details.
"We'll never be able to sneak up on them," Noelle said.
Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. "I can. Wait here."
"Hold it!" Noelle said, but before she could argue, Annabeth put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.
They didn't dare call after her, but Noelle didn't like the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those things out there could sense a god coming, would Annabeth be safe?
Just as she was about to follow after her best friend, Percy gripped her wrist. "Don't even think about it."
Noelle looked at him, wanting to argue, but instead she gave in to her deeper feelings. "Percy, I'm scared. Scared for Annabeth, scared for Nico, scared for you. I'm scared for everyone. What if we don't all make it out of the labyrinth alive?"
"Hey, don't talk like that," Percy said, pulling her into his arms. "We'll make it. All of us."
She smiled at him sadly, not saying anything, because she wasn't too sure what to say if she didn't quite believe. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, not caring about the dirt and sweat built up on it.
"Percy, I-"
"Wait, I think I saw something," he said, standing up and pulling her with him.
The confession of her feelings died on the tip of her tongue as she let Percy pull her with him the way Annabeth had disappeared.
The heat was horrible. Geryon's ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this. In no time they were drenched with sweat. Their eyes stung from the smoke. They moved along, trying to keep away from the edge, until they found the way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they use in mineshafts. Percy lifted up the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. They were about to squeeze their way around it when they heard voices from up ahead, probably from a side tunnel.
"Bring it in?" one asked.
"Yeah," another said. "Movie's just about done."
Noelle panicked. They didn't have time to back up. There was nowhere to hide except . . . the cart. She scrambled inside, tugging Percy in with her. She pulled the tarp back over the cart, hoping no one had seen them. She squirmed uncomfortably, practically being crushed from all sides.
Percy's face heated up even more, if that was even possible, when he realized his face had landed against his girlfriend's boobs. He tried to move quickly, ending up pressing his hand harshly against her stomach. She groaned quietly in pain.
"Sorry!" he whispered.
She just shook her head to tell him it was fine before her eyes got wide and she pressed a finger to her lips, signaling to be quiet. She had heard weird, 100% non-human footsteps approaching, and she pulled Percy down to lay beside her this time.
The cart lurched forward.
"Oi," a gruff voice said. "Thing weighs a ton."
"It's celestial bronze," the other said. "What did you expect?"
They got pulled along. They turned a corner, and from the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls they guessed they had passed down a tunnel and into a smaller room.
Percy hoped they were not about to be dumped into a smelting pot. If they started to tip the cart over, they'd have to fight their way out quick. They heard lots of talking, chattering voices that didn't sound human—somewhere between a seal's bark and a dog's growl. There were other sounds too—like an old-fashioned film projector and a tinny voice narrating.
"Just set it in the back," a new voice ordered from across the room. "Now, younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterward."
The voices quieted down, and they could hear the film.
As a young sea demon matures, the narrator said, changes happen in the monster's body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters.
Excited snarling filled the room. The teacher—Percy guessed it must have been a teacher—told the younglings to be quiet, and the film continued. They didn't understand most of it, and they didn't dare look. The film kept talking about growth spurts and acne problems caused by working in the forges, and proper flipper hygiene, and finally it was over.
"Now, younglings," the instructor said, "what is the proper name of our kind?"
"Sea demons!" one of them barked.
"No. Anyone else?"
"Telekhines!" another monster growled.
"Very good," the instructor said. "And why are we here?"
"Revenge!" several shouted.
"Yes, yes, but why?"
"Zeus is evil!" one monster said. "He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!"
"Indeed," the instructor said. "After we made so many of the gods' finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course—we made the greatest weapon of the Titans! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. That is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"
Percy clutched his pen-sword. These snarling things had created Poseidon's trident? What were they talking about? He'd never even heard of a telekhine.
"And so, younglings," the instructor continued, "who do we serve?"
"Kronos!" they shouted.
"And when you grow to be big telekhines, will you make weapons for his army?"
"Yes!"
"Excellent. Now, we've brought in some scraps for you to practice with. Let's see how ingenious you are."
There was a rush of movement and excited voices coming toward the cart. Percy got ready to uncap Riptide and Noelle had her hand on the handle of her knife. The tarp was thrown back. They jumped up, wielding their blades in their hands, and found themselves facing a bunch of . . . dogs.
Well, their faces were dogs, anyway, with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half foot, and humanlike hands with sharp claws. If you blended together a kid, a Doberman pinscher, and a sea lion, you'd get something like what they were looking at.
"Demigods!" one snarled.
"Eat them!" yelled another.
But that's as far as they got before Percy slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters.
"Back off!" he yelled at the rest, trying to sound fierce. Behind them stood their instructor—a six-foot-tall telekhine with Doberman fangs snarling at them. Percy did his best to stare him down.
"New lesson, class," Percy announced. "Most monsters will vaporize when sliced with a celestial bronze sword. This change is perfectly normal, and will happen to you right now if you don't BACK OFF!"
To his surprise, it worked. The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them. The fear factor wasn't going to last long.
Percy jumped out of the cart, yelled, "CLASS DISMISSED!" and ran for the exit.
Noelle exchanged her knife for her bow and arrow as she ran after him. "Adios!"
As she was running away from the room, she nocked a fart arrow in her bowstring, briefly turning around and firing it directly in the center of the group charging after them, buying her and Percy some time to run and hide.
Thank the gods there was a door on the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. Percy waved Noelle through before he slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it, but he doubted it would keep them long.
They didn't know what to do. Annabeth was out here somewhere, invisible. Their chance for a subtle reconnaissance mission had just been blown. Noelle ran toward the platform at the center of the lava lake, Percy close behind.
"Annabeth!" she yelled.
"Shhh!" An invisible hand clamped over her mouth and wrestled her down behind a big bronze cauldron. "You want to get us killed?"
Noelle found her head and took off Annabeth's Yankees cap. She shimmered into existence in front of the brunette, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. "Noelle, what is your problem?"
"We're going to have company!" Percy said, crouching down beside the girls. He explained quickly about the monster orientation class. Annabeth's eyes widened.
"So that's what they are," she said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making . . . Well, look."
They peeked over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons, but these were fully grown, at least eight feet tall. Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.
"The blade is almost complete," one said. "It needs another cooling in blood to fuse the metals."
"Aye," a second said. "It shall be even sharper than before."
"What is that?" Percy whispered.
Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder—"
"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," Percy said. "And they .. . they said they made my father's trident."
"The telekhines betrayed the gods," Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."
"With Kronos." She nodded. "We have to get out—"
No sooner had she said that than the door to the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.
"Put your cap back on," Percy said. "Get out! Take Noelle with you."
"What?" Noelle shrieked. "No! I'm not leaving you, Percy."
"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
"But you'll be killed!" Noelle cried.
"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."
Annabeth pretended like she wasn't listening, looking away from the couple as Noelle stared conflictedly at Percy. And then she did something that surprised him. She smiled and gently grasped his face in her hands. Leaning in and kissing him, she poured all her love for him into this one kiss.
"Be careful, Seaweed Brain." She smiled, standing up and grabbing Annabeth's hand. "I love you more than the stars in the sky."
Then Annabeth put on her cap while Noelle used the little amount of moonlight available within herself to teleport the two of them back to the entrance of the labyrinth, disappearing.
~
Annabeth pulled off her cap as she searched for the Greek Δ in the wall to open the labyrinth. Noelle stared out into the volcano, hoping Percy would be alright and that she'd see him again soon. She turned back around when she her the sound of rocks scraping against each other to find Annabeth already entering the maze.
Annabeth looked over her shoulder at Noelle, stopping in her stride. "Come on. We don't know if they'll come this way or not. We need to hurry."
Noelle nodded, sparing one last glance at the lava pit before entering the labyrinth. The door closed behind her and she forced herself not to look back at it. That was until she heard the loud rumbling from the other side of the wall.
She rushed back towards the door, pounding against it and frantically calling Percy's name over and over. She hadn't even realized the tunnel was shaking as well until Annabeth was yelling at her to run.
Noelle listened too late, turning around with wide, teary eyes. She ran towards her best friend, and she was almost their when the labyrinth opened up beneath her. She fell, her fingers desperately grabbing onto the ledge nearest to Annabeth.
Annabeth rushed to her. "Noelle!"
Noelle's fingers slipped just as the blond caught her wrists. Annabeth tried to pull her up, but she couldn't, all the nights and days in the maze wearing her out.
"I-I can't pull you up," she said.
"It's okay." Noelle smiled at her friend sadly. "You can let go, Annie."
Annabeth felt tears roll down her cheeks. Noelle hadn't called her that since they were kids, after that it became tradition to use it as a means of comfort in hard times.
"You're crazy if you think I'm letting go."
"You'll die if you don't," Noelle said, feeling the tunnel still shaking around them.
"I'm not leaving you," Annabeth sobbed. "Not after all we've been through."
Noelle felt her own tears fall down her face, adding to the one's for Percy. "I know you wouldn't leave me. You're my best friend."
"J-just give me a few seconds to get the rope out of my bag," Annabeth said.
Noelle didn't say anything, knowing if she let Annabeth do that the tunnel would collapse on them both.
"You need to run, Annie. No matter what," Noelle said. "Swear to me you will."
"Noelle-"
"Swear it on the Styx. Please?"
"I swear on the Styx I will run no matter what."
Noelle smiled. "I'll see you soon, Annie."
Before Annabeth had realized what her best friend was planning to do, Noelle had kicked off the wall, ripping from the grip on her wrist and tumbling down into the darkness below her.
Annabeth could hear herself scream, but she didn't remember opening her mouth. The tunnel she was in was shaking more than ever, and she remembered her promise to Noelle.
So she ran, not bothering to wipe her eyes as she did.