Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got them back to Times Square, Noelle felt like they'd pretty much run all the way from New Mexico. They climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.
Noelle couldn't decide which seemed less real—New York or the crystal cave where she'd watched a god die.
Percy led the way into an alley, where he could get a nice echo. Then he whistled as loud as he could, five times.
A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"
A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the lead, followed by four of his white friends.
Yo, boss! He spoke in Percy's mind. You lived!
"Yeah," Percy told him. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need a ride to camp quick."
That's my specialty! Oh man, you got that Cyclops with you? Yo, Guido! How's your back holding up?
The Pegasus Guido groaned and complained, but eventually he agreed to carry Tyson. Everybody started getting ready and saddling up—except Rachel.
"Well," she told Percy, "I guess this is it."
He nodded uncomfortably. They both knew she couldn't go to camp. He glanced at Annabeth, who looked eager to have a word with the redhead before they left.
"Thanks, Rachel," Percy said. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"I wouldn't have missed it." Rachel smiled.
"Mind if I cut in?" Annabeth asked, coming up on Percy's right.
Percy shook his head. "She's all yours."
He walked away and let the two girls have their moment to say goodbye. He made his way over to where Noelle was petting Nico's pegasus, trying to reassure him that Nico was harmless.
"Didn't know you could talk to pegasi too," Percy teased as he neared.
Noelle chuckled. "I can't, but I can read their body language. Kind of."
"Will you be riding with me?" he asked.
"Uh, I was gonna fly on my own," Noelle said softly.
"Are you sure?" Percy asked.
Noelle nodded, smiling at her worried boyfriend. "I'll be fine. Besides, if I fall you'll catch me."
Percy rolled his eyes with a smile. "You are so cheesy sometimes."
"But you love me."
Percy wrapped his arms around her. "That I do."
"And I love you." She kissed his nose.
Percy's smile widened. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing that."
"Good."
~
When Annabeth got back to the horses. Nico was still having trouble. His Pegasus kept shying away from him, reluctant to let him mount.
He smells like dead people! The pegasus complained.
Hey now, Blackjack said. Come on, Porkpie. Lotsa demigods smell weird. It ain't their fault. Oh—uh, I didn't mean you, boss.
"Go without me!" Nico said. "I don't want to go back to that camp anyway."
"Nico," Percy said, "we need your help."
He folded his arms and scowled. Then Noelle put her hand on his shoulder.
"Nico," she said. "Please."
Slowly, his expression softened. "All right," he said reluctantly. "For you, but I'm not staying."
At last they got everybody on a Pegasus minus Noelle, who transformed into the same hawk from Colorado. They shot into the air, and soon they were over the East river with Long Island spread out before them.
~
They landed in the middle of the cabin area and were immediately met by Chiron, the potbellied satyr Silenus, and a couple of Apollo cabin archers. Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico, but if they expected him to be surprised by their latest news about Quintus being Daedalus, or Kronos rising, they were mistaken.
"I feared as much," Chiron said. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"
"Wait a moment," Silenus demanded. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's license is revoked!"
Grover took a deep breath. He stood up straight and looked Silenus in the eye. "Searcher's licenses don't matter any more. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."
"What?" Silenus's face turned bright red. "Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"
"It's true," Percy said. "We were there when he died. All of us."
"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!"
Chiron studied Grover's face. "We will speak of this later."
"We will speak of it now!" Silenus said. "We must deal with this—"
"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."
And on that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving them to follow as best they could.
~
It was the biggest military operation Noelle had ever seen at camp. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor, but this time it wasn't for capture the flag. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth—razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. Beckendorf was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at Zeus's Fist. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with Clarisse calling orders. Noelle went to join Apollo's and Hermes's cabins, who were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.
Annabeth went to join her brethren from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A gray banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. Their security chief, Argus, stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of their horsehair plumes. Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do. The god himself was still nowhere to be seen, but his two blond twin sons were running around providing all the sweaty warriors with water bottles and juice boxes.
It looked like a pretty good setup, but Chiron muttered next to Percy, "It isn't enough."
Percy thought about what he'd seen in the Labyrinth, all the monsters in Antaeus's stadium, and the power of Kronos he'd felt of Mt. Tam. His heart sank. Chiron was right, but it was all they could muster. For once Percy wished Dionysus was here, but even if he had been, he didn't know if he could do anything. When it came to war, gods were forbidden to interfere directly. Apparently, the Titans didn't believe in restrictions like that.
Over at the edge of the clearing, Grover was talking to Juniper. She held his hands while he told her his story. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan.
Tyson helped the Hephaestus kids prepare the defenses. He picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.
"Stay with me, Percy," Chiron said. "When the fighting begins, I want you to wait until we know what we're dealing with. You must go where we most need reinforcements."
"I saw Kronos," Percy said, still stunned by the fact. "I looked straight into his eyes. It was Luke...but it wasn't."
Chiron ran his fingers along his bowstring. "He had golden eyes, I would guess. And in his presence, time seemed to turn to liquid."
Percy nodded. "How could he take over a mortal body?"
"I do not know, Percy. Gods have assumed the shapes of mortals for ages, but to actually become one...to merge the divine form with the mortal. I don't know how this could be done without Luke's form turning into ashes."
"Kronos said his body had been prepared."
"I shudder to think what that means. But perhaps it will limit Kronos's power. For a time, at least, he is confined to a human form. It binds him together. Hopefully it also restricts him."
"Chiron, if he leads the attack—"
"I do not think so, my boy. I would sense if he were drawing near. No doubt he planned to, but I believe you inconvenienced him when you pulled down his throne room on top of him." He looked at me reproachfully. "You and your friend Nico, son of Hades."
A lump formed in Percy's throat and he thought this is what Noelle must've felt like when she told him that she let Nico go. "I'm sorry, Chiron. I know I should've told you. It's just—"
Chiron raised his hand. "I understand why you did it, Percy. You felt responsible. You sought to protect him. But, my boy, if we are to survive this war, we must trust each other. We must..."
His voice wavered. The ground underneath them was trembling.
Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. Clarisse barked a single order: "Lock shields!"
Then the Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth.
~
Noelle had been in fights before, but this was a full-scale battle. The first thing she saw was a dozen Laistrygonian giants erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly her ears felt like bursting. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.
"Fire!" Beckendorf yelled. The catapults swung into action. Two boulders hurtled toward the giants. One deflected off a car shield with hardly a dent, but the other caught a Laistrygonian in the chest, and the giant went down. Noelle and Apollo's archers fired a volley, dozens of arrows sticking in the thick armor of the giants like porcupine quills. Several found chinks in armor, and some of the giants vaporized at the touch of celestial bronze.
But just when it looked like the Laistrygonians were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaenae in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. Some hit the traps the Hephaestus cabin had laid. One got struck on the spikes and became an easy target for archers. Another triggered a trip wire, and pots of Greek fire exploded into green flames, engulfing several of the snake women. But many more kept coming. Argus and Athena's warriors rushed forward to meet them. Noelle saw Annabeth draw a sword and engage one of them. Nearby, Tyson was riding a giant. Somehow he'd managed to climb onto the giant's back and was hitting him on the head with a bronze shield—BONG! BONG! BONG!
A new enemy warrior shot flaming arrows into the trees, sending the archers and dryads into a panic.
"Get down!" Noelle yelled to her fellow archers in the trees.
Noelle climbed down the trees to the base of the fire. She readied her bow and pulled a water arrow from her magical quiver. She aimed for the soil right next to the base of the tree, successfully putting the fire out as her arrow sunk into the dirt.
As she looked around, she noticed too many fires for her to put out on her own. It made her angry and she felt the adrenaline flow through her.
She ran over to a small group of four Apollo campers. "Try and keep the dryads safe. We don't need anymore trees burning."
"What are you going to do?" the shortest of the group asked.
"I'm going to make them regret attacking our camp," she said.
She took a running start before leaping up back into the trees. She looked like someone straight out of the movies with how expertly she weaved through the trees back towards the main fight. Noelle perched herself on a branch at least a hundred feet from the ground, surveying the fight for weak spots.
She watched as a dozen dracaenae suddenly broke away from the main fight and slithered down the path that led toward camp, like they knew where they were going. If they got out, they could burn down the entire place, completely unopposed.
The only person anywhere near was Nico di Angelo. He stabbed a telekhine, and his black Stygian blade absorbed the monster's essence, drinking its energy until there was nothing left but dust.
"Nico!" she yelled, hopping from tree to tree before sliding down near the group of monsters.
He followed the sound of her voice, saw her next to the serpent women, and immediately understood.
He took a deep breath and held out his black sword. "Serve me," he called.
The earth trembled. A fissure opened in front of the dracaenae, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth—horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods—U.S. Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeletal horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaenae. Nico crumpled to his knees, but Noelle didn't have time to make sure he was okay.
A dracaenae turned to her, and she barely had time to switch between her bow and knife. The snake woman made for a straight stab to Noelle's gut, seeing as she had no armor to protect her, but Noelle dodged it by turning into a mouse and scampering behind the monster. She stood up in her human form, stabbing the monster from behind.
Noelle ran back towards the crowds of fighting, helping out in a duel when it looked like the camper was losing. She felt practically weightless thanks to the adrenaline, but she knew if she kept using her powers she might end up collapsing on the battlefield.
Just when it seemed like the battle had balanced out again—like they might stand a chance—an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth, a sound Noelle had heard before.
Kampê shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended. She landed on the top of Zeus's Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. The mutant animal heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. In her right hand she held a glittering ball of thread—Ariadne's string—but she popped it into a lion's mouth at her waist and drew her curved swords. The blades glowed green with poison. Kampê screeched in triumph, and some of the campers screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by hellhounds or giants.
"Di Immortales!" Chiron yelled. He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense his presence. She took flight with amazing speed, and Chrion's arrow whizzed harmlessly past her head.
Tyson untangled himself from the giant whom he'd pummeled into unconsciousness. He ran at the camp's lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Fight!"
But then a hellhound leaped on him, and Tyson and the hound went rolling away.
Kampê landed on the Athena command tent, smashing it flat. Noelle watched a familiar blach head of hair run after her. She kept her eyes on him, breathing a sigh of relief when Annabeth stepped up to his side, keeping pace, her sword in her hand.
"This might be it," the blond said.
"Could be."
"Nice fighting with you, Percy."
"Ditto."
Noelle watched as they leapt into the monster's path. Kampê hissed and sliced at them. Percy dodged, trying to distract her, while Annabeth went in for a strike, but the monster seemed able to fight with both hands independently. She blocked Annabeth's sword, and Annabeth had to jump back to avoid the cloud of poison. Just being near the thing was like standing in an acid fog. Percy's eyes burned. His lungs couldn't get enough air. He knew they couldn't stand their ground for more than a few seconds.
"Come on!" Percy shouted. "We need help!"
But no help came. Everyone was either down, or fighting for their lives, or too scared to move forward. Three of Chiron's arrows sprouted from Kampê's chest followed by two of Noelle's, but she just roared louder.
"Now!" Annabeth said.
Together they charged, dodged the monster's slashes, got inside her guard, and almost...almost managed to stab Kampê in the chest, but a huge bear's head lashed out from the monster's waist, and they had to stumble backward to avoid getting bitten.
Slam!
Percy's eyesight went black. The next thing he knew, him and Annabeth were on the ground. The monster had its forelegs on their chests, holding them down. Hundreds of snakes slithered right above them, hissing like laughter. Kampê raised her green-tinged swords, and he knew he and Annabeth were out of options.
"Percy! Annabeth!" Noelle yelled, running towards them.
But something louder howled out from behind her. A wall of darkness slammed into Kampê, sending the monster sideways. And Mrs. O'Leary was standing over the two winded demigods, snarling and snapping at Kampê.
"Good girl!" said a familiar voice. Daedalus was fighting his way out of the Labyrinth, slashing down enemies left and right as he made his way toward them. Next to him was someone else—a familiar giant, much taller than the Laistrygonians, with a hundred rippling arms, each holding a huge chunk of rock.
"Briares!" Tyson cried in wonder.
"Hail, little brother!" Briares bellowed. "Stand firm!"
And as Mrs. O'Leary leaped out of the way, the Hundred-Handed One launched a volley of boulders at Kampê. The rocks seemed to enlarge as they left Briares's hands. There were so many, it looked like half the earth had learned to fly.
BOOOOOM!
Where Kampê had stood a moment before was a mountain of boulders, almost as tall as Zeus's Fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were two green sword points sticking through the cracks.
A cheer went up from the campers, but their enemies weren't done yet. One of the dracaenae yelled, "Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"
Apparently, that threat was more terrifying than the demigods were. The giants surged forward in a last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward.
"No!" Percy screamed, but he was too far away to help.
Then it happened. Grover opened his mouth, and the most horrible sound they'd ever heard came out. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times—the sound of pure fear.
As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaenae trying to get into the Labyrinth first. Telekhines and hellhounds and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them. The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over. The clearing was quiet except for the fires burning in the woods, and the cries of the wounded.
Noelle finally made it over to Percy and Annabeth, helping them to their feet. They ran to Chiron.
"Are you all right?" Percy asked.
He was lying on his side, trying in vain to get up. "How embarrassing," he muttered. "I think I will be fine. Fortunately, we do not shoot centaurs with broken... Ow! ...broken legs."
"You need help," Annabeth said. "I'll get a medic from Apollo's cabin."
"No," Chiron insisted. "There are more serious injuries to attend to. Go! I am fine. But, Grover...later we must talk about how you did that."
"That was amazing," Percy agreed.
Grover blushed. "I don't know where it came from."
Juniper hugged him fiercely. "I do!"
Before she could say more, Tyson called, "Noelle, come quick! It is Nico!"
~
There was smoke curling off his black clothes. His fingers were clenched, and the grass all around his body had turned yellow and died.
Noelle rolled him over as gently as she could and put her ear against his chest. His heart was beating faintly.
"Get some nectar!" Percy yelled.
"No time," Noelle said, and before anyone could protest, she put both her hands on Nico's chest. The others watched as her hands glowed with silver light like they had back in Daedalus's workshop. They could practically see the color from Noelle's face being transferred to Nico's.
Nico's eyes shot open and he inhaled deeply.
"Nico, what happened?" Noelle asked softly as she removed her hands from his chest. "Can you talk?"
He nodded weakly. "Never tried to summon so many before. I—I'll be fine."
They helped him sit up and someone finally gave him some nectar as well as Noelle. He blinked at all of them, like he was trying to remember who they were, and then he focused on someone behind them.
"Daedalus," he croaked.
"Yes, my boy," the inventor said. "I made a very bad mistake. I came to correct it."
Daedalus had a few scratches that were bleeding golden oil, but he looked better than most of the campers. Apparently his automaton body healed itself quickly. Mrs. O'Leary loomed behind him, licking the wounds on her master's head so Daedalus's hair stood up funny. Briares stood next to him, surrounded by a group of awed campers and satyrs. He looked kind of bashful, but he was signing autographs on armor, shields, and T-shirts.
"I found the Hundred-Handed One as I came through the maze," Daedalus explained. "It seems he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together. We both came to make amends."
"Yay!" Tyson jumped up and down. "Briares! I knew you would come!"
"I did not know," the Hundred-Handed One said. "But you reminded me who I am, Cyclops. You are the hero."
Tyson blushed, but Percy patted him on the back. "I knew that a long time ago," he said. "But, Daedalus...the Titan army is still down there. Even without the string, they'll be back. They'll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them."
Daedalus sheathed his sword. "You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."
Annabeth stared at him. "But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your lifeforce! As long as you're alive—"
"Yes, my young architect," Daedalus agreed. "When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you."
He slung a leather satchel off his back, unzipped it, and produced a sleek silver laptop computer—one of the ones they'd seen in the workshop. On the lid was the blue symbol ∆.
"My work is here," he said. "It's all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn't develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting."
He handed the computer to Annabeth, who stared at it like it was solid gold. "You're giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth...I don't even know how much!"
"Small compensation for the way I have acted," Daedalus said. "You were right, Annabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. It is the least I can do before I pass on."
"Whoa," Percy said. "Pass on? But you can't just kill yourself. That's wrong."
He shook his head. "Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time has come. I must face my punishment."
"You won't get a fair trial," Noelle said. "The spirit of Minos sits in judgment—"
"I will take what comes," he said. "And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn't it?"
He looked straight at Nico, and Nico's face darkened.
"Yes," he said.
"Will you take my soul for ransom, then?" Daedalus asked. "You could use it to reclaim your sister."
"No," Nico said. "I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is."
Noelle smiled with pride at the boy she'd come to love as a little brother. She was proud he had come to terms of his sister's passing, choosing to let bygones be bygones.
Daedalus nodded. "Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise." Then he turned toward me. "One last favor, Percy Jackson. I cannot leave Mrs. O'Leary alone. And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you care for her?"
Percy looked at the massive black hound, who whimpered pitifully, still licking Daedalus's hair. He was thinking that his mom's apartment wouldn't allow dogs, especially dogs bigger than the apartment, but he said, "Yeah. Of course I will."
"Then I am ready to see my son...and Perdix," he said. "I must tell them how sorry I am."
Annabeth had tears in her eyes.
Daedalus turned toward Nico, who drew his sword. At first Noelle was afraid Nico would kill the old inventor, but he simply said, "Your time is long since come. Be released and rest."
A smile of relief spread across Daedalus's face. He froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent, revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body. Then the statue turned to gray ash and disintegrated.
Mrs. O'Leary howled. Percy patted her head, trying to comfort her as best he could. The earth rumbled—an earthquake that could probably be felt in every major city across the country—as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed. Somewhere, Percy hoped, the remains of the Titan's strike force had been buried.
He looked around at the carnage in the clearing, and the weary faces of his friends.
"Come on," he told them, throwing his arm around Noelle. "We have work to do."