Chiron called a war council the next day. They met in the sword arena, which was pretty strange trying to discuss the fate of the camp while Mrs. O’Leary chewed on a life-size squeaky pink rubber yak. Ace was chasing Nova.
Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible.
Also present around the table was Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, even Argus. That’s how she knew it was serious. Argus hardly ever shows up unless something really major is going on. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.
"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance,” Annabeth said.
“He knew everything about camp," Elora said.
Juniper cleared her throat. “That’s what I was trying to tell you last night. The cave entrance has been there a long time. Luke used to use it.”
Silena frowned. “You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn’t say anything?”
Juniper’s face turned green. “I didn’t know it was important. Just a cave. I don’t like yucky old caves.”
“She has good taste,” Grover said.
“I wouldn’t have paid any attention except…well, it was Luke.” She blushed a little greener.
Grover huffed. “Forget what I said about good taste.”
“Interesting,” Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. “And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?”
“Definitely,” Clarisse said. “If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn’t stand a chance. He could wipe us out easily. He must’ve been planning this for months.”
“He’s been sending scouts into the maze,” Annabeth said. “We know because…because we found one.”
“Chris Rodriguez,” Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.
“Ah,” Quintus said. “The one in the…Yes, I understand.”
“The one in the what?” Percy asked.
The one who's gone insane.
Woah. Where did that come from? she looked around. The voice... It doesn't sound like one of her friends. Said soft like it was supposed to be a secret.
Clarisse glared at him. “The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He’s searching for Daedalus’s workshop.”
“The guy who created the maze.”
“Yes,” Annabeth said. “The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He’s the only one who knows how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn’t have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze’s traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted—quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then…to Olympus.”
"Big ifs, Beth," Elora said. "It might not be true and he might not be able to convince him."
"But what if it is real? What if Luke can pull it off."
"Then we're all doomed. And if it is because of Daedalus, a good inventor or not, I'm taking him down under."
The arena was silent except for Mrs. O’Leary’s toy yak getting disemboweled: Squeak!
Finally Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table. “Back up a sec, Annabeth, you said 'convince Daedalus’? Isn’t Daedalus dead?”
"Another big if."
Quintus grunted. “I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don’t the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?”
Daedalus.
She frowned. Had she truly gone insane? With the voice in her head, thinking otherwise would be denial.
Chiron clopped restlessly on his hooves. “That’s the problem, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumors…well, there are many disturbing rumors about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth toward the end of his life. He might still be there.”
“We need to go in,” Annabeth announced. “We have to find the workshop before Luke does."
"You do know it's a suicide mission."
"If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne’s string still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke’s hands.”
“Wait a second,” Percy said. “If we’re worried about an attack, why not just blow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?”
Blow up. Phoenix.
“Great idea!” Grover said. “I’ll get the dynamite!”
"Why not blow the whole camp apart?"
“It’s not so easy, stupid,” Clarisse growled. “We tried that at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn’t go well.”
The voice was right. If it was whispering about what Clarisse said. Maybe they have a use after all? Maybe it can see the future? Cool. I am calling you Apollo junior yes?
Call her insane but the 'voice' seemed to shake its head.
Guess that's a no.
Annabeth nodded. “The Labyrinth is magical architecture, Percy. It would take huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolished a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth.”
"We could fight,” Lee Fletcher said. “We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tries to come through, they’ll find us waiting with our bows.”
"That's a must otherwise we're all sitting ducks while a group take up on a suicidal quest."
“We will certainly set up defenses,” Chiron agreed. “But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If Luke manages to get a large army of monsters into the center of camp, bypassing our boundaries…we may not have the strength to defeat them.”
Nobody looked happy about that news. Chiron usually tried to be upbeat and optimistic. If he was predicting they couldn’t hold off an attack, that wasn’t good.
“We have to get to Daedalus’s workshop first,” Annabeth insisted. “Find Ariadne’s string and prevent Luke from using it.”
“But if nobody can navigate in there,” Percy said, “what chance do we have?”
“I’ve been studying architecture for years,” she said. “I know Daedalus’s Labyrinth better than anybody.”
"From reading about it?" Percy asked.
“Well, yes.”
"That’s not enough.”
“It has to be!”
“It isn’t!”
“Are you going to help me or not? Elora?"
She looked up. "Academically speaking, I did learn everything from a book."
Chiron cleared his throat. “First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp.”
“We all know who should lead this,” Clarisse said. “Annabeth.”
“You’ve done as much as I have, Clarisse,” she said. “You should go, too.”
Clarisse shook her head. “I’m not going back in there.”
Travis Stoll laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re scared. Clarisse, chicken?”
Clarisse got to her feet, she said in a shaky voice: “You don’t understand anything, punk. I’m never going in there again. Never!” She stormed out of the arena.
Travis looked around sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to—”
Chiron raised his hand. “The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?”
They all nodded except Quintus. He folded his arms and stared at the table.
What's up with him?
“Very well,” Chiron turned to Annabeth. “My dear, it’s your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next.”
☼︎☼︎❁☼︎☼︎
“My dear,” Chiron said. “You made it.”
“I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus’s workshop.”
Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. “What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important.”
Annabeth took a deep breath. “I, ah…well, it said, you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze...”
They waited.
“The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.”
Grover perked up. “The lost one! That must mean Pan! That’s great!”
“With the dead and the traitor,” Percy added. “Not so great.”
“And?” Chiron asked. “What is the rest?”
“You shall rise or fall by the
ghost king’s hand,” Annabeth said, “the child of Athena’s final stand.”
“Hey…we shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Silena said. “Annabeth isn’t the only child of Athena, right?”
“But who’s this ghost king?” Beckendorf asked.
Chills covered her body. Nico. Worry and pride fought for a greater place in her. Her brother. The ghost king.
“Are there more lines?” Chiron asked. “The prophecy does not sound complete.”
Annabeth hesitated. “I don’t remember exactly.”
That's not like her.
Chiron raised an eyebrow.
“Something about…Destroy with a hero’s final breath.”
“And?” Chiron asked.
She stood. “Look, the point is, I have to go in. I’ll find the workshop and stop Luke. And…I need help.”
She turned to Percy. “Will you come?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “I’m in.”
“Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting.”
Grover seemed to forget how much he hated the underground. The line about the “lost one” had completely energized him. “I’ll pack extra recyclables for snacks!”
“Tyson,” Annabeth said. “I’ll need you too.”
“Yay! Blow-things-up time!” Tyson clapped so hard he woke up Mrs. O’Leary, who was dozing in the corner.
"And Elora," Annabeth said. "I'll need another brain to think along. Your skill set would be really helpful too down in the dark. Ace and Nova would also be very helpful."
Elora sighed. "Guess we're going on the suicide mission."
“Wait, Annabeth,” Chiron said. “This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is allowed only two companions.”
"I need them all,” she insisted. “Chiron, it’s important.”
“Annabeth.” Chiron flicked his tail nervously. “Consider well. You would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Five… this is risky.”
Annabeth took a deep breath. “I know. But we have to. Please.”
Chiron sighed. “Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth.”
Goodbye to life.
☼︎☼︎❁☼︎☼︎
𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 • 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 • 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞
𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠!