A/n: THE TEASER TRAILER FOR THE PJO SERIES CAME OUT AAAAAA
Y/n's Pov:
Jumping out a window five hundred feet aboveground is not usually my idea of fun. Especially when I'm wearing bronze wings and flapping my arms like a duck.
I plummeted toward the valley and the red rocks below. I was pretty sure I was going to become a grease spot in the Garden of the Gods, as Annabeth yelled from somewhere above me, "Spread your arms! Keep them extended."
The small part of my brain that wasn't engulfed in panic heard her, and my arms responded. As soon as I spread them out, the wings stiffened caught the wind, and my descent slowed. I soared downward, but at a controlled angle, like a kite in a dive.
Experimentally, I flapped my arms once. I arced into the sky, the wind whistling in my ears.
"Yeah!" I yelled. The feeling was unbelievable. After getting the hang of it, I felt like the wings were part of my body. I could soar and swoop and dive anywhere I wanted to. I turned and saw my friends—Rachel, Grayson, Percy, Annabeth, and Nico—spiralling above me, glinting in the sunlight. Behind them, smoke billowed from the windows of Daedalus's workshop.
"Land!" Annabeth yelled. "These wings won't last forever."
"How long?" Rachel asked.
"I don't want to find out!" Annabeth said.
We swooped down toward the Garden of the Gods. I did a complete circle around one of the rock spires and freaked out a couple of climbers. Then the four of us soared across the valley, over a road, and landed on the terrace of the visitor centre. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty, but we ripped off our wings as quickly as we could. Looking at them, I could see Annabeth was right. The self-adhesive seals that bound the wings to our backs were already melting, and we were shedding bronze feathers. It seemed a shame, but we couldn't fix them, and couldn't leave them around for the mortals, so we stuffed the wings in rubbish bins outside the cafeteria.
I used the tourist binocular camera to look up at the hill where Daedalus's workshop had been, but it had vanished. No more smoke. No broken windows. Just the side of a hill.
"The workshop moved," Annabeth guessed. "There's no telling where."
"So what do we do now?" Grayson asked. "How do we get back in the maze?"
Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died...he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."
I thought about Grover and Tyson, still down there somewhere. And Daedalus...even though he'd done some terrible things and put everybody I cared about at risk, it seemed like a pretty horrible way to die.
"No," Nico said. "He isn't dead."
"How can you be sure?" I asked.
"I know when people die. It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."
"Same!" Grayson exclaimed excitedly. "I thought it was an ear problem or something, but it wasn't!"
"You can feel the dead too?" Nico questioned.
"Yeah. My mom's Persephone."
"Oh!" Nico muttered. "Father will not be so happy about that."
Grayson ignored Nico's last statement. "I can only do it in winter, though. I know because I felt it last winter when Zoe - " He paused, looking at me. "Sorry."
I fiddled with my ring, a habit I had started to do much more since last winter. "Don't worry."
"What about Tyson and Grover, then?" Percy intervened.
Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."
"We have to get into town," Annabeth decided. "Our chances will be better off finding an entrance to the Labyrinth. We have to make it back to camp before Luke and his army."
"We could just take a plane," Rachel said.
Percy shuddered. "I don't fly."
"But you just did."
"That was low flying," Percy said, "and even that's risky. Flying up really high—that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The labyrinth is the quickest way back."
I didn't want to say it, but I was also hoping that maybe, just maybe, we would find Grover and Tyson along the way.
"So we need a car to take us into the city," Annabeth said.
Rachel looked down into the car park. She grimaced as if she were about to do something she regretted. "I'll take care of it."
"How?" Annabeth asked.
"Just trust me."
Annabeth looked uneasy, but she nodded. "Okay, I'm going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris message to camp."
"I'll go with you," Nico said. "I'm hungry."
"Same," Grayson said. "Food. I'll get you something blue, Percy."
Percy patted Grayson's back. "Thanks, man."
"Percy and I'll stick with Rachel, then," I said. "Meet you guys in the car park."
Rachel frowned like she didn't want us with her. That made me feel kind of bad, but Percy and I followed her down to the car park anyway. She headed toward a big black car parked at the edge of the lot. It was a chauffeured Lexus, like the kind I always saw driving around Manhattan. The driver was out front, reading a newspaper. He wore a dark suit and tie.
"What are you going to do?" I asked Rachel.
"Just wait here," she said miserably. "Please."
Rachel marched straight up to the driver and talked to him. He frowned. Rachel said something else. He turned pale and hastily folded up his magazine. He nodded and fumbled for his cell phone. After a brief call, he opened the back door of the car for Rachel to get in. She pointed back in my direction, and the driver bobbed his head some more, like Yes, ma'am. Whatever you want.
I couldn't figure out why he was acting so flustered.
Rachel came back to get me just as Nico, Grayson, and Annabeth appeared from the gift shop.
"I talked to Chiron," Annabeth said. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?"
"The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said.
The chauffeur was now talking to another guy in khakis and a polo shirt, probably his client who'd rented the car. The client was complaining, but I could hear the driver saying, "I'm sorry, sir. Emergency. I've ordered another car for you."
"Come on," Rachel said. She led us to the car and got in without even looking at the flustered guy who'd rented it. A minute later we were cruising down the road. The seats were leather. Even though there was plenty of leg-room, Percy and I cuddled close in one of the seats. The backseat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water, sodas, and snacks. We started overeating.
"Where to, Miss Dare?" the driver asked.
"I'm not sure yet, Robert," she said. "We just need to drive through town and, uh, look around."
"Whatever you say, miss."
Percy looked at Rachel. "Do you know this guy?"
"No."
"But he dropped everything to help you. Why?"
"Just keep your eyes peeled," she said. "Help me look."
Which didn't exactly answer his question.
We drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance. I was very aware of Rachel's shoulder pressing against mine. I kept wondering who she was exactly, and how she could walk up to some random chauffeur and immediately get a ride.
After about an hour, we decided to head north toward Denver, thinking that maybe a bigger city would be more likely to have a Labyrinth entrance, but we were all getting nervous. We were losing time.
Then, right as we were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"
The driver glanced back. "Miss?"
"I saw something, I think. Get off here."
The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.
"What did you see?" Grayson asked because we were pretty much out of the city now. There wasn't anything around except hills, grassland, and some scattered farm buildings. Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road. We drove by a sign too fast for me to read it, but Rachel said, "Western Museum of Mining & Industry."
For a museum, it didn't look like much—a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, some drills, pumps, and old steam shovels on display outside.
"There." Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill—a tunnel boarded up and chained."An old mine entrance."
"A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked. "How can you be sure?"
"Well, look at it!" Rachel said. "I mean...I can see it, okay?"
She thanked the driver and we all got out. He didn't ask for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your—"
"No!" Rachel said. "No, really. Thanks, Robert. But we're fine."
The museum seemed to be closed, so nobody bothered us as we climbed the hill to the mine shaft. When we got to the entrance, I saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock, though how Rachel had seen something so tiny all the way from the highway I had no idea. I touched the padlock and the chains fell away. We kicked down a few boards and walked inside. For better or worse, we were back in the Labyrinth.
~
The dirt tunnels turned to stone. They wound around and split off and basically tried to confuse us, but Rachel had no trouble guiding us. We told her we needed to get back to New York, and she hardly even paused when the tunnels offered a choice.
To my surprise, Rachel and Annabeth started up a conversation as we walked. Annabeth asked her more about her background, but Rachel was evasive, so they started talking about architecture. It turned out that Rachel knew something about it from studying art. They talked about different facades on buildings around New York—"Have you seen this one," blah, blah, blah. Percy and Grayson were discussing how inaccurate the "Hercules" movie was, so I hung back and walked next to Nico in uncomfortable silence.
"Thanks for coming after us," I told him at last.
Nico's eyes narrowed. He didn't seem as angry as he used to—just suspicious, careful. "I owed you for the ranch, Y/n. Plus...I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural."
"That's what you were after all along," I said."Trading Daedalus's soul for Bianca's."
Nico walked for another fifty yards before answering. "It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."
"You could be accepted," I said. "You could have friends at camp."
He stared at me. "Do you really believe that, Y/n?"
I didn't answer. The truth was, I didn't know. Nico had always been a little different, but since Bianca'sdeath, he'd gotten almost...scary. He had his father's eyes—that intense, manic fire that made you suspect he was either a genius or a madman. And the way he'd banished Minos, and called himself the king of ghosts—it was kind of impressive, but it made me uncomfortable too.
But again, I felt a sort of understanding of Nico's hurt. I had too, lost a sister, and I know what it feels like to have nobody. If it wasn't for my friends' comfort, I would've probably been in the same place as him. Of course, it didn't help that my mother told me all of those things straight after.
I looked at Nico. "I'm your friend, right?"
Nico's lip turned up slightly. It may have been a smile or a smirk, but a sign of positive emotion was shown. "Yeah."
"And so are Percy, Annabeth, Grayson, and Grover."
Nico's 'smile' grew a little. "I mean, I don't know Grover that well, but, yeah."
"See," I told him. "You are accepted."
Nico looked like have wanted to argue, but before he could say anything, I ran into Rachel, who'd stopped in front of me. We'd come to a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right—a circular shaft carved from volcanic rock.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico'sspectres.
"Is it that way?" Annabeth asked.
"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."
"Why are we stopping then?" I asked.
"Listen," Nico said.
I heard wind coming down the tunnel as if the exit were close. And I smelled something vaguely familiar—something that brought back bad memories.
"Eucalyptus trees," I said, choking back tears. "Like in California."
"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."
"And the smell of death," Nico added, which made me feel a whole lot better.
That could only mean one thing. Annabeth and I exchanged glances.
"Luke's entrance," I guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys —the Titans' palace."
Annabeth nodded.
"I have to check it out," Percy said.
I stopped him. "Percy, no."
"Luke could be right here," Percy said. "Or...or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on."
UGH! He's such an idiot!
But he's right. There could be something bad down there. We could prevent it.
Shut up.
You know I'm right.
I hesitated. "Then we'll all go."
"No," Percy denied. "It's too dangerous. If they got hold of Nico, or Rachel, or you for that matter, Kronos could use you. You guys stay here, and guard."
"Percy, don't," Rachel said. "Don't go up there alone."
"I'll be quick," Percy promised. "I won't do anything stupid."
I sighed. "Every single time you've said that you did something stupid." I paused. "But for some reason, I let you."
Percy smiled. "Good."
I looked at Annabeth. "Mind lending him your cap?"
Annabeth shook her head. "Not at all."
Annabeth took her Yankees cap out of her pocket and handed it to Percy.
I kissed him quickly. "Be careful."
"When am I not?" he sassed.
"Multiple times."
Percy put on the cap. "Here goes nothing."
And he sneaked invisibly down the dark stone tunnel.
~
Moments later, I heard a CRASH!
"That can't be good," Nico deadpanned, getting into a fighting position.
"Yup," Grayson agreed.
We saw Percy's - now visible - running figure. He was running towards us, at an incredibly fast speed. Following him was a blonde boy I recognized.
Luke. But it wasn't Luke. Luke's eyes aren't gold.
"Luke" inched closer and closer as Percy ran. That's when Rachel decided to do something stupid.
He was ten feet away when Rachel shouted, "PERCY!"
Something flew past me, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.
"Ow!" he yelled.
For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. Percy's limbs were freed and he ran straight into us.
"Luke?" Annabeth called. "What—"
I grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her after me. I ran as fast as I'd ever run, straight out of the fortress. We were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when I heard the loudest bellow in the world—the voice of Kronos, coming back into control. "AFTER THEM!"
"No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful the front columns of the building came crashing down. I heard muffled screams from the telekhines inside. Dust billowed everywhere.
We plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan lord shaking the entire world behind us.