(chapter xxi - she hates this shit already)
SELENE WOKE UP feeling excited yet very exhausted. She didn't know how long her and Percy had stayed up, but it must've been late, because before she knew it, the rising sun was peaking through her blinds.
Selene was a light sleeper. The tiniest bit of light woke her up, and no matter how much she wanted to sleep, her body would argue. So, she found herself normally getting up around this time, anyway.
It was around six in the morning. Fog settled over camp, making it look like a ghost town. Soon, she had a feeling most campers would be waking up — going to breakfast, then starting their normal lessons — archery, pegasus riding, history with the Athena cabin. And while that was all happening, Selene and her friends would be plunging into the underground, on a very dangerous quest that could lead them all to a very gruesome death.
But we gotta stay positive, right?
Selene tied her hair into a rather stylish French braid — which, made confidence flow through her body.
'Percy was right. I'm fucking hot, dude.'
She checked her backpack one more time — and the items that were in it were the only things she really needed — thermos with nectar, a bag full of ambrosia, a bedroll, rope, clothes, flashlights, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and loads of granola bars.
Lunar was tight on her wrist. Her bow, which she still hadn't named, was in necklace form, shimmering in the morning sun.
She walked out of her cabin. Wet grass squished under her feet as she traveled towards Zeus' fist. Once she got there, most of them were already present — except for Annabeth.
Selene walked down to them. "G'morning," She greeted, yawning.
There was a chorus of 'good morning's back. Juniper and Grover stood a little way from the rest of the group — and Juniper looked like she'd been crying again. She kept fussing with Grover's shirt, and his curly hair, as if she was a mom preparing her son for picture day.
All of the sudden, Thema appeared. She was still in her minions pajamas, but that didn't seem to embarrass her at all. Instead, she walked up to Selene, her gaze uncertain and concerning.
"I...I heard about Mal."
Selene's heart broke. She tried not to look too nervous. "You — you did, huh?"
She could tell Percy tuned into their conversation as soon as Mal was mentioned. Although he tried to hide it, Selene felt his eyes on her.
"Don't let his disappearance get you down, Sel," Thema whispered. "No matter where he is. Just — just focus on your quest, okay? And I'll focus on Mal."
Selene raised a brow.
Thema shifted on her feet uncomfortably. "Yeah I — uhm. I'm talking with Chiron. We're thinking of leading a search party for him soon. So...just know that...one of your many problems is in good hands."
Selene smiled. That smile soon turned into a teasing smirk. "You? Good hands? Gods, this world is getting desperate."
Thema sent her an offended loom, elbowing her sharply. "Oh, fuck you."
She laughed — and once she did, she felt like a sudden weight was lifted off of her shoulders. Thema always seemed to have that affect on her — if she was feeling completely horrible, within five minutes of being with her, she'd feel so much better. It was just one of the many things about her best-friend that she loved.
Thema laughed as well. "On that note....stay safe, okay? And try to find some sun while you're in there. Your tan is fucking gorgeous, and if it's gone by the time you escape this fucking maze, so help me god —"
"I don't think there's going to be any sun thousands of feet underground," Selene pointed out, interrupting her. "But thanks for the compliment."
"Never under-estimate my dad," Thema said with a wink, before stalking off towards Annabeth, who, had arrived a couple of minutes ago.
Quintus, Chiron and Mrs. O'Leary stood with the other campers who wished to say goodbye, and they all looked depressed, as if they were sending them all to their doom. A couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for guard duty. Beckendorf and his siblings were working on a line of defensive spikes and trenches. Chiron had decided they needed to guard the labyrinth entrance at all times, just to be safe.
Percy and Tyson walked up to her. Tyson looked happy-go-lucky, as always, but Percy looked tired. There was eye-bags forming under his eyes. He sighed, blinking profusely in hopes to wash away the sleepiness.
Immediately, she felt guilty. Was this from him staying with her late last night, comforting her? Was he extremely exhausted cause he stayed with her?
She frowned. "Percy, you look terrible. Was this from — ?"
"No," Percy interrupted groggily, taking her hand. "No, of course it wasn't, Selene. Don't feel guilty. It's from — it's from..."
He trailed off, slowly shutting his eyes.
"Percy?"
Percy jumped back into reality. "Sorry! It's from —"
"Okay, no," Selene interrupted immediately. She then turned to Tyson. "Hey, bud. Could you maybe go get some coffee for Percy? There's some pre-made ones over near the tents."
Tyson nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, Moon Girl!"
Selene grinned at Tyson. As soon as he turned away, she turned to stare back at Percy, concerned. "Yeah, you definitely need some coffee, Barnacle Boy. Now, tell me what happened."
Percy ignored her. "I hate coffee," He grumbled childishly.
"Well that's something that helps me wake up," She said, shrugging. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice. I mean, nectar just makes you sleepy, and ambrosia doesn't really help, either —"
"I hate coffee." Perch finalized — a grumpy, yet adorable expression on his face.
"Well, too bad. You're going to have to deal," Selene said — elbowing the boy softly. As Tyson came over with coffee, she handed Percy it — not before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Percy's face soon turned bright red, and he drank the coffee silently — glaring at Selene as she suppressed her laughter.
"Oh, Moon Girl!" Tyson suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you!"
"Tell me what?"
"Percy killed a water fountain last night!" Tyson announced proudly. "The one in our cabin! He said there were ghosts in the water. Spooky. And you know what's funny? It isn't even Halloween yet!"
She sent Percy a disturbed look. "Are you high, Jackson?"
"No," Percy muttered, sending Tyson a glare. "Well — I didn't even — okay,
I kinda did. But let me explain —"
Before the poor boy could finish, Chiron trotted over.
'This bitch — I mean horse — shows up at the worst fucking times, always.'
"Ah! It appears you three are ready! I hope you don't mind if I...steal Percy, for a moment, do you?"
"No," Selene said through gritted teeth. "Of course not. He was just explaining to us how he cut his fountain into pork chops last night because of ghosts, nothing too alarming."
Chiron laughed. "You are too funny, Selene. C'mon now, my boy."
Chiron lead Percy away. Before he did so, Selene sent him a look that said, you better update me on this shit as soon as you get back.
Percy nodded frantically, a panicked look in his eyes. Chiron pulled him away from view.
She shook her head. "Gods, that boy is going to be the death of me. He probably already is."
And with that, she trudged off to join Annabeth and Thema, leaving Tyson with Grover, who had just appeared. Neither of them looked too happy about this, but Selene sent them an encouraging smile.
Thema and Annabeth were whispering and giggling as she walked over. Annabeth's face was bright red, while Thema held a teasing smirk on her face. It was clear they were flirting, and Selene leaned on a tree and glanced over to them once and a while — amused.
Thema leaned forward. She whispered something in Annabeth's ear, before giving her a quick peck to the cheek. Selene gasped, shocked, which, clearly gave her presence away.
Annabeth laughed, as Thema rolled her eyes, an amused smirk on her face. "Really, Sel? Looks like we got a stalker, mon cheri."
Her heart practically melted. "Ah, young love! Did you just call Annabeth your girlfriend? So cute!"
Thema's eyes widened. Her cheeks were a rosy pink. "No, no — that doesn't mean —"
"Yes it does! I took French classes for a week. I know stuff."
That was a complete lie — she didn't take French classes, or know shit about France. She just wanted to set Thema up with Annabeth, and this was the perfect (most embarrassing) way to do it.
Perfect wing-woman behavior, am I right?
Even though Annabeth was a daughter of Athena, it seemed she didn't know shit about French, either, because she raised a brow, a grin on her face. "T....does it actually mean that?"
"Well, no. At least, I don't think so. But, I mean...you aren't complaining about it." Pointed out Thema, her hands tightening around Annabeth's waist.
Selene blinked. "Okay, just because you two are both my best friends, does not mean you can go all PDA on me."
Thema and Annabeth weren't even paying attention to her anymore. Their faces inched closer to each other as they started to flirt again — reminding Selene of those cheesy couples in 90s movies.
"This is where I leave," Selene muttered to herself. "You guys will become the power couple, though, mark my words —"
"Selene! Annabeth!" Yelled Chiron from across the clearing. They both turned to face the centaur.
He waved them over. It seemed Percy and him were finished with their chat, but Percy looked incredibly disturbed. Knowing Chiron, he probably told the poor boy that the labyrinth was infested with insane cannibals, or something very twisting and dark like that.
Selene and Annabeth walked over. Percy smiled in greeting, squeezing her hand. "Hey. You ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Chiron nodded grimly. "Take care, my young heroes. And may the gods bless you with protection and strength. Good hunting to you all."
Selene raised a brow, leaning over and whispering in Annabeth's ear, "What is this, the Hunger Games? It's sounding like he's sending us out to fight to the death."
Annabeth laughed, shaking her head at her best-friend's antics. She turned to Chiron, and, gave him a polite nod, a bittersweet smile on her face.
They all walked over, side-by-side, to the crack between the two boulders, the one Selene and Percy had fell into previously. She looked up at the entrance that was about to swallow them.
"Well," Grover started. "Goodbye, sunshine."
"Goodbye, summer tan," Selene added miserably.
"And hello rocks," Tyson agreed.
And together, the five of them descended into the darkness, having a feeling that that would be the last bit of sunlight they would receive for a very long time.
—
"I HONESTLY THOUGHT we'd do better than this," Commented Selene helpfully. It only took about five minutes for the group to get hopelessly lost in the maze's twists and turns.
"Wow thanks Selene," Snapped Annabeth sarcastically. "That really helped my self-confidence."
"Hey, I said we."
"Still hurts."
"Fair."
Percy chuckled quietly, trying to cover it up with a cough.
She turned to him, obviously seeing past his act. "What? What's so funny?"
Percy grinned cheekily. "Oh, don't you worry your pretty, little head about it."
Selene huffed, elbowing him softly.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Do I have to third-wheel this whole quest? Gods, now I kinda want to get kidnapped again."
"Oh please. You were practically making out with T when I walked over. This is nothing."
"We weren't —"
"Oh don't pull that shit. The gods probably heard your flirting, kissing and lip-smacking from up in Olympus."
Percy completely lost it, bursting into hysterical laughter. Annabeth's face was as red as a tomato, and she flipped Selene off in the most aggressive way she could muster.
Percy, between giggles, said — "I think you should save that middle finger for Thema, Annie. You know, when —"
"Oh my fucking —" Annabeth started to say.
"Fucking?" Percy questioned.
Selene gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. "Knew it!"
"You two are so infuriating!"
"Ouch," Commented Percy, "She's using the big girl words."
Annabeth bit her lip to suppress her curses. Without another word, she grumbled angrily, pushing past Tyson and Grover to lead the front.
Selene was still dying of laughter, holding onto Percy's arm for support. Percy was still cracking up, too, and even Grover and Tyson were giggling, even though they had zero idea what they were laughing about.
It was nice to be surrounded by all of her close friends again. Especially after most of them left over the spring. Even though they were on a life or death quest, even though they were stuck in an endless maze....Selene was beyond overjoyed.
Why?
...Because she's with her friends again. And that's all she could ever ask for.
"Guys," Annabeth whispered, after a while. "Keep one hand on the left wall, and follow it. If we do that, we should be able to find our way out again by reversing course."
As soon as she said that, the left walls disappeared out of thin air. They found themselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out, and no idea how they'd gotten there.
"Okay actually I genuinely who's puppeteering this shit because I know a fucking maze wouldn't be heartless enough to pull this." Selene said incredulously, clenching her fists.
"Maze's are mean," Commented Tyson, pouting.
"Uhhhh," Grover said, looking around. "Which way did we come in, again?"
"Fuck Daedalus," Mumbled Annabeth. Then, she said aloud, "Just turn around, guys. Let's just retrace our steps."
They all turned, only to be met with six new tunnels. None of them knew which way lead back to camp.
This was honestly testing her patience.
"Which way now?" Grover asked. "I don't know about you, but I don't think I can trust the left side again."
'Don't go right,' Gaea spoke in her mind.
'Why the fuck would I trust you?'
'I'm the Earth goddess who's been alive for millennia and knows way more things than that little girl does. I'm even smarter than her mother. The goddess of Wisdom is no match for me. None of them are.'
'Ooookay, Einstein. Cool it. I don't need another rant about how the gods are preposterous and deserve to be thrown in Tartarus, kay?'
'You dare —'
"We should go right," Percy suggested, his voice washing over Gaea's. Gaea's words chimed in her head again, and, before she could stop herself from shutting up, she blurted out —
"No!"
Everyone turned to look at her.
Selene felt her stomach churn. Annabeth was studying her, glancing at every single feature in her face in order to figure her out. Percy raised a brow, frowning, and Tyson and Grover exchanged glances, surprised by her sudden outburst.
"What do you mean no?" Annabeth said with a sigh. "And, please don't lie, because it's going to be pretty obvious if you do."
"Obvious for you, maybe," Grover grumbled. "But seriously, what's up?"
Selene thought of a lie fairly quickly. "I, uh — I just heard something, on the right."
Grover raised a brow, his goat ears perking. "Really? I don't here anything."
"I don't hear anything either, Selly."
Selene silently cursed, as Annabeth gave her a knowing look.
She glared at Annabeth. "It's...it's just a feeling, okay? That's all it is."
"Uh huh," Annabeth growled. "Just spit it out. No keeping secrets."
Percy stepped forward. At first, she feared he was going to tag-team with Annabeth against her, but he just sighed. "Annie, you can trust Selene. She's your best-friend, isn't she?"
Annabeth crossed her arms, but didn't argue, grumbling under her breath before turning to a tunnel on the left. "It's this way, then."
"How do you know?"
"Deductive reasoning."
"So...you're guessing," Percy summed up, huffing.
Selene elbowed him with a grin. "Careful there Jackson, 'guessing' and 'Annabeth' are two words that should not go together. Unless, of course, you have a death wish. Which knowing you, you probably do."
"What are you insinuating, Star Girl?"
"Oh c'mon Barnacle Boy. You nearly get turned into a pufferfish every time we encounter monsters. Tell me I'm wrong."
"I—"
"You aren't," Annabeth chimed in, turning around and walking backwards so she could face them.
"Exactly."
Percy's brows furrowed. "You guys are mean," He said, his face forming into a childish pout.
Annabeth grinned, sending him a salute before turning back around and continuing. When she was out of earshot, Selene whispered in Percy's ear, her hot breath tingling his skin. "If it's any consolation, I think you'd make a cute pufferfish."
Percy's heart rate picked up, butterflies swarming in his stomach. He got that same feeling — the one that made him feel on top of the world. He felt lightheaded, almost, but not the kind that made him sick, or feverish — the kind that made him feel dizzy...but in a good way.
—
SELENE WAS CLAUSTROPHOBIC.
Little demigod approved warning — if you're claustrophobic, don't dive deep into a never ending, nerve-wracking labyrinth, that has tunnels that can get very big and very small in the span of five seconds.
The tunnel Annabeth had chosen narrowed out quickly. The walls turned to gray cement, and the ceiling that got so low that they were practically hunching over like a pride of old women. Tyson was basically forced to crawl.
"I hate this," Selene said shakily, clenching her shirt. "Fucking hate this."
"Well why'd you sign up for it then?" Percy asked, amused.
"This isn't funny, dipshit!"
Percy's look faltered. He could obviously tell she wasn't joking, and was clearly too dumb to realize she had claustrophobia."Woah. What's up with you?"
Annabeth glanced back at her, concerned. "You didn't tell him yet, Sel?"
"I — I didn't want to sound like a wimp," She said, shivering. "But I'll gladly admit it now. I'm a fucking wimp."
"No you aren't, Sel," Grover disagreed. "If it helps, I'm about to pee my pants."
"That definitely does not help."
"Okay, I'm lost," Percy said.
"We all are. It's a fucking labyrinth, that's what it's supposed to do."
"No, I mean...in this conversation," Percy clarified.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Just put two and two together, Percy. Selene's claustrophobic."
Silence.
Percy, who was behind her, looked like he got tons of bricks thrown at him. She couldn't see him well, but she didn't even need to look to tell he was confused as fuck.
"Wait, actually? You must be feeling really shitty right about now." Was the only thing Percy said, after a long and awkward five minutes.
"No shit, Sherlock! I — I didn't know it'd be this narrow...and small...and...gods, are there any air-holes in this thing?"
"Maybe we should take a break," Tyson suggested with a smile. Selene was very jealous of his precious smile, and his upbeat personality, especially when they're all trapped in a deadly maze. "Moon Girl looks pale."
"No," Selene insisted. "No, no. I'm — I'm fine."
Percy frowned, "Sel, are you sure —"
"Selene's right, we have to keep going," Annabeth interrupted, glancing back at them. The longer we rest, the longer we're stuck here."
Nobody argued. They all continued forward.
"Hey," Percy whispered to her. "Hey, Selene."
"Gods, does anyone else hear this annoying buzzing sound? That just won't stop? Just me? No? You sure, guys? Because I swear —"
Percy grabbed her hand. "Hey, I'm serious."
"There it goes again! Honestly, is someone pulling my leg?"
Percy groaned. He waited a bit for Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson to get farther, before swiping his foot down across her shin and quite literally pulling her leg.
She fell to the floor clumsily, stumbling back and taking Percy down with her. They both landed on the floor, rather loudly. It was clear Annabeth heard, but she didn't make any move to stop her quick pace.
Percy's toned chest was against her back. She was in between his legs, and she could've sworn she heard him do a sharp intake of breath.
Selene let out a huff, resting against his back. Percy shifted slightly so they were more comfortable.
"As much as I love this affection coming from you," She started off sarcastically, her tone unrealistically upbeat, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Percy didn't reply to her question. "Well, you aren't treating me like an annoying mosquito, so there's a start."
"Fuck off, Jackson. I'm not in the mood," She grumbled, starting to get up. Percy, of course, pulled her back down with a teasing grin, getting up soon after.
"Oh, Selene," Percy started innocently, "Did you trip over something?"
Selene glared at him, getting up and dusting off her now stained jeans. "Annabeth, can I kill him yet?"
"After he turns sixteen, he's all yours!" Annabeth yelled back, from down the hall.
"Great, thanks, guys," Percy said. "Really feeling the love for me right now."
Selene laughed. When Percy was about to walk past her, she grabbed his collar, pulling him back towards her. Percy's annoyed mood faltered, and his lips parted, his eyes flickering down.
"Oh..." Percy started, glancing back up at her.
"Don't worry, Barnacle Boy," Selene started, her arms lacing loosely around his neck. "No matter how dumb you are, I will still love you."
With that, she winked, turning away and running towards Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson, who, were about to turn the corner. Even though Percy was practically shocked with butterflies, he quickly followed.
Soon enough, they got squished into a narrow tunnel again. Selene whimpered. Percy managed to squeeze her hand and encourage her to keep going. She nodded, sending him a genuine smile, before turning back.
Just when she was about to suffocate, the narrow tunnel opened into a huge room. Selene didn't bother looking at it — pushing Grover out of the tunnel so she could exit. Grover landed on the floor awkwardly, and she landed next to him on her back — breathing heavily.
Her vision cleared. Her claustrophobia slowly sunk away. She realized she was staring up at a ceiling full of hypnotizing paintings — paintings of, surely, the Olympian gods.
But not just them. Selene also managed to spot a painting of Kronos — throwing his magic scythe towards Zeus. Zeus looked just as terrifying — with his beard to his knees, and his lighting bolt in his hands.
'Look up,' Gaea whispered.
Selene did just that. There was a woman — who, kind of looked like off-brand Snow White. She had long, black hair, with a beautiful pink satin dress. Around her, there was many types of animals — playing in springs, rolling around in the grass. If someone ever asked Selene do describe heaven...this would probably be it.
'That's me. Before the evil, before the betrayal. Before the gods.'
Never-mind. This would probably be how she described hell now.
"Selene," Annabeth tugged on her shirt. "Get up."
"I think I'm good right here. I'll just stay here for...a — a sec."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. With concerning ease, she pulled Selene up by the hem of her shirt. She groaned, but she didn't lay down again — groggily getting up onto her feet.
She looked at Annabeth with a questioning stare, "Have you been working out?"
Annabeth sent her a look, her sharp gray eyes causing her to shiver.
Percy, on the other hand, mumbled, strolling up to her with a joking pout. "You never notice when I'm working out," he said, over-exaggerating a sigh. "Am I just not up to your standards, Selly?"
"Clearly."
"Ouch."
"You two, stop flirting," Annabeth snapped. "And look."
The whole room was covered with those mosaic tiles. The pictures were dirty and faded, but she could still make out the pictures of the gods — Poseidon, Athena, Zeus, Dionysus. She even saw a glimpse of her mother — Artemis, racing across the starry sky in her reindeer-pulled chariot.
"Ew," Percy said from besides her. "Why is my dad like...mad ugly."
"Like father like son," Annabeth whispered smugly. Selene watched, amused, as Percy hit her with his knapsack.
"My mom doesn't look like that," Selene added, strolling up to the painting. "She looks like Santa Claus. Why is her hair white?"
"Snow?" Grover suggested.
"Maybe she's just, like, thousands of years old," Percy said dumbly.
Selene glared at him, "I'd watch your back. My mother doesn't like you very much."
As if on cue, a sudden arrow shot towards him, coming out of the wall. There was no trap opening — no way the arrow could've possibly been triggered.
Her eyes widened. With speed, she grabbed Percy by his T-shirt, pulling him out of the way just as the arrow pinned to the wall. The tip, she could see, was silver, as if her mom thought Percy was some sort of werewolf.
"Oh my gods," Tyson exclaimed. "Percy is okay?!"
"I'm — I'm fine, bud," Percy managed to say, his voice strained. "I'd feel a little better if I wasn't pinned against the wall, though."
Selene realized what she was doing. Her hand was gripped around Percy's shirt — her hand pinning his chest against the wall, tightly. She looked up and saw the shit-eating smirk on his face.
Selene groaned. She released him from her grip. Percy opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted.
"Save it," Selene growled. "You, mister, are in time-out."
"Oooh," Grover said with a teasing grin.
"Somebody's in trouble," Annabeth added, dragging out the last word comically.
"Okay, I'm not following," Percy said, coming closer to her. "Why, am I in trouble?"
She looked away from him. "Because you insulted my mother."
"Yeah, and then she tried to kill me."
"That should be normal for you, Jackson. You've become a target for what...four gods, now?"
"Four?"
"What? Can't keep count?" She said mockingly.
"At least my mom's not a man killer —"
Another arrow pummeled towards him. Selene caught it this time, sending the boy a harsh glare. "Really? Really?"
Percy stared at the silver arrow. "Oh. They never try and kill me twice, that's new."
"I'm going to kick you in your —"
"Guys!" Annabeth called out, irritated by the two. "The fountain's glowing."
Selene turned, and realized she was right. In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain. It looked like it hadn't been used in a thousand years, but it was shooting light, reminding her of lasers.
"What is this place?" Percy muttered, walking up to the fountain with wonder. "It looks —"
"Roman," Annabeth finished. "Those mosaics? They're about two thousand years old."
Selene's pettiness and anger slowly started to subside from her and Percy's last conversation. Instead, interest took over. She ran her fingers mindlessly along the walls, inspecting each and every god closely.
"But how can they be Roman?" Percy asked — fumbling with his blue beanie. She thought he looked quite adorable, with some of his black hair sticking up through it. He quickly caught her eyes, and she turned bright red, looking away.
"The labyrinth is a patchwork, Perce," Annabeth explained. "I told you this. It's always expanding, adding pieces — it's the only work of architecture that grows by itself."
"Why are you making it sound like it's alive?" Percy asked.
A groaning noise sounded across the room, causing Selene to jump. Her and Grover cling onto each other tightly.
Percy eyed her. "Aw, you scared?"
"Percy, I will shoot an arrow at you. Unlike my mom, I won't miss."
"Cut it out," Annabeth demanded. "Percy, lay off."
"Why is it my fault? Why am I the one getting blamed here?"
She grabbed his arm. "Annie just likes me better. She always will," She whispered — squeezing Percy's arm.
Percy watched her, amused. "Oh-ho-ho. Is that a challenge, Lock?"
"For you, maybe," She whispered, absentmindedly tracing random shapes on his arm. Percy would be lying if he said they didn't slightly calm him down.
Selene seemed to always have that affect on him. No matter what she was saying. Whether she was teasing, flirting, or just...ranting, she made him feel at ease. Like everything was okay. Like he didn't have a life-or-death prophecy on his shoulders, or he wasn't trapped in an labyrinth.
Whatever the reason was, Selene made it infinitely better.
She always did.
—
AFTER A LITTLE (a lot) of dead ends, dangerous routes, and monster-infested hallways, they made it back to the mosaic room they were in before.
Selene didn't like the room much. It creeped her out, with all those inaccurate paintings. Plus, those two arrows laying around the room were definitely annoying reminders that Percy almost got killed by her mother. Twice.
On the other hand, though, it was a lot better than the tunnels. Her claustrophobia was really acting up, now — to the point she could barely breath. The only thing that kept her from going insane was something that, would normally, make her go insane.
Percy.
It was childish, and very embarrassing. But Percy held her hand the whole way, even though it was a little hard to. His rhythmic breathing was the only thing grounding her, calming her down.
The whole time they were traveling throughout the labyrinth, everything Percy did made her feel better. A cheesy joke, a small flicker of a smile. The way his eyes lit up every-time they got some hope, only to dim when they found out the route was a dead end.
All these things made her heart flutter uncontrollably, and Selene had come to terms that she couldn't stop it. She felt dumb to say this...feeling, had been going on for a while.
Did she like Percy? Well, that was complicated. Love was complicated. And no, she isn't about to go into some emotional, sloppy rant about her past experience on the emotion, but...here's a quick run down for you.
Love is a bitch.
It always has been, and always will be.
Annabeth gasped, snapping her out of her thoughts. "What — ?"
Her words faltered. Suddenly, someone, or someones, shimmered into existence, out of thin air. It was some sort of...human, (at least, it looks like one), with two heads popping over his shoulder. He looked a deformed Jack-in-the box, to her, and it was concerning.
The dude was dressed up like a New York City doorman — you know, the one you see commonly in cliche love stories — long black overcoat, shiny shoes, and a black fedora that somehow fit his two wide heads.
The man...men, held their hands out, as if they'd been expecting them. "Well, Annabeth?" Said the left face impatiently. "Hurry up! We mustn't got all day!"
"Don't mind him," The right face said politely. "Right this way, missy."
Annabeth's mouth fell slightly. She looked between the two faces, struggling to hold their gazes. "Uh...sorry?"
Tyson giggled and clapped like a seal, "That funny man has two faces!"
"Oooh, are you here to take our bags?" Selene asked excitedly. "Is there some...secret hotel I don't know about? Sign me up please, buon signore."
"That funny man has ears, y'know!" The left face scolded. Then, it awkwardly turned to her. "No, you spoiled little brat!"
Selene crossed her arms stubbornly. "Gee, thanks. The love for me is radiating off of you strong right now, man. Or...mans."
"Men," Annabeth corrected, still shell-shocked.
"Oh shut the heck up."
Percy scowled, watching as the guy got closer to Selene. It wasn't that obvious to anyone — even her. But he could see how he discreetly inched over to Selene, and it made his blood boil.
Percy stepped forward, in front of her. The guy stopped, glaring at him.
Well, at least the left face glared. The right grinned at him, showing off his...yellow teeth.
"Choose the left, Annabeth!" The left face suddenly demanded.
"Oh don't be rude. It'd be golly good if you picked this right one, miss." The right face argued.
"Golly good?" Percy repeated with a laugh. "Really?"
"How 'bout we choose to punch you in the face instead, Janus," Selene spat, clearly in a much grumpier mood than Percy was. Her glare didn't falter — and no matter how confusing it was, she didn't take her eyes off of him.
"Janus?" Percy asked.
Annabeth slapped a hand over her forehead. "Ugh, I almost forgot about you. Why are you trying to confuse me?"
The right face smiled knowingly, "Oh, but we aren't. You're in charge now, my sweet. This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"I —"
"We know you, Annabeth," The left face sighed. "We know what you wrestle with everyday. We know about your feelings...your...love, your heartbreak. You will have to make a choice sooner or later. That choice can kill you."
Selene assumed he was talking about Thema — so then why was Annabeth staring at her, during the man's words?
'Oh, back up,' She thought. 'You don't think —'
"Ah yes, Selene Lock," The right face said enthusiastically. "Finally realizing, hm? Don't worry, you'll get your choice too, sooner or later. But right now, it's Annabeth's turn! Such fun!"
"Don't read my mind!" Selene demanded. "That's creepy as fuck, you beaver."
The left face shot her a glare. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life, Annabeth. It can kill you and all of your friends. But no pressure! Choose."
"Don't do it," Selene whispered — still in shock from her sudden realization "Remember. The prophecy."
If Annabeth heard her, she didn't listen. "I — I choose —"
Before she could finish, a brilliant light filled the room. Selene covered her eyes. She saw Janus do the same. When the light died, a beautiful (ugly) woman stood in the fountain.
She was tall and graceful and had long, silky hair, the color of milk chocolate. It was braided in plaits with gold ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but the dress changed every time she moved — like oil on water.
Immediately, she knew who it was.
The one and only, The Bitch ™....
Hera.
—