Grover shuddered. "Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher in their right mind would ever try that place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!"
"But," Annabeth said thoughtfully, "the Labyrinth can take you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to confuse you, trick you, even kill you—but if you can somehow make the Labyrinth work for you—"
"It could lead you to the wild god," I interrupted.
"I can't do it," Grover muttered, hugging his stomach. "Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware."
"Grover, this might be your last chance," Annabeth pressed. "The council is serious. One week—or you learn to tap dance!"
Over at the head table, Quintus cleared his throat. I got the impression he didn't want to make a scene, but with Annabeth and me lingering so long at the table, it was getting hard to ignore.
"We'll talk later," Annabeth said, squeezing my arm a little too hard. "Convince him, will you?"
She returned to the Athena table. I walked back to mine, ignoring the curious stares of the other campers, finishing the rest of my food before glancing toward the Athena table. I caught Christine's eyes for a brief second before she looked away quickly.
***
Despite the lively atmosphere, a quiet tension lingered in me, a sort of unease that hadn't left since Christine's abrupt departure.
I watched her slip away from the crowded pavilion, each step measured and purposeful. Something felt off; subtle shifts in her expression didn't escape me. Concern gnawed at me, urging me to follow and figure out what was bothering her.
I left the table, my footsteps quickening as I caught sight of her rounding a corner. There she stood near the edge of camp, gazing toward the distant trees. Her grey eyes, usually sharp and determined, now held a flicker of turmoil.
"Christine," I called, trying to sound casual but concerned. She turned, our eyes meeting for a fleeting moment.
"Orion," she said, her tone neutral, but I could feel the undercurrent of something unspoken. "I was just... enjoying the view."
I closed the distance, brow furrowed. "Is everything okay? You seemed a little off back there."
She sighed, shoulders tense. "It's nothing, Orion. Just some thoughts."
I leaned against a nearby tree, folding my arms. "You can talk to me, you know. We've faced monsters and titans together. Whatever it is, we can handle it."
A conflicted expression crossed her face, and finally, she met my gaze. "It's not about monsters or titans. It's..." She hesitated, leaving the words hanging.
I stepped closer, voice gentle. "Christine, we're a team. Friends. You don't have to deal with this alone."
She looked away, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "It's more... woman-related."
Ah. I nodded, awkwardly. "Alright... just know I'm here when... yeah." She gave me a small smile and walked toward her cabin.
***
That night, after dinner, Quintus had us suit up in combat armor, like we were gearing up for capture the flag. But the mood among the campers was far more serious. Sometime during the day, the crates in the arena had disappeared—I had a sinking feeling their contents had been scattered into the woods.
"Right," Quintus announced from the head dining table, clad in black leather and bronze. In the torchlight, his grey hair gave him a ghostly appearance. Mrs. O'Leary darted around him, foraging happily for scraps.
"You will be in teams of two," he said. As campers started grabbing friends and whispering excitedly, he barked, "These teams have already been chosen!"
"AWWWWW!" came the chorus of complaints.
"Your goal is simple," Quintus continued. "Collect the gold laurels without dying. Each wreath is wrapped in silk, tied to the back of one of six monsters. Only one holds the laurels. Find it before the other teams—and yes, you will have to defeat the monster to take it."
The crowd murmured with excitement. Monsters were nothing new—we were trained for this.
"I will now announce your partners. No trading. No switching. No complaining."
"Aroooof!" Mrs. O'Leary buried her face in a plate of pizza.
Quintus unrolled a large scroll. Beckendorf would be with Silena Beauregard, the Stoll brothers together, Clarisse paired with Lee Fletcher. Finally: "Percy Jackson with Annabeth Chase."
"Nice," Percy grinned at Annabeth. She only said, "Your armor is crooked," and fixed his straps.
"Orion Pierce with Christine Paul." I looked at her. She seemed slightly happy but avoided my gaze. I didn't push after our earlier talk.
"Grover Underwood," Quintus continued, "with Tyson."
Grover nearly leapt out of his fur. "W-what? B-but—"
"No, no," Tyson whimpered. "Must be a mistake, goat boy—"
"No complaining!" Quintus snapped. "Pair up and prepare. Two minutes!"
Tyson and Grover glanced at Percy, then each other, nervous and unsure. I nodded encouragingly. Tyson sneezed. Grover chewed on his club.
"They'll be fine," Annabeth said. "Let's worry about staying alive."
***
The dense forest swallowed us in shadows and muted sunlight as Christine and I tread carefully. The tension between us was palpable, a silent hum that made every rustle of leaves feel amplified.
"So... any idea where these monsters might be lurking?" I asked, attempting to break the silence.
Christine's gaze flicked to me, then returned to the path. "I heard screaming this way. We need to stay alert."
"Right," I replied, uneasy. The forest canopy dappled our path with shifting light, and I fidgeted with my sword strap, trying to dispel the tension.
"Everything okay, Christine?" I asked again. She tensed briefly.
"Yeah, fine. Just focused," she said, clipped.
The air thickened with unspoken words. Her jaw clenched slightly—I could sense her inner turmoil. I hesitated, then spoke, "If there's anything on your mind, you can tell me."
She looked at me for a moment. "Thanks, Orion. Just... focus on the task."
Nodding, I tried to ignore the weight of unspoken words as we continued. Suddenly, the ground trembled. A guttural hiss reached us, and two colossal scorpions emerged, armored tails raised.
Christine and I exchanged a quick glance, silently agreeing to fight. Weapons drawn, we faced them head-on.
The first scorpion lunged. Christine dodged with grace, striking its joints with precision. I faced the second, weaving and striking its armor. The battle was intense. At one point, Christine was caught in the scorpion's pincers.
"Christine!" I yelled, charging. My strikes forced the scorpion to release her, turning it instantly to gold dust. She rolled away, but I saw the gash on her side and venom seeping in.
I rushed to her, gray eyes reflecting pain. "We need to finish this," she insisted, teeth gritted. Together, we defeated the remaining scorpion.
Kneeling beside her, I inspected her wound. I pulled a vial of nectar from my bag, holding the amulet Apollo had given me.
"Drink this," I urged. Christine hesitated, then accepted. The golden liquid's warmth eased the pain.
"Thanks, Orion," she murmured, a rare vulnerability in her voice.
***
We survived, but didn't win. The game ended, yet Percy and Annabeth were missing.
"We need search parties! Orion!" Chiron called. I nodded, tracking footprints. An hour later, I found them leading to Zeus's Fist, a rock formation shaped like an upward-reaching fist. Tyson was yelling in the background; Christine started to panic.
"Where did they go? Maybe—" she began, breath quickening.
I grabbed her shoulders, holding her gaze silently. The tension eased slightly. But just as I leaned closer, Percy stumbled out of the rocks, Annabeth right behind, with Clarisse and other campers close behind.
"Where have you two been?" Clarisse demanded.
"We were only gone a few minutes," Percy said.
Chiron trotted up, Tyson and Grover close behind.
"Percy!" Tyson exclaimed. "You're okay?"
"We're fine," Percy said, "fell in a hole."
Skeptical looks met him, then Annabeth. "Honest! Three scorpions chased us, so we hid in the rocks. Only gone a minute."
"You've been missing almost an hour," I pointed out.
"Yeah," Grover muttered. "Would've won, but a Cyclops sat on me."
"Accident!" Tyson sneezed.
Clarisse wore the gold laurels but didn't brag, unusual for her.
"A hole?" she asked, suspicious. Annabeth took a deep breath.
"Chiron... maybe we should discuss this at the Big House."
Clarisse gasped. "You found it, didn't you?"
Annabeth bit her lip. "Yes... we did."
Campers murmured, confused. Chiron raised his hand.
"Tonight's not the time, and this is not the place. Back to your cabins. Get some sleep. Game well played, but curfew has passed."
The campers murmured, then drifted off, casting suspicious glances at us.
"This explains a lot," Clarisse muttered. "It explains what Luke is after."
"Wait... what did we find?" Percy asked.
Annabeth's eyes darkened. "An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp."