The next day, we held a council in the sword arena. Normally, our councils are held around a ping pong table, so I thought this one was weird. We were discussing what to do about the entrance to the Labyrinth in the middle of camp. Mrs. O'Leary was chewing on a giant, pink, rubber yak. Silena, Beckendorf, the Stoll brothers, Katie, Castor and Pollux, Annabeth, Percy, Clarisse, and Lee Fletcher (a son of Apollo). Dionysus was on Olympus, so Quintus was filling in for him. Chiron was here too. Even Argus, the camp security was here. (Yes, the original Argus)
Apparently, Luke has been sending spies into the Labyrinth. He was searching for Ariadne's String. That would lead him all the way to the entrance at camp. They had found one of the spies. "Who was the spy?" I asked.
"Ch-chris Rodriguez," stammered Clarisse from next to me. I placed a comforting hand on her arm. I knew she had had a crush on him. "He-he went insane down there." He had been nice during my first year at camp. I hoped he got better. Chiron told us we'd have a guard set up outside the Labyrinth.
Chiron issued a quest. We all looked at Clarisse. She had been the one who went down into the Labyrinth the last time. "I'm not going back in there."
"Don't tell me you're scared," Travis Stoll laughed. "Clarisse, chicken?"
Clarisse jumped to her feet. "You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again. Never!" Clarisse stormed out of the Labyrinth. I was not going in there. Anything that freaked out Clarisse, I did not want to see. Travis looked sheepish. We decided Annabeth should lead the quest. Now I'm definitely not going on the quest.
It felt like we were waiting decades for Annabeth to come back from the Oracle. My ADHD was acting up so I started to play 'Get the Greek' with Mrs. O'Leary. I was attempting to yank the shield out of the hellhound's mouth when Annabeth got back. We all sat back down to here what the Oracle said.
You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze.
The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.
You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,
The child of Athena's final stand.
Destroy with a hero's final breath.
Something was off. Prophecies almost always rhymed. The last line didn't have another line that rhymed with it. Annabeth obviously wasn't going to tell us the last one. Who would be crazy enough to go on a quest when they didn't know the full prophecy. Well, I already know Grover is. Annabeth is too, but she knows this full prophecy. One look at Percy told me he was crazy enough as well. Annabeth asked Percy, Grover, and Tyson to go with her. Every single one of the idiots said yes.
The next day, I woke up at dawn to say goodbye to my brothers and Grover. I figured Juniper would need some support too. I ran out in a pair of lacrosse shorts and my camp shirt. Lav and Vati met me by Zeus' Fist. My brothers came a few minutes later. They had to finish packing. When they arrived, I was fixing the strap of Grover's knapsack. Juniper was straightening his cap. He was bringing it incase they went into the mortal world.
I hugged both my brothers. I didn't want them to go down into the Labyrinth. Clarisse had brought me down to see Chris. He kept talking about someone named Mary. I didn't want that to happen to mia fratellinos. Chris didn't recognize anyone! I asked both my brothers to be careful. I didn't want to lose them. Juniper and I held hands for comfort as the four companions descended into the Labyrinth.
Two weeks had passed since the four heroes began their quest. I was on guard duty. Juniper sat next to me and we talked, trying to keep our minds off of things. We heard a rumbling behind us. We jumped up and turned around. My wand and Mov were in my hands. A blonde girl tumbled out of the Labyrinth. It was only Annabeth. Wait, where were the others?
I grabbed Annabeth and helped her up. She was covered in dirt, grime, and blood. Dried tears were on her face. I helped her limp to the Big House where Chiron and Quintus were. Juniper followed us.
When we got there, Annabeth collapsed in the chair next to the fire. "I-I failed. Grover and Tyson a-are still st-stuck down there and P-percy, oh, Percy!" Annabeth broke down and Quintus went to get her a hot chocolate. "I'm s-sorry, N-nina. I-I think P-percy d-died in M-mount St. H-helens. Th-there were s-so m-many monsters a-and he-he m-made m-me leave and then it, oh, the m-mountain b-blew up!" Annabeth broke down completely and buried her face in her hands.
Tears started pooling in my eyes. My twin was most likely dead and my baby brother was still stuck in the most dangerous maze in the world! I wrapped an arm around Annabeth's shoulders and she leaned into my side. The tears had started to fall. The only one who had been there my entire life was gone forever. I let go of Annabeth and curled up. I placed my chin on my knees and stared at the fire. I heard someone coming towards us. Someone must have heard the noise.
A man picked me up and placed me in his lap. He started to rub my back. I didn't know who it was, but I enjoyed the comfort. I buried my face in the man's orange camp T-shirt and started to sob. Mia gemello è morto. I kept repeating this mantra in my head. My twin is dead. Mia gemello è morto. When my tears dried up, I looked up to see who the man was. It was Sirius. "Hello, little one," he whispered into my hair.
"Hi," I whispered back into his shirt. He smiled softly at me.
"I heard. I'm sorry about your brother."
I shrugged. "We're demigods. It was bound to happen eventually."
"That doesn't make the pain any worse, though," he said. I hiccuped and rested my head against his chest. He held me as I grieved for my brothers.
Two weeks later, we held a funeral for my brother. Chiron asked me to sing, speak, and burn his shroud. I stood up in front of everyone. My guitar was in my hands and I had found the perfect song. It was A Year Without Rain by some mortal named Selena Gomez.
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
Can you feel me
When I think about you?
With every breath I take
Every minute
No matter what I do
My world is an empty place
Like I've been wandering the desert
For a thousand days (oh)
Don't know if it's a mirage
But I always see your face, baby
I'm missing you so much
Can't help it, I'm in love
A day without you is like a year without rain
I need you by my side
Don't know how I'll survive
A day without you is like a year without rain (oh, whoa)
Whoa, oh, whoa
The stars are burning
I hear your voice in my mind (voice in my mind)
Can't you hear me calling?
My heart is yearning
Like the ocean that's running dry
Catch me, I'm falling
It's like the ground is crumbling underneath my feet
Won't you save me?
There's gonna be a monsoon when you get back to me, oh, baby
I'm missing you so much
Can't help it, I'm in love
A day without you is like a year without rain
I need you by my side
Don't know how I'll survive
A day without you is like a year without rain (oh, whoa)
Whoa, oh, whoa
So let this drought come to an end
And make this desert flower again
I'm so glad you found me
Stick around me,
Baby baby baby oooh
It's a world of wonder with you in my life
So hurry, baby, don't waste no more time
I need you here, I can't explain
But a day without you is like a year without rain (oh, whoa)
I'm missing you so much
Can't help it, I'm in love
A day without you is like a year without rain
I need you by my side
Don't know how I'll survive
A day without you is like a year without rain (oh, whoa)
Whoa, oh, whoa
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
After I finished singing, Chiron stood up next to me. "I have asked Percy's twin to do the honors." Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I took the torch from Chiron. Percy's shroud looked amazing. Annabeth, Lav, Vati, and Juniper had all helped me make the shroud. It was seagreen and had a blue trident over the symbol of the gemini stitched into the middle. As a border, we had stitched all the foes he had fought and any of his other accomplishments. I lit the shroud and a fresh batch of tears hit me. It was official, my brother was dead.
I turned back to the crowd. "Percy was the best brother I could ask for. He was as kind as he was brave. He was also as caring as he was a skilled fighter. He..." I broke off. I had seen a black haired boy standing just outside the arena. "He's right over there!" Everyone looked where I was staring and saw him too. Percy was alive! Oh, he better have a good excuse for this one.
Everyone stormed Percy. When they moved away, Annabeth stormed over, punched him, and walked off. I walked up behind him as he stared at her retreating figure. I tapped his shoulder and he turned around. I slapped him then pulled him into a tight hug. "You better have a really good scusare, fratello."
Percy pulled back and smiled sheepishly at me. "I got lost," he said. I was ready to slap him all over again. What did he mean he got lost! Chiron came up to us and pulled us both onto his back. He cantered off to find Annabeth. When he found her, he took us all back to the Big House. Percy told us how Hephaestus told him how to navigate the Labyrinth. They needed a clear sighted mortal.
"Rachel!" Percy and I said at the same time. We talked a little more with Chiron before he sent Percy to go get cleaned up. The next day, he and Annabeth were to depart to continue the quest and hopefully find Tyson and Grover. I warned Percy that he better not almost die again, or actually die for that matter. I hope it goes better this time.