Maintaining cover as a college student while also running errands for the gods during the school year was becoming increasingly difficult as the inevitable war with Kronos approached. From what Chiron told me, many campers were fleeing, afraid to fight against the Titan lord and his monstrous army. The lack of demigods made the gods increasingly concerned, so the second that they knew a child of theirs was of age, they would send me to go and bring them to camp.
I thought it was sickening, honestly, only paying attention to your children to train them to fight in a war that they weren't aware of. But I also knew if we didn't have the numbers, we were going to be crushed.
We needed at least fifty kids to fight, and as far as I'm aware, there are only ten year-rounders left, and I have no idea who will show up this summer. I started listing names in my head: Percy, Annabeth, Will, Cleo, Michael, Clarisse, Lee, Beckendorf, Luke... That wasn't good.
"Andy!" Pete shouted, chucking an eraser cap at my face, which harmlessly bounced off my forehead. I glared at him in annoyance, causing him to shrink in his seat. "Geez, sorry for interrupting your daydream, but if you don't help us, we're all doomed."
"You two are," Leah said, swiping at her iPad's screen, most likely going through old notes. "Andy and I will be fine."
"Because unlike you two, Joe and I try to live a little."
"Not helping," Joe hissed, elbowing Pete's ribs. "Please, Andy, we need your help."
I nodded, opening my own notebook and re-explaining the past two week's lessons, hoping that my wording would help them understand. I hated thermodynamics with a passion, but Dr. Atomos had deemed it a necessary evil for our next chapter, meaning we teamed up with Mr. Hutchins' physics class for two weeks, learning the basics.
Now our test was tomorrow, and of course, Pete and Joe had procrastinated going over the notes and homework, causing them to freak out. This led to our impromptu study session, which explains why the four of us were in the school's library at nine at night.
"You seem distracted, A," Leah said, looking up from her iPad, a frown on her lips. "Are you worried about tomorrow's test?"
"No," I answered, running an exasperated hand through my messy hair.
I've had to bring three different kids to camp in the span of two days while also balancing my crazy amounts of homework and lab time, meaning I was practically running on zero sleep. I'm sure that I've drank enough coffee at this point that it's replaced my blood.
And if there's anything I learned about my luck, I was going to be called out on another mission again pretty soon, possibly even tonight. Gods, I hope not. It's nice to save children and all, but I need to sleep before this test, or I'm going to make careless mistakes that will screw up my grade.
Sure enough, as I went to begin explaining the intricacies of the laws of thermodynamics, my phone went off. Don't worry, Hephaestus added a monster-proof chip, but sadly, I could only contact the Olympians and Chiron with the phone.
"Hello?" I asked, scowling at my phone. One night this week, that's all I wanted for myself. Was that so much to ask for?
"Andy, we've got a situation," I heard Dionysus say.
"Which is?"
"There is dark magic at camp, power I haven't felt since I was a demigod. Get over here immediately."
"Yes, sir." I groaned as I ended the call, leaning forward so that my forehead rested on the table.
"Everything okay?" Pete asked.
"Just peachy," I muttered, hastily shoving my stuff back into my backpack. "Keep my notes until tomorrow; I don't need them right now."
"Where are you going?" Leah demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Gods, if I thought I was a mama bear, Leah was a hundred times worse.
"Family emergency."
"That's the fourth time this week!"
I shrugged, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "What can I say? My family is extremely problematic." Thunder rolled in the sky, and I rolled my eyes. Thank you for proving my point, Zeus.
"What about tomorrow's test?" Joe asked, worry clear as day on his face. "Dr. Atomos said he wasn't going to allow makeups – no exceptions. It's worth 200 points!"
"I'll make it back in time for the test, don't worry." I pushed in my chair, cringing at the way the legs screeched against the floor. "I've got to go."
I left the library, turned a corner where I knew there weren't any cameras, and walked into a shadow.
0o0o
Camp Half-Blood was in a worse state than I last remembered it to be.
Half of the strawberry fields had wilted and died during the past winter, reflecting on Mr. D's sour mood as well as the low morale amongst the ten campers that still remained in the magical valley. Smoke constantly billowed from the forges, no doubt Beckendorf working his butt off to make weapons for the upcoming war. I think James had come back to help as well, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure on that.
The majority of the cabins were worse for wear, their paint peeling and cobwebs covering a lot of the doorframes. Except for the Athena cabin, of course. Even though Malcolm was the only Athena kid left, I seriously doubted he would ever let any type of spider web on his mother's cabin.
I frowned at the deafening silence in the camp, Hestia's hearth crackling like pop rocks being the only noise I could hear. Looking around at the rest of the cabins, I took survey of which ones had campers. Apollo, Hephaestus, Ares, Athena, Dionysus, and Aphrodite. Even the Hermes cabin, which was always close to bursting, had been completely emptied. I wondered where the Stoll brothers were, because they've never left camp as far as I knew, but I guess Chiron had sent them on a mission.
I found Mr. D lounging in his plush chair on the porch of the Big House, pinochle cards in his hand while Chiron sat across from him, tallying up the points on a napkin. There were two other wind spirits playing as well, but the moment Mr. D looked up at me, he waved his hands and the set of cards floated onto the tabletop. Chiron sighed, setting down his cards to reveal a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.
"Chiron, Mr. D," I greeted, pulling my jacket tighter around me. Despite the fact that there wasn't any snow on the ground or gale force wind blowing the arctic air around, there was still a chill in the air, like something evil was lurking right around the corner.
"Andy, thank you for your swift arrival," Chiron said, beginning to get out of his wheelchair. "We have much to discuss."
"So I've been told." I spared a glance at Mr. D, who was absentmindedly drinking his Diet Coke, a scowl on his face like he wished to be anywhere else in the world.
"Mr. D?"
"Hmm, oh, yes." Mr. D placed his can of Diet Coke on the table, his dark brown eyes more sober than I've ever seen before. I mean, it's not like I've ever seen the god of wine drunk, but this time there was genuine emotion: fear, anticipation, and a myriad of other things I knew he'd never admit to feeling. "I'll show you the area of suspicion."
I raised my eyebrows, biting back a sarcastic remark. For Mr. D to be willing to take a camper anywhere meant that this was way more serious than I initially thought. Mr. D never did anything himself, always using a satyr to run his messages, so I kept my mouth shut and followed him into the forest.
Chiron walked alongside us as well, filling the silence with stories about some of the most famous heroes' blunders. For example, did you know that Jason was afraid of the dark? So when one of his Argonaut crewmates accidently blew out the candle in his room and he woke up, Jason began to cry and rock back and forth in his bed.
I'll admit, the stories made me smile and helped distract me from the fact that camp was in danger, yet again. You'd think from how necessary heroes are to keeping the gods alive that the security would be better, but no-o-o-o.
Mr. D stopped in front of a pile of rocks that looked like a deer had just taken a dump in the middle of the woods. But I knew better than to voice those thoughts out loud, especially since the pile of rocks was also known as Zeus's Fist.
"Here," Mr. D said, gesturing to the pile of rocks. "Tell me what's going on."
My heart hammered in my chest as I walked forward. I knew that an entrance to the Labyrinth would appear here once Quintus (a.k.a. Daedalus) arrived, but as of now, I didn't know if the Labyrinth posed any danger for the time being.
I climbed up Zeus's Fist, reaching into all the crevices between the rocks. There was never a hold deeper than a few inches, meaning that the Labyrinth hadn't shifted into camp yet. I searched the rocks one more time for a blue delta, the sign of Daedalus, but that hadn't appeared either.
"I-I don't know, Mr. D," I answered truthfully.
While I was on the rock, I could sense the earth shifting below it, the same way tectonic plates shifted to create new land. Except this shift was much faster and harsher, like an incoming earthquake versus the few centimeters that tectonic plates every year. And that didn't make any sense, because the closest fault line to Long Island was located in Pennsylvania, and even then, the earthquakes produced were always weak.
"Anything you can tell us will be helpful," Chiron said, hoping to placate Mr. D's anger before he turn me into a bottlenose dolphin.
"There's this shaking in the earth below Zeus's Fist," I said, struggling to put into words how I somehow just knew about the ground shifting. It was all so sudden – one moment there would be a tunnel that I could sense, and the next moment, it vanished. "Earthen tunnels are constantly being built and destroyed, but other than that, I can't sense anything else."
"Lord Hades wouldn't happen to be behind this, would he?"
I shook my head, biting my lip. "He wouldn't risk a war against the Olympians in a time like this. I'll consult with him when I can, but I don't think he has anything to do with these tunnels."
"What about Deborah's maze?" Mr. D asked.
"Daedalus' Labyrinth?" I clarified.
"That's what I said! But, yes, that miserable place."
Chiron and I shared a look. "It's possible, Mr. D," Chiron began, scratching at his beard pensively. "But the Labyrinth was destroyed ages ago. Unless it has managed to thrive on its own..."
"I'll ask around," I promised. "In the meantime, you should get someone to start researching the Labyrinth. We'll need to understand it if it becomes a later threat."
"Who do you suppose should be on this 'research team?'" Mr. D said mockingly, adding air quotes around the words research team.
"Annabeth and Clarisse."
"That seems doomed from the start."
I ignored Mr. D's cynical input.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Daedalus a son of Athena? If he's truly the cleverest inventor that's ever walked the earth, only his siblings will be able to decode his secrets. And Annabeth adores the guy; she'd be perfect. Clarisse would be the brawns of the research, thinking of how best to shut down the Labyrinth, or if necessary, how to survive traveling through it."
"All of this is based on the pretense that the Labyrinth still exists?" Chiron asked.
"Yup."
"Just clarifying. Very well, I shall send an Iris-message to Annabeth and get her and Clarisse debriefed right away." Chiron turned to the camp director. "Anything you'd like to add, Mr. D?"
"You're both crazy," Mr. D said blatantly before disappearing in a pop, leaving behind the scent of freshly pressed grapes.
I shrugged, zipping up my jacket as the wind started to pick up within the forest. "He was the one who asked me to come. Sorry I couldn't come up with a better answer."
"No, no, you've done more than enough, my dear," Chiron said warmly, trying for a smile that turned out to be a grimace.
New wrinkles littered his face, especially by his eyes and mouth, meaning that he'd been frowning more often rather than smiling. The glint and mirth that the old centaur usually had in his eyes was hidden behind a layer of exhaustion and worry, most likely relating to the well-being of camp and its campers.
"IM me after Annabeth, please. I want to be kept in the loop about this."
Chiron paused to think for a moment before saying, "Yes, I think you should be a part of this research project as well. Maybe consider visiting on the weekends, eh? For training purposes, of course."
"Of course," I agreed immediately, sensing Chiron's ulterior motives. Normally, I would've been annoyed by the way he asked if it had been anyone else, but this was Chiron. I knew he had every demigod's best interests at heart, so if it meant lying to my friends, it'd be worth it in the end.
I then told Chiron that I had to get going before Leah tore up New York to find me, earning a slight chuckle from him. I waved goodbye as I fell into my own shadow, landing directly in my own bed. Good thing, too, or else I would've passed out from exhaustion.
I grunted as I shoved my books and notes aside, pulling the covers up to my neck as I kicked off my shoes. I was so tired that I didn't care about the fact that my boots were under my covers, simply allowing for my eyes to close the second my head hit the pillow.
0o0o
That night I dreamt of the Labyrinth.
I was standing on a balcony in the royal palace of Crete, overlooking the massive maze that King Minos had ordered to be built as a place for fourteen Athenian youths to be sacrificed. From the way I was dressed in silken robes, new leather sandals, and gold ribbons, I knew I was witnessing these events from the eyes of Princess Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.
From my balcony, I had a perfect view into the maze, watching as the fearsome Minotaur roared and growled in the center of the maze, impatiently waiting for his victims to find him. The cargo ship that had brought the fourteen children arrived three days ago, and seven of them had already died.
I looked away as a girl who appeared to be my age, about sixteen, stumbled into the center of the maze, where the Minotaur was waiting. She froze dead in her tracks, staring up at the horrible monster that stood before her. She screamed in fright, and I averted my eyes, not wanting to watch the Minotaur rip somebody else to shreds.
I drew the doors and curtains of my balcony shut, immersing my room in darkness. Even then, I could still hear the screams of that poor girl as she was brutally murdered by Minos' prized champion.
Outside of my room stood two guards, who were clearly nervous as I walked outside, their bodies shaking so badly that their armor sounded. I don't think they were afraid of me so much as they were of Minos, thinking that if they upset the princess, they'll find themselves tossed into the maze. Which, if I remembered the story correctly, was exactly what Minos did to anyone on the island of Crete that disobeyed him.
"Take me to the inventor," I asked one of the guards, my voice higher and more refined, tinged with a Mediterranean accent.
"Right this way, princess," one of the guards said, bowing his head in respect before gesturing for me to follow him. The other guard trailed behind me, about as subtle as someone wearing blaring sirens and flashing lights in the middle of the night.
After being led through many windy passageways, the guard stopped outside a large wooden door. The stones around the door were thick with rot; mold coated the door as if it'd never been cleaned since the day of its instillation. The doorknob was covered in rust, which meant that the guard opened the door for me even though I genuinely didn't care.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Ariadne," the guard announced as I stepped inside, causing me to cringe. Something told me Ariadne hadn't wanted this meeting to be announced to everyone.
"You're both dismissed," I said curtly, turning on my heel and walking further into the castle's forges.
I found Daedalus hunched over a metal worktable, various scrolls stretched out as far as the eye could see, held down by various different tools. He was muttering to himself under his breath, his quill never ceasing to move as he continued adding notes onto one of his blueprints.
Deciding not to disrupt his creative process, I pulled up a stool and sat opposite of him, waiting for him to notice my presence. Eventually, Daedalus seemed satisfied with his new design for the time being, finally setting down his quill at last.
He jumped slightly at the sight of me before quickly regaining his composure, bowing deeply. "Your highness," he said respectfully, remaining in his bow despite the fact that that couldn't have felt good for his back, considering his age. "Please, forgive me for my obliviousness."
"You may rise, Daedalus, for you are not at fault," I replied kindly, giving the old inventor a warm smile.
He straightened, his back popping loudly as he did, causing me to wince at the sound. "How may I be of service today, princess?"
"I want to put an end to the maze. No more Athenian children need to be sacrificed for my father's ludicrous beliefs."
Daedalus paled, turning whiter than the blank scrolls he had on the floor next to him. "Princess, I would love to help you, but King Minos knows I created the maze for him. He knows that I am the only one that would be able to solve its mysteries and keep the children away from that dreadful Minotaur. My involvement would be discovered immediately."
"Perhaps not," I said, smirking mischievously. "Tell me what would be necessary to escape the maze. You need not invent it, I just need to know what I will need."
"What are you thinking about?" Daedalus asked, genuinely curious. That was his inventor's side showing itself, willing to think outside the box even though the punishment might be severe.
"If the object I require can masquerade as a household object, something completely harmless, it will not raise suspicion. Also, as princess there are certain things I'm expected to know, like weaving and braiding."
Daedalus returned my devious smirk. "I think I have just the thing, Princess Ariadne." He turned around and began searching through all the scrolls he had stored in the wall, his eyes reading a few words before moving onto the next scroll. "Aha! There it is!"
He grabbed a scroll and walked over to an empty workbench, unfurling the yellow-stained paper. He set some candles on each of the corners to illuminate the plans as well as hold them down.
"It's a rope?" I asked, hoping that I'd hidden the disappointment in my voice.
"Not any ordinary rope," the old inventor said, waggling a knowing finger at me, like I should've known better than to just assume that he would hold blueprints for something as trivial as rope in his forges. "An enchanted rope. One that will lead you safely through the maze. Of course, you wouldn't need this rope. Others would, though."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're a special girl, princess, blessed with a gift from the gods that few have. Your gift grants you safe passage through the maze, but if you desire this rope, I shall tell you what you need."
"Please," I pleaded with Daedalus, not having any idea in the slightest about what my gift could be. By that, I meant Ariadne didn't know. I knew he was referring to the princess being clear-sighted.
He went ahead and told me of the materials I needed to collect to make the enchanted rope. Then, when I heard the guards announce my father, I threw the scroll to the floor, letting it roll beside the others, hiding our plans in plain sight.
"Ariadne, what have I told you about being with the inventor by yourself?" King Minos asked in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"To have a guard with me at all times."
"And where is your guard?"
"I told him to leave, so don't you dare punish either one of them. They were following my orders."
Minos sighed again, wiping a hand across his face. "You and I will have a long conversation about your decision, young lady. But right now, I must speak to Daedalus in private."
I curtseyed respectfully, swallowing back my disgust. "Yes, Father." Luckily for both Daedalus and Ariadne, it seemed as if the princess had eidetic memory, so the second I was back in my room, I wrote down all the materials on a sheet of paper and tucked it under my mattress.
Before anything else could happen in my dream, my alarm blared, causing me to jolt up in my bed. I slammed my hand down on my clock, debating whether I wanted to throw the thing at the wall or not.
Leah grumbled and rolled over, pulling her pillow down over her head. "I don't wanna go," she whined, snuggling deeper under the covers.
"Neither do I," I said, throwing off my covers and peeling off last night's clothes in favor of something more comfortable. Sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt it is. I tugged on my winter coat and began lacing up my boots as Leah finally got out of bed. By that, I mean she rolled over until half her body was hanging off the bed until gravity took over and she completely fell to the floor, still wrapped up in her blanket cocoon.
"Come on," I said, bending down to give Leah a hand up. "We don't want to be late for our thermodynamics test, do we?"
"You're far too cheery for someone who had to ditch our study session," Leah muttered, hastily pulling on a pair of jeans and a green polo shirt, buttoning up her gray winter coat over her clothes. She laced up her black boots, grabbed a hair tie and her backpack, and the two of us were out the door, heading to meet up with Joe and Pete for breakfast.
I laughed as Leah continued to complain about our stupid alarm clock. She swore that one of these days, she was going to take a hammer to the face, smashing the glass to smithereens.
"Uh, I think it'll still sound if you only break the face," I pointed out.
"Not when I'm done with it," Leah said deviously, rubbing her hands together sinisterly. I decided to drop the subject.
I still couldn't get over the fact how weird my life was. It was surprisingly easy to play the part of a college student with very close friends, but it was getting harder to hide my demigod life from them. But I promised myself I wouldn't ever tell them if I could avoid it. There was no need to bring any of them into the craziness that is the godly world if they can stay out of it.
For now, I'd enjoy my mornings like this – having a chance to eat breakfast with my friends while freaking out over upcoming tests and assignments. I just wished I knew how little time I had left before things went completely bat guano crazy.