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FIC: The Impossible Maze, Chpt 7
Title: The Impossible Maze (Daughter of Wisdom 4)
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Tyson, Grover Underwood, Rachel Dare, Nico di Angelo, various others, Gen with developing Percy/Annabeth
Fandom: Percy Jackson
Summary: Annabeth Chase has finally gotten her chance to lead a quest, but the stakes have never been so high. With war on the horizon, she and her friends must navigate the Labyrinth to find its creator and convince him to help Camp Half-Blood. But the Labyrinth is more than just a physical maze-in its twist and turns, Annabeth must not only confront the Titan army’s monsters, but her own fears, hopes, and scariest of all, her developing feelings for her best friend. An alternate PoV retelling of The Battle of the Labyrinth.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: Grover Gets An Ultimatum
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, Clarisse La Rue, Chiron, Juniper, Council of Cloven Elders, Nyssa Barrera, Tyson, Luke Castellan, Kronos, Minos, Ariadne, Minotaur, plus cameos from pretty much all campers
Word Count: 6,325
Chapter Summary: Grover faces the Council of Cloven Elders.
Notes: I actually went to watch Pan's Labyrinth because I was writing this fic, and well, research! (Also, foreign-language film!) Spoilers for the movie in this chapter, though since it's a movie from 10 years ago, I think we're well past the spoiler embargo period. I do not recommend it to most readers though, especially if you're under 18 (or 21!) because it deserves its R rating; not because of sexual content, but because it has really dark themes. It's set in the Spanish war, and doesn't shy away from the violence. So, fair warning. But that being said, it was a very haunting film and I really appreciated its artistry. Excellent soundtrack as well!
A few lines of dialogue between Percy and Annabeth have been taken from BotL.
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Percy insisted we go straight to camp, so I flagged down a cab. Argus had given me enough money to cover it easily. Had he guessed that something like this might happen?
On the way to Long Island, Percy repeated his story about the empousai in his school. 'They said camp is going to go up in flames. And Kronos is going to enslave everyone.'
I didn't like the idea of empousai in Manhattan. They were ancient demons, as old as the Titans. It fit with my mother's warning: The ancient sea demons have returned to plague us, and I fear even more are on the loose. They will march on Long Island soon.
Then something else occurred to me, something that I wished I'd thought of earlier. I could have looked into it before I met up with Percy. When Clarisse had been on her scouting mission last year, she'd been stuck in the Labyrinth for months before she finally popped out in Manhattan. What if it was that same entrance that the Titan army was searching for?
It was a moment before I realised Percy was asking me a question. 'Er, what?'
'I said, how did it go in San Francisco?'
'Oh, uh, okay. Lots of monsters.'
If the Titans could use the Labyrinth, they'd be able to get their entire army from San Francisco to New York in no time at all. They'd be right on our doorstep … and at the very entrance to Olympus. Even if they couldn't get through our magical barriers, it was still bad news.
I had to talk to Clarisse about this.
Percy waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked.
'Did you see any sign of Nico?'
It took me another second to remember who he was talking about: Nico di Angelo, who'd run off from camp after his sister, Bianca, had died on the quest to save Artemis. To save me. Nico, the son of Hades, the other Big Three kid who could take on the Great Prophecy. I'd been right that Percy was still adamant about keeping him safe. I wasn't sure why he felt so responsible for Nico. Especially since I was the one who had cost the kid his sister.
'No,' I said. 'I only brought one half-blood back to camp this spring, and she was a daughter of Hecate.'
'You've been back to camp since Christmas?'
'Twice.' The first time, I'd brought in Lou Ellen after a disastrous class trip to Alcatraz. The second, my dad had come back for a presentation at West Point and I'd coaxed him into taking me along.
'You came to New York twice and you didn't tell me?'
My jaw dropped. It wasn't like I hadn't tried to IM him at the time. How was it my fault he had to cut off our IM? He was the one who'd been hanging out with a mortal.
Just like he'd been with his new mortal girlfriend today.
I crossed my arms and stared out of the window. I couldn't get to camp soon enough. But there were massive pile-ups on all the main roads. Our cab tried a few side streets and finally crawled over the Brooklyn Bridge onto Long Island.
Percy cleared his throat. 'Any word on Luke?'
He probably didn't mean it to sound like a dig at me, but it felt like one. I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to discuss was Luke's visit to my house. Or how his parting words about Percy seemed to hit home right now.
He'll never be what you need, Annabeth.
'Nothing?' Percy pressed. 'Did you see him on Mount Tam? You said you were going to keep an eye on it.'
I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. If I told Percy about Luke's visit, he would just say it was another trap. He'd never believe there was a chance Luke might really want to leave Kronos.
And anyway, I hadn't gone with Luke, so what did it matter?
'Mount Tam is overrun with monsters,' I said finally. I told Percy how hard it was to get close. 'But I don't think Luke is up there.' I wished I could believe he'd run so far away that Kronos would never find him.
Percy looked at me expectantly.
'I think I would know if he was,' I finished lamely. My fingers played with the beads on my camp necklace, shifting them one by one through the college ring, and back across.
Percy finally picked up on my reluctance to discuss Luke and changed the subject. 'What about Grover?'
'He's at camp. We'll see him today.'
'Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?'
It looked like we'd make Grover's hearing this afternoon after all. I guess that was one good thing about our ruined plans. This didn't really make me feel better about it, though.
'You'll see,' I told Percy, and turned away, still playing with my necklace. It was best that Grover explained things to him.
We were passing through Flatbush just then, the district where Luke, Grover, Thalia, and I had nearly become a Cyclop's dinner. I still remembered the trap. I had crept through the dark mansion alone, clutching my dagger for dear life, terrified that I would have to use it like Luke had taught me, because he and Thalia had already been caught. How the dark hallways had seemed like a maze.
A maze.
Everything seemed to come back to the Labyrinth these days.
I went through another full row of beads through my ring. Percy stared at his hands, where the mortal girl, Rachel, had scrawled her number. I was about to tell him about Clarisse's theory, that Pan was in the Labyrinth, but the sight of the big, black numbers froze my tongue.
'Can I borrow your cell phone?'
I stared at Percy in disbelief. Was he longing for Rachel's company already? My stomach churned. It probably didn't help that I hadn't eaten all day.
'To call my mom,' he said quickly.
I found my phone and tossed it over without a word. I heard him dial and leave a message on the answering machine at home, explaining his run-in with two empousai at the orientation, and how one of them had tricked him into blowing up the band room. He apologised to some guy named Paul-probably his mom's boyfriend. I guess they still hadn't told him about Percy's double life.
He didn't mention Rachel at all, which made me feel a little better.
I spent the rest of our taxi ride trying to organise my frazzled thoughts. Luke, the Labyrinth, Manhattan, monsters, Pan, Ariadne … Every time I glanced at Percy, Rachel's phone number on his hand threw my thoughts back into disarray, so I stopped looking at him and just focused on making a mental list of things that I needed to do.
When we got to camp, I went straight for the first thing on my list: find Clarisse and ask about the Manhattan Labyrinth entrance. That would lead to bullet point number two: talk to Grover before his hearing.
I left Percy to get himself settled into his cabin (and shower off the monster dust; he'd also better have washed his hands well before I next saw him). The Ares cabin were out in the archery field with Chiron and Lee, so I jogged out there in search of Clarisse.
Chiron paused the lesson when he saw me running up to them. 'Annabeth! You're back already?'
'Percy and I came straight to camp.' I paused, not wanting to go into the reason why Percy and I had cancelled our afternoon. Well, part of the reason. 'He ran into empousai at his school. They-'
Chiron slung his bow over his shoulder, looking alarmed. 'I must speak with him.' He didn't wait for me to finish before he galloped off towards the cabins.
Clarisse smirked at me. 'Prissy called off your date?'
'It wasn't a date.'
'Whatever.'
I waved at Lee to let him know I was borrowing Clarisse. He nodded and went back to getting the Ares group to shoot straight. Or trying to, at least.
'Clarisse, last winter-when you found your way out of the Labyrinth, you ended up in Manhattan.'
Clarisse made a face. 'Yeah, what about it?'
'Where was the exit?'
She narrowed her eyes. 'Why do you want to know?'
'I thought that might be what Kronos's army is searching for. It'd get them right into the city.'
Clarisse toyed with the arrow in her hand. 'You know what I think?'
'What?'
'We need to send our own scouts, like Luke was doing. And I know just who would be perfect.'
As if on cue, Grover came down the path, accompanied by Juniper, who was clutching his arm and looking tearful. He looked like he was trying to pass a kidney stone.
'Grover? You've got to be kidding. You saw the way he reacted before.'
'He wants to find Pan, right? It's time he got creative about where he looks.' Clarisse raised her voice. 'Hey, Goat Boy!'
Grover looked up. 'Are you two coming to the hearing?'
'The hearing-that's now?'
'It was brought forward,' Juniper said. 'The Council wanted to get it over with before lunch.'
'What hearing?' Clarisse asked.
'The Council of Cloven Elders,' I explained. 'They're not happy that Grover hasn't found Pan yet.'
We fell in step with Grover and Juniper, heading into the woods where the satyr council gathered.
'I told you,' Clarisse said. 'You should look underground.'
Grover reacted pretty much the way I expected him to. 'No way. Uh-uh. Pan isn't in the Labyrinth.'
'Well, how do you know?'
'Wait, you were serious about that? You want Grover to-to look for Pan in the Labyrinth?' Juniper looked stricken. 'You can't do that! He'll never come back alive!'
'Don't be so dramatic,' Clarisse said. 'No one's died in there.'
'Oh yeah? What about all the Athenians Minos killed? What about Theseus?'
'Theseus didn't die,' I reminded him. I didn't like to agree with Clarisse, but this was one of the rare occasions that her idea had merit. 'And you've already faced worse. Remember Polyphemus?'
For a second, Grover almost seemed convinced. Then his face fell. 'It doesn't matter anyway. If the Council votes against me today, it'll be all over. I won't have a searcher's license any more.'
We reached the clearing in the woods where three rose bushes trimmed in the shape of thrones were assembled. A few satyrs had already arrived. They cast Grover sympathetic looks as they took their places, forming a seated circle around the topiary thrones.
Grover gulped. The Council began to gather: a couple of nymphs, all the camp satyrs, including the three oldest ones. They were so senior that they rarely came into camp, preferring to hang out all day in the woods, drinking and sleeping. Fat as they were, they looked like they were rolling towards their thrones instead of walking. The bushes creaked under their weight when they took their seats.
Juniper clutched my arm. I patted her awkwardly on the back.
'We are gathered here today to discuss the matter of one Grover Underwood,' said the chief satyr. 'Searcher's license number four hundred and sixty-five.'
Grover stepped forward into the circle of satyrs. 'Master Silenus. Master Leneus. Master Maron.' He bowed low.
'What have you to say for yourself, Master Underwood?' Leneus asked. He had a reedy voice, like a note drawn out too long on the pipes.
Grover launched into his story, starting from the very beginning of his search, when he'd been side-tracked by the Cyclops Polyphemus.
'No, no,' Maron said impatiently. 'We have heard enough of your defeat of the Cyclops. All that nauseating bravery. We're interested in what you've found since then.'
'Well, in December, I was in New Mexico and I swear, I felt the spirit of Pan. He sent us a gift-a boar.'
Silenus leaned forward. 'And you followed the trail, naturally?'
'Um … no. I was with the Hunters and Percy. We had a quest, and-'
'And you deemed this more important than the quest you swore yourself to complete?' Leneus said.
Juniper started to cry. 'They're not even listening to him!'
'Shh,' Clarisse said.
'I went back after,' Grover continued doggedly. 'All spring I've been returning to the desert, trying to pick up the scent.'
'But you admit you failed.' Maron crossed his arms over his ample belly. 'You missed your chance in the winter.'
'It's going terribly,' Juniper sniffed. She produced a leafy handkerchief and blew her nose.
'No, no, he'll be fine, Juniper,' I assured her. Grover hadn't told them yet about Pan speaking to him. Once they heard that, they'd have to change their minds.
The soft clop of hooves made me look up. Chiron had arrived-and he'd brought Percy along. Percy slid off Chiron's back, landing next to Clarisse. She gave him a distasteful sidewise look. He stuck his tongue out at her.
His eyes fell on me and Juniper and his brows knit together in confusion. I realised he probably hadn't met Juniper yet. She and Grover had gotten together when he'd been away from camp. I mouthed a quick explanation to him before turning back to the hearing.
'But I heard him after,' Grover was saying. 'When we got back from our quest. He spoke to me-he told me-'
Silenus cut him off with a roar. 'Master Underwood! Do you seriously expect us to believe this?'
Grover looked taken aback by the ferocity of Silenus's objection. 'But Silenus-it's the truth!'
Chiron frowned and trotted into the circle, right up to the Council Elders. The three satyrs ignored him, muttering among themselves, but they didn't send him away. Chiron had an honorary place on the Council. I hoped he'd be able to talk some sense into the old satyrs.
'As if the wild god would speak to … to him,' Maron spluttered. There was a high, intense colour in his pudgy cheeks.
He was jealous. They all were. This council wasn't so much about Grover's failure to locate Pan as it was about the fact that they couldn't accept who Pan had chosen to speak to.
Juniper's fists came up, like she was eager to land them in Maron's sizeable gut. She even stepped towards him. I took her shoulder. Clarisse grabbed her by the arm. 'Wrong fight, girlie. Wait.'
Our eyes met and I knew we shared the same idea. Pulverising the council would only make things worse for Grover. And if we wanted Grover to consider searching for Pan in the Labyrinth, he had to keep his searcher's license.
In the end, it was Chiron who turned the tables for Grover. The Council Elders were on the verge of stripping Grover of his license when Chiron convinced them to give him one more week.
One week. It was almost impossible. But at least it was another chance. And maybe Clarisse's idea might just work.
The council adjourned, going straight to lunch right there in the clearing. Grover had no appetite, however. He wove through the broken circle of satyrs, who were descending on the food as quickly as the serving nymphs could bring it out. His head hung in shame and despair as he came to stand before us.
'Hi, Percy,' he said, noticing Percy's arrival. 'That went well, huh?'
Juniper flung her arms around Grover. 'Those old goats! Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!'
Clarisse gave Grover a significant look. 'There is another option.'
Grover looked nearly desperate enough to consider it, but Juniper protested, 'I won't let you!'
Grover pulled away from her and took a deep breath. 'I-I'll have to think about it. But …' He looked at me, his expression pleading, as though hoping I had another idea. 'We don't even know where to look.'
Percy held his hands up like, whoa, slow down. 'What are you talking about?'
I was about to explain when a conch horn sounded, coming from the cabin area. I groaned inwardly. It just had to be cabin inspection time now. And my maps were lying all over my desk.
I promised to fill Percy in later. Right now, I had to get my stuff cleaned up.
+++
Fortunately, cabin six was in the middle of the green, so inspection never started with us. Silena Beauregard was taking her clipboard into Dionysus cabin, which gave me time to stuff away my discarded clothes, arrange my papers into a neat pile on my desk, and take the trash out to burn in the hearth fire.
The cabin area was full of the usual flurry of activity that always accompanied inspection time. The Demeter kids had grown out new daisies in their planter boxes and redone the honeysuckle climbing their walls. The breeze blew their scent all over the green. Hermes was probably going to get last place, judging from the swearing over at cabin eleven. Next to them, weird creaks and groans were coming from Hephaestus cabin.
Beckendorf's voice rose over the din. 'Come on, guys, don't make me look bad at inspection.'
I heard Jake Mason snicker. 'Sure it's inspection you don't want to look bad for?'
A piece of paper flew out of their cabin door, caught on the wind. It fluttered across the central hearth and plastered against my cabin's wall. Malcolm peeled it off. It was one of those DVD-case inserts, probably from someone's movie collection.
'Pan's Labyrinth,' he read.
A jolt went through me. 'What?'
He held up the movie insert. Sure enough, that was the title of the movie, printed in gilded letters across the picture of a bone-white face with massive goat horns. It might have been a satyr, but if so, he was the weirdest-looking satyr I'd ever seen, with gnarled limbs like tree bark and fingers like branches. In his hands was a sharp, pointed dagger.
I took the insert from Malcolm and headed across to cabin nine. Nyssa Barrera was on her hands and knees on the porch, scrubbing at an oil stain leaking out from the door.
'Hey,' I said, 'did this come from one of you?'
Nyssa glanced up. 'Oh-yeah, it's mine. How did it-oh no!' She whirled around, saw a pile of letters strewn across the porch steps, and slapped her forehead, leaving a black smudge on it. 'I thought I put something heavy on those …'
I helped her pick up her letters and shuffle them into a pile. 'Do you have the movie for this?'
'Huh? Oh, Pan's Labyrinth?' She shook her head. 'I lost the DVD a while back. I only kept the cover because my mom worked on its animation.'
'Animation?'
'My mom makes special effects for movies.' She indicated the weird satyr on the insert. 'She did that. Asked me a ton of questions about satyrs beforehand.'
'Do you know what the movie's about?'
'Some fantasy stuff. I wasn't really supposed to watch it.' She pointed to a sticker on the insert that said, rated R-graphic violence and some language, and winked. 'But I wanted to see the special effects.' She scrunched up her face. 'Let's see … I think there was a maze that led to the Underworld, and a satyr guide, and the main character had this big choice to make at the end. Then she died.'
I shivered.
'Yeah,' Nyssa said cheerfully. 'Not something you want to watch at night.'
I guess it didn't really matter what the movie was about. It was the insert itself that felt like a sign.
'Do you mind if I borrow this?'
Nyssa shrugged. 'Sure. I don't really need it.' Then she blanched. Silena was approaching and she was eyeing the oil stain on the porch with disapproval.
I thanked Nyssa and left them to the inspection.
+++
Grover went pale when I showed him, Clarisse, and Chiron the insert. We'd gathered in Chiron's office after lunch. Grover looked ready to throw up tin cans all over the carpet.
'That's … just a movie, right?' he said pleadingly. 'I mean, it's not like it's real or anything …'
'But stories develop from archetypes,' I said. 'Even if it only follows a trope, that means the idea already exists in civilisation. Right?'
I looked to Chiron for confirmation. He made a steeple with his fingers under his chin and nodded.
'Annabeth is right. If the mortals have the idea that Pan is associated with a labyrinth, then that must have taken root somewhere in the collective unconscious.'
Grover played with the corner of the insert. 'But Pan disappeared two thousand years ago. The Labyrinth-'
'It's been here all along,' Clarisse said. She looked at me. 'Isn't that what that professor friend of yours told us last year?'
I nodded. 'It's been growing under civilisation for thousands of years. The inventor, Daedalus-' A new thought hit me. 'He disappeared two thousand years ago, but there's no record of him being dead. It's like he just vanished off the island of Sicily. What if-what if he's in the Labyrinth? He had a workshop inside.' I visualised the large, open-air room from my dreams, filled with inventions and automatons. 'What if he found Pan and that's how he's kept the whole thing going? I mean, everything we've found out about it-the way it moves, the way it reads people's minds … it has to have its own life force to do all of that.'
'So this inventor dude's got Pan trapped?' Clarisse said sceptically.
'Not trapped, more like a partnership. Daedalus wouldn't do that. He's supposed to be really wise.' The more I examined the idea, the more I liked it. 'Grover, think about it. You could find Pan and Daedalus!'
Grover tore off the corner of the Pan's Labyrinth insert and put it in his mouth. 'Underground … how would I even know where to start looking? My senses don't work right down there!'
'I'll go with you. I've been studying the Labyrinth all year. I think I could try to navigate it. If we start with the entrance in Manhattan-'
'Hold on,' Chiron interrupted. 'Annabeth, you're not just talking about Grover's search any more. What you're suggesting is a quest.'
'Well, why not? It's perfect. And I could lead it. You know I'm ready.'
Chiron shook his head. 'You know this is not how it works, child. A quest must have a specific purpose.'
'Pan-'
'Is Grover's quest.'
'Well, if Kronos is trying to use the Labyrinth, we could stop him if we made it work for us instead.'
'Work for us,' Clarisse snorted. 'A trap that tricks you, fools you, and leads you to your death.'
'That makes me real keen to go inside,' Grover muttered. Another corner of the DVD insert disappeared into his mouth.
'This was your idea in the first place,' I reminded Clarisse. 'You were the one who thought Pan was in the Labyrinth.'
'Yeah, but I didn't mean one of us should go in there. It's different for Grover. He's not a human.'
'Thanks a lot.'
She rolled her eyes. 'You know what I mean, Goat Boy.'
'I agree with Clarisse,' Chiron said, which had to be a first. 'Grover, this may actually be the best option for you. But as for a quest … it's too dangerous. Remember last year, when Luke tried to use you to retrieve the Golden Fleece. All we have ascertained from Chris is that Luke has sent scouts into the Labyrinth. His true purpose is yet unclear. It could be another trap, a trick to entice campers into the maze and pick us off one by one.'
'But Luke-' I stopped. I hadn't told anyone about Luke's visit and I wasn't sure it was a good idea to. If Chiron thought Luke had been setting a trap in the Labyrinth, he wasn't likely to believe Luke was sincere in wanting to leave Kronos.
I wasn't even sure if he was sincere.
'I'm sorry, Annabeth. I know you want to lead a quest, but unless we are certain that the Labyrinth is a direct threat to camp, I don't think it's a good idea.'
I sighed. 'Fine. It was just a thought.'
Chiron smiled tightly. 'A good one, except it is perhaps not the right time. But for Grover … I think you should consider the girls' idea.'
Grover chewed up the rest of the Pan's Labyrinth insert. 'I-I-okay, fine, I'll think about it. Can I go now? I promised Juniper I'd help her trim her branches.'
Clarisse shook her head. 'She's just going to talk him back out of it.'
'Well,' said Chiron, 'then maybe we'll have to try a different approach.'
+++
I took a walk out to the canoe lake after leaving the Big House. To my delight, Tyson had arrived. He and Percy were hanging out by the dock, swapping stories about their year. I was so happy to see him, I forgot I was mad at Percy and sat down beside them. I kicked off my shoes and let my bare feet skim the surface of the clear water. Tyson regaled us with Poseidon's underwater battles against the ocean Titans.
'Daddy is trying to sink the bad ship,' he said, referring to Luke's monster cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda. 'But bad Titans are getting in the way. They are coming with big weapons. Make things go BOOM!'
'Who's making their weapons?' Percy asked. 'Are there Cyclopes on their side, too?'
Tyson shook his head. 'Bad monsters,' he said. 'Older than Cyclopes.'
I wondered if they were the ancient sea demons my mother had talked about. I didn't like the sound of them.
'Gods cannot find them,' Tyson continued. 'They are hidden good.'
'Like Pan,' I said, thinking of Grover's hearing. Was finding Pan really the key?
One of the naiads drifted up to the surface and blew Percy and Tyson a flirtatious kiss. Tyson blushed, but Percy didn't seem to notice.
'What's this "other way"?' he asked. 'The thing Clarisse mentioned?'
I skipped a stone across the lake. The naiad gave me a dirty look and dove back into the water's depths. I started to tell Percy about Clarisse's scouting mission, but the moment I mentioned Grover's name, Tyson cringed.
'Goat boy scares me.'
I raised my eyebrows. This was the first I'd heard about Tyson's aversion to satyrs. It was true that Tyson was scared of a lot of things you wouldn't imagine would frighten a Cyclops: monsters, bullies, scary campfire stories … But Grover? He was the least terrifying person I could think of. Well, unless you got between him and an enchilada.
Tyson muttered something about hooves, horns, and allergies.
'Well, we're trying to convince Grover that Pan-' I began, but Tyson shook his head frantically, his eyes wide. The mere mention of the satyr god seemed to be as bad as a horror story to him.
Percy caught my eye. His expression clearly said, let's talk about something else.
I sighed. 'Beckendorf's gonna be happy to see you. He's been making weapons all week.'
Tyson perked up. 'We went to the forges! Made axes!'
+++
I thought I'd get the chance to tell Percy about the Labyrinth after dinner, but I was ambushed by Silena Beauregard, who drew me into a discussion on defensive strategy. This was weird for two reasons. First, Silena wasn't exactly a good strategist (daughters of Aphrodite tend to think of 'strategy' as the best way to make guys notice you). Second, when I gave her a run-down of our plans, her eyes went out of focus, like she was trying to pay attention in a class that was too hard for her.
I patted her arm. 'Look-don't worry too much about it, okay? We all took point on something different for a reason. You're doing a great job keeping the schedules and stuff going so the rest of us don't have to worry about it.'
Silena smiled nervously. Her left hand worried at the bracelet around her wrist. 'I just feel like I need to do more.'
Beckendorf came over just then. 'Silena,' he said in his deep voice, 'I wanted to make a batch of battle armour for the pegasi. You think you could help me fit them?'
Silena brightened and gave him a much more genuine smile. 'Yeah, definitely.'
They headed off together in the direction of the stables. Silena's worries continued to nag at me. The threat of war was definitely taking a toll on us all. It strengthened my resolve to find a solution to face Kronos.
That night, I dreamt myself back on the barren cliff where the ancient Labyrinth stood outside the palace of Crete. Daedalus and Ariadne emerged from the maze. Its walls towered over them, stretching into the night sky.
'So that's it, then,' Ariadne said. She was older now, maybe my age or so. Her hair was woven into an intricate braid that wound around her head like a coronet.
'Yes,' Daedalus said. 'It is finished.'
'Excellent,' boomed a voice. Minos was walking down the cliff path. Behind him, flanked by heavily armed soldiers, was the Minotaur-Asterion. He was just a calf, his body lean and muscled. His horns were short and stubby, a bit like Grover's. There was a leash around his neck and chains on his wrists and ankles. He gave Ariadne a panicked look and lowed softly.
'Bring the beast,' Minos commanded.
Ariadne stepped in front of him. 'Papa, no! You can't do this!'
Minos's eyes glinted with malice. 'Was it not you who said he should have a home in the maze?'
Asterion's cow-eyes grew impossibly huge. He stared at Ariadne like she'd stabbed him in the gut.
'That was before I knew you meant to lock him up and-and feed people to him! He's not your executioner!'
'He is a monster.' Minos's tone was hard and unforgiving. 'He shall earn his keep.' He turned to the soldiers. 'Throw him in.'
The Labyrinth doors opened. Asterion struggled, but the guards forced him inside at spear point.
'He's my brother!' Ariadne shouted. 'He's your son!'
'He's no son of mine,' Minos sneered. 'Not another word from you, or you'll join him in there.'
'But-'
Daedalus clapped a hand over Ariadne's mouth, cutting off her protests. The doors of the Labyrinth clanged shut. Minos looked at it in satisfaction.
'The first prisoners will be ready to enter tomorrow morning,' he said. 'We'll see if anyone dares to mock me after this.'
Daedalus only let go of Ariadne after Minos and his soldiers had left.
'How could you?' Ariadne shouted. 'You knew from the start-you built the maze knowing that Papa was going to lock him away in it!'
Daedalus looked at her sadly. 'I had no choice, Princess. Your father would have killed me. He has never forgiven me for the indignity of your brother's birth.'
Ariadne burst into tears. 'He's going to starve, or-or worse!'
'Listen to me, Princess.' Daedalus took her hands. 'We can do nothing now. But one day, if you are clever enough, and brave enough, you may still save him.' He pressed the compass he had used previously to navigate inside the Labyrinth into her hands.
They both looked at the barred doors, now leading into a true prison. From inside came an angry, agonised howl.
My dream shifted. I was in a dark tunnel, following the Princess Ariadne as she felt her way along the Labyrinth walls. Her dim lantern illuminated rusty streaks along the wall. A corpse lay in the passageway. Half its body was caught in one of the giant mousetraps I'd seen before in Daedalus's workshop.
Ariadne shuddered and moved on.
'Asterion!' she called. 'Where are you?'
The Minotaur stepped out from around a blind corner. He had nearly doubled in size since the earlier scene. Thick muscle encircled his arms and legs. His horns were curved and wickedly sharp. There was matted blood in his fur and his breath stank of rotten flesh. If I'd been Ariadne, I would have run as fast as I could in the other direction. This beast was clearly not the same half-human brother she'd befriended. The look in his eyes said, snack, rather than, sister.
But Ariadne hummed a stanza of her old lullaby. The Minotaur froze. He blinked and the ferocious glare in his eyes softened. Ariadne went to him and embraced him. Slowly, he returned her hug.
'I'm sorry it's been so long since my last visit,' Ariadne said. 'Father had the guards doubled since the war with Athens. I had to bribe them with wine to get them to leave for even a minute. So there's none left to drink, I'm afraid. But I brought you some fruit.' She held up a basket.
Asterion backed away and hung his head.
'What-oh no. You didn't … Asterion, you have to hold on! I told you, I'll bring you food whenever I can. Father may send all the prisoners he wants in here, but we'll let the maze take care of them. We won't let you become a monster. I won't let it happen to you.'
Asterion let out a desperate, guttural cry. Tears leaked out of his big, brown eyes. Ariadne's gaze travelled up his arm to a deep gash in his shoulder.
'They found you,' she whispered. 'They …' She touched the cut. 'They tried to kill you, didn't they? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know you didn't mean to. I'm going to find a way to help you. I don't know how long it's going to take, or when I can be back, but you need to hold on until I can find out how to get you out of here, okay? You need to remember who you are! Promise me!'
She embraced her brother again. Then she left him her basket of fruit and headed off into the Labyrinth again. I followed, but she disappeared around a corner, leaving me in the dark.
'Where are we?' The voice made me jump. It was Percy, holding up his sword, Riptide. His green eyes reflected off the glow of his blade. 'Where did you bring me, Annabeth?'
'The Labyrinth, of course,' I said. A map appeared in my hands, crinkled and old. The walls came to life around us with flames dancing in bronze braziers. 'We're going to find Luke. He's in here.' The words found their way into my mouth, confident and assured.
'You didn't tell me that,' Percy said accusingly.
I clenched my fists. 'If you don't want to help …'
'No …' Percy spread his arms. 'It's this place-we're lost and I have no clue where we are.'
I squinted at my map. 'We're not lost. I have a map.'
'We're lost,' Percy insisted. 'Why didn't you tell me we were coming here? I could have helped. How am I supposed to help you when you never tell me anything?'
I opened my mouth to protest, but at that moment, a massive shadow fell across our path. Heavy footsteps pounded in the passage just beyond, making the ground shake. I almost screamed, thinking of the Minotaur.
But it was just Tyson. He barrelled around the corner, wringing his hands. 'Goat Boy needs help!' he yelled.
We ran after him. Tyson led us down the passage to a room that was no bigger than a prison cell. The walls here were ancient, the marble cracked and weathered with crust and pits. There was a strong smell of fresh earth, although I could only see stone.
Grover was on his knees, feeling the wall with his hands. 'Can't you sense it?' he said. 'I'm so close.'
I reached out to touch the wall. It had a shuddering pulse, like the maze was breathing in and out.
'Something's keeping it alive,' Grover said.
'Pan?' Percy asked.
A voice seemed to come from deep within the stone. 'Or its creator.'
I pressed my ear right up against the wall, trying to hear better. 'Find Daedalus,' said the voice. It was high and cold and seemed to cast a layer of ice over the stone. 'He has the answers.'
'But, my lord-Daedalus is …' It was Luke's voice now, trembling and hesitant.
'Dead?' Kronos snorted in amusement. 'The crafty inventor has evaded the judgement of Hades for centuries. He hides in his Labyrinth, but if we can find him, the final piece of the puzzle will be complete. I shall have all I need to march on that pestilent camp of heroes.'
Luke gulped. 'Yes, my lord.'
'But what's this? We have eavesdroppers …'
I pulled my ear away from the wall, certain that he had sensed me. Kronos's voice continued to seep softly through the cracks.
'Very well-they wish to spy on us? We will send them a little playmate to keep them busy.'
Kronos's laughter shook the walls. A tiny depression formed in the marble, right under my fingers. The blue Delta of Daedalus appeared and the wall melted away. So did the floor. It was dripping out from under my feet like hot wax.
Percy yelled. We were falling through the air, plummeting into nothingness …
I landed in my bed with a thud. My heart was racing, my head full of questions.
Outside, the moon was a large, round lamp. I was staring at it, trying to make sense of what I'd seen and heard in my dream, when a shadow blotted out its light.
Something was outside. Something big.
Chapter 8
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Luke Castellan, Tyson, Grover Underwood, Rachel Dare, Nico di Angelo, various others, Gen with developing Percy/Annabeth
Fandom: Percy Jackson
Summary: Annabeth Chase has finally gotten her chance to lead a quest, but the stakes have never been so high. With war on the horizon, she and her friends must navigate the Labyrinth to find its creator and convince him to help Camp Half-Blood. But the Labyrinth is more than just a physical maze-in its twist and turns, Annabeth must not only confront the Titan army’s monsters, but her own fears, hopes, and scariest of all, her developing feelings for her best friend. An alternate PoV retelling of The Battle of the Labyrinth.
In this chapter
Chapter Title: Grover Gets An Ultimatum
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood, Clarisse La Rue, Chiron, Juniper, Council of Cloven Elders, Nyssa Barrera, Tyson, Luke Castellan, Kronos, Minos, Ariadne, Minotaur, plus cameos from pretty much all campers
Word Count: 6,325
Chapter Summary: Grover faces the Council of Cloven Elders.
Notes: I actually went to watch Pan's Labyrinth because I was writing this fic, and well, research! (Also, foreign-language film!) Spoilers for the movie in this chapter, though since it's a movie from 10 years ago, I think we're well past the spoiler embargo period. I do not recommend it to most readers though, especially if you're under 18 (or 21!) because it deserves its R rating; not because of sexual content, but because it has really dark themes. It's set in the Spanish war, and doesn't shy away from the violence. So, fair warning. But that being said, it was a very haunting film and I really appreciated its artistry. Excellent soundtrack as well!
A few lines of dialogue between Percy and Annabeth have been taken from BotL.
Back to Fic Content Page
Percy insisted we go straight to camp, so I flagged down a cab. Argus had given me enough money to cover it easily. Had he guessed that something like this might happen?
On the way to Long Island, Percy repeated his story about the empousai in his school. 'They said camp is going to go up in flames. And Kronos is going to enslave everyone.'
I didn't like the idea of empousai in Manhattan. They were ancient demons, as old as the Titans. It fit with my mother's warning: The ancient sea demons have returned to plague us, and I fear even more are on the loose. They will march on Long Island soon.
Then something else occurred to me, something that I wished I'd thought of earlier. I could have looked into it before I met up with Percy. When Clarisse had been on her scouting mission last year, she'd been stuck in the Labyrinth for months before she finally popped out in Manhattan. What if it was that same entrance that the Titan army was searching for?
It was a moment before I realised Percy was asking me a question. 'Er, what?'
'I said, how did it go in San Francisco?'
'Oh, uh, okay. Lots of monsters.'
If the Titans could use the Labyrinth, they'd be able to get their entire army from San Francisco to New York in no time at all. They'd be right on our doorstep … and at the very entrance to Olympus. Even if they couldn't get through our magical barriers, it was still bad news.
I had to talk to Clarisse about this.
Percy waved a hand in front of my face. I blinked.
'Did you see any sign of Nico?'
It took me another second to remember who he was talking about: Nico di Angelo, who'd run off from camp after his sister, Bianca, had died on the quest to save Artemis. To save me. Nico, the son of Hades, the other Big Three kid who could take on the Great Prophecy. I'd been right that Percy was still adamant about keeping him safe. I wasn't sure why he felt so responsible for Nico. Especially since I was the one who had cost the kid his sister.
'No,' I said. 'I only brought one half-blood back to camp this spring, and she was a daughter of Hecate.'
'You've been back to camp since Christmas?'
'Twice.' The first time, I'd brought in Lou Ellen after a disastrous class trip to Alcatraz. The second, my dad had come back for a presentation at West Point and I'd coaxed him into taking me along.
'You came to New York twice and you didn't tell me?'
My jaw dropped. It wasn't like I hadn't tried to IM him at the time. How was it my fault he had to cut off our IM? He was the one who'd been hanging out with a mortal.
Just like he'd been with his new mortal girlfriend today.
I crossed my arms and stared out of the window. I couldn't get to camp soon enough. But there were massive pile-ups on all the main roads. Our cab tried a few side streets and finally crawled over the Brooklyn Bridge onto Long Island.
Percy cleared his throat. 'Any word on Luke?'
He probably didn't mean it to sound like a dig at me, but it felt like one. I shook my head. The last thing I wanted to discuss was Luke's visit to my house. Or how his parting words about Percy seemed to hit home right now.
He'll never be what you need, Annabeth.
'Nothing?' Percy pressed. 'Did you see him on Mount Tam? You said you were going to keep an eye on it.'
I pressed my lips together and took a deep breath. If I told Percy about Luke's visit, he would just say it was another trap. He'd never believe there was a chance Luke might really want to leave Kronos.
And anyway, I hadn't gone with Luke, so what did it matter?
'Mount Tam is overrun with monsters,' I said finally. I told Percy how hard it was to get close. 'But I don't think Luke is up there.' I wished I could believe he'd run so far away that Kronos would never find him.
Percy looked at me expectantly.
'I think I would know if he was,' I finished lamely. My fingers played with the beads on my camp necklace, shifting them one by one through the college ring, and back across.
Percy finally picked up on my reluctance to discuss Luke and changed the subject. 'What about Grover?'
'He's at camp. We'll see him today.'
'Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?'
It looked like we'd make Grover's hearing this afternoon after all. I guess that was one good thing about our ruined plans. This didn't really make me feel better about it, though.
'You'll see,' I told Percy, and turned away, still playing with my necklace. It was best that Grover explained things to him.
We were passing through Flatbush just then, the district where Luke, Grover, Thalia, and I had nearly become a Cyclop's dinner. I still remembered the trap. I had crept through the dark mansion alone, clutching my dagger for dear life, terrified that I would have to use it like Luke had taught me, because he and Thalia had already been caught. How the dark hallways had seemed like a maze.
A maze.
Everything seemed to come back to the Labyrinth these days.
I went through another full row of beads through my ring. Percy stared at his hands, where the mortal girl, Rachel, had scrawled her number. I was about to tell him about Clarisse's theory, that Pan was in the Labyrinth, but the sight of the big, black numbers froze my tongue.
'Can I borrow your cell phone?'
I stared at Percy in disbelief. Was he longing for Rachel's company already? My stomach churned. It probably didn't help that I hadn't eaten all day.
'To call my mom,' he said quickly.
I found my phone and tossed it over without a word. I heard him dial and leave a message on the answering machine at home, explaining his run-in with two empousai at the orientation, and how one of them had tricked him into blowing up the band room. He apologised to some guy named Paul-probably his mom's boyfriend. I guess they still hadn't told him about Percy's double life.
He didn't mention Rachel at all, which made me feel a little better.
I spent the rest of our taxi ride trying to organise my frazzled thoughts. Luke, the Labyrinth, Manhattan, monsters, Pan, Ariadne … Every time I glanced at Percy, Rachel's phone number on his hand threw my thoughts back into disarray, so I stopped looking at him and just focused on making a mental list of things that I needed to do.
When we got to camp, I went straight for the first thing on my list: find Clarisse and ask about the Manhattan Labyrinth entrance. That would lead to bullet point number two: talk to Grover before his hearing.
I left Percy to get himself settled into his cabin (and shower off the monster dust; he'd also better have washed his hands well before I next saw him). The Ares cabin were out in the archery field with Chiron and Lee, so I jogged out there in search of Clarisse.
Chiron paused the lesson when he saw me running up to them. 'Annabeth! You're back already?'
'Percy and I came straight to camp.' I paused, not wanting to go into the reason why Percy and I had cancelled our afternoon. Well, part of the reason. 'He ran into empousai at his school. They-'
Chiron slung his bow over his shoulder, looking alarmed. 'I must speak with him.' He didn't wait for me to finish before he galloped off towards the cabins.
Clarisse smirked at me. 'Prissy called off your date?'
'It wasn't a date.'
'Whatever.'
I waved at Lee to let him know I was borrowing Clarisse. He nodded and went back to getting the Ares group to shoot straight. Or trying to, at least.
'Clarisse, last winter-when you found your way out of the Labyrinth, you ended up in Manhattan.'
Clarisse made a face. 'Yeah, what about it?'
'Where was the exit?'
She narrowed her eyes. 'Why do you want to know?'
'I thought that might be what Kronos's army is searching for. It'd get them right into the city.'
Clarisse toyed with the arrow in her hand. 'You know what I think?'
'What?'
'We need to send our own scouts, like Luke was doing. And I know just who would be perfect.'
As if on cue, Grover came down the path, accompanied by Juniper, who was clutching his arm and looking tearful. He looked like he was trying to pass a kidney stone.
'Grover? You've got to be kidding. You saw the way he reacted before.'
'He wants to find Pan, right? It's time he got creative about where he looks.' Clarisse raised her voice. 'Hey, Goat Boy!'
Grover looked up. 'Are you two coming to the hearing?'
'The hearing-that's now?'
'It was brought forward,' Juniper said. 'The Council wanted to get it over with before lunch.'
'What hearing?' Clarisse asked.
'The Council of Cloven Elders,' I explained. 'They're not happy that Grover hasn't found Pan yet.'
We fell in step with Grover and Juniper, heading into the woods where the satyr council gathered.
'I told you,' Clarisse said. 'You should look underground.'
Grover reacted pretty much the way I expected him to. 'No way. Uh-uh. Pan isn't in the Labyrinth.'
'Well, how do you know?'
'Wait, you were serious about that? You want Grover to-to look for Pan in the Labyrinth?' Juniper looked stricken. 'You can't do that! He'll never come back alive!'
'Don't be so dramatic,' Clarisse said. 'No one's died in there.'
'Oh yeah? What about all the Athenians Minos killed? What about Theseus?'
'Theseus didn't die,' I reminded him. I didn't like to agree with Clarisse, but this was one of the rare occasions that her idea had merit. 'And you've already faced worse. Remember Polyphemus?'
For a second, Grover almost seemed convinced. Then his face fell. 'It doesn't matter anyway. If the Council votes against me today, it'll be all over. I won't have a searcher's license any more.'
We reached the clearing in the woods where three rose bushes trimmed in the shape of thrones were assembled. A few satyrs had already arrived. They cast Grover sympathetic looks as they took their places, forming a seated circle around the topiary thrones.
Grover gulped. The Council began to gather: a couple of nymphs, all the camp satyrs, including the three oldest ones. They were so senior that they rarely came into camp, preferring to hang out all day in the woods, drinking and sleeping. Fat as they were, they looked like they were rolling towards their thrones instead of walking. The bushes creaked under their weight when they took their seats.
Juniper clutched my arm. I patted her awkwardly on the back.
'We are gathered here today to discuss the matter of one Grover Underwood,' said the chief satyr. 'Searcher's license number four hundred and sixty-five.'
Grover stepped forward into the circle of satyrs. 'Master Silenus. Master Leneus. Master Maron.' He bowed low.
'What have you to say for yourself, Master Underwood?' Leneus asked. He had a reedy voice, like a note drawn out too long on the pipes.
Grover launched into his story, starting from the very beginning of his search, when he'd been side-tracked by the Cyclops Polyphemus.
'No, no,' Maron said impatiently. 'We have heard enough of your defeat of the Cyclops. All that nauseating bravery. We're interested in what you've found since then.'
'Well, in December, I was in New Mexico and I swear, I felt the spirit of Pan. He sent us a gift-a boar.'
Silenus leaned forward. 'And you followed the trail, naturally?'
'Um … no. I was with the Hunters and Percy. We had a quest, and-'
'And you deemed this more important than the quest you swore yourself to complete?' Leneus said.
Juniper started to cry. 'They're not even listening to him!'
'Shh,' Clarisse said.
'I went back after,' Grover continued doggedly. 'All spring I've been returning to the desert, trying to pick up the scent.'
'But you admit you failed.' Maron crossed his arms over his ample belly. 'You missed your chance in the winter.'
'It's going terribly,' Juniper sniffed. She produced a leafy handkerchief and blew her nose.
'No, no, he'll be fine, Juniper,' I assured her. Grover hadn't told them yet about Pan speaking to him. Once they heard that, they'd have to change their minds.
The soft clop of hooves made me look up. Chiron had arrived-and he'd brought Percy along. Percy slid off Chiron's back, landing next to Clarisse. She gave him a distasteful sidewise look. He stuck his tongue out at her.
His eyes fell on me and Juniper and his brows knit together in confusion. I realised he probably hadn't met Juniper yet. She and Grover had gotten together when he'd been away from camp. I mouthed a quick explanation to him before turning back to the hearing.
'But I heard him after,' Grover was saying. 'When we got back from our quest. He spoke to me-he told me-'
Silenus cut him off with a roar. 'Master Underwood! Do you seriously expect us to believe this?'
Grover looked taken aback by the ferocity of Silenus's objection. 'But Silenus-it's the truth!'
Chiron frowned and trotted into the circle, right up to the Council Elders. The three satyrs ignored him, muttering among themselves, but they didn't send him away. Chiron had an honorary place on the Council. I hoped he'd be able to talk some sense into the old satyrs.
'As if the wild god would speak to … to him,' Maron spluttered. There was a high, intense colour in his pudgy cheeks.
He was jealous. They all were. This council wasn't so much about Grover's failure to locate Pan as it was about the fact that they couldn't accept who Pan had chosen to speak to.
Juniper's fists came up, like she was eager to land them in Maron's sizeable gut. She even stepped towards him. I took her shoulder. Clarisse grabbed her by the arm. 'Wrong fight, girlie. Wait.'
Our eyes met and I knew we shared the same idea. Pulverising the council would only make things worse for Grover. And if we wanted Grover to consider searching for Pan in the Labyrinth, he had to keep his searcher's license.
In the end, it was Chiron who turned the tables for Grover. The Council Elders were on the verge of stripping Grover of his license when Chiron convinced them to give him one more week.
One week. It was almost impossible. But at least it was another chance. And maybe Clarisse's idea might just work.
The council adjourned, going straight to lunch right there in the clearing. Grover had no appetite, however. He wove through the broken circle of satyrs, who were descending on the food as quickly as the serving nymphs could bring it out. His head hung in shame and despair as he came to stand before us.
'Hi, Percy,' he said, noticing Percy's arrival. 'That went well, huh?'
Juniper flung her arms around Grover. 'Those old goats! Oh, Grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!'
Clarisse gave Grover a significant look. 'There is another option.'
Grover looked nearly desperate enough to consider it, but Juniper protested, 'I won't let you!'
Grover pulled away from her and took a deep breath. 'I-I'll have to think about it. But …' He looked at me, his expression pleading, as though hoping I had another idea. 'We don't even know where to look.'
Percy held his hands up like, whoa, slow down. 'What are you talking about?'
I was about to explain when a conch horn sounded, coming from the cabin area. I groaned inwardly. It just had to be cabin inspection time now. And my maps were lying all over my desk.
I promised to fill Percy in later. Right now, I had to get my stuff cleaned up.
+++
Fortunately, cabin six was in the middle of the green, so inspection never started with us. Silena Beauregard was taking her clipboard into Dionysus cabin, which gave me time to stuff away my discarded clothes, arrange my papers into a neat pile on my desk, and take the trash out to burn in the hearth fire.
The cabin area was full of the usual flurry of activity that always accompanied inspection time. The Demeter kids had grown out new daisies in their planter boxes and redone the honeysuckle climbing their walls. The breeze blew their scent all over the green. Hermes was probably going to get last place, judging from the swearing over at cabin eleven. Next to them, weird creaks and groans were coming from Hephaestus cabin.
Beckendorf's voice rose over the din. 'Come on, guys, don't make me look bad at inspection.'
I heard Jake Mason snicker. 'Sure it's inspection you don't want to look bad for?'
A piece of paper flew out of their cabin door, caught on the wind. It fluttered across the central hearth and plastered against my cabin's wall. Malcolm peeled it off. It was one of those DVD-case inserts, probably from someone's movie collection.
'Pan's Labyrinth,' he read.
A jolt went through me. 'What?'
He held up the movie insert. Sure enough, that was the title of the movie, printed in gilded letters across the picture of a bone-white face with massive goat horns. It might have been a satyr, but if so, he was the weirdest-looking satyr I'd ever seen, with gnarled limbs like tree bark and fingers like branches. In his hands was a sharp, pointed dagger.
I took the insert from Malcolm and headed across to cabin nine. Nyssa Barrera was on her hands and knees on the porch, scrubbing at an oil stain leaking out from the door.
'Hey,' I said, 'did this come from one of you?'
Nyssa glanced up. 'Oh-yeah, it's mine. How did it-oh no!' She whirled around, saw a pile of letters strewn across the porch steps, and slapped her forehead, leaving a black smudge on it. 'I thought I put something heavy on those …'
I helped her pick up her letters and shuffle them into a pile. 'Do you have the movie for this?'
'Huh? Oh, Pan's Labyrinth?' She shook her head. 'I lost the DVD a while back. I only kept the cover because my mom worked on its animation.'
'Animation?'
'My mom makes special effects for movies.' She indicated the weird satyr on the insert. 'She did that. Asked me a ton of questions about satyrs beforehand.'
'Do you know what the movie's about?'
'Some fantasy stuff. I wasn't really supposed to watch it.' She pointed to a sticker on the insert that said, rated R-graphic violence and some language, and winked. 'But I wanted to see the special effects.' She scrunched up her face. 'Let's see … I think there was a maze that led to the Underworld, and a satyr guide, and the main character had this big choice to make at the end. Then she died.'
I shivered.
'Yeah,' Nyssa said cheerfully. 'Not something you want to watch at night.'
I guess it didn't really matter what the movie was about. It was the insert itself that felt like a sign.
'Do you mind if I borrow this?'
Nyssa shrugged. 'Sure. I don't really need it.' Then she blanched. Silena was approaching and she was eyeing the oil stain on the porch with disapproval.
I thanked Nyssa and left them to the inspection.
+++
Grover went pale when I showed him, Clarisse, and Chiron the insert. We'd gathered in Chiron's office after lunch. Grover looked ready to throw up tin cans all over the carpet.
'That's … just a movie, right?' he said pleadingly. 'I mean, it's not like it's real or anything …'
'But stories develop from archetypes,' I said. 'Even if it only follows a trope, that means the idea already exists in civilisation. Right?'
I looked to Chiron for confirmation. He made a steeple with his fingers under his chin and nodded.
'Annabeth is right. If the mortals have the idea that Pan is associated with a labyrinth, then that must have taken root somewhere in the collective unconscious.'
Grover played with the corner of the insert. 'But Pan disappeared two thousand years ago. The Labyrinth-'
'It's been here all along,' Clarisse said. She looked at me. 'Isn't that what that professor friend of yours told us last year?'
I nodded. 'It's been growing under civilisation for thousands of years. The inventor, Daedalus-' A new thought hit me. 'He disappeared two thousand years ago, but there's no record of him being dead. It's like he just vanished off the island of Sicily. What if-what if he's in the Labyrinth? He had a workshop inside.' I visualised the large, open-air room from my dreams, filled with inventions and automatons. 'What if he found Pan and that's how he's kept the whole thing going? I mean, everything we've found out about it-the way it moves, the way it reads people's minds … it has to have its own life force to do all of that.'
'So this inventor dude's got Pan trapped?' Clarisse said sceptically.
'Not trapped, more like a partnership. Daedalus wouldn't do that. He's supposed to be really wise.' The more I examined the idea, the more I liked it. 'Grover, think about it. You could find Pan and Daedalus!'
Grover tore off the corner of the Pan's Labyrinth insert and put it in his mouth. 'Underground … how would I even know where to start looking? My senses don't work right down there!'
'I'll go with you. I've been studying the Labyrinth all year. I think I could try to navigate it. If we start with the entrance in Manhattan-'
'Hold on,' Chiron interrupted. 'Annabeth, you're not just talking about Grover's search any more. What you're suggesting is a quest.'
'Well, why not? It's perfect. And I could lead it. You know I'm ready.'
Chiron shook his head. 'You know this is not how it works, child. A quest must have a specific purpose.'
'Pan-'
'Is Grover's quest.'
'Well, if Kronos is trying to use the Labyrinth, we could stop him if we made it work for us instead.'
'Work for us,' Clarisse snorted. 'A trap that tricks you, fools you, and leads you to your death.'
'That makes me real keen to go inside,' Grover muttered. Another corner of the DVD insert disappeared into his mouth.
'This was your idea in the first place,' I reminded Clarisse. 'You were the one who thought Pan was in the Labyrinth.'
'Yeah, but I didn't mean one of us should go in there. It's different for Grover. He's not a human.'
'Thanks a lot.'
She rolled her eyes. 'You know what I mean, Goat Boy.'
'I agree with Clarisse,' Chiron said, which had to be a first. 'Grover, this may actually be the best option for you. But as for a quest … it's too dangerous. Remember last year, when Luke tried to use you to retrieve the Golden Fleece. All we have ascertained from Chris is that Luke has sent scouts into the Labyrinth. His true purpose is yet unclear. It could be another trap, a trick to entice campers into the maze and pick us off one by one.'
'But Luke-' I stopped. I hadn't told anyone about Luke's visit and I wasn't sure it was a good idea to. If Chiron thought Luke had been setting a trap in the Labyrinth, he wasn't likely to believe Luke was sincere in wanting to leave Kronos.
I wasn't even sure if he was sincere.
'I'm sorry, Annabeth. I know you want to lead a quest, but unless we are certain that the Labyrinth is a direct threat to camp, I don't think it's a good idea.'
I sighed. 'Fine. It was just a thought.'
Chiron smiled tightly. 'A good one, except it is perhaps not the right time. But for Grover … I think you should consider the girls' idea.'
Grover chewed up the rest of the Pan's Labyrinth insert. 'I-I-okay, fine, I'll think about it. Can I go now? I promised Juniper I'd help her trim her branches.'
Clarisse shook her head. 'She's just going to talk him back out of it.'
'Well,' said Chiron, 'then maybe we'll have to try a different approach.'
+++
I took a walk out to the canoe lake after leaving the Big House. To my delight, Tyson had arrived. He and Percy were hanging out by the dock, swapping stories about their year. I was so happy to see him, I forgot I was mad at Percy and sat down beside them. I kicked off my shoes and let my bare feet skim the surface of the clear water. Tyson regaled us with Poseidon's underwater battles against the ocean Titans.
'Daddy is trying to sink the bad ship,' he said, referring to Luke's monster cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda. 'But bad Titans are getting in the way. They are coming with big weapons. Make things go BOOM!'
'Who's making their weapons?' Percy asked. 'Are there Cyclopes on their side, too?'
Tyson shook his head. 'Bad monsters,' he said. 'Older than Cyclopes.'
I wondered if they were the ancient sea demons my mother had talked about. I didn't like the sound of them.
'Gods cannot find them,' Tyson continued. 'They are hidden good.'
'Like Pan,' I said, thinking of Grover's hearing. Was finding Pan really the key?
One of the naiads drifted up to the surface and blew Percy and Tyson a flirtatious kiss. Tyson blushed, but Percy didn't seem to notice.
'What's this "other way"?' he asked. 'The thing Clarisse mentioned?'
I skipped a stone across the lake. The naiad gave me a dirty look and dove back into the water's depths. I started to tell Percy about Clarisse's scouting mission, but the moment I mentioned Grover's name, Tyson cringed.
'Goat boy scares me.'
I raised my eyebrows. This was the first I'd heard about Tyson's aversion to satyrs. It was true that Tyson was scared of a lot of things you wouldn't imagine would frighten a Cyclops: monsters, bullies, scary campfire stories … But Grover? He was the least terrifying person I could think of. Well, unless you got between him and an enchilada.
Tyson muttered something about hooves, horns, and allergies.
'Well, we're trying to convince Grover that Pan-' I began, but Tyson shook his head frantically, his eyes wide. The mere mention of the satyr god seemed to be as bad as a horror story to him.
Percy caught my eye. His expression clearly said, let's talk about something else.
I sighed. 'Beckendorf's gonna be happy to see you. He's been making weapons all week.'
Tyson perked up. 'We went to the forges! Made axes!'
+++
I thought I'd get the chance to tell Percy about the Labyrinth after dinner, but I was ambushed by Silena Beauregard, who drew me into a discussion on defensive strategy. This was weird for two reasons. First, Silena wasn't exactly a good strategist (daughters of Aphrodite tend to think of 'strategy' as the best way to make guys notice you). Second, when I gave her a run-down of our plans, her eyes went out of focus, like she was trying to pay attention in a class that was too hard for her.
I patted her arm. 'Look-don't worry too much about it, okay? We all took point on something different for a reason. You're doing a great job keeping the schedules and stuff going so the rest of us don't have to worry about it.'
Silena smiled nervously. Her left hand worried at the bracelet around her wrist. 'I just feel like I need to do more.'
Beckendorf came over just then. 'Silena,' he said in his deep voice, 'I wanted to make a batch of battle armour for the pegasi. You think you could help me fit them?'
Silena brightened and gave him a much more genuine smile. 'Yeah, definitely.'
They headed off together in the direction of the stables. Silena's worries continued to nag at me. The threat of war was definitely taking a toll on us all. It strengthened my resolve to find a solution to face Kronos.
That night, I dreamt myself back on the barren cliff where the ancient Labyrinth stood outside the palace of Crete. Daedalus and Ariadne emerged from the maze. Its walls towered over them, stretching into the night sky.
'So that's it, then,' Ariadne said. She was older now, maybe my age or so. Her hair was woven into an intricate braid that wound around her head like a coronet.
'Yes,' Daedalus said. 'It is finished.'
'Excellent,' boomed a voice. Minos was walking down the cliff path. Behind him, flanked by heavily armed soldiers, was the Minotaur-Asterion. He was just a calf, his body lean and muscled. His horns were short and stubby, a bit like Grover's. There was a leash around his neck and chains on his wrists and ankles. He gave Ariadne a panicked look and lowed softly.
'Bring the beast,' Minos commanded.
Ariadne stepped in front of him. 'Papa, no! You can't do this!'
Minos's eyes glinted with malice. 'Was it not you who said he should have a home in the maze?'
Asterion's cow-eyes grew impossibly huge. He stared at Ariadne like she'd stabbed him in the gut.
'That was before I knew you meant to lock him up and-and feed people to him! He's not your executioner!'
'He is a monster.' Minos's tone was hard and unforgiving. 'He shall earn his keep.' He turned to the soldiers. 'Throw him in.'
The Labyrinth doors opened. Asterion struggled, but the guards forced him inside at spear point.
'He's my brother!' Ariadne shouted. 'He's your son!'
'He's no son of mine,' Minos sneered. 'Not another word from you, or you'll join him in there.'
'But-'
Daedalus clapped a hand over Ariadne's mouth, cutting off her protests. The doors of the Labyrinth clanged shut. Minos looked at it in satisfaction.
'The first prisoners will be ready to enter tomorrow morning,' he said. 'We'll see if anyone dares to mock me after this.'
Daedalus only let go of Ariadne after Minos and his soldiers had left.
'How could you?' Ariadne shouted. 'You knew from the start-you built the maze knowing that Papa was going to lock him away in it!'
Daedalus looked at her sadly. 'I had no choice, Princess. Your father would have killed me. He has never forgiven me for the indignity of your brother's birth.'
Ariadne burst into tears. 'He's going to starve, or-or worse!'
'Listen to me, Princess.' Daedalus took her hands. 'We can do nothing now. But one day, if you are clever enough, and brave enough, you may still save him.' He pressed the compass he had used previously to navigate inside the Labyrinth into her hands.
They both looked at the barred doors, now leading into a true prison. From inside came an angry, agonised howl.
My dream shifted. I was in a dark tunnel, following the Princess Ariadne as she felt her way along the Labyrinth walls. Her dim lantern illuminated rusty streaks along the wall. A corpse lay in the passageway. Half its body was caught in one of the giant mousetraps I'd seen before in Daedalus's workshop.
Ariadne shuddered and moved on.
'Asterion!' she called. 'Where are you?'
The Minotaur stepped out from around a blind corner. He had nearly doubled in size since the earlier scene. Thick muscle encircled his arms and legs. His horns were curved and wickedly sharp. There was matted blood in his fur and his breath stank of rotten flesh. If I'd been Ariadne, I would have run as fast as I could in the other direction. This beast was clearly not the same half-human brother she'd befriended. The look in his eyes said, snack, rather than, sister.
But Ariadne hummed a stanza of her old lullaby. The Minotaur froze. He blinked and the ferocious glare in his eyes softened. Ariadne went to him and embraced him. Slowly, he returned her hug.
'I'm sorry it's been so long since my last visit,' Ariadne said. 'Father had the guards doubled since the war with Athens. I had to bribe them with wine to get them to leave for even a minute. So there's none left to drink, I'm afraid. But I brought you some fruit.' She held up a basket.
Asterion backed away and hung his head.
'What-oh no. You didn't … Asterion, you have to hold on! I told you, I'll bring you food whenever I can. Father may send all the prisoners he wants in here, but we'll let the maze take care of them. We won't let you become a monster. I won't let it happen to you.'
Asterion let out a desperate, guttural cry. Tears leaked out of his big, brown eyes. Ariadne's gaze travelled up his arm to a deep gash in his shoulder.
'They found you,' she whispered. 'They …' She touched the cut. 'They tried to kill you, didn't they? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know you didn't mean to. I'm going to find a way to help you. I don't know how long it's going to take, or when I can be back, but you need to hold on until I can find out how to get you out of here, okay? You need to remember who you are! Promise me!'
She embraced her brother again. Then she left him her basket of fruit and headed off into the Labyrinth again. I followed, but she disappeared around a corner, leaving me in the dark.
'Where are we?' The voice made me jump. It was Percy, holding up his sword, Riptide. His green eyes reflected off the glow of his blade. 'Where did you bring me, Annabeth?'
'The Labyrinth, of course,' I said. A map appeared in my hands, crinkled and old. The walls came to life around us with flames dancing in bronze braziers. 'We're going to find Luke. He's in here.' The words found their way into my mouth, confident and assured.
'You didn't tell me that,' Percy said accusingly.
I clenched my fists. 'If you don't want to help …'
'No …' Percy spread his arms. 'It's this place-we're lost and I have no clue where we are.'
I squinted at my map. 'We're not lost. I have a map.'
'We're lost,' Percy insisted. 'Why didn't you tell me we were coming here? I could have helped. How am I supposed to help you when you never tell me anything?'
I opened my mouth to protest, but at that moment, a massive shadow fell across our path. Heavy footsteps pounded in the passage just beyond, making the ground shake. I almost screamed, thinking of the Minotaur.
But it was just Tyson. He barrelled around the corner, wringing his hands. 'Goat Boy needs help!' he yelled.
We ran after him. Tyson led us down the passage to a room that was no bigger than a prison cell. The walls here were ancient, the marble cracked and weathered with crust and pits. There was a strong smell of fresh earth, although I could only see stone.
Grover was on his knees, feeling the wall with his hands. 'Can't you sense it?' he said. 'I'm so close.'
I reached out to touch the wall. It had a shuddering pulse, like the maze was breathing in and out.
'Something's keeping it alive,' Grover said.
'Pan?' Percy asked.
A voice seemed to come from deep within the stone. 'Or its creator.'
I pressed my ear right up against the wall, trying to hear better. 'Find Daedalus,' said the voice. It was high and cold and seemed to cast a layer of ice over the stone. 'He has the answers.'
'But, my lord-Daedalus is …' It was Luke's voice now, trembling and hesitant.
'Dead?' Kronos snorted in amusement. 'The crafty inventor has evaded the judgement of Hades for centuries. He hides in his Labyrinth, but if we can find him, the final piece of the puzzle will be complete. I shall have all I need to march on that pestilent camp of heroes.'
Luke gulped. 'Yes, my lord.'
'But what's this? We have eavesdroppers …'
I pulled my ear away from the wall, certain that he had sensed me. Kronos's voice continued to seep softly through the cracks.
'Very well-they wish to spy on us? We will send them a little playmate to keep them busy.'
Kronos's laughter shook the walls. A tiny depression formed in the marble, right under my fingers. The blue Delta of Daedalus appeared and the wall melted away. So did the floor. It was dripping out from under my feet like hot wax.
Percy yelled. We were falling through the air, plummeting into nothingness …
I landed in my bed with a thud. My heart was racing, my head full of questions.
Outside, the moon was a large, round lamp. I was staring at it, trying to make sense of what I'd seen and heard in my dream, when a shadow blotted out its light.
Something was outside. Something big.
Chapter 8