an arrow is drawn
to the red dot,
as is one drawn
to the complexities
of their dreams.

•❅───✧❅ EIGHT ❅✧───❅•

     ANASTASIA FOLLOWED RACHEL, who'd changed into a ratty Museum of Modern Art T-shirt and her marker-colored jeans, to a metal door, half hidden behind a laundry bin full of dirty hotel towels. Anastasia and Annabeth pushed the bin to the side while Rachel pointed at the faint blue symbol etched in the metal.

"It hasn't been used in a long time," Annabeth muttered in awe. Anastasia watched her take a step forward.

"I tried to open it once," Rachel tilted her head as she stared at the metal door. "Just out of curiosity. It's rusted shut."

"No." Annabeth said in a matter-of-fact tone. She stepped forward, closer to the door. "It just needs the touch of a half-blood." Annabeth put her hand on the mark, and the rest of them watched it glow blue. The locks inside the metal door clicked open, and the door itself creaked open, revealing a dark staircase leading down.

"Wow." Rachel mumbled, but she looked calm. Anastasia glanced at her. Rachel's red hair was tied back, but she still had flecks of gold in it, and traces of the gold glitter on her face. "So...after you?"

"You're the guide," Annabeth gestured to the staircase. Anastasia was worried that Annabeth was going to push Rachel down to her death. "Lead on."

     Rachel inhaled deeply and walked ahead. Anastasia, fearing for Rachel's life, went after her. The stairs led down to a large brick tunnel. Anastasia reached up to her necklace, fiddling with the beads for a moment before pulling it. She felt the familiar heavy weight of the bow as Annabeth and Percy switched on their flashlights.

Rachel yelped, and Anastasia aimed an arrow at the skeleton in front of them, startled. Once she realized it was just a skeleton grinning down at them, she lowered her bow, stuffing the arrow back into her quiver.

     The skeleton was huge, strung up on the brick wall, smattered with blood stains, by its wrists and ankles. It made an 'X' in the middle of the tunnel. It had a single black eye socket in the center of its skull.

     "A Cyclops," Annabeth inspected the skeleton before looking at them. "It's very old. And it's not...anybody we know."

     "That's...nice to hear," Anastasia bit her bottom lip, nodding awkwardly. She glanced at Annabeth, who was already looking at her, and she smiled softly at Annabeth, who looked away immediately. Anastasia tried not let it sting.

     Rachel swallowed. "You have a friend who's a Cyclops?"

     "Tyson," Percy answered, looking both relieved and worried. "My half-brother."

     "Your half-brother." Rachel was pale. Anastasia rested a hand on her shoulder, and Rachel smiled appreciatively at her. Anastasia ignored Annabeth's sharp inhale.

     "Hopefully, we'll find him down here," Percy chirped, trying to keep the optimism in the air. "And Grover, who's a satyr. And Andy, who's the daughter of Hecate, and she's super cool." He pointed to Rachel with a smile. "You'll like her like I —" He stopped himself, red dust smattered across his cheeks. Anastasia exchanged an amused glance with Annabeth.

     "Maybe I will." Rachel smiled at him. "Well then, we'd better keep moving." She stepped under the skeleton's left arm and kept walking. Anastasia snorted and followed her.

     They followed Rachel fifty feet until they reached crossroads. Anastasia raised her brows before looking up at the ceiling of the tunnel. This was most definitely the cruel stars design for her.

     "That looks like the tunnel Tyson, Grover, and Andy too." Anastasia looked back down and saw Percy pointing to the left. The left tunnel was dirt and tree roots. Anastasia glanced at the right tunnel, where the walls were made of ancient marble slabs. If they continued forward, they would follow the brick tunnels to who-knows-where.

     "Yeah, but the architecture to the right-those old stones — that's more likely to lead to an ancient part of the maze, toward
Daedalus's workshop." Annabeth pointed out.

     "We need to go straight," Rachel interrupted, staring at the floor of the tunnel in front of them. Anastasia furrowed her brows at Rachel.

     "That's the least likely choice." Annabeth frowned.

     "You don't see it?" Rachel asked, pulling her gaze from the well-worn bricks and mud to look at the three of them. "Look at the floor. There's a brightness there. Very faint. But forward is the correct way. To the left, farther down the tunnel, those tree roots are moving like feelers. I don't like that. To the right, there's a trap about twenty feet down. Holes in the walls, maybe for spikes. I don't think we should risk it."

     Anastasia glanced to the tunnels, wondering if Rachel was actually telling the truth. When Percy gave her the notion to continue, she reluctantly trailed behind the group. Something was lurking in the tunnel, waiting for them.

     Annabeth lagged behind, walking beside Anastasia. Their pinkies brushed, and Anastasia shoved down the warm feeling brewing inside her chest. She glanced at Annabeth, and a foreign feeling bubbled inside, mixing in with the guilt of everything happening.

     "So, Rachel," Annabeth started, kicking a pebble, sending it skittering through the tunnel and vanishing into the darkness, "where are you from, exactly?" Anastasia cleared her throat, shooting a warning glance to Annabeth to stop being mean.

     Rachel didn't look offended. "Brooklyn."

     "Aren't your parents going to be worried if you're out late?"

     "Not likely." Rachel exhaled. "I could be gone a week, and they'd never notice."

     "Why not?" Annabeth asked genuinely. It was no secret that Annabeth had trouble with her parents — godly and human. Anastasia remembered last year when she finally reconnected with her father, Fredrick Chase, after he saved their lives. At the time, Anastasia didn't care if Annabeth was happy in her home after being away from them for so long — seeing as she ran away when she was seven — but a part of Anastasia wondered, if she had run away from her mother, would her mother still be willing to take her back. Would her mother still open her arms for Anastasia?

     Probably not, Anastasia thought bitterly, remembering how her mother abandoned her in the woods.

     Something creaked in front of them, sounding like huge doors were opening. Mixed with the cold draft of the wind coming from the tunnel, Anastasia had a horrible feeling that something dangerous was just in front of them, waiting for a midday snack, which just so happened to be them. Anastasia gulped, readying her bow in case of a surprise attack.

     "What was that?" Annabeth asked, her voice wavering slightly. Anastasia wanted to comfort her, but the heavy weight in her hand told her that now wasn't the time.

     "I don't know," Rachel mumbled. "Metal hinges."

     "Oh, that's very helpful. I mean, what is it?" The other three didn't answer Annabeth. Rather, they stood there like they wanted to die. If Anastasia wasn't part of the group and doing exactly that, she would groan and shake her head. It was like they were begging for something to kill them.

     When they heard heavy footsteps coming toward them, Percy turned to the group. "Run?"

     "Of all the things you've said, this might've been the smartest thing you've said, Percy." Anastasia nodded her head to the other side of the corridor, gesturing for them to go first. "I'll hold it off." She notched an arrow into her bow as the others ran; in the corner of her eyes, she noticed Annabeth hesitate before following the others.

She stayed that way, feeling the ground shake beneath her. She shot an arrow into the darkness that crawled its way to her; she couldn't hear where the arrow landed, preoccupied with the growing anxiety swirling inside of her gut.

The smell of her sweat combined with fear was prominent as it seeped into the cracks of the corridor, clinging to the walls as the being made itself clear in the faint light of the Celestial Bronze bow — an eight-foot-tall Laistrygonian giant with red eyes and fangs. He grinned maliciously at her, his yellow-stained fangs glinting in the light. There was a tinge of red on the tip, and Anastasia suppressed a gag. Was that blood?

The giant reached out for her with its large hands, but Anastasia was quick to react. She shot another arrow at the giant. It swatted the arrow away, like it was a measly fly, and grabbed her. Anastasia struggled against the monster's hold. Her arms were pressed to her sides, and she tried to kick the monster, but it only gripped her tighter. He held her up to his ugly face, grinning with the intention to eat her whole.

Anastasia scowled at him. "If you don't want an arrow in your eye, you should let me go."

"I'll just eat you, then." The monster opened its mouth, holding her up to drop her in. Anastasia thrashed in his hold, trying to break free from the giant's grip. She closed her eyes when she realized her efforts were in vain.

"Stop, you fool!" A shrill voice echoed through the tunnel. The giant stopped, glancing at the side of the tunnel. Anastasia opened her eyes, albeit warily, when she felt her being lowered to the ground. She glanced to the side, raising her brows at her...savior?

Two dracaenae — snake women in Greek armor — flanked Annabeth, Percy, and Rachel. They were pretty in the human sense if it weren't for their forked tongues and their yellow eyes with black slits for pupils. They wore bronze armor that stopped at their waists, but below them, where legs should've been, were two massive snake trunks, mottled bronze and green.

Anastasia narrowed her eyes at the empousa, wearing a cheerleader outfit, standing in the middle, holding Rachel. She guessed that this cheerleader was probably the ring-leader of the four, judging from her haughty stance and the cruel smirk that was dancing on her lips. Anastasia frowned, but when she saw how the dracaenae were holding Annabeth, she scowled at the cheerleader.

"Can I eat them?" The giant rumbled, licking his lips when he saw the rest of them. Anastasia wanted to stab an arrow through his eyes.

"No." The cheerleader curled her lip when she laid her eyes on Anastasia. "Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment." Her lips widened into a sardonic grin when she turned to Percy. "Now march, half-bloods. Or you all die here, starting with the mortal girl." Rachel looked terrified when the cheerleader flicked a talon underneath her chin.

The giant whined, but it didn't let go of Anastasia as the others marched past them. When Annabeth passed her, Anastasia tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it must've looked like a grimace when the giant squeezed a little too harshly.

They walked in the back, with the cheerleader, who looked like she had better places to be, toward the bronze doors, emblazoned with a pair of crossed silver swords, where the giant came out from. Beyond it came a muffled roar, almost like a crowd at a game; it sounded like when the camp came together to watch a basketball game between Apollo's kids and Ares's kids hosted at the end of the summer every year.

"Oh, yes," hissed the snake woman on the left, placing emphasis on the 's'. "You'll be very popular with our host."

"Who's your host?" Percy asked, his brows furrowed as he stared at the dracaenae.

She hissed again. "Oh, you'll see. You'll get along furiously. He's your brother, after all."

The giant pushed past them, still holding on to Anastasia, and opened the doors. The roars of the crowd was much louder this time, and the bronze doors rattled from the force of hundreds of beings stamping their feet. He turned to Annabeth, picking her up by her shirt, and growled, "You stay here."

"Let her go, you asshat!" Anastasia kicked the giant in the chest, but it had no effect on the monster.

The cheerleader laughed, and Anastasia grimaced at the grating sound. "Go on, Percy. Entertain us. We'll wait here with your friends to make sure you behave."

"What about this one?" The giant held Anastasia up to the cheerleader, like she was a piece of meat. The cheerleader's cold eyes raked over her, landing on her bow that was still in her clenched hand.

"Throw her in as well," the cheerleader cackled. "My master would be pleased." Anastasia recoiled in disgust after the cheerleader's eyes glinted after her last word.

Anastasia felt the giant's grip loosen on her, and she fell to the ground on her arm. Pain sprouted from her shoulder and into her chest, but she managed to rise up. Percy was beside her, apologizing to Rachel. Anastasia ignored Rachel for the moment and looked at Annabeth, whose eyes were a beautiful gray.

"I'll be okay." Anastasia's lips twitched, but she was forced to walk into the arena, alongside Percy. The dracaenae prodded them at javelin-point everytime one of them slowed down.

When Anastasia walked inside, she was nearly blinded by the light. When her eyes finally adjusted, she noticed the spot light was mainly focused on the circular dirt floor. In the center, a fight was taking place between a giant and a centaur.

For a split second, Anastasia worried that the centaur was Chiron, and she nearly yelled out before she realized. The centaur looked panicked, galloping around the enemy with his sword and shield, while the giant swung a javelin the size of a telephone pole. The crowd cheered loudly, chanting for either the giant or the centaur. Anastasia couldn't tell.

     The first tier of seats was about twelve feet above the floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. There were giants, dracaenae, telekhines, and stranger things: bat-winged demons and creatures that seemed half human and half weird-bird parts, reptile, insect, mammal. There were also demigods seated between these monsters, some Anastasia recognized. She looked away, biting her lip. She hoped none of them saw her.

     The creepiest things, however, were the skulls that filled the arena. They ringed the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches, They grinned, with their sickly-white teeth, from the pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling, like they were prized chandeliers. Some of them were old, bleached-white bones, but others looked a lot fresher, stained red, yellow, and green. They still had splotches of flesh sticking to it. It was revolting, to say the least, and Anastasia had to tear her eyes away from those skulls that seemed to mock her frightened gaze.

     She turned her attention to the spectator's wall. A green banner with the trident of Poseidon was hanging in the center. Above the banner, sitting in a golden seat of honor, was...Luke. She nearly cried out in relief at the sight of him, unharmed. He was grinning coldly, and the scar on his face seemed to glow underneath the light of the arena. He was wearing camouflage pants, a white T-shirt, and a bronze breastplate over it.

     "Luke," Anastasia heard Percy breathe beside her.

     Behind him was the mirage Anastasia recognized. Anastasia would've stepped forward if she hadn't realized that the dracaenae were right behind her. The mirage, however, caught sight of her, and he raised a hand in greeting. Time slowed down, and the crowd's noises were sluggish. Anastasia blinked, and the mirage's hand was placed on the top of the golden seat.

     Next to Luke was a large giant, with skin that was dark crimson and blue tattoos in the form of waves. The giant took up three seats, and he was larger than the one on the floor fighting the centaur. He wore only a loincloth, and Anastasia widened her eyes, looking away from the giant to the cry from the arena floor.

     The centaur crashed to dirt in front of Percy and Anastasia. He looked at Anastasia and Percy, pleading with them to intervene. "Help!"

     Anastasia readied her bow, but the giant with the javelin roared, approaching the centaur, who was struggling to get up. But before she could pull an arrow from the quiver on her back, a taloned hand gripped her shoulder, pressing into it sharply. "If you value your friends' lives," the dracaenae guard hissed in Anastasia's ear, its forked tongue licking the side of her earlobe, "both of you won't interfere. This isn't your fight. Wait your turn."

     Anastasia's bow arm drooped, and she watched in horrifying silence as the centaur fell to the ground each time. One of his legs was broken. The sounds of the crowd faded away as she watched the giant put his huge foot on the horseman's chest and raised his javelin. He looked up at Luke, his wicked eyes glinting with a mad sense of pleasure. Luke didn't say anything, but he smiled wickedly, resting his chin on his hand. The tattooed giant rose instead, grinning down at the centaur, who was whimpering, "Please! No!" But the giant wasn't phased by this. He held out his hand and gave a thumbs down sign.

Anastasia watched the gladiator thrust his javelin into the poor centaur's chest. He howled in pain, and golden ichor seeped from his chest. Then, it faded into dust, and the centaur was disintegrating to ashes. Soon, all that was left of it was a single, brown hoof, which the giant took up as a trophy and showed the crowd. They roared their approval. A gate opened at the opposite end of the stadium, and the giant marched out in triumph. The crowd went wild.

In the stands, the tattooed giant raised his hands for silence. Anastasia saw how everyone hushed at the sight of it. There wasn't even a peep. "Good entertainment!" he bellowed.

This was entertainment? Pitting innocents against monsters that were five-times their size was entertainment? She now understood what the strange being said to her when she was in the dream realm. "But nothing I haven't seen before. What else do you have, Luke, Son of Hermes?"

Luke's jaw tightened. Anastasia knew that he didn't like being called a son of Hermes, because he hated his father. But Luke rose to his feet, calmly, and his eyes glittered. The mirage let him rise.

"Lord Antaeus," Luke said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You have been an excellent host! We would be happy to amuse you, to repay the favor of passing through your territory."

"A favor I have not yet granted," Antaeus growled. "I want entertainment!" The crowd cheered, agreeing with the giant.

Luke bowed. It was weird seeing Luke bow to something. "I believe I have something better than centaurs to fight in your arena now. I have an old friend of mine and a brother of yours." He turned to Anastasia and Percy, pointing at them. "Anastasia Nishant, an unclaimed — " The demigods in the stands yelled profanities at her, and Anastasia winced. " — and Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." The crowd began jeering at him, throwing stones at him. Anastasia held her hands up to block the rocks, but she saw a rock scraping Percy's cheek, making a good-sized cut.

Antaeus's eyes lit up. "A son of Poseidon? Then he should fight well! Or die well!"

"If his death pleases you," Luke smiled, "will you let our armies cross your territory?"

"Perhaps!" Antaeus shrugged. Luke didn't look too pleased about the 'perhaps.' He glared down at them, with cold blue eyes.

"Luke!" Annabeth yelled from somewhere behind Anastasia. "Stop this. Let us go!"

Luke blinked, noticing Annabeth for the first time. He looked stunned for a moment. "Annabeth?"

"Enough time for the others to fight afterward," Antaeus interrupted. He smiled down at Anastasia. "It seems we have an archer on our hands. And as much as I love fighting with my bare hands, there is something about archers that thrills me."

     The dracaenae pushed her into the middle of the arena. Anastasia stumbled slightly before regaining her footing. The gates on the opposite side of the arena opened again, and demigods, different from in the stands, came in, carrying targets. Other than the blood splatters decorating the ranges of the target, they looked untouched. There were no holes decorating the target, which made it look like they were brand new, but the blood splatters proved otherwise. The demigods placed the targets on the ground a hundred feet away before they went inside the gates again.

     "Now, step forward, Anastasia Nishant." Antaeus motioned her forward. Anastasia took a hesitant step forward. She gripped her bow so tightly she was afraid that she was cutting off her blood circulation. "I heard you were the best archer in that little camp of yours, is that right?"

     The crowd started to yell, but Antaeus held up his hand, silencing them. He looked at Anastasia, and the intensity of his gaze made Anastasia want to take a step back. Before she could, the mirage shook his head. So Anastasia stayed rooted to that spot. It was telling her to stay strong. To stand up to the jerk. So she did.

     "Yeah," Anastasia yelled. "Why? You want to be my target practice or something?"

     Antaeus laughed loudly. "Prove you're worth it!" The gates opened again, and out stepped a Cyclops, with glowing yellow eyes, a centaur, who looked afraid of this whole thing, and a demigod that Anastasia recognized from camp. She recognized him because he was the one who taught her everything she knows. And the worst part was that he was claimed by a good goddess, Demeter.

     "Nathan Dunken." Anastasia furrowed her brows at the boy. He was older than her by only a few years, but his laughter usually made him younger. Now, the laugh lines around his mouth and the crinkles underneath his eyes were just a harsh reminder that he used to laugh. He used to be good friends with Luke, and when he disappeared, Nathan disappeared as well. Anastasia and the others searched everywhere for him, but no one could find him. Until now.

     "Nate, it's me, Anastasia!" She tried to reach out for him, but the dracaenae guards grabbed her, digging their talons into her arms. "Nate! Please!" Nate didn't even look at her.

     "So you know him?" Antaeus said, sitting down in his seats. "This will make everything so much interesting."

     At Antaeus's nod, Anastasia was thrown into a line, facing the targets. Beside her were the centaur and Nate. She looked at him, imploring him with her eyes to look at her. Nate didn't spare her a glance as he shrugged his bow — made of tree bark and swirling green vines that sprouted white buds — and aimed at the target. Realizing that Nate wouldn't talk to her, Anastasia raised her bow and aimed for the red bullseye.

     As she waited for the signal, she couldn't help but wonder why the targets were untouched. Maybe the monsters missed, but that didn't explain the blood splatters. It didn't explain how, if they were a hundred feet away, the blood could reach them. And this fight? What was so special about this one? Why did Antaeus include this? If it was just archery, then why the special effects? Anastasia looked up and saw the monsters cheering for them, but it felt bizarre to her. At camp, there were no special archery competitions, and if there were, then nobody would really cheer for the opponents. It wasn't like this was a fight. Unless...

     "Begin!" Antaeus boomed, and the crowd roared its approval. But before Anastasia could shoot her arrow, the centaur cried out in pain. Anastasia snapped her neck to the side to see an arrow sticking through its neck. Her eyes widened in horror. How was that even possible? Her bow arm drooped as she watched the centaur disintegrate into ash.

     "Come on, idiot." Nate grabbed Anastasia's elbow and dragged her to the targets. "If you just stand like that, you're going to get yourself killed."

     "But — the centaur...he..." Anastasia let herself be pushed behind the target. She looked up at Nate, who was standing over her. Betrayal shone in her eyes as she stared at him. This used to be her friend. "And you..."

     "Yeah, I killed him." He peeked his head out from the target before ducking down. He winked at Anastasia, like she was in on a secret joke. "And he deserved it. A real twat, he was."

     Anastasia stared at him. This wasn't the Nathan Dunken she knew. "What happened to you? You used to be kind, and you didn't like killing. You didn't even harm a bug!" Nate's brown eyes hardened, and Anastasia wondered how he changed so quickly from a kind boy to a cold killer in the span of 4 years.

     "Well, times change, little Stasia," Nate strung an arrow in his bow, peeking above the target to shoot at the Cyclops. When he ducked down, he looked at her, smiling sadly. "So I changed as well. To stay alive." He laid a hand on Anastasia's shoulder, and he continued, "Besides, Luke offered me everything the gods didn't offer. He offered me peace and happiness."

     "Happiness?" Anastasia scoffed, shrugging off the hand on her shoulder. She felt an arrow whiz above her, and she popped up to shoot an arrow at the Cyclops. It barely skimmed his arm, but he roared as if she just shot at his heart. She ducked down, glaring at Nate. "You think killing innocents leads to happiness? This doesn't lead to happiness, Nate!"

They both peeked up from the target to shoot at the Cyclops. They ducked down soon after, and Anastasia continued. "You are a good person, Nate. You had siblings who loved you, friends who cared for you. You had a mother —"

     "A mother who abandoned me!" Nate yelled, a snarl on his lips. "She took one look at me, and she decided that I wasn't worth her attention." He spat those words out like they were poison. "She cursed me, Stasia. She cursed me for being alive, and I've tried to get her attention, but it's hard when your own mother thinks of you as a monster."

     "You're not a monster!"

     "Aren't I?" His eyes were desperate as he leaned forward. Anastasia could see the guilt in his eyes. "I kill anything I touch, and it is just now, I can control it. I — I can feel plants dying and growing and feeding, and I feel like I am going to die, Stasia. The poison is spreading in my body everytime I use these damned powers, and Kronos is offering me a way out."

"No," Anastasia breathed, looking up at the boy she used to admire. "There has to be another way. We — I can't just let you die, Nate!"

"Well, you have to." Nate clenched his jaw. "Now, do you want to beat this son of a bitch or not?"

Anastasia couldn't let Nate do it on his own, so she nodded wordlessly. Nate grinned without humor, and he held up a hand, counting down on his fingers, starting with three.

When he reached the last finger, he rolled out from the side. Anastasia followed him, and as one, they shot at the Cyclops. They ran to the Cyclops, weaving in and out of his legs. The Cyclops tried to retaliate, but everytime he tried to shoot at Anastasia or Nate, the other would intercept with their own arrow.

"Hey, little Stasia," Nate yelled from the opposite side of the Cyclops, "wanna do something fun?"

Anastasia grabbed another arrow, stabbing it in its toe as she slid underneath his legs. It roared out in pain, but Anastasia ignored him, grinning at Nate beside her. "What do you have in mind — oh no no no no." Her smile dropped when Nate's grin grew. "We're not doing that. It's never fun."

"What do you mean it was never fun?" Nate gave her an offended look, and Anastasia bit her lip from grinning at his shocked face. "We had a great time doing, 'Get Help.'"

"No." But even Anastasia couldn't refuse after seeing Nate's face. "Fine."

The Cyclops, regaining its stability, spotted them, and it raised his bow, ready to shoot at both of them. Nate looped his arm around Anastasia, who was looking less than pleased with the situation. He looked at the Cyclops, a mischievous glint dancing in his eyes but he was frowning. The Cyclops growled, but Nate interrupted, "Stop! Can't you see? She needs help! Get help!"

     "I need help." Anastasia said monotonously. Then, mumbling lowly to herself, she added, "A therapist would actually be delightful right now."

The Cyclops lowered his bow, confused. This gave Nate the perfect opportunity to fling Anastasia at him using all of his strength. Anastasia, as she flew through the air, revealed the arrow in her hands and stabbed the Cyclops in the neck. It choked on its own blood as Anastasia tumbled to the floor. He clutched his neck, which gushed crimson, and Anastasia rose to her feet. Nate helped her.

"We are never doing 'Get Help' again." Anastasia mumbled underneath her breath. Nate laughed, and Anastasia felt herself smiling. It was nice to hear an old friend laughing again.

The Cyclops, however, didn't feel the same. It growled, eye menacing as it glared at both of them wrapped in each other's arms. He picked up the bow he dropped and shot arrows at them, quicker than Anastasia expected. She would think that having an arrow lodged inside a neck would slow someone down. But the Cyclops pressed forward, disregarding the arrow in his foot and in his neck. He threw his bow to the side and lunged for Anastasia.

Still weak from the throw, Anastasia couldn't move. So she closed her eyes, waiting for the impending death. But when she didn't feel anything, Anastasia opened her eyes.

In front of her was Nate holding his hands at the Cyclops covered in green vines. Roots began to grow from the ground, creeping over the stunned Cyclops. Pink flowers, that would've been cute to see on any other occasion, were attacking the Cyclops, tearing off its flesh with its petals. It screamed in agony as it thrashed around in the vines' hold. Then, as if the branch had a mind of its own, it speared the Cyclops from the back, and the Cyclops paused, momentarily stunned by the movement. He let out another wail before he disintegrated.

"Nate, that was amazing!" Anastasia watched in amazement as the vines and branches disappeared beneath the arena floor. It didn't even leave a mark. When Nate didn't answer, she glanced toward him. "Nate?"

The boy finally turned toward her, his face as green as the vines he controlled just mere minutes ago. Anastasia remembered what he said about him dying if he used these powers.

No. Nate can't die. Her friend can't die.

He tumbled to the floor, and Anastasia dove to catch him, muttering futile ideas. He choked on his breath as he stared up at Anastasia, who brushed his hair away from his face. The crowd's screams for blood went ignored by both of them.

"W-we ha-ad a good run, didn't we?" Nate cupped a hand on Anastasia's cheek, wiping away a stray tear that had fallen. "Ta-taught you everything I know."

"Yeah," Anastasia forced out a watery laugh. "Yeah, you did, Nate."

Nate closed his eyes, smiling a little. "I'm tired, little Stasia."

"I know, Nate." Anastasia's heart wrenched in her chest. She leaned down to press her forehead against his. "And it's okay."

Nate hummed tiredly. "Don't."

Anastasia sniffed, raising her head to look at Nate, who opened his eyes. Brown eyes filled with forgotten warmth and lost love met her eyes. "Don't what?"

"You know."

And Anastasia did know. She just didn't want to face it just yet. Somehow sensing this, Nate smiled, and his eyes rolled away from Anastasia's. He stared up at the skull chandeliers with a fading gaze. His breaths were shortening, and he searched the ceiling for something. Or perhaps someone.

"Hey, little Stasia?" Anastasia hummed a response, pressing her lips into a thin line to stop them from quivering. She tried not to let her voice break. "You shoot the arrows at the bullseye, not the centaur's tail."

Anastasia croaked out a laugh. During her first lesson with Nate, she believed that she was aiming for the bullseye, but somehow, the arrow found its mark on Chiron's tail, who had come down from the Big House to enjoy the summer's day. She sputtered apologies to Chiron, who acted like it was no big deal, but after the lesson, Nate pulled her aside and made her laugh, for the first time in Camp, using these words.

"Well," Anastasia started, her memory of what she said to him replaying inside of her mind, like a broken record, "you're the teacher. You're supposed to..." But Anastasia didn't finish the sentence.

Because in her arms lay the dead son of Demeter, Nathan Dunken.

Anastasia didn't dare let herself cry. The crowds screamed, throwing rocks at them, but Anastasia held up a hand to silence them. When they didn't stop their hollering, Anastasia threw a nasty glare at each and everyone of them; the glare was especially harsh when she spotted a demigod. She glanced up at Antaeus, Luke, and the mirage, and she rose to her feet. And she did something that shocked both herself and the three sitting in the stands.

Anastasia flipped them off.

ANASTASIA HELD ANNABETH'S hand as they ran away from the arena. Ethan Nakamura, an unclaimed demigod, was running beside Percy and Rachel, while Mrs. O'Leary followed them. In Anastasia's other hand, she gripped Nate's bow in her hand tightly; her own bow was in the form of her necklace around her neck.

She vaguely heard the crowd, which was actually Luke's army, jumping out of the stands and trying to follow them. Mrs. O'Leary was doing the best she could to slow them down so that Anastasia, Annabeth, Percy, and Rachel could escape.

Long story short, after Nate died in her arms, she was pulled away by the dracaenae guards to stand next to Annabeth and Rachel. Percy was thrown into the arena where he had to duel with Ethan, but at the last minute, he decided to spare his life. She wasn't too focused on the sword fight between the two demigods, her mind wandering back to a time when things were simple. Antaeus had jumped down with the intention of killing Percy himself, but Anastasia wasn't too worried about that; if Percy managed to survive this far, then he should have no problem killing Antaeus, and she was right.

Anastasia, during their battle, looked up at the stands. Luke caught her eyes, and he smiled. For a moment, Anastasia could believe that they were at Camp Half-Blood, and they were still friends.

She knew how much Nate meant to Luke, but she didn't expect Nate to give up his life for this cause. And Luke...how could Luke just sit back and watch his 'friend' sacrifice himself for her? Shouldn't he at least look a little forlorn? All Anastasia wanted to do at that moment was to talk to Luke and the mirage behind her. She wanted to ask them what they were going to do, and how they would live with themselves when this was all over. Most importantly, she wanted to know who her godly parent was from the mirage. He would know.

"This way!" Rachel yelled, pointing to the tunnel in front of them.

"Why should we follow you?" Annabeth demanded, squeezing Anastasia's hand as they ran. "You led us straight into that death trap!"

"It was the way you needed to go," Rachel explained, making another turn at a crossroad. "And so is this. Come on!"

Annabeth didn't look pleased about it, but she didn't say another word as they followed Rachel, who knew exactly where she was going. How? Anastasia didn't know. Rachel whipped around corners and didn't even hesitate at crossroads. She avoided traps sent by the Labyrinth that saved their lives. Anastasia was kind of impressed at how swiftly Rachel was handling things, especially after finding out that there were monsters that came straight out of a mythology book.

They finally stumbled into a large room with old marble columns holding up the roof. Anastasia leaned against one, sighing in relief when her back met something solid. She slid down to sit on the floor, pulling her knees into her chest and rested her chin on them. The floor was cold, taunting and torturing her mind with the same thoughts of Nathan Dunken's dead body in her arms.

She placed his bow down next to her, unwilling to hold a piece of him for much longer. If she had acted quicker, then maybe, Nate would be sitting down next to her, holding his nectar flask out to her. Alas, she was alone in a room full of people, and her fears decided they were fit for her company.

Ethan collapsed on the floor. "You people are crazy." He pulled off his helmet, face gleaming with sweat. His black hair was greasy as it flopped down to his forehead, drawing Anastasia's attention to the eye patch on his left eye.

     Annabeth gasped. "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in the Hermes cabin, years ago."

     He glared at her with his one eye (although, it looked like Ethan was staring at Annabeth). "Yeah, and you're Annabeth. I remember."

     "What — what happened to your eye?" Ethan looked away at Annabeth's question. The harsh lines on his face softened, and something akin to guilt shone on his face.

     "You must be the half-blood from my dream," Percy interjected. "The one Luke's people cornered. It wasn't Nico after all."

     "Who's Nico?"

     Oh, just some emo kid who lost his sister, and when we talked to her ghost, she told me to look after him, but I somehow screwed that up as well. Anastasia snarked mentally in her head. No biggie. She wondered if Bianca would regret asking her to look after her goth brother.

     "Never mind," Annabeth chimed in (un)helpfully. "Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?" At that, Anastasia's head snapped toward Ethan, still on the floor. She rose to her feet, walking over to stand next to Annabeth.

     Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I —"

     "Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment?" Annabeth finished, crossing her arms. "Gee, I wonder."

     Ethan struggled to his feet, and Anastasia resisted the urge to hold out a hand for him to take. "I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks for the help, but I'm out of here."

     "We're going after Daedalus," Percy continued, exchanging a glance with Anastasia. "Come with us. Once we get through, you'd be welcomed back to camp."

     Would he be welcomed back? By the same campers he betrayed? Anastasia didn't think so. She thought that Percy was too optimistic about the coming future. He truly believed that everyone can live their 'happily ever after' after they stop Luke and Kronos. And then what?

Anastasia would go back to being alone and forgotten in camp. And for the other unclaimed/claimed demigods who joined Kronos's side? They wouldn't be welcomed back to camp. They would be shunned and rejected, like they used to be in the beginning. Anastasia understood why many people joined Kronos. For recognition. For honor. It wasn't because the gods were evil or they were horrible. It was because they wanted someone to see them for who they truly are — broken shards and all.

     Ethan scoffed. "You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you."

     "He has to," Annabeth insisted. "We'll make him listen."

     Ethan snorted, like what Annabeth was saying was comical. "Yeah, well. Good luck with that." He turned to head back into the maze.

     Percy grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could run off. "You're going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide."

     Ethan turned his head to glare at him. His eye patch was frayed around the edges, and the black cloth was faded, like he'd been wearing it for a long, long time. The thought made Anastasia look away from Ethan. "You shouldn't have spared me, Jackson. Mercy has no place in this war." When Anastasia looked back up to him, Ethan ran off into the darkness. Something pulled at her chest to follow him.

     So Anastasia did.

She ignored Annabeth, Percy, and Rachel's call for her to stop, and instead, she called Ethan's name once. She didn't think he heard her, but he slowed to a stop right before he chose a side in the tunnel. He turned toward her, furrowing his brows in question to why she was here. Anastasia could understand Ethan's apprehension towards her, but she wasn't there to judge him or criticize him.

"What?" Ethan snarked at her.

Anastasia stopped in front of him. "Nothing...I just wanted to see how you were doing."

He frowned, looking a little confused. Anastasia could tell that he was expecting her to persuade him to the other side. "Fine." They stood there, basking in the awkward silence, before Ethan asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

He gave her a look to cut the bullshit. "Why'd you come after me?"

Anastasia hesitated before answering. "You're right." After seeing his questioning glare, she clarified. "You're right about the gods. They never cared for us. They never were present, other than giving us this wretched life. So yeah, you were right in saying that there was no right side. It's because there isn't. That's like asking to choose between two sides of the same coin to live with forever."

     "You were given the choice, weren't you?" Ethan's eye widened. Anastasia shuffled awkwardly, staring at the grimy gray floor. "Well? What did you say?"

     At that, Anastasia looked up at him, narrowing her eyes at the hopeful look in his lone eye. "What do you think, Ethan? If I'm traveling with a mortal and two, really important demigods, what do you think?"

     The hope in Ethan's eye diminished, and the glare returned. "Do you know who your father is, Anastasia Nishant?" He leaned forward, dropping his voice into a whisper. "Because I know." He pulled away from a shocked Anastasia and ran further into the maze. There was no way that Ethan Nakamura knew who her father was, and she didn't.

     ANASTASIA SAT NEXT to Rachel as Percy and Annabeth collected some scrap wood to start a fire in the huge rooms. She stared at Nate's bow in her hands. She could still feel the fading heartbeat in her palms. She knows that the fading light in his warm brown eyes was going to haunt her until she was in the Underworld, awaiting judgment from the three ghosts.

     "It isn't your fault." Rachel whispered beside Anastasia. She grabbed Anastasia's shoulder, drawing her attention away from the bow and to her face.

As Percy lit the fire, Rachel's green eyes flashed with warm hues of the fire; the gold specks glowed a melting orange in her hair, and her red curly hair sparkled. She leaned closer to Anastasia, close enough that Anastasia could see the green swirl in her eyes. It sort of reminded her of Annabeth's gray eyes, where the storms and the night sky danced and intertwined.

     "Can I ask who he was?" she asked softly. Anastasia appreciated the soft and understanding tone of her voice.

     She nodded, clearing her throat before leaning back to stare at the fire. "His name was Nathan Dunken." The fire raged in front of her. "And he taught me how to shoot an arrow. Anyone who wanted to learn how to shoot an arrow had some sort of natural ability from their godly parents. Well, with the exception of Will Solace, the son of Apollo, God of Archery.

     "Um...anyways, I tried and tried to shoot one arrow, but I couldn't. The tutor at the time, a son of Apollo, told me to pick another weapon. That archery wasn't meant for me. But I didn't want to give up. I could feel that archery was my thing. So, I started sneaking out. It wasn't until Nathan snuck up behind me, and basically told me I was shit. I lashed out, but in the process, I shot the arrow. He was the son of Demeter, so you could understand my wariness. I learned how to shoot an arrow —  more than one, in fact — and Nathan became my friend." She leaned to the side. "And I'm pretty sure he had a thing for Luke."

     "Really?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

     Anastasia chuckled. "Yeah, so when Luke disappeared, Nathan did too. He told me he had — "

     "Something was wrong with Luke," Annabeth interjected at the other side of them. Anastasia breathed in deeply, but she didn't say anything else. Annabeth poked the fire with her knife. "Did you notice the way he was acting?"

     Percy and Anastasia exchanged an exasperated glance. Anastasia nodded to Annabeth, telling him that it was his turn to poke the...Annabeth. He sighed, but he cleared his throat, ready to be yelled at.

"He looked pretty pleased to me." Rachel and Anastasia cringed at his wording, and as if he noticed this as well, Percy grimaced, but he continued. "Like he'd spent a nice day torturing heroes."

     "That's not true! There was something wrong with him. He looked...nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something."

     "Probably, 'Hi, Annabeth! Sit here with me and watch while I tear your friends apart. It'll be fun!'"

"You're impossible," Annabeth grumbled. She sheathed her dagger and looked at Rachel, disdain written across her features. "So which way now, Sacagawea?"

"Lay off her, meri jaan," Anastasia muttered. Annabeth huffed, but she didn't say anything else.

Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, images of the monsters they'd seen. With a few strokes, she drew a dracaenae perfectly. "We'll follow the path. The brightness on the floor."

"The brightness that led us straight into a trap?" Annabeth snarked quietly.

"Enough, Annabeth." Anastasia looked up from the fire, silently warning her to back off.

Annabeth stood abruptly. "The fire's getting low. I'll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy." And she marched off into the shadows.

"Well," Anastasia gripped the bow in her hand and stood up. She walked to the far side of the room, where her pack laid, and she settled down. "You guys talk strategy. I'm going to sleep." She turned away from the glowing embers, facing the dark shadows that was her company, and closed her eyes.

Fortunately, she had no dreams that night. She was, however, woken up by Annabeth roughly shaking her shoulder. "Annie, wake up!"

     Anastasia's eyes fluttered open, landing on Annabeth's face, which was mere inches from hers. She felt her ears sting and her face heat up as she scanned Annabet's face. Every scar, freckle, and imperfect perfections were present in Annabeth's face; Anastasia felt her heart speed up and her hands clammed up. "Um...hi?"

     "Get up," Annabeth pulled on Anastasia's arm. "Earthquake!"

     It was only then that Anastasia noticed that the room was shaking. She shot to her feet, grabbing her pack. She hesitated when she saw Nate's bow, and she made the decision to leave it behind. Bury him in the place he ran away to.

Percy called for Rachel, and the four of them ran to the far tunnel. A column next to them groaned and buckled, nearly crashing on top of them. Many more tons of marble crashed down behind them. They had made it to the corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppeling. A cloud of white dust billowed over them, and Anastasia coughed trying not to breathe in the air.

     "You know what?" Annabeth panted as she ran beside Anastasia. "I like this way after all."

     Up ahead, there was a light — like regular electric lighting. Rachel pointed to it. "There." They followed her into a stainless steel hallway; fluorescent lights flickered from the ceiling, and the floor they ran on was a metal grate. Anastasia glanced at Annabeth, whose face shone in the unflattering, harsh illumination.

     "This way," Rachel sped up. "We're so close!"

     Annabeth shook her head. "This is so wrong! The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze." She had a point. The walls should be less modernized, and more ancient, like the ones they'd seen when they'd first entered the maze. "This can't —" Anastasia slowed to a stop when Rachel stopped.

     In front of them was a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large, blue Greek Δ. "We're here," Rachel announced, looking at the three of them. "Daedalus's workshop."

first off: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 1K READS! all of you readers — the commenters and the silent readers — are amazing! thank you once again!

fun fact: nate was supposed to live and help the demigods defeat kronos but i was too cruel. teehee.
also, next chapter is gonna be a hoot...(i'm so so sorry in advance lovelies)