ｔｈｅ ｂａｔｔｌｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｌａｂｙｒｉｎｔｈ

LUCIA WAS IN A KINGS COURTROOM—a big white chamber with marble columns and a wooden throne. Sitting on it was a plump guy with curly red hair and a crown of laurels. At his side stood three girls who looked like his daughters. They all had his red hair and were dressed in blue robes.

The doors creaked open and a herald announced, "Minos, King of Crete!"

Lucia tensed, but the man on the throne just smiled at his daughters. "I can't wait to see the expression on his face."

Minos, the royal creep himself, swept into the room. He was so tall and serious that he made the other king look silly. Minos's pointed beard had gone gray. He looked thinner than the last time she'd dreamed of him, and his sandals were splattered with mud, but the same cruel light shined in his eyes.

He bowed stiffly to the man on the throne. "King Cocalus. I understand you have solved my little riddle?"

Cocalus smiled. "Hardly little, Minos. Especially when you advertise across the world that you are willing to pay a thousand gold talents to the one who can solve it. Is the offer genuine?"
Minos clapped his hands. Two buff guards walked in, struggling with a big wooden crate. They set it at Cocalus's feet and opened it. Stacks of gold bars glittered. It had to be worth millions.

Cocalus whistled appreciatively. "You must have bankrupted your kingdom for such a reward, my friend."

"That is not your concern."

Cocalus shrugged. "The riddle was quite simple, really. One of my retainers solved it."

"Father," one of the girls warned. She looked like the oldest—a little taller than her sisters.

Cocalus ignored her. He took a spiral seashell from the folds of his robe. A silver string had been threaded through it, so it hung like a huge bead on a necklace.

Minos stepped forward and took the shell. "One of your retainers, you say? How did he thread the string without breaking the shell?"

"He used an ant, if you can believe it. Tied a silk string to the little creature and coaxed it through the shell by putting honey at the far end."

"Ingenious man," Minos said.

"Oh, indeed. My daughters' tutor. They are quite fond of him."

Minos's eyes turned cold. "I would be careful of that."

Lucia wanted to warn Cocalus: Don't trust this creep! Throw him in the dungeon with some man-eating lions or something! But the redheaded king just chuckled. "Not to worry, Minos. My daughters are wise beyond their years. Now, about my gold—"

"Yes," Minos said. "But you see the gold is for the man who solved the riddle. And there can be only one such man. You are harboring Daedalus."

Cocalus shifted uncomfortably on his throne. "How is that you know his name?"

"He is a thief," Minos said. "He once worked in my court, Cocalus. He turned my own daughter against me. He helped a usurper make a fool of me in my own palace. And then he escaped justice. I have been pursuing him for ten years."

"I knew nothing of this. But I have offered the man my protection. He has been a most useful—"

"I offer you a choice," Minos said. "Turn over the fugitive to me, and this gold is yours. Or risk making me your enemy. You do not want Crete as your enemy."

Cocalus paled. Lucia thought it was stupid of him to look so scared in the middle of his own throne room. He should've summoned his army or something. Or at least acted like he wasn't completely terrified. Minos only had two guards. But Cocalus just sat there sweating on his throne.

"Father," his oldest daughter said, "you can't—"

"Silence, Aelia." Cocalus twisted his beard. He looked again at the glittering gold. "This pains me, Minos. The gods do not love a man who breaks his oath of hospitality."

"The gods do not love those who harbor criminals, either."

Cocalus nodded. "Very well. You shall have your man in chains."

"Father!" Aelia said again. Then she caught herself, and changed her voice to a sweeter tone. "At—at least let us feast our guest first. After his long journey, he should be treated to a hot bath, new clothes, and a decent meal. I would be honored to draw the bath myself."

She smiled prettily at Minos, and the old king grunted. "I suppose a bath would not be amiss." He looked at Cocalus. "I will see you at dinner, my lord. With the prisoner."

"This way, Your Majesty," said Aelia. She and her sisters led Minos out of the chamber.

Lucia followed them into a bath chamber decorated with mosaic tiles. Steam filled the air. A running-water faucet poured hot water into the tub. Aelia and her sisters filled it with rose petals and something that must've been Ancient Greek Mr. Bubble, because soon the water was covered with multicolored foam. The girls turned aside as Minos dropped his robes and slipped into the bath.

"Ahh." He smiled. "An excellent bath. Thank you, my dears. The journey has been long indeed."

"You have been chasing your prey ten years, my lord?" Aelia asked, batting her eyelashes. "You must be very determined."

"I never forget a debt." Minos grinned. "Your father was wise to agree to my demands."

"Oh, indeed, my lord!" Aelia said. Lucia thought she was laying on the flattery pretty thick, but the old guy was eating it up.

Men, they're so easy Lucia scoffed

Aelia's sisters trickled scented oil over the king's head.

"You know, my lord," Aelia said, "Daedalus thought you would come. He thought the riddle might be a trap, but he couldn't resist solving it."

Minos frowned. "Daedalus spoke to you about me?"

"Yes, my lord."

"He is a bad man, princess. My own daughter fell under his spell. Do not listen to him."

"He is a genius," Aelia said. "And he believes a woman is just as smart as a man. He was the first to ever teach us as if we had minds of our own. Perhaps your daughter felt the same way."

Minos tried to sit up, but Aelia's sisters pushed him back into the water. Aelia came up behind him. She held three tiny orbs in her palm. At first, Lucia thought they were bath beads. But she threw them in the water and the beads sprouted bronze threads that began wrapping around the king, tying him up at the ankles, binding his wrists to his sides, circling his neck.

Even though Lucia hated Minos, it was pretty horrible to watch. He thrashed and cried out, but the girls were much stronger. Soon he was helpless, lying in the bath with his chin just above the water. The bronze strands were still wrapping around him like a cocoon, tightening across his body.

"What do you want?" Minos demanded. "Why do you do this?"

Aelia smiled. "Daedalus has been kind to us, Your Majesty. And I do not like you threatening our father."

"You tell Daedalus," Minos growled. "You tell him I will hound him even after death! If there is any justice in the Underworld, my soul will haunt him for eternity!"

"Brave words, Your Majesty," Aelia said. "I wish you luck finding your justice in the Underworld."

And with that, the bronze threads wrapped around Minos's face, making him a bronze mummy.

The door of the bathhouse opened. Daedalus stepped in, carrying a traveler's bag.

He'd trimmed his hair short. His beard was pure white. He looked frail and sad, but he reached down and touched the mummy's forehead. The threads unraveled and sank to the bottom of the tub. There was nothing inside them. It was as if King Minos had just dissolved.

"A painless death," Daedalus mused. "More than he deserved. Thank you, my princesses."

Aelia hugged him. "You cannot stay here, teacher. When our father finds out—"

"Yes," Daedalus said. "I fear I have brought you trouble."

"Oh, do not worry for us. Father will be happy enough taking that old man's gold. And Crete is a very long way away. But he will blame you for Minos's death. You must flee to somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe," the old man repeated. "For years I have fled from kingdom to kingdom, looking for somewhere safe. I fear Minos told the truth. Death will not stop him from hounding me. There is no place under the sun that will harbor me, once word of this crime gets out."

"Then where will you go?" Aelia said.

"A place I swore never to enter again," Daedalus said. "My prison may be my only sanctuary."

"I do not understand," Aelia said. "It's best you did not."

"But what of the Underworld?" one of her sisters asked. "Terrible judgment will await you! Every man must die."

"Perhaps," Daedalus said. Then he brought a scroll from his traveling bag—the same scroll Lucia had seen in her last dream, with his nephews' notes. "Or perhaps not."

He patted Aelia's shoulder, then blessed her and her sisters. He looked down once more at the coppery threads glinting in the bottom of the bath. "Find me if you dare, king of the ghosts."

He turned toward the mosaic wall and touched a tile. A glowing mark appeared—a Greek ∆—and the wall slid aside. The princesses gasped.

"You never told us of secret passages!" Aelia said. "You have been busy."

"The Labyrinth has been busy," Daedalus corrected. "Do not try to follow me, my dears, if you value your sanity."

Her dream shifted. Lucia was underground in a stone chamber. Luke and another half-blood warrior were studying a map by flashlight.

Luke cursed. "It should've been the last turn." He crumpled up the map and tossed it aside.

"Sir!" his companion protested.

"Maps are useless here," Luke said. "Don't worry. I'll find it."

"Sir, is it true that the larger the group—"

"The more likely you get lost? Yes, that's true. Why do you think we sent out solo explorers to begin with? But don't worry. As soon we have the thread, we can lead the vanguard through."

"But how will we get the thread?"

Luke stood, flexing his fingers. "Oh, Quintus will come through. All we have to do is reach the arena, and it's at the juncture. Impossible to get anywhere without passing it. That's why we must have a truce with its master. We just have to stay alive until—"

"Sir!" a new voice came from the corridor. Another guy in Greek armor ran forward, carrying a torch. "The dracaenae found a half-blood!"

Luke scowled. "Alone? Wandering the maze?"

"Yes, sir! You'd better come quick. They're in the next chamber. They've got him cornered."

"Who is it?"

"No one I've ever seen before, sir."

Luke nodded. "A blessing from Kronos. We may be able to use this half-blood. Come!"

They ran down the corridor, and Lucia woke with a start, staring into the dark. A lone half-blood, wandering in the maze. It was a long time before Lucia got to sleep again.

☼

THE NEXT MORNING, Lucia hiked over Half-Blood Hill and met Annabeth, Percy, and Argus on the road.

Lucia and Percy didn't talk much in the van. Argus never spoke, probably because he had eyes all over his body, including—so Lucia had heard—at the tip of his tongue, and he didn't like to show that off.

Annabeth was silent too. She looked queasy, Lucia wondered if her night was just as bad as hers.

"Did you get any sleep?" Lucia asked at last.

Percy turned his head. Lucia kept her gaze trained on Annabeth

"I did" She nodded. "But I got an Iris message from Eurytion."

"Eurytion?" Lucia asked, "Is something wrong with Nico?"

"He left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze. Nico was gone before he woke up. Orthus tracked his scent as far as the cattle guard. Eurytion said he'd been hearing Nico talk to himself the last few nights. Only now he thinks Nico was talking with the ghost again, Minos."

"He's in danger," Percy said.

"Minos is one of the judges of the dead, but he's got a vicious streak a mile wide. I don't know what he wants with Nico, but—"

"That's not what I meant," He said. "I had this dream last night..."

Percy gave a word-for-word recount of Lucia's own dream: about Luke, how he'd mentioned Quintus, and how his men had found a half-blood alone in the maze.

Annabeth's jaw clenched. "That's very, very bad."

"So what do we do?"

Lucia raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?"

☼

IT WAS SATURDAY, AND TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY going into the city. They arrived at Percy's apartment around noon. When Sally answered the door, she hugged Percy only a little less overwhelmingly than having a hellhound jump on you.

"I told them you were all right," His mom said, but she sounded like the weight of the sky had just been lifted off her shoulders—and Lucia knew firsthand how that felt (Both literally and not).

Sally greeted and hugged Annabeth before her eyes found the shorter Brunette.

"Lucia Sweetheart!" Sally smiled, and Lucia broke into the first genuine smile in a while. She stepped into Sally's arms almost immediately.

"Sally!" Lucia grinned

"I missed you so much sweetheart. You look so Pretty.." Sally softly smoothed down her hair "I have bags of Gummy bears with your name on them."

"Never let them fool you. you are the real hero." Lucia emphasized with her pointer finger before walking further into the apartment. She clapped her hands and turned to look at Sally with a grin "Now you must tell me all about señor blowfish"

Percy watched the interaction with the ghost of a smile on his lips

Sally chuckled before shaking her head "Why don't we save Paul for later? Tell me about this quest."

"Blah blah, terror maze blah blah war blah blah Percy blows stuff up shocker blah blah Annabeth is the only reason we continue to survive blah blah time to get the GPS " Lucia shrugged   "That's the gist but sure if you insist sal." 

Sally sat them down at the kitchen table and insisted on feeding them her special blue chocolate-chip cookies (and Lucia received her packs of blue gummy bears) while they caught her up on the quest. Percy watered down the frightening parts (which was pretty much everything), but somehow that just made it sound more dangerous.

When Percy got to the part about Geryon and the stables, his mom pretended like she was going to strangle him. "I can't get him to clean his room, but he'll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of some monster's stables?"

Annabeth and Lucia laughed.

"So," His mom said when she was done with the story, "you wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St. Helens explode, and displaced half a million people, but at least you're safe."

That's Sally Jackson, always looking on the bright side.

"Yep," Percy agreed. "That pretty much covers it."

"I wish Paul were here," she said, half to herself. "He wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, right. The school."

So much had happened since then that Lucia had almost forgotten about the high school orientation at Goode—the fact Percy left the band hall in flames, and his mom's boyfriend had last seen him jumping through a window like a fugitive.

"What did you tell him?" Percy asked.

My mom shook her head. "What could I say? He knows something is different about you, Percy. He's a smart man. He believes that you're not a bad person. He doesn't know what's going on, but the school is pressuring him. After all, he got you admitted there. He needs to convince them the fire wasn't your fault. And since you ran away, that looks bad."

Lucia fought against looking at him. She felt sympathetic as she thought back to her trial against her stepmother...

"I'll talk to him," He promised. "After we're done with the quest. I'll even tell him the truth if you want."

His mom put her hand on his shoulder. "You would do that?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, he'll think we're crazy."

"He already thinks that."

"Then there's nothing to lose."

"Thank you, Percy. I'll tell him you'll be home..." She frowned."When? What happens now?"

Annabeth broke her cookie in half. "Percy has this plan."

Reluctantly Percy told his mom.

She nodded slowly. "It sounds very dangerous. But it might work."

"You have the same abilities, don't you?" He asked. "You can see through the Mist."

His mom sighed. "Not so much now. When I was younger it was easier. But yes, I've always been able to see more than was good for me. It's one of the things that caught your father's attention, when we first met. Just be careful. Promise me you'll be safe."

"Oh, we'll try Sally," Lucia hummed. She popped a gummy bear into her mouth "Keeping Percy out of trouble is a full-time job, though." She folded her arms and glared out the kitchen window.

Percy picked at his napkin and tried not to say anything.

Sally frowned. "What's going on with you two? Have you been fighting?"

Neither of them said anything.

"I see," His mom said, She gave them a knowing look. "Well, remember," she said, "Grover and Tyson are counting on you three."

"I know," the trio said in unison, Percy and Lucia looked at each other before simultaneously turning away. Annabeth rolled her eyes in between them.

Sally smiled. "Percy, you'd better use the phone in the hall. Good luck."

Lucia's eyes followed Percy as the boy walked away. The thought of him calling the redhead annoyed her to no end.

"Which one of you is going to tell me what's going on"

"They kissed."

"Annabeth!" Lucia paled, her eyes widening ."I-We"

"-like each other?"  Her voice interrupted again. The tone of the question took Lucia by surprise.

"Annabeth?!" Lucia's face fell into her hands. Ever since Percy came back Lucia couldn't shake that Annabeth was upset with her. Which worried her and only jumbled up her feelings more.

Lucia didn't know the exact reason for Annabeth's annoyance, but she had an idea...

Sally looked at her surprised, "Oh?"

"It was nothing." Lucia shook her head at Sally "Don't even worry about it. He-he doesn't like me like that."

Sally gave her a look

"What?" Lucia squeaked "absolutely nothing! I don't even like him like that!"

"Oh, she loves him."

"Please stop?" Lucia cried "Since when do you gossip!"

"Gossip is idle talk or rumors," Annabeth stated matter-of-factly "This has a purpose and is not a rumor."

Lucia huffed

Sally studied Lucia. "Do you love him?."

Lucia's face dropped. She took a deep breath in to get rid of the gentle but recurring ache in her heart. She thought about hiding her feelings but she was clearly terrible at that when it came to Percy Jackson. She looked at Annabeth in reassurance. "He doesn't love me."

Annabeth flicked her forehead

"Ow! Annie!"

"That's not true" Sally denied, she shook her head like the thought was ridiculous "He's loved you since you gave a kid a bloody nose for taking his blue cookies. He adores you."

"But." Lucia held back the urge to cry for all of their sake "Not in the way I do."

"He kissed you." Annabeth pointed out

Lucia sighed "Yeah and what happened after that Beth? ...Nothing's happening between us... Nothing ever will."

Beth stared back at her, it reminded Lucia of the day they met. When both of them introduced themselves as Percy's friends. When Percy was their sole connection. Now, Percy had absolutely nothing to do with the relationship they had formed (until they were bonding over comparing his brain to algae). Yet there was something in the air that hadn't been addressed and that something was clouding up what was once so clear.

Sally looked between the two girls, she didn't push for answers.

Instead, she looked at Lucia and gave her the kind smile she always has. Through knee scrapes and Heartbreaks, Sally was always there for her with that smile. "I don't pretend to know my son completely Lucia. But a judgment I made a long time ago is that you are the best friend my kid has ever had. Whatever the fates decide to weave up, No one will hold his heart the way you have. You're his Luz. You've always been his Luz."

Lucia glanced at Annabeth and couldn't help but notice she was frowning. Guilt erupted in her tummy."No." She looked down at her blue cookie "That's over now."

Sally opened her mouth to say more when Percy entered the kitchen

"I know where to go."

☼

THEY ARRANGED A MEETING IN TIMES SQUARE. They found Rachel Elizabeth Dare in front of the Marriott Marquis, and she was completely painted gold.

Her face, her hair, her clothes—everything. She looked like she'd been touched by King Midas. She was standing like a statue with five other kids all painted metallic—copper, bronze, silver.

They were frozen in different poses while tourists hustled past or stopped to stare. Some passerby threw money at the tarp on the sidewalk.

The sign at Rachel's feet said, URBAN ART FOR KIDS, DONATIONS APPRECIATED.

The trio stood there for like five minutes, staring at Rachel, but if she noticed them she didn't let on. She didn't move or even blink.

Being ADHD and all, Lucia could not have done that. Standing still that long would've driven her crazy. Seeing Rachel in gold made her illogically angry as well. that's my color.

"Maybe if we push her over," Annabeth suggested.

"I volunteer." Lucia raised her hand shamelessly.

Rachel didn't respond. After another few minutes, a kid in silver walked up from the hotel taxi stand, where he'd been taking a break. He took a pose like he was lecturing the crowd, right next to Rachel. Rachel unfroze and stepped off the tarp.

"Hey, Percy." She grinned. "Good timing! Let's get some coffee."

They walked down to a place called the Java Moose on West 43. Rachel ordered an Espresso Extreme, the kind of stuff Grover would like.

Annabeth and Percy got fruit smoothies while Lucia settled on plain black coffee. They sat at a table right under the stuffed moose. Nobody even looked twice at Rachel in her golden outfit.

"So," she said, "it's Annabelle and Luisa, right?"

"Annabeth" "Lucia"

Lucia grimaced. "Do you always dress in gold?"

"Not usually," Rachel said. "We're raising money for our group. We do volunteer art projects for elementary kids 'cause they're cutting art from the schools, you know? We do this once a month, take in about five hundred dollars on a good weekend. But I'm guessing you don't want to talk about that. You're half-bloods, too?"

"Shhh!" Annabeth said, looking around. "Just announce it to the world, how about?"

"Okay." Rachel stood up and said really loud, "Hey, everybody! These three aren't human! They're half Greek god!"

Nobody even looked over. Rachel shrugged and sat down. "They don't seem to care."

"That's not funny," Annabeth said. "This isn't a joke, mortal girl."

"Hold it, you two," Percy said. "Just calm down."

"I'm calm," Rachel insisted. "Every time I'm around you, some monster attacks us. What's to be nervous about?"

"Look," Percy said. "I'm really sorry about the band room. I hope they didn't kick you out or anything."

"Nah. They asked me a lot of questions about you. I played dumb."

"Was it hard?" Annabeth asked.

"Must have been child's play" Lucia mumbled

"Okay, stop!" Percy intervened. "Rachel, we've got a problem. And we need your help."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Lucia. "You need my help?"

Lucia blew on her now boiling coffee. "Not me."

"Luz."

"Lucia." She corrected

Annabeth stirred her straw in her smoothie. "Yeah," she said suddenly. "Maybe we do."

Percy told Rachel about the Labyrinth, and how they needed to find Daedalus. Percy told her what had happened the last few times they'd gone in.

"So you want me to guide you," she said. "Through a place, I've never been."

"You can see through the Mist," Percy said. "Just like Ariadne. I'm betting you can see the right path. The Labyrinth won't be able to fool you as easily."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then we'll get lost. Either way, it'll be dangerous. Very, very
dangerous."

"I could die?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you said monsters don't care about mortals. That sword of yours—"

"Yeah," He said. "Celestial bronze doesn't hurt mortals. Most monsters would ignore you. But Luke...he doesn't care. He'll use mortals, demigods, monsters, whatever. And he'll kill anyone who gets in his way."

"Nice guy," Rachel said.

"He's under the influence of a Titan," Annabeth said defensively. "He's been deceived."

Lucia stayed silent. She loved Annabeth, but when she defended Luke. she couldn't help but disagree.

Still, she laid a hand over Beth's under the table in comfort. Lucia didn't see eye to eye with her when it came to Luke but they used to be like family, and Lucia knew she's felt the pain of his betrayal ever since he joined the wrong side. it must hurt to be on opposite battle lines with someone you care about.

"Point is." Lucia swallowed her pride "It's risky but we do technically speaking need your help."

Lucia emphasized need. She made sure everyone at the table knew, that she did not want Rachel Elizabeth Dare helping them.

Rachel looked back and forth between Percy and Lucia. "Okay," she said. "I'm in."

Percy blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, my summer was going to be boring. This is the best offer I've gotten yet. So what do I look for?"

"We have to find an entrance to the Labyrinth," Annabeth said. "There's an entrance at Camp Half-Blood, but you can't go there. It's off-limits to mortals."

She said mortals like it was some sort of terrible condition, but Rachel just nodded. "Okay. What does an entrance to the Labyrinth look like?"

"It could be anything," Annabeth said. "A section of wall. A boulder. A doorway. A sewer entrance. But it would have the mark of Daedalus on it. A Greek ∆, glowing in blue."

"Like this?" Rachel drew the symbol Delta in water on our table.

"That's it," Lucia said. "You know Greek?"

"No," Rachel said. She pulled a big blue plastic hairbrush from her pocket and started brushing the gold out of her hair. "Let me get changed. You'd better come with me to the Marriott."

"Why?" Lucia asked.

"Because there's an entrance like that in the hotel basement, where we store our costumes. It's got the mark of Daedalus."

A/N: hi hiiii i'm sorryyyyy this was supposed to be about a triple update but i've been going crazy with work and school is starting soon so ive been all over the place but i will try to update some time after work today or at least tomorrow or some time this week haha but for now i hope u enjoy todays chapter! please comment any questions, ideas, theories anything ! i really enjoy seeing everyone's thoughts <3