THEY FINALLY STOPPED IN A ROOM FULL OF WATERFALLS. The floor was one big pit, ringed by a slippery stone walkway. Around them, on all four walls, water tumbled from huge pipes. The water spilled down into the pit, and even when Percy shined a light, they couldn't see the bottom.

Briares slumped against the wall. He scooped up water in a dozen hands and washed his face. "This pit goes straight to Tartarus," he murmured. "I should jump in and save you trouble."

"Don't talk that way," Selena told him. "You can come back to camp with us. You can help us prepare. You know more about fighting Titans than anybody."

"I have nothing to offer," Briares replied, "I have lost everything."

"What about your brothers?" Tyson asked. "The other two must stand tall as mountains! We can take you to them."

Briares' expression morphed to something even sadder: his grieving face. "They are no more. They faded."

The waterfalls thundered. Tyson stared into the pit and blinked tears out of his eye.

"What exactly do you mean, they faded?" Percy asked. "I thought monsters were immortal, like the Gods."

"Percy," Grover said weakly, "even immortality has limits. Sometimes...sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal."

Looking at Grover's face, Selena wondered if he was thinking of Pan. She remembered something Medusa had told them once: how her sisters, the other two gorgons, had passed on and left her alone. Then last year Apollo said something about the old God Helios disappearing and leaving him with the duties of the sun God. She'd never thought about it too much, but now, looking at Briares, Selena realized how terrible it would be to be so old—thousands and thousands of years old—and totally alone.

She could relate. She wondered, did her parents forget about her? Was that the reason why she hasn't been claimed?

"I must go," Briares stated.

"Kronos's army will invade camp," Tyson said. "We need help."

Briares hung his head. "I cannot, Cyclops."

"You are strong."

"Not anymore." Briares rose.

"Hey," Percy grabbed one of his arms and pulled him aside, where the roar of the water would hide their words. They spoke while Annabeth and Selena tried to comfort Tyson.

 "Briares, we need you. In case you haven't noticed, Tyson believes in you. He risked his life for you."

Percy and Briares finished speaking and the one hundred armed man turned and trudged off down the corridor until he was lost in the shadows.

Tyson sobbed.

"It's okay," Grover hesitantly patted his shoulder, which must've taken all his courage.

Tyson sneezed. "It's not okay, goat boy. He was my hero."

Finally, Annabeth stood and shouldered her backpack. "Come on, guys. This pit is making me nervous. Let's find a better place to camp for the night."

They settled in a corridor made of huge marble blocks. It looked like it could've been part of a Greek tomb, with bronze torch holders fastened to the walls. It had to be an older part of the maze, and Annabeth decided this was a good sign.

"We must be close to Daedalus's workshop," she said. "Get some rest, everybody. We'll keep going in the morning."

"How do we know when it's morning?" Grover asked.

"Just rest," she insisted.

Grover didn't need to be told twice. He pulled a heap of straw out of his pack, ate some of it, made a pillow out of the rest, and was snoring in no time. Tyson took longer getting to sleep. He tinkered with some metal scraps from his building kit for a while, but whatever he was making, he wasn't happy with it. He kept disassembling the pieces.

Percy spoke to him while Selena sat next to Annabeth.

"You should sleep," she told her.

"Not right now." Selena looked over at her best friend, "You doing all right?"

"Sure. First day leading the quest. Just great."

"We'll get there," Selena smiled encouragingly, "We'll find the workshop before Luke does."

"I just wish the quest was logical," she complained. "I mean, we're travelling but we have no idea where we'll end up. How can you walk from New York to California in a day?"

"Space isn't the same in the maze. You know that, Annie."

"I know, I know. It's just..." She looked at Selena hesitantly. "S, I was kidding myself. All that planning and reading, I don't have a clue where we're going."

"You're doing great. Besides, we never know what we're doing. It always works out. Remember Circe's island?"

She snorted. "Percy made a cute guinea pig."

"And Waterland, how you got Percy and I thrown off that ride?"

"I got you thrown off? That was totally your fault!"

"See? It'll be fine." Selena smiled,

Annabeth smiled back, which Selena was glad to see, but the smile faded quickly, "S... do you know what  Hera meant when she said Percy knew the way to get through the maze?"

"Why would I know?" Selena asked, taken back slightly,

"You and Percy are close. I just thought... never mind." Annabeth sighed.

"I don't know," Selena exhaled, "Honestly."

"You'd tell me if you did?" Annabeth asked,

"Sure." Selena looked over at her friend, "Maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe if you told me the last line of the prophecy, it would help." Selena shrugged,

Annabeth shivered. "Not here. Not in the dark."

"What about the choice Janus mentioned? Hera said—"

"Stop," Annabeth snapped. Then she took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Selena. I'm just stressed. But I don't...I've got to think about it."

They sat in silence, listening to strange creaks and groans in the maze, the echo of stones grinding together as tunnels changed, grew, and expanded.

Percy came over and sat next to Selena. He grabbed her hand as the Labyrinth continued to make noises.

"Nico is down here somewhere," He told them. "That's how he disappeared from camp. He found the Labyrinth. Then he found a path that led down even farther—to the Underworld. But now he's back in the maze. He's coming after me."

Annabeth was quiet for a long time. "Percy, I hope you're wrong. But if you're right..." she stared at the flashlight beam, casting a dim circle on the stone wall. Selena had a feeling she was thinking about her prophecy. She had never seen her look more tired.

"How about I take first watch?" Percy offered, "I'll wake you if anything happens."

Annabeth looked like she wanted to protest, but she just nodded, slumped into her bedroll, and closed her eyes, "You, too." Percy told Selena,

"Are you sure?" She asked, "I can keep you company."

"I'm sure, Selena. Sleep." She sighed, leaning her head on Percy's shoulder and falling asleep.