~Lia's POV~

Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got us back to Time Square, I felt like we'd pretty much run all the way from New Mexico. We climbed out of the Marriott basement and stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.

I couldn't decided which seemed less real- New York or the crystal cave where I'd watched a god die.

Percy led the way to an alley, where he could get a nice echo. Then he whistled as loud as he could, five times.

A minute later, Rachel gasped. "They're beautiful!"

A flock of pegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. A pure black pegasus was in the lead, followed by five of his white friends.

"Yeah," Percy told the black pegasus. "I'm lucky that way. Listen, we need a ride to camp quick."

He could talk to horses. Of course he could. Why couldn't I do anything that cool?

One of the pegasus groaned, and eventually let Tyson climb onto his back. Everybody started saddling up- except Rachel and me. I knew Rachel couldn't come with, but I was reluctant to even get near the pegasus. Back at Camp Half-Blood, I had only seen the pegasi from afar. Seeing one right in front of me made me giddy with excitement, but I was afraid of killing the beautiful creature. The pegasus seemed to have the same idea as it whinnied and backed away from me.

Nico was having the same problem. His pegasus kept shying away from him, reluctant to let him mount.

"Go without me!" Nico said. "I don't want to go back to that camp anyway!"

I had forgotten Nico had already been to the camp before. His whole journey started there.

"Nico," Percy said, "we need your help." He looked at me. "You too, Lia."

I pressed my mouth into a thin line. "I guess. But I have to leave after."

Nico folded his arms and scowled. Slowly, I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Nico," I said. "Please."

I didn't want to stay there, but I couldn't just not help the camp. The place had to stay alive. It needed all the help it could get.

Slowly, Nico's expression softened. "All right," he said reluctantly. "For you. But I'm not staying."

I smiled a little. "We can go off together once it's over."

Nico nodded in agreement.

At last we got everybody on a pegasus. We shot into the air, and soon we were over the East River with Long Island spread out before us.

We landed in the middle of the cabin area and were immediately met by Chiron, a potbellied satyr, and a couple of Apollo cabin archers. Chiron raised an eyebrow when he saw Nico and me, but he didn't say anything about our arrival. He didn't seem fazed either about Percy's telling him about his quest and Kronos rising.

"I feared as much," Chiron said. "We must hurry. Hopefully you have slowed down the Titan lord, but his vanguard will still be coming through. They will be anxious for blood. Most of our defenders are already in place. Come!"

"Wait a moment!" the potbellied satyr demanded. "What of the search for Pan? You are almost three weeks overdue, Grover Underwood! Your searcher's license is revoked!"

Grover took a deep breath. He stood up straight and looked the satyr in the eye. "Searcher's licenses don't matter anymore. The great god Pan is dead. He has passed on and left us his spirit."

"What?" The satyr's face turned bright red. "Sacrilege and lies! Grover Underwood, I will have you exiled for speaking thus!"

"It's true," Percy said. "We were there when he died. All of us."

"Nico and I literally felt him die," I said as I gestured to the said boy.

"Impossible! You are all liars! Nature-destroyers!"

I rolled my eyes. Though, I couldn't blame him. They had been trying to find the god for millennium. Renouncing the search couldn't be an easy thing to do.

Chiron studied Grover's face. "We will speak of this later."

"We will speak of it now!" the potbellied satyr said. "We must deal with this-"

"Silenus," Chiron cut in. "My camp is under attack. The matter of Pan has waited two thousand years. I fear it will have to wait a bit longer. Assuming we are still here this evening."

And on that happy note, he readied his bow and galloped toward the woods, leaving us to follow as best we could.

It was the biggest military operation I'd ever seen. Everyone was at the clearing, dressed in full battle armor. The Hephaestus cabin had set up traps around the entrance to the Labyrinth- razor wire, pits filled with pots of Greek fire, rows of sharpened sticks to deflect a charge. The head of the Hephaestus cabin was manning two catapults the size of pickup trucks, already primed and aimed at a Zeus's Fist, which was a pile of rocks that was apparently the entrance to the Labyrinth from the camp. The Ares cabin was on the front line, drilling in phalanx formation with a brunette girl calling orders. Apollo's and Hermes's cabins were scattered in the woods with bows ready. Many had taken up positions in the trees. Even the dryads were armed with bows, and the satyrs trotted around with wooden cudgels and shields made of rough tree bark.

Annabeth went to join her siblings from the Athena cabin, who had set up a command tent and were directing operations. A grey banner with an owl fluttered outside the tent. A guy with eyes all over his body stood guard at the door. Aphrodite's children were running around straightening everybody's armor and offering to comb the tangles out of horsehair plumes. Even Dionysus's kids had found something to do.

It looked like a pretty good setup, but Chiron muttered, "It isn't enough."

Over at the edge of the clearing, Grover was talking to an amber haired dryad. She held his hands while he told her our story. Green tears formed in her eyes as he delivered the news about Pan.

Tyson helped the Hephaestus kids prepare the defenses. He picked up boulders and piled them next to the catapults for firing.

"Come on," I said to Nico. "Let's find somewhere to wait."

We decided to be behind the front lines of demigods near Zesu's Fist. I pressed my rings together, and my daggers appeared in my hands. Nico drew his sword. Our blades stood out against the arsenal of celestial bronze.

Waiting for the Titan's army to come through was agonizing. Every passing second my anxiety grew. I couldn't believe after a single day in the camp, I was willing to risk my life for it. Was I going to die early? I could have just shadow traveled away right then and let the camp defend itself, but my conscious prohibited me from doing so.

Nico sensed my distress, and he gently put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, we'll be okay. Two children with power over the dead? No way they'll take us down."

I let out a shaky breath. "I know. But, Nico...my powers...do I have to?"

Nico immediately understood. "Not if you don't want to. You're powerful enough with just your daggers. It's your choice to use them or not."

It wasn't the answer I wanted, but it was the one I was expecting. I didn't want to turn into a weapon against demigods, but I had to admit my powers would be extremely helpful in the battle. For this fight, I would use them freely. My decision made me nervous but weirdly excited at the same time.

"Lia?" Nico said tentatively.

I turned to him. "Yeah, Nico?"

He looked at Zeus's Fist. "If we don't make out of this alive, I just want to let you know...I really care about you, and I want to thank you for everything you've done for me."

I blinked. It wasn't something I expected to come out of the mouth of the brooding son of Hades. But I smiled still and even let out a small laugh. "Like you said, two children of the dead, we'll be okay. And you don't have to thank me. I'm happy I helped you out."

Nico smiled at me.

Suddenly the ground started to tremble. Everyone in the clearing stopped what they were doing. The brunette from the Ares cabin barked a single order: "Lock shields!"

Then the Titan lord's army exploded from the Labyrinth.

The first thing I saw were the giants that looked like the ones from Daedalu's workshop erupting from the ground, yelling so loudly my ears felt like bursting. They carried shields made from flattened cars, and clubs that were tree trunks with rusty spikes bristling at the end. One of the giants bellowed at the Ares phalanx, smashed it sideways with his club, and the entire cabin was thrown aside, a dozen warriors tossed to the wind like rag dolls.

"Be safe!" I told Nico.

He nodded and ran off into the fray.

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. My wings sprouted from my back. With a few flaps, I took off into the chaos. I twirled and zipped in the air, avoiding the giants' clubs and slashing with my daggers. The giants' skin was tough so my blades didn't do much damage, but I still left cuts and confused them temporarily as I flew past.

Just when it looked like the giants were about to get overwhelmed, the next wave surged out of the maze: thirty, maybe forty dracaena in full battle armor, wielding spears and nets. They dispersed in all directions. I bolted toward the new hoard. On the way, I placed my hands on any of the giants that were still left. The giants crumpled to their knees when I touched them, leaving them to the mercy of the other campers. It was so exhilarating and freeing to use my powers without holding back or having to worry I was using them in the wrong moment. My inhibitions were lost, and I acted accordingly to what my instincts demanded.

I landed near a group of dracaena and quickly stabbed them through the chinks of their armor, their essences getting sucked up into my Stygian blade until there was only dust. More dracaena charged at me, and I flew up into the air to avoid them. One of the monsters threw her net at me, and I narrowly dodged it. I fell back into the battle field, and flew past the enemies with my daggers out, slashing at any enemy that would encounter my blades.

My ears started to ring and my stomach heaved. I could feel every time someone died from either side. I did my best to ignore the indications, but it was hard to as I watched the battle rage on around me. It made it difficult to focus on fighting the enemies in front of me, but I did my best to push the feelings to the back of my mind.

I caught glimpses of the battle around me. Annabeth was fighting with her siblings against the giants. Chiron calmly aimed arrow after arrow, taking down a monster with every shot. Tyson was riding atop a giant and was hitting him on the head with a bronze shield. Other half-blood campers fought with vigor to defend their camp.

Everything was in complete chaos. An arrow skimmed past my face. Knives and swords nicked my skin. The only way I could distinguish what demigod was on what side was because of the obvious orange color of campers' shirts. Everything was a blur. At that point I was just trying to survive.

I flew up again to observe the battle. A dozen dracaena suddenly broke away from the main fight and slithered toward a path to the camp. Before I could do anything, Nico who was nearby held out his black sword. I saw his mouth move, but from where I was I couldn't hear what he was saying.

The earth trembled. A fissure opened in front of the dracaena, and a dozen undead warriors crawled from the earth- horrible corpses in military uniforms from all different time periods- U.S. Revolutionaries, Roman centurions, Napoleonic cavalry on skeletal horses. As one, they drew their swords and engaged the dracaena. Nico crumpled to his knees. Before I could go over to make sure he was okay, a dagger was hurled at my right wing.

With a sharp gasp, I folded my wings behind my back and let gravity pull me to the ground. At the last second, I spread my wings out wide to land safely. Once my feet hit the ground, another dagger was thrown in my direction, and I hit it away with my own. I growled when I saw who the culprit was.

"That was a cheap shot, Cameron."

Cameron shrugged. His armor glinted in the sunlight. Two of his four sheaths on his belt were empty. "It was the only way I was going to get your attention." His face darkened. "Now you have to make your choice, Lia. Make the right one. Please, I don't want us to be separated again."

I clenched my daggers harder in my hands. "Even if that means taking out the gods?"

Cameron's eyes narrowed. "Especially if it means that."

I let out a breath. "Then I'm sorry, but I can't."

I realized then I wasn't looking at the same boy I had first met a year ago. He was now a half-blood looking for vengeance. He had only one goal in mind, and if he could get me to join then all the better. At that point, it wasn't even about me. Cameron had gotten the opportunity to get back at his father, and he was going to take it. There was no way he was going to waste it.

I understood where he was coming from. I understood his pain and anger. I understood why he hated the gods. But I couldn't do it. The gods were a staple in the universe. If we took them down, everything would fall into the hands of the Titans, and I'd rather not spend the rest of my short living with them as rulers.

Cameron sighed almost regretfully. Almost. "I don't want to be your enemy, Lia."

"You became my enemy when you left."

Cameron's eyes bore into mine. They reflected every thought and emotion he was riddled with. "Please, don't make me hurt you."

My resolve almost crumbled right there. Then I remembered how much he had changed. All of his past promises and words were nothing now. There was no point in trying to make amends anymore. I realized I didn't know him at all.

I lifted one of my daggers to point it at him. "I'm sorry, Cameron."

"Me too."

Cameron unsheathed his last two daggers from his belt. My wings flared out on either side of me, and my fingers twitched around my daggers. The tension between us was almost palpable. The sound of the battle around us was drowned out by my heartbeat. Neither of us moved. For a moment, I thought Cameron was going to back down. Then he darted toward me.

My black blades shoved taut against his bronze ones. He pulled away quicker than I expected, and I almost fell face first into his dagger, but my wings flapped rapidly to bring me backward. Cameron lunged at me, and I stepped back. Swiftly, I spun around and slapped Cameron with my wings. The move managed to knock him down to the ground. I went to hit him in the head with the hilts of my daggers, but he moved faster and knocked his head into mine. I staggered back with a yelp. Cameron stood, and we faced each other again. With a flutter of my wings, I soared toward him with my daggers raised high.

Cameron had taught me everything I knew about fighting with daggers. I could just keep up with his movements to block them and come at him with my own. He was a deadly force to be reckoned with. But something in both of us made sure we weren't aiming for vital parts of the body. I didn't know if that made me relieved or not.

Every swipe, strike, and slash I did was a blow to my soul. I never thought I would see Cameron again, much less be fighting against him. I didn't want to. But things had changed. We were two different people now. We had vastly different beliefs about the gods. Our relationship had changed. All of those thoughts just made me fight harder.

For a moment, I had the upper hand. Cameron slashed close to my face with both his daggers, leaving the rest of his body vulnerable. I ducked under his stretched out arms and slammed the hilt of my daggers into his chest. The blows made him cough out a gasp, and he fell back to the ground. I quickly stepped on his chest and raised my daggers. Cameron's breaths were rapid. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were terrified.

I hesitated. Cameron grinned.

Then an unearthly shriek echoed out of the Labyrinth.

Stupidly, I turned my head toward the sound. Cameron took the opportunity to kick me off of him, and I was thrown onto my back. The next second, his foot thumped onto my chest. I didn't dare move a muscle when he angled his daggers at my throat.

"Next time we meet," Cameron said, "I won't hold back. You better not either."

And then he ran off, disappearing into the mayhem. Just like that. With a pained grunt, I sat up to observe the new enemy.

A horrible monster shot into the sky, her bat wings fully extended. She landed on the top of Zeus's Fist and surveyed the carnage. Her face was filled with evil glee. Mutant animals heads growled at her waist. Snakes hissed and swirled around her legs. In her right hand she held a glittering ball of thread- Ariadne's string -but she popped it into a lion's mouth at her waist and drew curved swords. The blades glowed green with poison. Her form was unmistakable: Kampê. She screeched in triumph, and some of the camper's screamed. Others tried to run and got trampled by hellhounds or giants.

"Di Immortales!" Chiron yelled. He quickly aimed an arrow, but Kampê seemed to sense his presence. She took flight with amazing speed, and Chiron's arrow whizzed harmlessly past her head.

Tyson untangled himself from the giant whom he'd pummeled into unconsciousness. He ran at out lines, shouting, "Stand! Do not run from her! Fight!"

But then a hellhound leaped on him, and Tyson and the hellhound went rolling away. I went to stand, but a stray spear went flying in my direction. I quickly rolled to the side to avoid it and jumped to my feet. I watched the flying monstrosity land on the Athena command tent, smashing it flat. Percy and Annabeth raced toward Kampê. From what I had heard about those two working together, Kampê wouldn't stand a chance. I trusted their teamwork and knew they would be fine.

I went back into the battle to look for Nico, but I kept getting stopped by enemies. It seemed like every time I killed a monster, five more came at me. They were endless. Frustration started to build up inside of me. I didn't feel Nico die, but he could still be hurt. If he died in the battle, I was going to bring him back and kill him myself.

There was a small moment where I could see past the enemies to spot Nico passed out on the ground. The grass all around his body had turned yellow and died. I went to fly toward him, but a telkhine tackled me to the ground. Before it could chomp down on my face, I stabbed it in the throat. I only got to stand for a second when enemy demigods charged at me. I did my best to fight them off so I could get to Nico.

One particularly tough demigod I couldn't get past. He was built like a boulder and was great with a sword. And he was standing between Nico and me. With a growl, I held both my daggers in my left hand and reached out my right. The moment my hand clasped his forearm, he collapsed to the ground. Immediately, I knew what I had done, but for once I didn't care. The other demigods backed away and whispered to themselves. I paid no attention to them as I sprinted toward Nico.

Monsters circled the son of Hades. Beating my wings in the air, I shot into the sky and dove back down to plunge my daggers into the head of a dracaena. She hissed and disappeared into my blades. A hellhound and two more dracaena stood threateningly near Nico. The hellhound ran at me first. I waited until the last moment to step out of the way. As I did so, one of the dracaena threw her spear at me and it left a gash in my side. The pain didn't even register in my mind. Adrenaline flowed throughout my entire body as I took care of the monsters.

Once they dissolved into golden dust, I knelt next to Nico. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were closed. His fingers were clenched. But he was still alive, and it didn't look like he had any injuries. Enemies started to approach Nico again. I stood up and raised my daggers, ready to defend him.

BOOOOOM!

Suddenly, everything seemed to pause for a moment when Kampê got buried under a mountain of boulders, almost as tall as Zeus's Fist. The only sign that the monster had ever existed were two green sword points sticking through the cracks.

A cheer went up from the campers, but our enemies weren't done yet. One of the dracaena yelled, "Ssssslay them! Kill them all or Kronossss will flay you alive!"

Apparently, that threat was more terrifying than we were. The giants surged forward in a last desperate attempt. One surprised Chiron with a glancing blow to the back legs, and he stumbled and fell. Six giants cried in glee and rushed forward. The monsters around Nico and me ran toward us. I tensed, getting ready to fight again.

Then it happened. Grover opened his mouth, and the most horrible sound I'd ever heard came out. It was like a brass trumpet magnified a thousand times- the sound of pure fear.

As one, the forces of Kronos dropped their weapons and ran for their lives. The giants trampled the dracaena trying to get into the Labyrinth first. Telkhines and hellhounds and enemy half-bloods scrambled after them. The tunnel rumbled shut, and the battle was over. The clearing was quiet except for fires burning in the woods, and the cries of the wounded.

I knelt back down next to Nico, and turned my daggers back into rings. I wanted check his body for bruises or broken bones, but I was still invigorated from the fight. I didn't think I was stable enough to touch anyone safely. Tyson ran over to his side as well. When he saw the state the boy was in, Tyson called, "Percy, come quick! It is Nico!"

~Nico's POV~

After I had summoned the undead warriors, I collapsed to my knees and blacked out. Stupid, yes, but I was the only one who could stop the dracaena from storming into the camp. I didn't even think about how much was I exerting myself. I just acted.

A comforting taste suddenly entered my mouth. I coughed and spluttered, and my eyes fluttered open. Lia, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson were leaning over me with worried looks

"Nico, what happened?" Percy asked. "Can you talk?"

I nodded weakly. "Never tried to summon so many before. I-I'll be fine."

Lia sighed. "What did I tell you about not overdoing it with your powers?"

I managed a frail smile. "Not to overdo it with my powers."

Percy and Tyson helped me sit up and gave me more nectar. Lia looked like she wanted to do something too, but she pressed her hands to her sides.

I blinked at them, trying to get my mind level, and then I focused on someone behind Percy.

"Daedalus," I croaked.

"Yes, my boy," the inventor said. "I made a very bad mistake. I came to correct it."

Daedalus had a few scratches that were bleeding golden oil, but he looked better than most of us. Apparently his body healed itself quickly. Mrs. O'Leary loomed behind him, licking the wounds on her master's head so Daedalus's hair stood up funny. A creature with a multitude of hands stood next to him, surrounded by a group of awed campers and satyrs. He kind of looked bashful, but he was signing autographs on armor, shields, and T-shirts.

I examined Lia. Multiple scrapes and gashes littered her body but there was nothing life threatening. It didn't look like she could feel the pain at the moment. Strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail framed her face. Her eyes were alert, but I could see the fatigue clearly on her face.

"I found the Hundred-Handed One as I came through the maze," Daedalus explained. "It seems he had the same idea, to come help, but he was lost. And so we fell in together. We both came to make amends."

"Yay!" Tyson jumped up and down. "Briares! I knew you would come!"

"I did not know," the Hundred-Handed One said. "But you reminded me who I am, Cyclops. You are the hero."

Tyson blushed, but Percy patted him on the back. "I knew that a long time ago," Percy said. "But, Daedalus...the Titan army is still down there. Even without the string, they'll be back. They'll find a way sooner or later, with Kronos leading them."

Daedalus sheathed his sword. "You are right. As long as the Labyrinth is here, your enemies can use it. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot continue."

Annabeth stared at him. "But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your life force! As long as you're alive-"

"Yes, my young architect," Daedalus agreed. "When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you."

He slung a leather satchel off his back, unzipped it, and produced a sleek silver laptop computer. On the lid was the blue symbol Delta.

"My work is here," he said. "It's all I managed to save from the fire. Notes on projects I never started. Some of my favorite designs. I couldn't develop these over the last few millennia. I did not dare reveal my work to the mortal world. But perhaps you will find it interesting."

He handed the computer to Annabeth, who stared at it like it was solid gold. "You're giving me this? But this is priceless! This is worth...I don't even know how much!"

"Small compensation for the way I have acted," Daedalus said. "You were right, Annabeth, about children of Athena. We should be wise, and I was not. Someday you will be a greater architect than I ever was. Take my ideas and improve them. It is the least I can do before I pass on."

"Whoa," Percy said. "Pass on? But you can't just kill yourself. That's wrong!"

He shook his head. "Not as wrong as hiding from my crimes for two thousand years. Genius does not excuse evil, Percy. My time time has come. I must face my punishment."

"You won't get a fair trial," Annabeth said. "The spirit of Minos sits in judgement-"

"I will take what comes," he said. "And trust in the justice of the Underworld, such as it is. That is all we can do, isn't it?"

He looked straight at me, and my face darkened.

"Yes," I said.

"Will you take my soul for ransom then?" Daedalus asked. "You could use it to reclaim your sister."

"No," I said. "I will help you release your spirit. But Bianca has passed. She must stay where she is."

In the corner of my eye, I could see Lia looking at me with a proud smile.

Daedalus nodded. "Well done, son of Hades. You are becoming wise." Then he turned toward Percy. "One last favor, Percy Jackson. I cannot leave Mrs. O'Leary alone. And she has no desire to return to the Underworld. Will you take care of her?"

Percy looked at the massive black hound, who whimpered pitifully, still licking Daedalus's hair. "Yeah. Of course I will."

"Then I am ready to see my son...and Perdix," he said. "I must tell them how sorry I am."

Annabeth had tears in her eyes.

Daedalus turned toward me, and I drew my sword. "Your time is long since come," I said. "Be released and rest."

A smile of relief spread across Daedaus's face. He froze like a statue. His skin turned transparent, revealing the bronze gears and machinery whirring inside his body. Then the statue turned to grey ash and disintegrated.

Mrs. O'Leary howled. Percy patted her head, trying to comfort her as best he could. The earth rumbled- an earthquake that could probably be felt in every major city across the country- as the ancient Labyrinth collapsed. I hoped the remains of the Titan's strike force had been buried.

Percy looked around at the carnage in the clearing and the weary faces of the rest of us.

"Come on," he told us. "We have work to do."