"The guy from the Hermes cabin?" I remembered him from two years ago. Chris Rodriguez was aboard the Princess Andromeda. Chris was one of the half-bloods who'd abandoned camp and joined the Titan Army. He was rude to me, he had... uh... slapped me a couple of times.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Last summer he just appeared in Phoenix, Arizona, near Clarisse's mom's house."

"What do you mean he just appeared?"

"He was wandering around the desert, in a hundred and twenty degrees, in full Greek armor, babbling about string." Ha, karma.

"String," I said. String, string, string. There's something about string...

"He'd been driven completely insane. Clarisse brought him back to her mom's house so the mortals wouldn't institutionalize him. She tried to nurse him back to health. Chiron came out and interviewed him, but it wasn't much good. The only thing they got out of him: Luke's men have been exploring the Labyrinth."

Percy shivered, though I wasn't exactly sure why. Poor Chris...he hadn't been a bad guy until he kidnapped me. What could've driven him mad? The Labyrinth? I looked at Grover, who was chewing up the rest of his fork.

"Okay," Percy asked. "Why were they exploring the Labyrinth?"

"We weren't sure," Annabeth said. "That's why Clarisse went on a scouting expedition. Chiron kept things hushed up because he didn't want anyone panicking. He got me involved because... well, the Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite subjects. The architecture involved—" Her expression turned a little dreamy.

"Oh my gods, same." I smiled, swallowing my food.

"The builder, Daedalus, was a genius." Annabeth continued. "But the point is, the Labyrinth has entrances everywhere. If Luke could figure out how to navigate it, he could move his army around with incredible speed."

"Except it's a maze, right?"

"Full of horrible traps," Grover agreed. "Dead ends. Illusions. Psychotic goat-killing monsters."

"But not if you had Ariadne's string," I said figuring out what the string was. "In the old days, Ariadne's string guided Theseus out of the maze. It was a navigation instrument of some kind, invented by Daedalus. And Chris Rodriguez was mumbling about string."

"So Luke is trying to find Ariadne's string," Percy said. "Why? What's he planning?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I don't know. I thought maybe he wanted to invade camp through the maze, but that doesn't make any sense. The closest entrances Clarisse found were in Manhattan, which wouldn't help Luke get past our borders. Clarisse explored a little way into the tunnels, but...it was very dangerous. She had some close calls. I researched everything I could find about Daedalus. I'm afraid it didn't help much. I don't understand exactly what Luke's planning, but I do know this: the Labyrinth might be the key to Grover's problem."

I blinked. "You think Pan is underground?"

"It would explain why he's been impossible to find." Grover shuddered. "Satyrs hate going underground. No searcher would ever try going in that place. No flowers. No sunshine. No coffee shops!"

"Oh no. The horror!" I shrieked sarcastically.

"But," Annabeth said, "the Labyrinth can lead you almost anywhere. It reads your thoughts. It was designed to fool you, trick you and kill you; but if you can make the Labyrinth work for you—"

"It could lead you to the wild god," I said.

"I can't do it." Grover hugged his stomach. "Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up my silverware."

"Grover, it may be your last chance," Annabeth said. "The council is serious. One week or you learn to tap dance!"

Over at the head table, Quintus cleared his throat. I got the feeling he didn't want to make a scene, but Annabeth was really pushing it, sitting at our table so long.

"We'll talk later," Annabeth squeezed Percy's arm. "Convince him, will you?"

She returned to the Athena table, ignoring all the people who were staring at her.

Grover buried his head in his hands. "I can't do it, Percy. My searcher's license. Pan. I'm going to lose it all. I'll have to start a puppet theater."

"Don't say that! We'll figure something out." Percy said.

"And if it doesn't, I'll become your puppet theater's biggest fan!" I tell him. Percy slaps my arm to shut me up. "Ow!"

He looked at us teary-eyed. "Percy, you're my best friend. You've seen me underground. In that Cyclops's cave. Do you really think I could..." His voice faltered. "I have to leave," Grover said miserably. "Juniper's waiting for me. It's a good thing she finds cowards attractive."

"And she's the only one." I muttered.

After he was gone, I looked over at Quintus. He nodded gravely, like we were sharing some dark secret. Then he went back to cutting his sausage with a dagger.

Typical Camp Half-Blood.

--page break--

In the afternoon, Percy dragged me down to the Pegasus stables to visit our friends Blackjack and Sabrina.

Yo, boss! He capered around in his stall, his black wings buffeting the air. Ya bring me some sugar cubes?

"You know those aren't good for you, Blackjack." Percy told him.

I told you he'd say that. Of course Amanda had better brought me some because I deserve it unlike you.

Yeah, so you brought us some, huh?

I smiled and Percy and I fed them a handful.

So we got any quests coming up? Blackjack asked. I'm ready to fly, boss!

Percy patted his nose. "Not sure, man. Everybody keeps talking about underground mazes."

Sabrina whinnied nervously. Nuh-uh. Not for this horse! My hooves will get all muddy!

You aint gonna be crazy enough to go in no maze, boss. Are ya? You'll end up in the glue factory!

"You may be right, Blackjack. We'll see." Percy tells him.

Sabrina neighs nervously. "Oh calm down. We'll be fine!" I said and fed her another sugar cube. She crunched down her sugar cubes. I looked over to see Blackjack shaking his mane like he was having a sugar seizure.

Whoa! Good stuff! Well, boss, you come to your senses and want to fly somewhere, just give a whistle. Ole Blackjack and Sabrina and they're buddies, we'll stampede anybody for ya!

As long as my hooves don't get messed up. Sabrina added.

We told them We'd keep it in mind. Then a group of younger campers came into the stables to start their riding lessons, and we decided it was time to leave. I had this nagging feeling I wasn't going to see Sabrina for a long time.

--page break--

That night after dinner, Quintus had us suit up in combat armor like we were getting ready for capture the flag, but the mood among the campers was a lot more serious. Sometime during the day the crates in the arena had disappeared, and I had a feeling whatever was in them had been emptied into the woods.

"Right," Quintus said, standing on the head dining table. "Gather 'round." He was dressed in black leather and bronze. In the torchlight, his gray hair made him look like a ghost. Mrs. O'Leary bounded happily around him, foraging for dinner scraps.

"You will be in teams of two," Quintus announced. When everybody started talking and trying to grab their friends, he yelled: "Which have already been chosen!"

"AWWWWW!" everybody complained. Uh oh...

"Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course...you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive."

The crowd started murmuring excitedly. The task sounded pretty straightforward. This what we trained for. It's going to be fun!

"I will now announce your partners," Quintus said. "There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining."

"Aroooof!" Mrs. O'Leary buried her face in a plate of pizza. Oh, how I wish I was her.

Quintus produced a big scroll and started reading off names:

Charles Beckendorf - Silena Beauregard (which Beckendorf looked pretty happy about.)

Travis Stoll - Connor Stoll (No surprise there.)
Percy Jackson - Annabeth Chase (Oh I bet he's happy. They're gonna be hard to beat.)

Quintus kept rattling off the names until he said, "Amanda Jackson with Clarisse LaRue."

"Great, I got the freak." Clarisse muttered.

"And I got the hot head," was my  only comment.

"Grover Underwood," Quintus said, "with Tyson."

Is he insane?!

Grover pretty much jumped out of his fur. "What? B-but—"

"No, no," Tyson whimpered. "Must be a mistake. Goat boy—"

"No complaining!" Quintus ordered. "Get with your partner. You have two minutes to prepare!"

Tyson and Grover both looked around pleadingly. Percy tried to give them an encouraging nod, and gestured that they should move together. I giggled quietly as they reluctantly came closer together. Tyson sneezed. Grover started chewing nervously on his wooden club.

"What's so funny, punk?" Clarisse snarled.

"Nothing. Just thinking of how bad this is going to turn out. Come on. Let's worry about how we're going to get this laurel." I tell her.

--page break--

Even though it was still light out, it felt like it was the middle of the night under the trees. It was cold, too, even in summer. I found tracks almost immediately—scuttling marks made by something with a lot of legs.

"Clarisse," I say, "look at this."

"It's dirt."

"It's tracks. Let's follow the trail." I tell her. She nods and we follow
We jumped a small stream and heard some twigs snapping nearby. We crouched behind a bush, but it was only Grover and Tyson tripping through the woods, Grover sniffing the air trying to follow the scent of the animal.

"We should follow the goat, he'll lead us straight to the monsters." Clarisse muttered.

"Not a bad idea, Clarisse."

Once Tyson and Grover had gotten far enough from us, we followed them deeper into the woods where the monsters were wilder.

"Did... uh... Annabeth tell you?" Clarisse asked after a while.

"About your mission? Yeah."

"You know there is a very high possibility that there is an entrance in the camp."

"To the labyrinth?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah. It makes sense with Luke wanting navigate it. I have feeling this summer isn't going to be all fun and games."

"When is it fun and games?"

"Of course you wouldn't know because of your idiotic brother."

"Ugh. Don't even get me started on his stupidity."

"Are we agreeing on something, Jackson?"

"Yes, I think we are-" A squeal like a pig sounded in the woods. Dry leaves rustled. Something large was moving in the trees, just beyond the ridge. My hand tightened on my pen.

"That sounds like Grover," I whispered.

Silently I uncapped sword. Clarisse unsheathed her spear from her back.

Time to go save my brother.

--page break--

When we arrived, I was confused.

Tyson sat crying on something furry, but I didn't see Grover. Oh, there was also a giant scorpion.

Amber, ten feet long, with jagged pincers, an armored tail, and a stinger as long as my sword, the scorpion looked like a challenge. Tied to its back was a red silk package.

"Oh this will be fun." Clarisse muttered.

"Fun?" I repeated but she had already launched herself towards the monster. Sighing, I ran after her.

Luckily, the monster didn't notice me yet. It was preoccupied with Clarisse jabbing and slicing at it, but she never made a dent.

"You know, freak?" Clarisse yelled. "Now would be a good time to use some of your magic tricks?"

"I'm thinking Clarisse!" I tell back. I look around and spot a branch 20 feet above me. Jumping then controlling the wind underneath my feet, I flew up to the thick branch. Climbing a bit, I reach a branch that was above Clarisse and the scorpion. Perfect.

Climbing across the branch until I was perfectly above the monster, I uncapped my pen, took a deep breath, and jumped off the branch, landing perfectly onto the scorpions back

Mr. Scorpion didn't like that very much. He tried jabbing me with his stinger. I dodged and sliced, making a clean cut. I quickly grabbed the package and front flipped of the scorpions back.

"Open the package!!" Clarisse yells still attacking the monster. I quickly rip the package open to see two golden laurels.

"Got them!!" I shout. This gives Clarisse the energy to make the last strike. Giving out a loud battle cry, she jabbed her spear into the scorpion's eye.

The monster wailed and exploded into a pile of dust.

"Tyson. Where's Grover?" I ask.

"Seriously, we need to go back Amanda."

"No. Give me a second. Tyson, where is he?" Muffled yelling came from under Tyson. "Oh gods! Tyson, get up."

Pulling my brother to his feet, I saw a very smushed Grover laying on the ground.

"Come on you three. Time to win our prize."

--page break--

Everything was normal. Clarisse and I were celebrating our victory and everyone was congratulating us. Then Quintus announced something that made my blood run cold.

"Where's Percy and Annabeth?"

No one answered.

"Wait, they haven't come back yet?" I asked. No, this can't be happening.

"No, that's why I'm asking. Has anyone seen them?"

Then Juniper popped out of nowhere. "Last I saw, they were by Zeus' Fist."

"Alright campers." Chiron announced. "Grab a torch and let's begin searching. They must not have heard the conch shell."

Everyone shuffled around silently. "Chiron?" I asked after I got my torch. "They couldn't have, right? They can handle a scorpion."

"Let us hope, Amanda, let us hope."

--page break--

"We've been doing this for almost an hour!" A camper complained for the umpteenth time. I look towards Clarisse to see if she could help me.

"Listen, punk. Do you know who is missing? Percy Jackson. The guy who pretty much will determine your fate in a year. We need to find him."

"Thank you." I whispered.

"Whatever freak."

After circling our way back to the boulders for the sixth time, a nine year old Aphrodite child that looked like she belong on Toddlers and Tiaras began shouting as two silhouettes came towards us. My group immediately picked up the pace.

"Where have you two been?" I demanded. "We've been looking forever."

"But we were gone only a few minutes," Percy said. I ran over to him. Obviously thinking I was going to hug him, he spread his arms out. I had different plans.

I slapped right across the face. "Do you know how scared I was? I thought you died!" I said falling into his chest.

"Woah. Shh... It's okay. I'm here now." He said wrapping his arms around me. He was finally taller than me; he almost encompassed me as he held me.

"You son of Koalemos..." I whispered.

"Who?" I heard him ask. Before I could respond, Chiron trotted up, followed by Tyson and Grover.

"Percy!" Tyson said. "You are okay?"

"We're fine," Percy said, still hugging me. "We fell in a hole."

The others looked at me skeptically, then at Annabeth.

"Honest!" Percy said. "There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute."

I raised my head up to look at him. "What?"

"You've been missing for almost an hour," Chiron said. "The game is over."

"Yeah," Grover muttered. "We would've won, but a Cyclops sat on me."

"Was an accident!" Tyson protested, and then he sneezed. I saw Percy eye both Clarisse and I's gold laurels, but Clarisse didn't even brag about winning them, which wasn't like her.

"A hole?" she said suspiciously. Pulling out of my brother's hug but still staying near him, I shared a look with Clarisse. They didn't... they couldn't have had found it.

Annabeth took a deep breath. She looked around at the other campers.

"Chiron...maybe we should talk about this at the Big House."

Clarisse gasped.

"You found it, didn't you?" I asked.

Annabeth bit her lip. "I—Yeah. Yeah, we did."

A bunch of campers started asking questions, looking about as confused as Percy was, but Chiron raised his hand for silence.

"What does she mean?" Percy whispered.

"Just wait. I'll explain later."

"Tonight is not the right time, and this is not the right place." He stared at boulders as if he'd just noticed how dangerous they were. "All of you, back to your cabins. Get some sleep. A game well played, but curfew is past!"

There was a lot of mumbling and complaints, but the campers drifted off, talking among themselves and giving me suspicious looks.

"This explains a lot," Clarisse said. "It explains what Luke is after."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "What do you mean? What did we find?"

Annabeth turned towards us, her eyes dark with worry. "An entrance to the Labyrinth. An invasion route straight into the heart of the camp."

___________________________

Hello??

Guess who's back?!

That's right. Me!

Sorry about the long wait, I haven't been on Wattpad in a long time due to trying to get rid of my obsession. It worked (I will now be working on my books a lot more) and I'm back now.

Super excited to start the quest...
Any one else??

Alright.

Vote, comment, and don't kill me...

Ems out!🤘🏻