sixteen
picnic with a queen

THE DOOR TO THE BIG HOUSE creaked open, and Annabeth stepped out, looking shaken. Lennon had waited for her on the porch of the Big House. She knew firsthand what it was like to get a prophecy from the Oracle, and she didn't want her friend to be alone.

"Hey," she stood up, greeting Annabeth.

"You waited for me?"

Lennon shrugged as if it was nothing. "Of course,"

Her words brought a small smile to her face.

"Is it bad?"

Annabeth's smile faded. "It's definitely not good,"

Lennon's frowned.

"It'll all be okay though," Annabeth said, though it sounded like she was saying the words more to herself.

"I'm supposed to be telling you that,"

Annabeth let out a little laugh. "Well someone has to keep you optimistic,"

They continued walking to the arena, eventually reaching it.

"My dears," Chiron said. "You made it."

Percy gave Lennon an odd look. Then Annabeth focused on Quintus. "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop."

Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. "What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I, ah...well, it said, you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze..."

They waited.

"The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise."

Grover perked up. "The lost one! That must mean Pan! That's great!"

"With the dead and the traitor," Percy added. "Not so great."

"And?" Chiron asked. "What is the rest?"

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," Annabeth said, "the child of Athena's final stand."

Lennon's brows furrowed with worry.

"Hey...we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Silena said. "Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena, right?" Lennon nodded in agreement.

"But who's this ghost king?" Beckendorf asked.

"Are there more lines?" Chiron asked. "The prophecy does not sound complete."

Annabeth hesitated. "I don't remember exactly."

Lennon studied her face. There was something she wasn't telling. Annabeth gave her a look that said We'll talk later.

"Something about...Destroy with a hero's final breath."

"And?" Chiron asked.

She stood. "Look, the point is, I have to go in. I'll find the workshop and stop Luke. And...I need help." She glanced at her and Percy. "Percy? Lennon?"

"Of course," Lennon said while Percy nodded.

"I'm in,"

Annabeth smiled. "Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting."

Grover seemed energized now. "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!"

"And Tyson," Annabeth said. "I'll need you too."

"Yay! Blow-things-up time!" Tyson clapped so hard he woke up Mrs. O'Leary, who was dozing in the corner.

"Wait, Annabeth," Chiron said. "This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is allowed only two companions."

"I need them all," she insisted. "Chiron, it's important."

"Annabeth." Chiron flicked his tail nervously. "Consider well. You would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Last winter, six went on a quest to save Artemis. Only four came back. Think on that. Three is a sacred number. There are three fates, three furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Five...this is risky."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to. Please."

Lennon could tell Chiron didn't like it. He sighed. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."

Lennon stood next to one of the tables in Athen a cabin, where Annabeth had laid out yet another map. She was doing her best to help her friend in any way she could, which seemed to translate to peering over maps in the hopes of finding a possible path.

She glanced over at where Annabeth was rifling through a shelf of old scrolls. Then her gaze trailed over to the whiteboard in her cabin. It had the words of Lennon's prophecy written on it, with footnotes in each stanza. It was Lennon and Annabeth's attempt at deciphering the Oracle's words. Unfortunately, they had barely made progress.

Back at the shelf, Annabeth lets out a shaky sigh. "I don't how much these scrolls will even help,"

"Beth, It's okay," she says, getting up to stand near the shelf. "You've done tons of research on the labyrinth. No one is more suited for this quest than you,"

She lets out another sigh. "I know it's just..." she trails off as she focuses back on looking through the shelf.

Lennon watches her friend with a frown. It's hard not being able to lift her spirits or make her feel better. That was what Lennon always did and she wanted to help her.

"Hello?" Lennon hears Percy's voice as he steps into Athena cabin.

She sends him a smile and a wave.

"Knock, knock?" He says, getting the attention of Annabeth who hadn't heard him the first time.

The blonde turned. "Oh, hey. Didn't hear you."

He nods and then glances at the whiteboard by Lennon. "What's that?"

"Oh, It's—"

"Nothing," Lennon quickly interrupts Annabeth. She gives her a look that says she doesn't want him to know. Annabeth sends her an odd look but backs up Lennon's lie.

"It's nothing. I think Malcolm was analyzing some old texts,"

Lennon flips the whiteboard to its clear side as Percy just stands there a bit confused. Lennon sends him a smile that she hopes says Nothing to worry about here.

"Oh..." He glances at Annabeth. "You okay?"

She frowned at the scroll in her hands. "Just trying to do some research. Daedalus's Labyrinth is so huge. None of the stories agree about anything. The maps just lead from nowhere to nowhere."

"We'll figure it out," Percy promised.

"I've wanted to lead a quest since I was seven," Annabeth said.

"You're going to do awesome."

Lennon nods in agreement. "You are,"

She looked at both of them gratefully, but then stared down at all the books and scrolls she'd pulled from the shelves. "I'm worried. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you two to do this. Or Tyson or Grover."

"Hey, we're your friends. We wouldn't miss it."

"There's no way I'd let you go in that maze by yourself," Lennon says.

"But..." She stopped herself.

"What is it?" Percy asked. "The prophecy?"

"I'm sure it's fine," she said in a small voice. Lennon could tell whatever it was, it was eating her up inside, making her nervous.

"What was the last line?"

Instead of responding, she blinked back tears and Lennon knew instantly she needed a hug. So she quickly stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. She glanced at Percy and used her free hand to wave him over.

Percy awkwardly stepped forward and joined their hug. Annabeth started sniffling and Percy patted her back.

"Hey, It's okay,"

Lennon stroked her hair, hugging her tighter (and without realizing it, hugging Percy tighter). "Don't cry, Beth,"

"Thanks, guys," Annabeth sniffled once more and then stepped out of the hug. "Chiron might be right. I'm breaking the rules. But I don't know what else to do. I need you all. It just feels right."

"Then don't worry about it," Percy managed.

"If it feels right, it feels right. Listen to your gut," Lennon advised.

Percy nodded. "We've had plenty of problems before, and we solved them."

"This is different. I don't want anything happening to any of you."

"Nothing will happen to us," Lennon said firmly. "Right?" She glanced at Percy for his help and suddenly realized that their noses were close. When Annabeth had separated from their hug, it seemed Percy and Lennon had stayed pressed together.

Behind them, somebody cleared his throat. Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother, stood there awkwardly. "Um, sorry. Archery practice is starting, Annabeth. Chiron said to come find you."

Lennon blinked and quickly stepped away from Percy. She pointed at the table where the maps had been laid out. "We were looking at maps. And uh... talking... about the maps,"

Malcolm glanced at Percy who was in an awkward daze. "Okay," He obviously didn't believe her but he didn't say anything.

"Tell Chiron I'll be right there," Annabeth said. Malcolm left the cabin.

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and then looked at the both of them. "You go ahead, Percy. You too, Lennon. I'd better get ready for archery."

Lennon nodded slowly, Percy too. Lennon swears she saw Annabeth roll her eyes at them.

"Annabeth?" Percy said. "About your prophecy. The line about a hero's last breath—"

"You're wondering which hero? I don't know."

"No. Something else. I was thinking the last line usually rhymes with the one before it. Was it something about—did it end in the word death?"

Annabeth stared down at her scrolls and Lennon rose a brow at her silence. She had a feeling he had been right. All Lennon could think about is how bad it could be that she wouldn't tell them.

"You two should go and get ready for the quest. I'll see you in the morning."

Percy and Lennon both awkwardly left the cabin and walked in silence before splitting off.

"Wake up!"

Lennon fell out of her bed at the sound of Michael's voice.

"That's not what I meant!" She could hear Lee chiding Michael.

Lennon blinked her eyes open as Michael countered with, "You told me to wake her up,"

Lennon groaned as she rubbed her eyes. "Please never wake me up like that again,"

Michael grinned. "No promises,"

Lee frowned at him, then said to Lennon, "You were sleeping too late. Did you forget about the quest?"

Lennon's eyes widened, fully awake. Those words had been a bucket of ice-cold water.

"Dreams?" Lee asked.

She shook her head as she stood to make her bed and gather her pre-packed backpack at the end of her bed (thank the gods for Lee's need to always pre-pack). "Actually, no dreams at all,"

"Oh,"

"That's different," Michael said.

Lennon glanced at her older brothers and then back at her backpack. "I should get ready,"

"Yeah,"

Sometime later, she found herself at Zeus' fist with the others. She wore a Beatles t-shirt— that was tied in a knot in the front— and a pair of shorts.

Lennon greeted Annabeth with a bright smile. Though she'd ended up getting wrapped up in Annabeth's supply check. The blonde had decided they would do one last check together.

"Do we have extra batteries?" the blonde asked. Lennon ruffled through her bag as Annabeth did the same. "Check,"

Lennon frowned. "I told you, Lee already went through a check,"

"So," she huffed. "You'll do it again," She paused, probably thinking through the mental list in her head. "First aid,"

Lennon sighed. "Check,"

"Okay good, that's everything," Annabeth glanced up to see Tyson and Percy who had walked over to them. "Percy, you look terrible,"

Lennon frowned as she examined his face. "Hey, yeah, she's right. Are you okay?"

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" The two girls asked in unison.

Before Percy could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

He tried to sound upbeat but Lennon could tell he was anxious.

"Hey, uh, Chiron," Percy said, "Can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?"

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." He nodded toward the woods. And the two both walked off.

They stood there together a while longer before Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Chiron and Percy.

"You guys go to the entrance, and I'll go get Percy,"

Soon enough, Annabeth returned to the rocks with Percy.

"Well," Grover said nervously, "goodbye sunshine."

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

Together they descended into darkness.

They had only gotten a hundred feet in before they'd gotten lost. Lennon could tell Annabeth was trying her best to guide them. She'd come up with an idea to keep their left hand on the wall. Except, as soon as she'd said that, the left wall disappeared.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously.

"Just turn around," Annabeth said.

They each turned toward a different tunnel. They couldn't decide which way led back to camp.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson said. "Which way now?"

Annabeth swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the eight tunnels. They all looked identical. "That way," she said.

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So...you're guessing."

"Just come on," she said.

The tunnel she'd chosen narrowed quickly. The ceiling got so low that they were hunching over. Tyson was forced to crawl.

Grover's hyperventilating was the loudest noise in the maze. "I can't stand it anymore," he whispered.

Lennon patted his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"Are we there yet?" He asked.

"We've been down here maybe five minutes," Annabeth told him.

"It's been longer than that," Grover insisted. "And why would Pan be down here? This is the opposite of the wild!"

They kept shuffling forward. The tunnel got even narrower, almost squishing them, but then it opened into a huge room.

Percy shined his light around the walls and said, "Whoa."

The whole room was covered in mosaic tiles. The pictures were grimy and faded, but Lennon could still make out the colors—red, blue, green, and gold. The frieze showed the Olympian gods at a feast. She spotted her father grinning widely. In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain, though it looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

"What is this place?" Percy muttered. "It looks—"

"Roman," Annabeth said. "Those mosaics are about two thousand years old."

"But how can they be Roman?" Percy asked.

"The Labyrinth is a patchwork," Annabeth said. "I told you, it's always expanding, adding pieces. It's the only work of architecture that grows by itself."

"You make it sound like it's alive."

"I think it might be," Lennon said as she brushed her hand against the wall closest to her. An everchanging, evergrowing maze had to be alive, right?

A groaning noise echoed from the tunnel in front of them.

"Let's not talk about it being alive," Grover whimpered. "Please?"

"All right," Annabeth said. "Forward."

"Down the hall with the bad sounds?" Tyson said. Even he looked nervous.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus's workshop would be in the oldest part."

They went fifty feet and the tunnel turned back to cement, with brass pipes running down the sides. The walls were spray-painted with graffiti. A neon tagger sign read MOZ RULZ.

"I'm thinking this is not Roman," Percy commented.

"Percy," Lennon sent him a frown at the obviousness of his comment.

Percy raised his hands in surrender. "What?"

Annabeth just took a deep breath and continued ahead.

Eventually, they found themselves back in the roman room, where they'd found a man with two faces. He was completely unhelpful by the way. All he did was confuse them and then the entrance that they'd come in through disappeared.

"The exits are closed," Annabeth said.

"Duh!" the man's left face said.

"Where do they lead?" she asked.

"One probably leads the way you wish to go," the right face said encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I—I know who you are," Annabeth said.

"Oh, you're a smart one!" The left face sneered. "But do you know which way to choose? I don't have all day."

"Why are you trying to confuse me?" Annabeth asked.

The right face smiled. "You're in charge now, my dear. All the decisions are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I—"

"We know you, Annabeth," the left face said. "We know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

Whatever they were talking about, it was more than a choice between two doors.

The color drained out of Annabeth's face. "No...I don't—"

"Don't listen to them Beth," Lennon said.

"Leave her alone. Who are you, anyway?" Percy asked.

"I'm your best friend," the right face said.

"I'm your worst enemy," the left face said.

"I'm Janus," both faces said in harmony. "God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices."

"It doesn't matter. I'll see you soon enough, Perseus Jackson," said the right face. "But for now it's Annabeth's turn." He laughed giddily. "Such fun!"

"Shut up!" his left face said. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life. It can kill you and all of your friends. But no pressure, Annabeth. Choose!"

"Don't do it," Percy said.

"I'm afraid she has to," the right face said cheerfully.

Annabeth bit her lip in thought. "I—I chose—"

Before she could point to a door, a brilliant light flooded the room. Janus raised his hands to either side of his head to cover his eyes. When the light died, a woman was standing at the fountain.

She was tall and graceful with long hair the color of chocolate, braided in plaits with gold ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but when she moved, the fabric shimmered with colors like oil on water.

"Janus," she said, "are we causing trouble again?"

"N-no, milady!" Janus's right face stammered.

"Yes!" the left face said.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked.

"Not you, milady! I was talking to myself."

"I see," the lady said. "You know very well your visit is premature. The girl's time has not yet come. So I give you a choice: leave these heroes to me, or I shall turn you into a door and break you down."

"What kind of door?" the left face asked.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Because French doors are nice," the left face mused. "Lots of natural light."

"Shut up!" the right face wailed. "Not you, milady! Of course, I'll leave. I was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices."

"Causing indecision," the woman corrected. "Now be gone!"

The left face muttered, "Party pooper," then he raised his silver key, inserted it into the air, and disappeared.

The woman turned toward them. Her eyes shined with power. Then she smiled. "You must be hungry," she said. "Sit with me and talk."

She waved her hand, and the old Roman fountain began to flow. Jets of clear water sprayed into the air. A marble table appeared, laden with platters of sandwiches and pitchers of lemonade.

"Who...who are you?" Percy asked.

"I am Hera." The woman smiled. "Queen of Heaven."

They were having a picnic with the Queen of Heaven in a living maze. This had to be the craziest thing Lennon had ever experienced. She was serving them sandwiches and lemonade. It was weird.

"Grover, dear," she said, "use your napkin. Don't eat it."

"Yes, ma'am," Grover said.

"Tyson, you're wasting away. Would you like another peanut butter sandwich?"

Tyson stifled a belch. "Yes, nice lady."

Lennon cautiously picked up one of the sandwiches.

"Queen Hera," Annabeth said. "I can't believe it. What are you doing in the Labyrinth?"

Hera smiled. She flicked one finger and Annabeth's hair combed itself. All the dirt and grime disappeared from her face.

"I came to see you, naturally," the goddess said.

Lennon noticed Grover and Percy exchanged nervous looks.

"I didn't think—" Annabeth faltered. "Well, I didn't think you liked heroes."

Hera smiled indulgently. "Because of that little spat I had with Hercules? Honestly, I got so much bad press because of one disagreement."

"Didn't you try to kill him, like, a lot of times? Does that really count as a little spat?" Lennon asked.

Hera narrowed her eyes at her but waved her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge, my dear. Besides, he was one of my loving husband's children by another woman. My patience wore thin, I'll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent marriage counseling sessions since then. We've aired our feelings and come to an understanding—especially after that last little incident."

Lennon nodded warily.

"You mean when he sired Thalia?" Percy guessed.

Hera's eyes turned toward him frostily. "Percy Jackson, isn't it? One of Poseidon's...children. As I recall, I voted to let you live at the winter solstice. I hope I voted correctly."

She turned back to Annabeth with a sunny smile. "At any rate, I certainly bear you no ill will, my girl. I appreciate the difficulty of your quest. Especially when you have troublemakers like Janus to deal with."

Annabeth lowered her gaze. "Why was he here? He was driving me crazy."

"Trying to," Hera agreed. "You must understand, the minor gods like Janus have always been frustrated by the small parts they play in the universe. Some, I fear, have little love for Olympus, and could easily be swayed to support the rise of my father."

"Your father?" Percy asked. "Oh, right."

"We must watch the minor gods," Hera said. "Janus. Hecate. Morpheus. They give lip service to Olympus, and yet—"

"If they weren't treated like they were inferior, wouldn't they..." She trailed off when she saw Hera's glare. Lennon blinked. "Uh, Dionysus went to check on minor gods right?"

"Indeed." Hera ignored her previous words. She stared at the fading mosaics of the Olympians. "You see, in times of trouble, even gods can lose faith. They start putting their trust in the wrong things. They stop looking at the big picture and start being selfish. But I'm the goddess of marriage, you see. I'm used to perseverance. You have to rise above the squabbling and chaos and keep believing. You have to always keep your goals in mind."

"What are your goals?" Annabeth asked.

She smiled. "To keep my family, the Olympians, together, of course. At the moment, the best way I can do that is by helping you. Zeus does not allow me to interfere much, I am afraid. But once every century or so, for a quest I care deeply about, he allows me to grant a wish."

"A wish?"

"Before you ask it, let me give you some advice, which I can do for free. I know you see Daedalus. His Labyrinth is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. But if you want to know his fate, I would visit my son Hephaestus at his forge. Daedalus was a great inventor, a mortal after Hephaestus's heart. There has never been a mortal Hephaestus admired more. If anyone would have kept up with Daedalus and could tell you his fate, it is Hephaestus."

"But how do we get there?" Annabeth asked. "That's my wish. I want a way to navigate the Labyrinth."

Hera looked disappointed. "So be it. You wish for something, however, that you have already been given."

"I don't understand."

"The means is already within your grasp." She looked at Percy. "Percy knows the answer."

"I do?" He asked in confusion.

"But that's not fair," Annabeth said. "You're not telling me what it is!"

Hera shook her head. "Getting something and having the wits to use it...those are two different things. I'm sure your mother Athena would agree."

The room rumbled like distant thunder. Hera stood. "That would be my cue. Zeus grows impatient. Think about what I have said, Annabeth. Seek out Hephaestus. You will have to pass through the ranch, I imagine. But keep going. And use all the means at your disposal, however common they may seem."

She pointed toward the two doors and they melted away, revealing twin corridors, open and dark. "One last thing, Annabeth. I have postponed your day of choice, I have not prevented it. Soon, as Janus said, you will have to make a decision. Farewell!"

She waved a hand and turned into white smoke. So did the food, just as Tyson chomped down on a sandwich that turned to mist in his mouth. The fountain trickled to a stop. The mosaic walls dimmed and turned grungy and faded again. The room was no longer any place you'd want to have a picnic.

Lennon frowned. She hadn't been helpful at all.

Annabeth scoffed. "What sort of help was that? 'Here, have a sandwich. Make a wish. Oops, I can't help you!' Poof!"

"Poof," Tyson agreed sadly, looking at his empty plate.

"Well," Grover sighed, "she said Percy knows the answer. That's something."

Lennon nodded and they all looked at Percy. "Do you know what she was talking about?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what she was talking about."

Annabeth sighed. "All right. Then we'll just keep going."

"Which way?" He asked.

Grover and Tyson both tensed. They stood up together as if they'd rehearsed it. "Left," they both said.

Annabeth frowned. "How can you be sure?"

"Because something is coming from the right," Grover said.

"Something big," Tyson agreed. "In a hurry."

"Left is sounding pretty good," Percy said.

"Yeah, I agree," Lennon said.

Together they went into the dark corridor.

"What in Hades?" Annabeth said. They'd followed a tunnel out of the labyrinth and into a cell.

The blonde tugged on the bars. They didn't budge.

Through the bars, they could see rows of cells in a ring around a dark courtyard—at least three stories of metal doors and metal catwalks.

"A prison," Percy said. "Maybe Tyson can break—"

"Shh," said Grover. "Listen."

Somewhere above them, deep sobbing echoed through the building. There was another sound, too—a raspy voice muttering something that Lennon couldn't make out. The words were strange.

"What's that language?" Percy whispered.

"Nothing I've ever heard," Lennon whispered back to him.

Tyson's eye widened. "Can't be."

"What is it, Ty?" Percy asked him.

He grabbed two bars on the cell door and bent them wide enough for even a Cyclops to slip through.

"Wait!" Grover called.

But Tyson wasn't about to wait. So they ran after him through the dark prison.

"I know this place," Annabeth said. "This is Alcatraz."

"You mean that island near San Francisco?" Percy asked.

Annabeth nodded. "My school took a field trip here. It's like a museum."

"Freeze," Grover warned.

But Tyson kept going. Grover grabbed his arm and pulled him back with all his strength. "Stop, Tyson!" he whispered. "Can't you see it?"

Lennon looked to where he was pointing and her heart dropped. She looked at the monster on the second-floor balcony.

It was sort of like a centaur, with a woman's body from the waist up but instead of a horse's lower body, it had the body of a dragon—at least twenty feet long, black and scaly with enormous claws and a barbed tail. Her legs were sprouting snakes, hundreds of vipers darting around. Her hair was made of snakes. Around her waist, her skin bubbled and morphed, occasionally producing the heads of animals.

"It's her," Tyson whimpered.

"Get down!" Grover said.

They crouched in the shadows and luckily, the monster wasn't paying them any attention. It seemed to be talking to someone inside a cell on the second floor. From wherever the sobbing was coming from.

The dragon woman said something in her weird language.

"What's she saying?" Percy muttered. "What's that language?"

"The tongue of the old times." Tyson shivered. "What Mother Earth spoke to Titans and...her other children. Before the gods."

"You understand it?" Lennon asked.

Tyson nodded and Percy asked. "Can you translate?"

Tyson closed his eyes and began to speak in a horrible, raspy woman's voice. "You will work for the master or suffer."

Annabeth shuddered. "I hate it when he does that."

Lennon had of course heard that Cyclops could mimic voices but hearing it was much more chilling.

"I will not serve," Tyson said in a deep, wounded voice. He switched to the monster's voice: "Then I shall enjoy your pain, Briares." Tyson faltered when he said that name, letting out a strangled gulp. Then he continued in the monster's voice. "If you thought your first imprisonment was unbearable, you have yet to feel true torment. Think on this until I return."

The dragon lady tromped toward the stairwell, vipers hissing around her legs. She spread wings that had been folded against her back. The dragon lady leaped off the catwalk and soared across the courtyard. Then she disappeared around the corner.

"H-h-horrible," Grover said. "I've never smelled any monster that strong."

"Cyclopes' worst nightmare," Tyson murmured. "Kampê."

"Who?" Percy asked.

Tyson swallowed. "Every Cyclops knows about her. Stories about her scare us when we're babies. She was our jailer in the bad years."

Annabeth nodded. "I remember now. When the Titans ruled, they imprisoned Gaea and Ouranos's earlier children—the Cyclopes and the Hekatonkheires."

"The Heka-what?" Percy asked.

"Hekatonkheires," Lennon repeated Annabeth's words. "The Hundred-Handed Ones,"

"They called them that because...well, they had a hundred hands," Annabeth continued. "They were elder brothers of the Cyclopes."

"Very powerful," Tyson said. "Wonderful! As tall as the sky. So strong they could break mountains!"

"Cool," Percy said. "Unless you're a mountain."

"Kampê was the jailer," he said. "She worked for Kronos. She kept our brothers locked up in Tartarus, and tortured them always until Zeus came. He killed Kampê and freed Cyclopes and Hundred-Handed Ones to help fight against the Titans in the big war."

"And now Kampê is back," Percy confirmed.

"Bad," Tyson summed up.

"So who's in that cell?" Lennon asked. "You said a name—"

"Briares!" Tyson perked up. "He is a Hundred-Handed One. They are as tall as the sky and—"

"Yeah," Percy nodded. "They break mountains."

"I guess we should check it out," Annabeth said, "before Kampê comes back."

AUTHORS NOTE:
this chapter was kinda long but the action has started
anywho lennon annabeth and percy are the best trio!!
don't forget to comment! don't be a ghost reader