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chapter twenty-four.
( battle of the labyrinth )
❝ cain's deadly fear! ❞

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    The light hadn't disappeared while we were fighting the Cretan Bull. In fact, it had stayed floating above the brazen, as if watching. As soon as we were done, and ready to leave, it started to move again, disappearing down the dark corridor before us.

     The room turned more suburban: red brick and white columns. It was very weird and a huge contrast to the mosaic tiles we were walking on before. I wondered where we were, and what part of the world we were in. That idea kind of scared me. We could be halfway across America, and I could be halfway across America away from Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson. I suddenly wished I had Annabeth's hand to hold or Percy's jokes to light up the dark. To make me feel better, I imagined Grover tooting his reed pipes in the background, trying to do a travelling song to help us manoeuvre the maze━except it didn't work and Percy walked into a tree. I don't know why there would be a tree in the middle of the Labyrinth, but it reminded me of walking through New Jersey. I was eleven then━gosh, I used to be eleven.

      "Have you thought about how we will get back and meet the others at this random Ranch?" Cain suddenly asked me, and I jumped.

       To be honest, I hadn't thought about that. In reality, I wasn't exactly planning on meeting up with them again. I didn't tell Cain that, but it was my idea to find my powers again and then find Luke. I hadn't seen him since I saw him die ... and especially after my argument with Cain, I didn't want to tell him I was still hell-bound on trying to bring him back.

      "We'll find it," I instead told him. "Think the opposite. I don't want to see Percy and Annabeth━oh look, we've found Percy and Annabeth!"

      Cain furrowed his brows. "I think that's simplifying it way too much."

      I arched a brow, slightly annoyed. "Oh, and I'm guessing Annabeth has told you all about it?"

      "No━just," he let out a frustrated sigh. "Whatever. Like I said, I feel safe down here, like this is my home. I think I know how to navigate it."

      I rolled my eyes. "Cain. No one knows how to navigate the Labyrinth except for Daedalus."

      I knew he was angry from that comment. I could see it on his face. But unlike everyone who trembled at the sight of Cain, I didn't. I had seen worse than a moody fifteen-year-old who didn't know who his godly parent was. I know Cain was trying to make sense of who he was, but the fact that he said he felt like this was his home and he could understand it really annoyed me. This wasn't his home, Camp is his home. Camp is where he belongs, not this stupid maze full of monsters and death-traps. Camp.

      I want to go home. Back to Camp. But I won't have a home if Luke finds a way to Daedalus first.

     This made me surge forward, determined.

     After what seemed like another two hours, we finally set up camp, prepared to have a full sleep and not an interrupted one. However, I have a feeling that will be impossible in here. Cain and I snacked on food we took from the Camp store: crackers, chips, cookies and I warmed us up with some hot chocolate that was still warm in the thermos I brought. It was cold down in the Labyrinth, and I was cold on a daily basis because you know, well, death...

    We didn't talk however. I still think Cain was angry at me, or maybe I was angry at him. He was angry at me since━for the first time━I didn't understand him and accept him. I was angry at him because for the first time, he didn't understand and support me.

    Cain looked tired. Very tired. He stared at the wall opposite us, stuck in his own mind. In my experience, I've realised being stuck in your mind without distracting it was dangerous. Whenever I was, I started to think about every single regret: Luke, Jay, Bianca and Zoë. When I thought about them, all the hate I would throw at everyone else, I threw at me.

    I knew by that look on his face, he was thinking about a regret. So, I spoke up, "Cain..."

    "What?" his voice was sharp. It made me frown.

    "Don't use that tone with me," I crossed my arms.

    "Why not?" Cain narrowed his eyes at me. "Are you scared of it?"

    "No." I was confused. He was never like this. "Why are you being like this?"

    He didn't answer, and returned his gaze to the wall. I shuffled closer, he tensed. "Cain, if this is about what I said━I'm sorry. But ... Cain you don't belong here, you belong at camp."

    "What if I do?" Cain snapped. I jumped. "I don't belong at Camp, Claire. My godly father doesn't want to even acknowledge me. I'm undetermined. This━here━this place, is the first time I've understood myself."

    I scoffed, shaking my head. "You don't belong here, Cain! This place is a place of fear, of evil. You're not evil, you're not a bad person, you're shy, you're quiet, you're Cain━"

    This made him stand up. "You think you know me?!" the tone of his voice made my shoulders hunch. I haven't heard him ever yell. He never yells. "You don't know me, Claire! People are scared of me for a reason! Don't you ever think that?"

    "You have done nothing for them to be scared of!" I stood up too. "You just━it's to do with your godly parent! That doesn't mean you belong here━"

    "Yes it does!" Cain shouted. "You don't know me, Claire!"

    "Then tell me!"

    "No!" It was then that I saw tears in his eyes. I faltered. Cain turned away, quickly rubbing the tears away from his eyes. "No." He repeated again.

    "Why?" I asked this time, a lot gentler.

    "You'd be scared of me."

    "Cain," I crossed my arms. "I died. Not many things can scare me. You don't make me see my fear like everyone else. I won't be scared of you."

    Suddenly━out of nowhere━Cain slammed his fist against the wall. I jumped. At this, Cain narrowed his eyes. "Yes, you are. Everyone is."

    "That doesn't mean anything, Cain!"

    "Yes it does!" Cain stormed up to me. I shrunk a little, alarmed at the look in his eyes. "I know your deepest fear, Claire! Doesn't that scare you?"

     "No, it doesn't━!"

    "Well, it should! I'm not a good person, Claire!" he screamed right at my face. I didn't flinch, despite having spit thrown into my eyes. "I'm not!"

    "This isn't you, Cain," I said with a straight face. "This maze, it's making you━"

    "It's not making me do anything," Cain pulled at his face in frustration. "This—this is who I am, Claire! I'm angry, I'm dangerous━"

    "Oh come on, Cain. You'd never hurt a fly━"

    "You..." he was so angry, he couldn't speak properly. "You don't understand, Claire," he pointed at me. "You see the best in everyone. In me, in Jay, in Luke━"

    "Oh, sure, bring Luke into this━"

    "When will you understand?" he threw his hands out. "Not everyone is good!"

    "No, they're not," I clenched my fists. "But if anyone is good, it's you. Why are you even acting like this, anyway?! What brought it up?"

    At this, Cain slumped. He turned away. "It doesn't matter. Head to sleep, I'll take first watch."

    I sighed, "Cain━"

    "I said it doesn't matter," he snapped, and I decided to leave it.

    That night was not a peaceful one.

° ° °

    I dreamt about Percy.

    No, not like that.

    I woke up in a battlefield. No, I'm serious━I was lying down on the ground amongst debris and monster dust. The air was just as dusty and it made me cough as I tried to sit up. When I did, pain erupted in my stomach. Looking down, I gasped at the sight of blood staining my camp shirt. My hand shook as it hovered over my abdomen, trying to understand what was happening. It hurt━it hurt like hell.

    "H-help," I tried to say, but my throat was as dry as the air. All around me was destruction━buildings, the trees, people... "S-somebody, help..."

    I tried to move away, but I couldn't. It hurt too much, like everything inside of me was tearing apart. I wanted to lie back down and just sleep, but I knew what that led too. No, I told myself. I got to get out of here. With gritted teeth, I reached out my left hand and dragged myself out of the wreckage. "Help!" It was barely a sound, coughing out of my mouth along with blood. I was going to die here. I was going to die again.

    All hope was lost, until I saw a figure amongst the dust in the distance. Relief━it helped me mask the pain and continue to drag myself along the ground. "Help!" I tried to make my voice louder. "Help! Please!"

    The person turned around, and the dust disappeared around them long enough for me to see their face. I breathed a smile, "Percy? Percy! Help━help, I can't━"

    But he just stared. That was how I knew this was a dream. I knew Percy too well. If anyone was hurt, he would run straight to them and do everything in his power to help. This wasn't real━I told myself, as I lay there dying. This is somebody trying to tell me something. I don't know what, or why it has something to do with Percy, but that was what it was.

    The ground shook, a million tremors like a million fits punching up from underneath. I met Percy's eyes, still staring at me. Was he doing this? What was happening?

    The tremors got quicker and quicker, building up and up until something behind me exploded. It roared, louder than the Nemean Lion if it was bigger by one hundred. Percy's eyes glanced up, and I followed his gaze, managing to shift on the ground to look up at the mountain behind me. But it wasn't a mountain. The cloud of ash that billowed out of the top told me otherwise. I looked back at Percy, frowning, but it wasn't Percy anymore. It was Hades, and he smirked at me. "Hello. Tea?" he held out some weird simmering beverage. "Made from our very own pomegranates."

    The world around me still shook, but he just stood there as if it was nothing. He looked down at his wrist, but there was no watch. "I don't have much time, so let's make this quick." Hades met my eyes, soulless, endless; a never ending abyss of terror and death. "I need you to figure out your problems faster."

    I frowned, "What?"

    "I need you to learn," Hades crossed his arms. "I'm too tired of you moping about and searching for something that doesn't exist."

    This only made me more confused. "What?"

    "This will happen soon!" he pointed to the eruption behind me. "And your little buddy Percy Jackson will be the cause of it. You need to be ready, Claire Moore to defeat what will come out of that."

    "I don't know what you're talking about," I tried to say amongst splutters of blood. "Percy━Percy would never do that━"

    "Percy doesn't even know the surface of what he can do," snapped Hades. "And that is why he is so dangerous. He could destroy Olympus and the world."

    "But he won't."

    "Are you sure?" Hades challenged. "After what you just saw?"

    "I don't need to see anything," I said. "I know him."

    Hades pursed his lips, and I felt a hint of pride that I shut up the God of the Underworld. But it was short lasting, for my stomach flared with pain again and I clenched my eyes closed, trying to push past it. "That will kill you."

    I shook my head, "No it won't. This is a dream."

    "Not now, no, but it will." Hades told me. He walked up towards me and loomed over my body. "If you don't learn, it will kill you━and in the very near future. If you don't beat it, you're not coming back from my realm once again."

    "Learn what?"

    "To let go."

    "Let go of what?" I couldn't think straight. It was like I was half awake, part of me drifting away━that's what dreams felt like. You were there, but you weren't there. You were stuck in between two points, the living, and the hold of the present, past or future demigod dreams usually possess.

    "You can't let go of your past," said Hades. "It is your fatal flaw. To seek what you need, what you are searching for, you have to let go of your past. You have to let go of Jay, of Luke, of your mother. They aren't coming back."

    He crouched down to my level, and I coughed. "I don't━what? Why?"

    "So you can stop lying to yourself! You need to realise, Claire Moore!" shouted Hades. "You can't change the past, and you can't force people to be who they used to be. Everyone changes, just like you have changed. That volcano will erupt━and you need to be in the right mind to defeat the monster inside! You need to let go to move forward!"

    "I can't," I shook my head. I don't know how I managed to get to a position where I was hugging my stomach and my legs were near my chest. But I managed it. "I can't..."

    "Then you will die," said Hades. "Again. And forever this time. Look, Claire Moore, I am trying to help you━despite how annoying it is because I hate you and you are the worst━but I am trying to help. You need to let me. Let go."

    Something was coming out of the wound in my abdomen. I looked down, and I screamed at the sight of the ash that was billowing out above crawling out from within me, encasing my skin like some sort of cast. "What's happening?!" I screamed, trying to move, but I couldn't. "What's happening to me?!"

    "What will happen if you don't learn!" Hades explained.

    "I can't!" I shouted, watching as it continued to crawl: down my legs, around my torso and up to my chest.

    "Think, Claire Moore!" shouted Hades. "Who is someone still with you?! Who is someone who has kept you grounded, someone present now, moving forward now. Think!"

    "I━I━" I couldn't finish my sentence. The ash encased over my mouth, my cheeks, and then up to my eyes until everything went black.

    I was cold. All I felt was cold. And yes, I know I felt cold on a daily basis, but this was different. This wasn't a shiver of oh it's chilly, this cold was inside me, in my bones, making me shiver from the inside. My first instinct was to open my eyes, and I was surprised to find out that I could.

    Back in the Labyrinth, I gasped. Sitting back up straight, I clawed at my stomach, expecting to still see the ash coming out of the wound there. But when it was just my shirt, I let out a cry of relief and slumped back against the stone.

    To the side, Cain frowned at me. "You're up..." he looked like he had been about to wake me, and so I glanced at him, still a litte taken-aback by our argument not long ago. "Good," he said. "Because we need to go."

    "Go where?" I frowned, but pushed myself to stand up. He started to pack up the camp, and I helped, confused.

    "I heard a sound that way━" he pointed to the hallway behind us, "━so we need to move away from it."

    That makes sense. "Oh, right, of course..."

    And that was all we said before we started to make our way down the long corridor, unable to utter a word to each other in the tense air that suffocated between us.

*

     a/n: MERRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY CHRISTMAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

     *the world is burning around them*

     hades: tea?

     claire: o __ o