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chapter thirty-four
( battle of the labyrinth )
❝ the god complex
part three! ❞

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    Claire Moore has a thing against dark alleyways. She was found in one, alone, and they are dark and scary. But she was with Luke and Thalia this time, so she knows she will be fine. They will protect her. They are big and strong, and the best monster fighters there is. Little Claire Moore clutched Luke's hand as the three of them walked through a dark alley between red-brick warehouses. A sign above the doors read: RICHMOND IRON WORKS.

    Luke carried his bronze knife, and Thalia had her spear and really scary Medusa shield. Claire stayed close to Luke, really hungry. She wanted to ask when they will get food next, but she held off, seeing the look upon his face.

    "Are you sure?" Thalia whispered.

    Luke nodded. "Something down here. I sense it."

    Claire gripped his hand tighter, holding in her fearful sob. Luke glanced down at her and squeezed her hand gently. "Hey, it'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

    She nodded, believing him.

    A rumble echoed from the alley, like someone had banged on a sheet of metal. Claire gasped, but they continued to creep forward. Old crates were stacked on a loading dock. Claire, Thalia and Luke approached with weapons ready (well, Claire was still working on her bow and arrow, but she's getting better! Thalia is teaching her!). A curtin of corrugated tin quivered as if something was behind it.

    Thalia glanced at Luke. Claire looked up at him warily. He gave her a nod and counted silently: One, two, three! He ripped away the tin and a little girl flew at him and Claire with a hammer. Claire let out a squeal and jumped back, quickly hiding behind Thalia.

    "Whoa!" Luke said.

    The girl was about Claire's age, with tangled blonde hair and was wearing flannel pyjamas. Claire peeked around Thalia, seeing Luke grab her wrist and the hammer she brandished skittered across the cement.

    The little girl fought and kicked. "No more monsters! Go away!"

    "It's okay!" Luke struggled to hold her. "Thalia, put your shield down. You're scaring her."

    Thalia tapped her shield and it shrank into a pretty silver bracelet. "Hey, it's all right," she said. "We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. That's Luke. And this is Claire..."

    Shyly, Claire showed her face to the girl, stepping out of her hiding place just enough.

    "Monsters!"

    "No!" Luke promised. "But we know all about monsters. We fight them, too."

    Slowly, the girl stopped kicking. She studied Claire, Luke and Thalia with really large, intelligent grey eyes. Claire stared back at her with the same inquisition as any child meeting another one her age.

    "You're like me?" said the girl suspiciously.

    "Yeah," nodded Luke. "We're ... well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster-fighters. Where's your family."

    "My family hates me," she said. "They don't want me. I ran away."

    Claire's breath hitched. As young as she was, she knew exactly what it was like to have a mother who doesn't want you.

    "What's your name, kiddo?" asked Thalia.

    "Annabeth."

    Luke smiled, "Nice name. I tell you what, Annabeth━you're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."

    Annabeth's eyes widened, "You could?"

    "Oh, yeah," he turned his knife and offered her the handle. "How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is celestial bronze. Works better than a hammer."

    Annabeth took it, and Claire quickly shuffled along, quickly latching onto Luke's arm instead of Thalia's to get a better look at the girl. Luke chuckled at her. "Knives are for quick and brave monster-fighters!" said little Claire, suddenly very eager. "Like Luke!"

    Luke smiled, "Claire is right, Annabeth. Knives don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they are easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armour. It takes a pretty clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever."

    Annabeth stared at him with adoration. "I am!"

    "Claire here is about your age," continued Luke. "She will take good care of you. You can both learn to fight. Claire likes bows and arrows, but I also want her to get used to a knife. You can stick together."

    Annabeth and Claire watched each other. For a second, they were both wary, but it soon disappeared and the two young girls accepted one another as the bestest of friends. Luke watched them, a proud smile on his face.

    Thalia grinned, "We'd better get going, Annabeth. We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food."

    Claire gasped in delight at the mention of food. "And cookies!"

    "You're━you're not going to take me back to my family?" Annabeth said softly. "Pronise?"

    Luke put his hand on her shoulder. "You're part of our family, now. And I promise you I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?"

    "Deal!" Annabeth said happily. Claire grinned and clapped her hands together.

    "Now come on," said Thalia. "We can't stay put for long!"

° ° °

    We finally stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, and I saw Annabeth collapse and put her head between her knees. She was sobbing, I could hear them echo in the tunnel. I stared back the way we came━I think my legs were shaking, and so I sat down right there. Rachel was doubled over, clutching a stitch to her side. Cain looked defeated, and he slumped down near Annabeth, as if not sure on what to do.

    I didn't know what he was doing here, or how he got there. I didn't know what I saw, or what had happened. My mind was whimpering, Luke, Luke, Luke, Luke━over and over again. I don't know whether it was despair or anger because it felt like there was nothing. I was so shocked over what had happened, what I had seen, that I didn't cry, nor did I speak. I just stared at the ground, thinking. Luke, gold eyes. Luke, gold eyes. Luke, gold eyes━

    I didn't want to cry, which is why I think I didn't. After everything I went through, determined to move on, to look past, I will not fall into that trap again. And yet, there was a lump in the back of my throat. I will move on, I told myself. He's not the Luke you knew anymore. Get over it!

    I heard Percy and Nico chatting, but I paid little attention. Cain was trying to comfort Annabeth, and she let him━kind of. I knew if he tried anything else except a hand to her shoulder, she will hit him and say she's fine when she's the exact opposite.

    Finally, I managed to be able to talk. It hurt my throat, but I glanced over to Cain and Percy, asking the question I was terrified to, "What ... what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

    Percy told me what he had seen in the coffin, the way the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered Luke's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service. How Cain tried to stop him, using his new power of fear against Jay and Ethan, but it had only made things worse, giving the final touches to the last stage of Kronos's journey into Luke's body.

    Fear, light and water, together, start the last stage. I thought light had been me, but it had been Jay all along.

    Cain then explained how he had gotten there. Jay had returned with monsters when he was searching with Grover and Tyson. He fended them off as best as he could while the other two ran, and he had been captured and taken to Mount Othrys.

    That only made my mood worse.

    "No," said Annabeth. "That can't be true. He couldn't━"

    "He gave himself over to Kronos," said Cain, looking very pained. "I━I'm sorry, Annabeth. I tried to stop him, but I just made everything so much worse. Luke ... Luke is gone."

    I quickly placed my palm to my eyes, stopping the tear that threatened to fall. No, I will not cry. I will not go back into that hole. I will move on. I will move on. I have moved on━

    "No!" Annabeth insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."

    Percy nodded, and looked at Rachel with respect. "You hit the Lord of the Titans in teh eye with a plastic blue hairbrush."

    Rachel looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had."

    "But you saw," said Annabeth. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses. Claire, you saw it, didn't you? You saw what happened after the brush hit him."

    No. I can't, I won't, I can't━but I wanted it to be the truth. I have trouble letting go, it was my fatal flaw. Hades said I needed to let go, and I had━I let go of my mother, saying goodbye to the person she was, but Luke ... it was much harder.

    So, I took a deep breath. Watching Percy cautiously, I said. "Well ... you have to admit. Luke's voice returned, it━it was him ..." my voice was shaking.

    "So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," said Percy, frowning. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control."

    "You want him to be evil, is that it?" cried Annabeth angrily. "You didn't know him before, Percy. Claire and I did!"

    "What is it with you?" Percy snapped. "The both of you! Why do you keep defending him?! After everything he's done━?"

    "Whoa," Rachel held her hands up. "Guys, knock it off."

    I turned on her. "Stay out of this, Rachel, okay?!" my eyes were blurry, so she just looked like a red-hair frizzy mess. "You don't know him━you don't know Luke, who he was ..."

    I couldn't finish. My voice broke and I slumped. Head in my hands, I cried as well. I'm such a failure. I can't let go of him. I can't. I miss him. I miss him━

    Family, remember?

    I took a deep and shuddering breath. I'm so sorry, Hades, I apologised. I've failed you again.

    "We have to keep moving," said Nico. "He'll send monsters after us."

    None of us was in any shape to run, but Nico was right. Percy hauled himself up and helped Rachel to her feet. Cain helped Annabeth to her feet, and said something softly to her. She nodded, tearful.

    After praising Rachel again on her exquisite hair brush throwing, Percy knelt down next to me. "Hey," he said gently. "I'm sorry about Luke, really. But we need to move."

    "I know," I murmured, wiping away my tears. "I'm ... I'm all right."

    I wasn't, but Percy didn't say anything. I got to my feet, and we started straggling through the Labyrinth again. I hovered back with Annabeth, feeling like I was seven again. I reached for her hand and grasped it tight. She leaned in next to me, and we shared a sad hug behind everyone else over Luke.

    "Back to New York," then said Percy. "Rachel, can you━?"

    He froze. A few metres in front of him, his flashlight beam fixed on a trampled clump of red fabric lying on the ground. He picked it up. It was a Rasta cap: the one Grover always wore.

° ° °

    I feared the worst. The tunnel was treacherous━sloping at weird angles and slimy with moisture. Half the time we were slipping and sliding rather than walking. Finally, we got to the bottom of a slope and found ourselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the centre of the ram ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the bank, cradling Grover in his laps. Grover's eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.

    "No..." I murmured, feeling my stomach drop and turn.

    "Tyson!" Percy yelled.

    "Percy! Come quick!"

    We ran over to him. Grover wasn't dead, oh, thank the gods, but his whole body trembling like he was freezing to death.

    "What happened?" Percy asked, his eyes wide.

    "So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords, and a boy like Claire━" my eyes flickered down, "━and then we lot Cain. But then ... we got close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room, and he fell. Like this."

    "Did he say anything?" Cain wondered.

    "He said, 'We're close'. Then he hit his head on the rocks."

    Percy knelt next to him. The last time━or the only other time━I had seen Grover pass out was in New Mexico, when he felt the presence of Pan. I shared a look with Percy, and the same thoughts seemed to have crossed him.

    With a flick of my wrist, a ball of light formed and travelled around the room. The rocks glittered. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystal that looked like diamonds. And beyond that entrance ...

   "Grover," Percy said. "Wake up."

    "Uhhhhhh."

    Annabeth sighed and splashed icy cold river water in his face.

    "Splurg!" his eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Claire? Annabeth? Where ..."

    "It's okay," said Percy. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."

    "I━I remember. Pan."

    "Yeah," nodded Cain. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

    Percy made quick introductions, since Tyson and Grover had never met Rachel. Tyson told Rachel she was pretty, which also didn't help my mood. I crossed my arms, glaring.

    "Anyway ..." Percy said. "Come on, Grover. Lean on me."

    Percy and I helped him up, and together we waded across the underground river. The current was strong. The water came up to our waists. Percy was fine, he could will himself to stay dry, but the rest of us got soaked in chilling, freezing cold water.

    "I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," Annabeth murmured, her teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."

    "How do you know?"

    "Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she explained. "That would explain what happened with Grover back on your quest."

    Percy nodded. We got out of the water and kept walking. As the crystal pillars loomed larger, I started to feel the power from the next room, washing over me like some sort of waterfall. I have been in the presence of gods before, but this was different. My skin tingled with living energy, and my weariness fell away. I could feel myself growing stronger, and the scent coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelt of wildflowers blooming in a warm spring day.

    Grover whimpered with excitement. Most of us were too stunned to talk━even Nico seemed speechless. We stepped into the cave, and Rachel said, "Oh, wow..."

    The walls glittered with crystals of many colours━red, green, blue ... in the light it cast off, beautiful plants grew. Orchids of star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries. The cave door was covered with soft green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than those in cathedrals━so high I had to crane my neck to see the top that sparkled like a galazy of stars. In the centre of a cave, sat a Roman-style bed with bright velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it━animals that I'm pretty sure should be extinct. Like there was a dodo bird, a Tasmanian Tiger, a sabertooth tiger, there was even a mammoth! It roamed behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk.

    On the bed lied an old satyr. He watched us as we approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was ghostly white, as was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted wihth grey. His horns were enourmous━glossy brown and curved. Around his neck hung a set of ancient reed pipes.

    Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed, and the rest of us followed. "Lord Pan!"

    The god smiled kindly, and yet there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."

    "I ... got lost," Grover apologised.

    Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound that made all my worries just float away like leaves and sticks in a stream. Still, Pan looked tired, HIs whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist.

    I couldn't believe what I was seeing. After all this time━two thousand years, everyone thought he was dead. And yet here he was, alive ... Grover had found him.

    "You have a humming dodo bird," Percy said stupidly.

    (This boy).

    The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."

    His dodo bird looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge.

    "This is the most beautful place!" said Annabeth. "It's better than any building ever designed!"

    "I'm glad you like it, dear," said Pan. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed ... for a little longer."

    "My lord," said Grover, breathless, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"

    Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."

    "Chose?" Grover frowned. "I━I don't understand."

    Pan's image flickered, turning to smoke momentarily. I think I knew what was happening, and I shook my head. No ... "I have slept many aeons," he said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now, we are near the end."

    "What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"

    "My dear satyr," sighed Pan. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."

    Cain's eyes widened. "Wait ... I know that story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead'."

    Annabeth gave him a weak smile, letting him know he was right.

    "But that wasn't true!" said Grover.

    "Your kind never believed it," said Pan. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twighlight sleep. It must end."

    "No!" Grover's voice trembled. I took a deep breath, feeling tears form in my eyes.

    "Dear Grover, you must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, he understands."

    Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This ... this is more like a memory."

    "But gods can't die!" Grover said miserably.

    "They can fade," said Pan, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so smll now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, and the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan is dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. I cannot. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must━"

    He stopped and frowned at the bird, who had started humming again. "Deke, what are you doing? Are you singing Kumbaya again?"

    Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes.

    Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."

    "But ... no!" whimpered Grover, tears streaming down his face. I wiped away my own, but they kept coming back.

    "Be strong," Pan told him. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."

    Pan's eyes flickered to Percy, and said, "Percy Jackson. I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear."

    He turned to me. "Claire Moore, the Light's Kin. You are destined for many great things, and you will defeat the enemy, the Gods cannot destroy him on their own."

    I frowned, wondering what he meant before his eyes landed on Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

    Turning to Cain, he gave the boy a tired smile. "Son of Panic and Fear, the only way those around you will stop fearing you, is if you stop fearing yourself."

    Then, he looked at Tyson. "Master Cyclops, do not despair. Heroes rarely live up to our expectations. But you, Tyson━your name shall live among the Cyclops for generations. And Miss Rachel Dare..."

    Rachel flinched when he said her name. She backed away like she was guilty of something, but Pan only smiled. He raised his hand in a blessing. "I know you believe you cannot make ameds," he said. "But you are just as important as your father."

    "I━" Rachel's voice broke off, and a tear traced her cheek.

    "I know you don't believe this now," muttered Pan. "But look for opportunities. They will come."

    Finally, his gaze returned to Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan said kindly. "Will you carry my message?"

    "I━I can't."

    "You can. You are the strongest and bravest. Your heart is true. You have believed in me more than anyone ever has, which is why you must bring the message, and why you must be the first to release me."

    "I━I don't want to..."

    "I know," whispered the god. "But my name, Pan ... originally it meant rustic. Did you know that? But over the years it has come to mean all. The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you."

    Grover wiped his tears. then, he slowly stood up. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now ... I release you."

    Pan smiled. "Thank you, dear satyr. My final blessing."

    He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into my mouth, and Grover's, and the others'. The crystals dimmed. The animals gave us a sad look. Dede the dodo sighed ... and they all turned grey and crumbled to dust. I watched, tearful as the vines withered, and we were alone in a dark cave with an empty bed.

    Tell them the great god Pan, is dead.

    I glanced at Grover, and reached over to grip his shoulder. I gave it a squeeze.

    "Are ... are you okay?" Percy asked him.

    He looked older and sadder. Taking his cap from Annabeth, he brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly on his curly head. "We shoud go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

° ° °

    a/n: i pass the message to you: You must tell each one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan's spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you

    (we're getting close to the end of part two and i am not ready).