The tunnels were out to get them, but Rachel was having no problem navigating through them. She and Annabeth struck up a conversation as they talked about architecture. So Evangeline walked with Landon while Percy hung in the back with Nico.

"This must be a normal thing for you by now," Landon mumbled.

"What?" Evangeline arched a brow.

"This," he motioned to the tunnel around them. "All these weird changing things, I mean we all used to wonder what was happening on your quests but this is much crazier."

The daughter of Hades couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "You have no idea, this one time Percy got bullied by a pink poodle."

"I can see why," He murmured.

Evangeline smacked him on the arm slightly. "Please don't fight each other or I don't know whatever you two are always arguing about."

"Tell him that, he always starts it."

Evangeline sighed. He wasn't wrong. "Please just try not to argue back."

"I'll try," He said, his gaze fixed on the girls walking in front of them. "What's the deal with her?"

"With who?"

He set his jaw, his gaze travelling from the blonde and lingering on the redhead. "Her," he said. "I saw you giving her a look earlier."

"I was not giving her a look," The brunette huffed.

"Yes you were," Landon nodded. "I could practically see the jealousy coming off of you."

The daughter of Hades faltered. "I'm not jealous of Rachel, I have nothing to be jealous about."

The Martin boy watched her for a moment, "Hmm," he murmured. "Sure, keep lying to yourself."

"What are you implying exactly?" Evangeline arched a brow.

"You know exactly what," he glanced at her. "You and Percy."

"What about me and Percy?"

Landon pursed his lips as if he was disappointed in her, he sighed and said, "Are you really that blind?"

"What are you going on about?"

"Evangeline, I have eyes you know, so does Beth."

"Beth?" Evangeline arched a brow. "You're calling her Beth now?"

The son of Hermes licked his lips and spared a glance in the blonde's direction. "This isn't about her, this about you and Percy being more blinder than Dora the Explorer."

"Dora the who—?"

Percy interrupted the moment as he pushed himself between the two. Percy shot him a look. "So how's the reunion going? You two having fun catching up?"

"It's fine," Evangeline said.

Percy walked in between the two, putting as much of a distance between them as he could. "So how was being dead?"

"I wasn't dead,"

"Then where were you?"

"In Minos's evil clutches, being used as a bribery." Landon scowled.

"What happened with Minos?" Evangeline asked.

The son of Hermes fiddled with the worn-out bandages around the tip of his fingers.

"Nothing much," he said. He took me to Luke, and then, you know, I was with him for the last two weeks."

"Are you a spy?" Percy asked suddenly.

"Why does everyone keep accusing me of that, do I really look that suspicious?" Landon scoffed.

"How am I supposed to trust you, when you suddenly 'disappeared' and stayed with your brother who betrayed us?"

Landon sighed as he set his jaw.

Before anyone said anything else, Percy ran into Rachel, who'd stopped suddenly. They had come at a crossroads. The tunnel continued straight ahead, but a side tunnel T'd off to the right—a circular shaft carved from black volcanic rock.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

Rachel stared down the dark tunnel. In the dim flashlight beam, her face looked like one of Nico's specters.

"Is that the way?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Rachel said nervously. "Not at all."

"Then why are we stopping?" Landon asked.

"Listen," Evangeline said. She heard wind coming down the tunnel, whispers of the dead, and the smell of a scent she knew all too well.

"Eucalyptus trees," Percy said. "Like in California."

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said. "Something very powerful."

"The smell of death," Nico added, making the rest of them feel a lot better.

The children of Athena and Poseidon exchanged glances. "Luke's entrance," Annabeth guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys—the Titans' palace."

"I have to check it out," Percy said.

"Have you never seen a horror movie?" Landon asked. "You never go in alone."

"Luke could be right there," the son of Poseidon said. "Or...or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on."

Annabeth hesitated. "Then we'll all go."

"No," Percy said. "It's too dangerous. If they got a hold of Nico, Evangeline, or Rachel for that matter, Kronos could use them. You and Landon stay here and guard them."

"Excuse you?" Evangeline arched a brow, she was offended that he thought she needed guarding.

"Or we can just get the fuck out of here?" The son of Hermes offered, jabbing his thumb in the direction behind them.

"Percy, don't," Rachel said. "Don't go up there alone."

"I'll be quick," the raven-haired boy promised. "I won't do anything stupid."

Annabeth took her Yankees cap out of her pocket. "At least take this. And be careful."

Percy stepped forward to grab the hat until Landon tripped him, sending him straight to Evangeline to catch, the brunette caught him by the arms and glanced into his eyes. They were close, too close.

He cleared his throat and straightened.

"Thanks," Percy said, glancing at the brunette. Evangeline's mind went straight to the last time they split up. When they had kissed, she quickly snapped herself out of it before she started regretting her decision to lie to Percy and tell him it was a mistake.

The boy didn't say anything as he put the cap on and disappeared into thin air.

She turned to the son of hermes. "What is wrong with you?"

"Just doing my job," Landon said. "You guys are taking too long."

"Landon," Annabeth shook her head.

The children of Athena, Hades, Hermes, and Rachel hadn't waited too long before the went inside the tunnel to look for Percy.

They were met with a cold breeze hitting their faces. The Pacific Ocean was spread out below them, a churning gray under the cloudy sky. About twenty feet downhill, there were two telkhines and Ethan Nakamura examining something.

It was a six-foot-long scythe. The blade curved like a crescent moon, with a wooden handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colors—bronze and steel. It was Kronos' weapon, which was completely reformed now.

There was a strong magical presence—powerful Mist. Powerful enough that it seemed past the thick veil between them and the lower half of the mountain. Above the five, the sky swirled into a huge funnel cloud. Evangeline couldn't see Atlas, but she could hear his annoying groaning in the distance, still laboring the weight of the sky.

The brunette heard a scream. Evangeline wasn't imagining it because Ethan and the two telkhines grabbed Kronos' scythe, and ran for the fortress.

The quintet hurried through a dark foyer and into what had to be the main hall of the stronghold. The floor shined like a mahogany piano—pure black, yet still full of light. Black marble statues lined with the walls. They were paintings of the Titans who had ruled the world before the gods. At the end of the large room, between two bronze braziers, was a fair. On that dais was the golden sarcophagus that kept the reforming body of Kronos.

The sarcophagus was just like Evangeline remembered; nearly ten feet long, and way too large for any regular person. It was carved with elaborate scenes of death and destruction, pictures of the gods being trodden under chariots, temples, and famous landmarks being burned and obliterated.

And standing in front of the coffin was Luke. His eyes shined with a bright golden color that matched the coffin. Where his feet touched the floor, the black marble was coated with a thin layer of ice. He held the scythe in his hands, leisurely swinging it around as if he were becoming reacquainted with the weapon again.

Luke smiled gleefully at something on the other side of the room; Percy was running—or at least trying to. He was moving at a slow pace like he was being slowed down.

"Run, little hero!" Luke laughed gleefully. "Run!"

It looked like Luke, but whatever voice was coming out of the son of Hermes was not Luke's voice. A horrible sound, an ancient, cold sound was underneath the blond's voice.

Next to her, Landon's body went rigid.

The blond son of Hermes was only ten feet away when Rachel yelled, "Percy!" The redhead grabbed something out of her back pocket and aimed for the blond's head. A blue, plastic hairbrush—hit Luke directly in his right eye.

Luke let out a yelp, and for a moment, there wasn't another voice beneath his. Percy started running at full speed, his feet barely able to keep up. He ran head-first into Landon, Rachel, Annabeth, Nico, and Evangeline.

Annabeth's grey eyes were wide, swirling like a storm cloud. "Luke? What—"

Percy hadn't stopped running when he reached forward and grabbed Evangeline by the arm pulling her along as the son of Poseidon ran for the first exit he could find. Nico and Rachel were right behind, but Annabeth seemed frozen with shock. Landon grabbed Annabeth's hand, dragging her along.

They ran straight out of the fortress. The group was almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when Evangeline heard a loud bellow, but this time there was no hint of Luke's voice, only the cold, ancient one. "After them!"

"No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock erupted from the ground right in front of the fortress. The tremor it caused was so powerful, the front columns of the building came crashing down.

The six plunged into the Labyrinth and never stopped running, not even as the howl of the Titan lord shook the entire world behind them.

They all ran until they couldn't anymore. Rachel steered them away from traps, but there was no destination in mind—away from the dark mountain and the roar of Kronos.

The six stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. Evangeline couldn't hear anything behind them, but that didn't make her feel better. "I can't go any further," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest.

Annabeth had been crying the entire time they had been running. Now she collapsed and up her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Landon slammed his back against the wall, sliding down to the floor next to Annabeth with teary eyes.

Nico sat next to Evangeline, dropping his sword with a clang. "That sucked," Evangeline spoke up. Percy dropped Riptide to the floor, collapsing to the floor with a sigh. He sat on the opposite side of the Hades kids. "You saved our lives," he told Nico.

The son of Hades wiped the dust off his face. "Blame the girls for dragging me along. That's the only thing they could agree on. We needed to help you or you'd mess things up."

Percy cleared his throat. "Nico... you, uh, kind of gave yourself away."

"What do you mean?"

"That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now— another child of Hades."

Nico frowned. "Big deal,"

Percy let it drop. He figured he was just trying to hide how scared he was, he couldn't blame him. His eyes trailed over to the brunette sitting next to Nico. It wouldn't leave her mind, the unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face, and the chilling smile across his face.

Annabeth lifted her head up, her eyes red from crying. "What... what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?"

Percy explained all he had witnessed. He told them what he'd seen in the coffin; Luke's body and how the last piece of Kronos' spirit had entered the blond's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service to Kronos' cause.

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

"He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy said. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. But Luke is gone."

Annabeth's gray eyes hardened. "No!" She insisted. "You saw when Rachel hit him."

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

The redhead looked embarrassed. "It was the only thing I had,'

"But you saw," Annabeth insisted. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses."

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

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

"What is it with you?" The son of Poseidon snapped. "Why do you keep defending him?"

"Whoa, you two," Rachel said. "Knock it off."

Evangeline shot a glare at the redhead as Annabeth turned to her. "Stay out of it, mortal girl!" The blonde snapped. "If it wasn't for you..."

Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. She put her head down again and sobbed miserably. Nico turned to his sister. "We have to keep moving," he said. "He'll send monsters after us,"

"He's right," Landon sniffled. "We have to get away from them as far as we can."

Nobody was in the shape to run, but they were right. Percy turned to Rachel and helped her to her feet. Evangeline stood up alongside Nico while Landon walked past them and knelt next to Annabeth.

"C'mon, beth," he spoke softly. "We need to move."

"I know," Annabeth said. "I'm... I'm all right."

The daughter of Athena was very much not all right, Landon glanced towards the brunette and he helped Annabeth to her feet. The six started straggling through the Labyrinth again.

"Back to New York," Percy said. "Rachel, can you—"

He froze. A few feet in front of them, his flashlight beam fixed on a trampled clamp of red fabric lying on the ground. It was a Rasta cap: the one Grover always wore.

Percy hurried for the cap, his hands shaking as he picked it up. Grover's cap looked like it had been stepped on by a huge muddy boot. Evangeline noticed something else. The cave floor was mushy and wet from the water dripping off the stalactites There were large footsteps like Tyson's, and smaller ones—goat hooves—leading off to the left.

"We have to follow them," Percy said, turning to face the five behind him. "They went that way It must have been recently."

"What about Camp Half-Blood?" Nico said. "There's no time."

"We have to find them," Annabeth insisted. "They're our friends." She picked up the smashed cap and forged ahead.

Nico looked towards the brunette, and she helplessly shrugged. "We'll get them back and then we go to camp."

The tunnel was treacherous. It sloped at weird angles and was slimy with moisture. Half the time, they were slipping and sliding rather than actually walking. Finally, they got to the bottom of a slope and found themselves in a large cave with huge stalagmite columns. Through the center of the room ran an underground river, and Tyson was sitting by the bank, cradling Grover in his lap. Grover's eyes were closed. And he wasn't moving.

"Tyson!" Percy yelled.

The Cyclops's head shot up, looking around quickly for his brother. "Percy! Come quick!"

They ran over to him. Grover wasn't dead, but his whole body trembled like he was freezing to death.

"What happened?" Evangeline asked.

"So many things," Tyson murmured. "Large snake. Large dogs. Men with swords. But then...we got too close to here. Grover was excited. He ran. Then we reached this room and he fell. Like this."

"Did he say anything?" Percy asked.

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

Percy knelt next to him. The only other time Evangeline had seen Grover pass out was in New Mexico when he'd felt the presence of Pan. Percy shined his flashlight around the cavern. The rocks glittered. At the far end was the entrance to another cave, flanked by gigantic columns of crystals that looked like diamonds. And beyond that entrance...

"Grover," he said. "Wake up!"

"Uhhhhhhhh."

Evangeline knelt next to him and splashed icy cold river water on his face. His eyelids fluttered. "Evangeline? Percy? Where..."

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

"I—I remember. Pan."

"Yeah," Evangeline said. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."

Percy was forced to make quick introductions since Tyson and Grover hadn't met Rachel. Tyson said hello and hugged the son of Hermes since he hadn't officially met Landon and had only heard things from Evangeline (and from Percy's angry rambles at night.)

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

Annabeth and Percy helped him up, and the three waded across the underground river. The current looked strong. The water came up to their waists. Evangeline got in after Nico.

"I think this is the Carlsbad Caverans," Evangeline spoke. "Just an unexplored section."

Percy looked at her. "How do you know?"

"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," she said. "That would explain last winter."

He nodded. Grover's swooning episode happened when they had passed through New Mexico. That's where he'd felt closest to the power of Pan. They got out of the water and kept walking.

As the crystal pillars loomed larger, Evangeline started to feel the power emanating from the next room. She had been in the presence of gods before, she even lived with one, but this was different than any god she had met before. Her skin tingled with living energy.

Her weariness melted away as if she'd just had a good night's sleep. She could feel herself growing stronger, like one of Persephone's plants growing in her garden. The scent coming from the cave was nothing like the dank wet underground. It smelled of trees and flowers and a warm summer day.

Grover whimpered with excitement, Evangeline was too stunned to speak. Even Nico seemed speechless. They stepped into the cave, and Rachel said. "Oh, wow." The walls glittered with crystals—red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew—giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals.

The cave floor was covered with green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, glided wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it—but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk, was a wooly mammoth.

On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched them as they approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. His horns were enormous—glossy brown and curved. There was no way he could've hidden them with a hat the way Grover did. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes.

Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!" he cried out.

The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. Evangeline could see his life force fading. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."

"I... got lost," Grover apologized.

Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dod bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. Percy could swear it sounded like It's a Small World.

Still, Pan looked tired. His whole form shimmered as if were made of Mist. Percy noticed the rest of the questers kneeling, they had awed looks on their faces even Evangeline did. He got to his knees.

"You have a humming dodo bird," The son of Poseidon said stupidly.

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

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

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

"I'm glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "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," Grover said, "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?" The young satyr said. "I—I don't understand."

Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The wooly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan re-formed.

"I have slept many eons," the god 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," Pan said. "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."

Evangeline's eyes lowered to the animals around Pan. "The old story," she said. "A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead."

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

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

"No!" Grover's voice trembled.

"Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companions Nico and Evangeline, they understand."

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.

"They can fade, Grover," Evangeline said, "No matter what you are, you can't exist forever."

Pan nodded. "Evangeline is right. When everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small 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 dod bird who had started humming again. "Dede, what are you doing?" The god demanded. "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!" Grover whimpered.

"Be strong," Pan said. "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 looked straight at the son of Poseidon with his clear blue eyes, and the brunette realized he was talking about half-bloods too, humans, and everyone.

"Percy Jackson," the god said. "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 Annabeth. "Daughter of Athena, your time is coming. You will play a great role, though it may not be the role you imagined."

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 Cyclopes 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 amends," he said. "But you are just as important as your father."

"I—" Rachel faltered. A tear traced her cheek.

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

The God of the Wild glanced at the son of Hermes. "Landon," he called. The brown-haired boy hesitantly met his gaze. "None of this was your fault,"

Landon pursed his lips as he gave the god a nod before looking away at the ceiling.

Finally, he turned back towards Grover. "My dear satyr," Pan spoke kindly. "Will you carry my message?"

"I—I can't,"

"You can," the god insisted. "You are the strongest 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 don't want to." The younger satyr sounded miserable.

"I know," He said. "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 eyes. Then slowly he stood. "I've spent my whole life looking for you. Now... I release you."

The god smiled. "Thank, you dear satyr. My final blessing."

Evangeline's ears began ringing as he closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided itself into wisps of energy. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went straight into her mouth, and Grover's and the others.

The crystal dimmed. The animals gave them sad looks. Dede the dodo sighed. Then they all turned gray and crumbled to dust. The vines withered. And they were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.

Percy switched on his flashlight as Grover took a deep breath. "Are... are you okay?" The son of Poseidon asked him.

Grover looked older and sadder than Evangeline had ever seen him. He took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly on his head.

"We should go now," he said, "and tell them. The great god Pan is dead."

------✧------

A/N: Landon and Evangeline scene this chapter. Percy's jealous ass is the funniest thing ever sometimes.

Mary Merlyn is not a good mom, the only reason she is still here is because Evangeline needs some angst. Don't worry guys, "someone" will put Mary in her place during the last Olympian.

Which parent would you guys choose to bring back Mary or Gabe?