❛007❜

THEY DID THEIR summons after dark, at a twenty-foot-long pit in front of the septic tank. the tank was bright yellow, with a smiley face and red words painted on the side: happy flush disposal co. it didn't quite go with the mood of summoning the dead.

the moon was full. silver clouds drifted across the sky.

"minos should be here by now," nico said, frowning. "it's full dark."

"maybe he got lost," percy said hopefully.

nico poured root beer and tossed barbecue into the pit, then began chanting in ancient greek. immediately the bugs in the woods stopped chirping. with the stench of death in the air, ivy's finger twitched for her weapons.

"make him stop," tyson whispered.

part of her agreed. this was unnatural. the night air felt cold and menacing. but before ivy could say anything, the first spirits appeared. sulfurous mist seeped out of the ground. shadows thickened into human forms. one blue shade drifted to the edge of the pit and knelt to drink.

"stop him!" nico said, momentarily breaking his chant. "only bianca may drink!"

ivy tugged at her keychain, kapsoura springing up on her hand. percy drew riptide. the ghosts retreated with a collective hiss at the sight of the celestial bronze weapons. but it was too late to stop the first spirit. he had already solidified into the shape of a bearded man in white robes. a circlet of gold wreathed his head, and even in death his eyes were alive with malice.

"minos!" nico said. "what are you doing?"

"my apologies, master," the ghost said, though he didn't sound very sorry. "the sacrifice smelled so good, i couldn't resist." he examined his own hands and smiled. "it is good to see myself again. almost in solid form—"

"you are disrupting the ritual!" nico protested. "get—"

the spirits of the dead began shimmering dangerously bright, and nico had to take up the chant again to keep them at bay.

"yes, quite right, master," minos said with amusement. "you keep chanting. i've only come to protect you from these liars who would deceive you."

he turned to percy as if he were some kind of cockroach. "percy jackson... my, my. the sons of poseidon haven't improved over the centuries, have they?"

ivy wanted to punch him, but she figured her fist would go right through his face. plus, her nails weren't worth his ugly face. "we're looking for bianca di angelo," percy said, glaring at the ghost. "get lost."

the ghost chuckled. "i understand you once killed my minotaur with your bare hands. but worse things await you in the maze. do you really believe daedalus will help you?"

the other spirits stirred in agitation. annabeth drew her knife and helped percy and ivy keep them away from the pit. grover got so nervous he clung to tyson's shoulder.

"daedalus cares nothing for you, half-bloods," minos warned. "you can't trust him. he is old beyond counting, and crafty. he is bitter from the guilt of murder and is cursed by the gods."

"the guilt of murder?" ivy asked. "who did he kill?"

"do not change the subject!" the ghost growled. "you are hindering nico. you try to persuade him to give up his goal. i would make him a lord!"

"enough, minos," nico commanded.

the ghost sneered. "master, these are your enemies. you must not listen to them! let me protect you. i will turn their minds to madness, as i did the others."

"the others?" annabeth gasped. "you mean chris rodriguez? that was you?"

"the maze is my property," the ghost said, "not daedalus's! those who intrude deserve madness."

"be gone, minos!" nico demanded. "i want to see my sister!"

the ghost bit back his rage. "as you wish, master. but i warn you. you cannot trust these heroes."

with that, he faded into mist.

other spirits rushed forward, but ivy alongside annabeth and percy kept them back.

"bianca, appear!" nico intoned. he started chanting faster, and the spirits shifted restlessly.

"any time now," grover muttered.

then a silvery light flickered in the trees—a spirit that seemed brighter and stronger than the others. it came closer, and something told me to let it pass. it knelt to drink at the pit. when it arose, it was the ghostly form of bianca di angelo.

nico's chanting faltered. ivy lowered bow. the other spirits started to crowd forward, but bianca raised her arms and they retreated into the woods.

"hello, percy, ivy," she said.

she looked the same as she had in life: a green cap set sideways on her thick black hair, dark eyes and olive skin like her brother. she wore jeans and a silvery jacket, the outfit of a hunter of artemis. a bow was slung over her shoulder. she smiled faintly, and her whole form flickered.

"bianca," ivy said. her voice was thick. she'd felt guilty about her death for a long time, but seeing her was five times as bad, like her death was fresh and new. the daughter of aphrodite remembered searching through the wreckage of the giant bronze warrior she'd sacrificed her life to defeat, and not finding any sign of her.

"i'm so sorry," percy said.

"you have nothing to apologize for, percy. neither do you, ivy. i made my own choice. i don't regret it."

"bianca!" nico stumbled forward like he was just coming out of a daze.

she turned toward her brother. her expression was sad, as if she'd been dreading this moment. "hello, nico. you've gotten so tall."

"why didn't you answer me sooner?" he cried. "i've been trying for months!"

"i was hoping you would give up."

"give up?" he sounded heartbroken. "how can you say that? i'm trying to save you!"

"you can't, nico. don't do this. pervy is right. listen to i—"

"no! percy let you die! he's not your friend."

bianca stretched out a hand as if to touch her brother's face, but she was made of mist. her hand evaporated as it got close to living skin.

"you must listen to me," she said. "holding grudges is dangerous for a child of hades. it is our fatal flaw. you have to forgive. you have to promise me this."

"i can't. never."

"percy has been worried about you, nico. he can help. i let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you."

"so it was you," percy said. "you sent those iris-messages."

"and my dreams," ivy added.

bianca nodded.

"why aren't you helping me?" nico screamed. "it's not fair!"

"you are close to the truth now," bianca told him. "it's not percy or ivy you're mad at, nico. it's me."

"no."

"you're mad because i left you to become a hunter of artemis. you're mad because i died and left you alone. i'm sorry for that, nico. i truly am. but you must overcome the anger. and stop blaming somebody else for my choices. it will be your doom."

"she's right," ivy said softly. "kronos is rising, nico. he'll twist anyone he can to his cause."

"i don't care about kronos," nico said. "i just want my sister back."

"you can't have that, nico," bianca told him gently.

"i'm the son of hades! i can."

"don't try," she said. "if you love me, don't..."

her voice trailed off. spirits had started to gather around us again, and they seemed agitated. their shadows shifted. their voices whispered, danger!

"tartarus stirs," bianca said. "your power draws the attention of kronos. the dead must return to the underworld. it is not safe for us to remain."

"wait," nico said. "please—"

"good-bye, nico," bianca said. "i love you. remember what i said."

her form shivered and the ghosts disappeared, leaving them alone with a pit, a happy flush septic tank, and a cold full moon.

none of them were anxious to travel that night, so they decided to wait until morning. grover and percy took the leather couches in geryon's living room, while annabeth and ivy took the guest room. both were a lot more comfortable than a bedroll in the maze; but it didn't make her mind any less haunted with memories.

this time, her dreams weren't one specific memory of her childhood. it went in flashes, changing rapidly between each one. singing with her dad in the backyard, playing dress up with all of her toys, fighting with a stringy haired boy, last christmas she spent with her father, running around a fountain with a blonde boy, and many other moments that went too fast for her to process.

waking up from that strange experience, ivy looked out the window. it was still dark out, and annabeth was passed out beside her. there wasn't a clock in the room, but by the way her injured wrists were throbbing she could tell some hours had passed.

she sat up from the bed, with bare feet walking out of the dark room. eurytion had pointed her to the bathroom earlier, leaving medical supplies in case she needed them in the middle of the night. it seemed that he had been right, her bandages were bleeding through despite the ambrosia and nectar that she had been offered.

ivy entered the bathroom as quietly as she could. closing the door behind her and turning on the light. she sighed tiredly, nearing the sink as she undid the bandages around her wrists gently. the wounds were definitely healing, but the damage from the spikes had been deep and it still bled a little.

the ambrosia and nectar were set on the side of the sink, along with a few bandages and hydrogen peroxide. turning on the faucet, she places her bloody wrists below the water flow. ivy hissed in pain, but didn't recoil as she washed away the blood.

knock, knock.

her head snapped up towards the door. strandled, ivy jumped in fright, hitting her wrists with the faucet.

"shit, shit, shit, shit," she whispered in pain, blowing on the wound as if that would make it better.

"hey—" a voice broke out as the door opened. it was percy, with his hair standing up in every direction. his sea-green eyes widened at her face, which was scrunched up in pain even if it lessened with the second. "fuck, are you okay?"

"fine," ivy said, turning her back on percy and towards the medical supplies. "just changing the bandages. nothing to worry about."

while she cleaned her wounds with the hydrogen peroxide, ivy could feel percy getting closer to her. glancing up to the mirror, she saw not only her reflection but percy's too. she was in a white tank top and shorts, the weather being too hot for anything else to be comfortable. percy didn't seem to handle the weather well either, as he was wearing some gym shorts and—nothing else.

nothing else as in shirtless.

going to so many of his swimming mets taught ivy two things. one, he had the full abs he has apparently been working on since last summer. and two, being around him shirtless was one of the events that required the most self-restraint out of her. for many reasons like stopping herself from blushing, from looking too long, and from trying to touch just to check if they're real.

her eyes snapped back down to the sink. taking a deep breath, ivy cursed her heartbeat for being so loud.

"let me help you," percy offered as he came up from behind her. he took her wrists gently and made ivy face him. "i've picked up a thing or two about healing."

ivy tilted her head to the side, looking up at him. "really? wouldn't it be from all the fights you get into that i have to fix you up after?"

the son of poseidon grabbed the nectar, letting little drops fall on the holes the spikes left. "the ares cabin always wants to fight me, not the other way around."

"don't act like you're a saint, seaweed brain. you pick on fight with them, too," she teased with a small smirk. the nectar had stopped the pain and bleeding from the wound.

"i haven't been in that many fights anyway," percy argued, not entirely denying the accusation. he gently wrapped a bandage in her left wrist. "they're a bunch of assholes who are still butthurt that i kicked their dad's ass."

ivy let her left arm fall as her wounds were comfortably covered. percy was getting good at healing. she watched intently as he started to take care of her other wrist.

"what about maverick?" ivy asked innocently.

percy frowned at the mention of the captain of the football team at their old school. he didn't keep his dislike for the boy a secret, and it wasn't like ivy liked him either. but fighting him was what got him expelled from kirkland high, when she would bring it up percy would change the subject or refuse to speak about it.

"what about him?" the son of poseidon mumbled, pretending to be extremely interested in wrapping her wounds.

"you beat him to the pulp," ivy said. "it got you expelled and i still don't know why you threw the first punch in the first place."

percy shrugged. he kept his eyes everywhere but her face. "he was just being an asshole."

the brunette took her wrist away from percy. it was good now, he was just looking for something to distract himself with. looking up at him, ivy realized how close they were standing. she could see his abundant eyelashes frame his eyes, and feel the soft tickle of his breath on her face.

"it's more than that," she whispered breathlessly, overwhelmed by his presence invading all of her senses. he smelled like sea breeze, cologne, and a bit of sweat.

percy finally looked at her. there was a hint of embarrassment and vulnerability on his features. his shoulders were tense, the same way they would get whenever he felt exposed. ivy knew percy wasn't good with expressing how he felt, or why he acted on impulse. he has never been good with emotions like she has. every time she thought about it her blood boiled, knowing it was all his ex-stepfather's fault.

"i just don't understand why you don't want me to know," ivy told him softly. "it wasn't the first fight you had with a football player."

"it's just... embarrassing," he admitted, gazing down at her sea-shell necklace.

ivy cracked a small smile. "more embarrassing than wearing fila disruptors? i don't think so."

percy chuckled, but it didn't last long as his expression got serious. "maverick was... talking."

"really?" the daughter of aphrodite said sarcastically. "he has enough cell brains for that. wow."

he rolled his eyes. ivy frowned, she had expected him to laugh. then percy said, "he was talking about you."

"oh," she blinked. "that's... still not a reason to beat someone up and get expelled."

percy clenched his jaw. he gripped the sink with his hand so tightly his fingers turned white.

"what he was saying— it was just— it was disgusting. i couldn't let him talk like that about you."

ivy frowned. she has never seen him this bothered before. "so he was talking shit about me? that's whatever. not everybody is going to like me, i know that."

the son of poseidon shook his head angrily. "you don't understand what i'm saying, princess. he was talking about you as— like you were an object."

her mouth opened in realization. it wasn't the first time she heard of a boy talking like that about her. still, it made her extremely uncomfortable. the objectification of her body made her skin crawl. ivy didn't say anything else as she subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself.

"good thing i'm not going back to that school then," she mumbled, looking down at the floor. ivy felt uncomfortable in her own skin. not because she didn't like how she looked, but she didn't like how others viewed it.

"and i would break his face all over again," percy said. there was no trance of his previous anger on his voice. he reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, making ivy look up at him.

"you can't be getting expelled because of something stupid like that," she mumbled. percy's hand lingered in her hair, retracting it hesitantly.

"i don't care about getting expelled."

"you should if you want to stay in the same school more than a year."

"well, i care about you more than i care about being expelled," percy argued, looking straight into her eyes.

ivy felt herself warm up from the bottom of her toes all the way to her head at his words. she could tell when he was lying, or trying to cover the truth. percy truly meant every word he said. love and care wasn't an emotion she hasn't felt before. but coming from him, it made her feel like a zoo was passing through her stomach.

"that's just your loyalty talking," ivy said. percy's fatal flaw made his care for the people around him go on steroids. it was difficult for ivy to believe she was part of those people he would go to the ends of the world for.

"no, it's not," he said. ivy must've been hallucinating, but percy seemed to be standing even closer now. "it's me standing up for you when you weren't there to do it yourself. i know you're uncomfortable with people seeing you as a piece of meat. you always play with the ends of your hair when you get unwanted attention. i wasn't going to let that asshole even think in a way that you're not okay with."

ivy truly didn't know what to say. she didn't think anyone had noticed, or would notice. the brunette was the kind of person to brush all of her troubles under the rug, walking past them with her head held high and looking as unbothered as she could. and for percy to notice minuscule body language, it showed how sometimes he knew stuff about her that she didn't even know about.

"thank you," was all ivy managed to say. without realizing, her hand had found percy's and enclosed it into hers like it has a million times before.

"you don't have to thank me for anything, fitzy," percy ran his thumb over her knuckles. at his action, ivy gazed down at their hands. they always seemed to fit perfectly together. "i'll do it all over again."

the daughter of aphrodite looked up again. at how close percy was, she was sure he could hear her rapid heartbeat. he had sun freckles on his nose that almost melted with his tan skin. ivy had never noticed the scarce specks of gold on his eyes. with almost no distance between them, she could see a faded scar on his bottom lip. at the back of her fuzzy mind, she wondered what story was behind it.

with a jolt on her whole body, ivy realized what was happening. but they weren't close enough yet, they just needed to be a tiny bit more close and—

knock, knock.

ivy and percy sprang five feet away from each other.

"ivy, are you in there?" annabeth whispered from the other side of the door.

swallowing thickly, ivy nodded frantically. percy gave her a strange look from the other side of the bathroom. sighing at her stupidity, ivy cleared her throat to answer her best friend given that she wouldn't be able to see her through a door.

"yeah," ivy managed. "i'll be out in a minute."

"you sure?" annabeth's voice sounded muted from the other side of the door. "is it the bandages? do you need any help?"

"nope, i'm fine," the brunette answered. she looked towards percy, annabeth could not find out about them being in a bathroom together at the wee hours. "just peeing."

"all right," annabeth sounded like she was walking away. "don't take too much. you need to rest."

with bated breaths, ivy and percy waited in complete silence until they believed to be in the clear. in the distance, the click of a door getting shut was heard. both let out a sigh of relief. the daughter of aphrodite tugged at her necklace, she wasn't sure on what to say after their encounter that almost ended in them kissing. on the lips.

ivy opened her mouth to say something. anything that came to mind, but percy beat her to it.

"i— uh, i'm gonna go back to sleep," he rushed out, stepping out of the bathroom as fast as he could without making a sound. he closed the door behind him and ivy could hear him walking down the hall to the living room.

stunned, ivy could just blink at what just happened. she found out percy got expelled because of her. she (or was it him?) almost kissed percy. she almost got caught with percy in a tiny bathroom. and percy ran out after they almost kissed.

going back to bed, annabeth was sleeping like a log. the brunette stared at the ceiling until her exhaustion took over. thinking about a certain boy who made her heart go crazy, but the weighting worry of what caused his escape remained in the back of her mind.

THE NEXT MORNING they walked down to the cattle guard and said their good-byes. percy acted like nothing had happened the night before, which stung at ivy's heart but she decided to not dwell on it. the quest was more important than whatever was happening with percy.

"nico, you could come with us," percy blurted out. ivy raised an eyebrow but silently agreed. nico was a very capable demigod, but she still felt uncomfortable with leaving him behind all alone.

the son of hades shook his head. ivy suspected that none of them had slept well in the demon ranch house, but nico looked worse than anybody else. his eyes were red and his face chalky. he was wrapped in a black robe that must've belonged to geryon, because it was three sizes too big even for a grown man.

"i need time to think." his eyes wouldn't meet hers, but ivy could tell from his tone he was still angry. the fact that his sister had come out of the underworld for two people she barely got to know and not for him didn't seem to sit well with him. his feeling were completely valid, he felt neglected by the person he loved the most even after death.

"nico," ivy said. "bianca just wants you to be okay."

the daughter of aphrodite put her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away and trudged up the road toward the ranch house. maybe it was her imagination, but the morning mist seemed to cling to him as he walked.

"i'm worried about him," annabeth told them. "if he starts talking to minos's ghost again—"

"he'll be all right," eurytion promised. the cowherd had cleaned up nicely. he was wearing new jeans and a clean western shirt and he'd even trimmed his beard. he'd put on geryon's boots. "the boy can stay here and gather his thoughts as long as he wants. he'll be safe, i promise."

"what about you?" ivy asked.

eurytion scratched orthus behind one chin, then the other. "things are going to be run a little different on this ranch from now on. no more sacred cattle meat. i'm thinking about soybean patties. and i'm going to befriend those flesh-eating horses. might just sign up for the next rodeo."

percy nodded. "well, good luck."

"yep." eurytion spit into the grass. "i reckon you'll be looking for daedalus's workshop now?"

annabeth's eyes lit up. she shared an eager glance with ivy. "can you help us?"

eurytion studied the cattle guard, and ivy got the feeling the subject of daedalus's workshop made him uncomfortable. "don't know where it is. but hephaestus probably would."

"that's what hera said," annabeth agreed. "but how do we find hephaestus?"

eurytion pulled something from under the collar of his shirt. it was a necklace—a smooth silver disk on a silver chain. the disk had a depression on the middle, like a thumbprint. he handed it to annabeth.

"hephaestus comes here from time to time," eurytion said. "studies the animals and such so he can make bronze automaton copies. last time, i—uh—did him a favor. a little trick he wanted to play on my dad, ares, and aphrodite. he gave me that chain in gratitude. said if i ever needed to find him, the disk would lead me to his forges. but only once."

ivy frowned thinking about the trick that had meant to be a trap for her mother and ares.

"and you're giving it to me?" annabeth asked.

eurytion blushed. "i don't need to see the forges, miss. got enough to do here. just press the button and you'll be on your way."

annabeth pressed the button and the disk sprang to life. it grew eight metallic legs. annabeth shrieked and dropped it, much to eurytion's confusion.

"spider!" she screamed, hiding behind ivy.

"she's, um, a little scared of spiders," grover explained. "that old grudge between athena and arachne."

"oh." eurytion looked embarrassed. "sorry, miss."

ivy smiled kindly at the cowherd. "all forgiven. she'll get over it... eventually."

the spider scrambled to the cattle guard and disappeared between the bars.

"hurry," percy said. "that thing's not going to wait for us."

annabeth wasn't anxious to follow, but they didn't have much choice. they said their good-byes to eurytion, tyson pulled the cattle guard off the hole, and they dropped back into the maze.

ivy wish she could've put the mechanical spider on a leash. it scuttled along the tunnels so fast, most of the time she couldn't even see it. if it hadn't been for tyson's and grover's excellent hearing, they never would've known which way it was going.

they ran down a marble tunnel, then dashed to the left and almost fell into an abyss. tyson grabbed percy and hauled him back before he could fall. the tunnel continued in front of them, but there was no floor for about a hundred feet, just gaping darkness and a series of iron rungs in the ceiling. the mechanical spider was about halfway across, swinging from bar to bar by shooting out metal web fiber.

"monkey bars," annabeth said. "i'm great at these."

ivy scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "i hate those."

"just because you're bad at them," annabeth rolled up her sleeves. "you have to work on your upper body strength."

"i like working out my legs more!" ivy argued as annabeth crunched down to jump. "how do you think my ass is so great?"

the daughter of athena leaped onto the first rung and started swinging her way across. she was scared of tiny spiders, but not of plummeting to her death from a set of monkey bars. go figure.

annabeth got to the opposite side and ran after the spider. percy followed. when he got across, tyson gave grover a piggyback ride (or was it a goatyback ride?). the big guy made it across in three swings, which was a good thing since, just as he landed, the last iron bar ripped free under his weight.

"shit, how is ivy going to get across now?!" percy asked frantically.

"so sorry!" tyson gasped. "pretty girl should have gone first!"

ivy scowled. she was feeling in a bit of a bad mood since the bathroom thing. she flicked her hand and a stable strip of pink energy formed itself between the two sides like a runaway. calmly, the daughter of aphrodite walked through it.

once she made it to the other side, she looked at her stunned friends. "let's go, then."

they kept moving and passed a skeleton crumpled in the tunnel. it wore the remains of a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie. the spider didn't slow down. percy slipped on a pile of wood scraps, but when ivy brought the beam of pink light closer she realized they were pencils—hundreds of them, all broken in half.

the tunnel opened up into a large room. a blazing light hit them. quickly, ivy willed it to minimize the harsh light on her and her friends eyes. the first thing she noticed were the skeletons. dozens littered the floor around them. some were old and bleached white. others were more recent and a lot grosser. they didn't smell quite as bad as geryon's stables, but almost.

then ivy saw the monster. she stood on a glittery dais on the opposite side of the room. she had the body of a huge lion and the head of a woman. she would've been pretty, but her hair was tied back in a tight bun and she wore too much makeup, so she kind of reminded ivy of her third-grade choir teacher. she had a blue ribbon badge pinned to her chest that took me a moment to read: this monster has been rated exemplary!

tyson whimpered. "sphinx."

spotlights blazed on either side of the creature. the only exit was a tunnel right behind the dais. the mechanical spider scuttled between the sphinx's paws and disappeared.

annabeth started forward, but the sphinx roared, showing fangs in her otherwise human face. bars came down on both tunnel exits, behind them and in front.

immediately the monster's snarl turned into a brilliant smile.

"welcome, lucky contestants!" she announced. "get ready to play... answer that riddle!"

canned applause blasted from the ceiling, as if there were invisible loudspeakers. spotlights swept across the room and reflected off the dais, throwing disco glitter over the skeletons on the floor.

"fabulous prizes!" the sphinx said. "pass the test, and you get to advance! fail, and i get to eat you! who will be our contestant?"

annabeth grabbed ivy and percy's arms. "i've got this," she whispered. "i know what she's going to ask."

ivy didn't argue too hard. she didn't want annabeth getting devoured by a monster, but she figured if the sphinx was going to ask riddles, annabeth was the best one of them to try. the brunette didn't want to go through the chances of not getting the same riddle the stories tell about.

the daughter of athena stepped forward to the contestant's podium, which had a skeleton in a school uniform hunched over it. she pushed the skeleton out of the way, and it clattered to the floor.

"sorry," annabeth told it. she didn't sound very sorry.

"welcome, annabeth chase!" the monster cried, though annabeth hadn't said her name. "are you ready for your test?"

"yes," she said. "ask your riddle."

"twenty riddles, actually!" the sphinx said gleefully.

"what? but back in the old days—"

"oh, we've raised our standards! to pass, you must show proficiency in all twenty. isn't that great?"

applause switched on and off like somebody turning a faucet.

annabeth glanced at them nervously. percy gave her an encouraging nod. ivy sent her a smile.

"okay," she told the sphinx. "i'm ready."

a drumroll sounded from above. the Sphinx's eyes glittered with excitement. "what... is the capital of bulgaria?"

annabeth frowned. "sofia, but—"

"correct!" more canned applause. the sphinx smiled so wide her fangs showed. "please be sure to mark your answer clearly on your test sheet with a number 2 pencil."

"what?" annabeth looked mystified. then a test booklet appeared on the podium in front of her, along with a sharpened pencil.

"make sure you bubble each answer clearly and stay inside the circle," the sphinx said. "if you have to erase, erase completely or the machine will not be able to read your answers."

"what machine?" annabeth asked.

the sphinx pointed with her paw. over by the spotlight was a bronze box with a bunch of gears and levers and a big greek letter êta on the side, the mark of hephaestus.

"how," said the sphinx, "next question—"

"wait a second," annabeth protested. "what about 'what walks on four legs in the morning'?"

"i beg your pardon?" the sphinx said, clearly annoyed now.

"the riddle about man. he walks on four legs in the morning, like a baby, two legs in the afternoon, like an adult, and three legs in the evening, as an old man with a cane. that's the riddle you used to ask."

"exactly why we changed the test!" the sphinx exclaimed. "you already knew the answer. now second question, what is the square root of sixteen?"

"four," annabeth said, "but—"

"correct! which u.s. president signed the emancipation proclamation?"

"abraham lincoln, but—"

"correct! riddle number four. how much—"

"hold up!" annabeth shouted.

ivy wanted to tell her to stop complaining. she was doing great! she should just answer the questions so they could leave. but ivy had the sneaking suspicion that annabeth was ditching her how to overcome your fatal flaw lessons at camp.

"these aren't riddles," annabeth said.

"what do you mean?" the sphinx snapped. "of course they are. this test material is specially designed—"

"it's just a bunch of dumb, random facts," annabeth insisted. "riddles are supposed to make you think."

"think?" the sphinx frowned. "how am i supposed to test whether you can think? that's ridiculous! now, how much force is required—"

"stop!" annabeth insisted. "this is a stupid test."

"um, annabeth," grover cut in nervously. "maybe you should just, you know, finish first and complain later?"

"i'm a child of athena," she insisted. "and this is an insult to my intelligence. i won't answer these questions."

ivy wanted to be impressed at her best friend for standing up for herself. but she wanted to scream at her more for letting her pride be the cause of their death.

the spotlights glared. the sphinx's eyes glittered pure black.

"why then, my dear," the monster said calmly. "if you won't pass, you fail. and since we can't allow any children to be held back, you'll be eaten!"

the Sphinx bared her claws, which gleamed like stainless steel. she pounced at the podium.

"no!" tyson charged. he hates it when people threaten annabeth, ivy, or percy.

the cyclops tackled the sphinx midair and they crashed sideways into a pile of bones. this gave annabeth just enough time to gather her wits and draw her knife. tyson got up, his shirt clawed to shreds. the sphinx growled, looking for an opening.

ivy sprung her bow and prepared an arrow, beside her percy drew riptide. both stepped in front of annabeth.

"turn invisible," percy told the blonde.

"i can fight!" annabeth argued

"no!" ivy yelled. "the sphinx is after you! let us get it. if you don't turn invisible, i'll make you invisible."

as if to prove her point, the sphinx knocked tyson aside and tried to charge past me. prover poked her in the eye with somebody's leg bone. she screeched in pain. annabeth put on her cap and vanished. the sphinx pounced right where she'd been standing, but came up with empty paws.

"no fair!" the sphinx wailed. "cheater!"

with annabeth no longer in sight, the sphinx turned on the remaining demigods. ivy aimed her bow up at the monster, percy raised his sword. but before they could strike, tyson ripped the monster's grading machine out of the floor and threw it at the sphinx's head, ruining her hair bun. it landed in pieces all around her.

"my grading machine!" she cried. "i can't be exemplary without my test scores!"

the bars lifted from the exits. they all dashed for the far tunnel. if ivy wasn't in such a hurry, she would've inspected the feeling of the light for any deformations. there wasn't any time for that though, she could only hope annabeth was doing the same as them.

the sphinx started to follow, but grover raised his reed pipes and began to play. suddenly the pencils remembered they used to be parts of trees. they collected around the sphinx's paws, grew roots and branches, and began wrapping around the monster's legs. the sphinx ripped through them, but it bought them just enough time.

tyson pulled grover into the tunnel, and the bars slammed shut behind them. "annabeth!" ivy yelled.

"Here!" she said, right next to her. "keep moving!"

they ran through the dark tunnels, listening to the roar of the sphinx behind them as she complained about all the tests she would have to grade by hand. ivy thought she had to worry more about that horrible bun. 

a speaks!

i.... hate this chapter. but lets move on.
i hate school and everybody in it except my 4 friends

you all should follow me on tiktok @te3nspir1t.wp i'll prob be posting a cute fitzson edit tn
I LOVE YOU ALL MUAH