ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter seventeen

━━━━━ NO MATTER WHAT, Violet couldn't shake the realization that her mother knew. Dahlia knew that they were descendants of the Queen of the Underworld. She knew that, and yet, still thought she could hide it all from Violet.

               It irked her more than she thought possible. All the lies Dahlia had told Violet over her life—lies about their family, the lies about her father, the lies about ... everything. The more she thought, the more she remembered something Dahlia told her that didn't make sense.

               "So ..." Nico started, squinting at the sudden burst of sunlight from the clouds. "Your mom wasn't some secret goddess. Only a legacy of Persephone."

               "Funny," sneered Violet, stomping down the streets of New York. "Jokes aren't what I need right now, Nico. I need to talk to my mom."

               "Are you going to talk to her, or are you going to yell at her?" asked Nico, raising his eyebrows.

               "I—" The daughter of Eros faltered. "I don't know."

               She really didn't know. Emotions were high, and her brain was fogged with said emotions. All she wanted to do was cry—from anger, from shock, from exhaustion, from all three. Even some part of her felt weirdly betrayed by Dahlia.

               "What would you do Nico?" she asked.

               He stared at her. "What would I do?"

               "Yeah." They stopped at the corner of a street. She looked at him, frowning. "What would you do?"

               "Well, when I first realized I was a son of Hades, I tried finding a way to bring Bianca back," he admitted. "Still trying."

               Violet's gaze hardened. "I meant learning if your mom ..." She trailed off. "Oh. I—I forgot."

               Nico's mouth formed a thin line, and he looked off. "I don't remember my mom."

               Violet knew that. It was one of the small things—one of the only things—she knew about Nico's past. And from what she understood, it was one of the few things even he knew. It was like his memory had been completely wiped away.

               "I don't know what I would do," he spoke up, arms crossed. "I would probably want to yell at my mom if I learned she lied to me my whole life."

               With each step Violet took, getting closer and closer to the Beaumont apartment, the more her heart lodged in her throat. She could practically feel it with every step. It drummed in her throat like a tambourine, shaking and trembling.

               The more she walked, the angrier she became. Lies upon lies, her brain whispered. All lies. Your whole life. Dahlia lied. She knew. She knew it all.

               Dahlia lied. And she knew it all.

🌷

Seeing her mom made Violet want to puke. She really did think she could vomit her heart up right there, right on top of the Welcome front door mat in front of the white door to the Beaumont apartment.

               "Apartment 506," Nico said aloud.

               "Shut up, you're making me nervous."

               "I'm already nervous!"

               "Then don't make us both more nervous," Violet snapped back, her hand faltering right before knocking.

               "Come on, Violet," Nico groaned. "We don't have all day!" He rapped his knuckles against the door three times. The daughter of Eros was going to hiss at him when it swung open.

               Dahlia stood at the door, the stem and head of a red begonia in her hand. She blinked once, then twice, then launched herself at Violet. The hug was only slightly less powerful than a truck hitting Violet at full force. Dahlia wrapped her arms around Violet's neck tightly, and the petals of the begonia tickled Violet's face.

               "I knew Chiron was wrong!" she said, ushering her daughter and Nico inside. The apartment was just like Violet remembered—including the flowers all over the dining table and the kitchen counters. Half-made floral arrangements were placed around, and it all made Violet frown. It wasn't as comforting anymore, flowers used to remind her of her mom, it was something they shared—even their names were after flowers, Dahlia and Violet.

               Now it just reminded her of lies.

               Dahlia insisted on feeding them ( "When did you get so skinny, Violet?" she demanded, fussing over the dirty counters. ) She swept red carnations, tossing them into a pile with some yellow carnations. And twenty minutes later, some galette bertonne were shoved into Nico and Violet's faces. It was Violet's favorite—one of her favorite foods from France.

               Dahlia leaned her hands on the now-clean dining table. "Have you had bœuf bourgignon before, Nico?"

               "Um," the son of Hades glanced at Violet, whose hand was holding onto her fork tightly. "No. What is it?"

               "It's one of Vi's favorite meals from back home." Dahlia smiled at her daughter. "Her grandmother makes the best bœuf bourgignon!"

               Violet's jaw ticked. "How's Mémère?"

               Dahlia's smile dropped. "She's ... okay. Um, I felt I needed to call her after Chiron spoke to me. That you were ... you know."

               "Missing," answered Violet.

               Violet's mother looked down. Her lips were pursed. "Violet—where were you?"

               "Learning about all the lies you told me."

               It wasn't how Violet meant to bring it up—and some part of her didn't even want to. But the other part of her couldn't help but let it spill out of her mouth. Part of her wanted to hide away from it all, and go back to pretending that she and Dahlia had a perfect relationship ( when they never did ).

               Dahlia's brows furrowed. "What? What are you talking about?"

               That made Violet angrier. "The fact you've known, and that you've said nothing! That's what I'm talking about. For months—you watched me struggle to cope with the fact that I thought there was something wrong with me—that I was some monster—and you continued to lie!"

               Her mother's face dropped. Her eyes traveled to Violet's charm bracelet, where the pomegranate charm was dangling as Violet swung her hands around in frustration.

               "You know that we're ..." Her eyes were sad. "I was hoping ..."

               "You were hoping what?" asked Violet. "That I would never find out?"

               "Yes," said Dahlia. "My mother told me, and—"

               "And so Mémère didn't lie to you?!" Violet dropped her fork, standing up. "So why lie to me?"

               Tears started filling in Dahlia's eyes. "How did you find out?"

               "Why lie to me?!"

               "How did you find out?!" Dahlia yelled over Violet, standing up to match with her daughter. "Did Chiron tell you?"

               Violet scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I haven't seen Chiron since I left for the quest into the Labyrinth."

               Dahlia's brows raised. "You're on another quest? Violet—we've talked about this! You don't need to be the hero, you need—"

               "Why should I have to listen to some fucking liar!" Violet yelled, eyes filled with anger. "Why, Mom, should I listen to you, when all you've ever fucking done was lie?"

               "I didn't lie—"

               "You didn't tell the truth!" Violet countered.

               "And neither have you!" Dahlia waved her hand at the daughter of Eros. "You promised me to not go on another quest, and that you would just train at Camp! That's why I sent you to Camp; not so you could go off and play hero, but so you could train!"

               "I have trained!" Violet rolled her eyes. "And I'm not playing hero, either."

               "You're playing a role you don't have to play because you hate who your father is." Dahlia raised her eyebrows at Violet.

               "I don't hate Eros."

               "No, you hate what he isn't," said Dahlia. "The fact he's not an Olympian. So you did this all to ..." She shrugged. "To try and make a name for yourself?"

               Violet set her jaw. "I did it so I could have answers, which you kept from me."

               "I kept it from you for you!"

               Violet stormed around the table and ripped Nico out of his seat. "Look at how good of a job you did, then, Mom," she hissed, anger seeping into every part of her. "I still found out, and not from you. We had to fucking storm the Underworld because you couldn't face the fact that we're legacies of Persephone."

               "I have faced the fact of our legacy, Violet!" Dahlia stormed after her and Nico. "Oh, I have! I've had to fight for my life, and I had to fight for yours. I tried keeping it from you!"

               "Then why have a kid with a god?" demanded Violet. "If you knew so well what was out there, why do this to me?"

               "Because I loved your father."

               "Love wasn't enough to keep me from finding the truth," Violet sneered. "Love wasn't enough to stop this" —she waved her hand around— "from happening. Admit it, you fucked up."

               "I did what I thought was best!" Dahlia yelled.

               Violet pushed Nico out the front door, and turned around to go to her bedroom. Dahlia trailed behind, trying to talk to her daughter. Violet only shook her head and started stuffing stuff into her empty school bag.

               "Violet." Dahlia gripped her arm. "Fine, I did lie, but I did it because knowing only made my life harder. The monsters that had come after me ... I thought it was bad enough you would be Eros's child, I didn't want to place the burden of ... this on you."

               Violet shook off the hold and stuffed some more shirts inside. Dahlia continued, "That's why we moved from France—the monsters started becoming too much for me to fight alone. And your mémère couldn't help me. Eros told me about Camp, so I started to move us closer. That's why we moved so often—to stop the monster from finding us, and to get you as close to Camp Half-Blood as possible."

               "The bow you have—Larkspur—it actually belonged to your great-grandfather, Melvin. He asked Persephone for a weapon, and she gifted him that. For him, it took the exact same shape as Elain's sword. But Persephone couldn't give him Elain's old weapon, said it had to be the right time."

               Violet stopped. "Monster? Singular?"

               Dahlia swallowed. "It's ... harder to explain. I don't know everything, truth be told. I know what my mother told me, and I don't think she knows it all."

               The daughter of Eros's eyes hardened. "You're gonna lie about this, too?"

               "No! No." Dahlia gripped Violet's arms, holding them tightly. "I'm just saying I don't know everything. I know that we're legacies of Persephone, and that Elain gave her life to fight what this monster ..."

               "Ms. Aarden," answered Violet.

               "Yes. Ms. Aarden." Dahlia nodded. "That monster came back to hunt you. That's why I moved us so often."

               "So why didn't you believe me when I said I saw Ms. Aarden in Manhattan?"

               "I did believe you, but ..." Dahlia sighed. "Eros told me the more you know, the easier it is for monsters to find you. I thought if I could convince you that she wasn't there, that it could go back to normal. I thought you might stay with me longer."

               "I wished you hadn't lie, Mom," admitted Violet, the anger being replaced by this crushed feeling. It wasn't the same feeling as holding up the sky, it felt like it was pure emotions that were trying to kill Violet—anger, sadness, frustration, and even some contempt. "It would've been a lot easier if you hadn't. I wouldn't have felt ... crazy."

               Tears leaked out of Dahlia's eyes. She hugged Violet, the fabric of Violet's shirt bunching in her hands. "I understand that now, Lettie. I wish ... I wish we were just more honest with each other."

               Violet's chin quivered. "I didn't do this because of you, or because you think I resent Eros—I did it so I ... so I could understand what the hell was happening."

               Fresh tears burned in Violet's eyes. "Keeping it all from me—that only brought us here. If you had just been honest ..." Her voice broke and she stopped. "I know you thought it was for the best, but lying just made it a lot harder for me. I think—" She sniffled, wiping at her eyes before tears could fall. "I think I need to stay at Camp from now on. For space. To process."

               Before Dahlia could say anything, Violet quickly opened and shut the white door behind her.

               At the end of the hall, Nico was leaning his head against the wall. He quickly stood up and hurried over to her when he saw her. He didn't say anything about the tears in Violet's eyes, but he did said, "Violet—we need to go."

               She looked at him, the rim of her eyes red. "What?"

               "They're in the Labyrinth again," explained Nico. "AJ, Annabeth, and Percy. They're in danger. Minos just told me."

🌷

AJ didn't like running. He hated running for his life even more. The stakes were higher when he was running for his life ( which he did embarrassingly often as a demigod ), so if he tripped it would not only be embarrassing but life-ending.

               Rachel seemed to know exactly where she was going. She whipped around corners and didn't even hesitate at crossroads. Once she said, "Duck!" and all five of them crouched as a huge axe swung over their heads. Then they kept going as if nothing had happened.

               AJ lost track of how many turns they made. They didn't stop to rest until they came to a room the size of a gymnasium with old marble columns holding up the roof. He collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. He listened anxiously with his racing heart—besides the sound of everyone heavily breathing and his own heartrate, AJ heard nothing that could sound like a loud, following monster arm. Somewhere along the way, they had lost Luke and his minions.

               Ethan collapsed on the floor. "You people are crazy." He pulled off his helmet. His face gleamed with sweat.

               Annabeth gasped. "I remember you! You were one of the undetermined kids in Hermes cabin, years ago."

               AJ scoffed under his breath, and Percy looked at him sideways.

               Ethan glared at the daughter of Athena. 'Yeah, and you're Annabeth. I remember."

               He gave AJ a hard look. "What are you doing with people like this?" He looked around, acting as if Percy, Annabeth, or Rachel could give the blond some horrible disease.

               "I could say the same thing about you." AJ frowned. "Joining Luke? I thought you were better than that, Ethan."

               Ethan didn't smile; he frowned, and AJ thought the boy's jaw might fall off with how hard he was frowning. "And you're still backing the Olympians, AJ. Don't you know they don't care for you?"

               "Hang on!" Percy placed a hand out, looking between AJ and Ethan. "You guys know each other."

               AJ scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Shared the same cabin for years. Yeah, know each other is putting it lightly. Used to be friends, even. Until Ethan ran away, like a coward."

               "So ..." Percy pointed to Ethan slowly. "What happened to your eye?"

               Ethan scowled and looked away. The message was clear—that was a topic he wasn't going to discuss.

               "You must be the half-blood from my dream," Percy blurted. "The one Luke's people cornered. It wasn't Violet or Nico after all."

               Ethan's brows furrowed. "Violet? Like, Eros's kid? Who's Nico?"

               "Never mind," Annabeth broke in quickly. "Why were you trying to join up with the wrong side?"

               Ethan sneered. "There's no right side. The gods never cared about us. Why shouldn't I—"

               "Sign up with an army that makes you fight to the death for entertainment?" Annabeth countered coldly. "Gee, I wonder."

               Ethan struggled to his feet. "I'm not going to argue with you. Thanks for the help, but I'm out of here."

               "We're going after Daedalus," Percy blurted, reaching a hand out toward Ethan; silently, Ethan backed away, frowning at the action. "Come with us. Once we get through, you'd be welcome back at Camp."

               AJ crossed his arms. "Go ahead and tell the rest of your life story then, Jackson ..."

               "You really are crazy if you think Daedalus will help you."

               "He has to," Annabeth said. "We'll make him listen."

               Ethan snorted. "Yeah, well. Good luck with that."

               Percy grabbed his arm. "You're just going to head off alone into the maze? That's suicide."

               "Let him." AJ rolled his eyes. "Ethan was always stubborn to a fault."

               Ethan sneered at the blond with barely controlled anger. His eye patch was frayed around the edges and the black cloth was faded, like he'd been wearing it a long, long time. "You shouldn't have spared me, Jackson." He looked at the son of Poseidon hard. "Mercy has no place in this war.

               Then he ran off into the darkness, back the way they had come.

               Slowly, Percy looked back at AJ. "So ... you guys used to be friends?"

               "We're both unclaimed and stayed in Cabin Eleven," AJ noted without much interest. "We were bound to become friends."

               He stopped, and looked hard at Percy. "You think I might go and join Luke."

               Percy's face flushed. "I—I never said that!"

               "You didn't have to." AJ shrugged. "I could see it on your face. That's what they always think."

               Annabeth was watching AJ with an unreadable look. "Why haven't you joined Luke, then?"

               "'Cause I hate Luke just a little bit more than I hate the Olympians," AJ answered easily. "I don't like the Olympians, but they haven't tried to murder my friend the way Luke has."

               Percy sighed. "Really, AJ—I never thought you would join Kronos—"

               "No, you did. S'okay," insisted AJ. "A lot of other unclaimed half-bloods have, so why would I know, you know?"

               "But you haven't!" Percy tried for a smile.

               AJ snorted. "You are horrible at making people feel better."

               The son of Poseidon's smile dropped. He shrugged. "Just trying to make you feel better ..."

               "I don't feel bad," responded AJ. "I just hate Luke, which any person should."

               Annabeth's sneered only grew. "We need to make camp here."

               AJ rolled his eyes and muttered something about, Hubris and savior complex, but stood up and helped gather some scrap wood to make a fire. Shadows danced off the columns rising around them like trees. It wasn't anything like the campfire back at Camp Half-Blood.

               "Something was wrong with Luke," Annabeth muttered, poking at the fire with her knife. "Did you notice the way he was acting?"

               "He looked pretty pleased to me," Percy disagreed. "Like he'd spent a nice day torturing heroes."

               "That's not true! There was something wrong with him. He looked ... nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something."

               "Probably to tell you that he's so great and that he'll kill every single Olympian." AJ rolled his eyes. "Probably wanted to tell you, Hey, Annabeth! Watch as I destroy the entire earth—killing your friends first in this friendly game of death!"

               "Shut up, AJ," Annabeth sneered at him as Percy hid a smile behind the fire. The blonde sheathed her dagger and looked at Rachel. "So which way now, Sacagawea?"

               Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd become quieter since the arena. Now, whenever Annabeth made a sarcastic comment, Rachel hardly bothered to answer. She'd burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, images of the monsters they had seen. With a few strokes, she caught the likeness of a dracaena perfectly.

               "We'll follow the path," she said. "The brightness on the floor."

               "Now it just sounds like we're following the yellow brick road ..." AJ muttered under his breath.

               "The yellow brick road that led us straight into a trap?" Annabeth added with an expression that was not pleased with Rachel's answer.

               "Lay off her, you guys," said Percy, frowning. "She's doing the best she can."

               Annabeth stood. "The fire's getting low. I'll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy."

               Percy looked at AJ, who only shrugged. "I'll help Annabeth," he offered, standing up and trailing after the daughter of Athena. Annabeth barely offered him a glance, holding out some sticks for him to take.

               AJ took them, raising his eyebrows. "You okay?"

               "Fine." Annabeth's voice was tight. "Just fine."

               AJ's expression was dubious, but he didn't say anything about her answer. "Sorry for poking fun at you earlier. The Luke comments. Wasn't right."

               Annabeth frowned. "S'alright."

               Okay, AJ thought. This is going about as well as I'd hoped.

               "I'm also sorry for yelling at you back at Camp," he added. "About ... well, everything. You were also struggling, and I was just an asshole to you."

               Annabeth's bottom lip was tucked in, and she chewed on it for a moment. "I'm sorry, too. For what happened back in Virginia."

               AJ winced silently. "Not your fault. Like you said, we were kids."

               "Yeah, but when you got here, I avoided you," she pointed out.

               He sent her a shrug. "I avoided you. Until we started arguments, I guess."

               Annabeth smiled slightly. "Yeah ... Those sucked."

               "So, are we cool?" AJ asked. "No more randomly fighting?"

               She smiled at him. "No promises."

               His own smile dropped, and AJ rolled his eyes. "I was trying to resolve our issues here."

               "I think to solve all of our issues, we'll need to have more than just this one conversation," Annabeth pointed out, arching a brow at the blond boy.

               He shrugged, but knew Annabeth was right—she ended up being correct about almost everything.

               It did still seem like cruel irony that both he and Annabeth would end up being half-bloods after their already intertwined past. And despite what he asked Annabeth, he wasn't entirely cool with the situation. That prick of anger was still there; the resentment of the childhood he had ( which was a shit childhood ); the horrible feeling that his own friend before Camp Half-Blood abandoned him like he was nothing but baggage.

               Using the term friend for Annabeth Chase hurt—in many ways that AJ couldn't describe, or that he couldn't even figure out. It was like this hollow feeling in his chest, this dull thumping of his heart as she smiled at him for the first time in years, and shaky feeling of the past maybe—just maybe—finally leaving him alone.

               ( Despite what he hoped, AJ knew the past would never truly leave him alone. It enjoyed ruining his days just too much. )

               They walked back over, tossing in the sticks they had collected for the fire. Rachel looked to be asleep, using her backpack as a pillow, and her back facing Percy. The son of Poseidon leaned his back against the wall, frowning.

               "You guys," he started, looking at Annabeth and AJ. "I remembered something ..."

               AJ exchanged looks with the daughter of Athena. "You lost your sword or something?" he asked.

               Percy rolled his eyes. "I can't lose Riptide, AJ. It'll always appear in my pocket after some time."

               "Okay, fine. Whatever." AJ waved his hand. "What's up?"

               "I remembered something me and Violet talked about ..." Percy went on to explain about the conversation he and Violet shared back on Geryon's Ranch; how Violet explained this recurring dream about a blonde woman named Elain Nevitt. That Elain Nevitt was using the same sword Percy had seen Violet with in his dream. And that Violet was sure the monster Elain Nevitt was fighting was the monster that chased her all the way to Camp Half-Blood—Ms. Aarden.

               AJ frowned. "What the hell does this mean?"

               Percy shrugged. "No idea," he admitted. "But ... it is all connected. Somehow. Someone was trying to tell Violet that Elain meant something."

               "But what?" asked AJ.

               Silently, they both looked at Annabeth, who was frowning to herself. "Annabeth," started Percy, "you're thinking something."

               She was silent for a moment, then said, "You remember what she did to the Sphinx?"

               Percy's brows furrowed. "Yeah, why?"

               "The plants," replied Annabeth. "Think about it, you two: that gut feeling, the stuff with the darkness, the plants, her and Nico being in the Underworld."

               "O-kay ..." AJ crossed his arms. "We're thinking, and what about it?"

               "I ... I don't know," Annabeth admitted, looking troubled. "I just feel like there's that one piece I'm missing. If I learn what that is, I could figure it out."

               "Hopefully we find Violet before that happens ..." Percy murmured under his breath.

🌷

The ground was shaking beneath AJ and his bedroll. But what woke him up was Annabeth tripping over him. She howled with pain and yelled at him, "AJ, get the fuck up!"

               Percy sat up suddenly, eyes wide with panic. "Tyson—Tyson's in trouble! We have to help him!"

               The whole place was shaking around them, like someone pissed off Poseidon and he started an earthquake. AJ stumbled to his feet, the fabric of his bedroll tripping him.

               "We have to help ourselves first!" he yelled over all the noise.

               The rumblings were only getting worse. Annabeth and AJ hurried to grab anything they could as Percy yelled, "Rachel, get up!"

               The redhead's eyes opened instantly. She grabbed her pack, and the four of them ran. They were almost to the far tunnel when a column next to them groaned and buckled. They kept going as a hundred tons of marble crashed down behind them.

               The four made it to the corridor and turned just in time to see the other columns toppling. A cloud of white dust billowed over them, and they kept running.

               "You know what?" Annabeth yelled over all the noise. "I like this way after all."

               It wasn't long before AJ saw light up ahead—like regular electric lighting. It made his eyes hurt, which were so used to the perpetual darkness of the Labyrinth.

               "There," Rachel gasped.

               The half-bloods followed her into a stainless-steel hallway. Fluorescent lights glowed from the ceiling. The floor was a metal grate. AJ had been so adjusted to the darkness that he had to squint. Percy, Rachel, and Annabeth all looked pale in the harsh illumination.

               "This way," Rachel said, beginning to run. "We're close!"

               "This is so wrong!" Annabeth argued. "The workshop should be in the oldest section of the maze. This can't—"

               She faltered, because they had arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek Δ.

               "We're here," Rachel announced. "Daedalus's workshop."

               AJ grunted. "Wrong, you say?" He glanced at Annabeth.

               "Shut the hell up," Annabeth hissed.

               With a touch of hesitancy, Annabeth pressed the symbol on the doors and they hissed open.

               "So much for ancient architecture," Percy noticed.

               Annabeth's scowl deepened. Instead of making a comment, she walked inside.

               The first thing that struck AJ was the daylight—blazing sun coming through giant windows. Not the kind of thing you expect in the heart of a dungeon. The workshop was like an artist's studio, with thirty-foot ceilings and industrial lighting, polished stone floors, and workbenches. A spiral staircase led up to a second-story loft. Half a dozen easels displayed hand-drawn diagrams of buildings and machines that looked like Leonardo da Vinci sketches.

               Several laptop computers were scattered around on the tables. Glass jars of green oil—Greek fire—lined one shelf. There were inventions, too—weird metal machines AJ couldn't make sense of. Maybe he should've listened more when Beckendorf spouted on and on about this stuff. One was a bronze chair with a bunch of electrical wires attached to it, like some kind of torture device. In another corner stood a giant metal egg about the size of a man. There was a grandfather clock that appeared to be made entirely of glass, so you could see all the gears turning. Hanging on the wall were several sets of bronze and silver wings.

               "Di immortales ..." Annabeth muttered. She ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

               "And an artist," Rachel said in amazement. "These wings are amazing!"

               The wings were beautifully made. The feathers were more tightly interwoven with self-adhesive strips ran down the sides.

               AJ kept a hand on the hilt of his sword hanging from his side. "We shouldn't be touching his shit, you guys."

               Seemingly, Daedalus wasn't home, but the workshop looked like it had been used recently. The laptops were running their screen savers. A half-eaten blueberry muffin and a coffee cup sat on a workbench.

               AJ glanced at the ginormous window, and to the view outside. He recognized the Rocky Mountains in the distance. They were high up in the foothills, at least five hundred feet, and, down below, a valley spread out, filled with a tumbled collection of red mesas and boulders and spires of stone. It looked like some huge kid had been building a toy city with skyscraper-size blocks, and then decided to knock it over.

               AJ's stomach churned. "Gods, I hate heights ..."

               "Where are we?" Percy wondered aloud, frowning to himself.

               "Colorado Springs," a voice said behind them. "The Garden of the Gods."

               Standing on the spiral staircase above them, with his weapon drawn, was Camp Half-Blood's missing sword master, Quintus.

🌷

"You," Annabeth sneered, teeth bared like a dog. "What have you done with Daedalus?"

               Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, my dear. You don't want to meet him."

               "Look, Mr. Traitor," she growled, "I didn't fight a dragon woman and a three-bodied man and a psychotic Sphinx to see you. Now where is Daedalus?"

               Quintus came down the stairs, holding his sword at his side. He was dressed in jeans and boots and his counselor's T-shirt from Camp Half-Blood, which seemed like an insult now that AJ knew he was a spy. AJ's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword; his and Percy's chances against this guy were pretty slim considering just how good Quintus was, but if they tag-teamed, they might be able to beat him.

               "You think I'm an agent of Kronos," Quintus mused. "That I work for Luke."

               "Do you not?" countered AJ.

               "You're an intelligent young man," said Quintus. "But you and Annabeth are wrong. I work only for myself."

               "Luke mentioned you," Percy pointed out. "Geryon knew about you, too. You've been to his ranch."

               "Of course," agreed Quintus breezily. "I've been almost everywhere. Even here."

               He walked past AJ and Percy like they were no threat at all and stood by the window. "The view changes from day to day," he mused. "It's always some place high up. Yesterday it was from a skyscraper overlooking Manhattan. The day before that, there was a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. But it keeps coming back to the Garden of the Gods. I think the Labyrinth likes it here. A fitting name, I suppose."

               "You've been here before," said Percy.

               "Oh, yes."

               "That's an illusion out there?" the son of Poseidon asked. "A projection or something?"

               "No," Rachel murmured. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."

               Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision, don't you? You remind me of another mortal girl I once knew. Another princess who came to grief."

               "Enough with the chatting," said AJ coldly. "Where's Daedalus? Did you do something to him?"

               Quintus stared at the blond. "My boy, you need lessons from your friend on seeing clearly. I haven't done anything to that madman. Simply, I am Daedalus."

               If AJ wanted to look smart, he could've lied and said, "Pft, I knew that!" when in fact, he did not know that. Truth be told, he never would've fucking guessed. And it seems his companions wouldn't have either; all were staring, some sort of shocked expression on their face.

               Percy broke the silence first, "But you're not an inventor! You're a swordsman!"

               "I am both," Quintus argued. "And an architect. And a scholar. I also play basketball pretty well for a guy who didn't start until he was two thousand years old. A real artist must be good at many things."

               "That's true," Rachel spoke up. "Like I can paint with my feet as well as my hands."

               "What?" AJ made a disgusted face. "Ew."

               "It is a talent, young AJ," Quintus said. "And she is a girl of many talents."

               "But you don't even look like Daedalus," Percy protested. "I saw him in a dream, and ..." He trailed off, and his face paled.

               "Yes," Quintus said. "You've finally guessed the truth."

               "You're an automaton." Percy's voice barely rose to a whisper. "You made yourself a new body."

               "Percy," Annabeth said uneasily, "that's not possible. That—that can't be an automaton."

               Quintus chuckled. "Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"

               "The fifth in Latin," AJ answered easily. "But—" He paused, looking at the man ( was he even a man anymore? ). "Oh my gods ..."

               "Yes, AJ. This is my fifth body." The swordsman held out his forearm. He pressed his elbow and part of his wrist popped open—a rectangular hatch in his skin. Underneath, bronze gears whirred. Wires glowed.

               "That's amazing!" Rachel said.

               "That's weird," Percy disagreed.

               "Oh—that's fucking gross." AJ shook his head, a revolted expression coating his face.

               "You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Annabeth asked Daedalus. "That's ... not natural."

               "Oh, I assure you, my dear, it's still me. I'm still very much Daedalus. Our mother, Athena, makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was as mark AJ had never seen before—the dark shape of a bird grafted to his skin.

               "That's ... that's a murderer's brand," AJ noticed. He frowned. "Who—"

               "For his nephew, Perdix," Percy answered even before AJ could finish his question. He looked hard at Quintus ( Daedalus? This was hurting AJ's brain more than trying to read Ancient Greek ). "The boy you pushed off the tower."

               Quintus's face darkened. "I did not push him. I simply—"

               "Made him lose his balance," Percy finished for him, something similar to disgust lacing his tone. "Let him die."

               Quintus gazed out of the windows at the purple mountains. "I regret what I did, Percy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird—a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand appears on my skin."

               "Well deserved, if you murdered your own nephew," AJ figured. "What kind of man murders his nephew?"

               Percy was watching Quintus. "You really are Daedalus," he decided. "But why did you come to the camp? Why spy on us?"

               "To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke had given me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

               "So you have talked to Luke."

               "Oh, yes. Several times. He is quite persuasive."

               "But now you've seen the camp!" Annabeth persisted. "So you know we need your help. You can't let Luke through the maze!"

               Daedalus set his sword on the workbench. "The maze is no longer mine to control, Annabeth. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

               "Privacy from what?"

               "The gods," he answered. "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, my dear, hiding from death."

               "But how can you hide from Hades?" Percy asked. "I mean ... Hades has the Furies."

               "They do not know everything," said Daedalus. "Or see everything. You have encountered them, Percy. You know this is true. A clever man can hide quite a long time, and I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

               "You mean Minos," Percy said.

               Daedalus nodded. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better than for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos's ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

               "And you did," Annabeth marveled, "for two thousand years." She sounded kind of impressed, which only irked AJ.

               "That's not right," decided AJ. "Cheating death isn't right. Everyone has to die." He wasn't sure why he was so sure of it, but he was.

               Just then a loud bark echoed from the corridor. AJ heard the ba-BUMP, ba-BUMP, ba-BUMP of huge paws, and Mrs. O'Leary bounded into the workshop. She licked Percy and AJ, and then almost knocked Daedalus over with an enthusiastic leap.

               "There is my old friend!" Daedalus said, scratching Mrs. O'Leary behind the ears. "My only companion all these long lonely years."

               "You let her save me," said Percy. "That whistle actually worked."

               Daedalus nodded. "Of course it did, Percy. You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs. O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. Perhaps I—I felt guilty, as well."

               AJ frowned. "Guilty for what?"

               "That your quest would be in vain."

               "What?" Annabeth said. "But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."

               "Yes ... the string. I told Luke that the eyes of a clear-sighted mortal are the best guide, but he did not trust me. He was so focused on the idea of a magic item. And the string works. It's not as accurate as your mortal friend here, perhaps. But good enough. Good enough."

               "Where is it?" Annabeth said.

               AJ sighed. "Where do you think, Annabeth? It's with Luke."

               The son of Athena lowered his head. "I'm sorry. But you are several hours too late."

               With a chill, AJ realized why Luke had been in such a good mood in the arena. He'd already got the string from Daedalus. His only obstacle had been the arena master, and Percy had taken care of that for him by killing Antaeus.

               "Kronos promised me freedom," Quintus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

               "That's your brilliant idea?" Annabeth yelled. "You're going to let Luke destroy our camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

               "Your cause is doomed, my dear. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos."

               "That's not true!" the daughter of Athena cried.

               "I am doing what I must, my dear. The offer was too sweet to refuse. I'm sorry."

               Annabeth pushed over an easel. Architectural drawings scattered all across the floor. "I used to respect you. You were my hero! You—you built amazing things. You solved problems. Now ... I don't know what you are. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago."

               Instead of getting mad, Daedalus hung his head. "You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string—"

               Suddenly Mrs. O'Leary pricked up her ears.

               "Someone's coming!" Rachel warned.

               The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico and Violet were pushed inside, their hands in chains. Then the empousa from before and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos, even AJ could recognize him for who he was. He looked almost solid now—a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.

               He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

               The inventor's jaw clenched. He looked at the empousa. "What is the meaning of this?"

               "Luke sends his compliments," said the monster. "He thought you might like to see your old employer, Minos."

               "This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

               "No indeed," the empousa agreed. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over these find young demigods." She ran a finger under Violet's chin, who snapped at her. "They'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

               Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

               "Get used to it."

               "Violet!" Percy spoke up. "Are you okay?"

               She nodded, but some part of her looked enraged. "Fine. But Minos—lied to us and said you guys were in danger." Silently, Nico hung his head beside her. "Convinced us to go back in the maze."

               Percy's jaw ticked. "He tricked you guys."

               "He tricked me," Nico corrected morosely. "Violet was just following me."

               Percy glared at the empousa. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

               The she-demon smiled like they were sharing a private joke. "Luke is ... busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" Her hands changed to claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form—one donkey leg, one bronze.

               "Percy," Rachel whispered, "the wings. Do you think—"

               "Get them," he agreed. "I'll try to buy you some time."

               And with that, all Hades broke loose. Annabeth and Percy charged at the empousa. The giants came right at Daedalus, but Mrs. O'Leary leaped to his defense. AJ raced for Violet and Nico, pulling them aside as the spirit of Minos wailed, "Kill the inventor! Kill him!"

               Rachel grabbed the wings off the wall. Nobody paid her any attention. Violet yelled, "AJ—the chains!" and the blond fumbled with his sword, cutting her and Nico's hands free. Out of the corner of his eye, AJ saw Mrs. O'Leary chomp her fangs into a giant's arm. He wailed in pain and flung her around, trying to shake her off. Daedalus grabbed for his sword, but the second giant smashed the workbench with his fist, and the sword went flying. A clay jar of Greek fire broke on the floor and began to burn, green flames spreading quickly.

               "To me!" Minos cried. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum; AJ's skin crawled with anticipation.

               "No!" Nico cried. He was on his feet now.

               "You do not control me, young fool," Minos sneered. "All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!"

               Spirits began to appear around Minos—shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers. AJ, Violet, and Nico all pulled out weapons.

               "I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Begone!"

               Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

               "No." Nico raised his sword. "I am."

               He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.

               "Never!" Minos's form rippled. "I will not—"

               The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.

               One problem was dealt with: Minos was gone. Thank the gods. However, the fight was still going on all around them. And AJ let himself get distracted and a Laistrygonian giant tried to stomp on him. AJ, Violet, and Nico all rolled in separate directions, and the giant chose to target AJ. Just his luck. He backed away, tipping a table at the giant. But the Laistrygonian only stepped over and smashed it into tiny pieces.

               "Fatass," AJ grumbled under his breath.

               The Laistrygonian made a grab for AJ, but he raised his sword, and an arc of darkness followed it. It freaked the giant out ( and AJ, who let out a garbled string of curses ), but it was just enough for the sword to create a large gash in the monster's chest.

               Before the monster could recoup from the attack, AJ kicked the monster in the knee, sending it kneeling. AJ took the hilt of his sword overhead and then smashed it against the Laistrygonian's skull, and then stabbed him. Vaguely, as he backed away from the monster's dust, he could see black ... goo? swirling around his fingers and the leather hilt of his sword.

               From across the workshop, he heard a horrible screech, and looked over. Violet was lowering Larkspur eight feet behind the dissolving body of the empousa. Her face was hardened, but Percy looked relieved to see her. He took her hand that she offered to help him off the floor. Mrs. O'Leary and Daedalus were still locked in combat with the giants, and AJ could hear shouting in the tunnel. More monsters were coming towards the workshop.

               "We have to help Daedalus!" Percy yelled to the others.

               "No time," Rachel said. "Too many coming!"

               She'd already fitted herself with wings and was working on Nico, who looked pale and sweaty from his struggle with Minos. The wings grafted instantly to his back and arms. AJ ran over, knowing that the redhead was right.

               "Now you!" Rachel pointed at Percy.

               In seconds, Nico, Annabeth, Rachel, Violet, Percy, and AJ had fitted themselves with coppery wings. Already AJ could feel himself being lifted by the wind coming through the window. Greek fire was burning the tables and furniture, spreading up the circular stairs.

               "Daedalus!" Percy yelled. "Come on!"

               The inventor was cut in a hundred places—but he was bleeding golden oil instead of blood. He'd found his sword and was using part of a smashed table as a shield against the giants. "I won't leave Mrs. O'Leary!" he said. "Go!"

               There was no time to argue. Frankly, AJ didn't even really care about sparing the man's life anyway. And even if they stayed, AJ wasn't sure if they could help or not.

               "None of us know how to fly!" Violet protested.

               "Great time to find out, Love Bug," said Percy.

               And together the six of them jumped out of the window into the open sky.

🌷 OCT. 9TH, 2023 / i have a lot to say about dahlia and vi
like a lot, a lot

a lot of what made me write this book was them and their relationship (because i may have projected on to it huhu)

i'll save it for the author's note because if i do get started ,, i won't be able to stop 😭

aj past hints?? yes! 😘🤞

now it all makes sense to me ,, bc i know lol but i want to know what you guys think about it all

and who his godly parent is?? a lot of people said hecate, which is a good guess but not it

(promise i'm not gaslighting y'all this time 😭😭)

aj at all times (around annabeth specifically):

vi and nico being marched around:

percy seeing his boo get mistreated:

(as he should tbh)

anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??

(not edited and not proofread)