ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter eighteen

━━━━━ FLYING THROUGH THE air with such flimsy wings made Violet so nervous she was nearly sick. ( And puking on someone's head from five hundred feet into the air had never been on her bucket list—shockingly. )

               If you really thought about it, Violet should've been comfortable flying through the air on some wings—Eros was often depicted with those wings—but Violet was getting a bit sick of her parents ( and she had just spent copious amounts of time in the Labyrinth and the Underworld; her stomach was reeling from all the sudden changes ). Besides, those wings on Eros's back were growing out of his back. The God of Love had never flown with golden metal wings that were only attached to his back by strips of adhesive.

               The air was thin as Violet took a long breath in. She kept her arms extended, feeling a bit like a gigantic duck. Far below her, Percy was flying lower and lower to the ground. "Spread your arms!" she yelled. "Keep them extended!"

               She watched warily as Percy flapped his arms once and soared away from the tips of mountains rolling beneath them. The wind whistled in Violet's ears as she looked for AJ and Nico—the blond looked green in the face and he didn't tip his head down to look at the ground. Nico was to her right, and he looked as green in the face as AJ did. He sent Violet a look she couldn't read but figured the message read; This is all your fault!

               ( And it was Violet's fault. She had dragged him into this. )

               The six were spiraling through the air, glinting in the sunlight like piles of pennies. Behind them, smoke billowed from the windows of Daedalus's workshop.

               "Land!" Annabeth yelled, her voice carried by the wind. "These wings won't last forever!"

               AJ's eyes flashed. "How long?" he cried.

               "I don't want to find out," admitted Annabeth.

               They swooped down towards the Garden of the Gods. Violet frowned as she watched Perc do a complete circle around one of the rock spires and scare a couple of climbers. Then the six of them soared across the valley, over a road, and landed on the terrace of the visitor center. It was late afternoon and the place looked pretty empty, but they ripped off their wings as quickly as they could. Looking at them, Violet could see Annabeth was right. The self-adhesive seals that bound the wings to their backs were already melting, and they were shedding bronze feathers. They couldn't leave the wings around for the mortals, so they stuffed the wings in the bin outside the cafeteria.

               AJ swiveled the tourist binocular camera to look up at the hill where Daedalus's workshop had been, but it had vanished. No more smoke. No broken windows. Just the side of a hill. Even Violet could see that from where she stood, shading her eyes from the sun beating down.

               "The workshop moved," Annabeth guessed. "There's no telling where."

               "So what do we do now?" Percy asked. "How do we get back in the maze?"

               Annabeth gazed at the summit of Pikes Peak in the distance. "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died ... he said his life force was tied to the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."

               Violet sucked in her bottom lip. If she focused hard enough, she faintly heard a rapid beating in her ears—Daedalus's heartrate maybe? But it was also a bit like buzzing, not the same ringing she heard when Zoë was dying. It was more like satic than ringing. And Grover and Tyson ... if Daedalus had died and Violet's ears were telling her wrong, that means ... She didn't want to think about it.

               She glanced at Nico, who nodded at her. He was hearing the same thing—or something similar. "No," he spoke up. "Daedalus isn't dead."

               AJ frowned at him. "How are you so sure?" He seemed really curious.

               "I know when people die," answered Nico, no matter how morbid it sounded. "It's this feeling I get, like a buzzing in my ears."

               Silently, Annabeth glanced Violet's way. But Violet wasn't sure what the look meant, or what Annabeth was thinking, and both of those scared Violet.

               "What about Tyson and Grover, then?" Percy looked anxious to hear the son of Hades answer.

               Nico shook his head. "That's harder. They're not humans or half-bloods. They don't have mortal souls."

               "We have to get into town," Annabeth decided. "Our chances of finding an entrance to the Labyrinth will be better. We have to make it back to Camp before Luke and his army."

               "We could just take a plane," Rachel said.

               Percy shook his head quickly. "I don't fly."

               "But you just did."

               "That was low flying," said the son of Poseidon, "and even that's risky. Flying up really high—that's Zeus's territory. I can't do it. Besides, we don't even have time for a flight. The Labyrinth is the quickest way back."

               Violet got the feeling that Percy was also hoping they would stumble across Grover and Tyson. She didn't speak up. One; admitting that she and Nico had been exploring the Labyrinth. And two; that she and Nico hadn't run into Grover and Tyson while down there.

               "So we need a car to take us into the city," said Rachel, grimacing, as if she were about to do something she regretted. "I'll take care of it."

               Violet's gut churned. She didn't know why, but it was this—burning. "How?" she found herself asking.

               This Rachel evaded answering; "Just trust me."

               "I don't know you." Violet crossed her arms. "How the hell can I just trust you?"

               "Oh, right." Percy cleared his throat. "Um—Rachel, this is Violet and Nico. They're ... also half-bloods."

               "Yeah," said the redhead. "I figured as much."

               Rachel was pretty. She had a mane of curly, red hair. Freckles coated her face, but not in a clunky, over-crowded manner; they fit her face just right. And she had a red shirt on, and blue jeans that looked like she lost a battle of paintball war with. Or maybe she just liked painting and was a messy painter.

               "... Right," said Violet, eyebrows knitting together. "Well, I guess we'll just trust her."

               She didn't mean to sound so bitter, but she couldn't it back now. Besides, it wasn't like Violet didn't mean what she said, it was just that she didn't mean to say it.

               Annabeth sighed, but nodded to Rachel. "Okay, I'm going to buy a prism in the gift shop, try to make a rainbow, and send an Iris Message to Camp."

               Violet wanted to get away from Percy so she jumped at the chance to, offering, "I'll go."

               "I'm going, too," Nico said. "I'm hungry."

               AJ raised his eyebrows, but he didn't complain. "I'll stick with Percy and Rachel—three and three. We should be good that way. Meet you guys in the parking lot."

               Percy frowned at Violet, like he wanted to say more, but the daughter of Eros hurried Annabeth and Nico along. She knew she couldn't escape it forever—especially with the way Annabeth, AJ, and Percy were all looking at her—but Violet's stomach churned looking at Percy and Rachel.

               Violet kept Nico as a buffer between her and Annabeth. The two both noticed, but Annabeth pursed her lips. "Violet," she declared, like giving a death sentence. For a moment, her eyebrows pinched together, and she looked like she was struggling for the words, which wasn't like Annabeth. "I—You—"

               "So, a prism?" Violet interrupted. "Are you sure the gift shop will have one?"

               Annabeth frowned, and Violet knew that Annabeth knew she was avoiding. ( Violet had always been great at running from her problems, after all. ) "Maybe they won't." Annabeth chewed out the words, like they were poisonous. "But ... they'll have something we can use."

               Silently, Nico looked Violet's way. And she knew the look was saying plenty of things; criticizing her for how she was acting, fear of the others questioning them, fear that the others will put the pieces together, but most of all—sympathy.

🌷

The talk with Chiron was about as depressing as Chiron always was. He seemed glad to see Violet and Nico, but Violet had the feeling that he knew exactly where they had been—and that he knew it all. She sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up, and luckily, Annabeth nor Chiron asked. If they had, Violet surely would've been backed into a corner she wasn't sure she could get her way out of.

               She, Annabeth, and Nico met up with the others in the parking lot like AJ said to do. AJ and Percy were exchanging looks as Rachel paced nervously on her feet. AJ only shrugged when Violet looked to him for answers.

               "We talked to Chiron," Annabeth told the others. "They're doing their best to prepare for battle, but he still wants us back. They're going to need every hero they can get. Did we find a ride?"

               "The driver's ready when we are," Rachel said.

               The redhead nodded to this chauffeur-looking guy who was talking to another guy in khakis and a polo shirt. The second guy looked like a tourist who had just received shitty news. This guy was complaining, but Violet could hear the chauffeur guy saying, "I'm sorry, sir. Emergency. I've ordered another car for you."

               "Come on," Rachel said. She led the others to the car and got in without even looking at the annoyed guy. A minute later they were cruising down the road. The seats were leather. There was plenty of legroom. The back seat had flat-panel TVs built into the headrests and a mini-fridge stocked with bottled water, drinks, and snacks. Percy and Nico started pigging out. Violet's stomach grumbled and she reached for a small bag of chips, though she was anxious to eat, not knowing how her stomach would agree.

               "Where to, Miss Dare?" the driver asked.

               "I'm not sure yet, Robert," she said. 'We just need to drive through town and, uh, look around."

               "Whatever you say, miss."

               Percy looked at Rachel. "Do you know this guy?"

               "No."

               AJ peered at the mortal. "But he dropped everything to help you. Why?"

               "Just keep your eyes peeled," said Rachel. "Help me look."

               They drove through Colorado Springs for about half an hour and saw nothing that Rachel considered a possible Labyrinth entrance. Violet was very aware of how Percy kept glancing back at her from her spot sitting between AJ and Nico. Only she acted as if she hadn't seen him doing it. Cold? Sure. Petty? Violet wasn't there just yet, but if Rachel kept looking that way at Percy, she might just become the pettiest person alive. ( And with Eros for a father—a god who cursed Apollo to fall hopelessly in love because Apollo insulted him—it was safe to say Violet could be petty. )

               After about an hour, they decided to head north towards Denver, thinking that maybe a bigger city would be more likely to have a Labyrinth entrance, but they were all getting nervous. They were losing time.

               Then, right as they were leaving Colorado Springs, Rachel sat bolt upright. "Get off the highway!"

               The driver glanced back. "Miss?"

               "I saw something, I think. Get off here."

               The driver swerved across traffic and took the exit.

               "What did you see?" Percy asked, because they were pretty much out of the city now. There wasn't anything around except hills, grassland, and some scattered farm buildings.

               Rachel had the driver turn down this unpromising dirt road. They drove by a sign too fast for Violet to read it, but Rachel said, "Western Museum of Mining and Industry."

               AJ pursed his lips. "Last time I was at a museum, this monster tried to crush me with dinosaur bones ..."

               Both Violet and Nico glanced at him, but they didn't say anything.

               For a museum, it didn't look like much—a little house like an old-fashioned railroad station, some drills, pumps, and old steam shovels on display outside.

               "There." Rachel pointed to a hole in the side of a nearby hill—a tunnel that was boarded up and chained. "An old mine entrance."

               Violet frowned. "How can you be so sure this is an entrance to the Labyrinth? You have, like, X-ray vision or something?"

               "If that's what you call seeing past this—Mist," said Rachel.

               "You're clear-sighted?" asked Violet.

               "Um, yeah," Percy broke in. "That's what Hera was telling me, Vi. To guide the Labyrinth, we needed someone with clear sight. Like Ariadne."

               Now that Violet knew that, it all made sense. "But ... how did you know Rachel could see past the Mist?"

               "She's the girl I ran into back at Hoover Dam," said Percy. "And, um, she was at Goode when those empousai attacked." He said it like he was afraid of Violet getting mad.

               "Oh." She pursed her lips, wondering why she was getting mad. "That's ... weird. Fate, huh?"

               "A door to the Labyrinth?" Annabeth asked, frowning at what Rachel had declared a way back into that hellhole ( hellmaze? ). "How can you be sure?" She gave the redhead a suspicious look.

               "Well, look at it!" Rachel said. "I mean ... I can see it, okay?"

               She thanked the driver and they all got out. He didn't ask for money or anything. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Miss Dare? I'd be happy to call your—"

               "No!" Rachel said. "No, really. Thanks, Robert. But we're fine."

               The museum seemed to be closed, so nobody bothered them as they climbed the hill to the mine shaft. When they got to the entrance, Violet saw the mark of Daedalus engraved on the padlock, though how Rachel had seen something so tiny all the way from the highway Violet had no idea. AJ touched the padlock and the chains fell away. They kicked down a few boards and walked inside.

               For better or worse, they were back in the Labyrinth.

🌷

The dirt tunnels turned to stone. They wound around and split off and basically tried to confuse the trespassers, but Rachel had no trouble guiding the others. They told the redhead that they needed to get back to New York, and she hardly even paused when the tunnels offered a choice.

               From AJ and Percy's expression, Violet could tell that Rachel and Annabeth having a conversation was surprising. Annabeth asked the redhead more about her background, but Rachel was evasive so they started talking about architecture. It turned out that Rachel knew something about it from studying art. They talked about different facades on buildings around New York—"Have you seen this one," or "The structures on this building," or whatever else architecture-type questions Violet didn't understand, so she hung back with Nico.

               Only Violet wished she understood the architecture talk when Percy slowed his walk to match with her and Nico.

               "You guys were brave for going back into the Labyrinth for us," he started. "Sucks that it was just Minos, you know, toying with you guys."

               Violet didn't answer, and Nico's eyes narrowed. He wasn't as angry, she could tell, just suspicious, careful even. "I owed you for the ranch, Percy. Plus ... I wanted to see Daedalus for myself. Minos was right, in a way. Daedalus should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural."

               "That's what you were after all along," Percy caught on. "Trading Daedalus's soul for your sister's."

               Nico walked for another fifty yards before answering. "It hasn't been easy, you know. Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."

               "You could be accepted," said Percy. "You could have friends at Camp."

               The son of Hades stared at Percy. Violet got the impression there was something even she didn't know. "Do you really believe that, Percy?"

               Percy's silence was a good answer.

               Violet didn't talk through their small, awkward conversation. And she could tell Percy wanted her to, probably so he could start grilling her on where she was ( though Violet wasn't sure when Percy came back from his own little get-away ). And the truth was ... Nico was right—in a way. Sure, he was a good kid, just grieving. But people would never be able to see that through his label as a son of Hades.

               Truth be told, Violet could understand why people wouldn't be able to see past it. If she hadn't spent all those months with Nico, she wouldn't be able to. He had always been a little different, but after Bianca's death, it became ... scary. He had his father's eyes, Violet knew that now—that intense, manic fire that made you suspect he was either a genius or a madman. And the way he'd banished Minos, and called himself the king of ghosts—it was impressive, but made Violet aware of just how little she knew about the whole Underworld power thing. It made her wonder if she could ever do something like that, or if it would kill her trying. Like Elain Nevitt.

               Violet understood the whole parent deal, too. Eros didn't exactly have a good reputation, and people often put the parents' mistakes on their kids ( even if the kids were completely innocent ). And now that Violet knew she was a legacy of Persephone, what that would mean to others. She wondered if they would be scared of her, or just giggle that Persephone was just a goddess of spring, just like how they did with Eros and him being a god of love.

               Before anyone said anything, Percy ran into Rachel, who'd suddenly stopped. They had come to 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?" the son of Poseidon 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?" asked Annabeth.

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

               "Then why are we stopping?" Violet asked, frowning.

               "Listen," Nico said.

               Violet turned an ear out and heard wind coming down the tunnel, as if the exit were close. And she smelled something vaguely familiar—something that brought back bad memories. Her skin crawled—maybe in fear, or with anticipation.

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

               Last winter, when Violet and some others faced Luke and the Titan Atlas on top of Mount Tamalpais, the air had smelled just like that. It brought back all sorts of bad memories.

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

               "And the smell of death," Nico added, which made Violet feel a whole lot better. She hated when he would do stuff like that.

               AJ frowned at the son of Hades. "Do you have to be so fucking depressing? Shit, Nico ..."

               Annabeth, Violet, and Percy exchanged glances.

               "Luke's entrance," the daughter of Athena guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys—the Titans' palace."

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

               Violet gave him a look of disbelief. "Or we could just walk away."

               "Like you walked away into the Underworld ..." Violet heard AJ mutter under his breath, only so he, Nico, and herself could hear. Silently, Nico sent Violet a look; They fucking know, she figured it read.

               Percy frowned down the tunnel. "Luke could be right there." He licked his lips. "Or ... or Kronos. I have to find out what's going on."

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

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

               Violet frowned. "I don't need guarding."

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

               "I'll be quick," the son of Poseidon promised. "I won't do anything stupid."

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

               "Thanks," said Percy, glancing Violet's way. She figured he was thinking about the last time they had split up, and luckily, he didn't do anything. This time, of kissing her, he put the Yankees cap on, and disappeared into thin air. "Here goes nothing,"

               "I don't like him going alone," Annabeth admitted as Percy's footsteps became quieter.

               AJ stared off in the direction Percy disappeared to. "I could go after him."

               Both Rachel and Annabeth looked at him. "You?" asked Annabeth. "You literally could not give a shit whether he was alive or not?"

               "Oh, I still don't." AJ shrugged. "But if the rumors I've heard are true ... he needs to stay alive. And ..." But he didn't finish his sentence.

               "AJ, I'm not so sure that's a good idea," said Violet worriedly.

               The blond looked like he wanted to make another snide comment, just not under his breath this time, but held back. He sighed heavily, and insisted, "Percy shouldn't go alone, now should he?"

               AJ had a point, but ...

               Violet chewed on her bottom lip and looked at Annabeth, who was hesitating. "Percy had a better chance of getting out alive if you go, AJ," said the daughter of Athena. "But ... I gave my cap to Percy."

               For a moment, AJ hesitated. Then he steeled his shoulders. "I've spent how many years in Cabin Eleven? I'd be a disgrace to the Stolls if I didn't know how to sneak yet."

🌷

This was one of the stupidest things AJ has ever done ( that was saying something considering the number of times he and Burl Elwood, the satyr who brought him to Camp, nearly died. ) It was an idea from something Percy had said about Violet—controlling darkness, blending in with the darkness.

               He only had the idea after fighting that Laistrygonian giant, where this arc of darkness followed the blade of his Camp-loaned sword. AJ, of course, knew that the camp's sword couldn't do something like that—it was just a regular double-edged, Celestial bronze sword. But if made AJ wonder about the pin of a black marble crow in his pocket. AJ never used the weapon that crow morphed into—a gold scythe—fearing what people would think of him if he did, but he wondered if that darkness had to do with that weapon.

               Or perhaps AJ was putting too much importance on a silly little pin from his grandfather, who he was named after. According to AJ's grandfather, the gift was created by his godly mother with considerations from the Mortimers. Apparently, AJ's mother was kind enough to ask what kind of weapon AJ's family wanted for the boy but not kind enough to claim him. ( Didn't make sense to him either. Or perhaps she didn't claim AJ because he didn't use the weapon. Or maybe she just didn't claim AJ because he disappointed her, and she didn't want the name Aubrey Jareb Mortimer attached to her name. )

               Or maybe AJ was putting too much thought into it all. But he didn't think he was.

               He crept down the dark tunnel, his skin crawling. With anticipation, he hoped, and not apprehension. His weird, sixth sense feelings were going off like crazy too. Maybe telling him DANGER! DANGER! TURN THE FUCK BACK, AJ! But if that's what they were saying, he ignored them and kept pushing forward.

               Once he got a little closer—the quick steps of Percy's feet AJ used as a guide—he put his idea into action. He slowed to a crawl before stopping altogether. The darkness was all around him, clinging to him like a drunk friend. He shook out his shoulder and took a deep breath.

               It started from his head, an ice-cold feeling, like he was diving head-first into a pool full of ice. Then that feeling spread to his shoulders, down his chest, and then to his legs. Finally, when it felt like his feet were ready to go numb, AJ opened his eyes and looked.

               He couldn't see himself. At all.

               AJ started forward again. Maybe it was his imagination ( and that was highly possible considering he was blending in with the fucking darkness in the middle of the fucking Labyrinth ), but AJ thought even his footfalls were quieter. It was like the darkness was snuffing out everything, not just his appearance.

               He followed after Percy, the faint tap-tap-tap of Percy's sneakers against the volcanic floor. And even before they made it to the exit, AJ heard voices: the growling, barking sounds of sea-demon smiths, the telkhines.

               "At least we salvaged the blade," one said. "The master will still reward us."

               "Yes! Yes!" a second barked. "Rewards beyond measure!"

               Another voice, this one more human, said: "Um, yeah, well that's great. Now, if you're done with me—"

               "No, half-blood!" shrieked a telkhine. "You must help us make the presentation. It is a great honor!"

               "Gee, thanks," the half-blood said, and AJ recognized the snide tone—Ethan Nakamura. An old friend. An old friend who turned into an enemy.

               AJ crept towards the end of the tunnel. Looking back out to the world shoved inside the shadows was really weird—like looking through a telescope. Darkness consumed the edges of his vision. He really hoped the darkness wouldn't give out on him. AJ had to keep his focus.

               A blast of cold air hit the blond as he emerged. He was standing near the top of Mount Tam. It was just as Violet described, just not as snowy this time of year. The Pacific Ocean spread out below, grey under a cloudy sky. About twenty feet downhill, two telkhines were placing something on a big rock—something long and thin and wrapped in black cloth. Ethan was helping them open it. AJ tried not to sneer, seeing his old friend, though he knew it didn't matter if the shadows were hiding him.

               "Careful, fool," the telkhine scolded Ethan. "One touch, and the blade will sever your soul from your body."

               The boy swallowed nervously. "Maybe I'll let you unwrap it, then."

               AJ glanced up at the mountain's peak, where a black marble fortress loomed, just like Violet had described this. It reminded AJ of an oversized mausoleum, with walls fifty feet high. He had no idea how mortals could miss the fact that it was here. But, then again, everything below the summit seemed fuzzy to even AJ, as if there were a thick veil between him and the lower half of the mountain. There was magic going on here—really powerful Mist. Above him, the sky swirled into a huge funnel cloud. AJ couldn't see Atlas, but he could hear the Titan groaning in the distance, still laboring under the weight of the sky, just beyond the fortress. ( Well deserved, thought AJ. For being a prick. )

               "There!" the telkhine said. Reverently, he lifted the weapon, and AJ's body tensed worse than blending in with darkness.

               It was a scythe—a six-foot-long blade curved like a crescent moon, with a wooden handle wrapped in leather. The blade glinted two different colors—steel and bronze. It was the weapon of Kronos, the one he'd used to slice up his father, Ouranos, before the gods had taken it away from him and cut Kronos to pieces, casting him into Tartarus. Now the weapon was reforged.

               ( There was a reason why AJ didn't use his own. Bad connotations, obviously. )

               "We must sanctify it in blood," the telkhine said, gazing at the weapon. "Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord awakes."

               AJ heard Percy's footsteps running toward the fortress, and he had no other choice but to follow. AJ didn't want to get anywhere close to that horrible black mausoleum, but he didn't have much of a choice while Percy was sprinting for it. And AJ knew Percy was about to do something stupid—he was always about to do something stupid.

               AJ followed Percy, dashing through a dark foyer and into the main hall. The floor shone like a mahogany piano—pure black and yet full of light. Black marble statues lined the walls. He didn't recognize the faces, but AJ knew he was looking at images of the Titans who'd ruled before the gods. At the end of the room, between two bronze braziers, was a dais. And on the dais, the golden sarcophagus.

               The room was silent except for the crackle of the fires. Luke wasn't here. No guards. Nothing. But everything in AJ's body was screaming—GET AWAY, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! ( He wished he could, but once Percy set his mind to something, there was no persuading him to stop. And that would also mean showing Percy his knew little trick of bending darkness, just like Violet; which he wasn't sure what that meant either. )

               The sarcophagus was about ten feet long, much too big for a human. It was carved with elaborate scenes of death and destruction, pictures of the gods being trampled under chariots, temples, and famous world landmarks being smashed and burned. The whole coffin gave off an aura of extreme cold, like they were walking into a freezer. Percy's breath began to steam, making it easier to find him with the invisible cap.

               Despite what his senses knew to do ( which was to run away ), AJ stepped closer. He still hung closer to the walls, but he could see the lid, which was even more intricately carved than the side—with scenes of carnage and power. In the middle was an inscription carved in letters even older than Greek, a language of magic. AJ couldn't read it, but he had a pretty good guess as to what it would read: KRONOS, LORD OF TIME.

               AJ heard noises behind him and Percy—voices approaching. He was starting to understand what Percy wanted to do when the golden lid suddenly pushed back. The golden lid fell to the floor with a huge WHOOM!

               AJ was sure Percy was getting ready to kill Kronos before he could finally come back to life, but his blood ran cold when he got a good look inside. Mortal legs, dressed in grey trousers. A white T-shirt, hands folded over his stomach. One piece of his chest was missing—a clean black hole about the size of a bullet wound, right where his heart should've been. His eyes were closed. His skin was pale. Blond hair ... and a scar running along the left side of his face.

               The body in the coffin was Luke's.

🌷

Looking back on it, AJ should've taken Percy's sword and driven the boy's hands downward for him. But he wasn't even sure if it could work knowing what was going on.

               As much as AJ hated Luke, seeing him in a coffin, looking as dead as someone could ( though some part of AJ's mind just knew the son of Hermes wasn't ), made his stomach churn. AJ wasn't sure why Luke was in the coffin, but the more his mind wandered, the more ideas he had.

               Then the voices of the telkhines were right behind him and Percy.

               "What has happened!" one of the demons screamed when he saw the lid. AJ only hoped Percy scrambled away from the coffin before one of the monsters ran into him.

               "Careful!" the other demon warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately!"

               The two telkhines shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe on its wrapping cloth. "My lord," one said. "Your symbol of power is remade."

               Silence. Nothing happened in the coffin. And that was great, considering it was a coffin and all.

               "You fool," the other telkhine muttered. "He requires the half-blood first."

               Ethan stepped back. "Whoa, what do you mean, he requires me?"

               "Don't be a coward!" the first telkhine hissed. "He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."

               Suddenly, Percy screamed: "No!" He shimmered back into view in the middle of the room, Annabeth's cap clutched tightly in his hand. "Ethan, don't!"

               "Trespasser!" The telkhines bared their seal teeth. "The master will deal with you soon enough. Hurry, boy!"

               "Ethan," Percy pleaded, "don't listen to them. Help me destroy it."

               AJ grumbled to himself and ignored what every part of him wanted to do. He stepped out from the shadows, stumbling. Percy looked shocked to see him, but Ethan only scowled.

               The old friend's eye patch was blending in with the shadows, too. His expression was something like pity. "I told you not to spare me. 'An eye for an eye.' You ever heard that saying? I learned what it means the hard way—when I discovered my godly parent. I'm the child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. And this is what I was made to do."

               "Are you a fool?" AJ wheezed, hands on his knees. "Maybe the gods don't care for half-bloods like us, Ethan. But you think Kronos does? If anything, you're more of a pawn to him than you are to the gods."

               Ethan scowled at AJ. "You've lost yourself to the gods."

               "You've lost yourself to your own victim complex!" snapped AJ, practically baring his teeth like a god.

               Ethan turned his back to AJ and faced the dais. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos."

               The building rumbled. A wisp of blue light rose from the floor at Ethan Nakamura's feet. It drifted towards the coffin and began to shimmer, like a cloud of pure energy. Then it descended into the sarcophagus.

               Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened, and they were no longer blue. They were golden, the same color as the coffin. The hole in his chest was gone. He was complete. He leaped out of the coffin with ease, and where his feet touched the floor, the marble froze like craters of ice.

               He looked at Ethan and the telkhines with those horrible golden eyes, as if he were a newborn baby, not sure what he was seeing. Then he looked at Percy and AJ, and a smile of recognition crept across his mouth.

               "This body has been well prepared." His voice was like a razor blade running over AJ's skin. It was Luke's, but not Luke's. Underneath his voice was another, more horrible sound—an ancient, cold sound like metal scraping against rock. "Don't you think so, Percy Jackson?"

               AJ wanted to run, but he couldn't move. Percy didn't seem to be able to either; he was frozen, his mouth agape.

               Kronos threw back his head and laughed. The scar on his face rippled.

               "Luke feared you," the Titan's voice said. "His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that, I thank you."

               Ethan collapsed in terror. He covered his face with his hands. The telkhines trembled, holding up the scythe.

               That marble crow burned in AJ's pocket, as if begging to be used. He ignored it, gripping his Celestial bronze sword tightly. Percy lunged for the thing that used to be Luke. The blade looked to be heading straight for Luke's chest, but his deflected the blow like he was made of pure steel. He looked at Percy with amusement. Then he flicked his hand, and Percy flew across the room.

               Percy slammed against a pillar. AJ anticipated the Titan looking for him and leapt for the shadows of darkness curling across the room. For a moment, 'Luke' swivled his head around, looking for his old cabinmate. AJ came stumbling out of the darkness behind the old counselor, but Kronos anticipated this and sent AJ flying into the walls. The unclaimed boy struggled to his feet, blinking the stars out of his eyes.

               Kronos grasped the handle of his scythe by the time AJ had recovered. "Ah ... much better," he said. "Backbiter, Luke called it. An appropriate name. Now that it is reforged completely, it shall indeed bite back."

               "What have you done to Luke?" Percy groaned, leaning against the pillar he collided into.

               Kronos raised his scythe. "He serves me with his whole being, as I require. The difference is, he feared you, Percy Jackson. I do not."

               AJ knew there was no fighting this thing. And when he started running, so did Percy. But the blond's feet felt like lead. Time slowed down around AJ, like the world was turning to Jell-O. AJ knew what it was—the power of Kronos. His presence was so strong it could bend time itself.

               "Run, little heroes," the Titan laughed. "Run!"

               AJ looked and saw Kronos/Luke approaching leisurely, swinging his scythe as if he were enjoying the feel of having it in his hands again. No weapon in the world could stop him. No amount of Celestial bronze. No amount of darkness could help, either.

               The Titan was ten feet away when AJ heard, "Percy!"

               Rachel's voice.

               Something flew through the air, and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

               "Ow!" he yelled. For a moment it was only Luke's voice, full of surprise and pain. AJ's limbs were freed and so where Percy's, who ran straight into Violet, nearly sendiing them both to the floor; Violet kept Percy on his feet by grabbing his arms, and her expression was terrified. AJ had enough time to react, grabbing Annabeth, who looked horrified. Violet, Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel were standing in the entry hall, their eyes wide with dismay.

               "Luke?" Annabeth called. "What—"

               AJ pulled the daughter of Athena by the hands and ran as fast as he ever had. Every cell in his body was begging to be far, far away. And he and Percy led them straight out of the fortress. They were almost back to the Labyrinth entrance when AJ heard the loudest bellow in the world—the voice of Kronos, coming back into control. "After them!"'

               "No!" Nico yelled. He clapped his hands together, and a jagged spire of rock the size of an eighteen-wheeler 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. AJ heard muffled screams from the telkhines inside. Dust billowed everywhere.

               The six plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan lord shaking the entire world behind them.

🌷  OCT. 16TH, 2023  /  i told y'all in the prologue - vi runs from her problems (and she is the root of all her problems 💀💀) so a lot of people are like, "iwant to see her reaction to [rachel and percy]!"

unknowingly jealous, that's the reaction 💀 she's not used to feeling that, okay? my baby's in her little emo era with all the family issues 😭😭 she doesn't have time for jealously, it's the time for anger and resentment ‼️

i guess right now - the others are just sort of side-eyeing vi 💀💀 like they know something suspicious went down, they just don't know WHAT exactly

there will be, later on, percy and vi talking about it - but that's not NOW so have fun waiting! percy will literally have to corner her like she's a wild animal 😭

if her godly parent wasn't eros, who would it be? (you can't say persephone because that's a lazy answer (but a fair one, i suppose)) personally i think it'd be apollo (yes - there's a low-hanging joke i could make about eros and apollo but i won't - i do have some standards for myself)

but like, ignoring the archery (and love aspect) maybe iris?? or maybe that answer feels really random 💀

i would ask for aj but 💀 y'all don't even know who his godly parent actually is (yet!! don't worry) but still - i did ask last chapter who you thought his godly parent was and someone did guess right -

only half right tho 🤭

alsoalsoalso, how do we want me to write the sword of hades? as an interlude or as a bonus chapter? it'll def be written but i've been debating on an interlude or bonus chapter. making it an interlude would make it come out faster, but we would be delaying the first chapter of act three (and shit goes down in act three - deaths, deaths, and more deaths! (except for ,, one character i plan on writing to keep alive - guess who!))

no fr - i want to see who you think i'm going to keep alive and who i'm going to kill off 😭

anyways, thoughts?? opinions??

(not edited nor proofread - legit posted it right as i finished writing)