~The Canoe Lake~

Percy, Annabeth, Thalia and Leo relaxed by the canoe lake, waiting to see who showed up ... and who didn't.

Percy and Leo made straight for the water, not wasting any precious time. Percy didn't bother changing, but settled for diving straight in the lake fully dressed. The splash he made, splattered Annabeth and Thalia who were sitting by the edge, trying to figure out who the messenger was.

'Percy,' Annabeth scold. 'We're trying to concentrate.'

Percy kicked back and floated on the lakes surface, 'Sorry, Wise Girl. You know water's the best place for me to think.'

Annabeth sighed, 'Unfortunately, that's true.'

'So,' Thalia drawled. 'Has your seaweed filled brain come up with anything yet?'

Percy stopped floating and stood upright in the water, 'I only just got in, Thalia. You can't expect me to become a genius as soon as I step in the water.'

'Don't worry, I don't,' she rolled her eyes. 'Anyway, Annabeth, what were you saying?'

Annabeth blinked and turned back to her notebook. Percy and Leo swam closer to shore so as to hear better.

'Well, I was saying I wrote a list of possible suspects,' Annabeth swept a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. 'I was thinking that maybe the gods could be behind all this, or maybe even Chiron.'

'Chiron doesn't have that sort of power, though,' Thalia pointed out.

'And why would the gods bother abducting campers,' Percy added. 'It just doesn't seem like something they'd do.'

'True,' Annabeth pointed her pencil a the two cousins. 'That's why I also made a list of any enemies we have that might be want revenge.'

'Now,' Leo smirked. 'Is that list longer or shorter than twenty pages.'

'Ha ha,' Annabeth said. 'But, it is a long list. I'm trying to cut it down by figuring out which ones would want revenge on all of us.'

'That's still a long list,' Percy muttered.

'Well, not really,' Annabeth frowned. 'What enemy would want revenge on Travis, Connor and Reyna.'

'Uh, lots,' Thalia said.

Annabeth shook her head, 'No, not lots. Yes, Travis and Connor would have a lot of enemies. And yes, Reyna would have a lot of enemies. But what enemies would they have in common.'

The group fell silent as they contemplated that.

'Good point,' Leo nodded appreciatively.

'And,' Annabeth continued. 'It would have to be someone smart, because the riddles are incredibly crafty. They would also have to have the power to abduct demigods.'

'Don't forget they knew I was in the woods yesterday,' Percy pointed out. 'They would have to be able to see us at camp.'

'Or be at camp themselves,' Leo mumbled.

'A spy?' Thalia suggested.'

'We don't know that,' Annabeth said quickly. 'And we can't go accusing campers until we know for sure.'

'Guys!'

The group of four turned as Hazel and Nico came running towards the lake. Hazel held the next note in her right hand. They reached Annabeth and Thalia sitting on the shore and doubled over, panting.

'What does it say?' Thalia asked immediately.

'Hold up, Pinecone Face,' Percy interrupted. 'So, if I'm here, and Annabeth's here, and Thalia and Leo are here-'

'And Hazel and Nico are here,' Annabeth added. 'That means-'

'Travis is gone,' Hazel puffed. 'We checked his cabin and asked his brothers and sisters. He hasn't been seen since yesterday.'

'Only six left,' Leo murmured under his breath.'

'Heard that, Repair Boy,' Percy nudged him. 'We are gonna get them back.'

'Before or after we all disappear and join them?' Leo raised an eyebrow.

'Touché,' Percy said softly.

'So,' Thalia said impatiently. 'What does the note say?'

Hazel, still panting, handed the note to Nico who read aloud.

'"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six Christmas goblets, five wooden sleighs, four working craftsmen, three volar reindeer, two wrapped up presents, and mistletoe up a pine tree,'" he recited. 'Six Christmas goblets; ideas, anyone?'

They were silent.

'What's a Christmas goblet?' Percy asked, expecting to be called an idiot.

Instead, all he got were shakes of a head and mutters of, 'I don't know.'

'I don't think there is such a things as a Christmas goblet,' Annabeth admitted.

'Great,' Thalia said sarcastically. 'We'll be stuck on this forever and never find all the keys. We'll never get the others back.'

'Way to be optimistic,' Nico huffed.

'Christmas goblets,' Leo shivered. 'That brings back bad memories.'

Annabeth's head snapped up, 'What kind of memories?'

Leo laughed lightly, 'Just of last Christmas. Jason, Piper and I had a little run in with Dionysus' little friends. They-'

His voice faltered as his eyes grew as wide as drachmas. His mouth fell open and mimed drinking from a cup.

'Leo,' Annabeth grabbed the fire users shoulder. 'What is it?'

'The maenads,' Leo said excitedly, and a smile broke across his face. He grabbed Annabeth's shoulder in return and Percy visibly stiffened. 'They drunk eggnog from goblets.'

'What does that have to do with anything?' Hazel asked confusedly.

'Because eggnog is a traditional Christmas drink,' Percy answered first. 'Christmas goblets could be eggnog goblets.'

'But how does that tell us where to find the next key?' Nico frowned.

'Because we have to go back to where I met the maenads,' Leo sounded more determined than he had in ages, like he finally knew something for sure. 'I know the way, come on.'

~The Clearing~

'This is where you met the maenads,' Percy asked in disbelief.

Leo nodded, 'I think Piper said there was a story about this place; a big fight. Something about it being bad luck, or cursed, or something.'

'It's a battlefield,' Annabeth said softly, tears making her eyes sparkle.

Percy put his arm around his girlfriend as pulled her into him, looking sad himself, 'This is where Kronos' forces invaded Camp Half-Blood. This is where we fought the battle of the Labyrinth. We lost a lot of campers that day.'

Hazel covered her mouth in shock, 'I never knew.'

Leo's shoulders slumped, 'How do you know so much about it?'

'We were there,' Nico gripped the hilt of his Stygian Iron sword. 'All of us; Percy, Annabeth and I.'

'And we all almost died,' Annabeth murmured, too soft for anyone but Percy to hear.

'Okay,' Hazel said. 'So, where do you think the next key will be?'

'Spread out?' Leo suggested.

The demigods wandered in different directions. The time passed ever so quickly, or so the group of six felt. At last, a while later, Annabeth groaned.

'I found them,' she said sadly. 'They were by the entrance.'

'The entrance to what?' Hazel asked, coming up behind the daughter of Athena.

'The old entrance to the Labyrinth,' Percy said, answering for his girlfriend. 'It's closed now, but we still try to avoid it.'

Annabeth held up six little gold and silver painted goblets. They were empty, but red stains around the rim suggested they hadn't always been.

'I'm not even going to ask,' Leo said earnestly. 'Let's put them in the bag, and get outta here!'

'I'm not going to disagree with you there,' Percy said as he held the pouch out for Annabeth to pour in the six keys. The bag glowed silver as more objects fell into its depths.

'Let's go,' Nico muttered. 'I don't like it here.'

The rest didn't argue. If Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, god of the Underworld, didn't like to stay in that clearing for too long, then it was a good hint that they should all stay away from it.

'I wonder who'll go missing tomorrow,' Percy mumbled as they walked back to camp. 'I hope it's not me. I really don't want to miss out on presents.'