𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕.
the saboteurs protested too much

ᯓᡣ𐭩

𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇 was a little more difficult to navigate than Maisie thought.

She'd thought she could use her brain to turn every right corner and not die, but apparently that wasn't enough to help her find the spot Luke had told her to be at.

He'd given her some almost vague directions, like take a right turn and you'll see this, take a left turn, go straight, which was absolutely not helpful for a magic mythological labyrinth. She got lost within the first five minutes of walking.

Maisie sighed, turning on her heel to try and go back where she came from, but she stopped mid-turn to let out a scream.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she asked, hand on her heart that was now beating rapidly after getting the scare of her life by Luke, who had appeared out of thin air behind her.

"Hey, be nice," he said, smiling despite having scared her, simply by standing there.

"You almost gave me a heart attack. How did you do that, I didn't see you anywhere."

"A magician doesn't reveal his tricks."

Maisie rolled her eyes, still shaken from the fright she'd gotten, while Luke kept smiling like a total idiot.

"I hate this Labyrinth."

"Ah, you won't for long." Luke pointed his finger at her, as if making a point.

Maisie pouted as he took her hand and led them to another passage of the never ending Labyrinth.

The path was lit with torches that stuck to the walls, making the whole experience feel like they were digging for gold.

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Maisie joked, raising an eyebrow.

Luke looked back at her, smirking. "We'll see," he said, causing a gasp to escape her lips.

"No, thanks." She disconnected their hands, turning around yet again.

She managed to take a couple steps, before, in one quick stride, Luke reached her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back to him with ease, her back hitting his toned front.

"You're not going anywhere." His lips were so close to her ear that his voice sent vibrations to Maisie's body, giving her chills.

She spun her face to meet his, his eyes immediately locking on hers. He regarded her with a look that appeared lustful, while still maintaining the familiar tenderness.

Right as he was about to lean in and kiss her, Maisie pulled back, escaping his embrace. She smiled innocently as she grabbed his hand and walked along, being the one to lead them this time.

"Let's go, hm?"

"Now you're the one killing me."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

Maisie would've never thought she'd have an underground picnic, yet here she was, at a secluded, but safe, part of the Labyrinth, sitting on a picnic blanket, Luke next to her, as they ate the junk food he had brought.

Obviously, they couldn't go out in public where someone could see them, so the recently discovered Labyrinth was a great place for illicit meetings.

"So, where are you invading camp from?" she asked in between handfuls of popcorn, half joking, half attempting to catch Luke off guard.

"As if I'll tell you," he scoffed, being quick to stir the conversation elsewhere. "What have you been up to in the mortal world?"

Maisie sighed. "You know, working, mostly. I befriended some of my coworkers. Except Dan. He sucked."

"Do I need to threaten anyone?"

"Gods, Luke, no," she said through small laughs, finding the situation amusing. "He was just bitching about everything."

"Does he still work there?" Luke asked, his own lips pulling into a smile at the domesticity of their unconventional relationship.

"He got fired, thank the gods."

Luke laughed, throwing his head back, and Maisie couldn't help the laugh of her own, as his was contagious. She had missed this casualty, being so comfortable with him. Because even in a world with billions of people, there was no one who could make her feel like that.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

After Luke had guided Maisie to her exit of the Labyrinth, he made his way to his own, in order to end up outside of camp.

It didn't take him long to find, since he had basically memorized it already. As he stepped foot outside, instead of being greeted with the sun blinding his eyes, a tall woman was blocking the light.

Luke blinked, trying to get a clearer image of who was standing in front of him, now face to face.

"Son of Hermes," the woman addressed him, and he got the feeling he was about to converse with a goddess.

"Yes," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked the goddess up and down, noticing her long white dress, though what stuck out the most were her familiar brown eyes.

Athena.

"Don't think you're getting away with this," she said sternly, her stare burning holes in him.

"You don't need to lecture me," he said, tilting his head.

"Oh, but I do. Didn't my daughter warn you? I have no problem killing you, you know, but she'd hate me for it."

"Then, don't," he shrugged, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"This is not a joke, Luke," Athena warned, finally addressing him by name. "I am serious."

"So am I."

Her eyes narrowed, seeming ready to kill him with a snap of her fingers.

"I thought you had a war to win. Do you want to get killed so early in?" she asked, fixing him with a firm stare. In return, he smirked, his scar lighting up in the sun.

"It's not fun if nobody wants to kill you."

In that moment, Athena looked angry beyond belief, so much that it was a miracle that she didn't blast him to pieces.

"This is you final warning. You do not want to make an enemy of me. Stay away from my daughter," she finalized.

"The gods are already my enemies. This doesn't change anything."

Athena regarded him with one final livid look, before her form started to glow. Luke realized she was returning to her original godly form and quickly averted his gaze.

He kept his eyes on the Labyrinth entrance for a bit, until there was no more sound behind him. He turned, and the goddess was long gone.

───────

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