I 031. I

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

❝ mount st. helens ❞

     ARIADNE THOUGHT THEY'D LOST THE SPIDER UNTIL TYSON HEARD A FAINT PINGING SOUND. They made a few turns, backtracked a few times, and eventually found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door.

The door looked like one of those old-fashioned submarine hatched—oval, with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. Where the petal should've been was a big brass plague, green with ageGreek zeta inscribed in the middle.

They all looked at each other.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover said nervously.

"No," Percy admitted.

"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, and he turned the wheel.

As the door opened, the spider scuttled inside with Tyson right behind it. The rest of them followed, not quite as anxious.

The room was enormous. It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, about others had stranger things: a bronze hippalektryon with its horse head off and a bunch of wires hanging out its rooster tail, a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.

Smaller projects cluttered a dozen work tables. Tools hung along he walls. Each had its own outline on a Peg-board, but nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.

Under the nearest hydraulic lift, which was holding a Toyota Corolla ( she didn't know what type, she wasn't as into cars as Percy was), a pair of legs stuck out—the lower half of a huge man in grubby pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's. One leg was in a metal brace.

The spider scuttled straight under the car, and the sounds of banging stopped.

"Well, well," a deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"

The mechanic pushed on a back trolley and sat up. She'd seen Hephaestus a few times before, briefly on Olympus during the times she had visited, but she wasn't prepared.

She guessed her cleaned up when she saw him on Olympus, or used magic to make his form a little less hideous. But in his own workshop, he apparently didn't care how he looked. He wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime.

Hephaestus, was embroidered over the chest pocket. His leg freaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder was lower than his right, so he seemed to be leaning even thigh he was standing up straight. His head was misshapen and bulging. He wore a permanent scowl. His black beard smoked and hissed. Every once in a while a small wildfire would erupt in his whiskers then die out. His hands were the size of catchers mitts, but he handled the spider with amazing skills. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together.

"There," he muttered to himself. "Much better."

The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.

Hephaestus glowered up at them. "I didn't make you, did I?"

"Uh," Annabeth said, "no, sir."

"Good," the grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."

She didn't know if that was a rude comment.

He studied Ariadne, Annabeth, and Percy. "Half-bloods," he grunted. "Could be automatons, of course, but probably not."

"We've met, sir," Ariadne told him.

"Have we?" the god asked absently. Ariadne got the feeling he didn't care one way or the other. "Well then, if I didn't smash you to a pulp the first time we met, I suppose I won't have to do it now."

He looked at Grover and frowned. "Satyr." Then he looked at Tyson, and his eyes twinkled. "Well, a Cyclops. Good, good. What are you doing traveling with this lot?"

"Uh..." said Tyson, staring in wonder at the god.

"Yes, well said," Hephaestus agreed. "So, there better be a good reason you're disturbing me. The suspension in this Corolla is no small matter, you know."

"Sir," Annabeth said hesitantly, "we're looking for Daedalus. We thought—"

"Daedalus?" the god roared. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare seek him out!"

His beard burst into flames and his black eyes glowed.

"Uh, yes, sir, please," Annabeth said.

"Humph. You're wasting your time." He frowned at something on his worktable and limped over time it. He picked up a lump of springs and metal plates and tinkered with them. In a few seconds he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. It spread its metal wings, blinked it's obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.

Tyson laughed and clapped his hands. The bird landed in Tyson's shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately.

Hephaestus regarded him. The god's scowl didn't change, but she thought she saw a kinder twinkle in his eyes. "I sense you have something to tell me, Cyclops."

Tyson's smile faded. "Y-yes, lord. We met a Hundred-Handed One."

Hephaestus nodded, looking unsurprised. "Briares?"

"Yes. He—he was scared. He could not help us."

"And that bothered you."

"Yes!" Tyson's voice wavered. "Briares should be strong! He is older and greater than Cyclopes. But he ran away."

Hephaestus grunted. "There was a time I admired Hundred-Handed Ones. Back in the days of the first war. But people, monsters, even gods changed, young Cyclops. You can't trust 'em. Look at my loving mother, Hera. You met her, didn't you? She'll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? Didn't stop her from pitching me off Mount Olympus when she saw my ugly face."

"But I thought Zeus did that to you," Percy said.

Hephaestus cleared his throat and spat into a bronze spittoon. He snapped his fingers, and the robotic flacon flew back to the worktable.

"Mother likes telling that version of the story," he grumbled. "Makes her seem more likable, doesn't it? Blaming it all in my dad. The truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. Perfect families. She took one look at me and... well, I don't fit the image, do I?"

He pulled a feather from the falcon's back, and the whole automaton fell apart.

"Believe me, young Cyclops," Hephaestus said, "you can't trust others. All you can trust is the work of your own hands."

It seemed like a pretty lonely way to live. Plus, she didn't exactly trust the work of Hephaestus. One time in Denver, his mechanical spiders had almost killed Percy and her. And last year, it had been a defective Talks statue that cost Bianca her life—another one of Hephaestus's little projects.

He focused on her and narrowed his eyes, as if he were reading her thoughts. "Oh, these two don't like me," he mused, talking about her and who's he could only assume to be Percy. "No worries, I'm used to that. What would you ask of me, little demigods?"

"We told you," Percy said. "We need to find Daedalus. There's this guy, Luke, and he's working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade our camp. If we don't get to Daedalus first—"

"And I told you, boy. Looking for Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you?"

"Why not?" Ariadne asked, arms crossed.

Hephaestus shrugged. "Some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Some of us... the way we learn not to trust people is more painful. Ask me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steer. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."

"You know where he is, then," Annabeth said.

"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."

"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "Who's your mother, then?"

"Athena."

"Figures." He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can't tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."

"Name it," Annabeth said.

Hephaestus actually laughed—a booming sound like a huge bellows stoking a fire. "You heroes," he said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"

He pressed a button on his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a huge window or a big screen TV. They were looking at a gray mountain ringed in forests. It must've been a volcano, because smoke rose from its crest."

"One of my forged," Hephaestus said. "I have many, but that used to be my favorite."

"That's Mount St. Helens," Grover said. "Great forests around there."

"You've been there?" Percy asked.

"Looking for... you know, Pan."

"Wait," Ariadne said, looking at Hephaestus. "You said it used to be your favorite. What happened?"

Hephaestus scratched his smoldering beard. "Well, that's there the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to he under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There's always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smoldering all the time. He's restless with the Titan rebellion."

Hephaestus snorted. "That would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. When I go there, it is empty, but I can't tell it is being used. They sense me coming, and they disappear. I send my automatons to investigate, but they do not return. Something... ancient is there. Evil. I want to know who dares invade my territory, and if they mean to loose Typhon."

"You want us to find out who it is," Ariadne said.

"Aye," Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."

"Glad you noticed," Percy muttered.

"Go and find out what you can," Hephaestus said. "Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."

"All right," Annabeth said. "How do we get there?"

Hephaestus clapped his hands. The spider came swinging down from the rafters. Annabeth flinched when it landed at her feet.

"My creation will show you the way," Hephaestus said. "It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons."

***

     THEY WERE DOING OKAY UNTIL THEY HIT THE TREE ROOTS. The spider raced song and they were keeping up, but then they spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth, and wrapped in thick roots. Grover stoped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" Percy said.

He didn't move. He stared open mouthed into the dark tunnel. His curly hair rustled in the breeze.

"Come on!" Annabeth said. "We have to keep moving."

"This is the way," Grover muttered in awe. "This is it."

"What way?" Ariadne asked. "You mean... to Pan?"

Grover looked at Tyson. "Don't you smell it?"

"Dirt," Tyson said. "And plants."

"Yes! This is the way. I'm sure of it!"

Up ahead, the spider was getting farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and they'd lose it.

"We'll come back," Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."

"The tunnel will be gone by then," Grover said. "I have to follow it. A door like this won't stay open!"

"But we cant," Annabeth said. "The forges!"

Grover looked at her sadly. "I have to, Annabeth. Don't you understand?"

She looked desperate, like she didn't understand at all. The spider was almost out of sight. But Ariadne thought about her conversation with Grover and Percy last night, and she knew what they had to do.

"We'll split up," Ariadne said.

"No!" Annabeth said. "That's way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can't go alone."

Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder. "I—I will go with him."

Percy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Tyson, are you sure?"

The big guy nodded. "Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."

Grover took a deep breath. "Percy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just... have to."

Ariadne didn't blame him. This was his life's goal. If he didn't find Pan on this journey, the council would never give him another chance.

"I hope you're right," Percy said.

"I know I am." She's never heard him sound so confident about anything, except maybe when he told her that she wasn't weak, but strong when she was ten.

"Be careful," Ariadne told him. Percy looked at Tyson. He gulped back a sob and gave the boy a hug that just about squeezed his eyes out of their sockets. Then he and Grover disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in darkness.

"This is bad," Annabeth said. "Splitting up is a really, really bad idea."

"We'll see them again," Percy said, trying to sound confident. "Now come on. The spider is getting away!"

***

     IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THE TUNNEL STARTED TO GET HOT.

The stone walls flowed. The air felt as if they were walking through an oven. Ariadne was nos granger to heat thanks to how hot Apollo decided to make the camp, but this was becoming uncomfortable for her. She preferred cooler temperatures, like that in a wine cellar.

The tunnel slopes down and she could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Ariadne and Annabeth right behind.

"Hey, wait up," Percy called you them.

They glanced back at him. "Yeah?"

"Something Hephaestus said back there... about Athena."

"She swore never to marry," Annabeth said. "Like Artemis and Hestia. She's one of the maiden goddesses."

Percy blinked. "But then—"

"How come she had demigod children?" Ariadne asked. "I thought this was common knowledge?"

Percy nodded. He was blushing, but she assumed it was the heat.

"Percy, you know how Athena was born?" Annabeth said.

"She spring from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something."

"Exactly. She wasn't born in the normal way. She was literally born from thoughts. Her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love with a mortal man, it's purely intellectual, the way she loved Odysseus in the old stories. It's a meeting of the minds. She would tell you that's the purest kind of love."

"So your dad and Athena... so you weren't..."

"I was a brain child," Annabeth said. "Literally. Children of Athena are spring from the divine thoughts of our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena on the men she favors."

"But—"

"Percy, the spider's getting away. Do you really want her to explain the exact details of how she was born?" Ariadne questioned.

"Um... no. That's okay."

Annabeth smirked. "I thought not." And she ran ahead. Ariadne and Percy followed. He glanced at the girl.

"So, your dad and your mom..." he trailed off.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Percy. I was born the normal way."

That was all that was said on the topic.

The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, they emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Their spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. They had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.

There was no floor, just bubbling lava a few feet below. They stood on a rock bridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil shed ever seen—a block of iron the size of a house.

Creatures moved around the platform—several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to make out details.

"We have to get closer," Ariadne said. "But we cant unless we want to be seen."

Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. "I can. Wait here."

"Hold it!" Percy said, but before they could argue, she out in her Yankees cap and turned invisible.

Ariadne didn't dare call after her, but she didn't like the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those things out there could sense a god coming, would Annabeth be safe?

Percy looked back at the Labyrinth tunnel. He missed Grover and Tyson already. Finally he decided they couldn't stay put. He grabbed Ariadne's hand and crept along the outer rim of the lava lake, hoping they could get a better angle to see what was happening in the middle.

The heat was horrible. Geryon's ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this. In no time Ariadne and Percy were drenched with sweat. Her eyes stung from the smoke. They moved along, trying to keep away from the edge, until they found their way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they found in mine shafts.

Percy lifted up the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. The duo were about to squeeze their way around it when they heard voices from up ahead, probably from a side tunnel.

"Bring it in?" one asked.

"Yeah," another said. "Movies just about done."

Ariadne panicked. They didn't have time to back up. There was nowhere to hide except... the cart. She gripped Percy's arm and scrambled inside and pulled the tarp over them, hoping no one had seen them.

His curled his fingers around Riptide and Hera around Lunacy, just in case they had to fight.

The cart lurched forward.

"Oi," a gruff voice said. "This weighs a ton."

"It's celestial bronze," the other said. "What did you expect?"

Ariadne and Percy got pulled along. They laid back, the hand not on Riptide was placed on her knee, making sure she was there with him. She placed her left hand over his.

They turned a corner, and from the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls she guessed they had passed down a tunnel and into a smaller room. Hopefully they were not about to be dumped into a smelting pot. If they started to tip him over, they'd have to fight their way out quick.

She heard lots of talking, chattering voices that didn't sound human—somewhere between a seal's bark and a dog's growl. There were other sounds too—like an old-fashioned film projector and a tinny voice narrating.

"Just set it in the back," a new voice ordered from across the room. "Now, younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterward."

The voices quieter down, and she could hear the film.

As a young sea demon matures, the narrator said, changes happen in a monster's body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters.

Excited snarling filled the room. The teacher—she guessed it must have been a teacher—told the younglings to be quiet, and the film co to her. She didn't understand most of it, and she didn't dare look. The girl kept talking about growth spurts and acne problems caused by working in the forges, and the proper flipper hygiene, and finally it was over.

"Now, younglings," the instructor said, "what is the rapper name of our kind?"

"Sea demons!" one of them barked.

"No. Anyone else?"

"Telekhines!" another monster growled.

"Very good," the instructor said. "And why are we here?"

"Revenge!" several shouted.

"Yes, yes, but why?"

"Zeus is evil!" one monster said. "He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!"

"Indeed," the instructor said. "After we made so many of the god's finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course—we made the greatest weapon of the Titan's! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. This is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"

Ariadne held her ring tightly. Those snarling things had created Poseidon's trident? What were they talking about?

"And so, younglings," the instructor continued, "who do we serve?"

"Kronos!" they shouted.

"And when you grow to be big telekhines, will you make weapons for the army?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent. Now, we've brought in some scraps for you to practice with. "Let's see how ingenious you are."

There was a rush of movement and excited voices coming toward the cart. Ariadne and Percy got their blades ready. The tarp was thrown back. They jumped up, his bronze sword and her gold springing to life in their hands, and found themselves facing a bunch of... dogs.

Well, their faces were dogs, anyway, with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like a sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half foot, and human like hands with sharp claws. If you blended together a kid, Doberman pinscher, and a sea lion, you'd get something like what I was looking at.

"Demigods!" one snarled.

"Eat it!" yelled another.

But that's as far as they got before Percy slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters. Ariadne's eyes blazed a purple wildfire, and her sword glowed brightly as her hands held them.

"Back off!" Ariadne yelled at the rest, her voice as sharp as her blade. Behind them stood their instructor—a six-foot-talk telekhine with Doberman fangs snarling at him. She did her best to stare him down.

"New lesson, class," Percy announced. "Most monsters will be vaporized when sliced with a celestial bronze or gold sword. This change is perfectly normal, and will shown to you right now if you don't BACK OFF!"

To their surprise, it worked. The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them. Percy's fear factor wasn't going to last long.

Ariadne and Percy jumped out of the cart, and she yelled, "CLASS DISMISSED!" and ran for the exit.

The monsters charged after them, barking and growing. She hoped they couldn't run very fast with those stubby little legs and flippers, but they waddled along pretty way. Thank the gods there was a door in the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. She slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle with Percy's help to lock it, but they doubted it would keep them long.

Ariadne didn't know what to do. Annabeth was out there somewhere, invisible. Their chance for a subtle reconnaissance mission had been blown. They ran toward the platform at the center of the lava lake.

***

     ARIADNE HOPED SHE WAS OKAY.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

Ariadne surveyed around them and yelled, "Annabeth!"

"Shhh!" an invisible hand clamped over her mouth and wrestled her down behind a big bronze cauldron, dragging Percy by his shirt. "You want to get us killed?"

She found her head and took off her Yankees cap. Annabeth shimmered into existence in front of them, scowling, her face streamed with ash and grime. "Ari, what is your problem?"

"We're going to have company!" Percy explained quickly about the monster orientation class. Her eyes widened.

"So that's what they are," she said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making... well, look."

They peeked over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons, but these were fully grown, at least eight feet tall. Their black sling glistened in the firelight seems they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.

"The glad is almost complete," one said. "It needs another cooling in the blood to fuse the metals."

"Aye," a second said. "It shall be even sharper than before."

"What is that?" Percy whispered.

Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder—"

"They were talking about the greater Titan weapon," Ariadne said. "And they... they said they made Percy's father's trident."

The telekhines betrayed the gods," Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."

"With Kronos."

She nodded. "We have to get out—"

No sooner had she said that than the door to the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.

"Put your cal back on," Percy said. "Get out! Take Aidan with you!"

"What?" Ariadne shrieked. "No! I'm not leaving you."

She was reminded of their time on the Greyhound bus when the Furies were searching for Percy their first quest. Gods, it seemed like such a long time ago for her, but it was only three years.

"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You hav ego tell him what's going on."

"That's crazy! You'll be killed!"

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."

"I'm not leaving you," Ariadne told him, like he had that day on the bus when she told him to take the Yankee cap and leave.

Percy looked at her amethyst eyes and made sure to remember them. The wya they twinkled in the fire light, and the way they showed too many emotions for him to decipher.

They would be overwhelmed with telekhines in a few moments, and it was a matter of time for the group.

Ariadne's eyes were wide as she looked down at him. She was forced to realize the terrible truth: this could be the very last moment they saw each other again. It pained her to imagine a world without him.

"Go," he whispered, desperate for her to leave in safety.

And in that moment, she did the only thing she could while staring at those sea-green eyes she loved so much.

Her hand grabbed his shirt collar and brought him closer to her, and due to them crouching, they were about the same size. In less than a second, her lips smashed into his.

Percy hadn't fully processed what had happened other than the taste of vanilla and her lips on his. Ariadne let go of him just as his hand grazed her waist, and he was tore from the perfect fantasy.

Ariadne kept a grip on his shirt. "You better come back to me or I swear; Percy, I will find you in the Underworld and bring you back myself," she said. His name sounded sad on her tongue, thinking it's like be the last time she said it to him.

"Stay safe, Ariadne," he said. His name was full of too much for either of them to concentrate, only thinking of the kiss.

Reluctantly, Annabeth places in her Yankees cap and grabbed her sister's hand. They ran from the platform, but that didn't stop Ariadne from glancing back to see the boy she liked hidden by a cauldron surrounded by a lake of lava.

And with a heavy and pounding heart, the girl followed the spider, only praying to every god that her Percy made it out safely.

***

     SHE WAS LISTENING AS ANNABETH EXPLAINED EVERYTHING. Her fists clenched by her side as she tried to even her breathing, hoping Percy made it out alive and was trying to find them.

Hephaestus didn't seem to surprised about the telekhines using his old work space, but his face became worried at the news of the weapon being built.

"Bad news," he said. "Bad."

"What are they creating?" Annabeth asked.

He gave her a hefty sigh. "Think, girl. The ingredients: blood cooled, fusing of metals. They are recreating Kronos's scythe."

Ariadne's blood ran cold. If Kronos got his hand on that weapon, he would be unstoppable. And without Percy to fulfill the prophecy, it would end in disaster, no matter how much she tried.

"We need to stop them before it's complete," she told the god.

"Already done," he said.

Annabeth gave her confused look and the girl shrugged. All they had accomplished was to spy and report, and for the brunette to kiss her soulmate before leaving him alone.

Hephaestus presses the button on his workbench and the metal screen opened. It showed a gray mountain ringed by forests. Mount St. Helens sat there with a plume of fire and ash rising into the sky.

"Still uncertain about further eruptions," a newscaster said. "Authorities have ordered the evacuation of almost half a million people as precaution. Meanwhile, ash has fallen as far away as Lake Tahoe and Vancouver, and the entire Mount St. Helens area is closed to traffic within a hundred-mile radius. While no deaths have been reported, minor injuries and illness include—"

The god shut off the screen. "Quite an explosion," he told them. "The telekhines were scattered. Some vaporized. Some got away, no doubt. I don't think they'll be using my forge anytime soon. On the other hand, neither will I. The explosion caused Typhon to stir in his sleep. We'll have to wait and see—"

"Percy," Ariadne cut him off. "Where is he?"

"He is strong." Hephaestus's brows knit together. "He might've survived."

The brunette was at a loss for words. Her mouth open and closed as well as her fists, hoping the god was playing some cruel joke to appease his humor.

"He is no longer in my realm," Hephaestus said. "Go back to your camp. Report to Chiron all you have found. When your are ready, I will tell you of how to find Daedalus."

Annabeth grabbed Ariadne's hand. "It's I'm the right thing, Ari."

With a large nod, the girl accepted the answer. She wanted to search for Percy but knew it was best they leave, or else it was all in vain.

"Camp it is," she said with a sad expression, not knowing what to expect.























authors note:

WE DID IT! WE MADE IT TO THE KISS I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!

LEGIT WHILE I WAS GETTING CLOSE TO IT MY STOMACH GOT ALL FLUTTERY CAUSE I COULDN'T WAIT TO GIVE THIS TO YOU GUYS!!!!

if there are any mistakes with words i don't care i only care about my babies finally kissing.

#PERCAIDAN

also! before i show my face i want to let you guys know how much i love each and every one of you! thank you for reading and commenting on this book and my previous one and loving Ariadne as much as I do. 

I'm also very much an anxiety ridden person and if i even see a hate comment about my looks i'm taking the picture down. please don't judge what I look like because I'm no model and definitely don't qualify as pretty at my school compared to my friends and other girls there.

But please, you are all beautiful and i love everyone of you and you make me laugh and smile every morning! Thank you guys again, i appreciate it with all of my heart.

Please don't try and find my personal insta or information unless i let you in a message! It would be creepy and none of my friends or family know I write I here, they just think I read. Please don't ask for my address because I've seen people ask others and I don't feel comfortable with that. And if I see it I will remove my picture and any other information about me. Please be aware of others and myself.

And without further conversation, here is ME!

I love you guys!