I 023. I

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒔

❝ sister ❞

     ARIADNE HAD STRUGGLED TO SLEEP. Chiron has insisted they talk in the morning, which she didn't understand, but one look from Annabeth and a hand squeeze from Percy and she knew she had no choice but to listen.

The girl had tossed and turned for an hour before staring at the amethyst ring on her bedside table. She picked it up and held it tightly, and drifted off to sleep in Percy's sweatshirt.

She dreamed of a prison. She saw a boy in a Greek tunic and sandals crouching alone in a massive stone room. The ceiling was open to show the night sky, but the walls were twenty feet high and polished marble, completely smooth. There were wooden crates scattered around the room. Some were cracked and tipped over, as if they had been flung in there.

Bronze tools spilled out of one—a compass, a saw, and a bunch of other items she couldn't recognize. The boy huddled in the corner, shivering from the cold, and possibly fear. He was spattered in mud. His legs, arms, and face, were scraped up as if he'd been dragged there along with the boxes.

Then the double oak doors moaned open. Two guards in bronze armor marched in, holding an old man between them. They flung him to the floor in a battered heap.

"Father!" The boy ran to him. The man's robes were in tatters. His hair was streaked with gray, and his beard was long and curly. His nose had been broken. His lips were bloody.

The boy took the old man's head in his arms. "What did they do to you?" then he yelled at the guards. "I'll kill you!"

"There will be no killing today," a voice said.

The guards moved aside. Behind them stood a tall man in white robes. He wore a thin circlet of gold in his head. His beard was pointed like a spear blade. His eyes glittered cruelly. "You helped the Athenian kill my Minotaur, Daedalus. You turned my own daughter against me."

And with a shiver, Ariadne could only guess who they were speaking about.

"You did that yourself, Your Majesty," the old man croaked.

A guard planted a kick in the old man's ribs. He groaned in agony. The young boy cried, "Stop!"

"You love your maze so much," the king said, "I have decided to let you stay here. This will be your workshop. Make me new wonders. Amaze me. Every maze needs a monster. You will be mine!"

"I don't fear you," the old man groaned.

The king smiled coldly. He locked his eyes on the boy. "But a man cares about his son, eh? Displease next, old man, and the next time my guards inflict a punishment, it will be on him!"

The king swept out of the room with his guards, and the doors slammed shut, leaving the boy and his father alone in the darkness.

"What shall we do?" the boy moaned. "Father, they will kill you!"

The old man swallowed with difficulty. He tried to smile, but it was a gruesome sight with his bloody mouth.

"Take my heart, son." He gazed up at the stars. "I-I will find a way."

A bar lowered across the doors with a fatal BOOM, and she awoke in a cold sweat.

Ariadne gasped as her hands clenched the bed sheets tightly. As if they were her lifeline. Her knuckles turned pale and she let go only once her breathing slowed.

And with a the memory of cold eyes, and a cruel smile, she drifted off into a deep slumber.

***

ARIADNE HADN'T EATEN BREAKFAST THAT MORNING. She left at the break of dawn and ran towards the arena, wanting to distract herself from the night's dream which had been taunting her ever since she first opened her eyes.

No one went looking for her, which she was thankful for. And the girl wasn't sure she could explain her dream to Percy or Annabeth.

But after two hours of sword skills, slashed dummies, gymnastics tricks, and multiple breaks, Chiron and Quintus showed up. It confused her greatly.

But with the amount of questions she asked them, she only received one answer: "War council." And that was enough to make her eyes narrow and her head focus for once in her ADHD life.

Soon, others began to arrive. And by the time breakfast was over, all the counselors were in the arena around the table. She found it quite strange—trying to discuss the fate of camp while Mrs. O'Leary chewed on a life-size squeaky pink rubber yak.

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth day next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Juniper the tree nymph, Silena, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, and evening Argus.

Argus hardly ever showed up unless something major was happening, and she knew that wasn't a great sign. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he let his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about camp."

Ariadne thought there was pride in her voice, and shivered, thinking somehow Annabeth still respected him.

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell Ariadne and Percy last night. The cave entrance had been there a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

Juniper's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky old caves."

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except... well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting," Quintus polishes his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He cojeo wipe us out easy. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because... because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look.

"Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the... yes, I understand."

"The one in the what?" Percy asked.

Ariadne only noticed he was sitting next to her when he had spoke, and she cursed herself for not realizing sooner at how their shoulders were touching despite sitting in two different chairs.

Clarisse glared at him. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

She remembered her dream the night before—the bloody old man in tattered robes.

"The guy who created the maze," Percy said.

"Yes," Annabeth said. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the center of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knew how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths, or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted—quickly and safely: first to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Them... to Olympus."

The arena was silent except for Mrs. O'Leary's toy yak getting disemboweled: SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

Finally Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table. "Back up a second, Annabeth, you said 'convince Daedalus'? Isn't Daedalus dead?"

Quintus grunted. "I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"

Chiron clopped relentlessly on his hooves. "That's the Robles, my dear Quintus. No one knows. There are rumors... well, there are many disturbing rumors about Daedalus, but one is that he disappeared back into the Labyrinth toward the end of his life. He might still be there."

Compared to her dream, Ariadne wasn't sure how he could've survived that long.

"We need to go in," Annabeth announced. "We have to find the workshop before Luke does. If Daedalus is alive, we convince him to help us, not Luke. If Ariadne's strong still exists, we make sure it never falls into Luke's hands."

At the sound of her stepmom, the girl glanced up to see everyone eying her, as if she had the answer to their problems. She sighed, "I don't know where it is. She never told me about it."

"Wait a second," Percy said. "If we're worried about an attack, why not just hollow up the entrance? Seal the tunnel?"

"Great idea!" Grover said. "I'll get the dynamite!"

"It's not so easy, stupid," Clarisse growled. "We tried at the entrance we found in Phoenix. It didn't go well."

Ariadne nodded. She looked at the raven haired boy who's eyes seemed stuck on her. "The Labyrinth is a magical structure, Per . It would take a huge power to seal even one of its entrances. In Phoenix, Clarisse demolishes a whole building with a wrecking ball, and the maze entrance just shifted a few feet. The best we can do is prevent Luke from learning to navigate the Labyrinth."

She only knew everything thanks to Annabeth and an annoyed Clarisse filling her in just before the council meeting.

"We could fight," Lee Fletcher said. "We know where the entrance is now. We can set up a defensive line and wait for them. If an army tried to come through, they'll find us waiting with our bows."

"We will certainly set up defenses," Chiron agreed. "But I fear Clarisse is right. The magical borders have kept this camp safe for hundreds of years. If Luke manages to get a large army of monsters into the center of camp, bypassing our boundaries... we may not have the strength to defeat them."

Nobody looked happy about the news. Chiron was usually upbeat and optimistic, and if he was predicting they couldn't hold off an attack, it was bad.

"We have to get to Daedalus's workshop first," Annabeth insisted. "Find Ariadne's string and prevent Luke from using it."

"But if nobody can navigate in there," Percy said, "what chance do we have?"

"I've been studying architecture for years," she said. "I know Daedalus's Labyrinth better than anybody."

"From reading about it?" Ariadne asked. She loved Annabeth, but sometimes, even reading wasn't enough.

"Well, yes."

"That's not enough, Annie."

"It has to be!"

"It isn't!"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Ariadne realized everyone was watching Annabeth and her like a tennis match. Mrs. O'Leary's squeaking yak went EEK! as she ripped off its pink rubber head.

Chiron cleared his throat. "First things first. We need a quest. Someone must enter the Labyrinth, find the workshop of Daedalus, and prevent Luke from using the maze to invade this camp."

"We all know who should lead this," Clarisse said. "Annabeth."

There was a murmur of agreement. Ariadne knew Annabeth had been waiting for her own quest ever since they were kids, but she looked uncomfortable.

"You've done as much as I have, Clarisse," she said. "You should go, too."

Clarisse shook her head. "I'm not going back in there."

Travis Stoll laughed. "Don't tell me you're scared. Clarisse, chicken?"

Clarisse got to her feet, Ariadne thought she was going to pulverize him, but she said in a shaky voice: "You don't understand anything, punk. I'm never going in there again. Never!"

She stormed out of the arena.

Travis looked around sheepishly. "I didn't mean to—"

Chiron raised his hand. "The poor girl has had a difficult year. Now, do we have an agreement that Annabeth should lead the quest?"

They all nodded except Quintus. He folded his arms and stared at the table, but Ariadne wasn't sure anyone else noticed.

"Very well," Chiron turned to Annabeth. "My dear, it's your time to visit the Oracle. Assuming you return to us in one piece, we shall discuss what to do next."

***

ARIADNE WAS IMPATIENT. Waiting for Annabeth made her antsy and annoyed. She wasn't keen on waiting around, and it didn't help that her best friend was up in the attic with the Oracle who sometimes turned kids' minds to liquid.

She'd only heard it say a prophecy once, when it had blinded through the woods and presented itself the year before and decided to sit on a rock. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

But she had never felt threatened by the Oracle's presence, but the stories she knew were nothing short of terrifying. Campers who'd gone insane, or others who'd seen visions so real they died of fear—not the way to go, in her opinion.

Percy paced the arena while she was busy tracing shapes into the dirt with the tip of her golden blade. Mrs. O'Leary ate her lunch, which consisted of a hundred pounds of ground beef and several dog biscuits the size of trash can lids. She wondered where he got them from.

Chiron was deep in conversation with Quintus and Argus. It looked to her as if they were disagreeing on something. Quintus kept shaking his head.

On the other side of the arena, Tyson and the Stolls were racing miniature bronze chariots that Tyson had made out of armor scraps.

Ariadne grit her teeth before leaving the arena, Percy following behind quickly, as he had given up on pacing around. She stared across the fields at the Big House's attic window, dark and still. The girl didn't know what was taking her best friend so long, but she was sure it hadn't taken Percy that long when he had been given his his first year at camp.

"Percy, Ariadne," a girl whispered.

Juniper was standing in the bushes. She gestured then over urgently. "You need to know: Luke wasn't the only one I saw around the cave."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

She glanced back at the arena. "I was trying to say something, but he was right there."

"Who?"

"The sword master," she said. "He was poking around the rocks."

Ariadne and Percy shared a look. Her stomach clenched. "Quintus? When?" she asked.

"I don't know: I don't pay attention to time. Maybe a week ago, when he first showed up."

"What was he doing? Did he go in?"

"I-I'm not sure. He's creepy, Percy, Ariadne. I didn't even se whim come into the glade. Suddenly he was there. You have to tell Grover it's too dangerous—"

"Juniper?" Grover calles from inside the arena. "Where'd you go?"

Juniper sighed. "I'd better go in. Just remember what I said. Don't trust that man!"

She ran into the arena.

Ariadne glanced to see Percy staring at the Big House, and she felt even more uneasy. If Quintus was up to something... they both needed Annabeth's advice. The Oracle shouldn't take that long, and they needed her.

Percy looked at her. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yep."

He grabbed her hand and took off running with her, both making sure no one was watching before they ran down the hill and headed across the fields.

They made it to the Big House and walked into the front parlor, which was strangely quiet. She was so used to seeing her dad by the fireplace with a plate of grapes, a deck of cards, and griping at satyrs, that without him it seemed empty and lifeless. But he was still away.

They walked down the hallway, floorboards creaking under their feet. When they got to the base of the stairs, she didn't hear anything so she made a move to take a step, but was pulled back by a hesitant Percy, who seemed to hear something she didn't.

Sobbing. And it was coming from below them.

They crept around the back of the stairs. Yeh basement door was open. She hadn't been in the basement since she was ten, and that was when she was playing hide and seek and expected it to be a hard find—she was the first one out.

Ariadne peered inside and saw two figures in the far corner, sitting amid a bunch of stockpiled cases of ambrosia and strawberry preserves. One was Clarisse. The other was a teenage Hispanic guy in tattered camouflage pants and a dirty black t-shirt. His hair was great and matted. He was hugging his shoulders and sobbing. It was Chris Rodriguez, the boy who'd gone to work for Luke.

"It's okay," Clarisse was telling him. "Try a little more nectar."

"You're an illusion, Mary," Chris backed farther into the corner. "G-get away."

"My name's not Mary." Clarisse's voice was gentle but really sad. "My name is Clarisse. Remember. Please."

"It's dark!" Chris yelled. "So dark!"

"Come outside," Clarisse coaxed. "The sunlight will help you."

"A... a thousand skulls. "The earth keeps healing him."

"Chris," Clarisse pleaded. It sounded like she was close to tears. "You have to get better. Please. Mr. S will be back soon. He's an expert on madness. Just hang on. Maybe I can get Ariadne to help out, maybe she can do something."

Chris's eyes were like a cornered rat's—wild and desperate. "There's no way out, Mary. No way out."

Then he caught a glimpse of him ( mostly Percy ) and made a strangled, terrified sound. "The son of Poseidon! He's horrible!"

Percy backed away and pulled Ariadne ugh him. Ariadne's heart yearned to be able to cure the poor boy who was ridden with insanity, but she was no good in curing someone, only installing it until it wore off. It pained her that she couldn't save him the way she wanted to.

Ariadne remembered the boy before he switched sides. She remembered seeing him and Clarisse together, smiling and laughing. The girl realized Clarisse knew him better than anyone and that her gender voice only meant she care deeply for him, something she hadn't seen from the Ares girl.

There was a break from above—like the attic door opening—and they ran for the front door. Ariadne needed to get out of that house.

***

     ARIADNE DIDN'T MIND SITTING DOWN AFTER THEIR ESCAPADE. She also didn't mind Percy's fingers playing with her curly hair, and when she glanced back a few times, she noticed he was braiding parts.

It calmed her down, and she thanked him with a few smiles.

A few short minutes after the two had made it back to their chairs in the arena, Annabeth appeared.

"My dear," Chiron said. "You made it."

Annabeth looked at Ariadne first. She couldn't tell if she was trying to warn her, or if the look in her eyes was just plain fear. The blonde gave Percy a glance. Then she focused on Quintus. "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop."

Nobody cheered. It was an insanely dangerous quest, and no one was extremely excited to see the young blonde enter the weird maze. After what she'd seen of Chris, the brunette wasn't keen on her best friend returning in that shape.

Chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. "What did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? The wording is important."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I, ah... well, it said, you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze..."

They waited.

"The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise."

Grover perked you. "The lost one! That must mean Pan! That's great!"

"With the dead and the traitor," Percy added. "Not so great."

"And?" Chiron asked. "What is the rest?"

"You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," Annabeth said, "the child of Athena's final stand. Daughter of the Vines may curse the land."

Everyone looked around uncomfortably. Annabeth was a daughter of Athena, and a final stand didn't sound good. But everyone knew Ariadne was the Daughter of the Vines, and both her and Annabeth were at stake on the quest, and it meant she was to become one of the quest members.

"Hey... we shouldn't jump to conclusions," Silena said. "Annabeth isn't the only child of Athena, right?"

"But who's the ghost king?" Beckendorf asked. "And what does it mean that Ariadne will curse the land?"

No one answered. Percy looked pale, and the brunette assumed she looked the same.

Her hand gripped his and he squeezed it tightly. His thumb ran over her knuckles and they both seemed to relax a tiny bit.

"Are there more lines?" Chiron asked. "The prophecy does not sound complete."

Annabeth hesitated. "I don't remember exactly."

Chiron raised an eyebrow. Ariadne knee she chose the wrong words. The blonde was known for her memory. She never forgot anything she heard.

Annabeth shifted into her bench. "Something about... Destroy with a hero's final breath."

"And?" Chiron asked.

She stood. "Look, the point is, I have to go in. I'll find the workshop and stop Luke. And... I need help." She looked at Ariadne. "Will you come? You're in the prophecy, and I need you with me."

Ariadne stood up, facing her. "Are you sure?"

"You're my sister," Annabeth said with a smile. She gripped Ariadne's arm. "Of course I want you to go."

No matter how much Ariadne dreaded entering the very place her namesake had been in, and where she met the man who would soon leave her on an island, the girl couldn't leave her best friend in there without her. Because even if something bad happened, the brunette was sure she was going to get Annabeth home safely.

Without hesitation, Ariadne smiled back. "Okay. Only because I told you we're in this together, Annie," she said.

The brunette already knew who Annabeth had chosen to accompany them, she knew by the look in her eye. So Ariadne turned to Percy. "You with us?" she asked. Her purple eyes made him speak without even thinking.

"I'm in."

Annabeth smiled next to the girl. Percy couldn't help but think the decision was worthwhile once Ariadne gave the boy a bright grin, her first in days. And even with the scar on her face, he thought she looked beautiful.

The blonde looked to their satyr friend. "Grover, you too? The Wild god is waiting."

Grover seemed to Grover how much he hated the underground. The line about the 'lost one' had completely energized him. "I'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!"

"And Tyson," Annabeth said. "I'll need you too."

"Yay! Blow-things-up time!" Tyson clapped so hard he woke up Mrs. O'Leary, who was dozing in the corner.

"Wait, Annabeth," Chiron said. "This goes against the ancient laws. A hero is allowed only two companions."

"I need them all," she insisted. "Chiron, it's important."

"Annabeth." Chiron flocked his tail nervously. "Consider we'll. You would be breaking ancient laws, and there are always consequences. Last winter, six went on a quest to save Artemis. Only four came back. Think on that. Three is a sacred number. There are three dates, three furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos. It is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. Five... this is risky."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I know. But we have to. Please."

"Chiron," Ariadne said. "You won't like this, but you did send four of us to find the lightning bolt. And besides, there are only three half-bloods. Nothing like last winter."

She could tell Chiron didn't like it. Quintus was studying them, like he was trying to decided which of them would come back alive.

Chiron sighed. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we sent you into the Labyrinth."

Oh, how Ariadne never thought she would hear those words.

Quintus pulled aside Percy, and the brunette tilted her head. The son of Poseidon gave her a smile. "I'll see you in a bit."

She nodded with a suspicious look before turning and leaving the arena, hugging herself as she looked at the ground.

But as the vines poked from the ground, yearning for her affection, her eyesight went purple. She blinked a few times until it blurred away.

Ariadne gulped, not knowing what the prophecy meant by her cursing the land—but she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.

***

ARIADNE STOOD ON THE ATHENA PORCH. She had been inside it numerous times, and had become close with every member inside, thanks to Annabeth and her being like sisters.

It was a silvery building, with plain white curtains and a carved stone owl over the doorway. But ever since last winter she felt as if the onyx black eyes were following her every move, wishing for her to make a mistake.

The brunette tapped her foot to a random beat and hummed a slight turn, which was enough to make a few vines sway along the sides of the railings. They weren't grape vines, but if she was strong enough, she could make other types of vines move slightly.

Finally, Percy came into her view, dashing for the cabin. He stopped and ran up the steps and gave her a quick smile before looking at the doorway. "Hello?" he called inside.

Nobody answered. They stepped in and she heard Percy's breath catch. It was definitely a workshop for brainiacs. The bunks were all pushed against one wall as if sleeping didn't matter very much. Most of the room was filled with workbenches and tablets and sets of tools and weapons.

The back room was a huge library crammed with old scrolls and leather-bound books and paperbacks. Ariadne often borrowed a few books from there. It was allowed, as long as she put it back the exact way it was found. There was an architect's drafting table with a bunch of rulers and protractors, and some 3D models of buildings. Huge old war maps were planted to the ceiling. Sets of armor hung under the windows, their bronze plated glinting in the sun.

Annabeth stood in the back room, rifling through old scrolls.

"Knock, knock?" Ariadne said.

She turned with a start. "Oh... hi. Didn't hear you."

"You okay?"

She frowned with the scroll in her hands. "Just trying to do some research. Daedalus's Labyrinth is so huge. None of the stories agree about anything. The maps just lead from nowhere to nowhere."

Ariadne thought about what Quintus had said, how the maze tries to distract you. She wondered if Annabeth knew that already.

"We'll figure it out," Percy promised.

Her hair had come loose and was hanging in a tangled blond curtain all around her face. Her gray eyes looked almost black.

"I've wanted to lead a quest since I was seven," she said.

"You're going to do awesome."

She looked at them gratefully, but then stared down at all the books and scrolls she'd pulled from the shelves. "I'm worried, Ari, Percy. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you two to do this.Or Tyson or Grover."

"Hey, we're your friends. We wouldn't miss it."

"But..." She stopped herself.

"What is it, Annie?" Ariadne asked. "The prophecy?"

"I'm sure it's fine," she said in a small voice.

"What was the last line?" Ariadne asked, arms at her side as the poor blonde was becoming distraught.

Annabeth blinked away tears and opened her arms. Percy looked in shock, but the brunette was already hugging her tightly. Percy soon joined, his arm around Annabeth's shoulder and his other on Ariadne's waist

Butterflies started turning my stomach into a mosh pit when Percy let his head rest on Ariadne's shoulder.

"Hey, it's... it's okay." Percy patted her back.

Ariadne's hair smelled like strawberry soap. Percy's smelled like sea water, and the brunette shivered slightly along with Annabeth.

"Chiron might be right," Annabeth muttered. "I'm breaking the rules. But I don't know what else to do. I need you four. It just feels right."

"Then don't worry about it," Percy managed. "We've had plenty of problems before, and we solved them."

"This is different. I don't want anything happening to... any of you."

Behind them, somebody cleared his throat.
It was one of Annabeth's half-brothers, Malcolm. His face was bright red. "Um, sorry," he said.

"Archery practice is starting, Annabeth. Chiron said to come find you."

Percy stepped away from Annabeth. "We were just looking at maps," he said stupidly.

Ariadne rolled her eyes.

Malcolm stared at me. "Okay."

"Tell Chiron I'll be right there," Annabeth said, and Malcom left in a hurry.

Annabeth rubbed her eyes. "You go ahead, Ari, Percy. I'd better get ready for archery."

He nodded.

"Annabeth?" Percy said. "About your prophecy.  The line about a hero's last breath—"

"You're wondering which hero? I don't know."

"No. Something else.  I was thinking the last line usually rhymes with the one before it. Was it something about—did it end in the worddeath ?"

Ariadne gave the blonde a worried look.

Annabeth stared down at her scrolls. "You'd better go, Ari, Percy. Get ready for the quest. I'll—I'll see you both in the morning."

Percy gave her a grim nod and turned to the  brunette who was staring at the blonde. Ariadne gave him a small smile and nodded at the door, and thankfully, he didn't have one of his infamous clueless moments and ask anymore questions.

Once he left, Ariadne places a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Annie," she said.

The blonde held back tears and faced her friend. "Yeah," her voice cracked the tiniest bit.

"Oh, Annie." She gripped her hand. "I just... I just wanted to say, after everything, just know that-that you're not my best friend."

Annabeth's face fell. And for a split second, her face was full of hurt. The brunette realized that was a terrible way to put it.

"What?" Annabeth asked meekly.

Ariadne shook her head. "I meant that you're not my best friend because you're like my sister." Her friend's eyes widened. "And I know you have tons of siblings, and I have two, but I've never had anyone like you. I mean, there will never be another Annabeth Chase. You're strong, brave, incredibly smart and extremely prideful, but I love you for that. And when it comes down to it, I would follow you anywhere, Annie—even to the ends of the earth."

Annabeth looked on the verge of sobbing. "A-Ari..." Her Hans covered her mouth.

"I'm never leaving you," Ariadne said with a determined expression. "Never. You are the first person I had connected with in a long time, and I love you. You're my sister, Annie. And I know how much you hate it when people leave. I know how many people have come and gone in your life, I know. And I'm here to stay. I'm here to stay by your side until we both live our lives and get into the Elysium together. I promise."

Annabeth threw her arms around the girl. She knew the blonde was thanking her on every way, it wasn't being conceited, it was the truth. Because Annabeth had always been on the run, and she had seen people come and go. Her father, her mother, Thalia, Luke. But ever since they had met, Ariadne was there for every ride and road bump, and the blonde accepted that with grace.

"I love you too," Annabeth whispered.

Ariadne gave the girl a smile before patting her hand. She left her there, staring at maps that led from nowhere to nowhere; but she couldn't shake the feeling that one of them wasn't going to come back from this quest alive.

Ariadne made her way out of the cabin and towards her own, only to see a familiar boy standing by the purple cabin she called home. She chuckled and sped up her pace, heading towards him with a newfound stride.

"You waited," she said, causing him to jump and spin around.

Percy rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous laugh. "Uh... yeah. I wanted to say goodnight."

The girl gave him a bright smile and his heart melted at the sight of it. Her purple eyes twinkled with slight amusement, and they seemed to grow brighter as he kept staring.

She took a step closer to him. "Thanks for waiting," she whispered, her vanilla breath hitting his face.

He gulped down all the butterflies ready to consume him from the inside out. The boy gave her another smile and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Percy realized his head was on her shoulder, and her chin was on his head. "This isn't how I imagined it," he said.

"Shh," she laughed. "Just let it happen, Kelp Head."

The boy just smiled and hugged her tighter. They let go but held hands, her thumb rubbing over his knuckles as he scanned her face.

"You're worried," he said. "I am, too."

Ariadne sighed. "It's okay."

Percy hesitantly brought a hand to her hair, and fiddled with the gray curl that rested against her face. The color had grown with her hair, and it didn't seem as if it was retreating anytime soon.

His hand drifted down towards the scar under her left eye, and his finger trailed down towards her jaw. She held back the diver under his touch and her heart beat so loud she was afraid he would hear.

Ariadne only took a deep breath and whispered, "Goodnight, Perc. Sweet dreams." She pressed a fleeting kiss to one of his dimples and escaped into her house.

Percy stood there in shock, still feeling her with him in the form of the smell of strawberries, vanilla, and the feel of her lips on the corner of his. "Sweet dreams," he said to nothing but the moon, which he knew Artemis was listening from, hearing their loud hearts and chaotic minds.

And both demigods only wished everything could become peaceful for once, but that was never in the cards for them. Because as she laid in bed, Ariadne felt a shiver up her spine, and a whisper of her name, before she was pulled into a long sleep she feared would be her last.

authors note:

I'm back, bitches.

It's been too long.

I'm soooo sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with school and this is the first night where I haven't been busy.

So, house update: I'm sharing a room with my siblings in a condo in a part of my city which I'm totally in love with because there's so much to do. (If anyone  lives in Kentucky tell me where you're from!)

Also, my parents are closing the land where we're building on Monday!

I really appreciate you guys keeping up with my writing and my stories, and your comments make my day better with the countless google meets and assignments I'm stressing over.

My anxiety and anger are spiking again so my therapy sessions are gonna be lit. Anyways, here's an extra long chapter for you guys—close to 6000 words!

It's one of my longest and I hope you guys enjoy it.

Remember: this is suicide prevention month and please if you need someone to talk to or anything give me a PM and I'm there. I will seriously drop all assignments I have no care.

You are worth everything and you guys ares sooooo beautiful. My Instagram is also open and the link is on my profile and the name is FandomQueen696.

My offer for a face reveal still stands!

I'll also provide suicide hotline information and other hotlines in my chat so please use them if needed.

I love you guys so much and I'm sorry for ranting!

Enjoy the story and please don't forget to comment and let me know what you think of the story so far!

Love you guys!