I opened my eyes, blinking more then a few times to adjust to the extremely well lit room I was laying in.

The bedroom I laid in was massive. Reminding me more of the mess hall in New Rome then an actual bedroom. I say bedroom, because the contents of the room suggested so . I laid on a king size bed on the center of the room, with a simple, yet stylish black bedframe and drapes above and around me,. The drapes and frame were decorated in a variety of colors. Reds, blues, greens, oranges and so on.

When I peered over the edge of the bed, on the blank white floors, hand painted paths leading towards different points of interest within the room. To my right, a brown path guided my eyes towards a crossroad per say, the road to the left was green and led towards a door with the words Bathroom painted above it. The road to the right was red and led towards another door with the words Dressing Room labeled above it in the same color.

To my left, another warm painted road on the floor paved its way towards a large pane of glass that engulfed the entire left side of the room, its path ending at a set of glass double doors emended at its center. Outside of that glass, a large balcony overlooked a massive city I recognized a New York. The balcony was large enough to fit a garden and at its center were countless of canvases painted with a ton of images with three people sitting on stools.

My vision was still a little blurry, but it looked like Percy and Nico talking to a red hair girl.

I placed my bear feet on the cold white floor, stretching my bare toes. I glanced to my right and found my armor, shoes and cloak resting at the side of the bed. My butt refused to remove itself from the obnoxiously comfortable bed. I sat there, staring at the floor, thinking about the night before.

"Don't let this world change you!" Calypso yelled over the sudden storm, her eyes conveying a mixture of defiance and fear. "Your one of the most beautiful souls I've had the pleasure of-"

And then she was gone. Lost in the storm below me. Is she dead? Did my father return her to her prison?

I don't know.

I failed her.

I failed my father.

"Why is that?" Saturn's voice echoed in my mind, laughing.

"Because I have no-"

"Jason!" Percy yelled, slapping my face.

I snapped out of my trance and focused on Percy. I became keenly aware of how much I was sweating. My hands squeezing the side of the mattress with so much force that it crumbled in my grip. My breathing was chaotic and taken in short, quick bursts

I let go of the mattress, relaxing myself. Which was harder then I was expecting. Percy knelt in front of me, while Nico and the red headed girl watched behind him.

"Nightmares?" Percy asked, leaning back to give me some space. "Had a few myself last night."

I rubbed my eyes, trying to recompose myself. "Um, nuh- no. I......"

I wiped my eyes again and looked at my hands. If anything, being awake was far more torturous. "Um.... Actually. I slept very good. I don't even remember falling asleep. Felt.......good."

"To rest?" Nico asked from behind me. He wore a simple black t-shirt under his aviator coat and jeans. "That's what happens when you don't give yourself a chance to rest."

The girl smirked. "Says the kid with bags under his eyes."

Nico glared at her. "Any bags under my eyes have to do with the stress of dealing with people."

The girl snorted. "Gosh, your so dramatic. Percy, you have some weird friends. Speaking of which-"

The girl looked at me. "Hi, my names Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Nice to finally meet you, Jason. Percy tells me we have A LOT to talk about."

*********************************************

"Grover! Annabeth!" I yelled, following close behind Bronk's spider.

We all ran in a full on sprint out of fear of losing Grover and Annabeth in the maze of the Labyrinth. We kept running until we entered a vast cavern that stopped us in our tracks with its beauty. The cavern was decorated in shinning green crystals. A small stream of water flowed from beneath a cluster of crystals to our left going towards the center of the cavern.

Ahead of us, Grover and Annabeth bowed in front of a old faun and a odd group of animals. And by odd, I mean impossible. A wooly mammoth yawned behind a Roman-style bed, its gilded wood shaped in a curly U, with velvet cushions strewn across and around them.

Grover and Annabeth knelt down in front of an old faun that rest on the edge of the bed with an actual Dodo bird sleeping soundly on his lap. Behind him, resting on the right side of the bed was a nine foot tall man with too many arms and hands on his body to count. The man's face swapped (literally) between a dozen or so expressions. Most of them depressed or angry.

The old faun smiled once he saw us and beckoned us forward. His finger resting on his lip, urging us to stay quiet. He was as tall as Bronk, which is to say, not that tall. He had large rams horns that curled outwards towards his shoulders, soft blue sky eyes hugged by many smile lines , and a long grey beard that was almost long enough to touch the ground. He wore a simple Greek Chiton over his wide frame and hairy grey goat legs.

Tyson surged forward, as he tried to run over to the man with many arms, but Gwen, Sam and I held him back while we shushed him. Bronk flopping around in his arm as we struggled.

Annabeth glanced behind to see us, her gaze alone told us all too quiet down. Even Tyson settled down, whimpering softly.

When we were all settled down, our focus was drawn towards the old faun and Grover. Grover trembled, his hands clasped together and his forehead resting on the ground. The faun finally spoke. "Your friends are now here," The old faun said, his voice soft and powerful. "You may now speak to me, my young, brave Satyr."

**********************************************

"So your all going back into that place? The labyrinth, I mean." Rachel said after the three of us completed our long winded summary of the events that lead us here. We all sat on bar stools outside in Rachel personal garden. According to her, she is the daughter of a very rich business man. Which explained her huge room located in the even larger mansion.

Percy nodded, sipping on a carton of apple juice. "Yep. We have to find our friends. We need to stop Luke and Justice from using the Labyrinth to destroy our camps."

Rachel nodded, staring out towards the city of New York as she leaned against the guardrails. "I understand. My questions is.... Why tell me all of this?"

"THANK YOU!" Nico exclaimed. "Percy, we've been wasting so much time here. We should be going!"

I readjusted my breastplate straps. "Yeah. No offense, Rachel, but I have to agree with Nico."

Percy stood up and joined Rachel. "The reason I'm telling you this is because I think you need to come with us."

Nico and I shot up to our feet.

"Are you nuts!" I said. "Taking a mortal down into the Labyrinth is not a good idea. No offense, Rachel."

Rachel smiled awkwardly. "None taken."

Nico nodded vigorously. "Your crazy, Percy. Why do you want to bring her?"

Percy leaned against the guardrail and gazed at his hometown city. "I've....Been having these dreams. About Daedulus. About this lady called Ariadne. She was a mortal too, but she had clear sight through the mist. That's how she navigated through the labyrinth with Theseus. And besides my mom, Rachel your the only mortal....... Person I know that can see through the mist. Even better than I can."

Rachel smiled, meeting Percy's gaze. "Wow, I made an impression on the great Percy Jackson. I should be honored, right?"

Percy chuckled, keeping his eyes locked with hers. "Maybe a little."

The energy between them felt..... different? The way they looked at each other reminded me on how Max would look at Ben before his passing. I wondered if these two had some kind of relationship they were hiding. I also wondered if Annabeth knew about these two. I don't think she would have liked it very much.

Nico must have sensed this too and he hated it. Nico threw his empty juice box at Percy, the carton bouncing off of his head. "Focus up!" He said. "I think this is a stupid idea, but we've wasted enough time. Rachel, are you coming or not?"

Rachel sighed. "Percy, are you sure you want me to guide you through an incredibly dangerous maze that might kill all of us based off a hunch you have?"

Percy shrugged. "Only if your okay with it."

Rachel paused for a moment. "....... Ah what the hell, lets go kick some titan butt. Let me grab a few things and we'll go. Jason, did you see my blue hairbrush on my bed?"

***************************************************

".-that's why we need you to return, my lord." Grover begged, his forehead still smushed against the cavern's floor. "We need you, Lord Pan."

Lord Pan yawned. "My boy, that was quite the retelling of events. The section about the industrial revolution could have been abbreviated, but alas..."

Grover's forehead seeped into the ground deeper, somehow. "I deeply apologize, Lord Pan. But will you return to the surface world?"

Pan stared up at the ceiling of the cavern. "Child of Athena, where are we?"

Annabeth, who sat cross-legged next to Grover, nearly jumped out of her skin. She glanced around her surroundings, trying to figure out where we are. The rest of us were also sitting cross-legged during Grover's speech behind them.

"I believe..... I believe we are in the Carlsbad Caverns. In New Mexico." She finally answered. "We must be in a unexplored section."

The god of the wild smiled. "Correct, that's exactly where we are."

Grover licked his lips. "New Mexico? That's when you called to me? During my quest last winter."

The god nodded. "Yes, my brave satyr. I called to you. I called to you to make a very simple request."

Grover crushed his head even deeper into the floor. "What...... What is it my lord?"

Pan smiled, petting the Dodo bird sleeping soundly on his lap.. "Let me go, my brave Satyr. I am ready to pass on."

We all remained silent, each processing Pan's request while Pan happily pet his Dodo, which snored softly in his lap.

Grover rose to his knees. "I'm sorry my lord. I..... I don't understand."

The mammoth grunted beneath his breath, prompting Pan to chide him. "Enough, the boy has a right to be confused Willy."

Will the mammoth grunted again, but remained silent. The hundred handed one started sobbing softly, each of his hands taking turns wiping his face. Pan turned his attention back to Grover. "I will like to pass on. I believe that's the gentle way to put it. But alas, if you require a more blunt request-"

"I want to die, my brave satyr." The old god said.

Grover dug his pinky fingers into his ears. "Come again?"

Sam spoke up. "I'm sorry Lord Pan. But I'm pretty sure a god can't just...... die."

"Who said gods can't die?" The old god asked him.

"Uh, because common sense?" Sam answered. He glanced at me with a look that said "Can you believe this guy?"

I was ready to shush him, but the old god laughed. "HAHA, that was funny, son of the sea god. Yes, I suppose that logic does make sense. But, as much as the gods would hate to admit it, there is a way for us to die."

"Die?" Tyson said. "But I like you, old goat man."

The old god waived at Tyson. "And I like you too, oh wise cyclops." Tyson blushed and waived too.

Gwen cleared her throat. "Forgive us, Lord Pan. We are just..... Confused. Why would you want to... die?"

The old god sighed. "Oh, my dear, I have been ready to pass on for thousands of years. Always at the precipice of the End, but never quite allowed to truly.... Rest."

The Dodo bird and Mammoth shuddered, but not from fear. The two animals seemed to yearn for this fate as much as the old god.

I stood up, doing my best to be as respectful as possible. Seeing as this was my first meeting with a god, ever. "But, Lord Pan, Grover has requested for your assistance in repairing the wild. Would you not heed his call?"

The old god shook his head and shrugged nonchalantly. "Nope, I will not. I cannot."

Grover fell on his butt. "I..... don't understand." Grover wiped his eyes. "I...... What do you mean you want me to let you go? What.... What?"

The old goat lifted the Dodo bird and stood up. He went over to the hundred handed one. "Briares, may you hold our dear friend here."

Briares nodded and gently held the old bird in his arms. The old god turned his attention to us. "I'm sure each of you, one way or another, have been educated about how the gods have arrived to the United State. I'm sure you've heard phrases such as "Western Civilization" and "The heart of the fire" has moved to different parts of the world. And wherever it goes, so do the gods. Is this not correct?"

We all nodded. We've all had this explained to us during our journeys as demigods in one way or another.

"Exactly. Now, allow me to ask you a question." The old god continued. "Does this..... how would you put it-"

"Metaphysical force?" Annabeth offered.

Pan snapped his fingers. "Well said. Does this metaphysical force known as 'Western Civilization' exist because the gods will it so?"

We all contemplated this question in our heads. Well, most of us, Sam had checked out of the conversation and was snacking on some jelly beans. While Tyson stared a hole into Briares.

The old god continued. "I'm sure some of you heard that, if Kronos were to succeed in destroying Olympus, that the heart of the flame will be no more. Western Civilization will erupt into chaos and will cease to exist. Correct?"

We all nodded. Pan clapped his hands together. "Well.... What if I told you that is wrong? What if I told you that is a lie?"

Pan sat back down on his bed and sighed. His eyes were directed in our direction, but were far away. "The truth is we gods cannot exist without mortals. Western Civilization. When Prometheus gave you access to our fire, it has no longer become ours. The heart of the Flame is fueled by the collective consciousness of mortals." He pointed at us. "Your lives may be fleeting and ours immortal, but the great balancing act decreed by a force greater then the fates themselves ties the gods existence to your belief in us."

Pan wiped his eyes. "I..... I was one of the first to learn of this...... Reality. Humanity was quick to stop worshipping a god who protects the wilds. As humanity thought it best to mold their environment to what it is today. I was....... forgotten."

The old gods voice shuddered. Humans...... We rejected him to build the world we now live in today. Grover stood up and knelt at the old gods feet. "But we still believe. The Satyrs. The nymphs. All the creatures of the wild. We believe in you. We know you can come back and help us rebuild the wilds and-"

"And it is your belief in me that has pro-longed my suffering, my brave satyr." Pan told Grover firmly. The Dodo bird resting in Braies arms opened its milky white eyes, squawking softly.

Pan wiped his eyes and held Grover's hands in his own. "I'm sorry, my brave Satyr. But the answers to rebuilding the wilds no longer rest within me. And...... while my tone may suggest otherwise..... I've accepted this reality. I even embrace it. When I was forgotten. The gods distant themselves from me in the hopes of remaining relevant to humanity. And it worked, of course, as they still exist today. They evolved to fit within the confides of todays world. You Romans, should understand this well."

Pan pointed his gaze towards me and my friends. "The Romans. There was a time where I held such contempt towards your people."

I swallowed, wishing I was still sitting cross-legged with the others instead of standing on my feet.

Pan smiled painfully towards me. "Do not fear, daughter of Bellona. You are more of a threat to me than I am to you. I have since come to terms with my hatred towards your people. If it weren't for Rome's admiration towards the Olympians.... Well.... Maybe the Patheon would have ceased to exist many years ago. I would not wish for the same fate cast upon me onto my family."

"But we did remember you." Gwen spoke up. "We referred to you as..... Um....."

She looked at Sam, Bronk and I. Hoping one of us would know the answer, but we all shrugged helplessly.

Pan chuckled softly. "Faunus. Your people called me Faunus. Your people are a disciplined and orderly society, which thrived on conquest and expansion. Some of the gods adapted well to this. Zeus, Ares, and Hera to name a few. But some of us...... Some of us did not transition quite as well."

"Like my mother, Athena." Annabeth pointed out.

Pan nodded gravely. "Yes, she had it almost as bad as I. Stripped of her title as war goddess to be handed to another, Bellona. Luckily, Athena survived the time period. However, her hatred towards the Romans has persisted. As I'm sure the two of you know."

Annabeth and I glanced at each other. "Yeah, no need to go down that road again." I said.

"Agreed." Pan said. "Anyways, the Romans had little use of me. They wished to expand their borders. Conquer all who opposed them. The wilds being one of them. It was during their rise where I was pushed towards the back of human memory.... No longer able to draw from the flames of western civilization, I weakened greatly. I've only survived this long thanks to the belief of my dear Satyrs and nymphs....."

Pan shifted his gaze towards Grover, who sobbed quietly in his lap. "Your belief in me." Pan said to him, softly.

"Grover, stand up." Pan said. "I wish to meet your eyes with my own."

Grover, slowly, backed away from Pan. While doing so, Pan requested we all stand up and face him.

"There." Pan said, standing before Grover. Despite his godly status, Pan had to look up to meet Grover's gaze. "There you go, my brave Satyr. Before I leave this place-"

"Why are you still saying that?" Grover said, rubbing his eyes with his arms. "Please stop saying.... that."

Pan wiped his own tears away. "I've made my choice, my brave satyr. I wish..... I wish to rest. Truly. Humans have the underworld to look forward to. I wish to venture into an uncharted territory for a god. To see what lies ahead for my brethren. To-"

"And what about us?" Grover interrupted. "What about the wilds? Are we supposed to..... Give up! If humans are left unchecked, they'll burn this world to the ground. Earth might as well be a barren wasteland! They cut down forest in mass! Dump their waste in landfills! Pollute our oceans and rivers! All to feed their greed! Is this what I'm supposed to tell the council of cloven elders? That Pan decreed we give up!"

Grover shouted in his face, but Pan met his passion. Pan grabbed Grover by the head and pulled him close. "That right there is what will save the wilds, my brave satyr. The passion! The fire inside of you and others like you!" Pan exclaimed. "But your searching for answers in a god that has lost his power. His divinity. His fire!"

Pan hugged Grover. "I can make this choice because I know that there are people like you willing to continue to fight for a domain I once claimed as my own. But you will not find your answer in the past. The fate of the world now rest in all of you."

He pulled away from Grover and addressed us all one by one. "I've sensed that the thread of destiny no longer rests in the