sixteen
picnic with a queen

THE DOOR TO THE BIG HOUSE creaked open, and Annabeth stepped out, looking shaken. Lennon had waited for her on the porch of the Big House. She knew firsthand what it was like to get a prophecy from the Oracle, and she didn't want her friend to be alone.

"Hey," she stood up, greeting Annabeth.

"You waited for me?"

Lennon shrugged as if it was nothing. "Of course,"

Her words brought a small smile to her face.

"Is it bad?"

Annabeth's smile faded. "It's definitely not good,"

Lennon's frowned.

"It'll all be okay though," Annabeth said, though it sounded like she was saying the words more to herself.

"I'm supposed to be telling you that,"

Annabeth let out a little laugh. "Well someone has to keep you optimistic,"

They continued walking to the arena, eventually reaching it.

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

Percy gave Lennon an odd look. Then Annabeth focused on Quintus. "I got the prophecy. I will lead the quest to find Daedalus's workshop."

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 up. "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."

Lennon's brows furrowed with worry.

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

"But who's this ghost king?" Beckendorf asked.

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

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

Lennon studied her face. There was something she wasn't telling. Annabeth gave her a look that said We'll talk later.

"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 glanced at her and Percy. "Percy? Lennon?"

"Of course," Lennon said while Percy nodded.

"I'm in,"

Annabeth smiled. "Grover, you too? The wild god is waiting."

Grover seemed energized now. "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 flicked his tail nervously. "Consider well. You would be breaking the 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 fates, 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."

Lennon could tell Chiron didn't like it. He sighed. "Very well. Let us adjourn. The members of the quest must prepare themselves. Tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the Labyrinth."

Lennon stood next to one of the tables in Athen a cabin, where Annabeth had laid out yet another map. She was doing her best to help her friend in any way she could, which seemed to translate to peering over maps in the hopes of finding a possible path.

She glanced over at where Annabeth was rifling through a shelf of old scrolls. Then her gaze trailed over to the whiteboard in her cabin. It had the words of Lennon's prophecy written on it, with footnotes in each stanza. It was Lennon and Annabeth's attempt at deciphering the Oracle's words. Unfortunately, they had barely made progress.

Back at the shelf, Annabeth lets out a shaky sigh. "I don't how much these scrolls will even help,"

"Beth, It's okay," she says, getting up to stand near the shelf. "You've done tons of research on the labyrinth. No one is more suited for this quest than you,"

She lets out another sigh. "I know it's just..." she trails off as she focuses back on looking through the shelf.

Lennon watches her friend with a frown. It's hard not being able to lift her spirits or make her feel better. That was what Lennon always did and she wanted to help her.

"Hello?" Lennon hears Percy's voice as he steps into Athena cabin.

She sends him a smile and a wave.

"Knock, knock?" He says, getting the attention of Annabeth who hadn't heard him the first time.

The blonde turned. "Oh, hey. Didn't hear you."

He nods and then glances at the whiteboard by Lennon. "What's that?"

"Oh, It's—"

"Nothing," Lennon quickly interrupts Annabeth. She gives her a look that says she doesn't want him to know. Annabeth sends her an odd look but backs up Lennon's lie.

"It's nothing. I think Malcolm was analyzing some old texts,"

Lennon flips the whiteboard to its clear side as Percy just stands there a bit confused. Lennon sends him a smile that she hopes says Nothing to worry about here.

"Oh..." He glances at Annabeth. "You okay?"

She frowned at 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."

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

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

"You're going to do awesome."

Lennon nods in agreement. "You are,"

She looked at both of them gratefully, but then stared down at all the books and scrolls she'd pulled from the shelves. "I'm worried. 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."

"There's no way I'd let you go in that maze by yourself," Lennon says.

"But..." She stopped herself.

"What is it?" Percy asked. "The prophecy?"

"I'm sure it's fine," she said in a small voice. Lennon could tell whatever it was, it was eating her up inside, making her nervous.

"What was the last line?"

Instead of responding, she blinked back tears and Lennon knew instantly she needed a hug. So she quickly stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. She glanced at Percy and used her free hand to wave him over.

Percy awkwardly stepped forward and joined their hug. Annabeth started sniffling and Percy patted her back.

"Hey, It's okay,"

Lennon stroked her hair, hugging her tighter (and without realizing it, hugging Percy tighter). "Don't cry, Beth,"

"Thanks, guys," Annabeth sniffled once more and then stepped out of the hug. "Chiron might be right. I'm breaking the rules. But I don't know what else to do. I need you all. It just feels right."

"Then don't worry about it," Percy managed.

"If it feels right, it feels right. Listen to your gut," Lennon advised.

Percy nodded. "We've had plenty of problems before, and we solved them."

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

"Nothing will happen to us," Lennon said firmly. "Right?" She glanced at Percy for his help and suddenly realized that their noses were close. When Annabeth had separated from their hug, it seemed Percy and Lennon had stayed pressed together.

Behind them, somebody cleared his throat. Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother, stood there awkwardly. "Um, sorry. Archery practice is starting, Annabeth. Chiron said to come find you."

Lennon blinked and quickly stepped away from Percy. She pointed at the table where the maps had been laid out. "We were looking at maps. And uh... talking... about the maps,"

Malcolm glanced at Percy who was in an awkward daze. "Okay," He obviously didn't believe her but he didn't say anything.

"Tell Chiron I'll be right there," Annabeth said. Malcolm left the cabin.

Annabeth rubbed her eyes and then looked at the both of them. "You go ahead, Percy. You too, Lennon. I'd better get ready for archery."

Lennon nodded slowly, Percy too. Lennon swears she saw Annabeth roll her eyes at them.

"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 word death?"

Annabeth stared down at her scrolls and Lennon rose a brow at her silence. She had a feeling he had been right. All Lennon could think about is how bad it could be that she wouldn't tell them.

"You two should go and get ready for the quest. I'll see you in the morning."

Percy and Lennon both awkwardly left the cabin and walked in silence before splitting off.

"Wake up!"

Lennon fell out of her bed at the sound of Michael's voice.

"That's not what I meant!" She could hear Lee chiding Michael.

Lennon blinked her eyes open as Michael countered with, "You told me to wake her up,"

Lennon groaned as she rubbed her eyes. "Please never wake me up like that again,"

Michael grinned. "No promises,"

Lee frowned at him, then said to Lennon, "You were sleeping too late. Did you forget about the quest?"

Lennon's eyes widened, fully awake. Those words had been a bucket of ice-cold water.

"Dreams?" Lee asked.

She shook her head as she stood to make her bed and gather her pre-packed backpack at the end of her bed (thank the gods for Lee's need to always pre-pack). "Actually, no dreams at all,"

"Oh,"

"That's different," Michael said.

Lennon glanced at her older brothers and then back at her backpack. "I should get ready,"

"Yeah,"

Sometime later, she found herself at Zeus' fist with the others. She wore a Beatles t-shirt— that was tied in a knot in the front— and a pair of shorts.

Lennon greeted Annabeth with a bright smile. Though she'd ended up getting wrapped up in Annabeth's supply check. The blonde had decided they would do one last check together.

"Do we have extra batteries?" the blonde asked. Lennon ruffled through her bag as Annabeth did the same. "Check,"

Lennon frowned. "I told you, Lee already went through a check,"

"So," she huffed. "You'll do it again," She paused, probably thinking through the mental list in her head. "First aid,"

Lennon sighed. "Check,"

"Okay good, that's everything," Annabeth glanced up to see Tyson and Percy who had walked over to them. "Percy, you look terrible,"

Lennon frowned as she examined his face. "Hey, yeah, she's right. Are you okay?"

"He killed the water fountain last night," Tyson confided.

"What?" The two girls asked in unison.

Before Percy could explain, Chiron trotted over. "Well, it appears you are ready!"

He tried to sound upbeat but Lennon could tell he was anxious.

"Hey, uh, Chiron," Percy said, "Can I ask you a favor while I'm gone?"

"Of course, my boy."

"Be right back, guys." He nodded toward the woods. And the two both walked off.

They stood there together a while longer before Annabeth narrowed her eyes at Chiron and Percy.

"You guys go to the entrance, and I'll go get Percy,"

Soon enough, Annabeth returned to the rocks with Percy.

"Well," Grover said nervously, "goodbye sunshine."

"Hello rocks," Tyson agreed.

Together they descended into darkness.

They had only gotten a hundred feet in before they'd gotten lost. Lennon could tell Annabeth was trying her best to guide them. She'd come up with an idea to keep their left hand on the wall. Except, as soon as she'd said that, the left wall disappeared.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously.

"Just turn around," Annabeth said.

They each turned toward a different tunnel. They couldn't decide which way led back to camp.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson said. "Which way now?"

Annabeth swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the eight tunnels. They all looked identical. "That way," she said.

"How do you know?" Percy asked.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So...you're guessing."

"Just come on," she said.

The tunnel she'd chosen narrowed quickly. The ceiling got so low that they were hunching over. Tyson was forced to crawl.

Grover's hyperventilating was the loudest noise in the maze. "I can't stand it anymore," he whispered.

Lennon patted his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

"Are we there yet?" He asked.

"We've been down here maybe five minutes," Annabeth told him.

"It's been longer than that," Grover insisted. "And why would Pan be down here? This is the opposite of the wild!"

They kept shuffling forward. The tunnel got even narrower, almost squishing them, but then it opened into a huge room.

Percy shined his light around the walls and said, "Whoa."

The whole room was covered in mosaic tiles. The pictures were grimy and faded, but Lennon could still make out the colors—red, blue, green, and gold. The frieze showed the Olympian gods at a feast. She spotted her father grinning widely. In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain, though it looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

"What is this place?" Percy muttered. "It looks—"

"Roman," Annabeth said. "Those mosaics are about two thousand years old."

"But how can they be Roman?" Percy asked.

"The Labyrinth is a patchwork," Annabeth said. "I told you, it's always expanding, adding pieces. It's the only work of architecture that grows by itself."

"You make it sound like it's alive."

"I think it might be," Lennon said as she brushed her hand against the wall closest to her. An everchanging, evergrowing maze had to be alive, right?

A groaning noise echoed from the tunnel in front of them.

"Let's not talk about it being alive," Grover whimpered. "Please?"

"All right," Annabeth said. "Forward."

"Down the hall with the bad sounds?" Tyson said. Even he looked nervous.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good sign. Daedalus's workshop would be in the oldest part."

They went fifty feet and the tunnel turned back to cement, with brass pipes running down the sides. The walls were spray-painted with graffiti. A neon tagger sign read MOZ RULZ.

"I'm thinking this is not Roman," Percy commented.

"Percy," Lennon sent him a frown at the obviousness of his comment.

Percy raised his hands in surrender. "What?"

Annabeth just took a deep breath and continued ahead.

Eventually, they found themselves back in the roman room, where they'd found a man with two faces. He was completely unhelpful by the way. All he did was confuse them and then the entrance that they'd come in through disappeared.

"The exits are closed," Annabeth said.

"Duh!" the man's left face said.

"Where do they lead?" she asked.

"One probably leads the way you wish to go," the right face said encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I—I know who you are," Annabeth said.

"Oh, you're a smart one!" The left face sneered. "But do you know which way to choose? I don't have all day."

"Why are you trying to confuse me?" Annabeth asked.

The right face smiled. "You're in charge now, my dear. All the decisions are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I—"

"We know you, Annabeth," the left face said. "We know what you wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

Whatever they were talking about, it was more than a choice between two doors.

The color drained out of Annabeth's face. "No...I don't—"

"Don't listen to them Beth," Lennon said.

"Leave her alone. Who are you, anyway?" Percy asked.

"I'm your best friend," the right face said.

"I'm your worst enemy," the left face said.

"I'm Janus," both faces said in harmony. "God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices."

"It doesn't matter. I'll see you soon enough, Perseus Jackson," said the right face. "But for now it's Annabeth's turn." He laughed giddily. "Such fun!"

"Shut up!" his left face said. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin your whole life. It can kill you and all of your friends. But no pressure, Annabeth. Choose!"

"Don't do it," Percy said.

"I'm afraid she has to," the right face said cheerfully.

Annabeth bit her lip in thought. "I—I chose—"

Before she could point to a door, a brilliant light flooded the room. Janus raised his hands to either side of his head to cover his eyes. When the light died, a woman was standing at the fountain.

She was tall and graceful with long hair the color of chocolate, braided in plaits with gold ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but when she moved, the fabric shimmered with colors like oil on water.

"Janus," she said, "are we causing trouble again?"

"N-no, milady!" Janus's right face stammered.

"Yes!" the left face said.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked.

"Not you, milady! I was talking to myself."

"I see," the lady said. "You know very well your visit is premature. The girl's time has not yet come. So I give you a choice: leave these heroes to me, or I shall turn you into a door and break you down."

"What kind of door?" the left face asked.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Because French doors are nice," the left face mused. "Lots of natural light."

"Shut up!" the right face wailed. "Not you, milady! Of course, I'll leave. I was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices."

"Causing indecision," the woman corrected. "Now be gone!"

The left face muttered, "Party pooper," then he raised his silver key, inserted it into the air, and disappeared.

The woman turned toward them. Her eyes shined with power. Then she smiled. "You must be hungry," she said. "Sit with me and talk."

She waved her hand, and the old Roman fountain began to flow. Jets of clear water sprayed into the air. A marble table appeared, laden with platters of sandwiches and pitchers of lemonade.

"Who...who are you?" Percy asked.

"I am Hera." The woman smiled. "Queen of