mastermind - percy jackson

iv. quests

"styx begins her long awaited reign"

Their breathing echoed against stone. It was cold and wet. Cassandra was sitting on a bumpy floor that seemed to be made of bricks.

Percy lifted Riptide. The faint glow of the blade was just enough to illuminate Cassandra's confused and slightly anxious face, and the mossy stone walls on either side of them.

"Where the hell are we?" She asked.

"Dunno, safe from the scorpions, anyway" Percy tried to sound calm, but Cassandra knew that inside, he was freaking out just like her.

The crack between the boulders couldn't have lead the into a cave. It was as though the ground had opened up and swallowed them.

Percy lifted his sword again for light, "It's a long room."

Cassandra gripped his hand, "Not a room. A corridor."

A warm breeze blew past them, like in subway tunnels, but it felt older. More dangerous.

Percy started forward, by Cassandra stopped him. "Don't take another step" She warned. "We have to find the exit" Her voice was calm and collected, but just like Percy she was freaking out on the inside.

"It's okay" Percy promised. "It's right—"

They looked up and realized they couldn't see where they'd fallen in. The ceiling was solid stone. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly in both directions.

"Great" Cassandra huffed. "Absolutely perfect."

"Take two steps back" She commanded, and they both stepped backward together like they were in a minefield. "Now, help me examine the walls."

"What for?"

Cassandra sighed quietly, taking a deep breath as her head pounded. She had a feeling she knew where they were as she felt along the walls, "The mark of Daedalus."

"Uh, okay. What kind of—"

"I've got it!" She said with relief. She set her hand on the wall and pressed against a tiny fissure, which began to glow blue. A Greek symbol appeared: Δ, the Ancient Greek Delta.

The roof slid open and they saw the night sky, stars blazing. It was a lot darker than it should've been. Metal ladder rungs appeared in the side of the wall, leading up, and Cassandra could hear people yelling their names.

"Percy! Cassie!" Tyson's— Percy's nice Cyclops brother— voice bellowed the loudest, but others were calling out too.

She could also make out, Annabeth's, Drew's, and Beckendorf's voices.

Percy and Cassandra looked at each other nervously.

"I'll go first" She muttered before beginning to climb.

They made their way around the rocks and ran into Clarisse and a bunch of other campers carrying torches.

"Where have to two been?" Annabeth demanded, as Silena rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Cassandra. "We've been looking forever."

"But we were only gone for a few minutes" Percy said.

Chiron trotted up, followed by Tyson and Grover.

"Percy!" Tyson said. "You are okay?"

"We're fine" Percy answered. "We fell in a hole."

They looked at him skeptically, then at Cassandra. Silena was grinning.

"Honest!" Percy exclaimed. "There were three scorpions after us, so we ran and hid in the rocks. But we were only gone a minute."

"You've been missing for almost an hour" Chiron stated. "The game is over."