violent delights, percy jackson

chapter fourteen

VIOLENT DELIGHTS
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( chapter fourteen! )

AZALEA IS NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK. She is however, not exactly a fan of it. If given the choice between sunshine filled meadows and dark creepy caverns she would definitely without a second thought, pick the sunshine filled meadows. That being said, she was constantly on edge within the labyrinth, and not just because it was dark but because it was a maze. And she hated mazes.

As a whole they had only made it maybe a hundred feet in on direction before they had become hopefully lost. Azalea was already regretting her decision to come along on this stupid and likely-to-get-them-all-killed death quest.

The first thing Azalea took note of in the darkness ( after flicking on one of her flashlights as the rest of her companions did so ), was that this tunnel in particular looked nothing like the one she and Percy had tumbled into earlier. Instead of square like the other one it was now round like a large New York City sewer and constructed with beaten and worn red brick. In addition to the brick there was iron barred portholes every ten feet or so.

Percy had shined a light through one fo the portholes in curiously but apparently there was nothing but darkness. He claimed to Annabeth that he thought he could even hear voices through them, but the blonde girl had told him he was just being ridiculous and the maze was playing tricks on them. Azalea really didn't like the sound of that at all.

In all fairness Anne the as trying her best to guide them all throughout the tunnels but even she seemed a little skeptical on the logic of it. When they first got in she had come up with the idea that they all should try and stick to the left wall to guide them. Azalea didn't see the point of that, but Annabeth had solid reasoning behind it.

"If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it," She explained to them all after Azalea had asked about it in curiosity. "We should be able to find our way out again by reversing course."

Unfortunately for them, as soon as the curly haired blonde and said that, the left wall disappeared altogether. Leaving them in a circular chamber with eight tunnels each, all leading them out in different directions. Azalea and presumingly everyone else was just as lost on where they had come into the chamber in the first place.

"Um," Grover nervously stumbled out, "Which way did we come in?"

"Just turn around," Annabeth said, though she didn't exactly sound sure herself. Following her lead, they all turned around but each fo them were faced with their own tunnel.

"Spectacular," Azalea commented sarcastically as everyone seemed unable to decide which way they had came and would lead them back towards camp. It was ridiculous really.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson stated as he gaze a soft one eyed glare at the walls. Azalea couldn't agree more. Left walls are mean.

"Which way now?" Azalea asked the blonde girl who swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the tunnels. As far as the dirty blinded hair girl could tell each one was identical.

They stood in a eerie sort of silence for a long while, before Annabeth finally said, "That way."

"How do you know?" Percy asked out loud.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So . . . you're guessing?" Azalea chimed in with arched brows. She didn't like this.