The Dissonant Notes Of Fate

Fifteen

Thanks to Cameras and TheMeister7 for beta-ing the first few paragraphs and Rezurex for handling the rest!

A/N: Hello everyone. Here's the fifteenth chapter of The Dissonant Notes of Fate. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and were intrigued enough to stick around. As usual, don't forget to vote, comment, review, kudos, all that jazz. Have a great new year. Happy reading!

-TripleHomicide.

LUKE felt something brush against his shoulder, causing him to stiffen instantly and making his hand jerk to his sword thanks to his battle hardened instinct.

"Whoa!" a voice exclaimed placatingly. The son of Hermes turned slightly and frowned, spotting Quintus with his arms raised in surrender. He muttered lowly to Thalia, "I'll be right back, go ahead," then turned to face the sword instructor.

"Yes?" He questioned, folding his arms.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Quintus whispered in a low voice. Behind him, Mrs. O'Leary was wagging her tail whilst mauling a dummy. Luke arched an eyebrow and the man continued.

"I don't like the idea of any of you going down there." He scowled, eyes growing distant as if he was remembering a rather horrid memory. "But it is inevitable, you've made that clear enough. I must warn you, however, that the Labyrinth is a dangerous place for half-bloods such as yourselves to venture into. Its only purpose is to fool those who dare to walk into it. It's like a prison with no escape. No doors, no keys. Only a maze of death.

"You talk as if you have experience," Luke stated, narrowing his eyes with surprise woven into his voice. Another reason to suspect the older demigod.

"I wouldn't call it experience," Quintus looked down. "But I was in the labyrinth, only for a short amount of time, yet it still nearly cost me my life. Most who enter the Maze aren't as lucky as I. They venture into the labyrinth, only take a handful of steps, but never find their way back. And those who do will leave it broken, both physically and mentally. Those who enter that thing forsake their life."

Luke stared intently into the eyes of his sword master, searching for even the flicker of a lie. He, after failing to find anything remotely suspicious, took a sharp breath of the fresh morning air. "You think we'll not return."

Now it was Quintus' time to sigh loudly, while raising his head to meet his gaze."You're a brave demigod, Luke," The man said. "And a good one who is an excellent swordsman. Keep your mind on what matters most. If you can do that, then you might find the way out of it." He reached into his pockets, and withdrew something sleek, silver, and thin, pushing it only a moment later into Luke's hand, whereupon the boy hissed at the unexpected coldness.

"A whistle?' He looked up, unimpressed, and trying to ignore the burning in his palm.

"Yes," Quintus confirmed, his voice grave. "A dog whistle to be precise. For Mrs. O'Leary. She can appear almost anywhere when summoned, no matter how far she is. I'd feel better knowing you had this." He paused. "But be careful. The whistle is made of Stygian Ice. It's fragile. You've only got one use, so use it wisely."

Luke's eyes widened.

How in Hades' name had Quintus gotten ice from the River Styx? He didn't want to accept the gift, but he stuffed the whistle into his pocket nonetheless. "Thanks," he said, putting up his best and most charming smile, while at the same time silently promising himself to never use it. Turning away from the concerned-looking swordsman, Luke raced out of the arena to find Thalia.

-X-

ANNABETH, daughter of Athena, stared at the coffin before her, head bowed in respect. The sarcophagus, emanating a golden ethereal light, towered over her. She was young, but something about her just screamed authority. Her eyes, tired and showing just a fraction of how she truly felt, didn't even do as much as twitch, as multiple flashes of golden light suddenly filled the room.