¹Royal Cries, p. jackson

003.

ROYAL CRIES
━━ chapter three

━━ HAVING HAD ONLY been at Camp for around five months, Elisa didn't have much authority to demand they had a war council that very minute. Not even with your father as the camp director did her words have any more sovereignty.

What was the point in having Dionysus as her father, at that point?

No matter what Elisa demanded, Chiron pushed back. He insisted that they would talk in the morning, promising the daughter of Dionysus that she would be allowed in the meeting since she was one of two who found the Labyrinth and had been helping with the Labyrinth investigation for so long.

Both acted like they knew Elisa wouldn't spy on this meeting if she wasn't allowed in.

She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, not after what she found. ( Did she ever really sleep, even after a cozy ending to a day? ) Without sleep and having to wait until morning did give Elisa plenty of time to think and mull.

Eventually, after a lot of gnawing on her bottom lip, the sun started to rise. Castor, Pollux, and Elisa left Cabin Twelve when Chiron called a war council. They met in the sword arena, which was pretty strange to Elisa—trying to discuss the fate of Camp Half-Blood while Mrs. O'Leary chewed on a life-sized squeaky pink rubber yak.

Chiron and Quintus stood at the front by the weapon racks. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Percy had his ballpoint pen, twisting around his fingers. Also around the table: Juniper, Silena, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee, and even Argus, the hundred-eyed security chief.

Pollux whispered to Elisa. "This one is a serious one." He nodded to Argus. "He never comes to the meetings unless something major is going on."

"I figured this is an important meeting, Pollux," said Elisa. "Percy and I found the Labyrinth."

She walked over to Clarisse and Annabeth, sitting with the two at the head of the table. Argus was watching the three so hard that Elisa could see his neck was turning red.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said, starting off the meeting. "He knew everything about Camp."

Elisa thought she heard a little pride in Annabeth's voice, as if she still respected the guy, even with how evil he was.

Juniper cleared her throat. "That's what I was trying to tell Percy and Elisa last night. The cave entrance has been there for a long time. Luke used to use it."

Silena frowned. "You knew about the Labyrinth entrance, and you didn't say anything?"

The nymph's face turned green. "I didn't know it was important. Just a cave. I don't like yucky caves."

"She has good taste." Grover nodded.

"I wouldn't have paid any attention except ... well, it was Luke." She blushed a little greener.

Grover huffed. "Forget what I said about good taste."

"Interesting." Quintus polished his sword as he spoke. "And you believe this young man, Luke, would dare use the Labyrinth as an invasion route?"

"Obviously. He'd be a dumbass not to," said Elisa. "If Luke can get an army of monsters in that maze and lead them here without having to worry about the magical borders, of course he's gonna do that. And we wouldn't have stood a chance since we didn't know that entrance was there. He could've wiped us out easily. I bet he was planning that for months."