The Labyrinth // pjo

Chapter Twelve // Kronos Has Some Work Done

 I was way farther ahead than my friends and brother, my arms spread out wide as I rode on the wind like it was second nature.

I couldn't help but imagine I was like Wendy Darling or Superman or something as I flew over the trees.

And once I got comfortable enough, I flapped my arms, soaring into the air, arching my back, and floated there–completely and totally weightless.

It was heaven.

It was even more fun when Percy caught up to me, and like the idiots we are–we started to race and do loopy-loops–testing the limits of the wings and trying to fly faster than one another.

We were laughing like little slap-happy kids when Annabeth shouted from above us, "Land! These wings won't last forever!"

I suddenly remembered we were fleeing from Luke's little cronies and flying away from Daedalus's burning lab.

Glancing over my shoulder–I watched it burn, and the pit in my stomach grew as I was conflicted about the old automaton.

I felt terrible–but I also didn't.

So I pushed the feelings away–not wanting to try to sort through them and called up, "How long do you think we have?"

"I don't want to find out!" Annabeth shouted back.

I sighed and looked at Percy, "I really wish Zeus didn't hate us so much–we could fly around like this all the time!"

He just laughed at me as the rest of our group joined us–and together, we swooped deeper into the Garden of the Gods.

Percy, at one point, did circle around a spire and almost scared a couple of climbers to death before earning a stern look from Annabeth while I laughed my ass off.

"DID YOU SEE THAT GUY'S FACE? HE LOOKED READY TO SHIT HIS PANTS!"

Nico, who had settled to fly next to me, exploded with uncontrollable laughter–something that did not fit his current appearance–which, in turn, made me laugh even harder.

"SALLY," Annabeth had snapped at me. "DON'T CURSE IN FRONT OF NICO!!!"

By the time we landed on a terrace in the park, Nico and I were laughing so hard that we could barely stand up straight.

We quickly tore off our wings–seeing the self-adhesive falling apart, and stuffed them into some trash bins outside a bustling cafeteria. Without really thinking, I grabbed a few of the bronze feathers that had fallen to the ground and tucked them into my pack. Why I grabbed them–I have no idea, but I did.

We all hurried to the tourist binocular cameras across the terrace–hoping to catch sight of Daedalus's workshop, but it had vanished–leaving no trace that it was even there, to begin with.

"The workshop moved," Annabeth guessed while we all frowned. "There's no telling where."

"So what do we do now?" Percy asked, pulling away from the binocular. "How do we get back in the maze?"

Annabeth's eyes moved to the summit of Pikes Peak as she said, "Maybe we can't. If Daedalus died...he said his life force was tied into the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed. Maybe that will stop Luke's invasion."

Percy and I shared a look, and I knew we were both thinking about how Grover and Tyson were still stuck down there.

We needed to find them and fast.

"No," Nico said from my right, shaking his head. "He isn't dead."

"How can you be sure?" Percy questioned him.