Reincarnation in the PJO verse: Volume 1

『Down The Rabbit Hole We Go』

Diedre arrived in the camp a few days, after completing some work he had left behind. Mainly his project work for school and the online courses he was taking. Learn-at-your-own-pace courses were truly a blessing for mankind.

But as soon as he arrived, he was roped into a war council that Chiron called even though Lee would already be attending.

They met in the sword arena, which he didn't think was pretty strange— trying to discuss the fate of the camp while Mrs O'Leary chewed on a life-size squeaky pink rubber yak.

Chiron and Quintus, the new guy, who was just Dadelus, stood by the weapon racks at the front. Clarisse and Annabeth sat next to each other and led the briefing. Tyson and Grover sat as far away from each other as possible. Also present around the table: Juniper the tree nymph, Silena Beauregard, Travis and Connor Stoll, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, and even Argus, their hundred-eyed security chief. The whole time Annabeth spoke, he kept his hundred blue eyes trained on her so hard his whole body turned bloodshot.

"Luke must have known about the Labyrinth entrance," Annabeth said. "He knew everything about camp."

When, whatever people said. Even if Luke was evil, he was quite clever, if Diedre ignored a few of his mistakes.

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

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

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

"She has good taste," Grover said.

"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?"

"Definitely," Clarisse said. "If he could get an army of monsters inside Camp Half-Blood, just pop up in the middle of the woods without having to worry about our magical boundaries, we wouldn't stand a chance. He could wipe us out easily. He must've been planning this for months."

"He's been sending scouts into the maze," Annabeth said. "We know because...because we found one."

"Chris Rodriguez," Chiron said. He gave Quintus a meaningful look. "Ah," Quintus said. "The one in the...Yes, I understand."
"The one in the what?" Percy asked.
Clarisse glared at him. "The point is, Luke has been looking for a way to navigate the maze. He's searching for Daedalus's workshop."

 "The guy who created the maze."

"Yes," Annabeth said. "The greatest architect, the greatest inventor of all time. If the legends are true, his workshop is in the centre of the Labyrinth. He's the only one who knows how to navigate the maze perfectly. If Luke managed to find the workshop and convince Daedalus to help him, Luke wouldn't have to fumble around searching for paths or risk losing his army in the maze's traps. He could navigate anywhere he wanted—quickly and safely. First to Camp Half-Blood to wipe us out. Then...to Olympus."

Diedre hummed and said, "So we need to convince Daedalus before Luke."

The arena was silent except for Mrs. O'Leary's toy yak getting disembowelled: SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

Finally, Beckendorf put his huge hands on the table. "Back up a sec, Annabeth, Diedre, you said 'convince Daedalus'? Isn't Daedalus dead?"

Quintus grunted. "I would hope so. He lived, what, three thousand years ago? And even if he were alive, don't the old stories say he fled from the Labyrinth?"