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Percy POV

When Percy woke up after the battle, he thought that he had a hangover.

Of course, Percy had never drunk alcohol before, so he didn't know what a hangover was supposed to feel like, but he had a couple of symptoms that seemed to resemble it. Nursing a painful headache coupled with nausea and sensitivity to bright lights, Percy's stomach flip-flopped with every motion.

For the first time, Percy sympathized with Mr. D, the wine god.

He sipped on watered down ambrosia while he sat for the war council in the Big House. Percy had been unconscious for only less than twelve hours and there was a lot to clean up. The head counselor of each cabin, Argus, and an additional member from a few cabins gathered around the pingpong table. Percy tried his best to keep up with the rapid discussions as there were a lot of issues to resolve and cover, but the pounding headache wasn't making things easier. He just stayed slouching in the folding metal chairs, trying to avoid the hanging lights from hitting his pupils.

He was never touching River Styx water again.

Firstly, they struggled deciding what to do with captured enemy demigods. The penalty of death was out of the question since their godly parents would be less than pleased, however Camp Half-Blood couldn't turn a blind eye to their hostility. Since these demigods were under the oath of serving Kronos, they couldn't simply rejoin camp either, so it was a tricky situation. Eventually, they decided that the captured demigods from Kronos' Army would simply have to be kept under house arrest in the Big House until Kronos is defeated. There would be a rotation of campers, dryads, satyrs, and Argus to keep an eye on them.

Percy absentmindedly wondered about Ethan Nakamura. He made a mental note to check on the son of Nemesis. Ethan seemed like an alright guy, so Percy didn't want to just leave the demigod alone, especially after their shared time in the Labyrinth.

The second discussion consisted of the completed quest. Annabeth did the majority of the reporting, going through the chain of events from the beginning to the end. She faltered when it came to details concerning Jade. Everyone initially showed genuine concern and sadness over Jade's disappearance at Mount St. Helens, but then they all erupted into shocked exclaimations when Annabeth first recounted Jade's apparent betrayal at the gladiator arena.

Lee Fletcher sounded frustrated. "You've got to be kidding, she betrayed camp?"

"Jade would never," the Stoll Brothers interjected. "She's been a part of camp for years!"

"Then what about Luke? We thought that about Luke, too," Katie Gardner said sadly.

Connor's chair clattered when he stood up abruptly. "You think you can compare the two of them?!"

"Connor, stop," Travis yanked his younger brother down.

Chiron had to bring order to the pingpong table at this point.

"We will listen to the full details, then discuss Jade afterwards," he firmly ordered. "There is more to discuss after hearing the quest."

This hint to another topic stirred curious and suspicious looks, but the campers impatiently held their tongues and listened for the remaining parts of Annabeth's report. She finished recounting everything else, including their confrontation with Jade at the Titan Fortress on Mount Othrys. There was a second round of eruptions at the news of Jade incapacitating Luke through the Madness of Hera. Travis and Connor Stoll were visibly upset at this point of the story. Percy nodded along and only added details when needed. Grover sadly went over the passing of Pan, to which he would later have to meet the Council of Cloves. The satyr was obviously not looking forward to meeting the elders, however Percy could see that Grover was determined to deliver Pan's parting words.

After Annabeth's report, Chiron brought in Nico to give his perspective of events from the past day.

"I will remind you all that you must not speak a word of the following accounts outside of this room," their teacher strictly commanded. "This concerns Jade's betrayal and the war with the Titans."

All the demigods in the room unconsciously straightened their spine.

When it came to Nico's turn, he admitted that he ran away from camp to search for Jade. He believed that he would be able to find her, which he was successful in doing.

"It's my fault that Luke got cursed," the kid said quietly. "She did it to protect me."

Percy sat up. "What do you mean?"

Nico wrung his hands nervously, glancing at Chiron. The centaur gave an encouraging nod.

"I…I'm…" Nico faltered and then took a deep breath.

"Some people might've guessed from what I did in battle, but I'm the son of Hades," he confessed. "And I have the ability to travel through shadows, so I found Jade at the Titan's palace. Luke was going to use me for Kronos, because I'm a child of the three eldest gods. They fought about me, Jade was trying to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. I saw her curse him, and then she forced me to go into the Labyrinth to get away from Kronos' Army."

At that, everyone at the pingpong table exploded. Many of them had not seen Nico's abilities on the battlefield, so this was major news to them. There was another child of the Big Three among them. This also put a twist on Jade's so-called 'betrayal'. If she was actually on the side of the Titans, then she wouldn't have prevented a valuable demigod from falling into Kronos' hands.

Percy slumped over, rubbing his aching eyeballs and forehead. So, Jade had protected Nico, hurting Luke in the process. This was getting complicated.

Just what was Jade trying to accomplish?

"Is there anything else you'd like to share, Nico?" Chiron asked.

Maybe it was Percy's sensitive eyes playing tricks on him, but Nico seemed to hesitate before shaking his head vigorously. The kid was given a seat next to Chiron and then it was Daedalus' turn to enter. There were a few scratches on his body that were bleeding golden oil, but Daedalus looked better than most of the campers who sported numerous bandages and splints. Apparently, his automaton body healed itself quickly.

The inventor confirmed that he had come to camp for the purpose of helping. Daedalus in particular had to argue for the trustworthiness of Kampê, who he believed would be a powerful asset to Camp Half-Blood's defenses.

"She tried to kill us in the Labyrinth," Annabeth dryly pointed out. "But you think that a small sample of River Lethe was powerful enough to erase all of those memories?

"I've tested and examined the effects of River Lethe," Daedalus explained. "A single drop is enough to wipe any mortal's entire identity. Kampê does not remember her purpose, so instead she can become of use to this camp."

Percy and Annabeth regarded the inventor with wary eyes. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms the last time they talked in his workshop.

"Why are you helpful now?" Annabeth asked. "You worked with Kronos because you thought they would win."

"Yes, I believed so, however that was not the only reason," Daedalus regretfully said. "Luke had promised me something that I could not refuse. The chance to bring my son and nephew back from the dead."

Annabeth crossed her arms. "Sounds unwise."

The inventor tiredly sighed. "Yes, but two thousand years of guilt and longing can lead to unwise choices."

"So, what changed?"

A deep line appeared on Daedalus' forehead as he frowned. "I had an unwelcome visitor in my workshop. Luke had found his way into my workshop through the Labyrinth, however he was… unwell."

"No shit," someone muttered. Maybe it was Clarisse. Silena tapped the Ares head counselor on the arm in light admonishment.

"He couldn't properly communicate and attacked me," Daedalus said worriedly. "It was quite disturbing. I suspect the cause of his strange behavior to be curse-related."

It figures that a two thousand year old genius could deduce something like that.

"Then you realized that something was wrong with the Titan Army and went to investigate. You found Kampê, met Nico in the Labyrinth who confirmed that Luke had been cursed and so, you realized he could no longer keep up the bargain," Annabeth concluded. "That changed things for you. You weren't going to see your son and nephew anymore and without Luke, Kronos' plans have been messed up."

Geniuses. Figures.

Daedalus acknowledged all of this. "Yes. You called me unwise before in the Labyrinth, and you were right. I came to make amends, which I am glad to have helped with the appearance of Tartarus' echo."

Percy had to admit that without Daedalus' arrival with Kampê and Mrs. O'Leary, things would have been extremely dicey.

"I wish to fulfill my intentions of cleaning up all that I have done for the Titan Army," Daedalus continued. "Much of the invading force has fled into the Labyrinth and will use the passages again in the future. Which is why the Labyrinth cannot remain any longer."

Annabeth stared at him. "But you said the Labyrinth is tied to your life force! As long as you're alive-"

"Yes, my young and wise architect," Daedalus agreed. "When I die, the Labyrinth will die as well. And so I have a present for you."

He pulled out a leather satchel from his back, producing a sleek silver laptop computer. On the lid was the blue symbol delta. It was most likely held technology and information decades ahead of the future.

"It's all I managed to save from the fire. It contains some of my favorite designs, projects I never started, works I couldn't develop over the last few millennia. I dare not reveal my work to the mortal world, however, perhaps you will find it interesting."

Daedalus handed the computer to Annabeth, who held it reverently as though it was a solid slab of gold. Annabeth tried to refuse, but the inventor insisted.

There was a tearful farewell between the two of them, but Daedalus was completely at ease with his decision. Nico was brought in to commence the architect's passing with the council as witnesses.

When Daedalus disintegrated into grey ash and disappeared, the earth rumbled. The earthquake was probably felt in every major city across the country as the ancient Labyrinth below collapsed. Hopefully, the remains of the Titan's invasion force had been buried.

The next order of events was the funeral.

Watching the fire climb up the funeral pyre, Percy realized it was the first time he saw camp burial shrouds used on bodies. The fire engulfed half a dozen bodies covered in deep shades of their respective cabins. Percy never wanted to see this sight again, but he knew there would be more in the future.

There wasn't much time to dwell on the funeral because almost right after, the Council of Cloven Elders held an emergency meeting in their sacred grove. Surrounded by hundreds of satyrs, dryads, and naiads up from the water, three senior satyrs sat at the center along with Chiron. They were all anxious to hear what would happen. Juniper, Annabeth, and Percy stood by Grover's side to support him.

Even after hearing Grover's account, then Annabeth and Percy's stories, the old satyrs still wanted to exile Grover immediately.

"You must have seen an imposter!" They claimed.

"Are you saying we're making this up?" Percy asked angrily. Annabeth put a hand on Percy's shoulder, shaking her head. He knew he was supposed to mind his manners because the Council of Cloven Elders held a lot of authority, but he was sick and tired of their stubbornness.

Silenus, one of the elders, sniffed dramatically. "You cannot prove it."

"I can."

Everyone turned to see the two newcomers in the meeting. Nico and Ethan Nakamura entered the circle. The nature spirits gave them a wide berth, unconsciously wary of the smell of death.

"He said he can prove Pan's passing, so I brought him here," Nico said apologetically to Percy.

Taken aback by the sudden support, Percy lifted his wide eyes to Ethan.

Addressing the council, Ethan spoke with unwavering confidence, "Council of Cloven Elders, I have also watched Pan's passing, but I can see that you don't believe any of us. Instead, let's have fate speak for itself. I am a child of Nemesis. As the goddess of balance, my mother provides destiny and success to those who undergo sacrifice. She has never wagered for the side that opposes the cost of reality. As such, I have experienced a lot of truths by taking chances."

"And what are you suggesting?" Silenus groused. "Do you suggest that we play a simple game that determines whether or not our lord lives? You dare take his existence lightly?"

"I swear on my mother's name, Nemesis, and on the River Styx that this is no simple game," Ethan promised. "What I am suggesting is not a light procedure."

"Mere child's play is not proof!"

Ethan approached the elders until he towered over them.

In a quiet voice, he asked, "Are you saying that swearing on the honor of Nemesis is 'mere child's play'?"

At that moment, the sunlight temporarily dimmed and the air chilled by several degrees in the sacred grove. Maybe it was the eyepatch, but Ethan looked especially menacing for a second. The three senior satyrs visibly began panicking.

"Of course not," they hurriedly said with pale faces. "How can we confirm the truth of Grover's search?"

"I hear that satyrs are especially fond of growing nature's fruits. Bring me one basket of your personally grown harvest to represent Pan's living existence and a second basket of the same to represent Pan's passing," Ethan instructed. "Present them as offerings to Nemesis. She will decide the favorable with a weighing scale."

Immediately, Percy thought that this wager was already unfair. For the past year, Grover hadn't been in camp for longer than a month at a time, so he never had the time to tend to a garden, much less his own plants. It was commonly known that satyrs loved cultivating any piece of land so that there'd be more plants, so Percy didn't doubt Grover's love for nature, but Grover's passion for the Search had superseded above all else. He was always in the mortal world on the frontlines, looking for any clues or leads that could lead them closer to the Lord of the Wild. And so, Grover had nothing to show for an offering. Percy watched his friend's shoulders wilt with the realization.

On the other hand, the senior satyrs scrambled to prepare their basket with glee. The elder satyrs stayed in Camp Half-Blood all year round and had their homes nicely settled within the forest, protected by the spirits. They had the luxury of time to tend their gardens while leading the Search from the backline. Ordering at least a dozen spirits to fetch various vegetables and fruits from their personal gardens, they scampered away in arrogance.

On Chiron's instruction, Annabeth retrieved an old fashioned scale from the Big House attic. It was rusty and its joints creaked whenever the two opposite scales teetered at the slightest movement.

"How is this fair?" He whispered to Annabeth.

"You'll see," she whispered back, though she threw worried glances at Grover who was sitting on the ground.

Grover was frantically trying to grow plants from the ground with his reed pipe. Soon, a vine burst from the ground and produced red tomatoes. His incessant playing created another vine which had green grapes. A new sprout budded every second, so it was impressive. Usually, Juniper would've been by Grover's side cheering him, but she was nowhere in sight. Percy decided to be the cheerleader instead.

"This looks good," Percy nudged Grover encouragingly.

However, Grover stopped his playing and sighed. "There's no point."

Percy plucked the fruits and gathered them into Grover's basket. "What do you mean? You're amazing, you've already got your own harvest even though you barely had any time. You have something to offer."

The elders returned and Percy's jaw went a little slack. Fruits of every kind imaginable were impossibly piled on a single wide basket. There was an abundance of normal produce like those found in a grocery store, but there were also exotic kinds like dragon fruit, raw sugar cane, papaya, durian, cacao beans, and more. Dispirited, Grover looked at his meager offering of tomatoes, grapes, some wheat stalks, and strawberries.

Ethan placed the scale in the middle of the grove and had each side present their baskets.

Silenus proudly showed their basket which required two young satyrs to hold up. "This is some of our finest works, salvaged from the recent invasion. We are pleased to present this offering to the goddess Nemesis."

With both hands wrapped around his small basket, Grover said, "I give my humble offering to the goddess Nemesis."

"Wait! Put this in that basket too!"

Juniper ran into the clearing, gasping for breath. In her hand, she held a large tree branch that was thick with needlike leaves and adorned with clusters of blue berry-like seeds. Juniper handed it over to Grover.

"Is this from your tree?! I can't take this, this is your best branch!" Poor Grover sounded horrified. "I didn't do anything to deserve this."

Juniper laid a hand over his. "Everytime you come back from your Search, you bring me a bag of soil for my tree. It's always handmade with clay and sand, with the perfect level of acidity. And even though you're tired from your trips, you clean up the ground around my tree, which keeps me free of fungal infection. You even fixed the drainage issue next to my tree. You have every right to offer this."

"But you just suffered from a fire because of the invasion… it must've hurt so much to cut this off." Grover had tears in his eyes.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," Juniper said with a small smile. "I can always grow more."

After hugging Juniper tightly, Grover added the branch to his basket. He seemed to stand taller with the additional piece.

Ethan had both of them place their baskets on either scales at the same time. Percy was afraid that the frail instrument would collapse under the weight of the elders' offering, but the scale held up.

At first, it looked like the scales would drop on the elders' side because of the obvious weight difference, but the scales stayed even. The dryads, naiads, and satyrs all muttered at the defiance of gravity and then gasped when the scales began to move. Everyone held their breath watching the two scales tip on one side and then the other. The opposite scales moved up and down at an even pace as if someone's (or a goddess's) finger was playing with the weight. Silenus' smug face, originally certain of their win, began to falter when he realized that this wasn't as straightforward as he thought.

Then slowly but surely, the scales tipped with Grover's basket weighing more than the elders'. And it stayed that way.

Percy's heart swelled with pride. Of course, this wasn't about how much exotic products they can present. Nemesis cared about sacrifice and effort. She was willing to tip favor to the one who achieved 'success' by those means in the Search.

Both baskets burst into purple flames and then disappeared. All of the fruits were gone too, presumably taken by Nemesis. There was a moment of silence for the result to sink in.

"Sacrilege! After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?" Silenus turned so red, he resembled the tomatoes from Grover's basket.

"The goddess Nemesis has spoken," Ethan said. "I suggest that you accept her candor."

Silenus did a hard swallow. He was breathing so heavily that Percy was almost afraid that the old satyr was going to pass out.

"Fine!" he huffed. "That doesn't mean we can't exile the traitor! We don't have to hear a word of this blasphemy if he goes away. Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr, anyway?"

"I would," said a familiar voice.

Striding into the grove was Dionysus. He wore a formal black suit with a deep purple tie and his curly hair carefully combed, which was uncharacteristic of him so Percy nearly didn't recognize him. His eyes were bloodshot as usual, but he looked like he was suffering from grief more than wine-withdrawal. He must have heard that one of his twin sons, Castor, had been killed in the invasion.

For the first time that Percy had seen this, Dionysus commanded authority and obedience from the satyrs. He backed Ethan's wager, declaring that Pan, the Lord of the Wild, had indeed passed and that a war among gods was looming in the near future. A number of minor gods aligned with the Titans, to the Olympians' great displeasure. With his vote counting twice in addition to Chiron's, it was a tie with the elders. Grover would not be exiled for as long as another meeting convenes and either side changes their votes. Silenus bowed stiffly along with his two elder friends before leaving the grove.

Fortunately, due to the scales and Dionysus's confirmation, a vast majority of the spirits believed in Grover. They stayed behind to listen to the rest of Grover's story and what they needed to do to save pieces of the wild.

Percy and Annabeth walked back to the Big House to return the scale with Ethan and Nico.

"Why did you help us?"

Ethan gave Percy a side glance. "Think of it as returning the favor for saving my life."

Of course, he was the child of Nemesis, the goddess of balance and retribution. Percy privately grumbled that this was a cheap way to repay saving his life. Some of Percy's dissatisfaction must have shown on his face because Ethan scowled at him.

"Also…I thought about what Pan said to me in the Labyrinth," Ethan admitted. "He said that my mom's promise will end with honor or disgrace. I don't want to have it end in disgrace."

"So, you're not on the side of the Titans anymore?"

Ethan shrugged. "I'm doing what I think is right. I don't want Titans to take over, but I still don't like the Olympian gods. I'll never like them for as long as the minor gods are ignored. A child of the major gods wouldn't understand how the rest of us feel everyday."

Percy didn't know what to say. Ethan wasn't specifically pointing out Percy, but he felt a little called out because his dad was not only an Olympian, but one of the Big Three. Even though he wasn't supposed to be born, Percy had all the perks of having a cabin in camp. A place fully intended for him and always available for him. He would never know what it's like to have the feeling of not belonging in Camp Half-Blood. To not have a cabin of your own. To be constantly in doubt of your godly lineage. To never have the assurance of your godly blood.

"Besides, Jade made it clear that everything is not what it seems," Ethan said. "I want to know what she's up to."

After returning the scale in the attic, they escorted Ethan back to supervised captivity.

Nico went to Chiron, while Percy and Annabeth helped around camp.

As he cleaned up debris, assisted the Apollo cabin in healing the wounded, and collected stray weapons, Percy thought about Ethan's words.

Jade made it clear that everything is not what it seems. I want to know what she's up to.

Percy wondered what Ethan meant by that.

Later that evening after dinner, Percy was called into Chiron's office. He didn't know what the meeting was for, but once he walked in, Percy realized that it would not be an ordinary conversation.

Chiron was there in his wheelchair while Annabeth was pacing across the carpet. There were two more unexpected members in the office: Clovis and Nico. Percy vaguely recalled that Clovis was supposed to be Jade's half-brother, also a child of Hypnos. Clovis usually had sleepy eyes and dozed off, but he appeared alert as he stood to the side.

"We must talk about Jade," Chiron said. He sounded like he had a confession.

"You should take a seat," Clovis calmly added. "It's a long story."

Luke POV

The first thing he saw was a pale blue sky.

Luke assumed it to be a hallucination, but the delicate white sand shifting beneath him and gentle waves of warm water splashing at his feet said otherwise. A soft breeze fluttered over his face, tickling the tips of his hair.

Though his mind was awake, he couldn't lift a single finger because of the sheer exhaustion that weighed down every limb in his body.

He vaguely realized that he was able to think clearly for the first time in gods know how long.

Ever since Jade messed up his head with that curse.

Luke could only remember flashes of memories when he gained temporary clarity. They would last minutes, maybe only seconds, through the haze of delirious madness. He'd been running through the Labyrinth like a madman, going crazy within the confines of the underground tunnels. Luke had no idea how much time had passed since he'd been in the Labyrinth and it left him feeling pathetically small.

If he tried, Luke could recall what happened in his crazed states, but it was like seeing a complete stranger taking control of his body. He was pretty sure he killed a couple of things down there…involuntarily.

It was unfamiliar, it felt invasive, and he'd never been so overwhelmed with powerlessness before.

He hated this feeling.

A slow ache seeped out of his chest. It felt like a knife being pulled out of the heart.

How could Jade do this to him?

Luke's half-opened eyes emptily gazed at the bright sky.

He never thought… he wasn't sure anymore.

He didn't know what to think anymore, he didn't know what to do.

He had worked so hard until now. Protecting his friends. Trying to be acknowledged by his dad. Training. Escaping his mom. Trying not to die. Wanting a future where there would be no more gods interfering with their lives.

He just wanted to be safe. With friends. He wanted to be happy.

He had almost reached his goals. He had power. He had a plan.

And just like that, it was all ripped away from him.

Luke was too tired. His eyelids fluttered, struggling to stay open.

And then someone entered his line of sight, a girl. She was easily the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his entire life. Silky, honey, caramel hair that looked golden in the sunlight. Perfect, almond shaped dark eyes and a smooth complexion that was soft with concern.

For a second, Luke wondered if angels were real. The stranger looked like one, if angels existed in the same dimension as Olympian gods. She was too pretty, too ethereal, too perfect to be a human, so Luke would've assumed her to be a minor goddess. Only minor gods could be this attractive, but at the same time, she exhibited a level of vulnerability that made him think she wasn't one. All minor gods were cut from the same harsh, cold cloth like the Olympians; they only cared about their own selfish agendas.

Luke was pretty good at detecting if someone approached him with personal gains, a side effect of being a child of the god of trade and thieves. This girl genuinely seemed worried for him without any ulterior motives. There wasn't a hint of calculation in her eyes, nor did she hesitate in checking him all over for possible injuries.

Her fingers brushed away sand from his hair and then they were pressed against his forehead, checking his temperature. The cool touch of her hand felt wonderful in contrast with Luke's feverish skin.

Luke was barely conscious and he definitely wasn't making clear judgements of his surroundings, but he relaxed in this girl's presence. Everything about her exuded comfort and solace.

Get away from me, he tried to tell her. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"Sleep, hero," she said. Even her voice sounded wonderfully soothing.

"You must rest."

I'm not a hero, Luke wanted to correct her as darkness blurred his vision.

Guilt and fear clawed up his throat as he succumbed to deep sleep. She shouldn't be near him. He was a danger to everything. He might hurt her. What if she lived with her family? He might hurt them too.

He didn't want to hurt anything…or anyone else, anymore.

Get away from him.

Leave him alone.

He was no hero.

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