Percy Jackson 4 – The Battle of the Labyrinth

“Can’t make it,” Briares huffed.

“Tyson is risking his life to help you!” I yelled at him. “You will make it.”

“Father!” Icarus cried. And then he fell, the wings stripped away until he was just a boy in a climbing harness and a white tunic, his arms extended in a useless attempt to glide.

I woke with a start, feeling like I was falling. The corridor was dark. In the constant moaning of the Labyrinth, I thought I could hear the anguished cry of Daedalus calling his son’s name, as Icarus, his only joy, plummeted toward the sea, three hundred feet below.

“So,” Beckendorf said, “I’m guessing you don’t want me to mention that little scene to Annabeth.”

“Oh, gods,” I muttered. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Good luck.” Rachel kissed me before I could even react. “Now, get going, half-blood. Go kill some monsters for me.”

I didn’t have to work hard, or watch what I said, or rack my brain trying to figure out what she was thinking. Rachel didn’t hide much. She let you know how she felt.

I can’t pretend I hadn’t thought about Rachel. She was so much easier to be around than…well, than some other girls I knew.

I hadn’t exactly planned it that way, but the more serious things got at camp, the more I found myself needing to call up Rachel and get away, just for some breathing room.

For a second I thought he was talking about Annabeth kissing me, and I blushed, but then I realized he was talking about something a lot bigger.

And you, Percy, are my favorite son.

She jogged down the hill. I watched her until she reached the cabins. She didn’t look back once.