There was no choice but to call a council meeting—and fast. The battle had proven one thing: we weren’t ready. Not for what was coming. Not even close.

  By the time I stepped into the hall, the room was already full. Every counselor was present. Even Chloe. That caught me off guard. If she was here, why had Aaron kept her from seeing me earlier? Had she been worse then? Or had he just not trusted her? Either way, I was glad she was here now.

  I scanned the room. Their faces told me everything. Fear. Uncertainty. Frustration.

  I exhaled and took charge. “Before we begin, I need to ask something. How many of you voted for me?”

  Every hand went up.

  That was a relief. At least they were all pretending to believe in me.

  “Now,” I said, “tell me why.”

  Luna answered first. “You’re the strongest among us, even without… that thing you did.”

  My jaw clenched. My eyes flicked to Finn and Damien, who stood side by side, and I gave them both a don’t say a word glare.

  Finn sighed and pulled me aside, lowering his voice. “Only the five of us—me, you, Damien, Chloe, and Eli—could see her. If we bring it up, it’ll spread paranoia. We need trust, Mark.”

  He was right. I hated that he was right.

  I turned back to the group. “I have bad news. I need you all to stay calm.”

  Finn frantically shook his head. I ignored him.

  “You think we’re fighting the Giants or the Titans,” I said. “You’re wrong. We’re fighting both.”

  A few murmurs. A couple of nods. They weren’t shocked.

  Max crossed his arms. “We figured. It makes sense.”

  Finn punched him. Max reeled back, looking offended.

  Harris stood. “Seriously, Reed? Keep your hands to yourself.”

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  Finn scoffed. “Keep your mouth to yourself, jerk.”

  “Oh, you wanna do this, seaboy? Let’s go.”

  “Enough,” I snapped. “Finn, beside me. Stay quiet. This isn’t some stupid rivalry. This is a war against Gaia herself.”

  That got their attention.

  The murmurs turned into full-blown panic.

  “He’s joking, right?” someone whispered.

  “No way. We’re dead.”

  “I’m leaving if that happens.”

  I slammed my fist against the table. “Quiet.”

  The room fell silent.

  “Look at the person next to you,” I ordered. “Absolute discipline is the only way we survive. Do you understand?”

  Silence. Then:

  “...Yes, sir.”

  I wasn’t done. “We barely survived the last battle, and that wasn’t even their full power. They took lives. Our friends. Are you going to forgive them for that?”

  “NO, SIR!”

  Good. They still had fights in them.

  I softened—slightly. “But we need to be smart. Use your rivalries to train harder. Push your cabins. Off the battlefield, we’re competitors. On it, we are one army.”

  Chloe crossed her arms. “So what’s the plan?”

  “We leave Camp.”

  That got some reactions.

  “You want us to abandon Camp?” Aaron asked, skeptical.

  “Not abandon,” I corrected. “Evacuate.”

  Luna nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense. And if things go south, Mark has his... berserk mode.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Don’t call it that.”

  Aaron sighed. “And where exactly do we go?”

  “The Labyrinth.”

  Silence. Then a bitter laugh. Aaron again.

  “Right,” he said. “The Labyrinth. You mean the most unpredictable, unstable, insane death trap known to demigods? Great plan, Mark.”

  “It’s better than staying here,” I said. “They’ll have the forest surrounded. We’d never make it out in the open.”

  “We’d die in the Labyrinth,” Aaron countered.

  “Or we’d use it,” I shot back. “At least down there, we know the dangers. On the surface, we don’t stand a chance.”

  He didn’t look convinced.

  Luna stepped in. “I agree with Mark, if he says it’s our best shot, it’s our best shot.”

  Aaron still hesitated, “We are the children of Apollo,the god of the sun, we need light to survive”.

  Damien sighed. “We can handle the light issue. Nyxium bulbs should fix it. Easy”

  A brief interruption for magical metal notes:

  Nyxium – Absorbs and strengthens light-based powers. Named ironically after Nyx.

  Erebonite – Tough, durable, used in mechanics.

  Voidsteel – ‘Magical titanium,’ deadly to anything supernatural.

  Starbane – The rarest, combining all other metals. Romulus’ spear was made of this.

  Back to the present.

  Aaron exhaled. “Fine. We go.”

  I nodded. “Good. Now listen carefully. Ares Cabin—weapon distribution. Get everyone armed. Apollo Cabin—medical supplies. We’ll need them. Hephaestus and Athena Cabins—Nyxium lamps. Everyone else, assist where needed. Meet at the gates before midnight.”

  They moved.

  And by the time we gathered at the gate, they were ready.

  I took a deep breath. This was it.

  “Listen up,” I said. “Once we enter, there’s no turning back. Stay together. Stay alert. Do not attack unless you’re sure it’s an enemy. We can’t afford to lose people to paranoia.”

  I locked eyes with them. “Are we ready?”

  Silence.

  Then—

  “…NO, SIR!”

  A beat. Then laughter. Nervous. Tense. But real.

  I smirked. “Let’s move.”

  We stepped into the Darkness.