If You Go Down Into The Labyrinth Today, You're Sure Of A Big Surprise. If You Go Down Into The Labyrinth Today, You'd Better Go In Disguise [Quest]

into the maze, looking for chaos

Alec had a problem. A huge problem. It wasn't that he was sent on this pointless mission in a task team to find lost demigods. It wasn't even that there was no light except for a mini flashlight which didn't really help much because he could see anyway. It was that he had returned to the freaking labyrinth. The pressing sides, winding, changing paths. The hidden things that lurked at every corner. It took more than seven days for Chiron to convince him to go. And he wouldn't have if his sister hadn't told him he had to face his fears one day.

There is something more to this, Alec thought. Something more to their journey than just a trip. His instincts nagged at him, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. Apart from them being in the labyrinth, that is. Not only that. A matter had been bugging him. Something he should have remembered yet he had hated everything so much at that point of time: his mind had blocked it out. Sent him in denial. Forced him to ignore it. Frankly, Alec wouldn't have wanted to remember it himself, given a choice. But he knew that this wasn't simply a journey as a task team.

As his thoughts overwhelmed him, Alec suddenly realised that he was shadewalking. Again. The thing that got him into that whole mess years ago. He had melted into the shadows unconsciously, though it wasn't completely his fault since the labyrinth was relatively dark and he was indeed feeling a little edgy. Giving a sigh, he shoved off the cloak of darkness, abruptly appearing once again beside his teammates. Yeah great, my teammates. There was a daughter of Khione with strikingly reddish-orange hair, but she wasn't who he was miffed about. His other teammate was a smoker. Alec absolutely was not going to bear with that in silence for the whole of their mission.

"Look, if you want a slow and particularly painful death you could've just asked me. Don't pull us down with you too." Alec finally stated, referring to her smoking habit.

title of roleplay

"If you follow the root path to the diamond one, you'll get out easily. So please do," Alec remarked neutrally. If she kept it up he'll have to do something about it.

Alec didn't even bother laughing. It was an accident, and smokers weren't worth his effort - though what amused him more was Rana's useless act of kicking the skeleton. He was contemplating Taylor's other statement. It wasn't too possible. In these conditions, a human body takes about ten to fifteen years to decompose to its bleached bone state. "Time travels differently in the labyrinth, but not that fast. Unless there was a reason to."

Ignoring the skeleton, he looked at the new pathway.  The walls were lined with waving shrubs and embedded with pearls. Further along the narrow and dim corridor were a series of openings leading to various places. He was about to run his hand over the smooth orbs, when suddenly he felt something. Alec whipped his head back, staring at the fallen demigod, listening intently, before asking in a strained tone. "What did you set off?" But without waiting for a reply, he beckoned to the other two campers, gesturing to one of the dark passages.

"Something's coming." The daughter of Eris had probably triggered a warning to whatever that inhabited that area of the maze. Now it was coming towards them, no doubt to get rid of the trespassers. It awakened old memories in the son of Hades, reminding him of the torturous months trapped in the never-ending darkness. Alec could feel the vibrations in the ground. Whatever that was coming was heavy and fast. They had to get away now.

into the realm of deepest fear

Alec followed suit, bringing up the rear. Then through the dim tunnel laden with runes, came a fork. All of a sudden, he recognised the place - for they were nearing another exit of the labyrinth, the one in a desert. The Chihuahuan Desert to be exact. And eager as he was to get out of the labyrinth, even into a drastically changing climate, he had no desire to face the things at the mouth of the exit. Yet his advice to turn left had been ignored, unsurprisingly, leading them to the cylindrical room he dreaded. He had no choice but to follow them into the room, while the thumping of their pursuer faded to the right.

Alec stopped a little behind the campers, looking up at the ceiling. There wasn't a ceiling exactly, unless you counted the roof of an abandoned well Empire State Buildings above the ceiling. The room was circular and the smooth walls rose up higher than one could see. Light streamed in from a hole at the mouth of the well, which was miles above and looked tiny from his position. It may have seemed quite harmless a room, but the scorch marks on the walls told him otherwise. And of course, the fact that there was only one proper door out and enormous holes on the walls stories above. This place is obviously not meant for humans to inhabit frequently.

A thunderous roar sounded from above. The tunnel lit up with the glow of fire. Flapping of wings quickly ensued. Alec looked up, resigned, watching the form of a Chimera make its way down. The gusts of wind from its wings slammed the door shut, its powerful roar causing rocks to tumble out of the gaping fissures above. "What do you suggest we do now, Genius? Dig a hole perhaps? I hope you know that means down." Dry sarcasm dripped from Alec's tone as he surveyed the environment around him for possible ways to escape. His eyes fell on something a little behind the daughter of Khione.

where you expect the unexpected

Alec barely had time to roll out of the way of the falling rocks and sand when a thick stream of flame was fired towards him. He ducked, feeling the heat radiating inches above his head. It probably singed his hair, but that wasn't his most taxing worry right now. His sword appeared in his hand, the stygian blade sharp as fear, dark as night. Somewhere in his shirt, the chain that hung around his neck reduced in weight, now only holding a ring. As the Chimera swooped down again, Alec sidestepped and slashed at its snake tail. It reared back, too quickly for him.

He darted nearer to the thing he saw behind Taylor. The Chimera flashed its tail towards him again, while its head battled the other demigods. It was almost as if it didn't want him there. Too slow to decapitate the snake, he sent a hard blast of dirt from the sandy floor at the creature, causing it to flinch. Alec twisted away from the thrashing thing that was trying to land a bite on him and nearly fell into a hole, his foot scraping the side of rotting wood before he lifted it out and on solid ground once more. Phew. That was close.

The tail was on him again. "Would you just stop." Alec muttered mindlessly, trying to distract himself from the menacing fangs that dripped poison, "Don't you eat rats or something. I'm not a rat. Stop trying to eat me." It sprang. He flicked the deadly sword upwards, cutting through half the lightning creature. It gave aggrieved hissing snarl as the Chimera howled. It turned, leaping in the air directly for him. Alec dropped immediately, bruising his knee in the process. It sailed over him and he took the chance to stab upwards at its belly. The creature flew out of reach however, and the son of Hades only managed a moderately deep slash on the thigh of its back leg. Blood splattered the ground. It unleashed a thunderous roar all the same.

Suddenly, Alec was shoved forward. He staggered a few steps, feeling a burning, searing pain cut through his shoulder. He realised that the tip of the Chimera's wing had clipped his shoulder, slicing his shirt open and drawing blood. He had no idea how deep it was, but it didn't matter now, they were hopefully almost out of there.

He noticed the daughter of Khione stepping back, near the hole he almost fell into. Uh oh. It was in fact, part of the rotting wood that had fallen away from a once solid trapdoor. If the wood wasn't strong enough, it would give way under her weight. Alec knew it led to out but he had no idea how far the drop was. "Taylor watch out!