Hey there, I was eager to write another chapter of this little story so here you go! We get to meet Rachel Elizabeth Dare, whom I quite like. And she's not an oracle so far, which I like even more. By the way, this story's already over 15 000 words!

It was impressive how Rachel stood out even in a crowd of people. They'd agreed to meet in a shopping centre and it was full of all sorts of people at this time of the day. Yet most people were busy, walking with a sense of purpose, too focused on their mindless tasks to pay much attention to their surroundings. Rachel seemed so detached from the hectic crowd, aimlessly looking around and drifting through the throng of people.

It was a good sign that they'd found her so quickly. Percy ran over to her, aware that Thalia was now following him closely, but knowing he had to get to her first. Rachel immediately noticed his approach, apparently she'd already realised it was him that she was waiting for. She looked at him intently, a serious look in her gaze that was probably supposed to be somewhat threatening, meaning he'd better have something interesting to tell her. She'd practically come out her on a whim but wouldn't be prepared to take this meeting as a joke; she wanted answers.

"You must be Percy, but how do you know me?" Rachel asked immediately. She seemed cautious, wary. Only her desperation for answers was why she had come after all.

"Rachel," he greeted, with a friendly smile, or perhaps it was a relieved smile. So far she seemed exactly like he remembered. She wore ragged clothes that were nonetheless expensive and clashed interestingly. Only she could make blue and green work together and not look garish with her red hair. There seemed to be paint on the cuffs of her jacket too.

"I'll explain everything soon, but please play along for a minute," he said softly, trying to put some urgency into his voice. He then tried to give a very pronounced glance at the swiftly approaching Thalia and could only hope that Rachel had understood.

Thalia was too close for him to say anything else now. She didn't look suspicious or annoyed fortunately, but she was far too curious, just like Rachel. Thalia gave her a very searching glance while Rachel silently looked between the pair of them. There was no way she could understand what was going on but he couldn't say anything in front of this Thalia, not without all trust being shattered.

"So you must be Rachel then," Thalia said, her thoughts hard to read. "Percy's been keeping you secret from me but his worries were unfounded - I mean you no harm," she continued, sounding almost like she was nervous.

Rachel shot him a look of confusion and anger. He really felt bad because she didn't have a clue what was going on and it was all his fault that he'd mentioned her in the first place. All he could do was look at her with a worried expression and hope she didn't say anything. To be honest, there was quite a lot she could say without making Thalia suspicious as Thalia had no idea how much or how little Rachel had been told about them but it didn't make the situation anywhere near ideal.

"Hello." Rachel paused. "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare and it's exciting to meet you," she said, slowly but hiding her uncertainty. Rachel glanced at him again and he just nodded, because her reply had been fine and she was awesome for playing along.

"Right, Thalia, maybe we should sit down for drinks or something, to talk a little? And she'd probably appreciate a few private words from me first," Percy suggested, hoping it didn't sound too forced.

Thalia considered briefly. "I guess that would be appropriate but let's not waste too much time," she agreed and managed to reinforce the idea that she was in charge to Rachel.

Rachel was wisely remaining quiet, and positioned herself next to Percy while Thalia deliberately walked ahead and looked for a suitable café that wasn't too crowded. It seemed he had a least a moment to explain a few things.

"I happen to know that you have the special ability to see through the mist, which is why you're able to see monsters that others don't see," Percy launched right into an explanation, keeping his voice lowered.

"Who are you? How do you know me and why does that women, Thalia, think I know you?" Rachel asked, keeping her voice equally quiet but showing she was angry and unnerved.

"I can't explain everything but I told Thalia that we were friends because I'm an idiot. As a clear-sighted mortal you have a unique gift that Thalia believes can help our group. Monsters are very real and we have to fight against them, most people can't see them," Percy said quickly, wondering how he could explain the alternate dimension mess.

"You guys see through this mist too then? I thought I was going crazy," Rachel surmised, examining his face. She was probably looking for signs that would indicate he was a monster too, like she'd done previously, in his dimension. She was obviously still pretty suspicious though.

"I can see monsters but they can see me too, I'm not exactly a mortal, nor is Thalia," Percy tried to explain in a roundabout way, but he couldn't see any way to reveal what he was without just being blunt.

"We're demigods, my father is one of the Greek gods of Olympus, and they regularly have children with mortals like in the myths. The myths are all true," Percy decided to just confess. "I'm sorry I'm telling you this now, when I'm in the middle of a huge mess," he added sincerely.

Rachel stumbled a little. She seemed stunned by the new information and didn't know how to react to such an outlandish tale. At least she wasn't running away, not that he would expect her to. She was too cool for that kind of reaction. It was so weird to have to explain everything to her for the second time. Especially when he was trying to trick Thalia at the same time.

"The Greek myths are all true?" Rachel repeated, dazed, not looking at him but into the distance. Ahead of them, Thalia was waiting for them at a small table, in front of a café she'd now found.

"Yes, all the strange stuff is hidden to mortals through the mist though, so that they don't see my world. You seeing through it means your special," Percy replied. He then gave Thalia a reassuring smile; it would not do to keep her waiting.

"But I'm special?" Rachel said and her eyes were now alight with the new information. His explanations made sense to her; of course they would. "So all the Greek gods are real?"

"Yes," Percy replied, still looking towards Thalia.

"Listen, you can see things, so we need your help, you have the power to navigate through the labyrinth and I'll need you to lead us through it," he said in a rush. "Now please play along once more?"

Rachel couldn't reply as he took a seat next to Thalia, and gestured for Rachel to take the other chair. She did, though she seemed a little reluctant and obviously had more questions.

"Well you two sure know how to dawdle, I've ordered you both a diet coke so I guess we've got some time now anyway," Thalia said breezily.

"Thanks," Percy muttered, not sure what to say.

"So what exactly are we hoping to achieve - in the labyrinth?" Rachel asked Thalia directly. He was impressed she was being so straightforward and actually seemed like she was going to help.

Thalia focused. "So you really can navigate it then?" She asked.

Percy quickly cut in. "Yeah she can, it's still a bit dangerous but even then she can detect all the traps and things," he provided. Rachel briefly gave him a worried look, perhaps annoyed that he had to be answering for her.

"Fascinating," Thalia said. Then she answered Rachel's question. "I'm not sure you're aware of just how useful it is but with it you can move long distances impossibly quickly as space is different in there and you can get into otherwise inaccessible places and no one can see you coming."

"Yeah, it's strategically important and can take you pretty much anywhere in the US but without a guide it is incredibly dangerous with people often going mad or dying when they wander in," Percy added to her explanation.

Rachel's eyes widened. "But why do you need it so much then?" She asked, obviously not impressed with the thought of going mad.

Their drinks arrived then, and Percy gratefully took a sip, wishing Thalia had thought to order a little food as well given that he'd missed breakfast. Thalia hardly noticed her own glass of coke being placed in front of her though, she was looking at Rachel, deep in thought.

Thalia spoke with great care. "It's obvious that Percy hasn't told you too much yet," she began, shooting him an irritated look. "I don't think we should tell you more unless you are interested in actually getting involved with our group though, consider it a member's privilege."

"Wait, so you want me in your group?" Rachel asked, sceptically.

Thalia shrugged. "Percy trusts you and you could be a useful ally. We're not at a stage where we can be exclusive anyway," she replied, sounding rather like she didn't care.

"Well, would I have to do anything?" She then asked.

Percy was beginning to realise once again that he didn't even know what was going on. Eris's words couldn't be ignored about the group being sort of rebellious and so he wasn't sure that Rachel joining was a good idea at all. But then again, it'd be nice if she was with him. As far as he could tell, she had the same personality as her old self and maybe he'd be able to share his story with her.

"Nothing specific. You ought to meet the others and stay in contact with us but beyond that it depends on how much you're willing to help. We won't expect you to give up your mortal life and drop everything for us anyway," Thalia replied kindly. Percy couldn't help but think it was because she was actively trying to recruit her.

Rachel gave them an easy smile. "I still have two weeks left of Summer and didn't have anything else planned so I guess I could stick around. It'd be okay if I did end up dropping out if things didn't work though, right?"

Percy couldn't help but grin back. he didn't know many people who could accept danger and vague promises so easily but that was just who she was. Anything odd and exciting was the perfect bait for her. Also there was the fact that the monsters she could see were probably rather disturbing and she appreciated any answers. Still, he'd half-expected her to not be interested when he'd made it clear that he was keeping secrets and deceiving Thalia.

"Yeah, no problem." Thalia agreed. "You can't tell anyone anything though," she warned her.

Rachel snorted. "I'm sure everyone would totally believe that you two have godly parents if I told them."

Percy chuckled too. Rachel had said something similar when he'd first met her in his world. She had surprised him with how sensible she was then, or maybe it was how self-aware she was, knowing that she was considered usual. Mostly, it was just funny that she'd managed to make Annabeth so irritated. He took another sip of his drink.

Thalia groaned. "Don't even mention it. The gods care very little for demigods or mortals and their attitude sickens me," she declared.

"Percy probably hasn't told you that we wish for a revolution, a transformation of our society. As it stands now, it is very flawed," Thalia continued, some steel entering her voice. "You see, demigods like us get a very raw deal, we're constantly hunted by a plethora of deadly monsters and many divine parents never so much as bother to even claim us - let alone speak to us!"

"Not only that, but anytime they actually have a problem, we're called in to solve it like that's our only job. That's why we need this uprising! We need to change the way things are!" Thalia insisted passionately. She kept a level voice so as not to attract onlookers but the determination in her voice was palpable.

Percy wasn't really sure what to think about her statement though. His dad, Poseidon, was pretty cool and genuinely cared about him and his mother. They often made difficult decisions about keeping distant from their children but it was often with good intentions. His dad staying away from him for his childhood meant that he hadn't had to deal with monsters until he began to realise who he was. Hermes had made a few mistakes with Luke but he had cared all the same.

Then again, too many children weren't claimed seemingly because gods were too busy and without Thalia's tree to guard the camp, it would be really unsafe and under threat. It was no wonder they were unhappy but a revolution seemed like too much and Thalia sounded like she wanted to rule the world or something, which was a scary thought. He recalled Annabeth once mentioning that she thought she could do things better than the gods too and she was also part of the group.

Rachel looked a little hesitant too. "You'll have to tell me more at some point, but it sounds interesting," she offered as a reply.

Thalia relaxed a little, seeing that she was making them uncomfortable. "It's cool if you don't know a lot yet, when you meet the others we can share some more info and things," she said.

Percy was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the discussion even if he was finally learning something about the group. At any time Thalia might expect him to speak and he wouldn't know what to say. "Well, I'm glad we've got that sorted out," Percy spoke up. "I guess we should show you the Labyrinth now though we don't want to be in it too long," he suggested.

Thalia turned to him. "Any particular reason why?" She asked. Rachel also paid keen attention.

"Time flows differently in there so we don't want to accidentally go somewhere and discover that we've been gone for days or something," he explained

"Fair enough then, drink up and we'll get going!" Thalia told them cheerfully, raising her own glass.

They soon left the peaceful café and Percy led them over to a little card shop where he knew there was a Greek delta on the wall - the symbol indicating a labyrinth entrance. Rachel followed them willingly enough, evidently curious for some evidence that all their claims were actually true. She was doing remarkably well at taking their word so far though.

At the back of the card shop, Percy knew they would find the mark of Daedalus on the wall. He'd only found it after the Labyrinth had been destroyed in his world so he'd never actually had the chance to use it in his dimension but it was unmistakeably the right mark. Rachel knew of one too but she'd think him even weirder if he'd chosen that one.

"It requires the touch of a demigod to open an entrance but they're always marked with this sign," Percy informed Rachel as the approached said wall. Hopefully Thalia wasn't going to be suspicious; he'd said earlier that Rachel had already taken him through the labyrinth before but hopefully she'd be assuming that he was being needlessly dramatic or something.

He touched the wall and Rachel attempted to muffle a gasp as it smoothly opened up to reveal a dark tunnel, the entrance easily big enough for the three of them to slip inside. They all entered slowly and the wall closed behind them leaving them in darkness. Just like that they were in the Labyrinth. It was a scary thought. Even with Rachel as guide, there was much to fear.

Now there could be absolutely no doubt that it was really another dimension. The labyrinth was alive in this world and he was standing in it. It was actually really frightening now that he was here, as he couldn't help but remember all the close encounters with death he'd experienced while in here, monsters could be lurking close by.

"Woah, this is really something," Thalia said into the gloom, putting a hand on his shoulder. It was comforting to have human contact in a place like this one.

Percy quickly took out a torch he'd brought from the house and turned it on. The three of them probably looked a little strange just standing there but going very far would be a bad idea. He looked to Rachel, who was examining the dark walls curiously.

"So Rachel, do you think if we asked you to take us through the tunnels to somewhere like Florida or something?" Percy asked her, deciding that it was a good time to demonstrate her guide skills.

"I feel like I can; the way forward looks pretty obvious, are you sure only I can see it?" Rachel replied, a little nervous.

"Only you can lead the way," he replied.

"Well, if we're not actually planning on going somewhere today then we should probably just get out, this place gives me the creeps," Thalia said, though she did look intrigued.

"Yeah, we don't want too much time to pass," Percy agreed, examining the wall again for the mark of Daedalus.

Percy gave one last look at the legendary tunnels, wondering if it was possible to learn how to navigate the labyrinth like Rachel could. Daedalus had said that demigods were easily distracted, which was why the labyrinth was so successful at tricking them but maybe they could learn not to be? But that was a question for another time, and he quickly pressed on the mark and allowed light to stream in from the entrance; the mist would make sure mortals didn't see anything.

Thalia sighed in relief. "I don't think we can ignore the utility of that place if we have a guide but I can't say I like going in there, maybe Bianca would be best for it - she's pretty good with caves."

Rachel glanced at her watch on her wrist. "An hour has gone by in a few minutes," she proclaimed dramatically, smiling for some reason.

"Yeah, so that gives us a lot of options if we have Rachel helping us," Percy said, not too surprised by the time difference even if it was weird.

Thalia nodded. "The others will want to hear about this." She turned to Rachel. "Percy can call you sometime soon, when you're not busy we'll invite you to meet everyone. It was nice meeting you!"

Percy grabbed his phone out of his pocket. As he and Thalia walked back through the shopping mall, leaving Rachel behind now that the meeting was over for the day. It was annoying to text while walking but he knew he had to say a few more things to Rachel that he couldn't say in front of Thalia.

He texted. 'Call you later? I have things to tell you'

A minute later she'd texted back. 'I'm waiting.'

That's it, hope you liked it! I would appreciate it if you took a moment to give a quick review. They're very encouraging.

Do any of the characters seem to Out Of Character, by the way? One of these days I should get a beta to help with stuff like that. Hope the pacing is okay, I know Rachel isn't everyone's favourite character but she can be a safe person for him to confide in. Do tell me what sort of things you like or dislike or what characters you may want to see more of. Lots of things aren't fixed.