by Rick Riordan
‘Whoa, girl!’ I yelled. ‘Can’t breathe. Lemme up!’
Eventually I managed to get her off me. I scratched her ears and found her an extra-gigantic dog biscuit.
‘Where’s your master?’ I asked her. ‘How could he just leave you, huh?’
She whimpered like she wanted to know that, too. I was ready to believe Quintus was an enemy, but still I couldn’t understand why he’d leave Mrs O’Leary behind. If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that he really cared for his megadog.
I was thinking about that and towelling the dog spit off my face when a girl’s voice said, ‘You’re lucky she didn’t bite your head off.’
Clarisse was standing at the other end of the arena with her sword and shield. ‘Came here to practise yesterday,’ she grumbled. ‘Dog tried to chew me up.’
‘She’s an intelligent dog,’ I said.
‘Funny.’
She walked towards us. Mrs O’Leary growled, but I patted her on the head and calmed her down.
‘Stupid hellhound,’ Clarisse said. ‘Not going to keep me from practising.’
‘I heard about Chris,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry.’
Clarisse paced a circle around the arena. When she came to the nearest dummy, she attacked viciously, chopping its head off with a single blow and driving her sword through its guts. She pulled the sword out and kept walking.
‘Yeah, well. Sometimes things go wrong.’ Her voice was shaky. ‘Heroes get hurt. They… they die, and the monsters just keep coming back.’
She picked up a javelin and threw it across the arena. It nailed a dummy straight between the eyeholes of its helmet.
She had called Chris a hero, like he had never gone over to the Titans’ side. It reminded me of the way Annabeth sometimes talked about Luke. I decided not to bring that up.
‘Chris was brave,’ I said. ‘I hope he gets better.’
She glared at me as if I were her next target. Mrs O’Leary growled.
‘Do me a favour,’ Clarisse told me.
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘If you find Daedalus, don’t trust him. Don’t ask him for help. Just kill him.’
‘Clarisse –’
‘Because anybody who can make something like the Labyrinth, Percy? That person is evil. Plain evil.’
For a second she reminded me of Eurytion the cowherd, her much older half-brother. She had the same hard look in her eyes, as if she’d been used for the past two thousand years and was getting tired of it. She sheathed her sword. ‘Practice time is over. From now on, it’s for real.’
That night I slept in my own bunk, and for the first time since Calypso’s Island, dreams found me.
I was in a king’s courtroom – a big white chamber with marble columns and a wooden throne. Sitting on it was a plump guy with curly red hair and a crown of laurels. At his side stood three girls who looked like his daughters. They all had his red hair and were dressed in blue robes.
The doors creaked open and a herald announced, ‘Minos, King of Crete!’
I tensed, but the man on the throne just smiled at his daughters. ‘I can’t wait to see the expression on his face.’
Minos, the royal creep himself, swept into the room. He was so tall and serious he made the other king look silly. Minos’s pointed beard had gone grey. He looked thinner than the last time I’d dreamed of him, and his sandals were spattered with mud, but the same cruel light shone in his eyes.
He bowed stiffly to the man on the throne. ‘King Cocalus. I understand you have solved my little riddle?’
Cocalus smiled. ‘Hardly little, Minos. Especially when you advertise across the world that you are willing to pay a thousand gold talents to the one who can solve it. Is the offer genuine?’
Minos clapped his hands. Two buff guards walked in, struggling with a big wooden crate. They set it at Cocalus’s feet and opened it. Stacks of gold bars glittered. It had to be worth, like, a gazillion dollars.
Cocalus whistled appreciatively. ‘You must have bankrupted your kingdom for such a reward, my friend.’
‘That is not your concern.’
Cocalus shrugged. ‘The riddle was quite simple, really. One of my retainers solved it.’
‘Father,’ one of the girls warned. She looked like the oldest – a little taller than her sisters.
Cocalus ignored her. He took a spiral seashell from the folds of his robe. A silver string had been threaded through it, so it hung like a huge bead on a necklace.
Minos stepped forward and took the shell. ‘One of your retainers, you say? How did he thread the string without breaking the shell?’
‘He used an ant, if you can believe it. Tied a silk string to the little creature and coaxed it through the shell by putting honey at the far end.’
‘Ingenious man,’ Minos said.
‘Oh, indeed. My daughters’ tutor. They are quite fond of him.’
Minos’s eyes turned cold. ‘I would be careful of that.’
I wanted to warn Cocalus: Don’t trust this guy! Throw him in the dungeon with some man-eating lions or something! But the redheaded king just chuckled. ‘Not to worry, Minos. My daughters are wise beyond their years. Now, about my gold –’
‘Yes,’ Minos said. ‘But, you see, the gold is for the man who solved the riddle. And there can be only one such man. You are harbouring Daedalus.’
Cocalus shifted uncomfortably on his throne. ‘How is it that you know his name?’
‘He is a thief,’ Minos said. ‘He once worked in my court, Cocalus. He turned my own daughter against me. He helped a usurper make a fool of me in my own palace. And then he escaped justice. I have been pursuing him for ten years.’
‘I knew nothing of this. But I have offered the man my protection. He has been a most useful –’
‘I offer you a choice,’ Minos said. ‘Turn over the fugitive to me, and this gold is yours. Or risk making me your enemy. You do not want Crete as your enemy.’
Cocalus paled. I thought it was stupid for him to look so scared in the middle of his own throne room. He should’ve summoned his army or something. Minos only had two guards. But Cocalus just sat there, sweating, on his throne.
‘Father,’ his oldest daughter said, ‘you can’t –’
‘Silence, Aelia.’ Cocalus twisted his beard. He looked again at the glittering gold. ‘This pains me, Minos. The gods do not love a man who breaks his oath of hospitality.’
‘The gods do not love those who harbour criminals, either.’
Cocalus nodded. ‘Very well. You shall have your man in chains.’
‘Father!’ Aelia said again. Then she caught herself, and changed her voice to a sweeter tone. ‘At – at least let us feast with our guest first. After his long journey, he should be treated to a hot bath, new clothes and a decent meal. I would be honoured to draw the bath myself.’
She smiled prettily at Minos, and the old king grunted. ‘I suppose a bath would not be amiss.’ He looked at Cocalus. ‘I will see you at dinner, my lord. With the prisoner.’
‘This way, Your Majesty,’ said Aelia. She and her sisters led Minos out of the chamber.
I followed them into a bath chamber decorated with mosaic tiles. Steam filled the air. A running-water faucet poured hot water into the tub. Aelia and her sisters filled it with rose petals and something that must’ve been Ancient Greek Mr Bubble, because soon the water was covered with multicoloured foam. The girls turned aside as Minos dropped his robes and slipped into the bath.
‘Ahh.’ He smiled. ‘An excellent bath. Thank you, my dears. The journey has been long indeed.’
‘You have been chasing your prey ten years, my lord?’ Aelia asked, batting her eyelashes. ‘You must be very determined.’
‘I never forget a debt.’ Minos grinned. ‘Your father was wise to agree to my demands.’
‘Oh, indeed, my lord!’ Aelia said. I thought she was laying on the flattery pretty thick, but the old guy was eating it up. Aelia’s sisters trickled scented oil over the k
ing’s head.
‘You know, my lord,’ Aelia said, ‘Daedalus thought you would come. He thought the riddle might be a trap, but he couldn’t resist solving it.’
Minos frowned. ‘Daedalus spoke to you about me?’
‘Yes, my lord.’
‘He is a bad man, princess. My own daughter fell under his spell. Do not listen to him.’
‘He is a genius,’ Aelia said. ‘And he believes a woman is just as smart as a man. He was the first ever to teach us as if we had minds of our own. Perhaps your daughter felt the same way.’
Minos tried to sit up, but Aelia’s sisters pushed him back into the water. Aelia came up behind him. She held three tiny orbs in her palm. At first I thought they were bath beads, but she threw them in the water and the beads sprouted bronze threads that began wrapping themselves around the king, tying him up at the ankles, binding his wrists to his sides, circling his neck. Even though I hated Minos, it was pretty horrible to watch. He thrashed and cried out, but the girls were much stronger. Soon he was helpless, lying in the bath with his chin just above the water. The bronze strands were still wrapping themselves around him like a cocoon, tightening across his body.
‘What do you want?’ Minos demanded. ‘Why do you do this?’
Aelia smiled. ‘Daedalus has been kind to us, Your Majesty. And I do not like you threatening our father.’
‘You tell Daedalus,’ Minos growled. ‘You tell him I will hound him even after death! If there is any justice in the Underworld, my soul will haunt him for eternity!’
‘Brave words, Your Majesty,’ Aelia said. ‘I wish you luck finding your justice in the Underworld.’
And with that, the bronze threads wrapped themselves around Minos’s face, making him a bronze mummy.
The door of the bathhouse opened. Daedalus stepped in, carrying a traveller’s bag.
He’d trimmed his hair short. His beard was pure white. He looked frail and sad, but he reached down and touched the mummy’s forehead. The threads unravelled and sank to the bottom of the tub. There was nothing inside them. It was as if King Minos had just dissolved.
‘A painless death,’ Daedalus mused. ‘More than he deserved. Thank you, my princesses.’
Aelia hugged him. ‘You cannot stay here, teacher. When our father finds out –’
‘Yes,’ Daedalus said. ‘I fear I have brought you trouble.’ ‘Oh, do not worry for us. Father will be happy enough taking that old man’s gold. And Crete is a very long way away. But he will blame you for Minos’s death. You must flee to somewhere safe.’
‘Somewhere safe,’ the old man repeated. ‘For years I have fled from kingdom to kingdom, looking for somewhere safe. I fear Minos told the truth. Death will not stop him from hounding me. There is no place under the sun that will harbour me, once word of this crime gets out.’
‘Then where will you go?’ Aelia said.
‘A place I swore never to enter again,’ Daedalus said. ‘My prison may be my only sanctuary.’
‘I do not understand,’ Aelia said.
‘It’s best you do not.’
‘But what of the Underworld?’ one of her sisters asked. ‘Terrible judgement will await you! Every man must die.’
‘Perhaps,’ Daedalus said. Then he brought a scroll from his travelling bag – the same scroll I’d seen in my last dream, with his nephew’s notes. ‘Or perhaps not.’
He patted Aelia’s shoulder, then blessed her and her sisters. He looked down once more at the coppery threads glinting in the bottom of the bath. ‘Find me if you dare, king of ghosts.’
He turned towards the mosaic wall and touched a tile. A glowing mark appeared – a Greek Δ – and the wall slid aside. The princesses gasped.
‘You never told us of secret passages!’ Aelia said. ‘You have been busy.’
‘The Labyrinth has been busy,’ Daedalus corrected her. ‘Do not try to follow me, my dears, if you value your sanity.’
My dream shifted. I was underground in a stone chamber. Luke and another half-blood warrior were studying a map by flashlight.
Luke cursed. ‘It should’ve been the last turn.’ He crumpled up the map and tossed it aside.
‘Sir!’ his companion protested.
‘Maps are useless here,’ Luke said. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll find it.’
‘Sir, is it true that the larger the group –’
‘The more likely you’ll get lost? Yes, that’s true. Why do you think we sent out solo explorers to begin with? But don’t worry. As soon as we have the thread, we can lead the vanguard through.’
‘But how will we get the thread?’
Luke stood, flexing his fingers. ‘Oh, Quintus will come through. All we have to do is reach the arena, and it’s at a juncture. Impossible to get anywhere without passing it. That’s why we must have a truce with its master. We just have to stay alive until –’
‘Sir!’ a new voice came from the corridor. Another guy in Greek armour ran forward, carrying a torch. ‘The dracaenae found a half-blood!’
Luke scowled. ‘Alone? Wandering the maze?’
‘Yes, sir! You’d better come quick. They’re in the next chamber. They’ve got him cornered.’
‘Who is it?’
‘No one I’ve ever seen before, sir.’
Luke nodded. ‘A blessing from Kronos. We may be able to use this half-blood. Come!’
They ran down the corridor, and I woke with a start, staring into the dark. A lone half-blood, wandering in the maze. It was a long time before I got to sleep again.
The next morning I made sure Mrs O’Leary had enough dog biscuits. I asked Beckendorf to keep an eye on her, which he didn’t seem too happy about. Then I hiked over Half-Blood Hill and met Annabeth and Argus on the road.
Annabeth and I didn’t talk much in the van. Argus never spoke, probably because he had eyes all over his body, including – so I’d heard – at the tip of his tongue, and he didn’t like to show that off.
Annabeth looked queasy, as if she’d slept even worse than me.
‘Bad dreams?’ I asked at last.
She shook her head. ‘An Iris-message from Eurytion.’
‘Eurytion! Is something wrong with Nico?’
‘He left the ranch last night, heading back into the maze.’
‘What? Didn’t Eurytion try to stop him?’
‘Nico was gone before he woke up. Orthus tracked his scent as far as the cattle grid. Eurytion said he’d been hearing Nico talk to himself the last few nights. Only now he thinks Nico was talking with the ghost again, Minos.’
‘He’s in danger,’ I said.
‘No kidding. Minos is one of the judges of the dead, but he’s got a vicious streak a mile wide. I don’t know what he wants with Nico, but –’
‘That’s not what I meant,’ I said. ‘I had this dream last night…’ I told her about Luke, how he’d mentioned Quintus, and how his men had found a half-blood alone in the maze.
Annabeth’s jaw clenched. ‘That’s very, very bad.’
‘So what do we do?’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, it’s a good thing you have a plan to guide us, huh?’
It was Saturday, and traffic was heavy going into the city. We arrived at my mom’s apartment around noon. When she answered the door, she gave me a hug only a little less overwhelming than having a hellhound jump on you.
‘I told them you were all right,’ my mom said, but she sounded like the weight of the sky had just been lifted off her shoulders – and, believe me, I know first hand how that feels.
She sat us down at the kitchen table and insisted on feeding us her special blue chocolate-chip cookies while we filled her in on the quest. As usual, I tried to water down the frightening parts (which was pretty much everything), but somehow that just made it sound more dangerous.
When I got to the part about Geryon and the stables, my mom pretended like she was going to strangle me. ‘I can’t get him to clean his room, but he’ll clean a hundred tons of horse manure out of so
me monster’s stables!’
Annabeth laughed. It was the first time I’d heard her laugh in a long time, and it was nice to hear.
‘So,’ my mom said when I was done with the story, ‘you wrecked Alcatraz Island, made Mount St Helens explode and displaced half a million people, but at least you’re safe.’ That’s my mom, always looking on the bright side.
‘Yep,’ I agreed. ‘That pretty much covers it.’
‘I wish Paul were here,’ she said, half to herself. ‘He wanted to talk to you.’
‘Oh, right. The school.’
So much had happened since then that I’d almost forgotten about the high school orientation at Goode – the fact I’d left the band hall in flames, and my mom’s boyfriend had last seen me jumping through a window like a fugitive.
‘What did you tell him?’ I asked.
My mom shook her head. ‘What could I say? He knows something is different about you, Percy. He’s a smart man. He believes that you’re not a bad person. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but the school is pressuring him. After all, he got you admitted there. He needs to convince them the fire wasn’t your fault, and, since you ran away, that looks bad.’
Annabeth was studying me. She looked pretty sympathetic. I knew she’d been in similar situations. It’s never easy for a half-blood in the mortal world.
‘I’ll talk to him,’ I promised. ‘After we’re done with the quest. I’ll even tell him the truth if you want.’
My mom put her hand on my shoulder. ‘You would do that?’
‘Well, yeah. I mean, he’ll think we’re crazy.’
‘He already thinks that.’
‘Then there’s nothing to lose.’
‘Thank you, Percy. I’ll tell him you’ll be home…’ She frowned. ‘When? What happens now?’
Annabeth broke her cookie in half. ‘Percy has this plan.’
Reluctantly I told my mom.
She nodded slowly. ‘It sounds very dangerous. But it might work.’
‘You have the same abilities, don’t you?’ I asked. ‘You can see through the Mist.’
