The Battle of the Labyrinth

just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago.”
    Instead of getting mad, Daedalus hung his head. “You should go warn your camp. Now that Luke has the string—”
    Suddenly Mrs. O’Leary pricked up her ears.
    “Someone’s coming!” Rachel warned.
    The doors of the workshop burst open, and Nico was pushed inside, his hands in chains. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He looked almost solid now—a pale bearded king with cold eyes and tendrils of Mist coiling off his robes.
    He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. “There you are, my old friend.”
    Daedalus’s jaw clenched. He looked at Kelli. “What is the meaning of this?”
    “Luke sends his compliments,” Kelli said. “He thought you might like to see your old employer Minos.”
    “This was not part of our agreement,” Daedalus said.
    “No indeed,” Kelli said. “But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod.” She ran a finger under Nico’s chin. “He’ll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man.”
    Daeadalus paled. “Treachery.”
    “Get used to it,” Kelli said.
    “Nico,” I said. “Are you okay?”
    He nodded morosely. “I—I’m sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze.”
    “You were trying to help us?”
    “I was tricked,” he said. “He tricked all of us.”
    I glared at Kelli. “Where’s Luke? Why isn’t he here?”
    The she-demon smiled like we were sharing a private joke. “Luke is . . . busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don’t worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I’ll have a wonderful snack!” Her hands changed to claws. Her hair burst into flame and her legs turned to their true form—one donkey leg, one bronze.
    “Percy,” Rachel whispered, “the wings. Do you think—”
    “Get them,” I said. “I’ll try to buy you some time.”
    And with that, all Hades broke loose. Annabeth and I charged at Kelli. The giants came right at Daedalus, but Mrs. O’Leary leaped to his defense. Nico got pushed to the ground and struggled with his chains while the spirit of Minos wailed, “Kill the inventor! Kill him!”
    Rachel grabbed the wings off the wall. Nobody paid her any attention. Kelli slashed at Annabeth. I tried to get to her, but the demon was quick and deadly. She turned over tables, smashed inventions, and wouldn’t let us get close. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mrs. O’Leary chomp her fangs into a giant’s arm. He wailed in pain and flung her around, trying to shake her. Daedalus grabbed for his sword, but the second giant smashed the workbench with his fist, and the sword went flying. A clay jar of Greek fire broke on the floor and began to burn, green flames spreading quickly.
    “To me!” Minos cried. “Spirits of the dead!” He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.
    “No!” Nico cried. He was on his feet now. He’d somehow managed to remove his shackles.
    “You do not control me, young fool.” Minos sneered. “All this time, I have been controlling you! A soul for a soul, yes. But it is not your sister who will return from the dead. It is I, as soon as I slay the inventor!”
    Spirits began to appear around Minos—shimmering forms that slowly multiplied, solidifying into Cretan soldiers.
    “I am the son of Hades,” Nico insisted. “Be gone!”
    Minos laughed. “You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!”
    “No.” Nico drew his sword. “ I am.”
    He stabbed his black blade into the floor, and it cleaved through the stone like butter.
    “Never!” Minos’s form rippled. “I will not—”
    The ground rumbled. The windows cracked and shattered to pieces, letting in a blast of fresh air. A fissure opened in the stone floor of the workshop, and Minos and all his spirits were sucked into the void with a horrible wail.
    The bad news: the fight was still going on all around us, and I let myself get distracted. Kelli pounced on me so fast I had no time to defend myself. My sword skittered away and I hit my head hard on a worktable as I fell. My eyesight went fuzzy. I couldn’t raise my arms.
    Kelli laughed. “You will taste wonderful!”
    She bared her fangs. Then suddenly her body went rigid. Her red eyes