The Battle of the Labyrinth

twist anyone to his will.”
    “Not anyone,” I promised.
    Chiron managed a smile. “No. Perhaps not anyone. But, Percy, you must beware. I have worried for some time that Kronos may be looking for Daedalus for a different reason, not just passage through the maze.”
    “What else would he want?”
    “Something Annabeth and I were discussing. Do you remember what you told me about your first trip to the Princess Andromeda , the first time you saw the golden coffin?”
    I nodded. “Luke was talking about raising Kronos, little pieces of him appearing in the coffin every time someone new joined his cause.”
    “And what did Luke say they would do when Kronos had risen completely?”
    A chill went down my spine. “He said they would make Kronos a new body, worthy of the forges of Hephaestus.”
    “Indeed,” Chiron said. “Daedalus was the world’s greatest inventor. He created the Labyrinth, but much more. Automatons, thinking machines . . . What if Kronos wishes Daedalus to make him a new form?”
    That was a real pleasant thought.
    “We’ve got to get to Daedalus first,” I said, “and convince him not to.”
    Chiron stared off into the trees. “One other thing I do not understand . . . this talk of a last soul joining their cause. That does not bode well.”
    I kept my mouth shut, but I felt guilty. I’d made the decision not to tell Chiron about Nico being a son of Hades. The mention of souls, though—What if Kronos knew about Nico? What if he managed to turn him evil? It was almost enough to make me want to tell Chiron, but I didn’t. For one thing, I wasn’t sure Chiron could do anything about it. I had to find Nico myself. I had to explain things to him, make him listen.
    “I don’t know,” I said at last. “But, uh, something Juniper said, maybe you should hear.” I told him how the tree nymph had seen Quintus poking around the rocks.
    Chiron’s jaw tightened. “That does not surprise me.”
    “It doesn’t sur— you mean you knew?”
    “Percy, when Quintus showed up at camp offering his services . . . well, I would have to be a fool not to be suspicious.”
    “Then why did you let him in?”
    “Because sometimes it is better to have someone you mistrust close to you, so that you can keep an eye on him. He may be just what he says: a half-blood in search of a home. Certainly he has done nothing openly that would make me question his loyalty. But believe me, I will keep an eye—”
    Annabeth trudged over, probably curious why we were taking so long.
    “Percy, you ready?”
    I nodded. My hand slipped into my pocket, where I kept the ice whistle Quintus had given me. I looked over and saw Quintus watching me carefully. He raised his hand in farewell.
    Our spies report success , Luke had said. The same day we decided to send a quest, Luke had known about it. “Take care,” Chiron told us. “And good hunting.”
    “You too,” I said. We walked over to the rocks, where Tyson and Grover were waiting. I stared at the crack between the boulders— the entrance that was about to swallow us. “Well,” Grover said nervously, “good-bye sunshine.”
    “Hello rocks,” Tyson agreed. And together, the four of us descended into darkness.

SIX

WE MEET THE GOD WITH TWO FACES
    We made it a hundred feet before we were hopelessly lost.
    The tunnel looked nothing like the one Annabeth and I had stumbled into before. Now it was round like a sewer, constructed of red brick with iron-barred portholes every ten feet. I shined a light through one of the portholes out of curiosity, but I couldn’t see anything. It opened into infinite darkness. I thought I heard voices on the other side, but it may have been just the cold wind.
    Annabeth tried her best to guide us. She had this idea that we should stick to the left wall.
    “If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it,” she said, “we should be able to find our way out again by reversing course.”
    Unfortunately, as soon as she said that, the left wall disappeared. We found ourselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels leading out, and no idea how we’d gotten there.
    “Um, which way did we come in?” Grover said nervously.
    “Just turn around,” Annabeth said.
    We each turned toward a different tunnel. It was ridiculous. None of us could decide which way led back to camp.
    “Left walls are mean,” Tyson said. “Which way now?”
    Annabeth swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the eight tunnels. As