THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH Percy Jackson ... - No one's invited.

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and a clean Western shirt and he’d even trimmed his beard. He’d put onGeryon’s boots. “The boy can
stay here and gather his thoughts as long as he wants. He’ll be safe, I promise.”
“What about you?” I asked.
Eurytion scratchedOrthus behind one chin, then the other. “Things are going to be run a little different on
this ranch from now on. No more sacred cattle meat. I’m thinking about soybean patties. And I’m going
to befriend those flesh-eating horses.Might just sign up for the next rodeo.”
The idea made me shudder. “Well, good luck.”
“Yep.”Eurytion spit into the grass. “I reckon you’ll be looking forDaedalus’s workshop now?”
Annabeth’s eyes lit up. “Can you help us?”
Eurytion studied the cattle guard, and I got the feeling the subject ofDaedalus’s workshop made him
uncomfortable. “Don’t know where it is. But Hephaestus probably would.”
“That’s what Hera said,” Annabeth agreed. “But how do we findHephaestus ?”
Eurytion pulled something from under the collar of his shirt. It was a necklace—a smooth silver disk on a
silver chain. The disk had a depression on the middle, like a thumbprint. He handed it to Annabeth.
“Hephaestus comes here from time to time,” Eurytion said.“Studies the animals and such so he can make
bronze automaton copies. Last time, I— uh—did him a favor. A little trick he wanted to play on my dad,
Ares, and Aphrodite. He gave me that chain in gratitude. Said if I ever needed to find him, the disk would
lead me to his forges.But only once.”
“And you’re giving it to me?” Annabeth asked.
Eurytion blushed. “I don’t need to see the forges, miss.Got enough to do here. Just press the button and
you’ll be on your way.”
Annabeth pressed the button and the disk sprang to life. It grew eight metallic legs. Annabeth shrieked
and dropped it, much toEurytion’s confusion.
“Spider!” she screamed.
“She’s, um, a little scared of spiders,” Grover explained.“That old grudge between Athena andArachne
.”
“Oh.” Eurytion looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, miss.”
The spider scrambled to the cattle guard and disappeared between the bars.
“Hurry,” I said. “That thing’s not going to wait for us.”
Annabeth wasn’t anxious to follow, but we didn’t have much choice. We said our good-byes to
Eurytion, Tyson pulled the cattle guard off the hole, and we dropped back into the maze.
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