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

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“I was a brain child,” Annabeth said.“Literally. Children of Athena are sprung from the divine thoughts of
our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena
on the men she favors.”
“But—”
“Percy, the spider’s getting away. Do you really want me to explain the exact details of how I was
born?”
“Um…no.That’s okay.”
She smirked. “I thought not.” And she ran ahead. I followed, but I wasn’t sure I would ever look at
Annabeth the same way again. I decided some things were better left as mysteries.
The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, we emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl
stadium. Our spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. We had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.
There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. We stood on a rock ridge that circled the
cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of
machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil I’d ever seen—a block of iron the size of a house.
Creatures moved around the platform—several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to
make out details.
Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. “I can. Wait here.”
“Hold it!” I said, but before I could argue, she put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.
I didn’t dare call after her, but I didn’t like the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those
things out there could sense a god coming, would Annabeth be safe?
I looked back at the Labyrinth tunnel. I missed Grover and Tyson already. Finally I decided I couldn’t
stay put. I crept along the outer rim of the lava lake, hoping I could get a better angle to see what was
happening in the middle.
The heat was horrible.Geryon’s ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this. In no time I was
drenched with sweat. My eyes stung from the smoke. I moved along, trying to keep away from the edge,
until I found my way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they sue in mine shafts. I lifted up
the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. I was about to squeeze my way around it when I heard
voices from up ahead, probably from a side tunnel.
“Bring it in?” one asked.
“Yeah,” another said. “Movie’s just about done.”
I panicked. I didn’t have time to back up. There was nowhere to hide except…the cart. I scrambled
inside and pulled the tarp over me, hoping no one had seen me. I curled my fingers around Riptide, just in
case I had to fight.
The cart lurched forward.
“Oi,” a gruff voice said.“Thing weighs a ton.”