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

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here’s the thing. It has nothing to do withAriadne’s string. Not really. Sure, the string work. That’s what
the Titan’s army will be after. Btu the best way through the maze…Theseushad the princess’s help. And
the princess was a regular mortal. Not a drop of god blood in her. But she was clever, and she could
see, lad. She could see very clearly. So what I’m saying—I think you know how to navigate the maze.”
It finally sank in. why hadn’t I seen it before? Hera had been right. The answer was there all the time.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, I know.”
“Then you’ll need to decide whether or not you’re leaving.”
“I…” I wanted to say yes. Of course I would. But the words stuck in my throat. I found myself looking
out at the lake, and suddenly the idea of leaving seemed very hard.
“Don’t decide yet,” Hephaestus advised. “Wait until daybreak. Daybreak is a good time for decisions.”
“Will Daedalus even help us?” I asked. “I mean, if he gives Luke a way to navigate the Labyrinth, we’re
dead. I saw dreams about…Daedalus killed his nephew. He turned bitter and angry and—”
“It isn’t easy being a brilliant inventor,” Hephaestus rumbled.“Always alone.Always misunderstood. Easy
to turn bitter, make horrible mistakes. People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when
you break a person, he can’t be fixed.”
Hephaestus brushed the last drops of Pepsi off his work clothes. “Daedalus started well enough. He
helped the PrincessAriadne andTheseus because he felt sorry for them. He tried to do a good deed. And
everything in his life went bad because of it. Was that fair?” The god shrugged. “I don’t know if Daedalus
will help you, lad, but don’t judge someone until you’ve stood at his forge and worked with his hammer,
eh?”
“I’ll—I’ll try.”
Hephaestus stood.“Good-bye, lad. You did well, destroying thetelekhines . I’ll always remember you
for that.”
It sounded very final, that good-bye. Then he erupted into a column of flame, and the fire moved over
the water, heading back to the world outside.
***
I walked along the beach for several hours. When I finally came back to the meadow, it was very late,
maybe four or five in the morning, but Calypso was still in her garden, tending the flowers by starlight.
Hermoonlace glowed silver, and the other plants responded to the magic, glowing red and yellow and
blue.
“He has ordered you to return,” Calypso guessed.
“Well, not ordered. He gave me a choice.”
Her eyes met mine. “I promised I would not offer.”
“Offer what?”