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

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
“I don’t want to.”
“I know,” the god said. “But my name,Pan …originally it meantrustic . Did you know that? But over
the years it has come to meanall . The spirit of the wild must pass to all of you now. You must tell each
one you meet: if you would find Pan, take up Pan’s spirit. Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your
own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you.”
Grover wiped his eyes. Then slowly he stood. “I’ve spent my whole life looking for you. Now…I
release you.”
Pan smiled. “Thank you, dear satyr.My final blessing.”
He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved. White mist divided into wisps of energy, but this kind of
energy wasn’t scary like the blue power I’d seen from Kronos. It filled the room. A curl of smoke went
straight into my mouth, and Grover’s and the others. But I think a little more of it went into Grover. The
crystals dimmed. The animals gave us a sad look.Dede the dodo sighed. Then they all turned gray and
crumbled to dust. The vines withered. And we were alone in a dark cave, with an empty bed.
I switched on my flashlight.
Grover took a deep breath.
“Are…are you okay?” I asked him.
He looked older and sadder. He took his cap from Annabeth, brushed off the mud, and stuck it firmly
on his curly head.
“We should go now,” he said, “and tell them. The great god Pan is dead.”
EIGHTEEN
GROVER CAUSES A STAMPEDE
Distance was shorter in the Labyrinth. Still, by the time Rachel got us back to Times Square, I felt like
we’d pretty much run all the way from New Mexico. We climbed out of the Marriott basement and
stood on the sidewalk in the bright summer daylight, squinting at the traffic and crowds.
I couldn’t decide which seemed less real—New York or the crystal cave where I’d watched a god die.
I led the way into an alley, where I could get a nice echo. Then I whistled as loud as I could, five times.
A minute later, Rachel gasped. “They’re beautiful!”
A flock ofpegasi descended from the sky, swooping between the skyscrapers. Blackjack was in the
lead, followed by four of his white friends.
Yo, boss!He spoke in my mind.You lived!