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

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She scanned the stateroom. Her eyes focused right on me. Her face withered into a hag’s. She bared
her fangs and lunged.
I woke with a start, my heart pounding. I could’ve sworn theempousa’s fangs were an inch from my
throat.
***
Tyson was snoring in the next bunk. The sound calmed me down a little.
I didn’t know how Kelli could sense me in a dream, but I’d heard more than I wanted to know. An
army was ready. Kronos would lead it personally. All they needed was a way to navigate the Labyrinth
so they could invade and destroy Camp Half-Blood, and Luke apparently thought that was going to
happen very soon.
I was tempted to go wake up Annabeth and tell her, middle of the night or not. Then I realized the room
was lighter than it should have been. Ablueand -green glow was coming from the saltwater fountain,
brighter and more urgent than the night before. It was almost like the water was humming.
I got out of bed and approached.
No voice spoke out of the water this time, asking for a deposit. I got the feeling the fountain was waiting
for me to make the first move.
I probably should’ve gone back to bed. Instead I thought about what I’d seen last night—the weird
image of Nico at the banks of the River Styx.
“You’re trying to tell me something,” I said.
No response from the fountain.
“All right,” I said. “Show me Nicodi Angelo.”
I didn’t even throw a coin in, but this time it didn’t matter. It was like some other force had control of the
water besides Iris the messenger goddess. The water shimmered. Nico appeared, but he was no longer
in the Underworld. He was standing in a graveyard under a starry sky. Giant willow trees loomed all
around him.
He was watching some gravediggers at work. I heard shovels and saw dirt flying out of a hole. Nico was
dressed in a black cloak. The night was foggy. It was warm and humid, and frogs were croaking. A large
Wal-Mart bag sat next toNico’s feet.
“Is it deep enough yet?” Nico asked. He sounded irritated.
“Nearly, my lord.”It was the same ghost I’d seen Nico with before, the faint shimmering image of a man.
“But, my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice.”
“I want a second opinion!” Nico snapped his fingers, and the digging stopped. Two figures climbed out
of the hole. They weren’t people. They were skeletons in ragged clothes.
“You are dismissed,” Nico said. “Thank you.”