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

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Geryon smiled at her. “Don’t worry, my dear. Once I’ve delivered Mr.di Angelo, you and your party
can go. I don’t interfere with quests. Besides, I’ve been paid well to give you safe passage, which does
not, I’m afraid, include Mr.di Angelo.
“Paid by whom?” Annabeth said. “What do you mean?”
“Neveryou mind,darlin ’. Let’s be off, shall we?”
“Wait!” I said, andOrthus growled. I stayed perfectly still so he wouldn’t tear my throat out. “Geryon,
you said you’re a businessman. Make me a deal.”
Geryon narrowed his eyes. “What sort of deal? Do you have gold?”
“I’ve got something better.Barter.”
“But Mr. Jackson, you’ve got nothing.”
“You could have him clean the stables,” Eurytion suggested innocently.
“I’ll do it!” I said. “If I fail, you get all of us. Trade us all to Luke for gold.”
“Assuming the horses don’t eat you,” Geryon observed.
“Either way, you get my friends,” I said. “But if I succeed, you’ve got to let all of us go, including Nico.”
“No!” Nico screamed. “Don’t do me any favors, Percy. I don’t want your help!”
Geryon chuckled. “Percy Jackson, those stables haven’t been cleaned in a thousand years…though it’s
true I might be able to sell more stable space ifall that poop was cleared away.”
“So what have you got to lose?”
The rancher hesitated. “All right, I’ll accept your offer, but you have to get it done by sunset. If you fail,
your friends get sold, and I get rich.”
“Deal.”
He nodded. “I’m going to take your friends with me, back to the lodge.
We’ll wait for you there.”
Eurytion gave me a funny look. It might have been sympathy. He whistled, and the dog jumped off me
and onto Annabeth’s lap. She yelped. I knew Tyson andgrover would never try anything as long as
Annabeth was hostage.
I got out of the car and locked eyes with her.
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said quietly.
“I hope so, too.”