The Battle of the Labyrinth

laid it on the windowsill. There were three beads now, representing my three summers at camp—a trident, the Golden Fleece, and the latest: an intricate maze, symbolizing the Battle of the Labyrinth, as the campers had started to call it. I wondered what next year’s bead would be, if I was still around to get it. If the camp survived until next summer.
    I looked at the telephone by my bedside. I thought about calling Rachel Elizabeth Dare. My mom had asked me if there was anyone else I wanted to have over tonight, and I’d thought about Rachel. But I didn’t call. I don’t know why. The idea made me almost as nervous as a door into the Labyrinth.
    I patted my pockets and emptied out my stuff— Riptide, a Kleenex, my apartment key. Then I patted my shirt pocket and felt a small lump. I hadn’t even realized it, but I was wearing the white cotton shirt Calypso had given me on Ogygia. I brought out a little piece of cloth, unwrapped it, and found the clipping of moonlace. It was a tiny sprig, shriveled up after two months, but I could still smell the faint scent of the enchanted garden. It made me sad.
    I remembered Calypso’s last request of me: Plant a garden in Manhattan for me, will you? I opened the window and stepped onto the fire escape.
    My mom kept a planter box out there. In the spring she usually filled it with flowers, but now it was all dirt, waiting for something new. It was a clear night. The moon was full over Eighty-second Street. I planted the dried sprig of moonlace carefully in the dirt and sprinkled a little nectar on it from my camp canteen.
    Nothing happened at first.
    Then, as I watched, a tiny silver plant sprang out of the soil—a baby moonlace, glowing in the warm summer night.
    “Nice plant,” a voice said.
    I jumped. Nico di Angelo was standing on the fire escape right next to me. He’d just appeared there.
    “Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “That’s—that’s okay. I mean . . . what are you doing here?”
    He’d grown about an inch taller over the last couple of months. His hair was a shaggy black mess. He wore a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a new silver ring shaped like a skull. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side.
    “I’ve done some exploring,” he said. “Thought you’d like to know, Daedalus got his punishment.”
    “You saw him?”
    Nico nodded. “Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for eternity, but my father had other ideas. Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It’ll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He’s still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends.”
    “That’s good.”
    Nico tapped at his silver ring. “But that’s not the real reason I’ve come. I’ve found out some things. I want to make you an offer.”
    “What?”
    “The way to beat Luke,” he said. “If I’m right, it’s the only way you’ll stand a chance.”
    I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m listening.”
    Nico glanced inside my room. His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that . . . is that blue birthday cake?”
    He sounded hungry, maybe a little wistful. I wondered if the poor kid had ever had a birthday party, or if he’d ever even been invited to one.
    “Come inside for cake and ice cream,” I said. “It sounds like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

Don't miss the exciting new series The Kane Chronicles , by Rick Riordan

    We only have a few hours, so listen carefully.
    If you’re hearing this story, you’re already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance.
    Go to the school. Find the locker. I won’t tell you which school or which locker, because if you’re the right person, you’ll find it. The combination is 13/32/33. By the time you finish listening, you’ll know what those numbers mean. Just remember the story we’re about to tell you isn’t complete yet. How it ends will depend on you.
    The most important thing: when you open the package and find what’s inside, don’t keep it longer than a week. Sure, it’ll be tempting. I mean, it will grant you almost unlimited power. But if you possess it too long, it will consume you. Learn its secrets quickly and pass it on. Hide it for the next person, the way Sadie and I did for you. Then be prepared for your life to get very interesting.
    Okay, Sadie is telling me to stop stalling and get on with the story. Fine. I guess it started