Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson And The Olympians, #4)

by Rick Riordan

I had a feeling I knew whose soul he wanted to exchange – someone who had cheated death. Vengeance. Nico di Angelo would come looking for me.

Three is a sacred number. There are three Fates, three Furies, three Olympian sons of Kronos.

‘Let the dead taste again,’ he murmured. ‘Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember.’

‘In my day, we used animal blood,’ the ghost mumbled. ‘It’s perfectly good enough. They can’t taste the difference.’ ‘I will treat them with respect,’ Nico said. ‘At least let me keep the toy,’ the ghost said.

Nico had summoned the dead with Coke and cheeseburgers.

‘That way,’ she said. ‘How do you know?’ I asked. ‘Deductive reasoning.’ ‘So … you’re guessing.’

‘Don’t be rude. The Hundred-handed Ones have fifty different faces.’ ‘Must make it hard to get a yearbook picture,’ I said.

‘Quintus …’ Geryon mused. ‘Short grey hair, muscular, swordsman?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Never heard of him,’ Geryon said.

I prayed to Artemis and Apollo, the twin archers, hoping they might take pity on me for once. Please, guys. Just one shot. Please.

The truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. Perfect families. She took one look at me and … well, I don’t fit the image, do I?’

And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me. ‘Be careful, Seaweed Brain.’ She put on her hat and vanished.

You deal with mythological stuff for a few years, you learn that paradises are usually places where you get killed.

Clarisse just rolled her eyes, like she couldn’t believe I’d had the nerve to survive.

He glared down at me, as if warning me that I’d better die in a really spectacular way or I’d be in big trouble.

How could this be a temple for my dad? My dad was a nice guy. He’d never asked me for a Father’s Day card, much less somebody’s skull.

Minos laughed. ‘You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!’ ‘No.’ Nico drew his sword. ‘I am.’

The body in the coffin was Luke’s.

‘I’ve spent my whole life looking for you. Now … I release you.’

‘See you later, Percy Jackson. Go save the world for me, okay?’

Dionysus’s eyes flared with purple fire. ‘I have just learned that my son Castor is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humour me.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Dionysus said. ‘But, unfortunately for you, a god’s vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we are tied.’

‘I was beginning to feel better, so I thought I would talk with you a bit. You always manage to annoy me.’

And you, Percy, are my favourite son.’