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

by Rick Riordan

Then she did something that really surprised me. She blinked back tears and put out her arms. I stepped forward and hugged her.

NICO BUYS HAPPY MEALS FOR THE DEAD

Nico had summoned the dead with Coke and cheeseburgers.

“He killed the water fountain last night,” Tyson confided.

Oh, my dad is the all-powerful evil Titan lord who wants to destroy Western Civilization. I want to be just like him when I grow up!

“Well,” Grover said nervously, “good-bye sunshine.” “Hello rocks,” Tyson agreed.

“Left walls are mean,”

“I’m Janus,” both faces said in harmony. “God of Doorways. Beginnings. Endings. Choices.”

“Percy knows the answer.” “I do?”

“Very powerful,” Tyson said. “Wonderful! As tall as the sky. So strong they could break mountains!” “Cool,” I said. “Unless you’re a mountain.”

“Red cattle,” Annabeth said. “The cattle of the sun.” “What?” I asked. “They’re sacred to Apollo.” “Holy cows?”

“You kill the sacred cows of the sun god for hamburger meat?”

WE PLAY THE GAME SHOW OF DEATH

She was scared of tiny spiders, but not of plummeting to her death from a set of monkey bars. Go figure.

across, I looked back and saw Tyson giving Grover a piggyback ride (or was it a goatyback ride?).

I SET MYSELF ON FIRE

Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.

I probably would’ve sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was, but the sea demons jarred me back to reality.

“Maybe if we push her over,” Annabeth suggested.

“Probably, ‘Hi, Annabeth! Sit here with me and watch while I tear your friends apart. It’ll be fun!’”

“It’s going to eat you!” Grover yelled at Tyson. “How do you know?” “It just told me!

There were a lot of answers I might’ve given, from “I knew that” to “LIAR!” to “Yeah right, and I’m Zeus.”

I nodded, looking at Rachel with respect. “You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush.”

Tyson told Rachel she was pretty, which made Annabeth’s nostrils flare like she was going to blow fire.

“Percy Jackson,” the god said. “I know what you have seen today. I know your doubts. But I give you this news: when the time comes, you will not be ruled by fear.”

She stuck her tongue out at me.

“This might be it,” she said. “Could be.” “Nice fighting with you, Seaweed Brain.” “Ditto.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I am nice! I simply ooze niceness, Perry Johansson. Haven’t you noticed?”

And you, Percy, are my favorite son.”

Nico glanced inside my room. His eyebrows furrowed. “Is that…is that blue birthday cake?”