Annabeth Chase and the Battle of the Labyrinth

Chapter 41 - Percy flies like a pigeon

I was getting real sick of the all the girls who seemed to follow Percy around. 

Kelli the fake cheerleader followed in behind Nico, two Laistrygonians flanking her. She smiled with her vampire teeth at us, one of her hands digging tightly into Nico's shoulder. 

Minos came in last, a smirk coming over his face as he swept his gaze over us. He looked almost solid, so much so that I could only just see the wall through him. Mist still coiled around his feet and his eyes were as cold as before. 

He looked almost pleased when he caught sight of Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus clenched his jaw. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked Kelli. 

She smiled back. "Luke sends his compliments. He thought you might like to see your old employer, Minos."

"That was not part of our agreement," Daedalus growled. 

"No indeed. But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honour. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." She ran a finger under Nico's chin, who stiffened. I sensed Percy's anger rising as well, but he didn't do anything stupid. Yet. 

"He'll be quite useful," Kelli continued. "And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man." 

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Get used to it." Kelli smiled. 

"Nico," Percy said. "Are you okay?"

He nodded morosely and didn't even look that angry that Percy had spoken to him. "I - I'm sorry, Percy. Minos told me you were in danger. He convinced me to go back into the maze."

"You were trying to help us?" 

"I was tricked. He tricked all of us."

Percy's face hardened. He glared at Kelli. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?" 

Kelli smiled at Percy, although it looked more like she was thinking what he would taste like than a friendly smile. "Luke is . . . busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't worry. We have more friends on the way. And in the meantime, I think I'll have a wonderful snack!" She burst into her true form, hands becoming like claws, her hair lit on fire and her legs became misshapen, one of them a donkey leg and the other made of bronze. 

"Percy," Rachel whispered, standing behind us as we drew our weapons. "The wings. Do you think -"

"Get them," Percy said quickly. "I'll try buy you some time."

Then all chaos broke loose. The Laistrygonians surged towards Daedalus while Percy and I charged Kelli. She slashed at me, and I managed to deflect but before I could go on the counterattack, she started causing complete destruction. She flipped tables and hurled things at Percy and I, keeping us away from her. Percy lunged, but she dodged him, chucking an easel at him as he tried to recover. A bottle of Greek fire smashed and began to burn, green flames leaping across the destruction. 

Daedalus wasn't faring any better. The Laistrygonians managed to get in between him and the sword he'd placed on the bench, so his only defence was Mrs O'Leary. She was fierce though, chomping down on a giant's arm so hard that he wailed in pain. 

Minos was screaming for someone to 'kill the inventor!' but luckily everyone was too preoccupied to pay him, or Rachel, who was grabbing wings off the wall, any attention. That was until he started to summon the dead. 

"To me!" he cried, raising his arms. "Spirits of the dead!"

"No!" Nico cried, throwing up his own arms. The shackles were gone, but how, I had no idea.