WE MEET THE GOD WITH TWO FACES

We made it a hundred feet before we were hopelessly lost.

The tunnel looked nothing like the one Annabeth and I had stumbled into

before. Now it was round like a sewer, constructed of red brick with ironbarred portholes ever ten feet. I shined a light through one of the portholes

out of curiosity, but I couldn't see anything. It opened into infinite darkness.

I thought I heard voices on the other side, but it may have been just the cold

wind.

Annabeth tried her best to guide us. She had this idea that we should stick

to the left wall.

"If we keep one hand on the left wall and follow it," she said, "we should

be able to find our way out again by reversing course."

Unfortunately, as soon as she said that, the left wall disappeared. We

found ourselves in the middle of a circular chamber with eight tunnels

leading out, and no idea how we'd gotten there.

"Um, which way did we come in?" Grover said nervously.

"Just turn around," Annabeth said.

We each turned toward a different tunnel. It was ridiculous. None of us

could decide which way led back to camp.

"Left walls are mean," Tyson said. "Which way now?"

Annabeth swept her flashlight beam over the archways of the eight

tunnels. As far as I could tell, they were identical. "That way," she said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Deductive reasoning."

"So…you're guessing."

"Just come on," she said.

The tunnel she'd chosen narrowed quickly. The walls turned to gray

cement, and the ceiling got so low that pretty soon we were hunching over.

Tyson was forced to crawl.

Grover's hyperventilating was the loudest noise in the maze. "I can't

stand it anymore," he whispered. "Are we there yet?"

"We've been down here maybe five minutes," Annabeth told him.

"It's been longer than that," Grover insisted. "And why would Pan be

down here? This is the opposite of the wild!"

We kept shuffling forward. Just when I was sure the tunnel would get so

narrow it would squish us, it opened into a huge room. I shined my light

around the walls and said, "Whoa."

The whole room was covered in mosaic tiles. The pictures were grimy

and faded, but I could still make out the colors—red, blue, green, gold. The

frieze showed the Olympian gods at a feast. There was my dad, Poseidon,

with his trident, holding out grapes for Dionysus to turn into wine. Zeus was

partying with satyrs, and Hermes was flying through the air on his winged

sandals. The pictures were beautiful, but they weren't very accurate. I'd seen

the gods. Dionysus was not that handsome, and Hermes's nose wasn't that

big.

In the middle of the room was a three-tiered fountain. It looked like it

hadn't held water in a long time.

"What is this place?" I muttered. "It looks—"

"Roman," Annabeth said. "Those mosaics area bout two thousand years

old."

"But how can they be Roman?" I wasn't that great on ancient history, but

I was pretty sure the Roman Empire never made it as far as Long Island.

"The Labyrinth is a patchwork," Annabeth said. "I told you, it's always

expanding, adding pieces. It's the only work of architecture that grows by

itself."

"You make it sound like it's alive."

A groaning noise echoed from the tunnel in front of us.

"Let's not talk about it being alive," Grover whimpered. "Please?"

"All right," Annabeth said. "Forward."

"Down the hall with the bad sounds?" Tyson said. Even he looked

nervous.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "The architecture is getting older. That's a good

sign. Daedalus's workshop would be in the oldest part."

That made sense. But soon the maze was toying with us—we went fifty

feet and the tunnel turned back to cement, with brass pipes running down the

sides. The walls were spray-painted with graffiti. A neon tagger sign read

MOZ RULZ.

"I'm thinking this is not Roman," I said helpfully.

Annabeth took a deep breath, then forged ahead.

Every few feet the tunnels twisted and turned and branched off. The floor

beneath us changed from cement to mud to bricks and back again. There was

no sense to any of it. We stumbled into a wince cellar—a bunch of dusty

bottles in wooden racks—like we were walking through somebody's

basement, only there was no exit above us, just more tunnels leading on.

Later the ceiling turned to wooden planks, and I could hear voices above

us and the creaking of footsteps, as if we were walking under some kind of

bar. It was reassuring to hear people, but then again, we couldn't get to them.

We were stuck down here with no way out. Then we found our first skeleton.

He was dressed in white clothes, like some kind of uniform. A wooden

crate of glass bottles sat next to him.

"A milkman," Annabeth said.

"What?" I asked.

"They used to deliver milk."

"Yeah, I know what they are, but…that was when my mom was little, like

a million years ago. What's he doing here?"

"Some people wander in by mistake," Annabeth said. "Some come

exploring on purpose and never make it back. A long time ago, the Cretans

sent people in here as human sacrifices."

Grover gulped. "He's been down here a long time." He pointed to the

skeleton's bottles, which were coated with white dust. The skeleton's fingers

were clawing at the brick wall, like he had died trying to get out.

"Only bones," Tyson said. "Don't worry, goat boy. The milkman is dead."

"The milkman doesn't bother me," Grover said. "It's the smell. Monsters.

Can't you smell it?"

Tyson nodded. "Lots of monsters. But underground smells like that.

Monsters and dead milk people."

"Oh, good," Grover whimpered. "I thought maybe I was wrong."

"We have to get deeper into the maze," Annabeth said. "There has to be a

way to the center."

She led us to the right, then the left, through a corridor of stainless steel

like some kind of air shaft, and we arrived back in the Roman tile room with

the fountain.

This time, we weren't alone.

* * *

What I noticed first were his faces. Both of them. They jutted out from

either side of his head, staring over his shoulders, so his head was much

wider than it should've been, kind of like a hammerhead shark's looking

straight at him, all I saw were two overlapping ears and mirror-image

sideburns.

He was dressed like a New York City doorman: a long black overcoat,

shiny shoes, and a black top-hat that somehow managed to stay on his

double-wide head.

"Well, Annabeth?" said his left face. "Hurry up!"

"Don't mind him," said the right face. "He's terribly rude. Right this way,

miss."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "Uh…I don't…"

Tyson frowned. "That funny man has two faces."

"The funny man has ears, you know!" the left face scolded. "Now come

along, miss."

"No, no," the right face said. "This way, miss. Talk to me, please."

The two-faced man regarded Annabeth as best he could out of the corners

of his eyes. It was impossible to look at him straight on without focusing on

one side or the other. And suddenly I realized that's what he was asking—he

wanted Annabeth to choose.

Behind him were two exits, blocked by wooden doors with huge iron

locks. They hadn't been there our first time through the room. The two-faced

doorman held a silver key, which he kept passing from his left hand to his

right hand. I wondered if this was a different room completely, but the frieze

of the gods looked exactly the same.

Behind us, the doorway we'd come through had disappeared, replaced by

more mosaics. We wouldn't be going back the way we came.

"The exits are closed," Annabeth said.

"Duh!" the man's left face said.

"Where do they lead?" she asked.

"One probably leads the way you wish to go," the right face said

encouragingly. "The other leads to certain death."

"I—I know who you are," Annabeth said.

"Oh, you're a smart one!" The left face sneered. "But do you know which

way to choose? I don't have all day."

"Why are you trying to confuse me?" Annabeth asked.

The right face smiled. "You're in charge now, my dear. All the decisions

are on your shoulders. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I—"

"We know you, Annabeth," the left face said. "We know what you

wrestle with every day. We know your indecision. You will have to make

your choice sooner or later. And the choice may kill you."

I didn't know what they were talking about, but it sounded like it was

about more than a choice between doors.

The color drained out of Annabeth's face. "No…I don't—"

"Leave her alone," I said. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm your best friend," the right face said.

"I'm your worst enemy," the left face said.

"I'm Janus," both faces said in harmony. "God of Doorways. Beginnings.

Endings. Choices."

"I'll see you soon enough, Perseus Jackson," said the right face. "But for

now it's Annabeth's turn." He laughed giddily. "Such fun!"

"Shut up!" his left face said. "This is serious. One bad choice can ruin

your whole life. It can kill you and all of your friends. But no pressure,

Annabeth. Choose!"

With a sudden chill, I remembered the words of the prophecy: the child of

Athena's final stand.

"Don't do it," I said.

"I'm afraid she has to," the right face said cheerfully.

Annabeth moistened her lips. "I—I chose—"

Before she could point to a door, a brilliant light flooded the room.

Janus raised his hands to either side of his head to cover his eyes. When

the light died, a woman was standing at the fountain.

She was tall and graceful with long hair the color of chocolate, braided in

plaits with gold ribbons. She wore a simple white dress, but when she moved,

the fabric shimmered with colors like oil on water.

"Janus," she said, "are we causing trouble again?"

"N-no, milady!" Janus's right face stammered.

"Yes!" the left face said.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked.

"Not you, milady! I was talking to myself."

"I see," the lady said. "You know very well your visit is premature. The

girl's time has not yet come. So I give you a choice: leave these heroes to me,

or I shall turn you into a door and break you down."

"What kind of door?" the left face asked.

"Shut up!" the right face said.

"Because French doors are nice," the left face mused. "Lots of natural

light."

"Shut up!" the right face wailed. "Not you, milady! Of course I'll leave. I

was just having a bit of fun. Doing my job. Offering choices."

"Causing indecision," the woman corrected. "Now be gone!"

The left face muttered, "Party power," then he raised his silver key,

inserted it into the air, and disappeared.

The woman turned toward us, and fear closed around my heart. Her eyes

shined with power. Leave these heroes to me. That didn't sound good. For a

second, I almost wished we could've taken our chances with Janus. But then

the woman smiled.

"You must be hungry," she said. "Sit with me and talk."

She waved her hand, and the old Roman fountain began to flow. Jets of

clear water sprayed into the air. A marble table appeared, laden with platters

of sandwiches and pitchers of lemonade.

"Who…who are you?" I asked.

"I am Hera." The woman smiled. "Queen of Heaven."

* * *

I'd seen Hera once before at a Council of the Gods, but I hadn't paid

much attention to her. At the time I'd been surrounded by a bunch of other

gods who were debating whether or not to kill me.

I didn't remember her looking so normal. Of course, gods are usually

twenty feet tall when they're on Olympus, so that makes them look a lot less

normal. But now, Hera looked like a regular mom.

She served us sandwiches and poured lemonade.

"Grover, dear," she said, "use your napkin. Don't eat it."

"Yes, ma'am," Grover said.

"Tyson, you're wasting away. Would you like another peanut butter

sandwich?"

Tyson stifled a belch. "Yes, nice lady."

"Queen Hera," Annabeth said. "I can't believe it. What are you doing in

the Labyrinth?"

Hera smiled. She flicked one finger and Annabeth's hair combed itself.

All the dirt and grime disappeared from her face.

"I came to see you, naturally," the goddess said.

Grover and I exchanged nervous looks. Usually when the gods come

looking for you, it's not out of the goodness of their hearts. It's because they

want something.

Still, that didn't keep me from chowing down on turkey-and-Swiss

sandwiches and chips and lemonade. I hadn't realized how hungry I was.

Tyson was inhaling one peanut butter sandwich after another, and Grover

was loving the lemonade, crunching the Styrofoam cup like an ice-cream

cone.

"I didn't think—" Annabeth faltered. "Well, I didn't think you liked

heroes."

Hera smiled indulgently. "Because of that little spat I had with Hercules?

Honestly, I got so much bad press because of one disagreement."

"Didn't you try to kill him, like, a lot of times?" Annabeth asked.

Hera waved her hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge, my dear.

Besides, he was one of my loving husband's children by another woman.

My patience wore thin, I'll admit it. But Zeus and I have had some excellent

marriage counseling sessions since then. We've aired our feelings and come

to an understanding—especially after that last little incident."

"You mean when he sired Thalia?" I guessed, but immediately wished I

hadn't. As soon as I said the name of our friend, the half-blood daughter of

Zeus, Hera's eyes turned toward me frostily.

"Percy Jackson, isn't it? One of Poseidon's…children." I got the feeling

she was thinking of another word besides children. "As I recall, I voted to let

you live at the winter solstice. I hope I voted correctly."

She turned back to Annabeth with a sunny smile. "At any rate, I certainly

bear you no ill will, my girl. I appreciate the difficulty of your quest.

Especially when you have troublemakers like Janus to deal with."

Annabeth lowered her gaze. "Why was he here? He was driving me

crazy."

"Trying to," Hera agreed. "You must understand, the minor gods like

Janus have always been frustrated by the small parts they play in the

universe. Some, I fear, have little love for Olympus, and could easily be

swayed to support the rise of my father."

"Your father?" I said. "Oh, right."

I'd forgotten that Kronos was Hera's dad, too, along with being the father

to Zeus, Poseidon, and all the eldest Olympians. I guess that made Kronos

my grandfather, but that thought was so weird I put it out of my mind.

"We must watch the minor gods," Hera said. "Janus. Hecate. Morpheus.

They give lip service to Olympus, and yet—"

"That's where Dionysus went," I remembered. "He was checking on the

minor gods."

"Indeed." Hera stared at the fading mosaics of the Olympians. "You see,

in times of trouble, even gods can lose faith. They start putting their trust in

the wrong things. They stop looking at the big picture and start being selfish.

But I'm the goddess of marriage, you see. I'm used to perseverance. You

have to rise above the squabbling and chaos, and keep believing. You have

to always keep your goals in mind."

"What are your goals?" Annabeth asked.

She smiled. "To keep my family, the Olympians, together, of course. At

the moment, the best way I can do that is by helping you. Zeus does not

allow me to interfere much, I am afraid. But once every century or so, for a

quest I care deeply about, he allows me to grant a wish."

"A wish?"

"Before you ask it, let me give you some advice, which I can do for free. I

know you see Daedalus. His Labyrinth is as much a mystery to me as it is to

you. But if you want to know his fate, I would visit my son Hephaestus at

his forge. Daedalus was a great inventor, a mortal after Hephaestus's heart.

There has never been a mortal Hephaestus admired more. If anyone would

have kept up with Daedalus and could tell you his fate, it is Hephaestus."

"But how do we get there?" Annabeth asked. "That's my wish. I want a

way to navigate the Labyrinth."

Hera looked disappointed. "So be it. You wish for something, however,

that you have already been given."

"I don't understand."

"The means is already within your grasp." She looked at me. "Percy

knows the answer."

"I do?"

"But that's not fair," Annabeth said. "You're not telling me what it is!"

Hera shook her head. "Getting something and having the wits to use

it…those are two different things. I'm sure your mother Athena would

agree."

The room rumbled like distant thunder. Hera stood. "That would be my

cue. Zeus grows impatient. Think on what I have said, Annabeth. Seek out

Hephaestus. You will have to pass through the ranch, I imagine. But keep

going. And use all the means at your disposal, however common they may

seem."

She pointed toward the two doors and they melted away, revealing twin

corridors, open and dark. "One last thing, Annabeth. I have postponed your

day of choice, I have not prevented it. Soon, as Janus said, you will have to

make a decision. Farewell!"

She waved a hand and turned into white smoke. So did the food, just as

Tyson chomped down on a sandwich that turned to mist in his mouth. The

fountain trickled to a stop. The mosaic walls dimmed and turned grungy and

faded again. The room was no longer any place you'd want to have a picnic.

Annabeth stamped her foot. "What sort of help was that? 'Here, have a

sandwich. Make a wish. Oops, I can't help you!' Poof!"

"Poof," Tyson agreed sadly, looking at his empty plate.

"Well," Grover sighed, "she said Percy knows the answer. That's

something."

They all looked at me.

"But I don't," I said. "I don't know what she was talking about."

Annabeth sighed. "All right. Then we'll just keep going."

"Which way?" I asked. I really wanted to ask what Hera had meant—

about the choice Annabeth needed to make. But then Grove and Tyson both

tensed. They stood up together like they'd rehearsed it. "Left," they both

said.

Annabeth frowned. "How can you be sure?"

"Because something is coming from the right," Grover said.

"Something big," Tyson agreed. "In a hurry."

"Left is sounding pretty good," I decided. Together we plunged into the

dark corridor.