"This was before we went into the Labyrinth, before ..." She faltered, but I

knew what she meant: before be turned into Kronos. "He came under a flag of

truce. He said he only wanted five minutes to talk. He looked scared, Percy. He

told me Kronos was going to use him to take over the world. He said he wanted to

run away, like the old days. He wanted me to come with him."

 

"But you didn't trust him."

 

"Of course not. I thought it was a trick. Plus . . . well, a lot of things had

changed since the old days. I told Luke there was no way. He got mad. He said

... he said I might as well fight him right there, because it was the last

chance I'd get."

 

Her forehead broke out in sweat again. The story was taking too much of her

energy.

 

"It's okay," I said. "Try to get some rest."

 

"You don't understand, Percy. Hermes was right. Maybe if I'd gone with him, I

could've changed his mind. Or — or I had a knife. Luke was unarmed. I could've —

"

 

'Killed him?" I said. "You know that wouldn't have been right.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Luke said Kronos would use him like a stepping