Rick Riordan The Battle of the Labyrinth - 04
I stood at the top of a stone tower , overlooking rocky cliffs and the ocean below . The old man Daedalus was hunched over a worktable , wrestling with some kind of navigational instrument , like a huge compass . He looked years older than when I ’ d last seen him . He was stooped and his hands were gnarled . He cursed in Ancient Greek and squinted as if he couldn ’ t see his work , even though it was a sunny day . “ Uncle !” a voice called . A smiling boy about Nico ’ s age came bounding up the steps , carrying a wooden box . “ Hello , Perdix ,” the old man said , though his tone sounded cold . “ Done with your projects already ?” “ Yes , Uncle . They were easy !” Daedalus scowled . “ Easy ? The problem of moving water uphill without a pump was easy ?” “ Oh , yes ! Look !” The boy dumped his box and rummaged through the junk . He came up with a strip of papyrus and showed the old inventor some diagrams and notes . They didn ’ t make any sense to me , but Daedalus nodded grudgingly . “ I see . Not bad .” “ The king loved it !” Perdix said . “ He said I might be even smarter than you !” “ Did he now ?” “ But I don ’ t believe that . I ’ m so glad Mother sent me to study with you ! I want to know everything you do .” “ Yes ,” Daedalus muttered . “ So when I die , you can take my place , eh ?” The boys ’ eyes widened . “ Oh no , Uncle ! But I ’ ve been thinking … why does a man have to die , anyway ?” The inventor scowled . “ It is the way of things , lad . Everything dies but the gods .” “ But why ?” the boy insisted . “ If you could capture the animus , the soul in another form … well , you ’ ve told me about your automatons , Uncle . Bulls , eagles , dragons , horses of bronze . Why not a bronze form for a man ?” “ No , my boy ,” Daedalus said sharply . “ You are naïve . Such a thing is impossible .” “ I don ’ t think so ,” Perdix insisted . “ With the use of a little magic —” “ Magic ? Bah !” “ Yes , Uncle ! Magic and mechanics together — with a little work , one could make a body that would look exactly human , only better . I ’ ve made some notes .”
He handed the old man a thick scroll . Daedalus unfurled it . He read for a long time . His eyes narrowed . He glanced at the boy , then closed the scroll and cleared his throat . “ It would never work , my boy . When you ’ re older , you ’ ll see .” “ Can I fix that astrolabe , then , Uncle ? Are your joints swelling up again ?” The old man ’ s jaw clenched . “ No . Thank you . Now why don ’ t you run along ?” Perdix didn ’ t seem to notice the old man ’ s anger . He snatched a bronze beetle from his mound of stuff and ran to the edge of the tower . A low sill ringed the rim , coming just up to the boy ’ s knees . The wind was strong . Move back , I wanted to tell him . But my voice didn ’ t work . Perdix wound up the beetle and tossed it into the sky . It spread its wings and hummed away .
Perdix laughed with delight . “ Smarter than me ,” Daedalus mumbled , too soft for the boy to hear . “ Is it true that your son died flying , Uncle ? I heard you made him enormous wings , but they failed .” Daedalus ’ s hands clenched . “ Take my place ,” he muttered . The wind whipped around the boy , tugging at his clothes , making his hair ripple . “ I would like to fly ,” Perdix said . “ I ’ d make my own wings that wouldn ’ t fail . Do you think I could ?”
Maybe it was a dream within my dream , but suddenly I imagined the two-headed god Janus shimmering in the air next to Daedalus , smiling as he tossed a silver key from hand to hand . Choose , he whispered to the old inventor . Choose .
Daedalus picked up another one of the boy ’ s metal bags . The inventor ’ s old eyes were red with anger .
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