Annie makes a friend.
Annie is approached by fellow student Kat Donlan and asked if she wants to hang out. They decide to work together on a project about Greek mythology. Upon entering the library, they discover that there's not much about mythology, just a few books aimed at young children. Annie's not impressed, so she and Kat go to the old library, which is just the Spooky Silent Library you could have wished for. In the library, they unexpectedly meet the Minotaur, or, as he prefers to be called, "Basil". He tells them that Theseus was a jerk who crashed his birthday party. Annie and Kat end up getting top marks on their project.
Tropes:
- Aborted Arc: It's confirmed by Word of God that this chapter contains setup for a story he decided against. He even considered taking down the chapter, but for its popularity with fans.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Annie's mother, in the flashback panel, has her hand on Annie's cheek.
- Asleep in Class: The teacher of the mythology class is so dull that most of his class has fallen asleep.
- Bookcase Passage: Kat accidentally discovers that a statue of the Minotaur conceals a secret passageway.
- Flashback Cut: There's a panel showing Annie talking to her mother before her death.
- Foreshadowing: Annie mentions that her mother was bedridden ever since her birth.
- Luck-Based Search Technique: Kat discovers a secret passage when she presses the Minotaur statue's foot while pointing it out to Annie.
- Perspective Flip: Basil the Minotaur is a kind, although easily startled, soul whose birthday party was once ruined by a drunk jerk named Theseus.
- Portal Picture: In the old library, Annie and Kat see several paintings of various locations including a forest and a desert, all with a trail of footsteps beginning at the edge of the frame and leading off into the distance.
- The Reveal: Annie was raised in a hospital, and was sent to the Court after her mother's death.
- Shrouded in Myth: Annie realizes that the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur popularly known was born of the constant retelling and misinterpretation of the simple story described above.
- Some Call Me "Tim": The Minotaur prefers to be called Basil.
- Spooky Silent Library: Double subverted. The Court library initially looks like a typical library, albeit with very little material not on science and technology. The old library, on the other hand, fits the trope perfectly.
