Stephenson:Neal:Quicksilver:460:that bloke in the myth (Jeremy Bornstein)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

This is a reference to Theseus, who trailed a thread out behind him as he explored the Labyrinth of Crete. Don't be too impressed with Theseus though, it was Daedalus' idea, who passed it to Ariadne (hence the popular reference to "Ariadne's thread"). Daedalus, among other things, was the architect of the Labyrinth.