The Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson and his friends have returned and this time they will need to prevent war from breaking out between the Gods and the Kronos, who is using a massive maze designed by an ancient Greek inventor. The massive maze has entrances all over the world and rumor has it that Kronos, the great Titan lord, has plans to use it to invade Olympus.

Percy, along with Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, and new ally Rachel Elizabeth Dare, must navigate through the twisty Labyrinth, facing numerous challenges and dangerous creatures, to find Kronos's plan and prevent the imminent war. Along the way, they encounter various Greek mythological beings, including the Sphinx, Hercules, and the Titan, Atlas.

As the group goes deeper into the Labyrinth, they face several personal challenges, including love triangles, parental issues, and internal conflicts. The book also expands on the conflicts between the gods and their children, as the campers at Camp Half-Blood discover they have been unfairly treated by the gods.

In the end, Percy and his friends can prevent Kronos from using the Labyrinth to invade Mount Olympus. Still, they also discover a devastating secret about someone close to them that will have major repercussions in the series.

Riordan continues to blend humor, adventure, and mythology to bring a tale that will keep a reader engaged and eager to read the further adventures of Percy Jackson and his friends.

This story moves at an outrageous clip. It’s difficult to put down.

Nico is a major player in this book, and he begins to come into his own toward the end. The realization that his parentage means he’ll always be lonely is sad, but he seems to start to own it. I’m interested in his story, where he’ll go and what he’s been doing while he’s been on his own during these stories.

Aphrodite’s influence on Percy’s life becomes dramatically clear to everyone except Percy in this book. It’s funny because Percy recognizes some tension within his friendships with Annabeth and Rachel, and he suspects the cause, but like every teenager ever, he has no idea how to handle it.

I love Riordan’s concept of the Labyrinth, the idea that it is essentially a metaphysical maze that can literally take a person anywhere if they can get through the mist. The quest to find Deadalus is well done, and it has a nice pay off in the end.

The story of Pan is heartbreaking, and the intervention of Dionysus in the final chapters is unexpected. Clearly Grover is a leader and he’s grown to be even more that he could have imagined. I look forward to his journey in the next novel.

I’m going to close out this review now and go read the final book. I want to know how the prophecy plays out.

P.S. The actual Battle of the Labyrinth is riveting as well. :)