Battle of the LabyrinthIn book 4, Percy Jackson (son of Poseidon) kicks off a new school year by battling the cheerleading squad, who turn out to be empousai (servants of Hecate). This time, he gets some help from an old friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a mortal who can see through the Mist.

After his disastrous freshman orientation, Percy and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) return to Camp Half Blood to prepare for the impending war against the Titan lord Kronos and his allies. Percy finds two new faces at camp, Quintus (the new sword instructor) and Mrs. O’Leary (his hellhound pet). The Council of Cloven Elders decides that Grover, Percy’s best friend (also a satyr), has one week to find the god Pan or they will revoke his searcher’s license. And Percy reunites with his cyclops brother, Tyson.

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The story takes a turn when Percy and Annabeth discover an entrance into the Labyrinth (the massive underground maze created by Daedalus) in the center of Camp Half Blood. They come to believe that Kronos’ army (led by former camper Luke) will try to infiltrate the camp through the Labyrinth.

Annabeth (an expert in architecture–magical and nonmagical) gets her first quest: to go into the heart of the Labyrinth and take Ariadne’s string from Daedalus’ workshop before Luke and his cronies can find it. The next day, Annabeth, Percy, Tyson and Grover set off on a perilous quest underground, but not before Percy gets a strange Iris message. In the message, he sees Nico (son of Hades) raise the dead to find a way to get his sister back (his sister died to save Percy in book 3). Nico learns that he can exchange a soul for a soul, and Percy is certain that Nico plans to kill him and exhange his soul for that of his sister.

***SPOILERS***

Once in the Labyrinth, Percy and his friends must overcome Janus (the two-faced god of choices), Kampe (an ancient monster with a belt of living animals), flesh-eating horses, a squinx, a classroom of telekhines (sea demons), two dracaenae (snake women), a few giants and a whole lot more.

In between battles, they meet a few friendly faces, like Briares (one of the ancient Hundred-Handed Ones) and Calypso (a beautiful girl forced to live alone on an island because of her father’s transgressions). Grover finds the god Pan, but not in the way he had hoped. And Nico realizes that he must put aside his anger and work with Percy to fight the Titans.

The crew finds Daedalus’ workshop, but learns that Daedalus (who turns out to be someone they know) has already given Ariadne’s string to Luke. On the way back to camp, Percy takes a detour and discovers a horrible truth about Luke’s connection to Kronos. The Titan lord has been ressurected in Luke’s body, and the scythe (his weapon that can sever the soul from the body) has been reforged.

***SPOILERS***

With the help of Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Percy barely escapes Kronos. As soon as they can, Percy, Grover, Annabeth, Tyson and Nico return to Camp Half Blood to prepare for the imminent battle against the Titans. The campers are ready to fight, but their numbers are too few to go up against Kronos’ massive army. An onslaught of monsters rips through the camp. This battle is like nothing Percy has ever experienced before. Campers die. Things look grim, until they get a little help from two reluctant fighters: Briares, the Hundred-Handed One, and Grover. Briares destroys Kampe in a shower of stones, and Grover unleashes the sound of pure panic (a gift given to him by Pan), which causes the monsters to flee. Daedalus also returns and sacrifices himself to destroy the Labyrinth and close up the entrance into Camp Half Blood.

After the battle, Dionysus (former head of Camp Half Blood) returns, and, in a rare kind act, convinces the Council of Cloven Elders that the god Pan really is dead and Grover should not be exiled. Grover finds a new calling (and grows up a lot). He sets out to convince his fellow satyrs that it is up to them to rebuild the wild places.

With Kronos’ army momentarily at bay, Percy still has to deal with his personal turmoil. After everything that happened with Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Luke, his relationship with Annabeth has never been more complicated. They barely talk for the rest of the summer, and part without resolving their issues.

Percy goes home where his mom and her boyfriend, Paul Blofis, celebrate his fifteenth birthday. Percy can’t help but worry about the prophecy he received years ago stating that he would either save or destroy the world on his sixteenth birthday. His thoughts are interrupted when a surprise guest pops in, Percy’s father, Poseidon. Percy tells his father everything that happened, and Poseidon tells Percy about the old sea gods who are threatening his underwater realm. Poseidon gives Percy a sand dollar, which he says will come in handy later.

The books ends when Nico shows up at Percy’s place and offers to tell him how to beat Luke. Of course, if readers want to know exactly what Nico means, they’ll have to stick around for book 5!

Once again, Riordan’s fast-paced action, relatable characters and ingenius melding of Greek mythology and contemporary fiction make this book a great pick for reluctant readers (or ANY readers!). Book 4 may just be the best yet. It introduces interesting new characters and adds new dimensions to a few old characters. The Grover and Pan storyline finishes up a subplot started in book one, and inspires readers to bring back the wild places in their own neighborhoods. Overall, an awesome ride. If you haven’t read any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books yet, now is the time.

DweebMeter: 4.5/5

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