SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Percy and his friends are on a quest to stop the invasion of Kronos at Camp Half-blood. But to do so they have to enter a labyrinth which has a mind of it's own.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Percy sometimes comes across as annoying. It's not the victim thing but mainly how he treats Rachel at first. He basically wants to avoid her (even though she can see through mist). Instead of being helpful and kind he seems to think she is troublesome. I didn't get that impression from her at all and his treatment of her was such a far stretch from how he treated Tyson, someone who was a lot more troublesome.
Annabeth spends a lot of the book kind of being a jerk. To Percy about Rachel and Luke. And to Rachel, who has done nothing to deserve her wrath. But she still gets special treatment from Riordan, who thinks she is a genius who can do no wrong.
Rachel is a girl that Percy met previously. She can see through the mist and takes it all in stride that monsters are real. She offers to go along with him on his quest without much thought. But eventually realizes how dangerous things are. She is artsy and kind of odd but still likable.
Grover is really passionate, but mostly useless. Nothing changes much. He just seems to luck in succeeding. If he doesn't find Pan soon he will lose his searcher's license.
Nico is still mad Percy and wants to revive his sister. But a part of him still wants to help Percy.
Quintus is a new swordsmanship teacher. I kind of wanted him to be a mentor figure to Percy, but he just wasn't in the story long enough for that to happen.
WHY ANNABETH?
The whole reason Chiron involved Annabeth and gave her this quest is because she likes architecture. No really. She actually points it out to Percy. And then admits all of her maps of the labyrinth actually make no sense. So...she knows no more than anyone else.
It would be like if someone liked trees and read books about them, so they were chosen to go on a quest in the woods. It's illogical, and feels like Riordan trying to point out how special the main characters are. Annabeth likes architecture so she is special. Grover really, really wants to find Pan. So he is special too.
CALYPSO
Percy gets separated from Annabeth and wakes up on an island. He is injured, and taken care of by a charming girl named Calypso. Although it's a short time, they end up developing feelings for one another. Turns out she is being punished for siding with her family of titans against the gods in the last war. She offers Percy the chance to stay with her. She even points out he could escape the prophecy (that may damn him).
Basically, he could do just like Thalia did. Only she was smart and good because of what she did and Percy would be cowardly. Why does Thalia get to escape but not him?
Also, there wasn't any real chance of Percy staying, as the story would end here. So I didn't think it was necessary to go on about it. I suppose Riordan just wanted to remind us that Percy was a really good person.
Although on the positive side, Calypso does offer some insight, as she asks Percy if he sides with the gods because they are good, or because they are family. He has no real answer, as he knows most of the gods are selfish and don't care about humans.
RECKLESS ANNABETH
There is a scene in the maze where the kids meet a sphinx. But instead of asking riddles, she asks Annabeth a bunch of questions that can be answered factually. Annabeth is doing great on this, and for once it seems like they are catching a break. But she gets furious at the sphinx for not making things harder. So of course, it attacks and almost kills everyone.
This is not only a stupid thing to do, but dangerous as well. But no one cares apparently. There is a slight complaint from Percy when she complains, but then they just forget about it. If this had been Clarisse, everyone would have been furious, and her stupidity would have been proclaimed for all to see. It's just ridiculous that she could get away with such behavior.
HERA'S ANSWER
Annabeth gets to ask Hera a question, so she asks how to navigate the maze. But Hera says the answer is already provided. Percy finally figures it out, but when he reveals this to Annabeth, instead of being grateful she is angry and convinced he is wrong. She belittles Rachel because she is a mortal. Again, she shows arrogance and is as emotional as a daughter of Ares. It becomes harder and harder to understand why anyone likes her.
THE CONCLUSION OF PAN-SPOILERS
Turns out Pan is fading, and that the gods can fade away if everything they stand for is destroyed. Since the modern age forests have been destroyed, I guess that's why Pan is finally dying. There is no solution on how to get back all that was lost in the modern age.
He says Percy and his friends have to take his place now. But what are they supposed to do? Go back before the industrial revolution? Get rid of electricity, running water and cars? Live like a third world country? Nothing is actually explained.
But it's odd that a god could die at all, since we were told previously that it wasn't the case. After all, even monsters just get reborn over and over again.
NICO & BIANCA
Nico finally gets to talk to Bianca. She tells him he can't hold grudges, because it's his fatal flaw (again, spelling it out for you). And does point out the truth that he should be mad at her, and not Percy. Because she is the one who became a hunter, left him, and then died. She explains that he can't blame Percy for her choices. And she is sorry for what she did.
All of that is perfectly fine. But what isn't is what is left out: the reasoning to why Bianca made all of these bad decisions. I expect a heartfelt apology for all her decisions, but instead it was more like, “I'm sorry about everything, now don't be mad.”
She briefly explained to Percy in the last book why she left him, but she never bothers to tell Nico anything at all. So unfortunately, Bianca remains a two dimensional character who still comes off as selfish.
SECOND HAND BIANCA-SPOILERS
Percy gets a late nice Iris call from a stranger. He learns what Nico is up to, trying to bring his sister back from the dead. Turns out that the dead can contact the living somehow (this is never really explained) and it was Bianca who called him. She is worried about her brother.
That's good, as it could have helped develop her character. But since we never see her face to face until her scene with Nico, we just have to assume she loves him. I wish there had been a separate scene with Percy, where she fully expressed her anguish.
CLIMAX
Eventually they escape the labyrinth, having found Daedalus. They return to camp to defend it from an evasion. Quentus and Nico both show up to help and they win. Percy realizes he is distant from Annabeth and he thinks it's because of Calypso (whom he barely knew and never discussed with her) and Rachel (who was really brave, useful and definitely earned Percy's respect if not his friendship). And of course, Annabeth is never held responsible for her own actions, basically her unproven assumptions and her temper. She pushes Percy away, and he doesn't know how to react.
CONCLUSION
Just like the previous books, the story has decent pacing and isn't that bad. But there are the usual plot points that make no sense (like Annabeth being chosen to get involved with the labyrinth because she likes architecture). And unlike the last few books, Percy has gotten less likable while Annabeth has become unbearable. And the attempt to tie up Nico and Bianca's relationship failed miserably. I give “The Battle of the Labyrinth” two stars.
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