The Battle of the Labyrinth facts for kids
The front cover of the first U.S. edition.
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Series | Percy Jackson & the Olympians (bk 4) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek mythology, young-adult novel |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books for Children |
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Publication date
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6 May 2008 (US) 3 July 2008 (UK) |
| Media type | Print (hardback), audiobook |
| Pages | 361 |
| ISBN | 9781423101468 |
| OCLC | 180753884 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R4829 Bat 2008 |
| Preceded by | The Titan's Curse |
| Followed by | The Last Olympian |
The Battle of the Labyrinth is an exciting fantasy-adventure novel by Rick Riordan. It's the fourth book in his popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, which is all about Greek mythology. This book first came out in the United States on May 6, 2008. It's available as a hardcover book, an audiobook you can listen to, and an ebook. People all over the world love it, and it has been translated into 29 different languages!
The story follows Percy Jackson, a 15-year-old demigod. He's the son of a human mother and Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Percy and his friends – Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, Rachel Dare, and Tyson – must stop Luke Castellan. Luke and his army want to invade Camp Half-Blood using Daedalus's tricky labyrinth. The friends try to keep a special item called Ariadne's string out of Luke's hands.
The Battle of the Labyrinth got many good reviews. Critics liked its story, funny parts, and exciting action. The book was a bestseller on Amazon's Children's list and Publishers Weekly's list. It was also a runner-up for the 2010 Indian Paintbrush Book Award.
Contents
The Story of the Labyrinth Battle
Starting a New School Year
The story begins with Percy Jackson at freshman orientation for Goode High School. There, he meets Rachel Elizabeth Dare again. Rachel is a normal human, but she can see through the magical "Mist." She helps Percy fight two scary monsters called empousai and escape.
Percy then travels to Camp Half-Blood. He learns that his friend Grover is in trouble. The List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Council of Cloven Elders are upset because Grover hasn't found the lost god Pan.
Entering the Maze
A new sword instructor named List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Quintus organizes a competition. During this event, Annabeth and Percy accidentally find an entrance to the Labyrinth. This maze could be a way for Luke to invade Camp Half-Blood.
Annabeth is chosen to lead a quest. Her mission is to find Daedalus, the inventor of the Labyrinth. She needs to convince him not to give Luke Ariadne's string, which would help Luke navigate the maze. Annabeth picks Grover, Percy, and List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Tyson to join her.
Before they leave, Percy finds out something surprising. Nico plans to bring back his dead sister. He wants to do this with help from King Minos. Nico plans to trade her soul for someone who has cheated death, like Percy.
Adventures in the Labyrinth
Inside the maze, the questers face many challenges. They meet Briares, the Sphinx, and Janus. They eventually arrive at Geryon's ranch and meet Nico. They then seek out List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths.
After talking to Hephaestus, the group splits up. Tyson and Grover go to search for Pan. Annabeth and Percy head to Hephaestus's forge inside the volcano Mount St. Helens.
Percy's Island Escape
In the forge, Percy is almost killed by Kronos's smiths, called telkhines. He escapes by causing an earthquake that shoots him out of the volcano. When Percy wakes up, he is on the island Ogygia. He meets List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Calypso, a daughter of the Titan List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Atlas.
Calypso tells Percy she is cursed to fall in love with every hero who lands on her island. But the hero can never stay. After Hephaestus tells him about events in the human world, Percy realizes he must leave too.
Finding Daedalus
Back at Camp Half-Blood, Percy and Annabeth go to Manhattan. They need to find Rachel, who can help them navigate the Labyrinth. Luke's followers capture them, but they eventually reach Daedalus's workshop.
They learn that Quintus, the new sword instructor, is actually Daedalus himself! He is living as a automaton, a kind of robot. Daedalus tells them he already helped Luke because he thought Camp Half-Blood couldn't win against the Titans.
Luke discovers the group. He tells them that Minos has been planning to trade Daedalus's soul for his own. The four teenagers fight to escape. Daedalus, feeling betrayed, stays in the maze with his hellhound, List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Mrs. O'Leary.
The Final Battle
The group later finds the Titan fortress at Mount Othrys. They learn that Luke has been taken over by Kronos. They meet up with Grover and Tyson. Together, they discover the resting place of Pan. Pan speaks to them and passes part of his fading spirit into each of them.
The group, except Rachel, heads back to Camp Half-Blood to fight. The Titan army pours out of the Labyrinth. It looks like they are winning until Daedalus arrives with Mrs. O’Leary and Briares. Briares kills a monster named Kampê. Grover then scares off the remaining Titan forces by causing a Panic.
After the battle, Nico helps Daedalus pass on, which destroys the Labyrinth. After a memorial service for the campers who died, Percy leaves camp for the school year. On his fifteenth birthday at the end of summer, Percy gets a visit from his father List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan#Poseidon. Poseidon gives him a sand dollar and tells him to "spend it wisely." Nico later appears to tell Percy his plan to defeat Luke for good.
Main Characters
- Percy Jackson is the 15-year-old son of Poseidon. He tells the story and joins Annabeth's quest into the Labyrinth.
- Annabeth Chase is the 15-year-old daughter of Athena. She is one of Percy's closest friends and leads the quest to navigate the Labyrinth. She has mixed feelings for Percy and Luke.
- Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a human who can see through the Mist. Her father is a rich businessman. Percy first met her at the Hoover Dam in The Titan's Curse.
- Grover Underwood is a satyr and Percy's best friend. He dreams of finding Pan, the lost god of the Wild. Grover, Tyson, Percy, Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel find Pan inside Carlsbad Caverns. Pan gives them wisdom and then passes away.
- Tyson is Percy's cyclops half-brother. He now works for his father, Poseidon, in the Cyclopes' forge under the ocean. Tyson enjoys making things and giving nicknames to mythical creatures. He joins Percy and his friends in the Labyrinth.
- Nico di Angelo is an 11-year-old son of Hades. He is upset that his sister Bianca died. He tries to trade Daedalus's soul for Bianca's. He has a sword made of Stygian iron.
- Luke Castellan is a 22-year-old son of Hermes. He is a traitor to the gods. His body becomes taken over by the spirit of Kronos.
- Daedalus/Quintus created the Labyrinth. He is the son of Athena. He made five robot bodies to avoid dying. He becomes the new swordsman at Camp Half-Blood as Quintus to see if the camp is worth saving. He has a hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary. After he dies, he is assigned to build roads and bridges in the Underworld. He gives Annabeth a laptop with all his unfinished work and ideas.
Next Book
The next book after The Battle of the Labyrinth is called The Last Olympian. It was released on May 5, 2009. It is the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The Last Olympian was the number one book on the USA Today bestseller list.
See also
In Spanish: La batalla del laberinto para niños
