The Battle of the Labyrinth

As they travel through the Labyrinth, Rachel can see a faint light on the ground that guides her. Rachel and Annabeth make awkward small talk about Rachel’s family, until Kelli and other monsters suddenly capture the group. The monsters take them to Antaeus’s arena where he plans to use them for entertainment. Monsters, half-bloods, and huge piles of skulls fill the arena, as a giant and a centaur fight in the ring. Luke, looking pleased, watches alongside Antaeus (a half-giant). When Antaeus gives the thumbs down signal, the giant kills the centaur. Luke trades Percy for safe passage through the arena, which forces Percy to fight.

Percy quickly kills a dracaena in the first round. In the second round, he fights a half-blood, Ethan Nakamura (son of Nemesis), who wants to prove himself to Luke. Percy bests Ethan, but spares him when Antaeus gives the kill signal. Next, Percy challenges Antaeus, who promises to let Percy’s friends go free if Percy wins. On the ground, the earth heals Antaeus because he is a son of Gaea, so Percy tricks Antaeus into climbing into the ceiling chains where Percy traps him and stabs him to death. Luke doesn’t honor the agreement to let Percy go free but wants to spare Annabeth, so Percy uses Quintus’s whistle to call Mrs. O’Leary, who causes a distraction so the group and Ethan Nakamura can run away.

Following Rachel’s lead, the group easily avoids traps as they run away. When they set up camp, Percy receives a dream from Kronos as thanks for saving Ethan. The dream shows Grover and Tyson running from a snake monster. The dream cuts off as the monster strangles Tyson. Percy wakes to an earthquake. The group runs from the collapsing room right to the door of Daedalus’s workshop.

The workshop overlooks Colorado Springs and looks like a modern studio. Quintus is there—he is actually an automaton for Daedalus’s soul. He has been hiding in the Labyrinth for thousands of years but can’t control the maze anymore. Daedalus gave Luke Ariadne’s String, agreeing to work with Kronos in exchange for getting to see Icarus and Perdix again without interference from Minos.

Minos and Kelli enter the workshop to capture Daedalus, dragging Nico in chains. Minos tricked Nico into returning to the maze but sold him out to Kronos—he’s only been pretending to help Nico revive Bianca; instead, Minos wants to use the information Nico gathered to bring himself back to life by exchanging Daedalus’s soul, now that Kronos no longer has a use for Daedalus. They fight, and Daedalus helps the half-bloods. Minos summons spirits to start the soul exchange, but Nico banishes Minos to the Underworld for good. The demigods strap themselves into some updated metal wings and fly out of the workshop, leaving Daedalus and Mrs. O’Leary behind to fight the remaining monsters.