“People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can’t be fixed.”

The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan

This book gave me so much nostalgia. I’m not sure why it hit me harder than the other three, but reading The Battle of the Labyrinth brought me back to being a kid and reading it for the first time. 

It was always my favorite. Maybe because I loved the suspense of the labyrinth itself. Or maybe because I adored Annabeth, and this was her time to shine. I’m not sure, but when I think of the original Percy Jackson series, I think of The Battle of the Labyrinth.

So what stuck out to me on this read through?

Annabeth’s first quest being one that can’t rely on logic. She says it herself; she’s the best person to go into the labyrinth. She’s studied it the most. She’s an architectural wiz. However, when down in the tunnels, the studying doesn’t matter. The labyrinth doesn’t abide by logic. The maze twists her wits. 

It tests her fatal flaw of hubris. Her pride takes a hit. She has to learn to step aside, that she may not be the best one for the job. She had to concede and follow Rachel. It made her rely on others just as much as trusting herself. It builds her character by testing it.

The other thing I kept coming back to was Nico. I just finished The Court of the Dead, and seeing baby Nico threw me through a loop. He was so little, so hurt, so alone. A grieving mess just waiting to be taken advantage of. 

Anyways, I will be sobbing about Nico di Angelo for the next 3-5 business days. In the meantime, here’s all my thoughts while rereading The Battle of the Labyrinth.

• It’s definitely a date and Percy is oblivious.
• Annabeth has caught feels for Percy and is testing the waters. The movie date, getting jealous of Rachel, sitting at his table, grabbing his hand in the labyrinth. She’s trying to see if Percy will make a move, too.
• The labyrinth is so cool. I love how diverse of a location it is. It’s so unsettling with its unpredictability. 
• How is Percy supposed to know Rachel is like a human map? Like is it just supposed to click? Because I’d never make that guess.
• Hmmm why is the dream of Icarus so important? Just to introduce King Minos or to remind Percy to not fly too close to the sun?
• I love the callback to Hercules with the river naiad. Percy learned firsthand the pain Hercules caused from Zoe in the titans curse. He won’t be that hero. He won’t leave a wave of destruction in his path to glory.
• Oh poor baby Nico. He is hurting. Ready to do anything to get his sister back, because that is what will fix everything. 
• I love that Percy and Grover don’t hold each other back even though they’re best friends. Their fates may be intertwined but they are still separate strands. Grover needs to look for Pan and Percy understands that; he won’t interfere. He trusts Grover.
• I love how we see just how powerful Percy is in this book. First with the stables and then with the forge. And he has to learn the ultimate lesson that with great power comes even greater responsibility. He caused a volcano to erupt. Caused widespread harm because of it, also. His power has consequences and he has to learn them. He can’t underestimate himself anymore.
• Percy understanding Calypso’s curse being a two-way street. Because he won’t forget her, won’t forget what the gods did to her, won’t forget what she gave him. He won’t forget the choice he made to leave. To leave her. How he is just as cruel for choosing to leave even though he has to.
• Oh, something about Ethan telling Percy that “mercy has no place in this war.” How that is what Luke made him to believe. But how it’s mercy that will end it all. The foreshadowing is exquisite.

• Nico is scary powerful. And it’s so interesting to see that power manifest so quickly compared to how gradual Percy has grown. But Nico has had to grow up much quicker. On his own. He’s had to use his powers to survive. 
• Dionysus’ grief over Castor is heartbreaking. A rare bout of humanity from the god. And I think he wanted Percy to see that. To see that he does care. But also telling him he healed Chris … that the gods can be merciful. How mercy does belong in this war. That is what separates the gods from the titans, Percy from Luke.
• Poseidon telling Percy he’s his favorite son made me tear up. How much that must’ve meant to Percy. Just to get the recognition that what he’s doing is being seen. Just to know Poseidon is watching. He cares. What Hermes didn’t do for Luke.
• Oh, Nico. He is such a lost, wandering soul and it crushes me. 
• Something about how in this book we see Percy implementing the hero he will be. Merciful. Empowered. Brave. Kind. For the previous three books, we’ve seen his heroism build and now it’s cresting.

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