The Battle of the Labyrinth

Annabeth collapses into sobs at seeing her friend Luke as Kronos’s vessel. She yells at Percy for not believing Luke could still be saved. After they escape, they find footprints that look like Tyson and Grover’s going down a slippery tunnel to an underground river. On the river bank, Tyson cradles an unconscious Grover, who fainted in Pan’s presence. Annabeth deduces they are in the Carlsbad Caverns under New Mexico, where Grover heard Pan speak before.

The group feels a healing sensation as they cross the river. In an adjacent cave, surrounded by a plethora of extinct animals, sits Pan. The cave is the only place Pan can live because his aboveground habitat has become too small. Pan thanks Grover for not giving up and chooses him to spread the message that “the great god Pan is dead” (315). Grover invites Pan back to rebuild the wild, but no single god can take up such a task anymore. However, if all humans, half-bloods, and nature spirits work together, they could easily complete Pan’s work without him. Pan addresses each member of the group except Nico, giving them advice or encouragement. Grover reluctantly releases Pan, who dissolves into wispy smoke. 

The group takes the Labyrinth to Times Square, where Percy summons his Pegasus Blackjack and some others to take the half-bloods back to camp. Rachel confesses that her father is a land developer building over wild land, but as she leaves, Percy praises her for the great work she did in the Labyrinth.

At camp, campers have set up defensive traps and prepare to fight—but Chiron worries it won’t be enough to stop the attack. Waves of monsters erupt from the Labyrinth and clash with the campers. Percy helps the satyrs fend off a hellhound and stops a forest fire with his ocean power, while Nico summons a legion of skeleton soldiers.

Kampe appears, crushing the command tent and seeking out Percy and Annabeth for revenge. Percy and Annabeth fight her together, but they can’t get close enough to strike her down. Mrs. O’Leary, Daedalus/Quintus, and Briares suddenly appear out of the Labyrinth to help the campers and right their mistakes. Briares throws hundreds of rocks at Kampe, burying her. The monsters make one last push, but they flee when Grover lets out a Pan’s powerful “panic” scream.

After the fight, Percy heals Nico. Daedalus decides to die so Luke can’t use the maze. He gives Annabeth his laptop full of designs and asks Percy to look after Mrs. O’Leary. Nico, no longer wanting to use Daedalus’s spirit to resurrect Bianca, releases Daedalus to the Underworld. The campers feel an earthquake as the Labyrinth crumbles.