This is my favorite Percy Jackson book so far, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe I was just in the perfect mood for something light and fun when I started reading this book. It definitely delivers on the promise for light and fun. This time Percy, the modern day son of Poseidon, has to venture into the Labyrinth, a magical maze that has a way of tricking and distracting anyone who goes in, and convince Daedalus, who created the maze, to help him and his friends at Camp Half Blood against Luke and those who have sided with Kronos.
It doesn't dive right into the action, the way the third book did, and I actually prefer that. Instead, it starts out much like the first two books: Percy, at school, trying desperately not to get kicked out, and failing. This time he gets into trouble before school has even started, on a kind of get-to-know-the-school day in the middle of June, whereupon Percy is promptly attacked by a couple of empusai disguised as cheerleaders. Turns out empusai are basically vampires and they consider the mortal children of the gods to be particularly tasty.
Fortunately, Percy has Rachel Dare with him. There's nothing particularly special about Rachel. She's just a regular mortal: not a god, not the child of a god, not a monster or part monster, but for whatever reason, she can see through the Mist that disguises most monsters and magical things from other mortals. She can see the empusai for what they are right away and she helps Percy snap out of it when one of them tries to enchant him. Also, she has some serious attitude and she might be my new favorite character. I'd hate to make Annabeth even more jealous, but Rachel is just awesome.
Actually, my favorite character is Blackjack, the pegasus who only shows up for a few pages, but manages to make those pages some of the best pages in the entire book. I love his personality and his devotion to Percy. It's both adorable and highly entertaining.
As much as I love Percy, let's face it: he's kind of an idiot. I didn't really get that until this book. Some of it is just normal teenage guy obliviousness, and that I'm willing to overlook. Other times it was like, "Seriously, Percy, they totally told you how to get through the Labyrinth. Wake up already!" On the other hand, I think, by this book, he had learned to apply some past lessons. I was glad that he didn't entirely trust Quintus. Although he promised himself he wouldn't use the whistle Quintus gave him, you knew he was going to use it. Heroes don't get stuff like that so they can just sit in their pockets. On the other hand, I was just as skeptical as Percy when the whistle managed to reappear in his pocket alongside Riptide. That was kinda creepy.
As for Poseidon showing up at the end of the book and telling Percy that he's his favorite son, I'm not sure I bought it. I mean, it's sweet and everything, and I'm happy for Percy, it just doesn't fit with everything else we've heard about the gods not interfering in the affairs of mortals, not caring about their children, and the absent father that Poseidon has been up until now. Maybe I'm being a little too hard on Poseidon, but that particular part struck me as more wish fulfillment than truth to the characters.
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