The Battle of the Labyrinth

Once in the Labyrinth, the group immediately gets lost. The corridors become more difficult to maneuver until finally opening into a large mosaic-covered room. Reasoning that Daedalus’s workshop is in the oldest part of the maze, Annabeth follows an older-looking tunnel, but this leads them in a circle back to the mosaic room. There, Janus, the two-faced god of choices, offers passage down one of two tunnels leading either to their destination or “to certain death” (99). Janus’s two faces toy with Annabeth, until Hera, queen goddess of marriage and family, appears and dismisses Janus, postponing Annabeth’s decision.

Hera creates a table filled with food and invites the group to eat while she fusses over them. Although she doesn’t usually involve herself in quests, Hera thinks Annabeth’s quest will help “keep [her] family, the Olympians, together” (105). She hints that they should seek out Hephaestus because he admires Daedalus and could give better information. She offers to grant one wish. Annabeth wishes for a way to navigate the maze. Disappointed, Hera says Percy already knows how to do that, though Percy doesn’t understand. Hera disappears, and the group votes to travel down the left tunnel to avoid an approaching monster from the right.