Battle of the Labyrinth Event Kit [PDF] - Percy Jackson and the ...

AN INTErVIEw wITH rICK rIOrDAN
Adapt this interview with the popular author of the Percy and the Olympians series for your Web site or
newsletter. Send it to your community paper with information about your Mythomagic party.
Question: The stakes have been raised again for Percy and his demigod
friends in The Battle of the Labyrinth. How did the idea for
the setting of the Labyrinth and its ability to adapt to its inhabitants
come to you?
The Labyrinth is the single most fascinating place in Greek mythology.
Since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed about exploring it with sword in
hand, looking for monsters! I started thinking about what the Labyrinth
would be like in Percy’s world. If gods and monsters have
adapted to modern America, why not the maze? The Labyrinth has
become the ultimate challenge. It wends its way under the entire
country and can lead you anywhere you want to go, but it will try to
thwart you at every turn. Navigating the maze is the most dangerous
quest Percy has ever undertaken, and he quickly learns he’s going to need help.
Percy has girl trouble for the first time in this book. How did Rachel Elizabeth Dare develop? Where
did her name come from? Is her art project/fund-raiser based on a true story? How did you develop
the idea of mortals who see through the mist?
In the Titan’s Curse, Aphrodite promised that she was going to make things “interesting” for
Percy, and the goddess of love fulfills her promise in The Battle of the labyrinth. Like many of my
characters, Rachel Elizabeth Dare just popped to life in my mind. I’m not sure where she came from.
She is feisty, outspoken, and creative, and at first Percy is not sure what to make of her. Rachel is
completely mortal, but she can see through the Mist even more clearly than half-bloods. This idea
came from Greek mythology. There have always been some humans, like Tiresius and Cassandra,
who could see the world of the gods clearly even though they had no other powers. Percy finds
himself relying on Rachel. Annabeth, to say the least, is not pleased. The scene in Times Square,
where Rachel’s art club is raising money, is right out of real life. I was passing through Times Square
one day and saw a high school art club outside the Marriott. They were painted metallic and standing
like statues, raising money for their program. I thought, That’s what Rachel Dare would do. And so
I made it happen!
Grover finally learns the truth about Pan and seems to grow in the process. Why is Pan important to
his community? To the world?
Yes, Grover does learn the truth about Pan. For centuries, the satyrs have been growing increasingly
concerned about the state of the earth. The wild is disappearing. Pan’s domain is almost gone.
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