AU REVOIR!² percy jackson

008

"we've met, sir," percy told him.

"have we?" the god asked absently. ivy got the feeling he didn't care one way or the other. he was just trying to figure out how their jaws worked, whether it was a hinge or lever or what. "well then, if i didn't smash you to a pulp the first time we met, i suppose i won't have to do it now."

he looked at grover and frowned. "satyr." then he looked at tyson, and his eyes twinkled. "well, a cyclops. good, good. what are you doing traveling with this lot?"

"uh... " said tyson, staring in wonder at the god.

"yes, well said," hephaestus agreed. "so, there'd better be a good reason you're disturbing me. the suspension on this corolla is no small matter, you know."

"sir," annabeth said hesitantly, "we're looking for daedalus. we thought—"

"daedalus?" the god roared. "you want that old scoundrel? you dare to seek him out!"

his beard burst into flames and his black eyes glowed.

"uh, yes, sir, please," annabeth said.

"humph. you're wasting your time." he frowned at something on his worktable and limped over to it. he picked up a lump of springs and metal plates and tinkered with them. in a few seconds he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. it spread its metal wings, blinked its obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.

tyson laughed and clapped his hands. the bird landed on tyson's shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately.

hephaestus regarded him. the god's scowl didn't change, but ivy thought she saw a kinder twinkle in his eyes. "i sense you have something to tell me, cyclops."

tyson's smile faded. "y-yes, lord. we met a hundred-handed one."

hephaestus nodded, looking unsurprised. "briares?"

"yes. he—he was scared. he would not help us."

"and that bothered you."

"yes!" tyson's voice wavered. "briares should be strong! he is older and greater than cyclopes. but he ran away."

hephaestus grunted. "there was a time i admired the hundred-handed ones. back in the days of the first war. but people, monsters, even gods change, young cyclops. you can't trust 'em. look at my loving mother, hera. you met her, didn't you? she'll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? didn't stop her from pitching me off mount olympus when she saw my ugly face."

"i thought zeus was the one that did that," ivy blurted out. she slapped her hand to her mouth when she realized the whole purpose of her staying in the background was broken now.

hephaestus raised her an eyebrow, but just cleared his throat and spat into a bronze spittoon. he snapped his fingers, and the robotic falcon flew back to the worktable.

"mother likes telling that version of the story," he grumbled. "makes her seem more likable, doesn't it? blaming it all on my dad. the truth is, my mother likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. perfect families. she took one look at me and... well, i don't fit the image, do i?"

he pulled a feather from the falcon's back, and the whole automaton fell apart.

"believe me, young cyclops," hephaestus said, "you can't trust others. all you can trust is the work of your own hands."

ivy frowned at the depressing outlook of life. it seemed like a terribly lonely way to spend your days. she didn't trust hephaestus's work in any way. that time in denver with the mechanical spiders meant for her mother and ares. and last year, a defective talos statue cost bianca's life.