•as the world caves in•

•i take a test•

"I beg your pardon?"

"The riddle about the man. Walks on four legs in the morning like a baby, two in the afternoon like an adult and three at night with a cane."

"Exactly why we changed the test! You already knew the answer. Now, what is the square root of sixteen?"

"Four." I bubbled in my sheet.

"Who signed the Emancipation Proclamation?"

"Lincoln." Another bubble. "These aren't riddles! This is so stupid. I'm not a child of Athena, but this is so insulting to my intelligence, is this all children of Aphrodite are seen as, dumb? The only dumb one is Drew and-"

"Why then, my dear," she snarled. "If you won't pass, you fail. And since we can't allow any children to be held back? You'll be EATEN!"

The Sphinx bared her claws and leaped at me. Tyson jumped to my rescue, tackling the monster. I was glad Tyson was putting his Cyclops size to use and drew Lepída.

Percy and Annabeth jumped in front of me, Annabeth holding her knife in one hand and her cap in the other. "Cor, put it on!"

I scoffed. "I can fight!"

"She's after you!" Percy urged. "Let us handle it, she'll be busy looking for you, won't attack us."

"Coriane, you don't have to always fight." Annabeth said softly. "You deserve a break."

I hunched my shoulders as I took the cap and placed it on my head, watching the Sphinx pounce where I was, coming up empty handed. "No fair! Cheater!"

Tyson lifted the grading machine out of the ground and threw it at the Sphinx. "My grading machine! I can't be exemplary without my test scores!"

The bars lifted from the exit and I ran behind everyone else, still invisible. I saw Percy frantically look back to where I was, even if he didn't know I was there. I grabbed his hand as we ran, giving him the reassurance to keep going.

"Coriane!" Annabeth called.

"I'm here, Annabeth!" I called back.

Percy only squeezed my hand tighter as we ran through the dark tunnels, Sphinx wailing behind us.

I had taken Annabeth's cap off as we searched for the scorpion. We finally found it banging its head on a metal door. It looked like an old submarine hatch. Where a portal should've been, was a plaque, green with age and a Greek Êta in the middle.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover asked.

"Not really," I said.

"Nope," Percy admitted.

"Yes!" Tyson grinned, turning the wheel.

As soon as it opened, the scorpion continued on its way, leaving us to follow.

The room we entered was huge, work benches everywhere, tools hanging from the walls, but none in their place. Under a lift, holding some Toyota (Percy would know more than me), legs stuck out. One in a metal brace.

The scorpion stopped under him. "Well, well, what have we here?"

The god stood and frowned down at us, he didn't look as ugly as everyone said. "I didn't make you, did I?"

"Uh, no, sir." I said.

"Good, shoddy workmanship." He studied us. "Half-bloods."

"We've met, sir." Percy told him.

"Have we?" The god asked, but I didn't think he cared. "Better be a good reason you're disturbing me. The suspension on this Corolla is no small matter, you know."

I fiddled with my fingers. "We're looking for Daedalus."

The god roared. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare to seek him out?"

"Uh, yes please."

"You're wasting your time." He limped to a workbench, quickly fixing something before a bronze and silver falcon soared the room until it landed on Tyson, who laughed happily. "I sense you have something to tell me."

Tyson stopped laughing. "We met a Hundred-Handed One, lord."

"Briares?"

"He was scared, he would not help us. He should be strong, but he ran away."

Hephaestus grunted. "There was a time I admired them. Back in the first war. But people, monsters, even gods change. You cant trust then. 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? Didn't stop her from throwing me off Olympus when she saw my ugly face."

Percy frowned. "I thought Zeus did that."

"Mother tells everyone that, makes her more likable. She  likes family, but only a certain one. Perfect families. I didn't fit her image." He turned to Percy. "Oh, this one doesn't like me. No worries, I'm use to that. What would you ask of me?"

"We need to find Daedalus, there's this guy Luke, he's working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade camp. If we don't-"

"He won't help you, some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Others, learn to not trust people in different ways. Ask me for gold, or a flaming sword, or a magical steed. A way to Daedalus, that's an expensive favor."

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "So you know where he is, then."

"It isn't said to go looking, girl."

"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."

"Who's your mother?"

"Athena."

"Figures. I can tell you what you want to know, but I need a favor."

I grinned. "Name it."

He laughed, a loud, booming laugh. "You heroes. Always making rash promises, how refreshing!" He turned on a TV, showing a mountain with smoke rising from the crest. "One of my forges. That used to be my favorite."

"Mount St. Helens," Grover said. "Went there looking for Pan."

"Wait," I said. "You said it used to be your favorite."

"Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens. Always a chance he'll escape, restless when the Titan rebellion."

"You want us to fight him?" Percy asked.

The god snorted. "That would be suicide. We ran from Typhon when he was free. I've sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone is using my forges. I want to know who invaded my territory. Go there, they may not sense you coming. Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."

He gave us the scorpion, now programmed to guide us to the mountain.