When Sun Meets the Sea ~ PJO 1

~25~

        "No, no, stop. Percy get up, get up!" Andie quickly shouted, rushing forward to him. 

        "I can't." Percy whispered and his eyes glossed over with tears too. 

        "Percy, enough. Stand up, I mean it!" Andie shouted, clawing at his hands which were now covered with gold. 

        "It's okay." Percy whispered as Andie stared into his eyes again, still grabbing at his hands. "It's okay, it's okay, I'm okay, I'm-

        Andie finally let out a sob as his whole face got covered with gold, she collapsed at his feet subconsciously grabbing at his legs to try and tear away the gold. She heard the horrific clunk of Ares's shield dropping from the statues hands and it now laid beside her. She stood up with anger, running to the back of the machine and running her hands all over it. 

        "Gods, I need Annabeth." Andie whispered sadly, before grabbing hold of her belt and pulling it, making her sword form. She used the tip of it to scratch the surface, revealing a golden plate that she yanked at, revealing wires. 

        "Can I help you?" A voice spoke and Andie looked up for a moment, seeing a man with a cane looking down at her. "Do you need some help finding your way out?" 

       Andie went back to what she was doing, trying to think back to anything Annabeth told her about Hephaestus and his machines. 

         "So, off you go." The man spoke again. 

         "I'm not leaving without him." Andie shot back. 

         "Yeah, that isn't really how it works. It's kind of a one-way sort of thing. It can't be undone." The man spoke and Andie found her already short patience growing shorter by the second. 

        "Yeah? And how do you know that?" Andie demanded angrily. 

        "Because I built it." The man responded and it dawned on Andie who this man was. She stared at Hephaestus who raised an eyebrow at her. 

        "I'm not leaving here without him." Andie repeated. "And I have no one to help me, and if you're not going to help me, then maybe you could leave me alone so I can figure this out." 

        "In spite of what my brother might've told you, I am not someone who will be pushed around." Hephaestus shot back and Andie glared at the machine in front of her, pulling more wires out and turning gears. "I know that you feel useless. I know that your friends' mothers' displeasures caused a lot of ruin for you." 

        Andie knew he was talking about Annebeth. 

        "I know your father hasn't spoken to you since he gave you that necklace." Hephaestus continued. "Your special arrows that help you with anything. I know that you feel as though you are nothing. And perhaps you are. The daughter of Apollo, the daughter who shouldn't have been born." 

        Andie's eyes shot toward Hephaestus for a second before going back to the machine. She had no idea what he was talking about. 

        "Of course, I can't say much more but that's the way it is, isn't it? You can take the shield; all will be forgiven once you finish this quest and you'll be noticed for more than your arrows and your little rag of healing. All will go back to being as it always has been and always will be, as it should be." Hephaestus spoke and that finally broke Andie. 

        "That isn't how it should be!" Andie shouted. "I know I'm nothing. I know my father resents me for wanting to be better than him, than you and your whole family! But I don't care. I have my brother, my friends, that's what matters! You all only care about yourself, what benefits you. What makes you feel better. All of you always having to be on top, the best and better than everyone else. My father is a wild man who cares for nothing but himself! You care about nothing more than these machines and your anger against Ares and Aphrodite. Zeus and Poseidon care more about Percy being born than humanity!"

        Andie's anger grew as she clenched her fists.

        "He isn't like that. He is selfless, caring, and smart. He doesn't even know about all of the dangers in this world, and he still throws himself in first. He's better than all of you. He cares about his friends, he cares about his family, he just cares. That's what matters. If you were in this situation, you'd just throw me into the chair, he fought me on it. He's saved me so many times that it makes me feel stupid for even being on this quest, but I don't care because I care about him too. He makes me feel like a better person, he makes me feel like I'm something when you all think I'm nothing." Andie ranted. "And maybe I wasn't meant to be born, I believe that. I believe that there's more to my life that I don't know because that's who you are. You play and toy and destroy. But I don't care. I won't be like you, and he won't either. Even if it kills you to think about." 

        Andie breathed heavily as she stared at Hephaestus who stared right back at her. There was a tense moment before Andie heard gears grinding behind her and when she ran around to look she saw Percy's face freeing from the gold that encapsulated him. 

        "Some of us don't want to be like us either." Hephaestus spoke. "You're not nothing, Andromeda. I'll put in a good word with your friends' mom for you, I know that you care for her." 

        Andie nodded with a small smile as Hephaestus walked away and she watched as Percy's body slowly became his own again instead of the golden version. He panted as his eyes fluttered opened and close before her wearily stood. He looked back at the chair before looking at Andie. 

        "Well, that sucked." He spoke and Andie laughed as she grabbed hold of him, hugging him tightly. The two hugged for a moment before Andie let go and grabbed Ares's shield beside them. 

        "Let's go finish this quest."