"come back alive barnacle brain. okay?"
Cassandra thought they had lost the spider until Tyson heard a faint pinging sound. They made a few turns, backtracked a few times, and eventually found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door.
The door looked like an old-fashioned submarine hatch— oval, with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. Where the porthole should've been was a big brass plaque, green with age, with a Greek Eta inscribed in the middle.
They all looked at each other.
"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover asked nervously.
"No" Percy admitted.
"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, and he turned the wheel.
As soon as the door opened, the spider scuttled inside with Tyson right behind it. The rest of them followed, not quite as anxious.
The room was enormous. It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had stranger things: a bronze hippalektryon with its horse head off and a bunch of wires hanging out its rooster tail, a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.
Smaller projects cluttered a dozen worktables. Tools hung along the walls. Each had its own outline on a Peg-Board, but nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.
Under the nearest hydraulic lift, which was holding a '98 Toyota Corolla, a pair of legs stuck out— the lower half of a huge man in grubby gray pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's. One leg was in a metal brace.
The spider scuttled straight under the car, and the sounds of banging stopped.
"Well, well" A deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"
The mechanic pushed out on a back trolley and sat up. Cassandra, had seen Hephaestus multiple times, but mostly in passing. Seeing as her mom was the goddess of ice and he was the god of fire, she didn't exactly feel super comfortable standing next to him.
Hephaestus must have cleaned up when she saw him on Olympus, or used magic to make his form seem a little less hideous. Here in his own workshop, he apparently didn't care how he looked. He worked in a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grim. Hephaestus, was embroidered over the chest pocket. His leg creaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder drooped, so he seemed to be leaning even when he was standing up straight. He wore a permanent scowl, his beard smoking and hissing like it was on fire, because it was on fire. His hands were the size of catcher's mitts, but he handled the spider with amazing skill. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together.
"There" He muttered. "Much better."
The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.
Hephaestus glowered at Cassandra and her friends— well, mainly Cassandra. "I didn't make you, did I?"
"Uh" Annabeth said, "no, sir."
"Good" The god grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."
"Hey!" Cassandra protested.
He ignored her and studied Annabeth, Percy, and Cassandra. "Half-bloods" he grunted. "Could be automatons, of course, but probably not."
"We've met, sir" Percy told him.
"Have we?" The god asked absently. He didn't seem to care either way. "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..." Tyson said, 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 Cassandra thought there was 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. H—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."
"But I thought Zeus did that to you" Percy said.
Hephaestus 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 likeable, 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."
Cassandra knew it was a lonely way to live. Never trusting people. She had only become happy and more carefree, recently, when she let herself trust Percy and made more friends at Camp Half-Blood.
That's what the prophecy, last year had meant. "Ice will crack after losing a friend" meant that after Zoe and Bianca had died, her tough exterior had "cracked" and she had let herself trust people and heroes again.
Hephaestus focused on Percy and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, this one doesn't like me" He mused. "No worries, I'm used to that. What would you ask of me, little demigod?"
"We told you" Percy replied, "We need to find Daedalus. There's this guy, Luke, and he's working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade our camp. If we don't get to Daedalus first—"
"And I told you, boy. Looking for Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you."
"Why not?"
Hephaestus shrugged. "Some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Some of us... the way we learn not to trust people is more painful" He glanced at Cassandra when we said that. "Ask me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steed. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."
"You know where he is, then" Annabeth pressed.
"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."
"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."
Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "Who's your mother, then?"
"Who else, would make a quote about wisdom? Athena" Cassandra answered.
"Figures" He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."
"Name it" Annabeth said.
Hephaestus actually laughed— a booming sound like a huge bellows stoking a fire. "You heroes" He said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"
He pressed a button of his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a huge window or a big-screen TV, she couldn't tell which. They were looking at a gray mountain ringed in forests. It must've been a volcano, because smoke rose from its crest.
"One of my forges" Hephaestus said. "I have many, but that used to be my favorite."
"That's Mount St. Helens" Grover said. "Great forests around there."
"You've been there?" Percy asked.
"Looking for... you know, Pan."
"Wait" Cassandra interrupted, looking at Hephaestus. "You said it used to be your favorite. What happened?"
Hephaestus scratched his smoldering beard. "Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There's always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smoldering all the time. He's restless with the Titan rebellion."
"What do you want us to do?" Percy questioned. "Fight him?"
Hephaestus snorted. "That would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. But lately, I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone or something is using my forges. When I go there, it is empty, but I can tell it is being used. They sense me coming, and they disappear. I send my automatons to investigate, but they do not return. Something... ancient is there. Evil. I want to know who dares invade my territory, and if they mean to loose Typhon."
"You want us to find out who it is" Annabeth said.
"Aye" Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."
"Glad you noticed" Percy muttered, and Cassandra snorted.
"Go and find out what you can" Hephaestus said. "Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."
"All right" Annabeth said. "How do we get there?"
Hephaestus clapped his hands. The spider came swinging down from the rafters. Annabeth flinched when it landed at her feet.
"My creation will show you the way" Hephaestus said. "It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons."
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They were doing okay until they hit the tree roots. The spider raced along and they were keeping up, but then they spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth, and wrapped in thick roots. Grover stopped dead in his tracks.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
He didn't move. He stared open-mouthed into the dark tunnel. His curly hair rustled in the breeze.
"Come on!" Annabeth said. "We have to keep moving."
"This is the way" Grover muttered in awe. "This is it."
"What way?" Percy asked. "You mean... to Pan?"
Grover looked to Tyson. "Don't you smell it?"
"Dirt" Tyson said. "And plants."
"Yes! This is the way. I'm sure of it!"
Up ahead, the spider was getting further down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and they'd lose it.
"We'll come back" Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."
"The tunnel won't be here" Cassandra said. "He has to follow it. A door like that won't stay open."
"But we can't" Annabeth said. "The forges!"
Grover looked at her sadly. "I have to, Annabeth. Don't you understand?"
"Annabeth, this is why Grover came. He has to do this" Cassandra told her. The satyr gave her a grateful smile.
Annabeth looked desperate, like she didn't understand at all. The spider was almost out of sight.
"We'll split up" Percy decided.
"No!" Annabeth protested. "That's way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can't go alone."
Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder. "I— I will go with him."
"Tyson are you sure?" Percy asked, looking shocked.
Tyson nodded. "Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."
Grover took a deep breath. "Percy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just... have to."
She couldn't blame him. Finding Pan was his life's goal. And if he didn't find Pan on the journey, the council would never give him another chance.
"I hope you're right" Percy said.
"I know I am." Cassandra had never heard Grover sound so confident about anything.
"Be careful" Percy told him.
"Hey, Grover" Cassandra asked as Tyson and Percy hugged.
The satyr looked at her, "Yes, Cassandra?"
"Find Pan for me, will you?" She asked.
Grover smiled, and nodded his head. "I'll try."
And with that, he and Tyson disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in the darkness.
"This is bad" Annabeth said. "Splitting up is a really, really bad idea."
"He needs to do this" Cassandra said. "We'll see them again."
Percy nodded. "Now, come on. The spider's getting away!"
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It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot.
The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if they were walking through an over. The tunnel sloped down and Cassandra could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Annabeth right behind.
"Hey, wait up" Percy called to her.
She glanced back at him and Cassandra. "Yeah?"
"Something Hephaestus said back there... about Athena."
"She swore never to marry" Annabeth said. "Like Artemis and Hestia. She's one of the maiden goddesses."
Percy blinked. "But then—"
"How come she has demigod children?"
Percy nodded, his cheeks pink.
"Percy, you know how Athena was born?"
"She sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something" He answered.
"Exactly. She wasn't born in the normal way. She was literally born from thoughts. Her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love with a mortal man, it's purely intellectual, the way she loved Odysseys in the old stories. It's a meeting of minds. She would tell you that's the purest kind of love."
"So your dad and Athena... so you weren't..."
"I was a brain child" Annabeth said. "Literally. Children of Athena are sprung from the divine thoughts of our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena on the men she favors."
"But—"
"Percy, the spider's getting away. Do you really want me to explain the exact details of how I was born?"
"Um... no. That's okay."
She smirked, "I thought not." And she ran ahead. The two following her.
Percy was looking at her with a raised eyebrow as they ran and she rolled her eyes, "Yes, Percy my parents had sex."
Annabeth snorted from up ahead, "Great wording!"
Percy's face was red and he looked down as he ran, clearly embarrassed.
The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, they emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Their spider escort stopped and curled into a ball.
They had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.
There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundred of feet below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil Cassandra had ever seen— a block of iron the size of a house. Creatures moved around the platform— several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to make out details.
"We'll never be able to sneak up on them" Percy said.
Annabeth picked up the metal spider, which Cassandra gave her a round of applause for, and slipped it into her pocket. "I can. Wait here."
"Hold it!" Percy said, but before he could argue with her about it, Annabeth pulled out her Yankees cap and turned invisible.
"Come on" Percy said, after a minute of waiting. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
"Where are we going?" Cassandra asked him.
"To get a better angle" Percy said, to which Cassandra didn't protest.
They crept along the outer rim of the lava lake, trying to get a better angle of what was going on in the center.
Less than a minute later, Cassandra became drenched in sweat. The heat was horrible. Geryon's ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this. She moved along, gripping Percy's now sweaty hand. Suddenly they found their way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they use in mine shafts. Percy lifted up the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. They were about to squeeze their way around it when they heard voices from up ahead.
"Bring it in?" One asked.
"Yeah" Another said. "Movie's just about done."
Cassandra panicked. They didn't have time to back up and there was nowhere to hid except... the cart. Cassandra climbed in and Percy scrambled in after her and pulled the tarp over them.
They could only hope that no one had seen them. Cassandra wiped her hand on her jeans before gripping Percy's again, her other hand on the hilt of her dagger, incase she needed to fight. Percy seemed to have the same idea, gripping Riptide
Cassandra tried not to yelp when the cart lurched forward.
"Oi" A gruff voice said. "Thing weighs a ton."
"It's celestial bronze" The other said. "What did you expect?"
They got pulled along. They turned a corner, the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls, making Cassandra assume that they had passed down a tunnel and into a smaller room. Hopefully they weren't going to be tipped into anything that would melt the lava. That would be really bad.
There was a lot of talking in the room,. The voices didn't sound human— somewhere between a seal's bark and a dog's growl. The sound of an old-fashioned film projector and a voice narrating the film also filled the room.
"Just set it in the back" A new voice ordered from across the room. "Now, younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterward."
The voices quieted down, and Cassandra was able to hear the film.
"As a young sea demon matures, changes happen in the monster's body" the narrators said. " You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters."
"Telekhines" Cassandra muttered, her eyes wide.
Excited snarling filled the room. The teacher (or who Cassandra guessed was the teacher) told them to be quiet, and the film continued, talking about things Cassandra didn't understand, but she didn't dare look. It talked about growth spurts, acne problems from working in the forges, and proper flipper hygiene until it finally ended.
"Now, younglings" The teacher began, "what is the proper name of our kind?"
"Sea demons!" One of them barked.
"No. Anyone else?"
"Telekhines!" Another monster growled.
"Very good" The instructor said. "And why are we here?"
"Revenge!" Several shouted.
"Yes, yes, but why?"
"Zeus is evil!" One monster said. "He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!"
"Indeed" The instructor said. "After we made so many of the gods' finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course— we made the greatest weapon of the Titans! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. That is why we are taking over the forges of the the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"
"And so, younglings" The instructor continued, "who do we serve?"
"Kronos!" They shouted.
"And when you grow to be big telekhines, will you make weapons for the army?"
"Yes!"
"Excellent. Now, we've brough in some scraps for you to practice with. Let's see how ingenious you are."
There was a rush of movement and excited voice coming toward the cart. The tarp was thrown back. Percy let go of her hand and jumped up, uncapping Riptide. Cassandra followed, tapping her bracelet and holding her sword in her hand.
The Telekhines looked exactly how she remembered them. They had the faces of dogs with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like a sea mammal's. They had stubby legs of half-flipper half-foot and humanlike hands wit sharp claws. It was weird to look at.
"Demigods" One snarled.
"Eat them!" Yelled another.
But that's as far as they got before Percy slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters.
"Back off" Cassandra instructed, her voice soft but fierce. Behind the stood their instructor— a six-foot-tall telekhine with Doberman fangs snarling at them. Percy did his best to stare him down.
"New lesson, class" Percy announced. "Most monsters will vaporize when sliced with a Celestial Bronze or Silver sword. This change is perfectly normal, and will happen to you right now if you don't BACK OFF!"
The monster's backed up, much to their surprise. The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them. Percy's fear factor wasn't going to last long.
"Class dismissed!" Cassandra yelled. Her and Percy jumped out of the cart and he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the exit.
The monsters charged after them, barking and growling. Fortunately there was a door in the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. Percy slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it. Cassandra covered the door in a large wall of ice, but they knew it wouldn't keep the Telekhines for long.
Cassandra was unsure what to do. Annabeth was out there somewhere, invisible. Their chance for a subtle reconnaissance mission had been blown. Percy and Cassandra ran toward the platform at the center of the lava lake.
"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.
"Shhh!" An invisible hand clamped over his mouth, and wrestled Percy behind a big bronze cauldron, Cassandra followed. "You want to get us killed?"
"Kinda too late for that" Cassandra muttered.
Cassandra found her head and took off her Yankees cap. She shimmered into existence in front of them, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. "What is your guys' problem?"
"We're going to have company!" Percy quickly explained about the monster orientation class.
Her eyes widened, "So that's what they are" She said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making... well, look."
They peeked over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four fully grown Telekhines. Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of flowing hot metal.
"The blade is almost complete" One said. "It needs another cooling in blood to fuse the metals."
"Aye" A second said. "It shall be even sharper than before."
"What is that?" Percy whispered.
Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder—"
"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon" Percy said. "And they... they said they made my father's trident."
"The telekhines betrayed the gods" Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."
"With Kronos" Percy added.
Annabeth nodded. "We have to get out—"
No sooner had she aid that than the door to the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.
"Put your cap back on" Percy ordered. "Take, Cassie with you and get out!"
Cassandra shook her head, gripping his hand. "Is all this time in the Labyrinth making you insane?" She asked. "We're not— I'm not leaving you."
"It's okay, Cass. I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider— maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
"You'll die!" Cassandra protested.
"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."
Cassandra glared at him, his green eyes looking into her blue ones with a pleading look.
And then she did something that surprised even herself.
She kissed him.
She put her hand behind his head and pushed him down slightly, going up on her tip-toes slightly, and pressed her lips to his. It wasn't long. Maybe four seconds, but it made butterflies erupt in her stomach and her heart flutter.
When she pulled away, Percy's face was beet red and her face felt slightly hotter.
"Come back alive, Barnacle Brain. Okay?" She whispered. "It would suck if you were murdered by a bunch of crazy lunatic monsters. Okay?" She smiled through her watery eyes.
Percy nodded, seeming to be in some kind of trance. "Sure. I'll try not to die. Anything for you, Cassandra."
She laughed slightly, trying to hold back the tear that wanted to fall. Annabeth grabbed her elbow and pulled her along.
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author's note:
They kissed!
I would say finally but they've only known each other for a few months soo...
Just incase you don't remember the section of dialogue when Cassie says "Come back alive, Barnacle Brain. It would suck if you were murdered..." And beyond is actually from chapter VI in act I and I thought the nostalgia was cute.
So I think I'm going to write two filler chapters after this and then Percy will come back.