chapter seventy-six

─── i make things go boom

          𝖂e did almost lose the metal spider thing, but luckily for us, Tyson heard a faint pinging sound and with some backtracking, we located the spider banging it's head on a metal door.

I wish I could do the same.

The door looked like one of those old-fashioned submarine hatches—oval, with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. Where the portal should've been was a big brass plaque, green with age, with a Greek letter inscribed in the middle.

We all looked at each other.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover said nervously.

"No,"

"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 us 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. It was a sort of organised chaos, but not in a good way.

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 grey pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's - one of the legs 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. I'd seen Hephaestus once before, briefly on Olympus, but they'd been deciding on whether or not to kill me for being born so I hadn't paid too much attention to what people looked like.

He wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime. Hephaestus, was embroidered over the chest pocket. His leg creaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder was lower than his right, so he seemed to be leaning even when he was standing up straight. There were stories that he always scowled, but surrounded by his machinery, he actually seemed to be smiling and at peace.

"There," he muttered to himself, fixing the spider gently. "Much better."

The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away. The god watched it go, before his eyes found us and he tensed.

"I didn't make you, did I?"

"Uh," Annabeth said, "no, sir."

The god hummed, before studying Annabeth and me. "Half-bloods. Could be automatons, of course, but probably not, the wiring alone..."

He grew quiet, muttering to himself, as we watched him for a moment. He turned back, as if he had an idea, before I spoke up.

"We've met, sir," I reminded him.

"Have we?" the god asked absently, still writing whatever it was down. "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 huffed, eyes glowing like embers on a fire. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare to seek him out!"

"Uh, yes, sir, please," Annabeth continued, as I took a step closer to her.

"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 I thought I 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 any of them. Only mechanics. They don't change, they're always made of the same components. That, you can always trust."

Now, that just sounded lonely.

He focused on me and narrowed his eyes, as if he were reading my thoughts. "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," I said. "We need to find Daedalus. There's this kid, Puck, 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, girl. 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. 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 favour."

"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?"

"Athena."

"Figures." He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. She and I worked together once. I appreciate the help she gave. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favour done."

"Name it," Annabeth said.

Hephaestus actually laughed, and he looked ten years younger. "You heroes," he said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"

He pressed a button on his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a huge window or a big-screen TV, I couldn't tell which. We were looking at a grey 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?" I asked.

"Looking for...you know, Pan."

"Wait," Annabeth said, looking at Hephaestus. "You said it used to be your favorite. What happened?"

Hephaestus scratched his beard. "Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but cells can only take certain amounts of strain, so we moved him to Mount St. Helens instead, Newer prison, more security, but he's grown restless, lots of eruptions, the mountain is holding."

"What do you want us to do?" I said, "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," I said.

"Aye," Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."

"Really?" I muttered sarcastically, before holding in a yelp of pain as Annabeth stamped on my toes.

"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."

His eyes flashed with a warning, and I shuddered. I did not like this one bit.

∘☽༓☾∘

We were doing okay until we hit the tree roots. The spider raced along and we were keeping up, but then we 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?" I said.

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?" I asked. "You mean...to Pan?"

Grover looked at 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 farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and we'd lose it. 

"Well come back," Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."

"The tunnel will be gone by then," Grover said. "I have to follow it. A door like this 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?"

She looked desperate, like she didn't understand at all. The spider was almost out of sight. But I knew what we had to do, even if it pained me to say so.

"We'll split up," I nodded.

"No!" Annabeth said. "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."

I couldn't believe I was hearing this. "Tyson, are you sure?"

The big guy nodded. "Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."

Grover took a deep breath. "Romy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just...have to."

"Good luck." I nodded at him.

"Thanks."

"And be careful," I told him. Then I looked at Tyson. He gulped back a sob and gave me a hug that just about squeezed my eyes out of their sockets. Then he and Grover 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."

"We'll see them again," I said, trying to sound confident. "Now come on. The spider is getting away!"

∘☽༓☾∘

It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot.

The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if we were walking through an oven. The tunnel sloped down and I could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Annabeth right behind.

"Hey, wait up," I called to her.

She glanced back at me. "Yeah?"

"Something...how does Athena have children? She's a virgin goddess, isn't she?" I questioned, the thought now playing on my mind as I looked down at Annabeth.

"You ask this question now? Not in the three other years you've known about children of Athena? Whilst we're on a quest? Inside a volcano?"

"Seems like a good time to ask." Annabeth shot me an incredulous look as I shrugged. "I'm curious."

"Um, well, it's a little complicated." Annabeth huffed. "We come from the divine thoughts of our mother. That's how my dad explained it to me."

"You come from Athena's brain?"

"Yes. Athena and the parent come to a decision, like a meeting of minds, if Athena feels that they are on par with her, they have a conversation, blah, blah, blah, child."

"I feel like the blah, blah, blah, actually holds a lot of information." I pointed out, still confused about all of it. "Like how you come from Athena's head, and genetics wise..."

"Romy, godly genetics are completely screwed. Everyone knows that. We mostly take after our human parents, and the godly gifts come in the powers, or enhancements." 

"My biology degree doesn't agree."

"Romy, the spider's getting away. We can argue about this later." Annabeth laughed, shaking her head as she ran ahead. I jogged along behind, still trying to work things out. Being a demigod and a biologist wasn't a great combination, I think.

The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, we emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Our spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. We had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus. 

There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. We stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the centre was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil I'd 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.

Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. "I can get close. Wait here."

"Hold it!" I said, but before I could argue, she put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible. I didn't dare call after her, but I didn't like the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those things out there could sense a god coming, would Annabeth be safe? Luke was going to kill me if something happened to her. "I should have made them all sign liability waivers."

The heat was horrible. In no time I was drenched with sweat. My eyes stung from the smoke. I moved along, trying to keep away from the edge, until I found my way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they use in mine shafts. I lifted up the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. I was about to squeeze my way around it when I heard voices from up ahead, probably from a side tunnel.

"Bring it in?" one asked.

"Yeah," another said. "Movie's just about done."

I panicked. I didn't have time to back up. There was nowhere to hide except...the cart. I scrambled inside and pulled the tarp over me, hoping no one had seen me. I curled my fingers around Riptide, just in case I had to fight.

The cart lurched forward.

"Oi ," a gruff voice said. "Thing weighs a ton."

"It's celestial bronze," the other said. "What did you expect?"

I scowled. They were calling me fat!

We turned a corner, and from the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls I guessed we had passed down a tunnel and into a smaller room. Hopefully I was not about to be dumped into a smelting pot. If they started to tip me over, I'd have to fight my way out quick. I heard lots of talking, chattering voices that didn't sound human—somewhere between a seal's bark and a dog's growl. There were other sounds too—like an old-fashioned film projector and a tinny voice narrating.

"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 a film that sounded like something out of one of my middle school classes began to play. I tuned it out, not wanting to think back on traumatic memories of my teenage years. Thirteen year old me was going through some stuff back then.

"Now, younglings," the instructor said, "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 usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"

I clutched my sword. These snarling things had created Poseidon's trident? What were they talking about? I'd never even heard of a telekhine .

"And so, younglings," the instructor continued, "who do we serve?"

"Kronos!" they shouted. Well, shit, that wasn't good.

"And when you grow to be big telekhines , will you make weapons for the army?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent. Now, we've brought in some scraps for you to practice with. Let's see how ingenious you are."

There was a rush of movement and excited voices coming toward the cart. I got ready to uncap Riptide. The tarp was thrown back. I jumped up, my bronze sword springing to life in my hands, and found myself facing a bunch of...dogs.

Well, their faces were dogs, anyway, with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half foot, and human-like hands with sharp claws.

"A demigod!" one snarled.

"Eat it!" yelled another.

But that's as far as they got before I slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters.

"Back off!" I yelled at the rest, trying to sound fierce. Behind them stood their instructor—a six-foot-tall telekhine with Doberman fangs snarling at me. I did my best to stare him down.

"New lesson, class," I announced. "Celestial bronze + monsters = enough sand to make a beach. Do you want me to demonstrate?"

The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them and I knew that they could probably overwhelm one me if I didn't get out of here sharpish.

I jumped out of the cart, yelled, "CLASS DISMISSED!" and ran for the exit.

The monsters charged after me, barking and growling. I hoped they couldn't run very fast with those stubby little legs and flippers, but they waddled along pretty well. Thank the gods there was a door in the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. I slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it, but I doubted it would keep them long.

I didn't know what to do. Annabeth was out here somewhere, invisible. Our chance for a subtle reconnaissance mission had been blown. I ran toward the platform at the centre of the lava lake.

∘☽༓☾∘

"Annabeth!" I yelled.

"Shhh!" an invisible hand clamped over my mouth and wrestled me down behind a big bronze cauldron. "You want to get us killed?"

I found her head and took off her Yankees cap. She shimmered into existence in front of me, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. "Romy, what is your problem?"

"I've just finished teaching, so we're about to have company." I explained the problem quickly and her eyes went wide.

"So that's what they are," she said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making...Well, look."

We peeked over the cauldron. In the centre of the platform stood four sea demons, but these were fully grown, at least eight feet tall. Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing 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?" I whispered.

Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder—"

"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," I 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."

She nodded. "We have to get out—"

No sooner had she said 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," I said. "Get out!"

"What?" Annabeth shrieked. "No! I'm not leaving you."

"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."

"But you'll be killed!"

"Annie, trust me." I looked her down, before grinning. "I'll be fine. I'm always fine. Survival ability of a cockroach, remember?"

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but I just pulled her into a tight hug.

"Tell Luke that I didn't do anything stupid, huh?" I whispered, before pushing her away. "Tell him I love him."

"But-"

"Run and don't look back." Was what I finished with, before I kissed her cheek and pushed her away. Annabeth stumbled, eyes wide, before shoving her hat on her head and running for the exit.

"There!" one yelled. The entire class of telekhines charged across the bridge toward me. I ran for the middle of the platform, surprising the four elder sea demons so much they dropped the red-hot blade. It was about six feet long and curved like a scythe, and it make me feel sick.

The elder demons got over their surprise quickly. There were four ramps leading off the platform, and before I could dash in any direction, each of them had covered an exit.

The tallest one snarled. "What do we have here? A daughter of Poseidon?"

"Yes," another growled. "I can smell the sea in her blood."

I raised Riptide, warming up as I stood tall. I would not falter.

"Strike down one of us, demigod," the third demon said, "and the rest of us shall tear you to shreds. Your father betrayed us. He took our gift and said nothing as we were cast into the pit. We will see him sliced to pieces. He and all the other Olympians."

I wished I had a plan, I really did but my only thought had been to get Annabeth out of there. I would never live with myself if she didn't get out. Luke could handle losing me, I hoped, but losing Annabeth would break him.

The young telekhines were at the platform now, too, snarling and waiting to see how their four elders would deal with me.

I felt something burning against the side of my leg. The ice whistle in my pocket was getting colder. If I ever needed help, now was the time. But I hesitated. I didn't trust Quintus's gift.

Before I could make up my mind, the tallest telekhine said, "Let us see how strong she is. Let us see how long it takes her to burn!"

He scooped some lava out of the nearest furnace. It set his fingers ablaze, but this didn't seem to bother him at all. The other elder telekhines did the same. The first one threw a glop of molten rock at me and set my pants on fire. Two more splattered across my chest. I dropped my sword in sheer terror and swatted at my clothes. Fire was engulfing me. Strangely, it felt only warm at first, but it was getting hotter by the instant.

"Your father's nature protects you," one said. "Makes you hard to burn. But not impossible, youngling. Not impossible."

They threw more lava at me, and I remember screaming in pain. My skin burned and bubbled. I was being consumed. I crumpled to the metal floor and heard the sea demon children howling in delight.

Then I remembered the voice of the river naiad at the ranch: The water is within me.

I needed the sea. I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, but I had nothing around to help me. Not a faucet or a river. Not even a petrified seashell this time. Everything was so hot, my skin was burning and I was going to die no where near the water. It was worse than the pain of the Hellhound years ago.

Something else rumbled in my chest, a different ache than the one of using water. It felt ancient, like my bones were creaking and rubbing together, like there was something wrong and I had to put it back into place. The pain grew worse, the heat burning across my skin as I let loose one horrible scream.

Everything clicked back into place, something loud snapping around me and crashing. The heat grew worse, before suddenly everything stopped. It all went quiet. 

My brain could barely focus enough to remember what Luke looked like, to hope that he knew that I loved him. I didn't want to die with him thinking I didn't.

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Andi isn't having fun, but her last thoughts were of Luke, which is sweet. Also, she saved Annie for Luke and that's cute, but also, some changes, things are different, so we shall see.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx