chapter two; the bravest and smartest.

     The truck smashed into the machinery. The sound echoed around the factory and Kat flinched. She couldn't see Leo. If he hadn't moved, he'd be flattened under the truck and Katarina couldn't imagine he'd walk away from that with all his bones intact.

Ma Gasket's one eye glowed with anger and she yelled, "Torque, you pathetic excuse for a Cyclops, get him!".

Torque's footsteps sounded like thunder as he ran towards the crane. Piper was squirming, there was no chance of her freeing herself but she didn't stop trying.

The Cyclops was fifty feet away, twenty feet and then one of the robotic arms whirred to life. The metal claw spun around and knocked Torque flat on his face. The floor shook and the Cyclops groaned, stunned by the machinery slamming into his back. The claw grabbed Torque's leg and rocketed him straight up into the air.

Torque's scream was cut short by a clang and yellow dust rained down from the ceiling. One down, two to go. Katarina thought Leo's plan was already working much better than hers.

"My son..." Ma Gasket stared at Leo. Kat still couldn't see him. "You...".

Sump lumbered back into the factory, completely unaware of what he'd missed and carrying his mother's case of salsa. "Ma, I got the extra spicy–".

The second robotic arm spun to life and whacked Sump in the chest, cutting the Cyclops sentence short and exploding the salsa case in his hands. Sump flew backwards and collapsed at the base of the third machine. Leo didn't give Sump a second to come to his senses, the third crane arm slammed him against the floor and he exploded into dust.

Ma Gasket roared, Kat was far too impressed by Hephaestus' son to be scared of the mother Cyclops. Ma Gasket grabbed the nearest crane arm and ripped it off its stand. "You busted my boys!" She growled. "Only I get to bust my boys!".

The remaining two arms swung at Ma Gasket when Leo pressed a button on his remote. Ma Gasket caught the first one, tore it in half and tossed it to the floor. She wasn't as quick to catch the second one.

The arm smacked her in the head. Her nostrils flared and she growled. It only made her angrier, if that was possible. Ma Gasket ripped the arm clean off its clamps and swung it, almost hitting the two demigods that hung in chains. She let go of the arm, launching it at Leo.

Katarina heard Leo yelp. He rolled to the side and the machine that he had been standing next to was flattened. When he got to his feet, the murderous glare in Ma Gasket's eye almost knocked him down again. Her fists were clenched and she bared her yellow teeth at him.

"Any more tricks, demigod?" Ma Gasket demanded.

Leo hesitated.

Kat didn't.

Her dagger turned into a three feet sword in her hand with a silver skull pommel. It was similar to the one her father wielded in battle.

Katarina stepped out from behind the machinery. The blazing fire glinted in the flat side of the blade, pulling Ma Gasket's attention away from Leo. The Cyclops roared, her anger rattled the factory and her gaze narrowed in on Kat.

Her dark auburn hair shone under the warm orange light and she glared at the Cyclops, showing Ma Gasket that she was far from terrified. Piper noticed a white streak of hair that was braided back and out of her face with the rest of Katarina's hair. Like a battle scar, similar to the one in Annabeth's dark hair.

"Mars spawn," Ma Gasket growled. "Is this what you call an ambush?" Her eye shifted between Katarina and Leo.

Kat could see him. His forehead shone with sweat and his clothes were crumpled and dirty from avoiding the machines that the cyclops had thrown at him.

"I am the daughter of Ares," Katarina stated.

"Your father won't help you now, girl".

Kat wasn't naive. She couldn't count on Ares for anything. Her mortal father was her only father who'd come rushing if his children needed him. George San was the bravest and smartest man Katarina had ever met, that was the single thing she and Ares could agree on.

"You underestimate me. Just as your stupid daughter did".

That infuriated Ma Gasket. She growled, scooped up a handful of red-hot coals with her bare hand and launched them at Katarina. Most of the coals landed around her feet but the ones that targeted her face, Kat sliced at them with her sword. The blade cut through them with ease and they landed at her feet with the others. She stepped back, kicking a smouldering piece of coal off her combat boot.

"No one calls Pin stupid, except me!" Ma Gasket growled.

Katarina wished she had some sort of telepathy. Now would be the perfect time for Leo to sneak out of Ma Gasket's eye line. Her focus was on Katarina and the vein on her neck looked like it was about to burst.

"Oh, come on!" Katarina dropped her arm, her sword swung at her side. "Your kids were pathetic," Kat shouted, "Pin couldn't even kill me when I was tied up!" Kat laughed, "I mean, what kind of Cyclops can't kill a demigod?".

Ma Gasket roared. Kat had struck a nerve. The look in Ma Gasket's eye was nothing but murderous, it made Leo back up. Kat didn't flinch.

"Have I offended you?" Katarina raised a brow.

Ma Gasket didn't answer in words. The Cyclops glared and picked up a barrel next to her. Katarina tightened her grip on her sword and Leo read what was stencilled on the side of the wooden barrel.

Kerosene.

The barrel landed on the floor in front of her, it cracked and the liquid spilled out. Katarina blinked. It felt as if the god of time had slowed everything down, the coals around her sparked and Kat tripped over her feet as she stumbled backwards. Was she fireproof? Her father's eyes blazed with fire when he was in battle but he was a god, he was immortal unlike his children and honestly, Katarina thought it would be quite embarrassing to be killed by fire. It wouldn't be a satisfying death at all.

The coals lit. It was one at first, then two and before Kat knew it she was standing in the middle of a firestorm.

Kat had never thought about it, burning alive that is. For a brief moment, when orange flashed in front of her eyes, fear swarmed Katarina's stomach. That seemed like a reasonable feeling. Kat could feel the hair on her face burning off and the leather jacket that clung to her body felt as if it was melting to her skin.

Time sped back up when a pair of arms wrapped around her. Katarina expected to see the thick black wings that belonged to the Reaper of Souls and Thanatos soft smile as he stated that her time was up but instead she found Leo.

Ma Gasket laughed with delight and Piper watched in horror.

His eyes were closed and his brows were furrowed, hidden under his thick curls that hung over his forehead. Kat could feel his heart beating in his chest — or maybe that was hers? Katarina wasn't sure — and his arms tightened around her, hands clinging to her leather coat as if she was going to vanish.

The firestorm that had grown up to twenty feet in the air, died down to small fiery patches. Leo opened one eye and peeked over Katarina's shoulder. The tension left his body, he opened his other eye and his brows softened.

"That actually worked," Leo smiled.

Kat's eyes widened, "You didn't think that would work?" she asked.

"It's not everyday a hot girl gets almost burnt alive," Leo's smile didn't falter when Katarina pushed him away from her.

Ma Gasket growled with irritation yet she looked astonished. They should be dead. "You live?" She took a step forward and Leo turned to face the Cyclops mother. "What are you?" Ma Gasket asked, her question was directed at Leo.

"The son of Hephaestus," Leo said. "And I will destroy you with fire".

Leo gave the Cyclops one warning. He pointed his finger in the air and concentrated, summoning all he could as he focused on the chain suspending the engine block above the Cyclops's head. A white-hot flame shot out of his finger and hit the weakest looking link.

The factory fell silent. The flames died and nothing happened. The Cyclops laughed, "An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It's been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You'll make a spicy appetiser!".

The chain snapped.

"I don't think so," Leo said.

Ma Gasket didn't have time to look up. The five-ton engine block fell silently and smashed the Cyclops into nothing more than a pile of yellow dust.

"Not immune to engines, huh?" Leo said. "Boo-yah!" Leo cheered.

Leo fell to his knees. There was a ringing in his ears. Piper called his name, worried for her friend and Katarina watched him. He was exhausted from extinguishing the flames that had surrounded Kat and from summoning such an intense fire that broke the chain link.

After a minute or so, Kat tapped the toe of her shoe against Leo's knee. He glanced up at her, only then registering Piper's concern. Kat held her hand out to him, he took it and stumbled to his feet with Kat's help.

"Nice work, son of Hephaestus," The sword in Kat's hand changed into a dagger and she slid it back into the sheath on her thigh.

"Hey, uh," Kat dropped Leo's hand and they turned to look at Piper, "Can you get us out of here?" Piper asked.

Working together it took Kat and Leo a while to lower Piper and unchain her. Then the three of them lowered the blonde boy, Jason, who was still unconscious and unchained him. Piper pulled a bottle of nectar from her backpack and trickled a little bit of nectar into his mouth. Jason groaned, his eyelids fluttered and the welt on his head started to shrink.

Kat left the trio alone and began a patrol of the factory. The back of her neck buzzed with anticipation. She felt as if they were being watched and it was only a matter of time before something attacked.

"Yeah, he's got a nice thick skull," Leo said. "I think he's gonna be fine".

"Thank god," Piper sighed. Piper's gaze shifted from Jason to Leo and her expression changed slightly, "How did you- the fire- have you always...?".

Leo looked down. He'd expected this reaction, even from his friend, "Always. I'm a freaking menace. Sorry, I should've told you guys sooner but-".

"Sorry?" Piper punched Leo's arm, grinning. Leo looked up, "That was amazing, Valdez! You saved our lives. What are you sorry about?" Piper asked.

Kat came back into their view, Leo glanced over at her and Piper shook her head, "I thought you were dead when you jumped into that fire," Piper said.

A mischievous smile tugged at his lips, "You can't score points with a dead girl," Leo said. Piper rolled her eyes, unsurprised. Leo wouldn't be Leo if he didn't instantly develop a crush on every girl he encountered.

Leo's smile faded when he noticed something moving next to Piper's foot. It was the yellow dust remains of one of the Cyclopes. It was shifting across the floor, migrating towards another cluster of yellow dust.

"They're forming again," Leo said. "Look," Leo pointed at the dust.

Piper shifted away from the dust. "That's not possible. Annabeth told me monsters dissipate when they're killed. They go back to Tartarus and can't return for a long time," Piper said.

"Well, nobody told the dust that," Leo watched the dust as it collected into a pile and then very slowly began forming into a shape with arms and legs.

The colour faded from Piper's face. She was almost as pale as Jason, "Oh god. Boreas said something about this- the earth yielding up horrors. 'When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades.' How long do you think we have?" Piper asked.

"I don't know," Leo didn't want to stick around and find out, "We need to get out of here".

authors note!!
🗡️ okay so i may have forgot about this fic while writing my 9-1-1 fic but i swear it's coming back. i love kat san and leo valdez too much to leave them in the dust.