CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
GHOST

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RATHER THAN THE COLLISION of her cousin's palm against her cheek, the crackling of a roaring fire was what brought Annais back into consciousness again. The orange flames danced before her eyes as they blearily blinked open, taunting her with an upside-down version of the world, and not in a metaphorical sense. Annais was hanging in the air, thick metal chains looped around her ankles and strung up by the warehouse machinery. On one side of her was Piper, her face red and sweaty as she struggled to set herself free, and on the other was Jason. He was unconscious, blonde hair streaked with blood that seeped from a wound above his eyebrow. Annais hadn't seen him before the cyclopes knocked her out, she couldn't even be sure if he was breathing, but she'd have to worry about that later.

Two figures were circling the fire pit set up on the conveyor belt. Their backs faced where the four — Annais spied a knocked out Ezra swaying back and forth on Piper's other side — demigods were hung, and they spoke in furtive whispers that Annais struggled to understand through the ringing in her ears. Blinking once, twice, she couldn't help the strangled gasp that slipped from her throat when she finally recognised the big metal pole suspended over the flames. It was a spit, she'd realised, and she had a very bad feeling it was meant for her and her friends.

"Ahh, you're awake," a voice cooed. "I was beginning to think I killed you."

Annais groaned, the side of her head throbbing painfully as she tried to move. How hard had they hit her with that fucking bat? Her hands twitched at her sides, itching to press against the wound as she felt blood drip down her jaw, but she found she was unable to move them. Panic struck, her whole body swinging when she realised that the chains around her ankles also circled up to her shoulder-blades. How on earth were they going to get out of this?

Another laugh. "You won't get free, demigod."

Annais' head snapped up, ready and determined to fight her way out, only to come face-to-face with one of the cyclopes as he wandered over to her. He was easily ten feet tall, making his greasy hair brush the roof of the warehouse. He moved around in nothing but a chainmail loincloth. Her nose scrunched up at the sight of him, at the hairy torso she had no choice but to stare at. He definitely wasn't an attractive creature, to say the least. But like Zethes, he seemed to think he was.

"Scream, girl," he poked at her chains when she simply scowled at him. "I like funny screaming."

Beside Annais, Piper spoke up, her tone calm and reasonable as she glanced between her friend and their captor. "Oh, Mr Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go."

He scratched at his head in contemplation, turning to the other cyclops. This one was dressed in a fiberglass toga, standing at the same height of what looked to be his brother. Both of them had the same dopey expression on their faces. "She's kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go."

Toga-boy growled. "I saw her first, Sump, I'll let her go."

It didn't take long for an argument to erupt between the two, the harsh yelling only serving to hurt Annais' head as she tried her best to block it out. She definitely had some sort of concussion, and while Piper was succeeding at her trick to get them released, it was doing Annais no good.

"You fools!"

This voice, unlike the other two, was feminine and sharp. It came from the shadows, immediately silencing them into bowing their heads shamefully. Out stepped the third cyclops, the one Annais remembered seeing before Torque -— or at least, she thought it was him; her vision was starting to swim — had knocked her out. She was several feet taller than her sons, her oily black hair matted on either side of her face, woven with copper wires and metal washers that matched the bronze tone of her chainmail dress. Her features were thick and smashed together like she'd been punched in the face one too many times, but her single red eye stood out warningly. She would be harder to convince than the other two.

"The girl is Venus spawn," she snarled, stalking over to Sump and shoving him aside to get a better look at Piper. "She's using charmspeak on you."

Piper winced. "Please, ma'am—"

The lady roared, reaching out to grab her waist and shake her chains. "Don't try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch."

Annais yearned to do something, anything, as Piper clenched her eyes shut and whimpered. But before she could speak up and bring the attention onto her instead, Ma Gasket dropped her and turned to scold Sump for falling into her trap.

"Idiot," she screamed. "I should've thrown you out onto the streets when you were babies, like proper cyclops children! You might have learned some useful skills. Curse my soft heart that I kept you!"

"Soft heart?" Torque scoffed under his breath. Annais couldn't help agreeing with him. There was nothing soft or sentimental about this woman, though she didn't seem to appreciate it being pointed out.

"What was that, you ingrate?"

"Nothing, Ma," he pouted. "I said you got a soft heart. We get to work for you, feed you, file your toenails—"

"And you should be grateful," she bellowed. "Now, stoke the fire, Torque. And Sump, you idiot, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat these demigods without salsa?"

Annais' eyes widened, though her protests fell on deaf ears as Sump stumbled over his words. "Yes, Ma — I mean, no, Ma. I mean—"

"Just go get it," Ma Gasket shouted. In an instant, she'd picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over his head as punishment, forcing the boy onto his knees. He kneeled there for a moment, blinking in a daze, before he staggered to his feet and sulked off to fetch the salsa.

In his absence came the silence. While Annais' head appreciated it, she wasn't sure if she did. The silence was borderline unbearable, forcing Piper and Annais to watch as Torque stroked the fire and Ma Gasket observed his work. Nothing was happening. Jason and Ezra were knocked out, Leo and Mel were nowhere to be found, they were trapped and about to be eaten and there was nothing they could do about it. The thought was terrifying. Annais didn't want to die at the hands of monsters, not after everything she had faced. It would not be a monster that ended her life. And she couldn't let down Jason — and the others! — so easily. Not when it was her job to make sure they got through this alive.

But what was she supposed to do?

Piper gasped suddenly, not just alerting Annais but Ma Gasket too. "What's the matter, girl? So fragile that I broke you?"

At lightning speed, she was averting her gaze from a tower of trucks towards the woman. She seemed anxious, fearful, and yet there was hope in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Annais didn't get it at first, but then she saw a flash of light hair. Melanie. And if Melanie was there, then Leo certainly would be. Her chest felt lighter somehow, but like Piper, she couldn't give it away. She turned back to Ma Gasket as the cyclops shook her chains, schooling her face into a blank stare while Piper put on a show worthy of an Oscar.

"I think it's my ribs, ma'am," she sniffled. "If I'm busted up inside, I'll taste terrible."

But Ma Gasket just bellowed with laughter. "Good one. The last hero we ate — remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he?"

Annais froze, and suddenly survival was the last thing on her mind. Son of Mercury, aka son of Hermes. Yet another monster referring to the Gods by their Roman names. Through pieces of the conversation — purple shirts, speaking in Latin — Annais' suspicions were only confirmed. There was a whole new side of this life out there waiting to be discovered, that monsters like Ma Gasket were already privy to, and Jason Grace was the key to finding that side.

It was clear that Annais had missed some sort of discussion, because when she finally tore her eyes away from the blonde boy in question, Piper was speaking incredulously, "But aren't cyclopes good? I thought you made weapons for the Gods."

"Bah! I am very good," Ma Gasket chuckled, lips drawn back in a snarl that reveals rotted yellow teeth. "Good at eating people, good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the Gods. Our cousins, the elder cyclopes, they do this. Thinking they're so high and mighty 'cause they're a few thousand years older than us." For a second, Annais' thought about Tyson, Percy's half-brother and the cyclops son of Poseidon before Ma Gasket kept talking, lost in her speech like some Disney villain. "Then there's our Southern cousins, living on islands and tending sheep, what morons. But we Hyperborean cyclopes, the Northern clan. We are the best. Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory — the best weapons, armour, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs. And yet, we were forced to shut down, laid off most of our tribe since the war was too quick and the titans lost. No good! No more need for cyclops weapons!"

"Oh no," Piper sympathised, all the while Annais and Ezra — who Annais hadn't noticed waking up but there she was shaking in anger like a rabid chihuahua — glared daggers at the woman. Ezra even went to speak but the sound came out muffled by a piece of tape stuck across her mouth. Clearly, she'd had a lot to say before the cyclopes managed to knock her out. "I'm sure you made some amazing weapons."

Torque nodded with pride. "Squeaky war hammer!"

He spun back towards the fire for a moment, fumbling around with a hunk of metal that none of the girls had noticed before, then turned back with a large pole attached to an accordion-looking metal box. He grinned before slamming it against the floor, cracking the cement like the devil reaching up out of hell with a bruised fist.

"Terrifying," Piper muttered while he guffawed.

"Not as good as the exploding axe. But this can be used more than once."

Piper hummed in acknowledgement. "Can I see it? If you could just free my hands—"

Ma Gasket screamed in outrage as her son stepped forward happily. "Stupid boy! She's tricking you again! Enough talk. Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh." Annais' stomach flipped as she turned towards Jason. She struggled against her chains, catching Ma Gasket's attention and earning an amused chuckle. "That girl next, but make her watch as we cut up the boy. Seems she has a soft spot for him, angst tastes better."

"No," Annais snarled as Piper began to protest, "Hey, can I just ask—"

Before she could get the words out, a sound like electricity crackling echoed from across the room. The two cyclopes froze. Then, as another flash of light hair flickered between the vehicles, Torque roared and picked up a truck, throwing it across the room and cackling as it steamrolled over the machinery. Annais let out a horrified scream that was drowned out by the chaos, Ezra mirroring the sound behind her tape. Neither of them or Piper were sure if Leo and Mel were buried under the ruins, but just the thought was enough to terrify them. There was no one else who could get them out of this. If they died, the rest of them would too. Annais had no doubts that none of the Gods would step in. She'd already asked enough from her father, and none of the others cared enough for the troublesome Mins and a trio of random demigods.

They were on their own.

"Torque!" Ma Gasket suddenly cried, pointing a meaty finger over at a set of nearby cars. "You pathetic excuse for a cyclops, get them!"

Torque gave an affirmative nod before running off to where Leo and Mel had popped up out of nowhere. Annais barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before Leo pressed a button and a robotic arm whirred to life. Swinging through the air, it smacked Torque so hard across the face that he slumped to the floor with a groan. Then, before he could lay a finger on them, the hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him up towards the roof like a sack of bricks. Torque's screams faded into deafening silence as he disappeared. Ma Gasket waited eagerly for his return, and yet it never came. Instead, yellow dust rained down, evoking a war-cry from his furious mother.

"My son... you... you..."

As if on cue, her other son returned with a case of salsa gripped in his fist. "Ma, I got the extra spicy—"

He never got to finish his sentence. Leo looked Ma Gasket in the eyes and pressed the button again, the robotic arm whacking Sump so hard in the chest that he flew backwards and slammed against the side of a delivery truck. Like a piñata, yellow dust erupted from his chest and Sump was long gone.

"You busted my boys," Ma Gasket growled. "Only I get to bust my boys!"

Leo frantically punched the button. Two other arms swung out from the roof but Ma Gasket was quick to catch the first one and tear it in half. The second smacked her on the head, but it didn't seem to bother her as she swatted it like it was an annoying bug rather than a giant hunk of metal punching down on her skull. She grabbed it by the clamps, ripped it free, and swung it like a baseball bat right at Annais and the others. The girls screeched as it missed them by an inch, trying in vain to swing backwards as the metal flew past their eyes. Ma Gasket laughed at them, and then she was turning back to Leo. She threw the arm at him, evoking a yelp as he tackled Mel off to the side.

"Holy Hades, we're gonna die," Ezra cried out, shaking so bad that the chains around her began to dig uncomfortably into her skin. Annais hadn't realised until then just how scared she must've been. Waking up in an unknown place, unable to see the dangers holding her hostage, loud sounds she was unprepared for. If only she could get them free.

She watched on helplessly as Ma Gasket stormed towards Leo and Mel, her fists clenched and teeth bared like a dog. She was tame compared to some of the monsters Annais had seen in her lifetime, and yet a shiver went down her spine as Ma Gasket glared at her sister and friend. Mel clutched the back of Leo's shirt with her dagger loose at her side, unsure what to do as she glanced between the boy in front of her, Ma Gasket and her family.

"Any more tricks, demigods?" the woman demanded just as Annais and Mel's eyes met.

"Heck yeah, we got tricks!" Leo shouted, waving his remote control at her mockingly. "Take one more step and I can destroy you with fire."

Ma Gasket threw her head back in a laugh. "Oh, would you? Cyclopes are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with flames, let me help."

Faster than any of them could comprehend, she scooped up red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them towards Leo's feet. He and Mel frowned in confusion, unsure if she intended to miss them or not, especially when she looked so pleased with herself afterwards.

"You missed."

But did she? Annais spied the barrel of kerosene before anyone else. She gasped in horror, struggling once again as Ma Gasket reached for the barrel and threw it towards them. She just got the words out as it landed at their feet. "Guys, watch out!"

A firestorm erupted. Tears strung Annais' eyes as she clenched them shut. She couldn't bear to watch. Her heart felt like it'd been torn in two when Piper screamed 'no!' at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking as the warmth of the flames began to become a bit too much. There was no way Leo and Mel would've survived, and Annais refused to lay eyes on their burnt corpses. No, she'd keep them shut, even when Ma Gasket killed her.

Out of nowhere, Piper's sobs were turning into gasps of surprise and elation. "Annais! Oh my— Annais, look."

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden change of light, but when they did, she was met with the sight of Leo standing tall in the centre of the flames, seemingly unharmed as he shot bolts of white-hot fire towards the chains suspending an engine block right above Ma Gasket's head. Mel was off to the side, looking out of it as she stumbled to her feet and stared at Leo in pure awe. After a moment, the flames died down and Ma Gasket gave a hum of delight.

"An impressive try, son of Hephaestus. It's been many centuries since I saw a fire user. You are going to make a spicy appetizer."

Above her, metal started to creak and groan. At the same time, Ezra's jitters from the chaos began to overflow. Annais had just enough time to look away before bright light was radiating through the air, snapping the chains holding her down and shooting right at Ma Gasket. The woman barely had time to scream as it hit her square in the chest, followed by the engine block falling right on her head.

Silence. Chaos released. Annais slowly turned back, gaping in shock at the place Ma Gasket had only just been standing before turning to look at Leo. He'd fallen to his knees as Mel rushed towards him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and whispering something to him frantically. They stayed that way for a moment, seemingly exhausted. Annais knew how they felt, but she couldn't stand the silence the longer it stretched on.

"Leo? Mel?" she called out. "Are you alright? Can you help us?"

They didn't reply verbally. Instead, they exchanged a heavy look before Mel grabbed Leo's hands and pulled him to his feet. They made their way over to where the girls were hanging, working in silence to remove the chains and lower them back to the floor. Then, once they were down, the four of them worked together to release Jason while an out-of-it Ezra leaned off to the side. Mel and Piper looked over the latter as she mumbled in confusion. Meanwhile, Leo and Annais propped Jason up and trickled nectar into his mouth, making him groan and lean his weight against Annais' front.

"He's got a nice thick skull," Leo noted as he observed the bump on his head. "I think he's gonna be fine."

"Good," Annais said.

The others soon joined them. Piper couldn't stop gaping at Leo with a strange mix of awe and fear on her face. She didn't know what he was, but Annais did. He was a fire user, and she'd heard the rumours about them.

"How did you — the fire... have you always...?" Then she turned to Ezra. "And you — that is what happens when chaos gets too much?"

Ezra's shoulders jerked at the question. The reality was, she could do a lot worse. She had done a lot worse, but she wasn't about to say that. Instead, Leo spoke up, bowing his head in shame. "I'm a freaking menace. Sorry, I should've told you guys sooner."

"Hey, don't call yourself that," Annais chided as Piper punched his arm. "And don't say sorry. You saved our lives."

"Yeah, you might be a fire user, but that doesn't always have to be a bad thing," Ezra pointed out, trying her best to sound reassuring. Though with limited energy, her words were blunt. "You helped us, Leo, you did."

"That was amazing, Valdez," Piper chimed in with a grin. "What are you sorry about, huh?"

Leo blinked in surprise. It looked to Annais like he wasn't used to one compliment, let alone three — if you could even count what Ezra said as a compliment. It both warmed her heart and saddened her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it as moving yellow dust caught her attention. The remains of the cyclopes... they were moving towards each other, attempting to form again.

"What the fuck," she whispered.

Mel shared the same sentiment. "How is this happening?"

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

"And Annabeth's right," said Annais. "It's been like that ever since Zeus and the other Gods gained control of Olympus. My dad, Hades, he's in charge of keeping the monsters there. He wouldn't let them out, not for anything."

"Well, nobody told the dust that," Leo frowned, the group watching as it collected into a pile, slowly forming a shape with arms and legs.

"Oh God," Piper cried. "Boreas said something about this, the earth yielded up horrors. 'When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades.' How long do you think we have?"

"By the looks of it, not long."

"We should get out of here," Ezra said, forcing herself to stand despite clearly not wanting to. "Valdez, did you fix the dragon?"

"Yeah."

"Great, then let's go."

It was clear she was well and truly done with Monocle Motors. Annais was too. The day she saw a mechanics shop or cyclops again would be way too soon.