xiii.

  —SAVANNAH grinned as Leo handed her a sandwich wrapped in tin foil. She hadn't realized she was hungry until her stomach started to grumble even over the sound of rushing wind. As she unwrapped the thin sheet of foil, she began to smile wider, if that was even possible. It was peanut butter and jelly and she faintly noticed the small slices of banana in between; exactly how she ate it back at the Wilderness School to add a little bit more flavor to the blandness. And when they were available, she would also put strawberries in.

  "Thank you," Savannah said, latched onto Leo's body with one arm and eating the sandwich with her other.

  "Only the best for you." He looked over his shoulder and she gave him a stuffed cheek grin.

  Jason peeked around Piper's body. "You got any for us, buddy?"

  Leo seemed to realize his distraction and retrieved the other sandwiches, handing them back. "Always."

  The sun slowly started to set on the horizon and Savannah could feel Piper drop her head onto her back to sleep. She didn't mind, only leaning forward onto Leo's own back to talk with him quietly.

  "It's pretty." She mentioned, looking at the colors in the sky.

  "Oh?" Leo shrugged briefly. "I've seen better."

  Savannah squinted her eyes disbelievingly. "Where?"

  Leo tilted his head. "Eh, no where specific. It's just not the best."

  Savannah chuckled. "Yeah, well, I think this is the best I've seen." She admired the reds and oranges and pinks.

  "You've seen nothing yet. With Festus, here," he patted the dragons head, "I'll be able to show you all kinds of sunsets and sunrises. Each one prettier than the last."

  Savannah held onto him tighter. "I'd like that. I really would." Then the two just admired the sky for a while.

  It was like the sky was on fire ... but in a good way. She wished that all fires could be like this one.

  "Uh, thank you for the sandwiches, by the way," Savannah said eventually. "I don't think any of us even remembered that we would need to eat."

  Leo waved his hand. "Don't mention it. I'm happy to play chef."

  "Right. What can't you do, Handy Manny?" She asked, nestling her head deeper in the crevice between his narrow shoulder blades. She felt the vibrations of his chuckles.

  "I'm not great at math," he stated bluntly.

  "I don't think math will be such a big issue anymore," Savannah admitted.

  "Yeah, me neither," Leo sighed.

  Savannah switched her position against his back as he was giving off an immense amount of heat, but she didn't really mind. The bite of the wind countered it.

  The two sat in silence, neither one of them wanting to fall asleep and disturb their moment.

  "Hey, Savannah—"

  Suddenly, Festus's head was slamming with unnatural speed to the right. Savannah squealed as weightlessness made her stomach queasy.

  As Festus could no longer fly, they began to fall. And Savannah started to scream. But the rushing of wind in everyone's ears drowned her out. They were so high up that Jason had enough time to wake up, realize what was happening, and then try to save his friends.

  "Not coooooool!" Leo shouted, trying to claw at clouds, and maybe Savannah. But the girl had her eyes shut tight and her body was in a fetal position. And he could tell that she was shrieking with all the lung power she possessed.

  Jason looked around. "You guys! Level out, extend your arms and legs!"

  But it was futile. Leo was focused on Savannah and Festus in pieces, Piper was just waking up and realizing the gravity ( how ironic ) of the situation, and Savannah was just screaming bloody murder as they plummeted to the earth. So Jason did what he could and controlled the winds just enough to ram himself into each of his friends, all of them latching onto each other one by one.

  Savannah was alert at this point and grappling onto Piper and Leo with an iron-vice grip. Leo, after seeing Savannah was now safe — or safer — was now on the hunt to save Festus.

  Leo tried to escape Jason's hold to fall towards the bronze dragon but Savannah pulled him in tighter. They were all close enough now to hear each other. "Leo, stop it!"

  "My dragon!" Leo yelled. "You gotta save Festus!"

  But before he could try and detach himself again, there was an explosion below them. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and Leo sobbed, "Festus!"

  Savannah's mind was reeling. They were still falling to their death, only slower now with Jason's work, and Leo was sobbing into her shoulder. She didn't know what to focus on first. She refrained from resuming her screaming but she stuffed her face into her friends' bodies to ignore the outside world.

  She started to cry as Jason groaned, "I can't —"

  And they dropped like stones.

  They hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into darkness.

  They all went flying apart as their different body parts tried to cushion their fall. Savannah's shoulder stung as she landed on something softer than concrete. But a hundred foot drop onto anything wouldn't be pleasant.

  The smell of dirty rubber filled her nose and she coughed it away. Like old tires. She'd landed on a pile of old tires. And she was lucky the rims were not connected.

  Her next thought hit her like a truck.

Had the others been as lucky?

  "Leo?!" She rasped, her voice gone after her fit in the sky.

  There was a groan through the dark warehouse and she stood to her feet to follow it. "Piper! Where's Piper?"

  Jason.

  "Ow, bro! That's my back! I'm not a sofa!"

  Leo. Savannah sighed in relief as she stumbled over, tripping over something and falling right in front of Leo as he sat up.

  "Savi," he exhaled. They met in a tight hug, Savannah's shoulder flaring, but she paid it no mind.

  Jason only watched them for a moment. "Piper?"

  "Here," the girl's voice whimpered. The three shuffled around in the dark, Savannah's hand in Leo's as they navigated.

  "She's up there," Savannah pointed up toward the catwalk on the second level. They all made their way up the metal staircase. When they made it to her side, Savannah almost puked. The girl's foot was obviously broken and pointing in an unnatural direction.

  Leo started to ask, "You okay ... ?" Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not."

  "Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned.

  "You'll be fine," Jason said, though Savannah could hear the worry in his voice. "Leo, you got any first aid supplies?"

  "Yeah — yeah, sure." He dug around in his tool belt and pulled out a wad of gauze and a roll of duct tape. Savannah was shocked that those objects came from the belt when she swore the pockets were empty when he looked in.

  "Those weren't in there before," Savannah pointed between the medical supplies and his belt.

  "Magic," Leo said. "Haven't figured it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?"

  Jason snatched away the mints. "That's great, Leo. Now, can you fix her foot?"

  "I'm a mechanic, man. Maybe if she was a car ..." He snapped his fingers at Savannah. "Wait, what was that godly healing stuff they fed you at camp — Rambo food?"

  "Ambrosia, dummy," Piper said through gritted teeth.

  "I have some!" Savannah lightened and dug through her bag. She pulled out the ziploc bag that contained little squares of pastries. She handed it to Jason, knowing he would know more about it than her.

  "More," she said.

  Jason frowned. "Piper, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up. I think I should try to set your foot."

  Piper's stomach fluttered. "Have you ever done that before?"

  "Yeah ... I think so."

  "That's good enough," Savannah muttered.

  Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half for a splint. Then he got the gauze and duct tape ready.

  "Hold her leg still," Jason told him. "Piper, this is going to hurt." Savannah turned her head away in preparation, unsure of how well the sandwich would hold up in her stomach. She did grasp at Piper's hand to try and be a comfort, though. When Jason set the foot, Piper flinched so hard she punched Leo in the arm and squeezed the daylights out of Savannah's hand, and they yelled almost as much as she did. Savannah retracted her hand after confirming that her foot was now facing the right way.

  "Ow," Piper said. Ow was right, Savannah thought as she massaged her fingers.

  "Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo rubbed his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."

  "Sorry," she said. "And don't call me 'beauty queen,' or I'll punch you again." Savannah chuckled.

  "You did great." Jason found a canteen in Piper's pack and gave her some water.

  "What happened to the dragon?" Piper asked. "Where are we?"

  Leo's expression turned sullen and Savannah gave his hand a gentle tug with her good hand. "I don't know with Festus. He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall."

  "And as far as where we are ..." Savannah added, looking up at the big logo on the cement wall. "Someplace called Monocle Motors, Assembly Plant 1."

  "Closed car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crash-landed in Detroit."

  "How far is that from Chicago?" Piper asked.

  Jason handed her the canteen. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."

  "No way," Leo said. "It isn't safe."

  "He's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And four people — Jason, you can't fly that many across country by yourself."

  "No way," Jason said. "Leo, are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and —"

  "And I might not have repaired him right?" Savannah's eyebrows shot up at his defensive comment, but she understood that he was still hurt by the sudden loss of the dragon.

  "I didn't say that," Jason protested. "It's just—maybe you could fix it."

  "I don't know." Leo sounded crestfallen. He pulled a few screws out of his pockets and started fiddling with them. "I'd have to find where he landed, if he's even in one piece."

  "It was my fault." Piper said out of the blue.

  "Piper," Savannah said hesitantly, "you were asleep when Festus hit the wall ..."

  "Yeah, you're just shaken up," Leo agreed. "You're in pain. Just rest."

  Leo stood. "Look, um, Jason, why don't you stay with her, bro? I'll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him. Savannah you can come with me if you want or stay here." Savannah immediately stood to her feet.

  "It's too dangerous," Jason said. "You don't have any protection."

  "Ah, I got duct tape and breath mints. I'll be fine," Leo said quickly, clearly a little shaken up as well.

  Savannah reached into her bag for her retractable staff. "Plus, I got this. Makes a great ... whacker."

  Leo reached into his magic tool belt, pulled out a flashlight, and headed down the stairs with Savannah in tow. The boy's back was tense and he was gripping the flashlight so tight that his knuckles were pale. She sidled up to his other side and lightly brushed her hand against his.

  "You know Jason didn't mean that you were at fault for this, right?" She pressed. His eyes were stone-set forward. "He just knows that things can go wrong."

  "But that's the thing, maybe I did miss something when fixing him, and now — now Festus is probably irreparable and the quest is ruined." They walked further around the building until they found the smoking site. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

  Festus had managed to crash-land on a line of porta-potties. Luckily for the two demigods, they hadn't been used in a very long time and even if they had been, Festus's heightened temperatures would have incinerated it all. Leo was quick to climb all over the dragon to inspect him while Savannah stepped back to observe.

  The boy muttered to himself as he found no dents or broken pieces. But the control panel had somehow frozen, something that should have been impossible with the heat.

  Within the warehouse, there was a loud bang and Savannah jerked away. "Did you hear that?" She called to Leo.

  But the boy was elbow deep trying to fix Festus. "Hear what?"

  "That loud sound ..." she said. "Uh, I'm going to go check on Jason and Piper."

  Leo finally looked up at her, oil somehow coating his face again. "Okay, I'll be out here. Oh, take this." He threw down his small flashlight, grime getting all of her hands, but she smiled anyway.

  And Savannah trekked back inside. "Piper? Jason?"

  Piper's voice called from the depths of the factory. "I'm here!"

  Within Savannah, something seemed off, but she walked forward still. "What was that loud sound?"

  This time, Jason's voice sounded and it only made Savannah's gut hurt more. "Oh, it was nothing. Just dropped a sheet of metal."

  Savannah swore that the sound was nothing like that.

  "Are you coming?" Piper asked, this time sounding a lot closer and louder than before.

  Savannah stopped at a corner, loud footsteps approaching. The girl didn't have enough time to jump away as a large hand swung around the wall's edge and drug her into the dark.

  Before she could shriek for Leo, a gross meaty hand covered almost the entirety of her face.

  —SAVANNAH wasn't a huge fan of heights. But she wasn't exactly scared of them. What she was scared of, however, were 10+ feet tall giants with one eye each watching her and two of her friends dangle 15 feet above the ground, head-first.

  "Shut up, girlie," one of the male ones growled and Savannah tried to silence her sniffles. The Cyclops grunted in approval, tapping her legs so she swayed back and forth. She felt like a piñata about to be smashed into the ground. "What was that name you yelled? Leo?"

  Savannah's eyes were wide. It had been instinct to call out for the boy when she got the chance. Unfortunately, he probably hadn't heard her, and now the Cyclopes had free reign to manipulate it. She was shaking her head furiously, seeing Piper do the same thing, tied up next to her.

  Suddenly, her voice was calling out into the warehouse. But it wasn't coming from her, sufficiently making her confused. "Leo, help!" One of the males mimicked. With no immediate answer, Savannah wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried for what could have happened to him. "Leo? Leo, help me! Help —" Then his voice normalized, becoming its masculine snarl again. "Bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?"

  The other male chuckled. "Probably ran away, if he knows what's good for him. Or the girl was just delusional. Let's get cooking." Savannah didn't want to imagine Leo just running off, but knew that if she were in his position, she might have done just that.

  One of the Cyclopes ignited a flare gun into a large pile of rubber and wood sending a mass of flames up into the warehouse. Savannah flailed uncontrollably at the sight. Tears were swelling, threatening to stream to her forehead. She was quickly feeling dizzy with the blood rushing to her head and now the smoke, and just the thought of the giant fire was enough to render her a nervous wreck.

  The Cyclopes all glowed red under light and Savannah just shut her eyes in fear. They were going to cook them up and eat them for dinner. The one who had done the voice mimicking walked over to Piper, who squirmed and tried to head-butt him in the eye. "Can I take her gag off now? I like it when they scream."

  What a sicko.

  The question was directed at the third Cyclops, the one who sounded female. She grunted, and the gag was ripped off Piper's mouth.

  She didn't scream. She took a shaky breath like she was trying to keep herself calm. Savannah had no idea how that was possible in a time like this. If the gag were to fall off her mouth, she'd be all out of sorts.

  "Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!"

  When Piper finally spoke, her tone was calm and reasonable, like she was correcting a naughty puppy. "Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go." Savannah started to nod, knowing and feeling the effect of the girl's words.

  The Cyclops scratched his ugly head. He turned to his friend. "She's kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go."

  Torque growled. "I saw her first, Sump. I'll let her go!" Sump and Torque started to argue, but the female Cyclops rose and shouted, "Fools!"

  The woman Cyclops stalked over to Sump and pushed him aside, knocking him over the conveyor belt that rested next to them. Torque backed up quickly.

  "The girl is Venus spawn," the lady Cyclops snarled. "She's using charmspeak on you."

  Piper started to say, "Please, ma'am —"

  "Rarr!" The lady Cyclops grabbed Piper around the waist. "Don't try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!" Savannah wiggled again, ignoring the heat on her face. Her shouts were muffled through her own gag. Ma Gasket just dropped her and let her dangle from her chain. Then she started yelling at Sump about how stupid he was.

  "What about this one, Ma?" Torque asked, poking Savannah's stomach. She recoiled as much as possible. The tears were free falling at this point. She could imagine them evaporating within the air, it was so hot. "She doesn't smell like demigod."

  Ma Gasket bounded closer, sniffing the air around the girl.

  "Leave her alone," Piper said in a convincing voice, but like before, the lady Cyclops was unaffected.

  "That's because she isn't one, fool," she growled harshly. "She's more mortal than god. Probably a Legacy."

  The other two Cyclopes gave looks of disgust and Savannah's thoughts only settled a little. Maybe they wouldn't eat her? Maybe mortals tasted too bad.

  "Then eat her first?" Sump asked. "Then we can save this one," he pointed to Piper, "for last." Savannah was no longer at ease. Her throat was sore from crying.

  "Idiot!" Ma Gasket yelled. "I should've thrown you out on 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 muttered.

  "What was that, you ingrate?"

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

  "And you should be grateful!" Ma Gasket 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!"

  "Yes, Ma," Sump said. "I mean no, Ma. I mean—"

  "Go get it!" Ma Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump's head. Sump crumpled to his knees. Savannah cringed at the loud bang that commenced. If Leo hadn't been alerted before, he would be now. He managed to push the chassis off his head. Then he staggered to his feet and ran off to fetch the salsa.

  Through Savannah's blurring tears, she noticed a spur of movement and tried to blink for focus. Shaggy brown hair, orange t-shirt. Leo. She made a sound of brief happiness; he looked up at her and put a finger to his lips.

  Ma Gasket turned to her. "What's the matter, girl? So fragile we broke you?" She pulled at the gag around Savannah mouth to let her speak.

  Savannah, being totally honest, wanted to agree. "Uh, yeah, actually —" She stammered. "I'm not a Demigod so my injuries haven't healed. I won't taste good. I also think I'm coming down with something." She coughed for emphasis.

  Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. "Good one. You'll just need a little more salsa. The last hero we ate — remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he?"

  "Yes, Ma," Torque said. "Tasty. Little bit stringy."

  Savannah almost gagged.

  "He tried a trick like that. Said he was on medication. But he tasted fine!"

  "Tasted like mutton," Torque recalled. "Purple shirt. Talked in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good."

  Savannah's breath hitched. Piper was having the same thoughts, because she asked, "Purple shirt? Latin?"

  "Good eating," Ma Gasket said fondly. "Point is, girl, we're not as dumb as people think! We're not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern Cyclopes."

  Piper kept talking, laying on the praise. "Oh, I've heard about the northern Cyclopes! I never knew you were so big and clever!"

  "Flattery won't work either," Ma Gasket said, though she sounded pleased. "It's true, you'll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around."

  "But aren't Cyclopes good?" Piper asked. "I thought you made weapons for the gods."

  Savannah looked around for Leo while the Cyclopes were distracted. She strained her eyes in the darkness, but she could feel the wooziness hitting her. She knew she'd be knocked out cold soon, then she'd be totally easy pickings for their appetizer.

  "Bah! I'm very good. 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, yes. Thinking they're so high and mighty 'cause they're a few thousand years older. Then there's our southern cousins, living on islands and tending sheep. Morons! But we Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we're the best! Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory—the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUVs! And yet — bah! Forced to shut down. Laid off most of our tribe. The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No more need for Cyclops weapons."

  "Oh, no," Piper sympathized. "I'm sure you made some amazing weapons."

  Torque grinned. "Squeaky war hammer!" He picked up a large pole with an accordion-looking metal box on the end. He slammed it against the floor and the cement cracked, but there was also a sound like the world's largest rubber ducky getting stomped.

  "Terrifying," Piper said. The girl might have been joking, but Savannah was sufficiently afraid of it. Didn't matter if it made a ridiculous sound, she was sure it still hurt to get hit with.

  Torque looked pleased. "Not as good as the exploding ax, but this one can be used more than once."

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

  Torque stepped forward eagerly, but Ma Gasket said, "Stupid! She's tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh."

  "Hey, wait," Piper said, trying to get the Cyclopes' attention. "Hey, can I just ask —"

  There was an electrical spark sound in the warehouse and Savannah winced. The Cyclopes froze and turned to face where it had come from. Then Torque picked up a truck and threw it. Savannah shrieked in horror.

  "No!"

  Leo, however, had rolled as the truck steamrolled over the machinery. Savannah could feel the tears welling up again, but she did her best to force it all down. He's fine. He's right there. He's alive.

  He got to his feet, and Ma Gasket spotted him. She yelled, "Torque, you pathetic excuse for a Cyclops, get him!"

  Torque barreled toward him. Savannah hyper-ventilated, just wishing Leo had half a mind to roll out of the way again. But instead of jumping away, one of the machines whirred to life, its metal claw slamming into the Cyclops' back. Knocked on his face, the robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him into the air. Savannah realized that Leo had managed to wire the machines in only minutes.

  "AHHHHH!" Torque rocketed into the gloom. The ceiling was too dark and too high up to see exactly what happened, but judging from the harsh metal clang Savannah guessed he had hit the bottom of some other beam.

  Torque never came down. Instead, yellow dust rained to the floor. Torque had disintegrated.

  Ma Gasket stared at Leo in shock. "My son ... You ... You ..."

  As if on cue, Sump lumbered into the firelight with a case of salsa. "Ma, I got the extra-spicy —"

  He never finished his sentence. Leo moved some joystick on a makeshift controller, and the second robotic arm whacked Sump in the chest. The salsa case exploded like a piñata and Sump flew backward, right into another machine. The Cyclops was rendered immovable and the third crane arm slammed him against the floor so hard, he exploded into dust like a broken flour sack.

  Savannah watched as he lightly cheered for himself, jumping up with delight. But her eyes managed to catch Ma Gasket picking up a loose crane part and get ready to hurl it at the boy.

  "Leo! Watch out!" She yelled.

  He narrowly evaded the large metal object. "You busted my boys! Only I get to bust my boys!"

  Leo punched a button, and the two remaining arms swung into action. Ma Gasket caught the first one and tore it in half. The second arm smacked her in the head, but that only seemed to make her mad. She grabbed it by the clamps, ripped it free, and swung it like a baseball bat. It only missed Piper, Jason, and Savannah by an inch — the latter screaming for her life. Then Ma Gasket let it go — spinning it toward Leo. He yelped and rolled to one side as it demolished the machine next to him.

  "Any more tricks, demigod?" Ma Gasket demanded. Savannah hoped that he did.

  "Heck, yeah, I got tricks!" Leo raised his remote control. "Take one more step, and I'll destroy you with fire!" Savannah narrowed her eyes, unsure of what he was talking about.

  Ma Gasket laughed. "Would you? Cyclopes are immune to fire, you idiot. But if you wish to play with flames, let me help!"

  She scooped red-hot coals into her bare hands and flung them at Leo. They landed all around his feet. Savannah's head whirred as she realized fire was coming into the equation.

  "You missed," he said incredulously. Then Ma Gasket grinned and picked up a barrel next to the truck. Savannah couldn't see what was written on it clearly, but knowing that this was a car repair shop, she wasn't hopeful. She chucked it and the barrel split on the floor in front of him, spilling unknown fluid everywhere.

  Coals sparked. Leo closed his eyes, and Savannah was shrieking, "No!"

  But no matter how loud she yelled, the fire rose higher, enveloping Leo in an inferno.

NOTES ;
SO I CHANGED THIS FROM THE
PLOT A LITTLE BIT. IT'LL HAVE
BIGGER IMPLICATIONS LATER