𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

chapter sixty-nine. ☄︎. *. ⋆

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I THOUGHT WE'D LOST the snake until Tyson heard a faint pinging sound. We made a few turns, backtracked a few times, and eventually found our scaly friend banging its tiny head on a metal door.

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 Êta inscribed in the middle. Instantly, I knew what I was looking at.

We all looked at each other.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover said nervously.

"No," Percy admitted.

"Yeah, no," I agreed.

"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, and he turned the wheel.

As soon as the door opened, the snake slithered 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. 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 snake slithered 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, so I thought I was prepared, but his appearance made me gulp.

I guess he'd cleaned up when I 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 wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime. His name 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. His head was misshapen and bulging. He wore a permanent scowl. His black beard smoked and hissed. Every once in a while a small wildfire would erupt in his whiskers then die out. His hands were the size of catcher's mitts, but he handled the snake with amazing skill. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together. I decided he couldn't have been too bad, since I fidgeted the same way with my ADHD.

"There," he muttered to himself. "Much better."

The snake did a happy circle in his palm, coiled around his arm, and slithered down his body to glide away.

Hephaestus glowered up at us. "I didn't make you, did I?"

"Uh," I said, "no, sir."

"Good," the god grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."

I took offense to that, but I decided not to say anything. Hephaestus studied Percy and me. "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. I got the feeling he didn't care one way or the other. He was just trying to figure out how my jaw worked, whether it was a hinge or lever or what. "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," I 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.

Even though I was sure I shouldn't dare to repeat myself, I said, "Uh, yes, sir, please."

"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 '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."

"Same thing happened to me once," I said. Then I swallowed and shook my head. "Bad joke. Um, anyways... I thought Zeus did that to you?"

Looking me up and down like he was sizing me up like a machine, 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 likable, 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."

It seemed like a pretty lonely way to live. Plus, I didn't exactly trust the work of Hephaestus. One time in Denver, his mechanical snakes had almost killed Percy and me. And last year, it had been a defective Talos statue that cost Bianca her life—another one of Hephaestus's little projects.

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?"

"I told you," I said. "I 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, child. 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 even 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 favor."

"You know where he is, then," Percy pressed.

"It isn't wise to go looking, boy."

"My friend said looking is the nature of wisdom."

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "Who's your friend, then?"

"Daughter of Athena."

"Makes sense," Hephaestus admitted. He rubbed his beard. "Alright, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."

"Name it," I said, trying not to sound too eager.

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 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 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," I said, frowning in thought. "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?" 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 guessed.

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

"Glad you noticed," Percy muttered.

Hephaestus ignored him. "Go and find out what you can," he said. "Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."

I perked up at that. "Alright. But how do we get there?"

Hephaestus clapped his hands. The snake came slithering in from under a workbench. I flinched when it stopped at my 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."

We were doing okay until we hit the tree roots. The snake 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 openmouthed into the dark tunnel. His loose shirt rustled in the breeze. Goosebumps popped up on my arms.

     "Come on!" I 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 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 snake was getting farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and we'd lose it.

     "We'll come back," I promised, growing antsy. "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," I said. "We have to get to the forges!"

     Grover looked at me sadly. "I have to, Theo. Don't you understand?"

     I wanted to scream and yell that I didn't understand at all.  The snake was almost out of sight.

     "We'll split up," Percy said. "Grover can go find Pan, like he's meant to."

     "No!" I said, bordering on hysterical. "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. "Percy and I can find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just... have to."

     "I hope you're right," Percy said.

     "I know I am." I'd never heard him sound so confident about anything, except maybe that cheese enchiladas were better than chicken enchiladas.

     "Be careful," I told him, my voice choked up. Then I looked at Tyson. He gulped back a sob and gave me and Percy 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," I whispered. "Splitting up is a really, really bad idea. We should go with—"

     "We'll see them again," Percy said, but I could tell he was just trying to sound confident. "Now come on. The snake 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 snake slithered along, with me right behind.

     The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, we emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Our snake 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 center 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.

     "We'll never be able to sneak up on them," Percy said.

     I picked up the metal snake-ball and slipped it into my pocket. "I can. Wait here. Don't move, Percy."

     "No, wait—!" Percy said, but I was gone. Invisi-Theo was a go.

     I didn't make it very far around inside the volcano before Percy fucked things up, like he always did. But this time, it was a massive, irreversible fuck-up.

     I found him a few hundred yards from where I'd told him not to move from. He was sweaty, panting, and had his sword drawn. I ran up just as he slammed shut a tunnel door and turned a wheel to lock it in place.

     "THEO!" he shouted, his voice echoing down the tunnels. I slammed a hand over his mouth.

     "Dude, shut up!" I hissed, wrestling him down behind a big bronze cauldron. "Do you want to get us killed?"

     "Would you turn normal, please?"

     I willed myself to stop being invisible, rolling my eyes. "What is your problem?"

     "We're going to have company!" he said. "I was on a cart—"

     "I told you to stay put—!"

     "—and I rolled right into this classroom, or summer camp thing, I guess—"

     "Do you even know how to listen, Percy?"

     "Monster dogs! Orientation class! They have flippers, Theo! Flippers!"

     Suddenly I wasn't angry anymore. "Telekhines? Gods, I hate them. I bet they—"

     "Look," Percy said, nodding over the cauldron.

     I peeked just above the rim to see four fully-grown telekhines standing in the center of the platform. I've always found it hard to explain what these sea demons looked like, but here is my best depiction; their faces were dogs, with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like sea mammals, with long legs that were half flipper, half foot, and humanlike hands with sharp claws. If you blended together a grown man, a Doberman pinscher, and a sea lion, you'd get something like what I was looking at.

     "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.

     I had no idea, so I just ignored the question. "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," I said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what kind, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."

     "With Kronos."

     I nodded. "We have to get out—"

     No sooner had I said that than the door to the tunnel Percy had come from exploded open and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.

     "Go back to being invisible," Percy said. "Get out of here!"

     "Percy, no!" I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you."

     "I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal snake—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. I'll be fine here. Besides, we've got no choice."

     "We do have a choice," I decided, suddenly very sure of my choice. "This is my quest, Percy. I'll take these guys. You go find Hephaestus."

     His eyes popped out of his head. "But you'll be killed!"

     "I can handle myself," I said, drawing my bow. Percy glared at me like he couldn't decide if he wanted to punch me or yell at me. I didn't think we had much time for either.

But he said something that almost shocked me even more. "I've never ever wanted to kiss you more than I do right now."

Somehow, sitting inside a volcano, in the midst of a very energetic class of Telekhines hunting us down, Percy made me smile. "Just get out of here, Aquaman."

     "Stay safe, Sunshine," he told me, then was off.

I wanted to sit and ponder on that for a while; should I have kissed him? Did I do the right thing by not kissing him? But the sea demons jarred me back to reality.

"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 crescent moon. I'd seen a lot of terrifying things, but this unfinished Titan weapon scared me worse.

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 demigod?"

"An offspring of Apollo," another growled. "I can smell the sun in her blood."

I raised my bow. My heart was pounding.

"Strike down one of us, demigod," the third demon said, "and the rest of us shall tear you to shreds. Your father is a traitor. He betrayed us 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 wished I hadn't been lying to Percy. I'd wanted him to get out safely, and I hoped he would be able to pull together enough brains to do it. But now it was dawning on me that this might be the place I would die. And somehow the Oracle was right; being ripped apart by a pack of dog-faced sea lion children was definitely a fate worse than death.

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

I could have reached into my quiver, but I worried they would attack before I could even choose a trick arrow to put to use.

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 bow 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 know I screamed. I don't remember much else. My whole body was on fire. The pain was worse than anything I'd ever felt. I crumpled to the metal floor and heard the sea demon children crying out in delight.

I needed help. I could have used my powers. I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, but I had nothing around to help me. No sunlight. Nobody to help me stabilize myself.

I thought about Percy. I'd told him I would make it out of here. I had to make it out, if only to keep up our promise. I needed to get out if only... if only so I could still kiss him, because I really wanted to do that.

That gave me a huge burst of power, somehow. I reached inside myself and thought about fighting fire with fire. I remembered the sun and the warmth it spread, the endless power of the sky. And I let it loose in one horrible, ugly scream.

Afterward, I've never been able to describe what happened. An explosion, a blinding light bigger than any I'd ever produced, a whirlwind of power simultaneously throwing me up and blasting me downward into the lava. Fire and fire collided in a burning fight, white-hot flames, an inferno of power, and I shot upward from the heart of the volcano in a huge explosion, just one piece of wreckage thrown free by a million pounds of pressure. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was flying, flying so high Zeus would never have forgiven me, and then beginning to fall, smoke and fire and light streaming from me.

I was a comet hurtling toward the earth, and then, I was dead.