CHAPTER EIGHT

I ACCIDENTLY ACTIVATE AN UNSTOPPABLE GIANT

The desert highway stretched out before us in the dwindling afternoon light.

So this was Beckendorf's story.

After we'd left camp, he had went straight to the armory and constructed this motorcycle, with the blessing of his father, Hephaestus. He snuck out of camp and made his way here. Once he was out of Manhattan, he was attacked by monsters and realized they had been hunting us as well. He'd known we were headed to Vegas and decided to meet up with us there. But that's when the Artecans came and attacked us and trapped us in the tundra. We'd escaped and that's about the time he found us on the side of the road.

We hit Highway 54 and came to abrupt stop at the huge mound of snow that was blocking our path in the desert heat. Wait did I just say snow and desert heat in the same sentence? I got out of the side car and went up to it and grabbed some.

"It's real," I said, dropping the snow.

"No way," said Grover. "This is unenvironmental!"

"The Artecans are getting powerful," said Annabeth.

Beckendorf was staring at the mound of snow, inquistively.

"What is it, Beckendorf?" I asked, catching his expression.

He leaned down and touched the snow, but didn't recoil from the cold. His expression became serious.

"Di immortalis."

Beckendorf broke into a run and we followed. We ran a short way into a nearby field and found ourselves staring at a monster. He was clearly sleeping and looked peaceful. The monster was about twelve feet tall easy, with steel gray hair and a trimmed beard. He wore battle armor, and a sword strapped to his side. His ears were pointed and his mouth was open, which showed many razor sharp teeth.

"Who is that?" whimpered Grover.

"It can't be," said Beckendorf in awe. "Cacus."

Annabeth stared from Beckendorf to the monster. "No way."

"You guys," I said, feeling left out. "Whose Cacus?"

"A fire giant back in Rome," said Beckendorf. "He battled the hero Wintres, a half-blood like us, another son of Vulcan and a Italian woman named Isabelle Theaurox. He was a great warrior in Rome and amazing blacksmith. He went to Cacus to steal his eternal flame to help create new weapons. He bested Cacus, barely, and won the eternal flame. Its the same flame we use at Camp Half-Blood, a blessing from Hephaestus."

"How can he be here now?" I asked. "Lying right in the middle of the desert in a pile of snow."

"I don't know either," said Beckendorf. "Its strange though."

"We should go," said Grover.

"Great idea," said Beckendorf.

"This could be another one of Illya's traps or worst...the Titans." Annabeth looked grim.

"Come on," said Beckendorf, beginning to walk back toward the motorcycle.

Annabeth remained behind.

"Annabeth?" I stared at her confused.

She was looking down at Cacus' body, holding her bronze knife. Her eyes were misty. She raised her weapon. She stabbed Cacus right through the chest.

"Annabeth!" I went over to her and pulled her to the side. "What's the matter with you?"

"Huh?" She blinked and the mist left her eyes. She looked down at what she'd just done. "What?"

"You just went serial killer on that monster," said Grover.

"I couldn't," said Annabeth. "I--I don't remember."

"What do you remember?" asked Beckendorf, cautiously.

"We were about to leave," said Annabeth. "And I thought---nothing."

I looked at her. I had this odd feeling I knew what she had been thinking about. Whatever it was had caused her to look exactly like she did back in the tundra. I leaned over and grabbed Annabeth's knife handle. I pulled it out of Cacus and handed it back to her without a word. I turned away from her and began to walk off when Annabeth screamed, "Percy!"

I turned around and not a moment too soon, as a fireball about the size of a basketball was flying toward my head. I dived out of the way as it hit the ground, sending dirt and dust into the air.

The monster Cacus had awakened and it had been my fault. His eyes were a blood red.

"Free at last," said Cacus, stretching.

I uncapped Riptide and held him at swordpoint.

"You have freed me," the monster grumbled. "That I shall repay." He swatted Annabeth aside like a ragdoll into Grover. They both fell to the ground. "By collecting your skulls. And take my revenge on those who froze me."

"I am the son of Hephaestus," said Beckendorf. "Your fight is with me."

"Son of Hephaestus," said Cacus. "I have yet to meet a worthy warrior of his honor."

"Try us and see," I said.

"That I shall," said Cacus.

He charged with great strength and agility.

Annabeth and Grover ran at Cacus and grabbed his arms, while Beckendorf jumped through the air and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back.

Grover began to play a jiggle on his reed pipes and grass erupted through the dry ground and began to ensnare the monster. He ripped through the grass and ran at Grover. He yelped in terror and was quick and small enough to dive through the monster's open legs to avoid capture.

Annabeth put on her invisibility cap and disappeared from sight. Slashes began to appear on Cacus's face, but the something seemed to heal his minor injuries.

He laughed.

"That won't kill me! I am the son of Vulcan! I cannot be killed in this area!"

Vulcan? I tried hard to remember my mythology. Chiron had once told me that the fire of Olympus moves west. They left Greece and went to Rome, where they were known under different names. Jupiter was Zeus, Venus and Aphrodite were the same, Apollo and Artemis were Helios and Diana. I ran through the names and their counterparts quickly. Vulcan was....Hephaestus, god of fire! The heat was keeping him alive. As long as their was heat, he couldn't die. The Artecans mustn't have unearthed his body and put him on ice when he seemed like a threat. The heat from Annabeth's bronze blade is what had awoken him a little too early.

Cacus grabbed something in the air by the throat and shook it. Annabeth's Yankee's Cap fell off her head and she struggled to breath.

"Silly daughter of Minerva," said Cacus.

"Stop with the Roman!" I said. "We do things ancient Greek style in the U.S."

"U.S.?" repeated Cacus. "What's that?"

I sliced his arm with Riptide and he growled in anger as he released Annabeth. But his wound quickly healed.

"We've got to find a way to stop the heat from healing him," I said.

"How?" asked Annabeth. "Its 120 degrees out here."

"Can you draw his fire?" I asked her.

"You bet I can," she said.

"Good," I said. "I have a plan that might chill this monster's heart."

Annabeth nodded.

"Manuver Alpha Gamma!" I said.

We all have been trained at camp so we all know the same moves. This one involved us surrounding the monster and one of us being a decoy.

"Hey big and ugly!" called Annabeth, stepping in his path. "You've been frozen too long. Forgot what it was like to face a real hero!"

"I will turn you into barbeque!" roared Cacus, letting loose a fire storm.

Annabeth dodged it, grabbed her cap, and went invisible.

Beckendorf and I went in for the attack.

I missed my first strike by an inch. Cacus caught the blade in between his side and arm and flipped me through the air and I slammed on the opposite side of him. Beckendorf ran forward and began to fight.

Cacus swung at Beckendorf. He grabbed his arm and elbowed him between those freaky red eyes of his. Cacus doubled back. He unsheathed his sword and tried to strike Beckendorf down, but years of training at camp kept him alive during the entire battle. He kicked Cacus's legs from underneath him, and grabbed his sword.

The monster wasn't done yet. He opened his mouth and jet of fire came twisting toward Beckendorf. He held up the sword and turned the flat of the blade forward, causing the fire to break and spread in different directions.

I pulled out one of Coop's arrows. I put my prayer in Eros and hoped he would help us.

I threw the arrow at Beckendorf, who caught it.

Cacus got to his feet and punched at Beckendorf, who feinted to the left, and stabbed upward with the sword. He through the arrow of love into the air and it pierced Cacus through the chest. Cacus looked down shocked, like he couldn't believe Beckendorf had just killed him so quickly. He was consumed by flames and he vanished, leaving his sword behind.

"You did it," said Annabeth, reappearing.

"Yeah," said Beckendorf. "That was some arrow, Percy."

"Got it from Coop," I said, looking down at my last arrow.

"We'd better hurry," said Grover, staring up at the sky.

"We'll get to Vegas in know time," said Beckendorf.

"How so?" asked Annabeth.

"Because," grinned Beckendorf, "my bike is designed for interdimensional speed. Las Vegas is just around that corner!"