Disclaimer: I'm already sick of these after just three chapters, but I do not own any characters, weapons, monsters, etc. besides the smith, the assassins, celestial steel, and the sword, Forgotten (forged in this chapter)!! I'm not Rick Riordan.

Author's Note: thanks to Seaweedbrainfangirl for her wonderful reviews, but Heracles is the real name. Modern society came up with Hercules. Also, just to clear up any questions, when Aegle took away Zoë's powers and immortality, she was not thorough, so traces of water magic remains under Zoë's control, although a limited amount. It's a bit confusing, but it is really important to my plot. Yes, I actually have a plot. Amazing, isn't it? You'll find more about it later. More thanks to Phoenix Espeon, Moonlight Swan, and XxForgottenFailurexX for their reviews. Read on!

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I spent another night at the inn, sleeping well into the next day. Then I left and got another room at a different inn close to the guardhouse. Finally, I went to the forge.

The smith's name, coincidentally, was Damien Smith. Funny how that works. He had two other apprentices, Misael and Hector. Both were male, and both obviously did not like me.

I learned very quickly, and two weeks, I was making actual blades. Of course, I encouraged the water molecules to help shape the blade as it cooled, so my blades never came out misshapen like Hector's.

But I didn't want to be a smith's apprentice forever. I was here for one reason: To learn how to make a blade. I had the metal, and I had another devastating weapon I would put into it: Ladon's fang. Then I would enchant the finished blade with every ounce of magic that I had left. Which, I was realizing, was quite a bit.

I briefly wondered why. Aegle was an amazing magical leecher. There was no reason that she would be unable to take away all the magic of the sea in me. I let my mind wander over the possibilities, ignoring Misael's glare directed at me for pausing my work.

It was impossible that Aegle messed up on the spell. She was too good at it for that. It was highly unlikely that she would intentionally leave me some. So something or someone else had done it… Hesperia! She had seemed oddly distant, as if she was thinking about something else, or concentrating on something else. I would thank her if I ever saw her again.

I continued hammering the red-hot blade I was making that day. I imagined the blade I would make, enchanted with all the powers of the sea that I still had. It would be powerful. And with celestial steel…

I had heard stories about it, and, even to mythological creatures, it was a myth. It was claimed to give the bearer glimpses through Time itself. It was able to harm mortals and immortals alike, and hold an edge that could cut through the Nemean Lion. It could be shaped in different forms, and move between them at will.

Most likely not all the rumors were true, though. I hoped that most of them would be true, so I could survive!

I dropped the red-hot blade in the bucket, smoothing it out with the water as I did. I picked it up after a minute, gave a few strokes experimentally, and then placed it in the pile. I had made one other that day.

Hector glanced at it, then at me. "How do you do that?" he asked, gesturing at the blades. "Mine come out with bubbles in the metal and ridges in the hilt." His voice had a twinge of envy."

The smith came up behind him and said, "Because she has only been here for a couple weeks, and has not been working for months on end. Go on, take a break. Come back tomorrow."

Hector and Misael ran out the door, whooping. I sighed and looked at Damien, knowing that the questioning was about to start.

I leaned against an anvil. "Let the questioning begin."

He looked a little startled that I had known what he was doing. Then he looked a little uncomfortable. Reaching over, he picked up the blade that I had just forged. The balance was a bit off, but it was perfectly smooth, and shaped expertly. Then he looked back up at me.

"How do you do this?" the smith asked. "Not many people start forging this well until at least a couple months into their training."

I sighed, wondering what I should say. Truth or lie? I was sick of lying by now, so…

I looked straight at him and said, "I use magic to shape the blade."

He sighed. "No lies or jokes, okay? I'm not in the mood."

"I did not lie nor joke."

He looked unconvinced, so I flicked a finger and sent a mini-geyser out of the cooling bucket. He yelped, staggering backwards as it hit him full in the face. I sighed (Something I seemed to be doing that a lot; mortals could be so dim-witted).

I looked at him calmly as he stood up, swearing. "But I'm not here to learn how to be a smith, Mr. Smith. I'm here because of this." I yanked the celestial steel out of my chiton and slammed it down on the anvil. "Thanks for the training, but I'm ready now. Try to stop me, and you'll get hurt."

I felt as though I was watching myself from a million miles away. I watched myself pick up a hammer and the steel. I simply watched myself heat the metal, then bring it out and set it on the anvil. I tried to stop, and found I couldn't. Terror rose inside me. For all my fancy words, I didn't know what I was doing.

But I do, a voice in my head spoke out. It boomed in my ears, and I would have cried out in pain if I could control my mouth. I thought you could use a little help, and you definitely do. I can shape it, but you must make it. That is beyond even my control.

Dimly, I realized that there was only one entity that this could be. Hephaestus? I asked in my head. Is it thee?

Laughter boomed in my head, making me wince inwardly. It was loud. Of course. And you are Zoë Nightshade, daughter of Pleione and Atlas. You are forging a sword beyond any known in the history of the world. I would have warned you, but you started so abruptly I barely had time to take the work, let alone warn you.

Ice crept through me, despite the raging fire. Warn me about what?

That the sword will attract monsters like nothing else. You will be able to defeat most of them, but truly powerful ones will come. You will need to hide it in a place that cannot be found.

What are you talking about? I asked, confused. What place cannot be found?

I can't tell you. You'll need to go to Delphi. But my work here is done. Make your blade! I will give you my skill, but you must make it yourself.

A burst of power shot through me, courtesy of the smith-god. I swung the hammer, shaping the celestial blade. The forge flickered, then disappeared. I was standing in Mount Etna, shaping the steel in Typhon's flames. The roof of the volcano towered high above me.

Unbeknownst to me, Damien Smith was watching my form shimmer white hot. He saw as if I was still in the forge, but even mortals cannot completely forget the truth. In his eyes, my body was still there, but completely white, hot and glowing. Flames shot from the anvil, keeping the blade at supernatural temperatures, but Hephaestus's power was in me, keeping me safe.

I drew the blade from the flames and brought it towards the bucket of water, and somehow I was no longer in Mount Etna, but standing on the banks of the River Styx, dipping my blade in the holy waters. Steam shot from it, billowing through the Underworld. Concentrating, I let the waters shape the blade, then softened the tip. When it was the consistency of mud, I slipped Ladon's fang into the tip, then let the metal harden over it.

Suddenly, the steam cleared, and I was standing in front of Ladon, holding my still-hot blade, looking into one pair of his eyes. I would swear he smiled.

The stem billowed up again, and I poured every last drop of water magic I had into the blade. Then the presence of Hephaestus was gone, and so was Mount Etna, the River Styx, and Ladon. I was once again standing in the forge of Mr. Smith, which now looked puny and unimportant compared to Etna and the Styx

I turned to the smith, who had a shocked look on his face. I grinned, a barbed comment coming to mind. "So long, Mr. Smith. Best start believing in myths – before one stronger than me incinerates you."

With that, I turned around and walked out the door, holding my sword tightly. Now all I needed to do was learn how to use it.

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That was a fun chapter to write. All my chapters are a little short, but that will soon change… Now the actual story begins! I am done with all info givers, and can actually start! Yipeee! No, I'm not normally this crazy.