Reading: Sun's Heir, Death's Guardian II: A Hero's Peril
XIX
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Naruto woke as he usually did with the sun, his eyes blearily opening to lock onto the dark patch of hair attached to the head that rested on his chest.
"So does his heartbeat lull you to sleep?" Annabeth asked her friend in a mock serious tone. She got a shove for her answer.
Thalia slept peacefully in the early morning despite not wanting to share a bed with him that night, he noted.
"That's called playing hard to get." Aphrodite noted smugly as Thalia gritted her teeth in an effort to stay calm.
He looked to his left, where Jason and Piper had set up some makeshift beds with the blankets and pillows Shizune brought them. He smirked at Piper's head resting on Jason's shoulder.
Piper's mother cooed while the couple smiled. Yeah, they could see them falling for each other all over again.
Seemed as though blondes were the new preferred choice of partner.
"You know, he's right!" Leo exclaimed with a blink. "Percy and Annabeth, Jay and Piper, other Thalia and Naruto…not to mention the girls crushing on him. What is it? Blonds in season or something?"
"Well, blonds are amazing Leo," Apollo said smugly.
"True." Hermes smirked and ran his hand through his own tuff of sandy blond.
He frowned as he realized that meant Jackson would most likely go for his little sister.
"Well, Percy's in big trouble." Nico snickered, getting a frown from Percy. Naruto better not try and do something…or else.
Well, there goes the plan of making friends with him.
"You're screwed."
"Shut up, Leo."
Now he has to beat some awesome into the kid if he's going to date his little sister.
"Why are you so lame, Percy?" Nico asked.
"I swear corpse breath, I swear." Percy warned with a super death glare.
Nico just shrugged it off.
Well, more so then he had been before, anyway.
"It's a work in progress. Even if it is hopeless." Ares snickered, getting a glare from his mortal rival.
Naruto chuckled as he recalled his last training session with Jackson before winter break ended.
Ah, the Thousand Years of Death lives on, Ero-sennin. Naruto thought,
Percy shivered along with Jason, feeling nothing but pity for their others.
knowing that once it was used on you, you were determined to get someone else with the same attack.
"Does that mean that your others are going to try and use it on someone?" Hazel asked the two leaders with a glance.
"Yes." Percy said shamelessly, he could see his other doing it. Hell, he was so going to do it after even thinking about it happening to him.
"…Maybe." Jason said unsurely. Percy gave him a look that made him admit with a touch of embarrassment. "Okay, yeah, I would."
It was in fact the ultimate attack/prank. Like the classic whoopee cushion, it would live on forever. Naruto was certain of it.
Hermes hummed with a small smirk and glanced at his siblings.
"Hermes, I swear by Order if you so much as think about this I will hunt you for a century." Artemis swore to her younger brother. The rest of the siblings agreed readily.
The god of thieves held his chest in mock pain, "Such lack of trust. I'm hurt. Really."
All he got from them were glares for his trouble.
Thalia grumbled something in her sleep and Naruto looked back down at her, then to the sunlight peeking through the window. With a small grunt of annoyance he let his head fall back to the pillow and tried to get some more sleep. It was to no avail because of Thalia's sudden waking, pushing down on his stomach and the bed with a jolt.
"Wow Thalia, hurt your boy toy more." Piper said sarcastically.
"Watch it McLean, or I'll shave your head." Thalia threatened.
"She can grow it back with her powers. An empty threat." Aphrodite said with a huff as she waved off the threat, making the hunter glower.
"Thalia!" Naruto said with a gasp, his air leaving him from the force she put behind her push. Thalia looked down at him, her eyes still a bit cloudy from sleep, until she realized what she was doing and where she was. She removed her hand from Naruto's stomach, letting him groan in relief. And here she thought she wasn't strong? Tell that to his bruised organs.
"I'm plenty strong." Thalia said.
"Yeah, you just want to be stronger than that." Percy nodded.
"Shut up, nothing wrong with getting better." The lightning girl argued sternly.
"Sure," said Percy, rolling his eyes. He got a growl for the comment.
"Sorry," said Thalia, having regained her bearings, evident by the spark that was present in her and her brother's eyes. There was something else in her eye though, a flicker of unease that had Naruto frowning slightly.
"You alright?"
"Yeah, fine," said Thalia, just a bit too quickly. Naruto wanted to push on it, but was stopped by her changing the subject. "Wow, and you thought you were smooth."
Naruto followed her gaze to the two younger teens and he chuckled again.
"Jason the player." Leo smirked, but frowned a second later, "Yeah, don't see it." He said with a shake of his head.
"Agreed." Piper nodded as she snuggled into her boyfriend.
"Well, he is his father's son." Thalia joked, getting Zeus to bristle in embarrassment while Hera frowned at that, giving a stern look to Jason. The son of New Rome started to sweat under his matron goddess' gaze and swallowed heavily.
"I'd take credit for that, but Rai-Jiji's got some game.
Zeus wanted to nod, but Hera's heated glare told him otherwise. Yeah, he liked sleeping in his own bed, thank you very much.
Managed to make you, despite his old age."
The god king flared his nostrils in anger as his brothers chuckled.
"Ha, ha, seeing as you two are older than me." He said, getting the older two of the Big Three to shut up.
Thalia smirked at that. She quickly got out of the bed, stretching as she did, and walked over to the resting duo.
"Oh gods, what are you going to do?" Jason grimaced.
"Something funny no doubt." Thalia told him smugly.
"Yay." The younger brother cheered in monotone.
Clearing her throat, she put on her best glare and locked it onto Jason. Her hands went to her hips and with her scowl in place, Thalia woke her little brother with a loud, stern cry of "JASON!"
"Yes, shout at me in potential hostile territory. By all means, see what happens." Jason nodded mockingly to his sister.
"Hush, let us laugh at you." Was the snickering retort from his Greek sister. The Hunter knew this was going to be gold.
The younger Grace shot awake, fully alert and his trusty coin Julius in hand, ready to be flipped.
"I love seeing you like that, it's downright hilarious." Leo snickered to his buddy. Jason frowned (pouted) at that. It was not funny in his opinion, not at all.
Consequently, his sudden return to the consciousness had succeeded in also jolting Piper from her rest.
"Aw, and she looked so happy right there." The lady of doves cooed. The daughter of love rolled her eyes, but yes, she no doubt was. And Thalia had to ruin it, the jerk.
Her hand went to the dagger resting at her side,
"She's getting better." Annabeth commented.
"Of course she would." Piper smirked, her other just needed time to adjust to the life is all.
blearily looking around while her bedmate was up and at 'em.
"Bedmate?" Hazel laughed out getting flustered looks from the couple.
Jason's frantic search for danger ended when his eyes landed on the glaring form of his older sister. All of his courage left him when her electric blue eyes narrowed.
"Like he should." Thalia nodded, getting a disbelieving look from Jason himself.
"No, I wouldn't." he argued. Thalia turned to glare at him, getting the boy to sweat a bit.
"…Okay, maybe." He muttered out.
"Yeah, I thought so."
"What did I do?"
"I cannot believe you! Here I thought you had a bit more of the better qualities of our father yet here you are, trying something so soon with a girl you just met!"
"Oh, you did not!" Jason cried out to his sister who was laughing her maiden ass off.
"I would so do that!" the hunter laughed with glee as everyone, besides Zeus himself, joined in the bout of laughter. Jason just wanted to hide away somewhere.
"What-but-I?"
Naruto watched with a very amused smile on his face, his eyes catching the confused Piper's and winking at her, cluing her in to the joke.
"Don't play along!" The wind boy pleaded to himself. Piper smirked, she would so play along.
The daughter of Aphrodite was quick to figure out what Thalia had meant, spending most of the night after her mock lesson with Naruto had reignited her passion for learning about Greek mythology...or rather, Greek history. It was common knowledge among the basic students that Zeus was known as one of the more active of the 'Big Three', as Piper learned the brothers were called.
"Yes he is." Hera frowned at her husband, who in turn looked away.
Jason looked to his friend for some help, finding none as Naruto shook his head in shame with a displeased frown on his face.
"Jerk." The blond frowned, eyes narrowed at the older boy on the screen.
Inwardly, Jason felt betrayed by Naruto's silence and just a bit angry at the older teen.
"Hell yeah." Jason nodded to his other.
Like Naruto hadn't ever woken up with a girl in his bed before, the hypocrite.
"What?" Thalia asked with a glare as Jason blinked in surprise.
Naruto had boasted of his deflowering if only to shut up his Roman brothers, but the fact remains, Naruto was among the last people to be berating him for doing something like this.
"Oh, that…yeah, he shouldn't." The Praetor nodded as his hunter of a sister simmered a bit at the recalling of that event. Some of the Goddesses did too and they glared at Apollo. The sun god just kept his eyes on the story, ignoring the sweat he was gaining from the intensity of their glares.
Piper couldn't contain her amusement and let out a giggle, making Jason look at her in confusion. Seeing his face only furthered her amusement and made her burst into laughter.
Jason frowned at this while Piper rubbed his shoulder with a quivering lip as she tried to not laugh along with her other. But of course, she failed miserably.
Jason frowned at her laughter and turned back to Naruto, blinking as the whiskered blond joined in with Piper. His gaze went back to his sister to see her scowl had fallen back into a smile.
"I hate you all."
"Oh, but Jay, we love you." Thalia said, mockingly pinching his cheek. Jason batted the hand away, a scowl marring his handsome face.
"Oh my gods, Jason I can't...I can't..." Thalia failed to finish her sentence because she followed her boyfriend's example, joining him and Piper in their laughter.
Jason's scowl deepened.
Jason looked around at the three, confusion written on his face.
"So wait. Does this mean I'm not in trouble?"
And in an instant, Jason turned red in the face as everyone laughed at him. Damn his other for embarrassing him!
Naruto nearly split his gash back open he was laughing so hard. Jason's naivety almost rivaled Jackson's,
Said boys sputtered in disbelief while their girlfriends kind of agreed with the older blond.
but his seriousness, appearance and nobility resembled Annabeth's.
Annabeth smiled at that while Jason turned her, his embarrassment dialing down, and smirked at her.
Shame he was Roman, otherwise Naruto wouldn't be sure who Jason's parent was,
Zeus scowled at that as the gods laughed at him for it.
or in the previous comparison's case, parents. As he shared a laugh with Helios over the comparison between his little sister, Jackson and Jason, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the camp.
"Not fun times." Was the synchronized retort of the sea and wise couple.
"It's at times like this that I wonder if I should've just stayed at camp," said Percy as they ran after the scurrying metal spider.
"Whine, whine, whine, that's all you do, Jackson." Ares mocked, getting a glare from the boy's father.
"And kick your butt." Percy snarked back to the god.
"Why you little shit..." The god sneered, but the strong look from his uncle told him not to move against Poseidon's son. The war god huffed and laid back into his throne, the kid wasn't worth it.
The second Nico dropped it on the ground in the labyrinth it shot off into the darkness, barely staying in sight for a second.
"Hated that thing." Annabeth grumbled as the smith god huffed. He found it to be a wonderful little thing.
The only reason they could still follow it was because of Grover and Tyson's excellent hearing, and Nico was just a bit faster than the lot of them,
"Eat my dust chumps." Nico snickered to his two friends.
"Be quiet, Nico." Percy frowned at him for the remark. Still, how much training did this Nico have?
being able to keep a longer glance on it. Apparently running from the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld around the River Styx is good for you, who knew?
"Indeed." Hades hummed and looked at his children, who started to sweat under his gaze. They did not want to do that, thank you very much.
"Please, you enjoy getting into trouble!" Annabeth said jokingly as she panted and they rounded a corner. She caught a glimmer of the metal spider as it squeezed its way through a rather wooden and numbered door.
"Oh gods." Percy grimaced as Annabeth scowled deeply, glaring at the door.
The faded bronze numbers painted onto the door was 101, with some words lost to time above it.
"Why does it feel like something funny is going to happen?" Leo asked.
"Because if I think this is what I think it is, it is going to be a riot." Nico smirked at Annabeth, who glared her best Athena glare back at him.
It wasn't having much effect with her reddened cheeks.
"Okay, it's in there, we can take a break now, right?" Grover asked, panting heavily. He didn't know how Juniper could handle running for so long, and he wondered what he did to be able to 'catch' her.
"The goatee." Percy nodded, it was always the facial hair for those nymphs.
Annabeth shook her head at his question. "No, we have to keep going or we'll lose it."
"Joy," said Nico blandly. "Maybe we should've asked for a leash."
"Smart thinking other me." Nico nodded in agreement as Annabeth blanched at the thought of that.
"Yeah, probably not the best idea," said Percy, noticing Annabeth's shiver at the thought of the metal arachnid lookalike on a leash.
"See?" Nico pointed out. "Perfect idea."
"I hate you, Nico."
"Love you too, blondie." The child of Hades snickered.
Taking another breath, Percy grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. Immediately, he blanched and regretted doing so. Why? He discovered his personal prison, a place most teens hate nearly every day of the week.
"What?" Thalia asked rhetorically.
A classroom.
"You are such a baby." Thalia told her cousin.
"Oh shut up tree girl." The boy scowled back to the hunter. The hunter did the mature retort of sticking her tongue at her wet eared cousin.
Crunch.
Looking down, at his foot, he found a split bone that was hanging off the hip of a very old skeleton that was hanging off the door handle from within.
"And that's not creepy whatsoever." Leo said.
"Yep." Nico nodded, not seeing a big deal about it at all.
Oh wonderful. It was a classroom with skeletons.
"And I thought I would die in school," said Nico under his breath as the rest of the quest members followed Percy into the room.
"Ah Nico, good one." Hades complimented his son with a chuckle. Dark humor was so funny. Nico beamed at that.
"Di immortales," said Annabeth, covering her nose like Grover did. "How can you two stand it?"
"Son of Hades," said Nico nonchalantly.
"I hang out in graveyards all the time." Nico added.
"Satanic rituals?" Leo asked humorously.
The son of Hades gave the pyro a look. "Not cool, dude."
It made sense that the smell of decomposition wouldn't bother him as much as it would anyone else since he was the son of the Prince of Darkness. They turned to Percy.
"...The stables were worse," he said.
"They were." Percy nodded solemnly.
"Yeah, you do good work for a pooper scooper, Jackson." Ares laughed and that had gotten some snickers from the others.
Percy burned red in the face from the mockery of the war god. Asshole.
Percy's response was immediately understood and Nico's lips quirked up a bit in amusement. There was a clearing throat and the group looked at the other side of the room where they found the monster that made most of these skeletons.
Percy palmed his face, this was going to be a nightmare. The sea child just knew it.
Standing on a dais at the other end of the room was a very unique creature captured by the Egyptians in stone construct.
"The riddle monster?" Piper asked to Annabeth, whose scowl was ever present.
"No, just no. Trust me." The blonde told her friend.
The body of a large lion sat atop the dais, but where a feline head should be, a woman's was. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and the face would have been pretty, but she wore far too much makeup. Pinned to her chest was a blue ribbon that read: THIS MONSTER HAS BEEN RATED EXEMPLARY!
"Bull." Leo said in a bland tone.
"No, it was true." His father said with a light chuckle.
"Sphinx." Tyson immediately named the monster, a whimper escaping him as he saw it. Memories of running away and being attacked by a different Sphinx while on his own came crashing back and the young cyclops swallowed loudly. His scars ached as the monster's human-like head looked over the newcomers to her domain.
Percy and Poseidon frowned at that, they hated it when Tyson was upset.
Percy stood protectively in front of his brother while Annabeth and Nico flanked him.
"Yes, protect the big baby." Ares rolled his eyes as the sea beings glared at him, even his full blooded brother did as well. Tyson was sensitive. And there was nothing wrong with that.
Nico's hand reached for his sword's handle while Percy fingered the pen disguised Riptide. Through their peripheral vision, the demigods saw the small metal spider scuttle through the sea of skeletons that was the ground and ducked beneath the Sphinx.
"Well, that doesn't make things any harder." Frank said blandly.
Annabeth made to move forward, only to succeed in making the monster roar, revealing her large fangs as she did.
"Bad move." Hazel frowned.
Annabeth wisely took a step back
"Real smart thinking there."
"Shut up, Nico."
and her hand went to the knife pouch on her hip, slipping her fingers in to grip the handle of one throwing knife lightly in reflex.
"That's becoming a little staple of yours." Percy told the now pouting blonde. She wanted a set of throwing knives now.
The Sphinx paid the demigods' actions no mind, coming back from her roar with a deceitfully sweet smile.
"It looks like one of those game show smiles." Piper commented, getting blanches from Percy and Annabeth.
Bars fell down behind the group and behind the Sphinx, caging them in the room.
"Welcome new contestants!" said the Sphinx with a brilliant smile on her face.
"No." Piper said with her mouth gaping along with the other demigods who weren't there.
"Yes." Annabeth nodded sadly.
"It's time to play...ANSWER THAT RIDDLE!"
"Well, it should be easy, right?" Jason asked Annabeth. Her face made him grow concerned. "Right?"
Annabeth didn't even answer him, she just balled up her fists.
As soon as the words left her mouth, spotlights behind her and set up around the room spun wildly like on a television show, a theme sounding eerily familiar to the Family Feud's started to play along with generic audience reactions.
"Oh that is just sad." The love child muttered, giving pitying looks to the Greek couple.
Nico's hand dropped along with his jaw, and the jaws of the other two demigods.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," said Nico.
"Well, at least I get to get in on the action this time." The Ghost King smirked, he was sure to mess something up for the monster.
"Winners will receive fabulous prizes!" The Sphinx continued as though the son of Hades hadn't spoken.
"Wow, rude much." Nico grumbled.
"Pass the test and you may advance, but fail and I'll eat you! Either way, I win!"
"This is the master of riddles?" Frank asked.
"No, this is something much worse." Percy assured the shape shifter.
"Oh great, she's one of those teachers," said Percy. Honestly, the teachers who said far too much that they wanted you to succeed kind of grated on his nerves.
"Dude, I feel you." Leo nodded, along with some of the, uh, less willingly educated demigods.
Then again, they were better than Naruto, who literally put him on edge whenever he was teaching Percy about Greek myth-er, history.
"So he is learning." Thalia awed, getting Percy to glower at her.
That was something Naruto was adamant about putting (or rather pounding) into Percy's brain: It's not a myth if it's true.
"Amen." Said the gods together.
Another thing Naruto did was incorporate the damn height measurement lesson into pop quizzes, where Blackjack once again gleefully helped the blond.
"That traitor!" Percy cried out with clenched hands. What was Naruto doing to get his trusty steed to help torture the son of the sea?
As far as Percy was concerned, Blackjack was not getting any doughnuts for a while.
"Blackjack likes doughnuts?" Annabeth asked in surprise.
"Guilty pleasure." Percy answered his girlfriend.
"Huh. Learn something new every day."
"I'll handle this," said Annabeth, relaxing a bit and took an unfortunate contestant's place, knocking it to the ground with a loud clatter.
"Wow, cruel to the dead Annie?"
"Hush Thalia." The blonde pouted at her.
"Um, sorry?"
"See?" Annabeth pointed out, "I apologized."
"Yes. Yes you did, Annie. Good job." The hunter rolled her eyes with a playful smile.
"Welcome, Annabeth Chase!" That certainly got the rest of the group to share a concerned glance since Annabeth hadn't said her name.
"Do monsters have lists with our faces and names? Just asking." Leo said, getting nods from the other demigods. It was really weird.
"Well, you have slight fame with what you've done and then there's the monster networks and Tartarus. So yes, they do tend to know of the more active ones of you." Hades supplied.
Percy blinked, "That is so weird."
"Are you ready for the test today?"
"Athena's child are always ready." Poseidon snickered, getting a glare from his rival.
"I'm ready," said Annabeth with a confidant nod. "Ask your riddle."
"Actually now it's twenty riddles, isn't that exciting!?" asked the Sphinx, eager to begin.
"What?" said everyone minus the gods and the demigod couple.
Nico swallowed a bit to dampen his now dry mouth.
"She seems a bit too...excited about this," he said softly. Percy nodded in agreement, his hand now holding Riptide tightly. He was ready to jump in if the case need be.
"Thanks Seaweed Brain." Annabeth told him, getting a smile from the boy himself.
"Anytime Wise Girl."
Annabeth, meanwhile, was bewildered. "But-but back in—"
"Would you rather accept the failure?" asked the Sphinx,
"Of course she wouldn't." Poseidon muttered with a glance to his rival, who glared right at him and huffed. Of course a child of hers would never wish to fail.
a wide grin on her face that once again showed off her sharp teeth. "As you can see, I am perfectly fine with that."
"Yeah, I'm sure she would be." Hazel said blandly. "Easy meal."
Annabeth worriedly looked to the group. Nico gripped his sword but stayed his ground, giving her his silent support.
"Thank you Nico."
"No prob."
Grover and Tyson both straightened up, though Tyson's eye was flickering between her and the Sphinx. Her gaze locked on Percy, who gave her a reassuring nod, before she turned back with a rekindled fire in her eyes.
"As only a love interest could." Aphrodite smiled as the couple looked at one another with a smile.
"I'm ready."
The Sphinx frowned in disappointment, obviously looking forward to a free and 'easy' meal,
Ares cupped his mouth, "Boo! Work for your meal, you lazy pussy!"
"Ares!"
The war god laughed off his mother's glare. Someone had to say it.
but accepted the demigoddess' choice. With a sigh, she stamped her paw on the dais and a thin test booklet along with a brand new number two pencil appeared before Annabeth on the podium where she stood, mystifying the daughter of Athena.
"This is a written thing?" Leo whispered in disbelief with the others.
"Okay, this is just getting weird now." Nico said with a blinking look.
"Number one!" The Sphinx's excited voice snapped Annabeth from whatever questions were running through her head. A drumroll started before the Sphinx spoke again. "What . . . is the capital of Bulgaria?"
"…What?" said most of the demigods while Athena scowled, the Sphinx had fallen in the years. It was almost sad if it didn't irk the wisdom goddess.
Annabeth blinked, stunned at the question that she was asked.
"I know, I know." Annabeth nodded to her other.
It worried Percy for a moment, while Grover and Nico seemed to mimic Annabeth's confusion, before the girl found her voice. "S-Sophia, but—"
"How do you know that?" Piper asked the blonde.
"Easy." Was the only answer the love child received.
"Correct!" said the Sphinx, her smile wide, but not as wide as before.
"No doubt hoping she got it wrong." Jason said blandly, this was kind of painful if all the questions were like this.
"Make sure to mark your answer correctly on your test sheet. Fill the bubbles in clearly, but stay inside the lines. If you have to erase, be sure to erase completely or else the machine can't read your answers.
"So was it multiple choice or maybe-"
"Be quiet Leo, please." Annabeth pleaded, her eyes looking tired just hearing all this again.
And if the machine–"
"Machine?"
"She officially fails." Piper frowned, this was…just wow.
The Sphinx growled a bit at being interrupted, but put a pleasant smile back on her face before gesturing to a box set near one of the spotlights to the side. It was bronze, covered in gears and levers, but what really sent the quest takers for a spin was Hephaestus' mark, Êta, being on the side of the box.
"Seriously?" Leo asked his father. The smith god shrugged, it was funny or at least he thought it was.
"As I was saying, if the machine can't read your answers, it's automatically wrong, and if it's wrong, well...I think you know what happens then," said the Sphinx, another feral grin on her face.
"So wait, one wrong and you get swallowed?" Frank asked, "Wouldn't it make more sense to-"
"Do riddles? Yes, yes it would have." Annabeth huffed irritably.
It fell once more for the pleasant smile to return. "Next question–"
"Wait a minute, what about the riddle about man?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, please regal us with the tale." Hades chuckled.
"Oh, that riddle grew old and that snooty little Oedipus spread the answer around with his boasts," said the Sphinx, her hackles raised in the memory of the man that solved her famous riddle.
"Should have made more than one then." Athena rolled her grey eyes.
Shaking her anger off, the Sphinx smirked. "Got his comeuppance in the end, though, didn't he?
The gods snickered, he really did.
And, well, Hera found me to still be useful and offered my services to several of the other Gods. Hephaestus took to me instantly. The rest, as they say, is history. Is that a good enough reason, Annabeth Chase, or would you like me to think up another?"
"A little mocking, isn't she?" Nico asked aloud.
Annabeth bristled at the Sphinx's words. So because one guy solved the riddle she had to deal with twenty of them? She glanced past the monster to the bars where the metal spider had dashed through,
"Slippery little thing, isn't it?" Leo asked with a snicker as his father smiled.
before looking back with determination written on her face. Maybe they'll get harder (and more riddle-like) as they went on.
"No, don't get your hopes up." Annabeth pleaded to her other.
"Fine," she said, marking the answer with a displeased frown on her face. These questions better get harder.
The blonde just palmed her face, she wanted to weep for her other!
"Good, second question," said the Sphinx. Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest as the drums rolled again. "What is the square root of sixteen?"
"Math," Percy hissed, the vile creation of numbers.
Oh for the love of–! "Four." Annabeth marked the answer with a very noticeable scowl on her face.
"Yeah, she's going to blow." Nico said in a bored, but with an undercurrent of glee, tone.
The Sphinx paid it no mind, however, simply smiling. "Correct! Which President of the United States signed the Emancipation Proclamation?"
"Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president," said Annabeth, her teeth gritting in annoyance. They weren't getting harder, nor were they becoming riddles.
Percy started to countdown with his fingers as Annabeth slapped his arm with a frown marring her face.
"Correct again! Don't forget to mark it down, dear," said the Sphinx. "Next–"
"No."
"And there she goes." The son of the sea sighed out as Annabeth huffed, her nose in the air. She was well in her right to be upset.
"I beg your pardon?" the Sphinx asked, a look of annoyance crossing her own face.
"I refuse to answer these questions," said Annabeth.
"So, master of questions?" Frank asked with a laugh, getting some snickers.
"Riddles, dear," said the Sphinx with a huff.
"No they aren't." Athena frowned, understanding perfectly what her daughter was feeling. It was insulting.
"Now, how much force is required to-"
"They aren't riddles!" said Annabeth as she slammed her hands onto the podium, cutting the Sphinx off. "Riddles are supposed to make you think!"
"Yeah!" Annabeth cheered on her other as Percy sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"How in the world would I test how you think? These riddles are sanctioned to test your mental capacity and whether you are worthy or not to move forward."
"Sanctioned?" Piper blinked. "How are these sanctioned?"
"She just says that." Athena scowled, honestly, the nerve of this monster.
"They. Are. Not. Riddles!" Annabeth said, openly showing her displeasure over the whole scenario.
"You tell her girl!"
"Annabeth, please, stop." Percy asked her. Annabeth glared at him so hard, he shrunk into himself with a gulp. "I mean, uh, do what you want, by all means."
He got a happy nod from that.
"Annabeth, can't you, you know, just play along?" Percy asked,
"I know." Percy muttered as his girlfriend glared at him once more.
getting her to turn around and glare at him.
"And we see who wears the pants in the relationship, even before it happens." Ares laughed as Percy glared at him. Athena smirked at her rival at that one.
"Funny, one would say the same about you." Demeter huffed.
Ares shut up after that comment while Hephaestus snorted.
"Yeah, just answer the questions so we can move on," said Grover, agreeing readily with his friend and eager to go back to finding Pan.
"Patience young goat." Apollo told the other Grover.
"I'm a child of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and a goddess of intelligence," said Annabeth, her arms crossing once again as she looked back at the Sphinx with a stink eye. "These questions are an insult to my intelligence. I refuse to answer any more."
"There's the hubris." Poseidon said with a look to his rival, "Must all your children share your big head?"
"Oh be silent Squid God." She mocked him back, getting a stormy glare from the sea god.
"Oh great," said Nico dryly. "She's got a big head."
"Excellent call nephew." The sea god smirked, getting a snicker from Nico. Athena glared at Poseidon and Annabeth glared at Nico for his comment.
"I heard that, Nico!"
"Yeah Nico."
"You were meant to, Annabeth."
"Yeah Annabeth." Nico jeered back smugly while the blonde bristled.
"Well then, Annabeth Chase, if you won't pass, then you fail!" said the Sphinx, that eager fang-filled smile back on her face.
"She'd make a lousy teacher." Leo said, getting nods all around.
The spotlights spun around until they shone obnoxiously in the demigods, satyr and cyclops' eyes.
"Okay, that's a good move on her to get you guys." Apollo admitted. Artemis begrudgingly nodded.
The Sphinx continued, her eyes now dark as the night. "And since you fail, that means you would be held back.
"The fiend!" Annabeth cried out, she would never be held back!
I can't have that stain my perfect record, so you'll just have to be EATEN!"
"The best way to get rid of the evidence." Ares chuckled as his sister glared heatedly at him.
"Annabeth move!" said Nico, unsheathing his sword as Percy prepared Riptide. The blonde girl did, diving out of the way as the monster pounced at her. Coming out of the roll she dove into, Annabeth pulled out one of her throwing knives and tossed it at the Sphinx's eye.
"Okay, that was impressive." Thalia whistled in praise while Annabeth crossed her arms with a huff. She could do that. Easily in fact.
The monster's small humanlike head ducked under the knife and it once more pounced at her.
"Ooh, just missed her." Apollo snapped his fingers, would have been an epic shot if she did nail it.
Tyson came to Annabeth's rescue by tackling the Sphinx mid-air, an angry cry coming from the cyclops' mouth as he did. They landed in a pile of bones with a loud crash.
"Go big man!" Leo cheered like it was wrestling. Annabeth smiled at Percy's half-brother, he was such a nice Cyclops.
Percy, Grover and Nico made their way to Annabeth's side, Grover helping the daughter of Athena back to her feet while Percy and Nico covered them. Nico had fallen into an alien stance that Percy for the life of him didn't understand, the sword held at an angle in front of the partially crouching son of Hades.
Nico pursed his lips, he didn't have sword training then and even the swordsmen didn't recognize the stance, well-
"Japanese style huh?" Ares surmised and looked at his pale cousin. "Unorthodox."
It looked official and quite frankly, kind of cool.
Nico sent a smug look to Percy, who stuck out his tongue at his younger cousin.
Tyson got back to his feet, his shirt clawed and torn, standing in front of the two sword-ready demigods. Sadly, so did the Sphinx, her mouth curled into a snarl as she tried to find an opening to get to the 'failed student'.
"She must be really hungry." Hazel pointed out blandly.
Annabeth moved to join the two boys, but Percy took another step in front of her.
"Hey." Annabeth frowned at that.
"Just worried." Percy smiled at her.
"Fine."
"Put your hat on," he said.
"What? No! I can fight, I killed Geryon didn't I?"
"Letting it get to your head~" Hermes sang out with a smirk to his niece.
Annabeth crossed her arms with a pout.
"Yeah, but she's after you," said Percy. "Let us handle her and stay out of the way so we don't have to worry about you."
"What?" Annabeth said, her pout tuning into a frown, aimed towards Percy. Who in turn, started to sweat under the gaze a bit.
"You don't have to worry about me-!"
"I know."
"Hey, I know that you both have this thing,
"Okay, even the eleven year old is calling you out on it." Thalia snickered as the couple blushed.
but let's save it for after the monster is dead, okay?" Nico asked.
"Annabeth, just do what Percy says. This way if you get an opening you can take a shot without risking your location. Percy, you're with me on distraction."
Hades raised a black brow at this, "It seems you've learned much in six months Nico." He told his son in approval while Nico was also looking surprised how his younger self took charge.
"...That's actually a really good idea," said Annabeth, a bit upset she hadn't thought of it.
Nico gave the blonde this smirk, that made her brow knit in anger at the fact an eleven year old made a plan like that so fast.
"Like I said, a big head."
"Okay, you said it once, we get it." Annabeth grunted with crossed arms.
"Nothing wrong with a healthy reminder."
"Shut up, Nico."
"Shut up, Nico."
"Wow, Annabeth Chase, now in stereo." Leo whistled.
"Annabeth, hat!" Percy said as Tyson dropped his massive fist atop the Sphinx's head as it tried to take a chunk out of his shoulder, making the monster growl at the cyclops and back away.
"Bring the smack down, big guy." Jason smirked, it was nice to know that they had good monsters on their side.
"Right," said Annabeth, pulling her Yankee's cap out and onto her head. She vanished and aside from the soft shuffling of through the bones, she was gone.
"Grover, hang back," said Nico. "Big guy, let her through!"
"And I'm just that good of a leader." Nico said smugly.
"Now if only you could be as good as elven year old you." Annabeth jeered.
"Ouch," Nico frowned at her, glaring a bit. Annabeth just looked smugly back at him.
Tyson looked back quickly at Percy,
"Aw, listen to me for once." Nico pouted. Percy snorted, like Tyson would. He was his awesome brother after all.
who nodded, before quickly backing away from the Sphinx. The two cousins stood tense as the Sphinx growled at them.
"Where is she? She failed and must be dealt with!"
"Wow, I'd hate to go to her school." Piper shivered, it did not sound fun.
"Only one I see being dealt with is you, ugly," said Nico, making the Sphinx's hackles rise again.
"Yes, taunt the big cat Nico." Percy shook his head.
"Meh, if it works, it works."
"Exactly." Hermes nodded to his youngest cousin.
"The whole lot of you are going to feed me for days!" said the Sphinx, leaping at the son of Hades. Nico ducked to the left and swung at the underside of the Sphinx, cutting her flesh.
"Nice," Nico cheered on his other as Hazel joined him.
Her leap interrupted from the slash via Nico's Stygian blade, the Sphinx landed about as gracefully as an elephant, crashing on her side into a giant mound of skeletons.
"Poetic." Hades smirked, inwardly cheering for his son to show up Poseidon's boy.
The Sphinx growled as she got up, taking a bronzed throwing knife to the shoulder as soon as she had.
"Snipe that cat, Chase." Apollo laughed along with Hermes.
She swiveled her gaze to where the knife had come from after roaring in pain and anger. A skeleton shifted and the Sphinx's eyes glistened in excitement, becoming catlike slits as she prepared to pounce again.
Percy ran forward, using a mound of decomposing bodies as a spring board to jump and slash down at the Sphinx's head, missing the ideal target as the Sphinx leapt once more,
"Boo, you suck Prissy."
Poseidon glared at his snickering nephew for the remark.
but getting a good deep cut into the Sphinx' hindquarters.
"Oh yeah, I suck." Percy mocked to the war god.
Once again, the Sphinx landed with a crash,
"Really, really badly."
"…Fuck you, Jackson."
growling at the son of Poseidon before being put on the defensive as Nico rushed forward through the shadows to her right, stabbing in the direction of her ribs.
"Excellent use of short ranged Shadow Travel." Hades mused as he observed the fight intently.
The Sphinx dodged by leaning back on her hindquarters, but then took another bronzed throwing knife to the side, just below her ribs.
"I can see her being really annoyed by that." Hermes pointed out.
"Little brat! I'm going to savor your corpse!"
"Yep, really, really annoyed."
"Well, she's got some good banter," said Nico, having stepped back to stand next to Percy. Percy arched a brow in question, prompting Nico to shrug. "Kushina said that banter was a very necessary part of fighting.
"Loving my other's wife." Apollo said jealously.
If done well, it can help you manipulate your opponent."
"Very true." Athena nodded, this redheaded woman was someone to look forward to seeing in the story.
"I'll bet," said Percy, recalling how he and Naruto enraged the Nemean Lion in the winter with jeers to make it roar.
"That was funny." Thalia smirked, remembering that moment in the last book.
"Heads up," said Nico, both boys diving forward and a bit to the right and left respectively as the Sphinx charged at them. They brought their swords up and swung their swords at the same time in a show of impressive synchronization, cutting both of the Sphinx's concealed wings off.
"See? We work well together." Nico told his cousin with a smile as Percy gave a small one back. It was true, they really could.
The scream that came from the Sphinx had both boys covering their ears. The ensuing crash of metal meeting head had them looking with awe to see Tyson bringing the pain down on the monster, bludgeoning the Sphinx with her own machine.
"Go Tyson!" Percy cheered. Hephaestus frowned at the destruction of his machine.
The wrecked machine was dropped when the Sphinx smacked the young cyclops to the side, her hackles raised to the highest as she roared in anger.
"Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's no better than a big stupid cat?" Annabeth's voice echoed around the room.
"Excellent choice of words Annabeth." Her mother praised as the blonde beamed at it.
"Show yourself, Annabeth Chase! You failed!" said the Sphinx, enraged.
"Ooh, wrong thing to say." Percy winced.
"Enn! Wrong answer!" said Annabeth. A final bronzed throwing knife shot from the corner of the room into the back of the Sphinx's head. "You lose."
"Man, I am on a roll in this story." Annabeth whistled, looking pleased at her other. Percy nodded, they had to run away from it.
"Wonder what you get?" Hazel wondered eagerly as Annabeth nodded to that. Geryon jilted her, the jerk.
"No-o-o!" the sphinx's scream echoed in the room as she dissolved into golden dust. Left behind on the floor was a bronzed staff curved into a large question mark, the Sphinx engraved along the side of the shaft.
Athena's eyes shined as she looked over the staff while Annabeth whined. She was so jealous right now. The Riddler's staff?! Now she was contemplating on finding the monster again just for that!
Annabeth reappeared next to it, her hat in hand and quickly picked the staff up, balancing it in her hand before dropping it onto the ground, letting it bounce back up into her hand.
Smugly smirking at the two boys, she said. "Riddle me this, riddle me that, who is the one with the coolest hat?"
"Annabeth Chase?" Leo asked as Annabeth pouted, her hat didn't work anymore.
"Thanks for the reminder, Leo."
"I do what I must."
"Riddler?" Nico asked.
"Riddler."
"Nice."
"I know."
"Aw, they're bonding." Thalia laughed, getting glares from the two teens in question.
"That was awesome Annabeth," said Grover, who had been keeping his distance during the fight, as he and Tyson walked up to them. He looked at the rising gates and something clicked in his head. "Oh no. The spider! I can't hear it!"
"There's a problem." Jason said with a frown.
"It was why we had to run from it in the first place." Percy sighed with frustration, if they lost that thing now.
"Wimp."
"Screw off Ares." The son of the sea glared.
The war god just laughed at him.
"What?!" Annabeth said, horrified.
"We wasted too much time with the Sphinx," said Nico, his face a bit pale.
"There's that natural tone we know you have."
"Shut up." Nico grumbled to his sun cousin. He like his pale skin, thank you very much.
"We've got no choice but to go forward," said Percy. He capped Riptide and rushed for the open tunnel. "Let's go!"
The group followed him, Annabeth gripping her trophy tightly as she ran after him. All of them were running as fast as they could to catch up with the spider, which had long since gone through here. The tunnel was dark save for the occasional torch, and a few times Percy lost sight of the others. They were about fifteen minutes into the tunnel when Tyson made a surprised cry.
"Nico!"
The other three stopped and looked around. The son of Hades was nowhere to be found.
"How could you get lost?" Annabeth asked the boy.
"I so didn't get lost…you guys must've." Nico argued quickly with a snort.
Annabeth snorted at his weak reply.
"He might've fallen," said Annabeth nervously. "We can't go back."
"Wow Annabeth, thanks a lot." Nico glared at her as the blonde frowned at her other.
"We have to go back!" said Percy in return. "We can't just leave him back there."
"At least one of you cares."
"Hey." Annabeth told him in a glare, which the son of the dead returned.
"He can catch up, Percy."
"But what if he's hurt?"
Nico snorted at the assumption but said, "Yeah, what if I am?" he asked the blonde girl.
"Lay off Nico." Thalia told her younger cousin.
"I don't feel like it."
"We'll just have to come back for him."
"Real assuring."
"Are you even hearing yourself?!"
"I think her swollen head may be in the way."
Annabeth glowered at the Ghost King.
"We don't have the time, Percy!"
"She raises a good point." Athena said, her tone void of emotion.
"Of course you would say that." Hades told his niece scathingly, "As to be expected of your children."
"Why you-!"
"Enough." Hestia told her niece and brother, "I'm reading, please be quiet." She asked in a sweet (scary) tone.
The god and goddess zipped their lips.
"This is Nico! So what if he called you big headed-"
"Yeah! Even if it is true."
"Oh, I swear di Angelo!"
"It's not about that!" said Annabeth, visibly distressed as she shouted at him.
"See, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here." Annabeth said, understanding what her other was trying to do.
"I know it's Nico, Percy, but we have to-we have to put the camp first." She looked very uncomfortable saying that.
"The point exactly." Athena supported her daughter, who looked uncomfortable with the choice her other was making.
Percy felt even worse.
"There's that Fatal Flaw at work." Athena rolled her eyes, getting a glare from her sea ruling rival.
"Then you go on, I'll go back and look for him."
"Thank you Percy." Nico nodded to him.
"Don't bother," said Nico, emerging from the shadows with sweat dripping down his face.
"Oh, there I was." The ghost boy mumbled.
"Found the spider. It's only a few minutes ahead."
"See, I was helping us." Nico told Annabeth smugly.
"How did you-?"
"Find it?" Nico cut Percy off. "Easy, Shadow Travel. Tunnels are lined with em, so it wasn't hard to find the spider."
"Gods above, Nico, at least tell us next time," said a very relieved Annabeth.
"See, I care."
"Uh-huh. Sure." Nico rolled his eyes, still a bit peeved by other Annabeth's words. Jerk.
"What Naruto would've done if he found out I left someone behind..."
"Doesn't he have a slogan for that?" Leo said, trying to remember.
"Something like that." Jason nodded.
"Yeah, he'd probably be mad if you left Nico," said Percy.
"I'd fire him." Hades said.
"You mean kill him." Zeus pointed out.
Hades shrugged, same thing.
"Not just Nico," said Annabeth. "Naruto's got a firm rule that he abides by: 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends and precious people are worse than trash.'"
"That was it." Jason nodded, he liked that philosophy.
"Oh yeah," said Percy. He recalled the phrase and mulled it over in his head a few times. It had a nice ring to it.
All the demigods nodded to that.
Well, except for the precious people bit, that just sounds a bit funny.
Hestia frowned, no it didn't. Not at all.
"Hey, the pep talk is nice and all, but that spider-thing is getting away, let's go!" said Nico.
"Yeah, listen to younger me." Nico snickered, getting mock glares from the questers.
The two older demigods nodded and once more the group ran. They hit a few stumbles, Nico diving back into the shadows for a brief moment to catch up with the spider and quickly backtrack to the group.
"No need to thank me."
"Okay then." Annabeth chirped, getting Nico to pout at her.
Nico was too tired to continue shadow walking like this, nearly collapsing when he tried to do it again after they lost the spider a third time.
"Seriously, stop losing it. That's tiring." The Ghost King said firmly.
"Sorry." The couple answered together.
Annabeth told him to rest while Tyson carried him, getting a disgruntled agreement from the tired son of Hades when he was given a piggyback ride by the cyclops.
"Aw, you look so small and cute up there."
"Shut up, deer poop sniffer!"
"You do look cute up there."
"Hazel!" Nico whined out at his Roman sister, who just giggled.
Their solution came from Tyson, whose head turned to the right as they came across a crossroads. He pointed down the dark tunnel. "There noise. Like ping, ping, ping."
"You think that could be it?" Percy asked Annabeth. She shrugged.
"So, I get to see your workshop?" Leo asked his dad, who gave a smirk back.
"Not my workshop, one of my branch places where I relax."
Leo nodded, still sounded awesome to the fire user.
"Worth a shot," said Annabeth. The group turned right, going into the dark tunnel and then left at least half a mile in. To their relief, they found the small metal spider banging its tiny body against the door that resembled a bronzed submarine hatch.
Poseidon gave his nephew a smirk, his green eyes twinkling. The smith just shrugged, it was what he had at hand at the time.
Right where the porthole should be was another Êta, marking this as Hephaestus' door.
"Home, sweet home." Hephaestus said.
"Way to go, Tyson!" Grover said, patting the cyclops on the side of the arm (he was too short to reach Tyson's shoulder) as Nico dropped down from Tyson's back.
"Finally," said Nico with a soft cough. "Think he's got some water?"
"Jackson, if you're the water boy, do your damn job." Ares mocked, getting the finger as a retort.
"Doubt it, but I do," said Annabeth, moving her staff to the side and unzipping her bag, pulling out a water bottle. Percy gaped at it and then at Annabeth's backpack, which looked practically empty.
"When did I get a magic backpack?" Annabeth asked in jealousy.
"Maybe one of my kids hooked you up?" Hermes said, since that was kinda his thing.
His jaw popped open as Annabeth put her staff into the pack, watching it disappear into thin air.
"All she needs is a little top hat." Leo snickered while Percy was considering her in one of those female magician outfits.
Percy Jackson liked what he saw.
"What the heck was that?" he asked while Nico thankfully drank the water.
"What?" Annabeth asked, zipping her bag up.
"Oh she acts so nonchalant." Percy grumbled as Annabeth smiled at him, it looked a little too smug for his liking. Even if it make her look cute.
"Your bag! How'd you fit your cane in there?"
"It's a staff and magic, duh." Annabeth answered.
"Oh," Percy rolled his eyes, "Forgive me Lady Chase." He said dramatically.
"You are forgiven Squire."
"First of all, Percy, it was a staff.
"See?"
"Be quiet, Wise Girl."
Secondly, seals. Duh."
"Magic, duh." Percy mocked his pink cheeked girlfriend, before she snapped out of it.
"Seals?! I learn how to make seals!" Annabeth squealed in glee as Athena looked like a ruffled owl. Something Poseidon gleefully notified her on. The goddess was not jealous of her other's daughter.
"Oh you just have to rub it in my face that I can't do seals, don't you?" Percy asked playfully.
"Oh, yes I would." Annabeth said shamelessly, getting Percy to look mock hurt.
"Ouch, Annabeth, right here." He said pointing to his heart.
The blonde just kissed his cheek apologetically.
Naruto had kept good on his offer to try to teach the boy seals, but it didn't go so well.
"I wonder why?" Thalia asked sarcastically, getting Percy's ears to burn pink.
"Academically challenged much?" Nico mocked him slightly.
Percy muttered about lousy cousins and too much teasing.
Not because of the lack of chacha or whatever Naruto called that energy (since Naruto would supply it and then some),
"So we need chakra and Naruto supplies it, I see." Annabeth observed and was really jealous of her other right now. She wanted her own Naruto. Right now.
but it was because of Percy's ineptitude when it came to complicated equations or formulas.
"Math, why do you take everything cool away from me?"
"Because you can't think that well?"
"Shut up, lousy Pinecone face."
Thalia just smiled happily.
He just couldn't wrap his head around it. Thankfully, Naruto understood, saying it took him nearly one whole year with his master – who was a Master at it – to just get the basics down.
"At least he isn't ragging on me." Percy said with a smile at finally getting support.
Annabeth, however, was a natural and was quickly becoming Naruto's star pupil in the subject,
"Of course she would, little miss suck up." Ares jeered his niece.
"She's merely learning like the well-educated young woman she is." Athena sniffed at her idiot brother.
"Like I said, suck up."
though she was miffed that she couldn't write notes down or experiment without him present.
"Baby steps, dear." The wisdom goddess said. Annabeth gave a sad nod, knowing that was true.
"Yep," said Annabeth as she smirked at Percy while slinging her bag over her shoulder. "So, you ready to meet Hephaestus?"
"Not really," said Percy.
"Mr. Positive."
"Shut up Nico."
"Give me a minute," said Nico.
"…Wait, does this make Nico Mr. Positive?" Leo asked.
"I don't know, he's always been emo by that time…it's really hard to tell." Thalia thought out.
Nico just scowled at his hunter cousin, stupid deer stalker.
"Yes!" Tyson said excitedly, barely restraining himself as he walked forward and grabbed the wheel, twisting it and throwing the door open.
"Excitable little guy, isn't he?" Hephaestus asked his uncle.
"Tyson has always had that spark in him, gets it from Percy." The sea god said with pride.
"Jackson must get it from his mother." Hades smirked, getting a scowl from his middle brother.
"Zing!"
"Oh hush Hermes." The Earthshaker brooded.
Steam rushed out and the spider scuttled in, Tyson right behind it.
Percy gave a smile to his brother's excitement, he loved that about him.
They entered into what could only be called a mechanic's paradise.
Leo was on the edge of his seat, eager to see it.
Tyson was nearly drooling at all the neat things his massive eye could rest on. There were hydraulic lifts with cars and other strange machines on them; a bronze hippalektryon with its head resting on the ground beneath it, a metal lion hooked up to what looked like a car battery,
"I wanna build that, and that, and that." Leo pointed out like a kid in a candy store. The father of the boy gave a soft rumbling laugh.
and a gleaming gold chariot with a Greek sun adorning the front and a small dent in its side.
"That would be Jason's fault."
"It was the fire horse's!" Jason argued with his sister.
"Well, maybe if you drove a bit better…"
"Funny, didn't someone have their eyes closed the entire time?"
"…Uncalled for." Thalia pouted as her little brother looked smug.
There were many other smaller projects resting upon what had to be at least twelve workbenches, and Percy's eyes lingered on a few bronzed arrows with schematics hanging behind them.
"Naruto has his own station?!" Leo whined, no fair!
"Most likely an idea bench," said Hephaestus, making Leo concede to that, but still!
One arrowhead was glowing a bright gold, taking him back to the whiskered blond son of Apollo.
"Everything seems to in the story." Percy said in a mild miffed tone.
They walked forward into the workshop and as they did so a faint sound could be heard alongside some banging.
"So hott! I wanna get you alone. You're so hott, I want to get you stoned. So hott, I don't wanna be your friend I wanna fuck you like I'm never gonna see you again...see you again...ooo-ow!
"Kid Rock, good taste Heph." Apollo shined to his smith brother.
The god of fire shrugged, he just listened to the radio to his him some noise, nothing else.
Whoo! Talk about a heated song. And that was Kid Rock's So Hott here on 100.7 FM, The Sun, home of all your hottest hits of the summer.
"The Sun?" Artemis asked her brother blandly as Hermes also gave him a look.
"I don't run it, but that is one of my subdivisions." Apollo said, shrugging.
Next up, let's go back to the poppin' styles of Justin Timber-" the radio DJ was cut off as someone grunted and turned off the radio with a loud click.
"Good call." Thalia scrunched her nose, yuck! Talk about bad taste in music.
The banging resumed and the group found themselves looking at a '98 Toyota Corolla,
"Nice model." Leo mused, observing the car. He wanted to see his dad in his natural habitat.
or rather, at the legs of the large man underneath it. He had on grey pants, dark boots that were on feet larger than Tyson's, and one leg had a metal brace wrapped around it. The metal spider skittered under the Toyota and got the man to stop his banging once again.
"Spiders tend to do that." Annabeth shivered.
"Well, well...What have we here?" said a deep and gruff voice, one that sounded faintly familiar to Percy, having heard it before.
"You did." The smith grunted.
"Um, selective hearing?" Percy blamed.
"So basically our dad's famed skill?" Thalia snarked, getting ruffled looks from the sky and sea god. Even if all the other gods agreed with that statement.
The man came out from under the car on a back trolley, standing up with the spider in his hand. His appearance was vastly different from the one he had when on Olympus, since he was in the sanctity of his workshop. His left shoulder fell lower than the right and his head was a bit disfigured, bulging in one spot with a rather nasty scar around it.
Aphrodite grimaced as Leo frowned at his dad's look. That had to hurt. The smith god just shrugged, not caring about his appearance.
He wore a grey jumpsuit smeared with oil, ash and grim, one of the cleanest parts being the embroidered over the pocket. His beard was long and untamed, and what looked like the occasional fire seemed to start in it.
"…That won't happen to me, will it?!" Leo panicked, he thought of growing a beard.
"Meh, maybe." The god shrugged.
That didn't reassure Leo at all!
Hephaestus, god of the forge, stood before them in his semi-natural state, playing with the small spider that he swiftly disassembled and reassembled with ease. The small metallic spider crawled around in his massive hands that treated it with the utmost care.
"Wow," Leo whistled, he could never hope to do something at that speed.
There was a gleam in the god's eye, one of pride and one of amusement.
"Yeah, playing with his little toys." Ares mocked.
"Go hump your mini-gun."
"…Don't tell me what to do."
"There, much better," he said. The spider did once last lap around Hephaestus' arm before stopping in his palm.
It gave a happy flip, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.
The demigods got a laugh out of that along with some of the gods. That was cool.
Nico was unable to stifle the amused snicker that escaped him at the sight, bringing Hephaestus' attention to them. The god looked them over, his eyes lingering on Nico's sword handle for a moment, before gazing intently at them.
"Already know who you belong to." The smith told the god with a grin.
"I didn't make you, did I?"
"I'm pretty sure they are ours." Poseidon said to the fire god.
"Not what I meant." The hammer user chuckled.
"Um, no, sir," said Annabeth after she thought about his question. Initially she had thought he meant with a woman, but realized that this was a craftsman in front of her and thought them something else.
"Only he could mistake you do something like that." Hera shook her head as her son rolled his eyes at her.
"Good. Shoddy workmanship if I did," said Hephaestus.
Athena, Hades, and Poseidon glared at the smith god. Hephaestus just shrugged off the looks without care. That was his opinion and he was sticking to it.
He scratched his beard as he looked them over again. "Half-bloods. Could be automatons, but most unlikely."
"Really?" Apollo asked his brother.
The god in question shrugged, "What? They could've been."
Leo just snickered.
"We've, um, we've met before, sir," said Percy, shuffling a bit where he stood as the god's gaze fell over him.
"Have we?"
The gods just looked at their smith with solid blinks, as if asking, Really?
Hephaestus just grumbled.
"Yes, sir. Last winter."
"Last winter?" He stroked his beard once more in thought. "...Ah, yes, you're Poseidon's boy." Hephaestus nodded, his hand dropping to his side.
"See? It's not so hard when you think about it." Poseidon told his now grumbling nephew.
"You were there with Nat.
"Who?" Piper asked.
"I think he means Naruto." Jason whispered.
"Aw, you have a nickname for him." Apollo sang out with a blinding smile.
"Guess so." Was the only answer he got.
Made the fish tank, you know. For the Ophiotaurus.
"Yes, we remember. Wow, self-importance much?" Ares mocked his full blooded brother. The smith just gave him a heated glare.
Took a few days, a couple of re-measurements every now and then..." As he spoke his eyes fell over the last two members, first Grover. "A satyr..." Then they landed on Tyson, and the harsh gleam that had been in his dark eyes seemed to lighten a bit.
"Always did have a soft spot for them." The sea god told his nephew with a twinkle in his eye, and a tugging smile was on Hephaestus face from the comment.
"And a cyclops? What are you doing traveling with the half-bloods, boy?"
"Questing of course, can't go anywhere without Tyson." Percy smiled.
"Uh..." Tyson only stared in wonder at the god. For him, it was like meeting an idol.
"Why thank you, Tyson, glad to have some respect around here."
"Ah, I see," said Hephaestus.
"See what? His star struck gaze?" Apollo asked.
"I'm not that bad."
Apollo snorted, his brother had as much people skills as a hammer.
He nodded in silent agreement before looking at the ragtag group once again before his eyes latched onto Nico's sword.
"You must really like my works nephew." Hades smirked to the smith.
"Don't get much of your metal, uncle, sue me."
Shaking himself from his thoughts, Hephaestus looked back at Percy. "So why are you here? The suspension on this Corolla is shit and my time is wasting with the interruption."
"Oh, hear them out." Leo rolled his eyes playfully. His father just grunted.
"Sir," said Annabeth, getting the god's attention. "We're looking for Daedalus. We were hoping that–"
"Daedalus!" Hephaestus demeanor changed from annoyed to outraged, his eyes hardening once again and his beard bursting into flame.
"Flame on!"
"Nice Leo!" Apollo laughed with Hermes and Ares as the smith looked at his son, betrayed.
Leo shrugged, "What? It's funny."
The misshaped god grunted, it kind of was.
"What would the likes of you want with that scoundrel? Seeking him out, are you daft?"
Athena looked offended while the smith paid her no mind. It was true at the time.
"No, sir, we just-we need his help," said Annabeth. "The camp is in trouble."
The gods snorted.
"The camp is always in trouble," said Hephaestus with a roll of his eyes as his beard went out.
"He seriously has a point." Percy said, "My first, second, third, and fourth summer. Every year, always summer."
"Percy, stop complaining."
"Yes, Annabeth." The boy sighed with a hung head. Athena sent her rival a smirk, as the sea god glared at her.
"You're wasting your time." He hobbled over to one of his workbenches and within seconds had constructed a bronze and silver falcon that flew around the room, making Tyson laugh gleefully. The kind gleam reappeared in Hephaestus' eye as he regarded the cyclops now petting the mechanized falcon that landed on his shoulder.
His dad really liked Cyclopes, Leo affirmed in his mind. The only one he knew was Tyson, he wondered what the elder Cyclopes were like? Hopefully way nicer then Ma Gasket.
"I sense you want to tell me something, Cyclops. Speak your mind son."
Tyson's smile and the finger that was prodding at the metal bird's beak dropped. "Y-Yes, sir. We met a Hundred-Handed One."
Poseidon sighed, wishing the others were around, it would have saved them a lot of trouble in the war.
To his credit, Hephaestus hardly blinked. "Briares?"
"Yes. He–he was scared. Wouldn't help us."
"Wuss."
"Ares." Zeus said in a strong tone, glaring at his son, Briares had every right to fear after his confinement. It was partly their fault for not keeping an eye out for them or searching for them sooner. Even though it was too late by then.
"And this surprised you." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.
"So blunt." Athena deadpanned as her half-brother shrugged.
Hephaestus could see the unease written on the cyclops' face as clear as one could feel Ares' bloodlust enter a room.
"And that's pretty clear."
"Fuck off in your car, sunspot."
"No thanks, I got ladies for that."
"Yes! Greatly! Briares should be strong! Older and braver than Cyclopes, but he ran!" Tyson seemed very upset by this event.
"He comes around Tyson, all because of you." Poseidon said with pride.
"True." Hephaestus nods.
"I understand," said Hephaestus. "I looked up to the Briares once too, young cyclops. Back during the first war, I saw no superior to my craft than them.
"Modest."
"Well, I am the smith god." The fire lord smirked to his wise sister, "And at least I give credit where it's due."
Athena just scowled at him.
They were good acquaintances. But time has changed things, people, monsters, and even the gods." Hephaestus seemed to drift off, his eyes clouding with a bit of anger.
"True." Artemis said bluntly as the gods grumbled at her comment.
"Look at my loving mother, Hera.
"Aw, you can just hear the love in his tone." Ares chuckled as Hera glared at her war son. Also, she was upset that her son was about to ruin her image with most of the demigods. She had an image to protect after all, and that was going to sink a tad in a matter of moments.
You've met, I'm sure. She's one of the few that know where I can be found. She spouts all sorts of things about love and family that would make Hestia jealous,
Hestia did give her youngest sister a look while Hera had a dusting of pink on her beautiful face.
but she's no more than a hypocrite.
Most of the demigods, besides Percy and Annabeth blinked. Hera had a scowl coming to her face.
Took one look at me and cast me down from Olympus."
"I thought that was Zeus?" Leo said.
"Yeah, my mother wishes." His father said with a humorless laugh.
"But I thought that was Zeus," said Nico with a frown. Hephaestus snorted.
"You'd be wrong, Halfling. My mother likes having good P.R. - that is the phrase, yes? – and so has my father tell that story to cover for her.
"Talk about taking a bullet." Hades rolled his eyes as his sister glared at him for the remark. What? It was all true.
Not like he minds. Order knows he's got enough of a bad rep for it to be accepted.
"So true." The elder brothers chorused, getting the king to glower at them.
Can't trust anyone these days, not even family."
Hestia frowned at that, looking depressed as the hearth matched her mood. Leo was frowning for his father, ouch dude, seriously.
"You trust Naruto, though," said Annabeth, making Hephaestus look at her.
The fire god looked interested at this statement.
"You make weapons for him. We've seen them."
"I have?"
"Arrows," said Hephaestus, correcting her.
"Oh, yeah. No big deal there." The smith said with a shrug.
"And they take a second to make. A snap of my fingers and they are together.
"See? Just a meager little job. Not much effort." Hephaestus said with an eye roll.
This does not mean I trust Nat."
"But you like him, a little." Apollo smiled.
"Meh."
"Naruto," said Percy, correcting the god.
The fire god turned to Percy, giving him a look.
"I know what I said," said Hephaestus with a scowl.
"Of course I do."
"Honestly, why that name I'll never know. Nah-Rue-Toe. Bah, sounds like a bad food.
"Hey!" Apollo frowned, "It means Maelstrom."
"Still sounds like bad food. Doesn't it also mean fishcake?" Hephaestus asked. The gods snickered as Apollo turned a shade of red.
My nephew does have talent, though."
That peaked the smith god's interest.
"Why call him Nat?" Tyson asked.
"Because he'll only answer the cyclops." Ares rolled his eyes behind his frames.
"He's a natural craftsman," said Hephaestus with a bit of a smile to the cyclops, as much as he could manage.
"Really now?"
"Outside of the box sort of thinker, one Apollo could be if he turned off the radio and parked his chariot every now and then.
"Hey!"
"What?" the smith god said, "It's true."
Apollo pouted as Artemis laughed quietly.
Would've been proud to have a kid like that, too bad he can't work for shit, though. Like his father in that area, more theoretical than practical."
Apollo pouted further with crossed arms, he could pull off practical! Just ask all his kids mothers!
"But he's got all those chacha attacks," said Percy, recalling the spiraling sphere that nearly tore Atlas apart.
"Best move ever." Ares praised, he loved that thing. It was sweet.
"That's practical, right?"
"Chakra, Percy," said Annabeth.
"Honestly, it's been said a lot already." Annabeth mock scolded him.
"Sorry." But Percy didn't really sound it.
The teen shrugged the correction off.
"That's different," said Hephaestus. "That's fighting. I don't do fighting.
"I can, but I usually don't."
I arm the fighters. Who do you think made Ares' sword? Or Apollo and Artemis' bows?
Said siblings smiled at their weapons and symbols.
When it comes down to it, I'm the reason why most of my family can still fight.
"Damn right." He said, looking at each of the gods with a stern eye. Some tried not to pay him any mind.
Do they thank me? No.
Leo frowned at this while his father grunted, like he was used to it.
I'm just the smith god, I'm required to make the weapons.
"In the job description."
"Snuff off, Ares." The lord of the forges said in a steel tone.
"Don't wanna." Was the childish retort.
Granted, I do enjoy a challenge, but being asked to polish a shield? A spearhead? Restring a bow? Without thanks, mind you.
The gods shifted a bit at that as the demigods looked at them with disbelief on their faces.
I tolerate my family because of my position and because occasionally I do get a good challenge every hundred years or so."
"That's...good?" Leo said, unsure what to feel for his father's life. It sounded kinda sad if he was honest.
"Naruto polite," said Tyson, recalling getting thanked on multiple occasions by the blond after he got some more of those small throwing knives he liked getting made.
Poseidon smiled, he liked the blond more and more now.
Tyson enjoyed the tedious creations, too. He thought it was a good way to start off the day before getting into his more creative constructs, like a shield for Percy.
"Which you always destroy." Annabeth pointed out as Percy flushed.
"Not my fault."
"Should learn to make em sturdier." The smith god said, "Less light so to have the watch design." He critiqued.
Hephaestus grunted begrudgingly. "...All right, yes. Nat is pretty grateful,
And the smith god liked the boy all the more now.
but that's more than anyone else can say.
"True," the god said, looking at his ungrateful family, who had either stony faces or sheepish looking ones.
You three are being polite because of what I am, not because of who I am."
"My biggest issue." The fire god said, as some of the demigods felt sad for the forge god.
Annabeth winced at that being pointed out. He had a point there. Tyson's respect came from his inner smith looking up to an idol,
"Yep." The son of the sea nodded.
but hers was purely focusing on Hephaestus' status as an Olympian.
Annabeth winced at the reminder.
She should probably rethink her strategy on dealing with him. This wasn't like dealing with most gods.
"Damn right, I don't act all fancy and BS like that." He said as the others glared at him for that. They preferred to act properly towards demigods, excuse them.
"Bottom line is, all you can trust is the product of your own hands," said Hephaestus, gesturing around to his workshop.
Leo's frown deepen, that was a messed up way to live life. And as a god? That was even harsher.
Nico shook his head and Hephaestus arched a brow. "You disagree?"
"Well, hanging with Naruto, yeah, he would." Percy smirked to the boy. Nico's face twisted a bit, kinda jealous if he was being honest, at his other.
"Yes, but trusting others is how you stay strong," said Nico.
Hestia beamed at that while Nico frowned, he never had that outlook at that age. He still kind of didn't.
He remembered how Kushina would force him and Bianca to spar against her together, making them learn how to fight in tandem.
"So that's why he was syncing so well with Percy." Annabeth said, really wanting to see this woman soon. The others were following her line of thought.
You had to trust your life to someone else every now and then, otherwise you'd never win, be it family or a friend.
"Strong and wise words." Hestia said in a soft tone, practically glowing with happiness at that line. And from a child of her darker brother, it was a sight to behold.
"...Your sword is Stygian, isn't it? Hades' child, aren't you?" Hephaestus asked, his brow furrowing. Nico nodded and Hephaestus looked around. "Wasn't it Nat's job to guard you?"
"Yes, it was." Hades said blandly…then again, Nico left of his own violation. Still, he wished the boy hadn't. His other still had both of his children, he should keep a better eye on them.
"He's busy," said Nico, making Annabeth and Percy's brows furrow.
"Searching for the cure." Apollo smiled.
"That you could not do."
"Ouch, Athena. Ouch."
"I try."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I can take care of myself."
"Damn right." Nico nodded with a grin, even more so with proper training.
"Sure you can lad," said Hephaestus,
That felt a tad sarcastic, Nico noted with a frown.
stopping his search for his nephew.
"You'd think you'd have noticed him by now." Ares said mockingly.
"Well, he is a ninja."
"…Tch."
The smith smirked at his tiny victory. Every one of them was worth it.
His gaze went to Percy, who was glowering slightly as he recalled his first quest with Annabeth and Grover.
"Well, you shouldn't have been duped." Was the god's retort.
Percy brooded at that while Ares chuckled loudly.
"You have something to say as well?"
"Ooh, going to nut up or shut up Jackson."
Percy just gave the war god this look and said: "Cupid statues."
The gods laughed at the war god now as he simmered at the hero of Olympus. Damn bratty upstart.
"Only what we asked before," said Percy. "We need to find Daedalus. There's this guy, Luke. He's working for Kro-"
"Do not say his name here, boy."
"Ooh, scared Heph?" Ares mocked.
"I didn't want him to know where one of my places were. That shop totally got thrashed after The Crooked Ass woke up in this dimension."
"Uh-huh, sure." Was the disbelieving retort of the war god.
"...the Crooked One," said Percy. "We need to find Daedalus before he does–"
"Cut off, twice." Hermes said with a zing noise and a grin.
"I already told you that it's a waste of time, Daedalus won't help you."
"True, at first." Percy said as the fire god shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Some of us get thrown off mountains," said Hephaestus, gesturing to his head.
"And you did. Magnificently."
Hephaestus glared at his full blooded brother with fire eyes, no commentary needed thank you very much.
"Some of us learn in more...painful methods. Ask me for gold,
"That's my shtick I believe, nephew." The god of riches said smoothly.
The forge god shrugged, "I know where to get ores." Was the retort.
a sword or even arrows and I'll grant you them easy." He snapped his fingers. "Like that. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."
"And they always are." Percy sighed out, getting Annabeth to look at him sternly. Stupid volcano.
"So you do know where he is," said Annabeth.
"It's not wise to go looking for someone who doesn't wish to be found, girl."
"True, you never know what they might do." Hades mused with dark humor.
"My mother says that looking is the nature of wisdom."
Said mother beamed at that while Poseidon rolled his eyes.
"And who would your mother be?"
"Really?"
"I don't look at them by physical features, so no, I didn't think she was yours." The smith told his wise sister.
"Athena."
Hephaestus snorted. "Figures."
Athena glared at him for that, but the forge god paid her no mind.
He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. Shame she pledged to never marry."
"Got the short end in that deal." Hephaestus grunted out as his wife rolled her eyes.
He was silent for a moment before shaking his head and looking at the daughter of Athena. "All right, half blood. I'll give you a way to Daedalus, but you need to do me something. Something big."
"By big, he means something boom worthy." Hermes snickered. Zeus glared at his nephew for releasing that blasted monster. Percy just kept his eyes straight at the screen.
"Well, that was a good chapter." Apollo said with a clap of his hands and a wide grin. "On to the next!"