Piper knew she was in trouble when she heard Reyna yell her name. After that, she heard a thud. That's the only reason she didn't yell out for Reyna.
She went to grab the bag of ambrosia, but it wasn't there. Piper cursed as she realized Leo had taken it. That was not good.
Before Piper realized what she was doing, she was cutting the splint that Reyna had made. Piper tried to stand, but she almost passed out. Her ankle was killing her.
Instincts told her to run, but she couldn't really do that. Piper finally held her dagger in front of her as she heard footsteps. Her heart stopped as a creature reached the top step and stared down at her.
Piper tried to stand again which didn't work. The Cyclops grabbed her arm and shoved her towards the stairs. Piper barely caught herself, but her ankle gave out. She collapsed against the steps.
"Get up!" the Cyclops ordered. When Piper didn't, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. It was impossible to do anything against the monster.
"My friends will kill you," Piper said in a shaking voice. She was too scared to even struggle. The Cyclops carried her down the stairs.
"They can't kill us when we eat them," the Cyclops sneered. Piper twisted around and saw another Cyclops. She stared at its smashed nose and one, bloodshot eye.
One had a toga. The other wore chainmail around their waist which was just terrifying. Piper stared at them. She cried out as she was dropped to the ground.
Piper looked around for a way out. There was nothing, and her ankle probably wouldn't support her weight. Piper tried to fight as one of the Cyclopes grabbed a dirty rag from the ground and stuffed it into her mouth. She almost gagged on the taste.
"She'll be delicious," another Cyclops said. Piper whirled around and stared. The Cyclops dropped Reyna to the ground. Reyna wasn't moving, and blood was trickling from her temple.
For a horrible moment, Piper thought she was dead. Reyna finally shifted slightly, and that allowed Piper to relax. She then realized they were probably going to die anyway.
"Ma, which one are we going to eat first?" the Cyclops with the chainmail asked.
"Quiet Sump," the female Cyclops replied. She knelt next to Reyna and grabbed her face. "Something powerful about this one's scent. I think we'll have a good feast tonight."
Sump finally turned towards Piper and kicked her hard in the head. Piper knew she had blacked out for a few moments. When she opened her eyes, she was all tied up next to Reyna. They were hanging upside down.
That was the point when Piper started to freak out. She started to hyperventilate. The Cyclopes were starting to make a fire.
Piper looked at Reyna and silently pleaded for her to wake up. Reyna's backpack was missing. Piper took a deep breath. She had to get them out of the mess they were in. It was her mess; therefore, she had to clean it up.
Piper ignored the Cyclopes and looked around. If they took the gag off, she could speak. That was her plan. She didn't even realize how focused she was until she saw how high the fire was. A Cyclops was poking it.
"I like it when they scream," Sump said. He tore off Piper's gag. She took a shaky breath. Her life and Reyna's life depended on her not screwing up.
"You don't want to kill us," Piper said. She looked at the Cyclops. "All you want to do is let us go."
"Torque, I think I should let her go," Sump said. "She's really pretty."
"I'll let her go," Torque snapped.
"This girl is Venus spawn. She is tricking you," the woman Cyclops hissed. "She smells wrong though. Not like her friend."
"What do you mean?" Piper questioned in confusion. The woman Cyclops grabbed her by her face. Piper winced in pain. It felt like her jaw was being crushed.
"You don't ask Ma Gasket questions," the woman Cyclops hissed. She let go of Piper.
"Can we eat them now?" Torque wondered. Ma Gasket watched Piper closely.
"We eat this one," Ma Gasket decided. She turned towards Reyna. "This one is valuable. We may be able to trade her and get her favor!"
"Her?" Piper asked. Her mind was racing. "What's so valuable about Reyna?"
"Shut up," Ma Gasket snapped. She looked at Sump. "Go get my salsa. You know demigods taste terrible without it."
Sump nodded and turned. He hurried out of Piper's sight. Piper sighed and froze. She gasped as she saw Leo. Ma Gasket turned on her.
"You demigods are so weak. Remember that son of Mercury?" Ma Gasket questioned as she looked at Torque. "He tried to claim he was on medication."
"He tasted fine," Torque added. "Wait, you mean the one that spoke in Latin and had that purple shirt?"
"Yes, you idiot," Ma Gasket snapped. Piper stared and met Leo's eyes. What did they mean Latin? And, was it the same purple shirt that Reyna had?
"Why wouldn't you want to eat Reyna?" Piper questioned. She really hoped Reyna didn't wake up anytime soon, but she needed to stall.
"Strong mother," Torque answered. "The war in her bloods in strong. Stronger than that Mars kid."
Ma Gasket laughed. She spoke, "He helped us put the finishing touches on the salsa, and then, we celebrated by eating him!"
"She looks familiar," Torque muttered after a moment. Ma Gasket narrowed her eyes and studied Reyna. She suddenly hissed.
"Wiped out the clan," Ma Gasket snapped. Torque snarled in anger. Ma Gasket grabbed Reyna by her waist. "No belt."
"Not her?" Torque asked. Ma Gasket nodded and let go of Reyna.
"Let us eat the Venus spawn," Ma Gasket said. Piper gulped. She heard wires spark, and everyone fell silent. Both of the Cyclopes turned towards Leo
"Get the demigod!" Ma Gasket yelled. Torque grabbed a truck and threw it at Leo. He barely rolled away in time. Leo gripped a remote.
Torque ran at Leo, but a yellow metal claw suddenly hit Torque in the back. It threw the Cyclops forward. The robotic hand then picked him up and flung him into the ceiling. After a moment, yellow dust fell from the sky.
Piper stared at Leo. He met her eyes, and she nodded for him to keep going. Sump decided to walk into warehouse at that time. He opened his mouth.
A second robot arm slammed into Sump. The Cyclops slammed into another robotic arm which returned the favor by slamming him into the ground. Dust exploded from his body.
"You are dead boy," Ma Gasket hissed. She grabbed a crane arm and ripped it off. "Only I bust my boys."
Leo pressed a button, and the two other arms attacked. Ma Gasket caught one and tore it in half. The other one smacked her in the head, but she grabbed it and swung it around.
Piper winced as it passed right by her face. She saw Ma Gasket fling the arm at Leo. He barely managed to dodge. Ma Gasket grabbed red hot coals from the fire and threw them at Leo.
"What was that?" Leo questioned as he looked down at the coals. They had landed by his feet. "That all you got?"
Ma Gasket grabbed a barrel that was next to a truck. Piper read the word kerosene, and her heart dropped.
"No!" Piper screamed. She saw the barrel hit near Leo, and flames erupted around him. Piper closed her eyes. She couldn't bare to watch. When she opened her eyes, Leo was standing there unharmed.
"Nice try," Leo said. "Let me show you how to really use fire."
Leo pointed one finger up. A bolt of flame shot out. Piper followed it and watched it hit an engine block. Ma Gasket looked up then smirked.
"Nice try boy," Ma Gasket. They all heard a snap, and the engine block fell right on Ma Gasket. Leo smirked as she turned to dust. Then, he collapsed to his knees.
"Leo!" Piper yelled. She struggled in the chains. "Leo! Are you okay?"
It took a minute for Leo to look up. He stood and stumbled towards them. With shaking hands, Leo slowly managed to lower her and help her out of the chains.
"That was amazing," Piper gasped. She helped Leo lower Reyna. "Could you always do that?"
"Yeah," Leo mumbled. He looked down and dug out the ambrosia. "I know I'm a menace."
"You're freaking amazing," Piper interrupted. "We owe you our lives. Thank you."
Leo smiled slightly. Piper grabbed a canteen from her backpack and managed to pour some into Reyna's mouth. She drank some, and the pain from her ankle slowly faded away.
"Yo, Pipes," Leo said. He pointed to the ground. Piper glanced down to see that the dust was slowly moving back as if it was going to reform.
"We need to go," Piper said. "Boreas said the earth won't be able to hold back its horrors. Is this what it means?"
"Don't know," Leo answered. He rushed away. When Leo came back, he had Reyna's backpack. "Ready?"
Piper nodded slightly. She looked back down at Reyna. Her attention focused on the dried blood on Reyna's temple. This was all her fault.
"Hey, you there?" Leo questioned.
"Yeah," Piper answered. "I was just lost in thought. Let's go before Ma Gasket reforms."