Chapter 11: Shiny, Bright and Sparkling Is Never Good

AN: Hi all, so sorry for taking so long. I was doing rereads! As a writer, when I look back I get mad at myself for all I forgot to include. For example, Piper should have made comments about sacrificing to Phobos and Deimos in BOO. So, I'm trying to edit the chapters I've written but have not yet posted. Luckily, I'm far enough to post for you now! Thanks again for all the love and support.

Sam ignored all of this conversation, more focused on an important point. "The Dragon's working! And it's going to help you."

"Because like Percy said," Leo grinned. "It's the Dragon's main function. Protecting the kids of Hephaestus. Protecting Camp."

"He always does," agreed Jason.

"Jake wouldn't really agree. It took him until you guys took off in the Argo II to heal completely," Will pointed out.

"Mason's fine," Leo waved it off. "And Festus loves him,"

"You just refuse to say a bad thing about your dragon," Percy said with an eyeroll.

"Because he's my fire breathing and flying metal dragon!" Leo said as if it was obvious.

When they reached the clearing the dragon sped up its eyes glowing brighter. The dragon smashed several Myrmekes under its feet. Many of them scattered confused.

"It's working!" Apollo said almost in surprise.

"That was fast," agreed Frank next to him. Then he sighed, "Wait. I kind of just jinxed it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, buddy. You did," Percy laughed at him.

The ants started to swarm over the dragon, several of them poured forward. A lot of them retreated them when the dragon spit fire but more came out of the ant hill as the dragon continued to fight.

"You plan wasn't for the dragon to break you in," Sam realized. "It was a distraction."

"As much as I say that kids of Athena always have a plan, I don't always. It makes me feel like an idiot. But yes, at that moment my plan became to distract them."

Annabeth told them to go inside while the ants and dragon were fighting. Silena ran forward first, past the ants which ignored them. They went into the dark maze of tunnels and muddy, gooey rooms filled with ant shells and other gunk. Riptide lit the way as they continued forward.

"Ugh," Percy gagged. "I forgot about that. Of all of Poseidon's rotting seaweed! It's almost as bad as the stables."

"Really?" asked Grover. "Because—"

"The idiot said almost. Nothing was really as bad as those stables," Annabeth interrupted. Even the sulfur smell of Tartarus hadn't been as bad after a few hours.

"What is all that stuff?"

"Left over gunk from larvae and their rotting food," Percy said gagging again.

Annabeth pointed telling them to look. In the side room were more goo, and inside them larvae. In the center of the room was a large pile of gold, gems, and other shiny magic metals, like helmets, swords and musical instruments.

"That might be more gold than Midas's house," Leo gaped.

"And that's saying something," Jason winced. "We should know by now that shiny and pretty places aren't usually good."

Percy snapped as if having a revelation. "Moana guys. The giant hermit crab, he traps people by being shiny. I learnt that lesson after Medusa, as least I think I did."

Annabeth said that was only one room. There were a lot more nurseries and all were decorated with treasure.

"A whole lot more gold than Midas's house," Piper agreed.

Silena insisted it wasn't important. They had to find Beckendorf.

"Finally, one of my siblings has their priorities in order," Piper whispered to Leo.

"I kind of want to stop and look at all of that myself."

"As I said one of my siblings. Honorary or not." She rolled her eyes as Leo shot her a blinding grin. Olympian gods, she had missed him.

As they continued through the tunnels, they reached a cavern full of old meat, bones, old camp food and at the bottom of one was Beckendorf who was looking like garbage in his camouflage armor.

"And the smell just got worse," Percy groaned.

"That's disgusting," Jaz agreed turning a similar shade to Percy.

Silena ran right over to Beckendorf calling out his name. He looked at her relived and thanked the gods saying his legs had been paralyzed.

Everyone in the room winced. That was not something that you would want to happen in the middle of a situation like this. They'd all been injured or exhausted in battle but being paralyzed was a whole different situation.

Annabeth assured them it would wear off. They had to get him out of here. She told Percy to take his other side.

"Not you?" Jason asked. "You'd be stronger than Silena."

"She wouldn't let go of Beckendorf. Idiots," Annabeth thought almost tearing up as the couple entered her mind. Especially in those last few months.

Together they made their way back through the tunnels. Sounds of roaring fire, metal and the ants got louder as they moved. Beckendorf asked what was happening out there. Then he tensed and asked if they reactivated the dragon.

"So that's why he was rogue?" Leo asked looking between Percy and Annabeth. "Because the two of you?"

"Kind of."

"Idiot. I wouldn't say that," Annabeth argued. "He was shut down once before, and he might have gone rogue then. We knew that when we restarted him, remember?"

Percy said he was afraid they did, but it seemed like the only way. Beckendorf argued they couldn't just turn on an automaton. Not without calibrating the motor, running diagnostics. Now there was no telling what it would do. They had to get out of there.

"Aren't you already getting out of there?" Walt asked.

"Not fast enough, they aren't," Clarisse grumbled. "Stupid Beckendorf."

"Clarisse," Chris hushed her.

"I know. But Silena—"

"Was a hero," Chris finished. "Just look at her here!"

They were trying to decide which tunnel to take next when there was an explosion. The dirt crashed on them and the dragon smashed the ants as he shook around. Percy yelled to come on as they tried to scramble out of the dirt and ran down the side of the hill.

"That's absolutely insane," Carter said wide-eyed. "Get away."

"No can do."

"But there's the dragon! And the ants!"

"Trust me, I know. We were in danger. And we were trying to go, weren't we?"

The Myrmekes spit acid all over the dragon which stomped and snapped. But the ants were overwhelming it. Now confident the dragon was no longer a threat some of the ants turned on the demigods.

"Oh gods," Calypso gasped. "But Festus…."

"If he couldn't fight them, how could you?" Hazel agreed.

"We couldn't. At least not like him. But hey, we're alright, aren't we?"

Percy, still supporting Beckendorf slashed the head right off one. Annabeth stabbed another in its feelers. Beckendorf said he thought he could walk, letting go of the friends holding onto him and falling on his face. Silena yelled his name and helped him forward as Percy and Annabeth killed more of the ants, blocking them from biting them and spitting acid. Percy's sneakers were smoking as they made it to the crater.

Percy stomped his foot, as if trying to stop a fire under it. But he couldn't do a thing and it wasn't the worst feeling he'd endured while watching his quests. Meanwhile everyone else was cheering them on, Leo watching his half-brother and dragon nervously.

The dragon tripped as acid covered it's side. Silena cried they couldn't let it die. Beckendorf said it was too risky with its wiring. Silena pleaded with him saying it saved his life. Could she do it for her? Beckendorf, whose face was bright red and looked weak struggled to stand. He told his friends to get ready to run.

"Thank you, Silena," Leo yelled. "Pipes, your sister was awesome."

"I can see."

"She saved Festus."

"More like she persuaded your brother too," Piper grinned at him. "Just as heroic as you."

He yelled at the dragon to activate it's emergency defense beta. The dragon turned toward Beckendorf and stopped struggling as its eyes glowed.

"Wait," Leo frowned. "What does that mean?"

Percy rubbed at his arm where his hairs were standing at end. "You're about to get a bit of a shock."

Annabeth groaned and sent him a glare.

Electricity came off of the dragon's skin exploding several ants. Many of them burnt to a crisp, falling over. The rest that were still alive ran back into the parts of the hill still standing trying to get away from the electricity.

"He can do that?" Leo asked. "You guys knew Festus could do that and didn't tell me?"

"There were more important things to focus on," Annabeth reminded him. "Unlike you idiots I also remember Festus wasn't a full body during most of our quest."

"I think we just forgot, there were a lot of other things happening between then and when we were on our quest," Percy pointed out. "And we have Jason if we want lightning storms,"

"That's more of Thalia's thing," Jason shrugged. "I can do it but I'm better with the winds."

"I need to search Bunker Nine again," Leo announced. "And have a talk with Festus. And Chiron! And Dad! If he can do that, what else can he do?"

"I'll leave that to you to find out," Percy said. "I don't really want to find out."

The dragon roared happily then it turned on them. Beckendorf told them that now they should run. They yelled for help as they ran in the other direction.

The room looked at the scene then Percy and Annabeth before Hazel started to giggle. The room followed her into fits of laughter as they looked at the four demigods running wildly. Percy and Annabeth looked both amused and exasperated as everyone around them laughed.