A/N: Welp, here's chapter seventeen of The Dissonant Notes of Fate. Hope you enjoy. Vote, comment, all those other stuff. Have a great day. I'm going to stop these author's notes pretty soon. I almost always repeat myself each time. From now on, I'll only include A/Ns when I have some new information to share. If you haven't, check out my personal profile and give my other works a look. Thanks!
-TripleHomicide.
NICO tried to wrench his arm out of the hold of the demigod, Eurytion, who held him. But he was too weak, and the man was far too strong. Nico snarled under his breath, trying to reach out to Minos with his mind. The ghost had been leading him for almost a month, which was how long he had disappeared from Camp for. He had taught him how to control his powers, and how to wield a sword and a lot of other things, but immediately danger came, Minos vanished and it was starting to grate on Nico.
The ghost had shimmered back into wherever he came from when Nico had stumbled into the ranch a few minutes ago from the Labyrinth, and had been grabbed by the burly man and the two-headed dog. Nico had been struggling to escape and free himself, even trying shadow-travelling at a point—but nothing had worked. Somehow, the ranch had been warded to prevent any form of escape.
Nico stiffened when he saw the cattle guard move, and his eyes widened like saucers when Clarisse moved out, grunting. Behind her came his sister Bianca, and then Grover, Thalia, and finally, Luke.
"What—" Nico blinked in shock. The others looked damaged, bruised and tired, with bags under their eyes and dust and dirt covering their bodies.
"Nico," Bianca surged forward, her relief and worry mixing in the single word.
Clarisse's arm shot out and she grabbed his sister by the shoulder, pulling her back. Some anger and rage passed over Bianca's face but Clarisse stepped forward, ignoring her. Her eyes were narrowed as she took in the cowherd's hand on Nico's shoulder, who had been about to lead him to the house in the distance. "Who're are you?"
The man's grip on Nico's shoulder got tighter and the son of Hades let out a small cry. At that, Bianca surged forward and it was only through the united efforts of Grover and Thalia that she remained where she was. A look of unadulterated rage overcame her features as she snarled at the man clutching Nico like a lifeline. "Let my brother go!"
The man didn't respond, choosing to examine them in silence and tilting his head to the side. Finally, he said, "You must be the demigods Geryon spoke about."
"Give me my brother back," Bianca said, her voice going dangerously low. "Or so help me I will—" Nico felt warmth erupt in his chest as Bianca drew two hunting knives as long as his own arm. The fact that she was prepared to take on a man three times her size for him made him feel glad. His sister looked furious and angry and if he was the cowherd, he wouldn't want to cross her. No. Not at all.
"Bia—"
"Don't worry, squirt," Clarisse said, her spear forming in her hand. "We're getting you back to Camp." Nico wanted to say he couldn't go back to Camp. He wanted to argue. But at that moment Eurytion, took a step back, pulling Nico with him. Nico watched in shock as the ground before them exploded and the first of the drakons appeared. And then Eurytion was dragging him away.
-X-
BIANCA screamed out when she saw the man dragging Nico away. He was struggling, kicking and fighting against the man's hold, but he wasn't strong enough. She shouted his name just as the ground before them exploded. Three giant figures, like snakes, with blue scales and teeth dripping with green liquid burst out of the ground, letting loose roars and snarls. Bianca turned to Clarisse and shouted, "I'm going after Nico!" As she took off, she could hear the several explosions and felt the ground shaking beneath her. Monsters seemed to appear out of nowhere around them, converging towards the demigods and snarling menacingly.
She ignored all of them, racing towards the two figures who were already too far for her liking. The man and his dog ran, dragging Nico with them towards the giant house sat on a hill. Bianca heard a roar and sidestepped as a lion with wings sailed past her. A griffin. She ducked under claws and slashed upwards, slicing through its flank.
She didn't stop to see if it died. She continued running, heart hammering in her chest. She had to find Nico. She had to save him from this place. She felt fear engulf her. What if she was too late? What if she couldn't—A scuttling noise broke through her thoughts and Bianca glanced to her side just in time to see the giant scorpion rearing its pincer at her. She dove away as the stinger slammed into the earth. Behind her she could hear the screams and shouts of her friends. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed and for a brief second Bianca felt guilty, that she had left them to face an army of monsters on their own.
But she shook her head to clear her thoughts, rolling aside as the scorpion struck again. Her brother was more important. He was the only reason she was on this quest in the first place. She would get Nico, even if it meant leaving the others to die, however cold that might seem. She would find her way to camp with him and threaten Chiron to keep an eye on him at all times. When Nico was safe from ghosts and monsters, then she would be able to rest.
Bianca took off running again, ignoring the enraged scorpion behind her. On her way she killed a hellhound, slew a karpos, and dodged several attacks from fire breathing horses, rooster horses with sharp beaks and other horses with teeth as sharp as her blade. She saw the man push her baby brother into the building hurriedly, and shut it behind him. Bianca raced after them, urging her feet to move faster. She couldn't afford to lose her brother. Not now.
She barged in through the door and skidded to a stop. Bianca let out a curse when she spotted the misshapen man standing next to Nico, the cowherd and his dog. The man looked towards her and the huntress, panting and out of breath tried to stand straight and not scream in horror. He had a normal head, weathered and brown skin an slick black hair and a black moustache. He had three chests, which was where the weird started. His neck connected to the middle chest like a normal person but he had two more chests, one to either side, connected at the shoulders, with a few inches between. His left arm grew out of his left chest and his right arm out of his right. He had two arms, but four armpits and beefy legs with led up to a broad torso where the chest met. He wore a different coloured western shirt on each go his chests and Bianca's mouth flopped open for a fraction of a second.
The man scowled at her and said, 'Didn't your mother ever teach you that staring is rude, half-blood?" He snarled.
Bianca overcame her shock and said, "My mother's dead. And I'm not about to let you do the same to my brother too." She slipped into a fighting stance, glaring at the two men.
Three chests heaved as the abnormal man laughed. "You really think you can kill me, girl?"
Bianca's eyes flashed. "I am a daughter of Hades, and a huntress of Artemis. I think I can handle two overgrown bulls trying to kidnap my brother for Kronos." The two headed dog barked and snarled at her. It leapt for Bianca and her arm shot out, hurling her knife. It impaled the dog in the chest and with a whimper it dissolved into dust.
"No!" The normal man shouted. "Orthus!"
"Calm yourself, Eurytion," The misshapen monster snapped. "It was just a dog." Eurytion's eyes flashed dangerously and with a yell of outrage he reared backwards, drawing a sword to lop the monster's head off. Three-chests was too fast, however. He reached forward with expert speed and decked Eurytion in the face.
The cowherd snarled at him and said, "I quit."
The man's eyes widened in rage and he said, "You dare defy me? I should kill you where you stand!"
Eurytion scoffed. "You keep on sending me out to do your dirty work, Geryon. You pick fights for no reason. You allied with Kronos and the Athena spawn for money and you want me to kill a bunch of kids? I'm sick of dying for you. If you want them delivered to Kronos you're going to do it yourself."
Bianca's eyes flickered to Nico and she saw him mouth, "We can take him." She nodded back, and as one, they attacked.
XMX
NICO surged forward, swinging his sword in a precise arc to cleave off the monster's arm. Geryon yelled and swatted at him, making the son of Hades stumble back. Bia jumped with agility only huntresses could possess and brought both of her knives down as she fell. But the misshapen man was fast. He drew two swords of his own and clashed with Bianca, pushing her away.
The shouts and roars and screams of the monsters and demigods they had left behind reached Nico. His ears filled with a sound like a whistle as he charged forward again. He and Geryon clashed, the monster's eyes going wide when he spotted Nico's blade. He cursed and reared back, but Nico wasn't about to let him escape. He dove forward, mind flashing back to all the tricks and moves Minos had taught him in the last month alone.
Nico and Geryon exchanged blows, clashed, moved back and clashed again. Sparks flew as swords met, with Bianca occasionally darting in to slice the man in the legs or arms and distract him. Nico and Geryon met again, slashing at each other, stabbing and generally trying to cut the other in two. Bianca swept in, digging her silver blade into Geryon's left arm. The man roared and Nico rushed forward, stabbing him in the middle chest.
He pulled back, waiting for the monster to disintegrate into dust and his sword to absorb its essence. Nico and his sister exchanged a glance when nothing happened. After a few tense minutes, Geryon laughed. He stood and the boy's eyes widened as the wound began to close. "Nice try, di Angelo," He said. "But, I have three hearts."
"And you can only be killed when all three are stabbed at the same time," Nico murmured, taking a step back as the realisation dawned on him. Geryon laughed once more, advancing and swinging his sword. He raised his arm.
"Maybe I can help with that," Bianca's voice came to him. Nico glanced at his side, just in time to see his sister fire an arrow from a silver bow. The arrow pierced through the air, sailing straight and true and tearing through Geryon's side. Nico's mouth fell open in shock as he heard THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. The arrow had passed clean through each of his chests and through his three hearts. It flew out of his side and struck a wall.
Geryon's face turned sickly. He collapsed, onto his knees, dropping his swords. The monster began crumbling into sand and yellow dust, until all that was left of him were three brightly coloured western shirts.
Nico turned to his sister, about to speak when he felt her slam into him. Her arms wrapped around his figure and she squeezed, burying her head in the crook of his neck. He felt warmth in his chest again, and then sadness, that he had to leave her. Bianca sobbed into his neck. "Oh, Nico. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I won't ever let this happen again. I'll take you—"
"My Lord," Nico stiffened in Bianca's hold when he heard Minos' voice. The ghost shimmered into existence and the demigod pulled away from his sister to face it, anger clear on his face.
"You left me," He snarled.
"I wouldn't have been much help in a battle, Master di Angelo," The king bowed.
Nico glared at him but and was about to speak when Bianca growled. "You're Minos." It sounded more like a statement and he turned to look at her in surprise, the feeling growing when he saw the look of righteous anger on her face. "You stole my brother from me." She took a step forward and Minos looked up at Nico in panic.
His expression spurned Nico into movement. He held out a hand, blocking his sister. "Stop it, Bia. He's helping me."
Bianca turned her face to him and shouted, "He's not! He wants to corrupt you into doing his dirty work for him. He wants—"
"I'm bringing back Mother!" Nico shouted back, cutting her off. "Father wants me to bring back Mother."
"No—"
"My Lord," Minos interrupted, his face void of expression. "We must leave. Now."
"Nico…" Bianca's voice sounded warning and Nico felt anger engulf him. She had left him for the hunters. Who was she to come and try to drag him back to camp and stop him from saving their own mother? He inhaled. He had to stay calm. Nico turned to face her. "I'm sorry, Bianca. I'm sorry it has to be this way. But I have to go."
"No, Nico!" She yelled aggressively. "You don't. Come back with me! Don't let this ghost trick you—"
"Now, Master," Minos' voice was flat. Nico sent Bianca an apologetic look and he concentrated, stepping back into the shadows and calling them to him. Bianca's eyes widened in panic.
"Nico! Don't you dare—" The shadows swallowed him up, cutting off her voice. His heart ached as she disappeared. His chest hurt and he felt guilt set in as his sister's broken face faded from view.
-X-
THALIA led the others into the house, where they found the daughter of Hades on her knees, sobbing her eyes out. Nico was nowhere to be found. The interior of the house was in chaos. The man who had taken Nico had vanished, and the the entire room was filled with overturned furniture, disorganised items, and a pile of yellow dust.
"What happened here?" Thalia asked in a low voice, looking around. Bianca didn't answer. Clarisse moved forward, slipping onto a knee. She reached out to the daughter of Hades and placed a soothing arm on Bianca's shoulder. The hunter of Artemis continued to cry, ever so silently and Thalia, Luke and Grover watched on awkwardly. When Bianca finally became coherent enough to tell them what had happened and the message Hades had given her, the tense and morbid atmosphere in the room seemed to have become denser.
If Nico killed Daedalus, not only would he be ruined, but he would destroy the only means they had of stopping Kronos from attacking Camp. And Minos, the ghost king, whatever his name was, would deliver Nico right into the Titan King's hands afterwards. Things had never seemed so real or bleak and Thalia clutched her spear tighter in frustration.
Finally, they made their way back to the cattle guard. Handling the monsters had been hard, and it had left all of them beaten and battered. They had barely escaped with their lives and it was only through Clarisse and Thalia's combined efforts that the numerous beasts being reared on the ranch had been dispatched. Thalia had almost burned herself out summoning bolts of lightning to decimate the monsters and weaken them, while Luke and Grover dealt with off them. Even then, not all the pockets of monsters had been killed. Many still lurked around, having run when they had seen their fellow monsters being killed.
Thalia and the others slipped into the Labyrinth as the sun set, none of them speaking, all of them thinking about Bianca's words and her story. Thalia didn't know how far they travelled, but finally, they decided to rest a few hours inside a circular chamber they'd entered.
She fell asleep leaning on the wall to the sound of Clarisse sharpening a knife, Grover snoring, and Luke and Bianca murmuring to each other in low voices.
She reappeared in a dark palace, which the daughter of Zeus instantly recognised as The Black Palace of Othrys. Her eyes caught sight of Annabeth, walking through the dark corridors of the fortress. It looked real now, unlike the illusion-like building it had been last winter. Green fires burned along the walls, the floor was polished black and a cold wind blew down the hallway, something which Thalia wasn't sure she should be feeling. Above them, through the open ceiling, the sky swirled with grey clouds. Thalia could even hear the roars of pain and protest from Atlas as he held up the sky. Quickly, she followed after Annabeth.
Her former friend was dressed for battle, in camo pants, a white t-shirt and a bronze breastplate. She held a sword in one hand and Thalia vaguely wondered where the knife Luke had given her three years ago was. They walked into a large courtyard where dozens of warriors and dracaena were preparing for battle. When the daughter of Athena came into view the demigods stood. They beat their swords against their shields. A gust of wind swept across the courtyard and both Annabeth and Thalia looked up.
It was the same Titan who had aided Kronos last winter. Lelantos—the air Titan; the one with wings. A brief flicker of annoyance took over Annabeth's face.
"Is it time, Lady Annabeth?" A demigod asked.
"Soon," Annabeth's voice was cold. Colder than Thalia had ever heard it. "Continue your work."
"My Lady," A voice said behind them. Thalia turned, catching sight of the same empousa demon from Goode High. She snarled, reaching for her weapon, before she realised it was just a dream. Kelli wore a blue dress, and looked extremely beautiful. Her eyes flickered from dark brown to pure red. Her hair was braided and seemed to catch the light of the torches.
Thalia watched as the demon said, "You have a visitor." She stepped aside. Thalia flinched, taking a step back when the monster Kampê came into view. Her snakes hissed around her and animal heads roared around her waist.
"You," Thalia turned to glance at Annabeth. Her voice was hard, but Thalia had known her for long. She knew how to read her former best friend well. Annabeth was terrified of Kampê but trying not to show it. "I asked you to stay on the Island."
Kampê hissed, in that stupid scary voice and language. The sound of her voice filled Thalia like poison, making her take several more steps back. But somehow, Thalia understood. I have come to serve. No demigod escapes me.
"Clarisse did it," Annabeth said, an eyebrow raised. "A few weeks ago. And you are a jailer, never supposed to leave your post. What of Briares?" Kampê hissed, and said, He escaped, in the chaos the half-bloods caused when they came to the Island. He heads for Camp Half-Blood as we speak. I shall not allow him to escape me. Not again.
Annabeth hesitated. A line of sweat trickled down her face. "Very well. You will go with us. You may carry Ariadne's string." She turned away from the beast and Kampê hissed again in pleasure, before turning and going down the hallway.
"We should have left her behind in the pit," Annabeth murmured. "She is too chaotic to completely bow to Kronos."
Kelli laughed at his side. "You should not fear power, Annabeth. Use it." She reached out for the daughter of Athena but Annabeth took a step away. "The sooner we leave, the better. Call for our reinforcements. Summon Aphrodite and Mother. Arm the monsters. The deal is almost complete. Now all we need is safe passage through the arena." She looked up and curled her lips at Lelantos. "How are discussions with the giant going?"
"Interesting enough," The Titan said haughtily. "However, he has yet to ally himself with us, and I'd hate to see your head on his wall if you fail in this."
Annabeth sneered at him and for a second, Thalia felt sad. How had she allowed this to happen to her best friend?
Annabeth turned back to Kelli and spoke without hiding her aggravation. "Don't you have some poor mortal teenagers to harass?" Kelli smiled at her and then turned, and suddenly her eyes were on Thalia. Thalia didn't know how, but she knew.
Kelli could see her.
The demon surged forward and ripped through the dream.
Thalia was suddenly in a different place. She stood at the top of a tower, overlooking cliffs and the ocean below. Daedalus was hunched over a worktable, working on some kind of instrument, which Thalia wouldn't even bother to try to identify. He looked years younger than when she'd last seen him, and Thalia guessed wildly that this was before the Labyrinth and his spat with Minos.
"Uncle!" A voice made Thalia turn. It was a boy, smiling, about Nico's age, jumping from stair to stair and carrying a wooden box. He had dark hair and dark eyes and was skinny, just like Nico di Angelo. Hell, his olive skin was the same.
"Hello, Perdix," Daedalus said. Thalia turned back to him and her eyes narrowed when she saw the cold glint in his eyes. She knew this story all too well. "Done with your project?"
"Yes!" Perdix said eagerly. "Look!"
The boy dumped the contents of his box onto the table. He came up with an old looking paper and handed it to his uncle. Thalia couldn't see its contents, but she could see the anger but grudging respect in the man's eyes.
"The King loved it!" Perdix announced. "He said I might be even smarter than you!" Daedalus eyes narrowed, but he remained silent. "I don't believe it though," Perdix said. "I'm so glad Mother sent me to study with you!" He sounded so innocent—so eager—and Thalia's heart ached at what she knew was coming.
The man and his nephew continued speaking, jarring Thalia out of her thoughts. "—every man must die, perdix. It is the will of the gods."
"But why?" The boy asked. "If you could capture the soul in another form, like automatons…"
"No, boy," Daedalus replied sharply. "Such things are impossible."
"I don't think so!" Perdix insisted. "With magic—" Daedalus began muttering some obscenities under his breath.
"Magic and Mechanics together!" Perdix's eyes glowed. "One could make a body that would look exactly human, only better." He handed the man a scroll. Thalia watched as they argued. She watched Perdix stop the disagreement by asking to help out and then walking to the edge of the tower. She wanted to cry out—she really did. But her voice wouldn't work.
Thalia watched Janus appear, the two headed god asking Daedalus to choose as the man murmured meaningless words in his anger. Finally, Daedalus chose. He picked the boy's metal bags and threw one to Perdix, shouting, "Catch."
Thalia watched the boy fall out of the tower. She watched him clutch on, call on his uncle to save him. She watched the Inventor kick at Perdix's hand and the young, bright nephew of Daedalus, tumbled into the sea. There was silence. Janus disappeared. And then thunder boomed. The figure of a woman, one Thalia had seen on occasion, filled the sky.
You shall pay for that, Daedalus. It was Athena. Daedalus scowled up at the sky. "I have always honoured you, Mother. I have sacrificed everything to follow your way!" His voice was raw, and bitter, and Thalia could see the anger in his eyes. Daedalus picked up the scroll which had belonged to Perdix. Finally, he said, "I have suffered, all my life. But no more. I'll continue to suffer in death, yes. But in the meantime…" Athena cut him off, booming. You do not understand. You will pay, now and forever!
Suddenly Daedalus collapsed in pain. He screamed in pure agony as a searing pain closed around his neck, cutting off his breath. Thalia felt it. She felt all of it—rippling pain, pure agony, travelling around her neck. And then she was awake, panting, her head matted with sweat and the remnants of a scream lodged in her throat.
-X-
LUKE and the others listened intently as Thalia narrated the dreams she had been having. "Alright," Clarisse said after they were done. "We've gone to the ranch and we almost got Nico back. But he chose to follow Minos and not come with us, meaning he's not in any imminent danger now—
Bianca looked like she wanted to argue but Clarisse cut her off. "You know it's true. I promise you, we'll keep on scouring the Labyrinth for him. But finding Daedalus is our top priority. We have to locate Hephaestus."
"But how?" The daughter of Hades sounded anguished. "We don't even know how to navigate this stupid thing!"
"We have to try," Grover said, his voice firm. "We have to find Daedalus, at any cost. And Pan. And Nico"
"Maybe, if we all think about Hephaestus," Luke suggested, voice low. "It might take us to him."
Clarisse nodded. "I read somewhere that the maze leads you where you want to go, but plays tricks on you the whole way."
"Let's go," Thalia spoke, her voice nothing but a murmur. "We have keep moving." With that, they packed up and continued walking through the maze. After a while, they started jogging—down a marble tunnel which stretched on for miles, then to the left. Finally, they Luke skidded to a stop behind Thalia, right in front of an abyss. The tunnel continued in front of them, but there was no floor for about a hundred feet. Just gaping darkness and iron rungs in the ceiling.
"Should we go back?" Grover asked.
They turned. The Labyrinth had closed up behind them, a thin wall of cement blocking the path they'd come through. "It's up the monkey bars, then."
Bianca went first, leaping onto the first rung and swinging across with the agility of a hunter. Thalia followed, eyes trained right ahead, and then Grover. Finally, Luke jumped after them, resisting the urge to stare at the yawning gap below them. Clarisse swung her way across when he landed on the other side. Just as she landed, the last iron bar ripped free from the ceiling.
They kept moving, and passed a skeleton in the tunnel. They passed by pencils, hundreds of them, and Luke forced himself to think about just the Lord of the Forges as they moved. Finally, the tunnel opened into a large room. A blazing light hit them and the blond haired demigod blinked, trying to adjust to the light. He noticed the skeletons first, old and bleached white, like all the others they had passed. It smelled horrible and putrid. And then he saw the monster. She stood on a dais on the opposite side of the room and Luke hissed when he took sight of her lion body and human female head. She had her hair tied in a tight bun and wore makeup. There was a blue ribbon on her chest and he squinted to read the words, which he gave up on a few seconds later.
"Sphinx," Grover's voice was angry, and Luke remembered the encounter with a sphinx they had had three years before, when Grover had just found them and was about to lead them to Camp. Thalia started forward, but the monster's lips peeled open and fangs showed as she let out a loud roar. Bars came down on both of the exits of the tunnel, sealing them in.
"Demigods," The sphinx called. "Welcome, lucky contestants! Get ready to play Answer That Riddle."
"Gods, I don't have time for this," Bianca scoffed.
"Do we kill it?" Grover asked, already reaching for his reed pipes.
He exchanged a glance with Thalia, who was already reaching for her bracelet. Clarisse's held a knife in one hand and spear in the other.
Luke glared at the monster, drawing a sword he had borrowed from Clarisse when the fighting at the ranch began. "We kill it."
XMX
LUKE watched Thalia pull her spear out of the dead monster as it melted into ash and sulphur. "Keep moving?" She asked. They all looked towards Clarisse, who simply nodded in response. They continued walking, making a few left turns, getting lost and backtracking a few times. Occasionally they encountered a monster, got injured, but eventually bested it. After a while, they stumbled into a corridor, with a metal door at the end. It looked like an old submarine hatch—oval, with a wheel for a doorknob. There was a big brass plaque on it, green, with a greek Êta drawn onto it.
Luke and Thalia exchanged a glance once more. Memories of the time in the Love boat two years before swarmed Luke's head. He remembered when they had fallen into Hephaestus' trap in their search for Aphrodite's scarf and Ares' shield while on their quest for Zeus' bolt.
"Hephaestus' symbol," Grover said, also recognising the sign for what it was.
"I guess the maze did take us where we need to go?" Bianca spoke, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. She sounded uncertain, but Luke deduced that it had something to do with losing her brother once again.
"We have to go in, then," Clarisse said. She moved forward and gripped the wheel. Luke watched the daughter of Ares turn it, arms bulging with muscles. The door opened and Clarisse pushed it in. The room was enormous. It looked like a garage, with several hydraulic lifts with cars on them. There were metal contraptions and automations strewn around, weapons, chariots and several hammers. Tools hung on the walls and under the nearest hydraulic lift—which held a car Luke didn't bother naming—he spotted a pair of legs in grey pants and huge shoes. One leg was in a metal brace, which Luke recognised from their visit to Olympus last winter, during the solstice meeting.
"Demigods," A deep voice boomed from under the car. "Perseus said to expect you!" Hephaestus rolled out from underneath it and sat up. Luke's face scrunched up, his brain having difficulty in registering what he was seeing, although he had seen it twice before already. The god wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime. His left shoulder was lower than his right so he seemed to be leaning while standing straight. His beard smoked and hissed and every once in a while a small fire erupted on his moustache and died out. His hands were huge, and his face looked like it had been washed with red fire ants. In short, he was ugly. Real ugly.
"Sir," Thalia stepped forward. "Hephaestus…we're looking for Daedalus. Perseus said you could help out with that."
A brief flicker of anger passed through the god's eyes and he pulsed momentarily, with furious energy. But it died down as quickly as it appeared and he muttered, "I do not know why you search for that hateful mongrel but I will help you, because Perseus asked it. We are good friends, if I do say so myself." He picked up a piece of metal on the table and tinkered with them. In a few seconds he was holding a tiny silver spider.
"Can you tell us where to find him?" Luke asked.
"I can, but I must warn you," Hephaestus paused. "He might help you, and he might not. Looking for Daedalus is risky, and probably a waste of your time." He went silent, and kept tinkering. Finally he spoke, "However, he might ally with you to get revenge on Athena, because she cursed him. She works for Kronos now, so he might see working with you as a way to get back to her."
"Just tell us where he is," Bianca said. "We'll handle the rest."
Hephaestus' eyes passed over all of them, and settled on Luke and Thalia. "There is a price."
"Of course there is," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes. "Name it."
He laughed, and Luke winced. It was loud. "You heroes are all the same. Always making rash promises." He reached forward and pressed a button on his workbench. Metal shuttered opened along the wall. A gigantic screen slid into place. They were looking at a grey mountain ringed in forests. It looked like a volcano—it had smoke rising from its crest.
"One of my many forges," Hephaestus said. "It was once my favourite."
"That's Mount Saint Helens," Grover piped. "The dryads there are nice."
"What do you want done, Lord Hephaestus?" Clarisse folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. Luke pawed his sword at his side, waiting. He didn't like Hephaestus. The trap meant for Aphrodite and Ares had almost killed him and Thalia two years ago. And then they had met Talos, another of his contraptions, that had also nearly cost Luke his life.
"The monster Typhon is trapped under the Mountain," Hephaestus announced. "The Mountain is a Great source of fire, but dangerous. There's always a chance that Typhon might escape. It smoulders all the time, and erupts often. His spirit stirs, like all other monsters across the globe. He is restless, waiting for a chance to join Kronos and his children to destroy us."
"You want us to kill that?" Grover sounded incredulous.
"That would be unwise," Hephaestus said. "The gods themselves ran from Typhon before. No, this task is different. Lately I have sensed intruders in the mountain. Someone is using my forges but each time I go there, it is empty. They sense me coming, and run. I send automatons, but they never return. I want to know who is invading my territory, and if they mean to free the Father of Monsters. I want you to find out who it is."
Luke pursed his lips. Of course. The gods always had demigods do their dirty work for them. "Report back to me," Hephaestus said. "And I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."
"How do we get there?" Clarisse asked. Hephaestus held out a hand and the silver spider leaped off and scuttled on the ground. "Its shall show you the way. It is not far in the Labyrinth." He turned to face Thalia and smiled— a smile which sent chills down Luke's back. "Give Perseus my greetings when you see him, will you?"
Confusion flickered across Thalia's face and Luke mirrored her expression. The Titan had said he might not see them for a while. Shaking his head, the son of Hermes looked down, where the spider was already going back through the door. Together they turned, and ran, following the creation of the forges.
-X-
CLARISSE led them down the corridor, and they took several turns and made several bends as they followed the glinting silver object. It was about a few minutes later that they hit the tree roots. The spider continued moving, racing along and they were all trying to keep up. Then they spotted the tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth and wrapped in thick roots.
Grover stopped. Thalia and Luke turned, the question clear on their faces. The satyr ignored them all, making Clarisse stop too. Grover stared into the tunnel, his curly hair rustled in the breeze.
"We have to keep moving," Clarisse said, unable to force the irritation out of her voice. If the dreams she had been having were to be believed, they had spent a lot of time—almost a month—in the labyrinth. It was July now and she wanted to get this foolish quest out of the way. She didn't want to think about Chris, or how he might be worse off or even dead. She wanted to find Daedalus, throttle him into giving them a way to destroy the maze and stop Annabitch, then get home to save the son of Hermes.
"This is the way," Grover said. "This is it." He sounded…awed.
It didn't take a lot of time to put two and two together. "Pan's down here?"
Grover nodded, suddenly becoming eager. "He's down here! I'm sure of it." Clarisse glanced down the tunnel, where they spider was getting away.
"We'll come back on our way to Hephaestus, then," Bianca spoke up.
"It'll be gone by then," He turned to them, face filled with anguish. "Please, I have to—"
"I'll go with you," Clarisse spoke up suddenly and even she blinked at the statement. She didn't know where it had come from, just that she had to go with Grover. And that Bianca had to come with her. "To protect you from the monsters and stuff." She turned to the daughter of Hades. "You're coming to." Bianca pursed her lips, adjusting her open parka. She didn't look pleased but she nodded. Thalia stared at her in surprise. Clarisse cleared her throat. "You two get to the mountain. We'll meet back at Hephaestus'." Luke reacted first, grabbing Thalia's hand.
"Come on!" Clarisse stared after them as they disappeared down the corridor after the spider. She turned back to Underwood and motioned to the tunnel. "What're you waiting for?"
-X-
THALIA felt the heat after a few steps. The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if they were walking through an oven. The tunnel sloped and she could hear a roar, like a river. The spider skittered and moved, racing down the tunnel and generally making it hard to keep up with it. After another half a mile or so, they emerged in a cavern. The spider stopped and curled into a ball in the shadows. There was no floor, just lava, hundreds of feet below them.
They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. Metal bridges spanned across it. At the centre was a platform, with machines, cauldron, forges and a huge anvil. Creatures moved around the platform—dark shapes which were too far away to identify. Luke bent beside her, picked the spider and placed it carefully into the pocket.
He motioned with his head. Together, they crept along the outer rim of the lava lake. Thalia was starting to feel the heat. In no time they were both drenched with sweat. Her eyes stung from the smoke but she kept moving, trying to keep away from the edge. Suddenly Luke held her back. She turned to him questioningly and he nodded in front of her. Thalia looked. It was a cart on wheels, covered with a tarp. She moved forward, and saw it was full of scrap metal.
Almost immediately they heard the voices. Thalia couldn't hear exactly what they were saying but they were close enough for her to hear the footsteps. She looked around in panic, but then Luke was there, grabbing her arm. He flung the tarp off the cart and jumped in, pulling her down with him and covering them with the cloth just as quickly.
Just then, the cart lurched forward. "Heavy," A gruff voice complained.
"It's celestial bronze," Another said. "Of course it is."
Thalia exchanged a glance with Luke. They were getting pulled. They turned a corner, and after a bit of walking, they stopped. Thalia heard a lot of chattering suddenly, from voices that didn't sound quite human. She glanced at Luke and saw him mouth, A dog. Or seal.
They stopped moving, and Thalia's ears perked as she heard other sounds. The whirring of an old film projector and a tiny narrating voice.
"Now, younglings," Another voice ordered. "Pay attention to the film please. There will be time for questions when it ends."
The voices quieted down and Thalia could hear the film. As a young sea demon matures, the narrator began. Changes happen in the monster's body. Thalia exchanged a bewildered glance with Luke. They kept silent as they continued listening to the movie. Excited snarling filled the room. The daughter of Zeus didn't understand most of it, and she didn't dare look.
"Now, younglings," The teacher said when the movie finally ended. 'What is the proper name of out kind?"
"Sea demons!" One of them barked.
"Telekhines!" Another growled out.
"Second answer is correct!" The teacher announced. "And why are we here?"
"Revenge! Against Zeus and the gods for casting us into Tartarus for using magic!" Another said, sounding angry. "And after we made their finest weapons, like Poseidon's trident!" The telekhines continued spouting nonsense about creating the greatest Titan weapons too, and being cast away by her father for using magic. And then they continued about taking over the forges of Hephaestus and controlling the undersea furnaces.
They continued asking the younglings who they served, to which they responded Kronos, and asking if when they grew they would continue to serve, to which the young ones said Yes, in great enthusiasm.
"Yes, good," The instructor said. "Now I have brought some scraps for you to practise with. Help yourself." Bitterness filled Thalia's mouth as she realised the implications of the words and instantly she was tapping her bracelet and throwing the tarp off them. Aegis sprang to life, eliciting several hisses and wails from the oncoming monsters who reared back in fear.
Luke was up by her side, swinging his sword. They were dogs, with black snouts, brown eyes and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek, and black like sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half foot, and human-like hands with sharp claws.
"Demigods!" One snarled.
"Eat them!" Another called. Luke's arm surged forward and he wiped out the entire front line with his sword. Thalia caught sight of the six-foot tall telehkhine with fangs snarling at them.
"Back off!" Thalia yelled. She placed Aegis in front of her and the monsters swept back.
"Go!" Thalia turned, shouting at Luke. He jumped out of the tunnel, and she followed him, her boots slamming onto the ground. They raced away, towards a door in the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. Immediately Thalia was out, Luke slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it.
"Come on!" She yelled. "We have to get away from here!" They raced toward the platform at the centre of the lava lake.
Finally, they stopped in front of a cauldron. Four telekhines had seen them coming, fully grown ones, eight feet tall and they were about to charge. They had been working on something and Thalia got a glance at a small weapon. A glowing dagger. Annabeth's. Next to it was a metal in the shape of a scythe.
"We have to get out!" Luke whisper-shouted. Immediately the door to the classroom exploded and the young telekhines surged out. They stumbled over each other, trying to reach Thalia and Luke in excitement. And then, Thalia made her decision. "Luke," She said calmly. "I want you to go."
Horror and then understanding flickered in his eyes. 'No—" He hissed.
"You know we won't be able to get out unless one of us stays back and holds them off!" Thalia snapped. "There's no time for this. Go!" Luke looked pained. He shook his head, flat out refusing. "I'm not leaving you. Not again."
"I'll distract them!" She said, already slipping into a stance. "Just get out. Use the spider, get back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
"You'll be killed," Luke grabbed on to her arm and she felt horrible, for letting him do this.
"We have no choice," She argued. "I'm more powerful than you are. I can call up a lightning storm to distract and kill them. I'll join you later." She tried to assure him with her words but she could tell he wasn't buying it. Luke glared at her like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. And then, unexpectedly, he pulled her forward, connecting their lips. Her mind went blank. It was a short, sweet kiss and almost immediately, he was pulling away again. He looked defeated, like he had given up.
"Be careful, Thals," He said softly. She nodded to him, eyes wide in shock at what had just happened, and he turned, racing towards the entrance they had come in before. She had to concentrate. She had to distract them so Luke could go. Thalia turned as all the telekhines converged around her, raising her spear. She yelled, forcing all her power to come flowing out of her veins. She roared, calling down the might of the skies. She screamed for Olympus to hear as she summoned the biggest lightning bolt she had ever seen.
She couldn't ever describe what happened yet. She couldn't tell what came after she released her power. An explosion, electricity everywhere, winds and rain and lightning and thunder. She fell, towards the lava. Fire and lightning met. The resulting blast sent her flying, shooting upward from the heart of the volcano. The last thing she remembered was flying so high, high enough to see the heavens. High enough to see the entire city, and more below her. And then she fell, smoke, fire, and lightning surrounding her. Winds and rain wrapping around her form and thunder booming as she hurtled towards the earth. And then everything went dark.
-X-
LUKE cried, as he ran, back through the tunnel they had come through.
He cried, because he had left her behind and not stayed to fight, like the coward he was.
He cried, because he had probably lost his best friend in the explosion which resounded behind him.
He cried because he knew it would probably be a long, long time before he saw Thalia Grace again, in the Underworld.
A/N: This was unsatisfactory. Well…meh. Tell me what you think. Next chapter Ogygia and Perseus! Lots of surprises for that one! Thanks for reading! Bye!