It had been a hectic afternoon in the Pangean palace after Percy was found, to say the least. If one were to be walking in the hallways at a certain time, they might've seen the King running down it with Percy in tow, yelling out for a physician. Thalia, Artemis, and the others were frantic as well, running all over the place in search of the son of Poseidon. It wasn't until Lyah had gathered them up and told them what had happened, is when they managed to calm themselves. Asking the young Dryad girl to take them to him, they quickly made their way over to the physician's office. Barging in unannounced, everyone saw Percy lying down on a table shirtless, looking perfectly fine. Standing over him was both the doctor and the King, discussing something amongst themselves.
"Percy!" Thalia and Artemis both cried out, running over to him in a flash and even pushing the two elves out of the way without regard.
"Calm down! Yes, yes, I'm okay." The demigod interrupted their rapid-fire questions with raised hands. Getting up from the table, he stretched his body out fully, exposing the years of muscle development and scars he had acquired during his time. The sight was enough to bring blushes to the faces of Artemis, Thalia, the hunters, and even Will who had to quickly turn away, reminding himself what Nico would do to him if he had been caught ogling the son of Poseidon.
"We don't know that for sure." The elven physician replied, poking Percy with a small instrument that simply broke apart thanks to his invulnerable skin.
"What we do know is that Percy is showing major signs of sleep deprivation." Haleth continued, reading off the chart the doctor had written down.
"Sleep deprivation?" Jason asked.
"Yes, not sleeping for an unhealthy, continuous amount of time." The king answered before looking over to Percy. "Remember how you said you felt as if you were having a heart attack? A lack of sleep over a certain amount of time can cause heart disease. It seems you're now feeling its effects."
"Yeah, but I went into water so I should be fine." The black-haired demigod replied, causing both elves to rub their brows in irritability.
"That isn't regular water, Jackson. It's the water of Calamity. It isn't meant for any living being to touch or drink. You're the first person to touch it and worse of all you didn't just do that. You submerged yourself in it for over ten hours!"
Everyone in the room slowly turned their heads back to the man in question with wide eyes. Ten hours?! In waters not even the elves dared to touch?! What were the consequences of doing that? Would he be okay? Will he die? Once again, Artemis and Thalia fired away with questions only this time directed to the doctor who cowered behind the king. Percy could only sheepishly rub the back of his neck, giving an awkward smile at his friends. Leave it up to him to bathe in waters man wasn't supposed to touch not once but twice.
It had taken some time to calm the two girls down, the king having to promise they'll keep monitoring Percy.
"Woah, woah, woah, we're leaving. We've spent too much time away from camp already." The son of Poseidon interrupted, getting to his feet and putting his shirt back on much to the dismay of the female population in the room.
"But you can't, Perseus. We don't know the effects of the water. We need to make sure you're okay." Haleth replied but he wasn't listening to any of it.
"And I have to make sure my people are okay. I know you can understand that."
That statement seemed to stump the king, allowing a moment for the demigod to push past him and out of the office. The others quickly followed him, keeping their questions held in for later. Making their way out to the city streets, the son of Poseidon asked Lyah to lead them back home but not before Haleth had said one last thing to him from the palace entrance.
"Percy! Come back if the effects start to worsen!" He shouted, Percy giving a nod and wave of goodbye in reply.
With that, it seemed their time in Pangea was coming to a close. Walking back through the dark tunnels illuminated only by the weird glowing vines, he was glad he got to experience the city. It was certainly something else but he was needed back at camp. There was much to discuss with the camp leaders. Plans that needed to be put into action. Training that needed to be done. He honestly couldn't wait and it was showing by how quickly he was walking. Sleep deprivation be damned. He'll get all the sleep he needs when he's dead. For now, it was time to step up and prepare for the invasion that was only a couple of months away now. Five months to be exact. Those next few months will be some of the most strenuous moments in their lives. He just hoped he along with everyone else was up to the challenge. He supposed only time would tell.
It had taken them no time to find their way out of the tunnels and back to the woods thanks to Lyah's guidance. Walking out of the hollow tree, he couldn't help taking a deep breath and smelling the fresh Alaskan air. The scent of pine and faint traces of a campfire filled his nostrils, bringing a feeling of peace to him that only this place brought.
"Okay, guys. This is where we part." Lyah said from inside the tree once everyone was back up to the surface.
"You're not coming with?" Jason asked to which the young girl shook her head.
"Mama wants me to help out with some of the plants by her tree. I'll see you guys later." She said before disappearing in a green puff of smoke.
"I've never seen a half-dryad, half-elf before." Artemis said more to herself before carrying on back to camp.
Walking inside the walls, the son of Poseidon was glad to see there wasn't a civil war about to break out like the last time he had walked into camp. It was quite much to everyone's shock. Campers were doing their daily chores, training at the arena, or just simply sitting out on the decks of their cabins. Looking around at the peaceful scenery, he wished that every day could've been like this. Just a day of normalcy, well, as normal as it can be for a demigod.
"I'm gonna go take a nap after looking for your stupid ass all morning." Jason said, slapping his cousin on the shoulder and making his way to his and Piper's room. Much to his dismay, however, Percy grabbed a hold of him before he got the chance to run away.
"Nope. We're gathering all the centurions to the war room. There's a lot we need to talk about." He said in a voice that offered no chance of rebuttal. Groaning in dismay, the son of Jupiter shrugged off Percy's hand before walking over to the horn and blowing it three times, signaling for the centurions to head to the war room. The entire camp went still for a moment before resuming the daily activities, with only a few select people rising up to answer the call.
"Artemis and Thaila, I'll need you there too." He said, walking into the building. Ordering the hunters to head back to their rooms, the Goddess and her half-sister quickly followed the son of Poseidon inside. Sitting down around the oval table with Percy already at the front with his hands resting beneath his chin, they waited for a few minutes before the centurions of the camp began flooding into the room. Greeting their leader, each centurion took their own seat and conversed among themselves as they waited for the meeting to begin.
"Alright, let's get-" The demigod tried to say but was interrupted by the door being slammed open by Leo Valdez.
"I'm here!" The son of Hephaestus yelled out, breathing heavily from running all the way across the camp. The room went silent as everyone looked at him trying to find a seat, whispering a few greetings to his friends along the way.
"Leo." Percy cleared his throat. "You're not a centurion anymore, remember?"
The silence was thick enough to be cut with a knife as everyone desperately tried to hold in their laughs. Leo, with reddening cheeks, issued an apology and began to make his way out but was stopped by the son of Poseidon.
"You know what, stay. I needed to speak to you anyway but you're not to mention what goes on in this meeting to anyone, understand?"
"Gotcha, Perce." He replied, electing to stand against a wall in the corner and listen in as Percy finally began.
"Alright, first things first. Turns out we have an entire city underneath us. It's called Pangea and it's home to over one hundred thousand nature spirits and elves."
He probably should've eased that shocking statement later on in the conversation judging by the numerous wide eyes around the table but he was never much of a sugar-coater. This wasn't a time for that. He needed to say what needed to be said without delay so that way they could prepare for their next steps.
"Um… an entire city?" Katie asked. The people who had actually been in the city nodded their hands causing the others to lean back in their seats a little bit.
"Yeah, I wanted to get that out of the way. They're cool people and Lyah is the princess of that kingdom, so let's try not to piss them off. " Percy continued, this time causing Travis to choke on the water he was drinking.
"Jeez Percy, what's next? Zeus is on our doorstep?" He sputtered out while Katie patted his back to offer some relief.
"Close but no cigar. A guy named Polemus is on our doorstep."
"Sounds like a stripper name." Leo quipped from across the room, earring a few chuckles. Percy, however, was dead serious. His eyes taking on a darkening glint.
"He very well could be but judging by the sheer power I felt and the story I saw about him, I have a feeling he's a God. Artemis, this is why you're here. You know anything about the guy?" He turned to the Goddess who could only shake her head in reply. She had never heard that name before in all of her years. Not even a mention of it which surprised her because the way Percy was acting, it seemed she should. Seeing the lack of connection, the son of Poseidon sighed. He had originally hoped Artemis knew something about the guy so that way the centurions could learn about him at the same time he would as well but it seemed Polemus's words would come true. He would have to go to his father to get the answers he was looking for.
"That's okay, doesn't matter. What matters is that we're prepared. This guy wants Olympus. Same as Zeus. Same as us."
"Wait- like…This Polemus guy is going to war against Olympus?"
"Yup." He said, popping the P. "He's after what we're after and when I spoke to him he said he'd kill all of us if we get in his way."
"You spoke to him?!" A chorus of questions went around the room, causing Percy to raise his hands in surrender.
"Let me speak, guys. Yes, I spoke to him when I entered the mind of this elf lady in Pangea. Haleth the king, used his powers to connect me to her, and long story short, she was that guy's scientist and was experimenting on a lot of people. Polemus had control over her body and spoke to me through her."
"Jesus. That's some demon-like stuff right there." Piper said, horrified.
Percy nodded before continuing. "Remember the red vials that we keep seeing pop up everywhere? That's his stuff. I don't know the exact reason why he needs it but it's called Tarteric lifestream. From what I read in that elf's journal, it does something to the body. Turns it into a zombie. At least that's what happened to Elanor."
"Tarteric lifestream, wait a minute I've heard of that. The guy who had me in that cell kept mentioning it." Thalia snapped her fingers.
"He was also one of Polemus's scientists. I've been meaning to ask you but just haven't found the right time but what can you tell me about your time down there with him?" Percy asked, noticing how Thalia slightly flinched as she began to remember what had happened to her. He hated to put her through this and could tell Artemis was slightly pissed at him for mentioning it but nevertheless, he needed to know. He needed to know exactly what this Polemus guy was and what he was planning. If he could get more information, it could mean more lives being saved when the time came to go to war.
"I honestly can't remember much. I was so out of it. He didn't feed me and only gave me a little water for days. I didn't even learn the guy's name. He mostly just kept to himself and did experiments on those red vials on his desk. The day you saved me was when he was going to experiment on me. He-He stripped me down and…anyway before he could do it, you saved me." She finished, her voice a little shaky.
The room became silent as everyone looked to Percy who had an expression that screamed of death. He was pissed at the story Thalia had just told. He was sickened by the fact that Polemus and his people experimented on people. His people. If there was one thing that everyone knew, it was that you didn't mess with Percy's people because if someone did, they would soon be facing the judges of the underworld. Seeing Thalia wipe a tear from her eye, he promised himself that Polemus and any that followed him would share the same fate. He would make sure of it.
"So what do we do? We don't know much about the guy except he's going to war with Olympus as well. Won't that screw with our plans?"
"It will but we'll just have to deal with it." The son of Poseidon replied with a nod. "The invasion of Olympus will still take place next summer in May. Until then we keep doing what we have been. Train, amass troops and weapons, and train some more. That's all we can do."
"But we won't be able to take on two armies. Your father's army and our army will be spread so thin fighting both of them." Artemis pointed out. The centurions hummed in agreement at the Goddess's observation. Most of them had fought in the Battle of Manhattan and knew what it was like to have their forces so spread out. It had dangerous consequences and one wrong move could spell disaster. That battle was only with a couple hundred troops on both sides as well. This invasion…it was going to be in the hundreds of thousands. One wrong move this time meant thousands dead so they needed to plan carefully.
"You're right, which is why I think we need to evolve the way we do combat."
"Evolve?" Everyone said in unison with confusion written over their faces.
"He means adding modern weaponry and tactics into our army." A woman's voice said from the entrance. Turning around, the centurions were met with the blazing brown eyes of Reyna.
"Nice of you to join us." Percy smirked as he watched her take a seat next to Artemis.
"Yeah sorry for being late. Abby wouldn't let me out of the hospital so I had to pull the rank card on her." She replied.
"That reminds me. Everyone, meet the new centurion of cohort thirteen. Reyna's cohort will specialize in front-line combat." The son of Poseidon announced, causing the others to quickly congratulate the daughter of Bellona. Artemis seemed rather reluctant to but nevertheless did the same as the others. Once everyone calmed down, Reyna continued to elaborate on what Percy had said.
"Anyway, what he means is that we need to modernize our army. You've already kind of done it but on a smaller scale with guns and those MRAPS you stole from the fort but I think Percy wants to go farther than that."
"A lot further which is why you're here." He replied, pointing over to Leo in the corner.
"M-Me?" The son of Hephaestus questioned.
"Yup. You, along with a lot of help from us and my father's cyclops, are gonna build this." He said, pulling out a rough sketch that he had drawn earlier. Everyone leaned over from their seats to get a better look at what it was. Once they did, they couldn't help their eyes from widening slightly in shock.
"Holy shit." Were the only words that could be said. Taking the sketch from his hands, Leo analyzed it profusely. A warship bigger than the Argo II. From what he could see, the design seemed to hold around two hundred people, three floors, and one huge cannon at the front of the ship. He could work with this. If what Percy said is true about having tons of help, he could get it done.
"Yeah, I can work with this. I've built a warship before man. This one won't be any different besides the huge-ass artillery cannon. Don't know how I'll get the supplies for that but I think I can get one built before May." Leo answered, looking up from the sketch with an eager smile. It quickly went away, however, seeing Percy's face that said he was hiding one more important piece of information.
"You're not gonna build just one." He said, making Leo's heart drop. "You're building twenty."
Once again, the room went crazy, shouting that it wasn't possible to build something like that in the short span of five months. Leo's face went pale as he realized Percy wasn't kidding. He really meant it. The son of Poseidon ignored all the yelling around and continued to smile at Leo. A crazed smile that sent shivers down his spine.
"You're going to do this not because I ask but because you know this is what is needed for us to succeed. We can't cross America on land or air without the threat of the Gods taking us out before we even get to New York. The sea is the only way. "
"But Percy-"
"No buts, Leo. You're going to do this. I believe in you. And I tell you what. If you can build twenty of these ships before May, I'll forgive you for what you did and reinstate your centurion rank. How about that?" He enticed. He knew just how badly the guy wanted to have things go back to the way before. He finally got a taste of being a leader and boy did he love it. The way people looked up to him and supported his decisions. It was all he ever wanted. To be seen. To be admired. Leo couldn't imagine what it must've felt like to be Percy. If he did this, maybe he'll have an inkling of what that feels like.
"Twenty before May…Man, that's gonna take a lot of materials. Lumber, steel, celestial bronze. We're gonna need tons of it. I don't even know where to begin."
"Well lucky for you we have that celestial bronze cave in Fort Wainwright. Strip it clean for all I care. As for the other two, we can get the wood from the forests past the mountains. I know the nature spirits around camp wouldn't appreciate us decimating their land. And the steel, well…I think we'll have to pay your father a visit."
"You can't be serious."
~X~
He was serious.
After the meeting was concluded, Percy had wasted no time mist-traveling Leo and him to one of his father's forges hidden deep in a mountain on the west coast. How he knew where one of his forges was, he couldn't possibly know and it seemed Percy wanted to keep it that way, uttering something about an old quest.
Walking through the old tunnels littered with cobwebs and strange metal clutter alike, they followed the sound of metal banging on metal. It seemed Hepeastuaes was on call much to Percy's relief. He really didn't want to risk traveling to Olympus to meet with the God as he didn't know what to expect from him. He didn't have a clue about his allegiance to Zeus or his feelings about him declaring war on Olympus. For all he knew, Hephaestus could just make his automations kill them on sight. He really hoped that wouldn't be the case because they needed this God on their side. The making of the warship fleet relied on it. If they couldn't get the steel…well, he might just have to take drastic measures.
He really didn't want it to come to that. He liked Hephaestus and had never had a problem with him but if his allegiance was with Zeus, he would hesitate to "persuade" him to give what they wanted. He knew he could overpower the God considering what he had done to Ares in Alaska, not to mention the curse he had acquired once more. He was confident if it came to that, but he really didn't want it to. Hephaestus as an ally was the main goal. Not beating him to the point of fading.
"Percy, I don't know about this. I haven't spoken to him since the award ceremony." Leo muttered, looking nervous at the prospect of meeting his father again. He never had many conversations with the man besides after the ceremony where they had discussed working on a few projects together. It had made him happy to have his father consider him a worthy partner when it came to his projects. And if it wasn't for the little stunt Percy pulled, maybe things would be different. Maybe Hepeastus would've made his immortal blacksmith partner. The thought of that made Leo's heart jump but it quickly sailed back down as he remembered what exactly had happened in the past year. That ship has long since sailed but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy working on projects. If he could get all the necessary supplies, it would be fun to build a fleet of the most badass warships ever seen. It'll be long, tedious work but it'll etch his name in history if he could get it done.
"Don't worry. The worst thing that can happen is he overpowers us and takes us to Olympus in chains." Percy replied.
"Greaaat."
The duo continued to walk for a couple more minutes toward the sound before finally reaching an opening of the tunnel that led out to a kind of cavern that was turned into a workshop. All around the room laid discarded metal, projects, weapons, and armor. It was a mess, to be honest, but they didn't expect anything less from the God of blacksmiths. They watched the ten-foot God pound his hammer into a blanket of celestial bronze repeatedly, muttering something they couldn't quite make out under his breath.
"So, what do we do?" Leo whispered to the son of Poseidon who shrugged his shoulders.
"You're his son, you go out there."
"No, you do it! You're the one that took us here in the first place. "
Continuing to argue with one another, they failed to realize that the banging had stopped, and looming over them like a great wall was the God himself who looked none too pleased to see them there in his forge.
"I could hear you lot a mile away, y'know." He said, causing the two demigods to cease their quarrel.
"Father." Leo greeted with an awkward smile.
The God ignored his son, electing to stare at the son of Poseidon who was looking up at him with a determined yet guarded expression. There was no backing out now. These next few seconds were crucial for them. He needed to play it smart or else this mission and the entire war was a bust.
"You have some balls coming here, Perseus." Hephaestus said.
"After all I've done these past few years, this should be a walk in the park hopefully." He replied cheekily, causing the God to huff in indignation before walking back to his anvil.
"Nothing is ever that easy, you should know that."
"Yeah, but it's worth a shot. After all, you owe me a favor. I'm cashing it in now." Percy said, walking into the workshop as if he owned the place. Leo tried to gain his attention, telling him that whatever he was doing, he'd better stop now before they incurred his father's wrath. Hephaestus laughed at the remark, electing to pick back up his hammer before working on whatever project he was working on again.
"You expect me to honor that to a person like you? You? An enemy of Olympus who wants my family dead."
This time it was the green-eyed demigod's turn to laugh, leaning up against a pillar with his arms crossed.
"Oh, don't give me that. We all know you couldn't give two shits about your supposed "family". He replied, making air quotes around that word. "Besides, I don't want all of the Olympians dead. Just the ones that are going against me in this war."
"That's a mighty but stupid endeavor, Perseus. You cannot defeat father despite what you may believe. You defeated his first wave of attackers and even converted them to your side but more will come and they won't stop until your camp is razed to the ground."
"Even with Hades, Poseidon, and other Gods on my side? You think we won't win even with them?" He asked pointedly.
"Zeus has known that his brothers will side together against him from the very beginning. He's made sure to be prepared when the time comes to face them."
"And what of you, Hephaestus? How have you prepared for this war?" Percy asked, the God looking up from his table with confusion.
"W-What do you-"
"You know exactly what I mean. You're one of the most important Gods on the council despite what people might say. You make all of Olympus's weapons and armor. Is that what Zeus has made you do this entire time we've been at war? Be a slave to his every whim?"
"Percy!" Leo tried to warn but the son of Poseidon wasn't going to heed it. It was stupid of him to antagonize the God like this but it needed to be done. He needed Hephaestus to see just how trapped he was being with Zeus. He needed him to know that despite being an all-powerful God of Olympus, he was just a simple slave beckoning to every call of his master.
"What'd you just say to me, boy?" The ten-foot tall God asked dangerously low, gripping his hammer tightly as he walked up to Percy. The son of Poseidon didn't back down, instead only looking up at the towering figure above him with a wolf-like glare.
"You're just a slave who doesn't know he's shackled. Zeus has made you stay down here in this forge this entire time to make weapons and armor for his army, right? He won't let you stop and you won't because you don't want to make your daddy mad."
The air went still after that statement. Leo felt his heart drop when he saw his father gain a look he never expected him to wear. It was that of fury and it was all directed to the green-eyed demigod who had an infuriating smirk on his face. It was like he wanted to make the God mad. To make him pick up that hammer and cave his head in. And that was exactly what he did. He could only watch in slow motion as his father swung his hammer faster than the blink of an eye at Percy's head. Cringing at the thought of Percy's head becoming an inside-out watermelon, Leo looked away from the sight but was confused when he heard the sound of metal scrapping against one another. Quickly looking back, he was shocked to find a stygian-armor-clad figure standing in Percy's place, holding back the hammer from hitting him with one hand.
Hephaestus's eyes widened at the sight of the armor but continued to push his attack further. To no avail, however, as Percy was simply too strong, holding the weapon back without any sign of backing down.
"I hit a soft spot?" His muffled voice taunted behind the golden mask. The God gave a mighty shout of fury as he lifted his hammer once more but that was a mistake he soon realized. With unmatched speed, the demigod shifted inside his guard before delivering a fatal punch directly the God's gut, sending him flying backward into a pile of discarded scrap of metal. Leo wanted to help stop this madness but he knew not to interfere. He was no match for this kind of power between these two. He was like a bug compared to his father and mize well be one to Percy as well considering his power was basically that of a God. He was insignificant compared to them and there was nothing he could do but sit on the sidelines and watch the two lions battle it out.
Hephaestus angrily attempted to get up from the ground. He wanted to kill this piece of shit demigod for daring to speak down on him. A slave?! No, he was an Olympian! A God! No one, especially a demigod, called him that. A black iron-clad foot on his chest, however, stopped him from getting to his feet. Looking up at the demigod, the God savagely cried out like an animal as he attempted to get Perseus off of him, swiping at his legs desperately. The son of Poseidon didn't budge and continued to dig his foot deeper into the God's ribs, beginning to feel them crack from the pressure wrought on them. Hephaestus yelled out in pain as he tried to roll away.
"I know what you're thinking but I want you to know that what I said is true. You're a slave to him, no matter what you might think." Percy whispered to him over his animalistic cries of pain and fear.
Staring up at the golden mask with green eyes behind it that displayed no ounce of fear in them, Hephaestus realized that there was nothing he could do in this situation. Who was he kidding, this wasn't just any demigod, this was Perseus Jackson. If he really wanted to, he could just stop the ichor flowing in his veins in an instant. Seeing those powerful, ominous glowing eyes that peered into his soul, was when his anger began to dwindle. He couldn't win against Percy despite his hammer begging to smash his face in. He was projecting, he knew that. The demigod's words rang true no matter how much he wanted to deny it. He was a slave and always had been.
"We done?" Percy interrupted his thoughts.
"Yeah, we're done." The God panted out, getting up on his feet with the help of the demigod.
"Look, I'm not trying to make you hate me. That's the last thing I need right now. I'm trying to make you see that staying loyal to Zeus is going to do you no good. He doesn't care about you, Hephaestus. He only cares about keeping his throne and the minute you stop helping him do so, is the minute he'll cast you into Tartarus." The demigod reasoned, hoping that the God could gain some insight and potentially see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.
"I know but what more can I do? I can't defy my father like that."
"You can if you join me. I promise that if you join my side, you won't have to worry about being stuck in these forges for your entire existence. I won't make you a slave. Hell, I'm not even asking you to make us weapons and armor for this war. I just want some supplies so we can do it ourselves!"
Hephaestus pondered his words for a moment, sitting down on his workbench. It was a nice deal Perseus was offering him. To be able to freely roam about without worrying about someone telling him to get back to the forges would be nice. He did love building stuff down here but after constantly slaving away at it without reprieve, it could get a little tiresome. What Poseidon's lad was offering him was a way out. A chance for a new beginning. That would be nice for a change, he thought.
"You know they won't mention your contributions if Zeus wins this war. He won't even utter your name. If you join me though, I promise that no one's name will go unmentioned. No one will be spared from the spotlight if we win this war." Percy knelt before him, laying out his hand for the God to grasp.
"You've sure turned into a statesman since the last time I saw you." Hephaestus said before clasping the demigod's hand.
"Comes with the job." He replied with a smirk.
"Hijo de puta, I don't understand this family. One second we're wanting to kill each other and the next we're best friends." Leo sighed, walking up to the pair before continuing.
"Look, Dad, we need steel. Lots of it. You have any lying around here that we can use?"
"Not here, son, but I do have a little bit at one of my other forges. You can go there and take as much as you want."
Percy and Leo looked at one another with relief written across their faces. It seemed their little quest would succeed after all. It only took Percy cracking the ribs of a God but hey, such is life in the Greek pantheon.
"Yeah, Percy can lead you to it as well. He went down there not too many years ago." Hephaestus finished, the statement causing the son of Poseidon to groan out with a hand against his brow.
"Of course it had to be there." He sighed.
"Yeah, some of those damn monsters took it over again a year after he had blown the place up but if you can clear them out, you'll have all the steel you need."
Leo looked to his partner who was already making his out of the room, toward one of the tunnels presumably leading to his father's other forge. Waving goodbye, the younger boy trailed the son of Poseidon who could only mutter obscenities under his breath about having to go back there.
"What's he talking about blowing up the forge, Percy?"
"I uh- accidentally blew up one of his forges on an old quest and it just so happened to be the prison of the father of monsters which later down the line helped him escape and reap havoc across the entire continent."
"Hijo de puta."
"Hijo de puta, indeed."