LAST TIME:
'Alexander?'
There was no response from the god in my head. Suddenly, I felt a brief pain shoot through my body a moment before it vanished in its entirety.
#I cannot speak of it either, # Alexander wheezed. #This is not the Fates at work, Percy. It is Ananke herself.#
'Are you serious?'
#Considering that she just warned me, yes. Our fate is not in the hands of the fates but Ananke herself. And so is the war and the outcome of every major godly war in history. Ananke allows no bias.#
"Percy, are you alright?" Artemis asked, touching my arm.
"J-just thinking."
"I hope they succeed. In the meantime, let's find this entrance in the camp."
Ch.35 I Cause a Natural Disaster
PERCY POV:
The clanging of weapons echoed across the Arena as Campers sparred with each other, repeating strikes as I instructed.
"Left side, Viper strike! Three times!" I yelled as the campers moved to comply, their swords moving in precise swings. The people to my left attacked, while the other side defended themselves.
"Right side, Slash, and stab! Upward swing!" I yelled, making the Right side attack the left.
"Repeat!" I yelled, ignoring the panting from the campers.
They need to get better. They need to learn to defend themselves. Or the monsters would cut through them like a scythe cuts through the grass.
"I see you are having fun," A gruff voice said from behind.
Clarisse.
"Are you done with the juniors?" I asked.
"Nah, I gave the wimps a break before they could break out crying. I—"
"Benjamin! No disarming maneuvers till I tell you so!" I yelled, seeing the camper disarm his opponent with a disarming move. He was one of the more promising students in the sword-fighting class but was an absolute doofus when it came to following instructions.
"Benjamin," Clarisse said threateningly to her brother. "Do as Percy says."
"Yes, sir. Ma'am." Benjamin said, before falling into stance again.
I like the authority Clarisse has over her siblings. Must be helpful.
"You were saying?" I asked the girl.
"Yeah, I gave them a fifteen-minute break. Those kids have absolutely no stamina. Half can't even hold a sword properly. Gods know how they will fight against monsters." She scowled.
They are better than that. But not everyone can match Clarisse's standards. Or mine. A peril of being a senior camper, I suppose.
"They'll learn as all of us did," I said. "Keep them on their toes. In half an hour we have the senior campers and the hunt. They'll be better than this lot."
"How are those girls?" Clarisse asked curiously. "I know they're damn good with a bow but how do they fare with a sword or a spear?"
Artemis won't like that question even if she knows that some of them suck at melee fighting. She doesn't like a word against her girls.
"Depends," I said noncommittally. "Some, like Phoebe, are terrific with melee weapons. But many… well, they can best be included in the group I am teaching right now."
"Understood," Clarisse nodded. "I am gonna be dealing with quite a few princesses who think they are fucking pros when they are nothing special."
I smiled thinly. "Don't let them hear you say that."
"You know, I am gonna say that to their fucking faces. Give them a taste of what it is to punch above your weight grade."
I sighed before calling my class to a stop. "Alright, you all. Good job so far. Keep practicing these moves, especially the transition from one stance to another. Now, I want you to choose a partner and have a friendly fight. Disarm only. Begin!"
THALIA POV
Within five minutes of entering the Labyrinth, I decided that we were hopelessly lost. The maze was toying with us and even Annabeth, our quest leader, had no idea of where we were going.
Annabeth was trying to sound confident, but I knew her better than that. By this point, we were going on paths based on sheer guesswork rather than any Athenian logic, despite whatever she said.
Even Zoe had realized that by now and so had Grover.
Speaking of the Satyr, he was jittery, constantly mumbling about the smell of monsters and underground, which did nothing to soothe my nerves.
And that was not to mention the meetings we had a couple of hours ago. First with Janus, immediately followed by Hera, the Queen of the Heavens.
Both had been unnecessarily cryptic, and not to mention, unhelpful. The only helpful thing that we got out of the meeting was that Hephaestus knew of a way to get into contact with Daedalus. And to do so, we had to find the god first in this gods-damned maze.
"What the fuck?" Annabeth exclaimed, making me look up, only to find myself in a twenty-foot-square cement room. The wall in front of us was covered with metal bars.
I turned to look behind me, only to find my way blocked by a cement wall, which hadn't been there a few moments ago.
"We are trapped," Grover said, stating the obvious.
"No shit, Sherlock," I murmured.
Annabeth tugged on the bars. They didn't budge. Through the bars, we could see rows of cells in a ring around a dark courtyard—at least three stories of metal doors and metal catwalks.
"A prison," Zoe said.
"Listen," Grover said suddenly, his ears twitching.
Somewhere above us, deep sobbing echoed through the building. There was another sound, too—a raspy voice muttering something that I couldn't make out. The words were strange, like rocks in a tumbler.
"What's that language?" I whispered.
Zoe's eyes were wide, which did nothing to assure me.
"This is not possible," Zoe muttered, strolling forward and grabbing the steel bars with her bare hands.
"I don't think—" Annabeth stopped short as Zoe grunted, and the steel bars bent as she pulled them wide enough for us to pass through.
Right, Daughter of Atlas.
"Follow me," Zoe said, slipping through.
The prison was dark, with only a few dim fluorescent lights flickering above.
"I know this place," Annabeth told me. "This is Alcatraz."
"You mean that island is near San Francisco?"
She nodded. "My school took a field trip here. It's like a museum."
Must be nice to go to school and have a mortal life sometimes.
"Freeze," Zoe ordered gravely, and we froze. Suddenly, Grover grabbed my arm and pointed at something, his eyes wide with unbridled fear.
I looked where he was pointing, and my stomach somersaulted. On the second-floor balcony, across the courtyard, was a monster more horrible than anything I'd ever seen before.
It was sort of like a centaur, with a woman's body from the waist up. But instead of a horse's lower body, it had the body of a dragon—at least twenty feet long, black and scaly with enormous claws and a barbed tail. Her legs looked like they were tangled in vines, but then I realized they were sprouting snakes, hundreds of vipers darting around, constantly looking for something to bite. The woman's hair was also made of snakes, like Medusa's. Weirdest of all, around her waist, where the woman part met the dragon part, her skin bubbled and morphed, occasionally producing the heads of animals—a vicious wolf, a bear, a lion, as if she were wearing a belt of ever-changing creatures.
I got the feeling I was looking at something half-formed, a monster so old it was from the beginning of time before shapes had been fully defined.
"Get down," Annabeth hissed, and we crouched, observing the monster from our vantage point.
It seemed to be talking to someone inside a cell on the second floor. That's where the sobbing was coming from. The dragon woman said something in her weird rumbling language.
"What's she saying?" I muttered. "What's that language?"
"The tongue of the old times." Zoe shivered. "What Mother Earth spoke to Titans and…her other children. Before the gods."
"You understand it?" I asked. "Can you translate?"
Zoe held up a hand in response, listening intently as her usually stoic face circled through a variety of emotions.
The dragon lady tramped toward the stairwell, vipers hissing around her legs like grass skirts. She spread wings I hadn't noticed before—huge bat wings she kept folded against her dragon back. She leaped off the catwalk and soared across the courtyard. We crouched lower in the shadows. A hot sulfurous wind blasted my face as the monster flew over. Then she disappeared around the corner.
"H-h-horrible," Grover said. "I've never smelled any monster that strong. Not even E-echidna gave such a horrible scent. And she was with her son."
"That monster is out of Echidna's league, satyr. She was Kampê. The Jailer of the Hekatonkheires and the Elder Cyclopes. She worked for the Titan Lord in the first war. She kept many powerful beings locked up in the depths of Tartarus and tortured them. Well, until the Big Three came and killed Kampê before freeing Cyclops and Hundred-Handed Ones to help fight against the Titans."
"Bad," I said. "Just curious, how powerful is she? Could we, you know, take her?"
"No," Zoe said grimly. "She is the daughter of Tartarus and Nyx. One of the most powerful monsters to exist. Her skin is impenetrable as the Nemean Lion and the poison on her blades is capable of killing gods. A demigod would perish if the poison merely touches him or her. And that is not to mention her Titanic strength and durability."
"Okay, super-powerful monster. Fuck. Anyway, who's in that cell?"
Zoe's eyes lit up. "Briares. One of the hundred-handed ones."
I remembered Hekatonkheires from our monster class. They were said to be as tall as the sky and had the strength to break mountains. But I didn't know how one would fit in a twenty-foot-tall cell.
"He's locked up?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes. Kampê is trying to persuade him to join the Titans. He refused."
"Then he can help us!" Grover said brightly.
"Yes, let's go," I said, jogging up the stairs while keeping an eye out for Kampê in case she decided to pay an impromptu visit.
As we approached the cell, the weeping got louder. When I first saw the creature inside, I wasn't sure what I was looking at. He was human-size and his skin was ashen, the color of milk. He wore a loincloth like a big diaper. His feet seemed too big for his body, with cracked dirty toenails, and eight toes on each foot. But the top half of his body was the weird part. He made Janus look downright normal.
His chest sprouted more arms than I could count, in rows, all around his body. The arms looked like normal arms, but there were so many of them, all tangled together, that his chest looked kind of like a forkful of spaghetti somebody had twirled together. Several of his hands were covering his face as he sobbed.
"Briares!" Zoe said, and the sobbing stopped. That was when Zoe spoke in a rumbling noise, in a language I didn't understand.
Briars looked up. His face was long and sad, with a crooked nose and bad teeth. He had deep brown eyes—I mean completely brown with no whites or black pupils, like eyes formed out of clay.
"Run while you can, demigods," He said in Greek. "I cannot even help myself."
"You're a Hundred-handed one! You can do anything. You forged the Master Bolt! You defeated the Titans!" Annabeth said all of a sudden.
"I cannot," Briares moaned, this time, in English. He had a British accent for some reason "Kampê is back! The Titans will rise and throw us back into Tartarus."
"Bullshit," Annabeth scoffed. "You defeated them once. Remember?"
"I remember the war. Lightning shook the world. We threw many rocks. The Titans and the monsters almost won. Now they are getting strong again. Kampê said so."
"Kampe lied," Annabeth insisted. "Do you know how many Titans my best friend has killed or defeated? Coeus, Atlas, Menoetius, Asopus, Eridanus, Phoebe, Tethys, Oceanus! Thalia here killed Aura a few months back! They are not winning."
Briares's face morphed into a disbelieving look as he looked at me. I just gave him a nod as lightning cracked between my fingers.
"A daughter of the Lord of the Skies. I remember when he freed us from her. Lightning blinded us as battle cries rocked the prison. Finally, the young god thrust his spear, a mere celestial bronze piece, wreathed with potent lightning into her throat. He won. And then freed us. I forged a weapon for him. He called it the master bolt which he used to dethrone the Titan Lord."
"And the gods need you again. Come on. Free yourself"
"She'll kill me." He whimpered, his face becoming scared again. A dozen of his hands started playing patty-cake, but none of them made any attempt to break the bars.
"She'll try," I replied. "Come on, dude. Do you want to be free or do you want to stay here and be tormented? You are powerful enough to break this prison like a house of cards. You are the great Briares! A hundred-handed one. Your weapons made the titans tremble. You defeated legions of monsters! Come on!"
Briares face morphed again. Same brown eyes, but otherwise totally different features. He had an upturned nose, arched eyebrows, and a weird smile like he was trying to act brave.
His hands reached for the bars but some of his hands tried to slap them away.
That was an interesting showcase of internal conflict, I decided.
"Come on, great Briares! Show us your strength!" Zoe encouraged enthusiastically.
Several arms gripped the bars and ripped them away like they were made of paper.
Briares stood up and walked out of the door, his head held high. We were about to cheer when a ground-wrenching screech killed it before it was born.
On the ground floor right below, Kampê was snarling at us.
PERCY POV
Dark gray clouds drifted over the valley mirroring the mood of the inhabitants within camp Half-Blood. The smell of the inevitable storm was unmistakable. A cold, forbidding wind blew around me.
It had been four days since the quest to find Daedalus had gone out, and yet, we had nothing of note regarding the Labyrinth or the attack that was going to happen.
I sat in the center of a clearing in the forest, on top of Zeus's fist, where my sword lay on my lap as I extended my senses wide, trying to find a clue to the entrance to the Labyrinth.
I could feel the numerous nature spirits around me. A few monsters lurked within the forest, posing a challenge to the campers who were brave enough to try. Campers and Satyrs were further away in the camp. A Pegasus flew overhead in the sky. The wind whispered in my ears. The sounds of the leaves rustling drifted along.
Yet, nothing hinted about an entrance to the Labyrinth within the camp. My senses returned nothing. Not a single hint of an underground maze.
I felt energy beginning to gather a few feet in front of me, making my eyes open in alert, before I abruptly closed them back, as I sensed a god teleporting in.
"Percy," Artemis's soft voice called, making me open my eyes again. She was standing on the base of Zeus's fist, her soft auburn hair slightly damp, falling in waves over her shoulder. She wore her standard huntress uniform, which matched her silver eyes, contrasting with her auburn hair.
"Sup?" I greeted.
"What are you doing up there?"
"Trying to find an entrance to the labyrinth," I replied with a sigh.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "By just sitting up there?"
"No. I am trying to sense if there is an underground passage or something. There has to be water or water vapor in the labyrinth, right?"
Artemis shook her hair, her auburn curls flopping around. "The Labyrinth is one of the most… magical places in the Greek world, Percy. Exiting to defy every logic possible. I don't think it would be possible to just sense the water in there."
I sighed. "Can't you gods just flash into the Labyrinth?"
"Not anywhere, I am afraid. If there is a temple dedicated to me or the Olympians, yes, I can flash there."
"Is there one?" I asked imploringly.
"Well yes. But nowhere near the camp. The nearest one I sensed was all the way in Queens. And it is one dedicated to the Olympians."
"Cool," I said as Artemis leaned against a crack in the boulders, directly below me. If I jumped down, I would land right in front of her… or on her. The second was not an exciting prospect.
"So you're gonna stay up all day?" She asked, looking up.
"I had nothing to do. All my morning classes are over. Next sword-fighting class is in the evening before dinner."
"Come down then," She replied. "I can teach you tracking. You suck at it."
I scoffed before jumping down, careful not to land on Artemis, lest she turned me into a jackalope for it.
Like an idiot, my balance slipped on the gravel as I landed, and I stumbled back, directly into Artemis. She yelped as I crashed into her and she was further pushed into the rocks.
Suddenly, the ground beneath us seemed to vanish as we free fell into… somewhere.
A moment later, I landed on something soft. Unfortunately, that something turned out to be Artemis.
"Oof!" She shouted, pushing me off. For a brief moment, I had a view of the dark, thundering sky above us, just before the ceiling closed plunging the area into complete darkness.
Our breathing echoed against the stone. It was wet and cold. I was now sitting on a bumpy floor that seemed to be made of bricks.
"What the hell," Artemis muttered.
I held my hand out and a ball of fire formed above my palm, illuminating the place we were in alongside Artemis's startled face.
"It's a long room," I muttered.
"No, this is a corridor," Artemis breathed, her voice eerily echoing through the place. "This is the Labyrinth."
A warm breeze blew, like in subway tunnels, only it felt older, more dangerous somehow.
Artemis's hand slipped into mine.
Under normal circumstances, I would've been embarrassed. Perhaps, even a bit elated. But this was not the time.
I just gripped her hand tighter, trying to assure myself that I wasn't the only living person here. The Labyrinth felt unnatural.
#It is because the sea doesn't like to be restrained.# Alexander said, almost making me jump at the sound. #The place… is doing something to you. Like… it is wary of you, but not exactly. Artemis must be feeling the same.#
'You mean I am a threat to the Labyrinth?'
#No. I am not sure, to be frank. You can certainly collapse parts of the maze though. Not that it is a good idea to do it.#
'Why?' I asked.
#Because, its effects will be felt amplified in the upper world… which would be bad. Very devastative.#
'So no earthquakes?'
#Yes.#
"Percy," Artemis whispered. "We need to find the exit."
"It should be here. Search for the mark of Daedalus." I replied, making my fire glow brighter, casting an eerie glow in the corridor.
These were flames born from the power of Hestia. They shouldn't do this. The Labyrinth was becoming worrying. And my friends had been in here for days already.
"There," Artemis spotted the delta symbol etched on the wall barely a moment later. We slowly walked toward it and Artemis pressed her finger on it.
The symbol glowed with a bluish light. The roof slid open and we saw a rosy orange sky above us. It was a lot darker than it should've been. Metal ladder rungs appeared on the side of the wall, leading up, and I could hear people yelling our names.
Artemis and I exchanged a look before climbing up.
We had just discovered the entrance to the Labyrinth within the camp and, if I had to guess, had been missing for hours.
ARTEMIS POV
Finding the entrance to the Labyrinth had caused a stir in the camp. Add to the fact that Percy and I had gone missing and uncontactable for three whole hours when we had been inside for just a few minutes was worrying.
Currently, the line of defense that had been set up was being refined by Chiron with inputs from the Athena Cabin and the Hephaestus cabin. Percy stood to one side, alongside his friend Clarisse, merely listening to what they were saying.
As I understood it, Percy was like the leader of the camp alongside Clarisse and, when available, Annabeth. The two girls were the oldest campers and Percy was the most powerful demigod and a de-facto leader.
The arrows in my hand glowed at once and I distributed them into quivers, putting two in each. Mini-explosive arrows, meant to blow up things on a smaller scale. Like a door or a part of the wall.
"Lady Artemis!" A voice called from behind, making me drop my arrows and whirl around.
A shimmering holograph of Zoe, standing next to Annabeth had appeared behind me.
"Zoe, Annabeth. What happened? Are you all alright?"
"Yes, yes, we are fine," Annabeth replied, panting as if she had just run several miles. "We are at the triple G-ranch Ranch in the Labyrinth."
"The what?"
"Triple-G-Ranch," Annabeth repeated. "It's not important. It was led by this monster Geryon who traded monster parts and stuff for money or other forms of payment. We found Bianca's brother, Nico here, who was searching for escaped spirits in the Labyrinth on his father's orders. He was going to be held captive by Geyron and sold to Luke but he and Thalia skewered him before that could happen. Anyhow, now we are here and we have a way to get to Hephaestus."
"Why… Do you want to get to Hephaestus?" I asked slowly.
"Queen Hera paid us a visit. She said that Hephaestus can help us find Daedalus. But she said he is in need of a service that, if provided, would give us a way to Daedalus. But the service… according to her, is something we cannot provide."
I raised an eyebrow. Gods wouldn't refuse the service of a hero especially when the hero came to them. "Hephaestus said that as well?"
"No, Queen Hera did. Eurytion said the same." Zoe replied.
"Who's Eurytion now?" I asked irritatedly. Who were they to dictate what my girls could do?
"The son of Ares who used to work for Geryon."
"And who is he to say what my huntresses are capable of or not?" I demanded.
"He says that he has it on good authority. He has lived in the Labyrinth and navigated the godly world, both sides of it, for centuries. He hears whispers we don't. He knows things we have no clue of."
"Is it so?"
"He said that the son of Poseidon might be of help though."
"Percy?" I asked.
"He is the only son of Poseidon I know of," Annabeth shrugged. "He suggested Thalia might have the… power to do it but she might not… make it. From what I understood of his words anyway."
I looked at Zoe. "Is it possible that he has prophetic power of some sort?"
"It seemed so," she mused. "But I cannot be sure."
"So, he says the work Hephaestus asks in exchange for information on Daedalus needs to be done by Percy?"
"Yes."
"Did Hera say the same?"
"No. She just said that we, the questers, would not succeed in doing what was needed by Hephaestus. She didn't mention Percy. But… it is understood. If we, Thalia, Zoe, and I cannot do a job, only one demigod is left as a possibility," Annabeth replied.
I cursed under my breath. Why was it always Percy who had to do the dangerous jobs?
"Do you really need to get that favor from Hephaestus?" I asked.
"He has a way to Daedalus," Annabeth muttered. "And that is what we need right now. And we need to find the entrance in the camp—"
"We found it," I interrupted. "Zeus's fist."
"You did? That's wonderful! Is the defense set up? Have you arranged a guard? What about—"
"It is being done as we speak," I said, my jaw twitching. Children of Athena always had too many questions, most of which gave me a headache. "Chiron is on it along with Percy and Clarisse. The camp is preparing for war."
"That's good. Because the camp will need it. The jailer of the Cyclopes has returned from Tartarus." Zoe said.
I froze.
Kampê. One of the worst, and most powerful monsters to ever come out of the depths of Tartarus. A monster forged from Tartarus's and Nyx's very essence, unlike others who mostly came from Typhon and Echidna or some other monster pair. There were only a handful of monsters more dangerous than Kampê. Typhon being one of them. Not even Echidna came close with her impenetrable skin and unbreakable claws.
According to the records, Kampe had impenetrable scales like elder Drakons, radiated an aura of fear, much like the Helm of Hades, could turn into animals at will, and also had shadow powers along with godly speed and strength. That was not to mention her poisoned swords, capable enough to destroy a god's mortal form.
My father had destroyed her eons ago and freed the Hekatonkheires and the Elder Cyclopes.
But he was Zeus, and he had his brothers' support while fighting. My uncles and father against a single monster would be a wipeout fight. But if what I had heard was correct, Kampê had given them a worthy fight, nearly killing them in the process.
And she was back.
I shook myself and pulled myself together. I was the goddess of the Hunt. I hunted big nasties for breakfast. Kampê was just another one, albeit bigger than usual ones, which I would have to deal with sooner or later.
"Alright. The camp will be suitably prepared for the threat. What else can you tell me?"
"We found a Hekatonkheire, Lady Artemis. Briares!"
"He still lives? I thought he faded away with his brothers eons ago."
"We have seen him, Lady Artemis. He was imprisoned by Kampe in Alcatraz. We freed him and escaped from Kampe. But now, she is going to be after our blood. Thalia shocked her badly too when Zoe drenched her in water.
Ouch, that would have hurt even a god. Especially with how powerful Thalia's bolts were now.
"Where is Briares now?"
"He… left us and ventured into the Labyrinth on his own."
"What?" I asked incredulously. "You let him go? A hundred-handed one!?"
The two girls just hung their heads.
"Anyhow, when are you going to go off for Hephaestus?"
"In a few hours," Zoe said. "We will rest for some time and then take off. Eurytion has a way to get us to Hephaestus."
"Are you sure he is not the enemy? Working for the titans?" I questioned. The boy seemed to know a lot. Uncannily too much.
Zoe and Annabeth exchanged a look.
"We do not think so," Zoe said after a moment.
"But we will be on our guard," Annabeth added. "There is a possibility he might be working for the Titans."
"Indeed. Contact me once you reach Hephaestus. I would be able to teleport into his forge. I cannot sense where you are right now… okay, I cannot pinpoint it. You're in Texas though."
"We are in Texas," Zoe confirmed.
"Good. Contact me once you get to Hephaestus's forge. We will meet soon. Good luck, my huntresses."
PERCY POV
It was at the crack of dawn that I found myself being woken up by a loud banging at my door, courtesy of the goddess of the hunt.
What followed was a mad frenzy to get ready within minutes so that Artemis could teleport me to the forges of Hephaestus so I could help my friends with whatever task the god was going to give them in exchange for a way to Daedalus.
As soon as I stepped out, dressed and ready to go, Artemis grabbed my arm and teleported us to the Forge of Hephaestus.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in an enormous room. The room looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had stranger things: a bronze Hippalectryon with its horse head off and a bunch of wires hanging out its rooster tail, a metal lion that seemed to be hooked up to a battery charger, and a Greek war chariot made entirely of flames.
Smaller projects cluttered a dozen worktables. Tools hung along the walls. Each had its own outline on a Peg-Board, but nothing seemed to be in the right place. The hammer was over the screwdriver place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.
Now, don't get me wrong but the forge of Hephaestus was not what I expected it to be. I had expected a world-class facility with robotic arms and stuff doing work. Everything straight out of a Hollywood movie.
Not a garage.
"—grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor." A voice boomed from a corner of the room, making us hurry there.
"You know where he is, then." Annabeth's voice sounded.
"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."
"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."
Of course, Annabeth would say that.
"Who's your mother, then?"
"Athena."
"Figures." He sighed. "Fine goddess, Athena. A shame she pledged never to marry. All right, half-blood. I can tell you what you want to know. But there is a price. I need a favor done."
"Name it," Annabeth said.
Hephaestus laughed—a booming sound like a huge bellow stoking a fire. "You heroes," he said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"
"Then that's what we are here for," Artemis interrupted, just as we got a view of the party. The questers looked far better than I had expected. Like they had freshly showered and dressed. Hephaestus on the other hand… not so much.
I guess he'd cleaned up when I saw him on Olympus or used magic to make his form seem a little less hideous. Here in his own workshop, he apparently didn't care how he looked.
He wore a jumpsuit smeared with oil and grime. Hephaestus was embroidered over the chest pocket. His leg creaked and clicked in its metal brace as he stood, and his left shoulder was lower than his right, so he seemed to be leaning even when he was standing up straight. His head was misshapen and bulging. He wore a permanent scowl. His black beard smoked and hissed. Every once in a while, a small wildfire would erupt in his whiskers and then die out.
"Artemis. Son of Poseidon. Welcome to my forges." He said, unfazed by our appearance while the questers jumped.
I gave them a wave and a smile while Artemis spoke to the god of forges. "Hephaestus. We heard you needed a favor."
Hephaestus looked between us before turning to me. "I assume you would do me this favor and in exchange, I give your friends a way to Daedalus?"
"Yes," I replied, making the god grunt. "You give them a way to Daedalus right now and I will be on my way to do your task, sir."
He pressed a button on his workbench, and metal shutters opened along the wall. It was either a huge window or a big-screen TV, I couldn't tell which. We were looking at a gray mountain ringed by forests. It must've been a volcano because smoke rose from its crest.
"One of my forges," Hephaestus said. "I have many, but that used to be my favorite."
"That's Mount St. Helens," Grover said. "Great forests around there."
"You've been there?" Zoe asked warily.
"Looking for…you know, Pan."
"Wait," Annabeth said, looking at Hephaestus. "You said it used to be your favorite. What happened?"
Hephaestus scratched his smoldering beard. "Well, that's where the monster Typhon is trapped, you know. Used to be under Mount Etna, but when we moved to America, his force got pinned under Mount St. Helens instead. Great source of fire, but a bit dangerous. There's always a chance he will escape. Lots of eruptions these days, smoldering all the time. He's restless with the Titan rebellion."
That made me freeze. As Athena had predicted, Typhon was stirring. Her prediction was coming true.
"What do you want Percy to do, Hephaestus?" Artemis asked dangerously.
#I am not sure that it is the best idea to send you where Typhon resides.# Alexander said slowly, mirroring Artemis's sentiments.
"It is not what you think," Hephaestus scowled. "I won't send you, the goddess of the hunt, much less a demigod, to try and deal with Typhon. Puh-lease. The thing is, lately I have sensed intruders in my mountain. Someone or something is using my forges. When I go there, it is empty, but I can tell it is being used. They sense me coming, and they disappear. I send my automatons to investigate, but they do not return. Something…ancient is there. Evil."
#Likely trying to free Typhon so he is released near your birthday, pulling the gods away from Olympus.#
"And you want me to deal with them, I presume?"
"Aye. And destroy or retrieve whatever they're forging, if possible. A rather simple task for you."
#Well… that is agreeable. He isn't making you do anything to Typhon.#
'You honestly sound scared of him.'
#Typhon is so big that you'd be about the size of his toenail. And you are not powerful enough to defeat him. That is pure-godly stuff.# Alexander said simply. #Percy, there are forces and monsters beyond your power to defeat. Much beyond. Leave them to the gods.#
"Alright," I agreed, both to Alexander and Hephaestus.
If Alexander said he was beyond my league, I would leave him be. His judgment had never led me astray.
"Good. Go and find out what you can," Hephaestus said. "Report back to me, and I will tell you what you need to know about Daedalus."
"Uh-huh. No deal. You do that right now, sir. They will be on their way while I go and do that task. We cannot afford delays with this quest, I am afraid."
Hephaestus glowered at me but Artemis interrupted. "Percy's right. This quest cannot be delayed further."
Hephaestus scowled. "Then why don't you tell them the way to do it? You know of it, Artemis."
"I do. But I cannot speak of it. I have tried." She said despondently.
Hephaestus gave her a measured look before turning to Annabeth. As Hephaestus moved to open his mouth, thunder boomed dangerously in the sky.
"The task first, half-blood," Hephaestus said, looking warily at the ceiling. "As soon as you do what I have asked of you, your friends will get the secret to navigating the maze."
"I do not like this," Artemis huffed.
"The meddling of the fates is beyond us, sister. Something is about to happen. And I am not sure what."
"What is happening?" Thalia finally snapped, having stayed quiet for too long.
"Go to the mountain. Destroy whoever is using the forge. Good luck. My creation will show you the way," Hephaestus said briskly. "It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons. Once the task is done, I will give the way to Daedalus."
"You better catch up, lest you lose it." He added, making me and Artemis run behind the spider the god had just released. I could sense Zoe, Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia following us closely behind.
"What the hell was that?" I asked Artemis as we exited the forge, following the spider.
"I do not know, Percy. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. Be careful out there." Artemis said, biting her lip as he moved gracefully, following the spider.
#It worries me as well. The meddling from the fates has never been so rigid. They want you to go there and do something.#
"Percy… don't do something stupid there. Please." Artemis's pleading voice rang out through the stone corridor, echoed by our footsteps and the faint sound of the spider scuttling ahead of us.
Why was Artemis so worried?
#Likely because she doesn't like what's happening. She's scared.#
We continued through a forest that appeared out of nowhere in the Labyrinth. As we rushed after the spider, Artemis suddenly froze and her head whipped around to look at a tunnel.
I felt it too. A presence I had last felt in Mexico ages ago.
The Lost god. Pan.
I looked behind and saw my friends rushing toward us as well. Grover's eyes were wide.
"Percy, come on. This is Grover's path to go on. Not ours." Artemis said, tugging my arm. Ahead of us, the spider was getting away rapidly. Artemis pulled me and I followed.
It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot. The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if we were walking through an oven. The tunnel sloped down and I could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Artemis and I right behind.
After another half mile or so, we emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Our spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. We had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.
There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. We stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the center was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, and the largest anvil I'd ever seen—a block of iron the size of a house. Creatures moved around the platform—several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to make out details.
"Artemis," I said slowly. "Is it wise for you to be here? They might sense you."
"Indeed," she said worriedly as she knelt and touched the ground, closing her eyes. "I am concealing myself but… I cannot be sure. The Telekhines might sense me if I get too near. They won't sense me from here, of course. We are about a mile too far for that."
#Telekhines. Of course. Master forgers, right up there with Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires. They were banished long ago for the use of dark magic. Who better to use a forge?# Alexander mused
"Then I will get going," I said, stepping toward the forge.
Suddenly, Artemis grabbed my arm, making me turn to face her. I found myself staring directly into her worried silver-doe eyes. Her warm breath tickled my chin, as I faced her.
"Percy, please stay safe. Please. I– I do not want to lose you… please. I have a really-really bad feeling about this."
"I will," I whispered. "Don't worry. Worrying doesn't suit you, Artemis."
She was unmoved by the statement, continuing to stare at me with worried eyes.
I sighed and pulled her into a hug making her wrap her hands around me.
I guessed, had it been some other male than me… or her brother, Apollo, he would've been turned into a Jackalope and hunted by Artemis. But well, sometimes it paid to be Percy Jackson, after all.
I felt her hair tickle my nose, making me adjust my head. It was irritating.
Irritatingly beautiful. A part of my mind which wasn't Alexander suggested.
I told it to shut up.
A moment later, I broke the hug before it got awkward.
I smiled at the goddess of the hunt, whose eyes were brimming with tears. "Please Percy. Promise me. Promise me you will return."
"I will. I swear it on the Styx."
Thunder rumbled in the sky at that declaration. Artemis nodded, wiping the silvery tear that had rolled down her cheek.
"Stay safe."
I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was going into enemy territory. Safe wasn't a word that described it.
"I will."
Artemis seemed to lean forward. Her warm breath brushed against my lips, making my heart skip a beat.
She suddenly took a couple of steps back before giving me a smile. A moment later, she turned and ran back into the maze.
I ran a hair through my hair before wiping the few beads of sweat on my brow. It was becoming sweltering hot.
#Oooh—#
'Shut up, Alexander. We have a task to complete.'
#Indeed. Get into attire, Percy. Full battle armor.#
I closed my eyes and willed everything on. My armor appeared over my torso while the warrior's crown sat on my head. Vambraces covered my forearm and Echidna's claws popped forth before retracting.
A pistol and Hestia's dagger appeared attached to my armor, easily accessible alongside the three grenades at my waist, while the familiar weight of the storm rider settled in my hand.
#I think it might be wiser to use the gun here. Telekhines aren't exactly strong monsters. A bullet to their heart or head would mean definite death for them.# Alexander suggested, making me retract my sword and remove my pistol.
I attached a silencer before pulling the safety of the gun. It was ready.
#Reign in your aura like Artemis has taught you.#
I took a deep breath, concentrated on my power, and pulled. My skin tingled while my eyes burned as my power washed over me. It was intoxicating and itchy at the same time.
A truly weird combination.
A moment later, I entered the forge and within seconds of entering the actual forge, I was soaked in sweat, which admittedly, shouldn't have been possible.
I was Hestia's champion. And the son of Poseidon. I shouldn't feel so much heat, and neither should I be drenched in sweat.
Yes, even in the middle of a Volcano.
#Oh, that is due to the residence of Typhon. His… energy is making your immunity to getting wet null.#
'How is that possible?' I asked as I began to stealthily sneak toward the forge.
#Typhon is a primordial monster, Percy. One of the absolute worst and most powerful. It is good that you're a demigod. I remember when we faced Typhon. My, your father's, and Zeus's powers were actively negated by the monster as we fought him. That is why Zeus had to hurl a mountain at him, in the end, to defeat him at the end.#
My hand grabbed the handle of Hestia's dagger for comfort. I should probably spend an evening with her after the quest.
In the distance, I could now make out the details of the Telekhines milling around near the lava, which Artemis had made out before entering the forge.
I tiptoed forward, before hiding behind a cart that was parked there.
'How do we do this, Alexander? Assassin way or the superhero way?' I asked.
#If you cause a commotion, there is a possibility that some Telekhines might escape. So, I would say, first go assassin, killing your way through a few before killing your way through them. AND NO EARTHQUAKES. OR STORMS. You are in the middle of a volcano.# Alexander warned. #And if you use fire, use Greek Fire. They're immune to the normal types of fire much like cyclopes.#
'They are Telekhines. I do not think they should be a problem.'
#Indeed. But don't underestimate your opponent, Percy.#
'I don't. You've taught me, after all.'
#Good.#
I quickly peeked out from behind the cart and saw three bulky Telekhines walking toward it as they chatted.
I waited for them to get nearer before shooting them quickly, making them disintegrate into golden dust before they could react to the attack. Mortal weaponry, especially guns, were dead useful on lower-level monsters.
Making my way over the bridge, I shot two more Telekhines as their backs were turned to me before an abnormally large Telekhine spotted me. Before he could raise an alarm, I blew a hole through his head, and one through his heart, making him burst into monster goo.
I quickly ducked behind a huge celestial bronze cauldron(One that was even bigger than me) and pulled the safety of the pistol, reloading it. The smell of gunpowder wafted from the smoking muzzle, making me crinkle my nose.
Not exactly a smell I liked.
I peeked over the boulder and saw a small room a few meters away from my hiding spot. The barking and chatter of Telekhines could be heard from behind the closed doors, but the sound was too muffled to make out the conversation.
#There are young Telekhines in the room. Several.#
'How do you know that?' I asked.
#From the barks.# Alexander replied and I didn't question him further, opting to look further.
On a huge platform in the center, four Telekhines, each taller than twelve feet in height stood, sparks flying around them as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.
I felt Alexander stiffen at its sight.
'Alexander?' I asked cautiously.
#Change of plans, Percy. Do whatever it takes to destroy that weapon.#
"What?" I asked incredulously.
#Anything. Cause an earthquake, bring a storm… whatever. That blade shouldn't be completed.#
'What exactly is it?' I asked.
#My father's scythe, Percy. It has the ability to make immortals fade with a powerful enough blow if delivered by my father. It increases his powers much like the storm-rider does for you. In his hands, it is the ultimate killing machine. Much like the master bolt is the weaponic symbol of Olympus, his scythe is the symbol for the titans. Destroy it. Whatever it takes.#
'In case you forgot, Typhon's under us.' I said dryly.
#Percy, you do not understand. That blade is forged in the depths of Tartarus and cooled in the ichor of a primordial. Its first kill was a primordial Percy. Ouranos fell to that blade. And to kill a primordial… that too one at full power, is no small feat.#
'You killed Gaia.'
#Gaia had just awoken from slumber Percy when I drove my sword through her heart. And I merely put her back into slumber… or she did it herself, so she could heal from the fatal blow. And she wasn't as powerful as Ouranos. Also when he was killed, he was an active ruler, much like the gods are now.#
'Somehow, I still fail to see how the scythe is a bigger threat than Typhon. And… Why do I need to destroy it? I can just take it to Olympus.'
#I do not think it is a wise idea to touch it or even carry it.# Alexander said gravely. #You might be the most powerful demigod in history but you are still a mortal, Percy. If you touch the scythe, I do not know what will happen.#
My jaw twitched but regardless, I went nearer to the Telekhines.
"The blade is almost complete," one said. "It needs another cooling in blood to fuse the metals."
"Aye," a second said. "It shall be even sharper than before."
"Greater than ever before. The Titan Lord shall love his beloved weapon of power back that too alongside new additions." The third said, gleefully hammering the blade
#Percy, destroy it. Do not, I repeat, do not care for Typhon. That blade can only be destroyed now as it is still being forged. Once it solidifies, the weapon would be an indestructible force of destruction.#
'I really wanna know why you are more scared of a blade than the father of monsters.'
#Let's put it this way. With that scythe at full power, Kronos will make Typhon look like a playground bully. Typhon is powerful. But he is dumb and slow.#
'The gods fled from him!'
#He was negating our powers, making us feel things we shouldn't. And those who fled were the kids. And believe me, they were kids back then in godly terms. Artemis, Apollo, Athena, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus… all of them fled. And, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Hera had not entered the field at all. Neither had Hades or Poseidon until later. Actually, Hades just helped us secure Typhon after the monster had been defeated. Only Zeus and I were there alongside the kids who had followed us, wanting to fight a big bad. They were a bunch of whiny brats at that time.#
To be honest, I really couldn't see Athena and Artemis of all people fleeing from a fight or whining like a brat. Or Ares backing out of a fight, regardless of whether he was losing or winning. But what Alexander spoke of was eons ago. Even before the Gigantomachy.
#Believe me, had Zeus and I not cared about the mortals around when Typhon was rampaging, it would've been a clean-out fight. Kronos is more powerful than Typhon. Much, much more. While a single god might not have been able to defeat Typhon. But Zeus, Poseidon, and me together? It was a clean-out fight, kid. The only thing that hindered us were the mortals and the unexpected effect of Typhon's presence.#
I hummed.
#And, there is a reason the scythe is being forged here. Once forged, the first things the scythe would cut down would probably be the chains that hold Typhon. So… sooner or later, he is going to be freed. Athena's prediction was bang on.#
'So, how do I destroy it?' I asked.
#Your storm-rider. Channel all of your power through it. And then, bring it down on the blade. We should be thankful that it is still being forged. Had it been completed, your whole power wouldn't even dent it.#
'How did you destroy it the first time around?'
#Seven of us, elder Olympians together attacked it at once. We vaporized a good part of the Titan Palace and wreaked havoc across the city of Mount Othrys as a side effect.# Alexander said casually, making me shudder.
Godly structures were usually saturated and at times, made with divine energy, making them impossibly strong. To vaporize it as a side-effect… was some mind-boggling power. That was why gods, in their true powers, surpassed mortals and demigods by a huge margin.
The only reason I had been capable of killing the titans I killed was due to the Ancient Laws which prevented gods and titans from using most of their divine abilities against Demigods and mortals. When Tethys had gone nuclear on me, I had only survived because of Alexander. Had he not shielded me when she went nuclear, I would've disintegrated in a manner that not even a single drop of my blood would have survived the encounter.
#Percy, use all of your power to penetrate the heart of the blade. That is the only way you can destroy that thing even while it is technically vulnerable.#
I gave him a mental nod before moving forward.
The Telekhines on the platform suddenly turned toward me.
"DEMIGOD!" One shouted and suddenly a loud alarm blared through the forge, making dozens of Telekhines swarm around me, covering all exits.
Not a problem for me, to be honest. I had faced worse.
The tallest one snarled. "What do we have here? A son of Poseidon?"
"Yes," another growled. "I can smell the sea in his blood."
"Strike down one of us, demigod," the third demon said, "and the rest of us shall tear you to shreds. Your father betrayed us. He took our gift and said nothing as we were cast into the pit. We will see him sliced to pieces. He and all the other Olympians."
I raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to call forth my sword. Telekhines were not fighters. They didn't have enhanced strength like cyclopes or powers like hellhounds. Their only good weapon was their teeth, much like a dog's.
#Finish this off fast, Percy. Try not to use your powers.#
Before I could heed Alexander's words, the tallest Telekhine snarled. "Let us see how strong he is. Let us see how long it takes him to burn!"
He scooped some lava out of the nearest furnace. It set his fingers ablaze, but this didn't seem to bother him at all. The other elder Telekhines did the same. The first one threw a glop of molten rock at me, splashing over my knee. Two more landed on my chest.
I felt energy surge through me from the fire, making me smirk.
Didn't they know who I was?
"Your father's nature protects you," one said. "Makes you hard to burn. But not impossible, youngling. Not impossible."
I laughed, making the monsters pause.
"Maybe introductions are in order. I am Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon and the champion of Hestia." The dog's faces drained of color, knowing their greatest weapon against me was as useless as a glass of water was to empty the sea.
The storm rider appeared in my hand and the flames over my body rushed to engulf my blade, leaving me unharmed.
A moment later, I charged. My blade became an arc of destruction for the Telekhines as they began to explode into monster dust, left right, and center. None could even parry or evade my strikes for a moment. With a single swipe of my sword, I made dozens of small Telekhines burst into monster dust at the end, finishing the fight.
I coughed and resisted the urge to go and wash my face, or better yet, take a bath, as I was drenched in sweat and monster dust. A moment later, I gave in and used my sword to shoot a jet of water at my face and upper torso, cleaning myself.
I felt better.
#Yes, now please go and DESTROY THAT SCYTHE!# Alexander yelled in my head, making me flinch.
'Cool, cool. I am going.' I replied, walking toward the blade.
I felt uneasiness well up in me as I came near to the scythe. It had a similar feel to the Labyrinth, just amplified exponentially.
I could see why Alexander wanted it destroyed.
I gripped my sword tighter, eyeing the blade.
Suddenly, a huge surge of energy flowed into me from my sword, making my cells scream in protest. My eyes burned as tears clouded my vision.
#I have unlocked the binds on the sword. Call on the sea. Call your power.#
I called to the sea. I reached inside myself and remembered the waves and the currents, the endless power of the ocean.
My sword trembled. My body burned as the divine powers overwhelmed me.
With a shout to the heavens, I raised my glowing sword and brought it down on the crescent blade.
Afterward, I could never describe what exactly happened at that moment. An explosion, a tidal wave, and a whirlwind of power simultaneously caught me up as eldritch golden cracks appeared on the scythe of Kronos.
A moment later, everything exploded.
After that, I only remembered glimpses, most of which seemed unreal.
The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was flying. Flying so high that Zeus would never have forgiven me, then began to fall, smoke, fire, and water streaming from me. I was a comet hurtling toward the earth.
AND… DONE!
Phew! 9k+ words. That was a long chapter. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed it.
So... Artemis almost kissed Percy. Almost. :D I enjoyed doing that to you all. Bringing them sooo close and then, boom. Haha, yes, I am evil. As for now... where shall Percy land? Will he meet Calypso? What effect will she have on him? Or... will he meet someone else entirely?
Questions, questions. To get their answers, stay tuned for the next chapter, people! You all are going to love it!
Also, just for your sake, the Pertemis relationship will start soon with Artemis realizing that she is in love with Percy. ;)
A huge thanks to I_amaSWITCHbot and Ultimate Gamer for betaing this chapter.
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Thompmil000: So, for Percy's aura, it is like sending a signal to every monster in a 5-6 mile radius or more that there's a demigod here. It doesn't take energy to suppress it. It is akin to narrowing the flow of a river, to that of a tap.
Hawk2010: Too early to make Percy a god now. There is still the whole giant war to go.
KryptonWrites: Bullets cannot cause great damage to Titans and godly beings. It is akin to hitting them with a high velocity pebble.
Flatcooldude: As I have likely said this before, I do not have a fixed length in mind. I go with a story-line rather than a word limit. But, when it is near the end, I might be capable of predicting the number of chaps left.
JVann8: Yes, it will go all the way to HOO. I am just unsure if I will do the continuation within this fic or I will make a LOSP-2. Also, yes, amongst the gods, Artemis will be the first to know.
The Hellbound: He isn't dating Artemis… yet.
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That's all! Thank you for your reviews!
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Also, join my server, House of HPfanfictioner66, to interact with me directly, and also, I will be posting pictures of the characters there, so you all can get an idea of how they look.
Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]
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As of this moment, I have five main stories. They are:
1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.
2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly
3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.
4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.
5. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. - My new spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!
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HPfanfictioner66