A/N: Hello everyone, JkAlex here.

In the last chapter, we saw Thalia acquire her weapon due to the mission entrusted by her father. Now, it's Luke's turn.

I hope you like my own original style.

And without further ado... Let's go!

Chapter 6: Murder of cyclopes as payment for a prostitute.

"You know, Luke? I think I want to kick your dad in the balls... with steel-toed boots," Percy said with a blank look as he took in the place where they were.

"Then get in line, bro. Because I got here first. And I have a special voucher for sixteen years of abandonment that gives me the right to the first kick," Luke said, without taking his eyes off the same spot.

"You had the chance when you saw him two days ago."

"It was in my dreams. Doesn't count."

"Is this really necessary?" Thalia asked, looking at the place where they were with annoyance.

"Your shield helped, didn't it?" Luke said. "Maybe Hermes will give me something just as cool, like an indestructible sword or one of the slippers he uses to fly."

Of course, the idea of getting a weapon that was a gift from the gods was very tempting to all of them. It would help them deal with monsters more appropriately and increase their chances of survival. Even though Luke had the dagger Hal had given him, he didn't feel comfortable with it. It was as if it was meant for someone else. So when Luke's father had appeared in his dreams to give him a mission, just as Thalia's father had done with her, he had accepted.

Although it was a somewhat tense encounter for both of them.

Luke always hated his dreams.

Many people find it comforting to be able to close their eyes and drift off into a world of meaningless fantasy or happy memories.

For Luke, there was no such thing.

For him, it was like stepping into a deep black pool where his worst memories were stored. Memories of his past. The monsters that had tormented him as a child. The mortals who denied him a piece of bread when he was hungry, or a glass of water when he was thirsty. The months of loneliness he had suffered on the streets before he met Thalia.

But there was one memory that stood out. One that stood out the most. It was the night he lost everything. A childhood, friends, the possibility of a normal life... and the only woman who meant more to him than anyone else; his mother.

As he closed his eyes to sleep, he mentally prepared himself to relive some of those memories he hated so much, but he was pleasantly surprised to find nothing. There were no screams, no monster growls, there was nothing. He found himself in what looked like a five-star hotel room, only there was nothing in it. There were no chairs, no tables, no doors, no windows. The walls were pure white, like marble, as was the floor, which was so white that Luke could see himself in it. The four corners of the room were supported by pillars that seemed to be bathed in Celestial Bronze from the sheen they cast.

The funny thing was that Luke knew he was in a dream. He tried to wake up. He bit the inside of his cheeks, stabbed himself in the arm, even banged his head repeatedly against the walls, but he didn't wake up. All he got was a bad headache and a tomato-red forehead.

"I never took you for the impatient type," a voice said behind Luke's back.

Luke didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Although he had only seen him once in his life when he was twelve-years-old, he remembered him as well as if it had been yesterday. And he wasn't looking forward to meeting him again, because that would mean trouble.

"I'm a demigod," Luke said without turning around. "It's not in my nature to sit still. Besides, you don't know me. Don't talk like you do."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong," the voice said amused. "I know you much better than you think. I have always found a little time in my busy schedule to see you. Especially you, Luke."

"You sound like a stalker."

"I like the term 'concerned father' better."

"You have no right to call yourself my father!" Luke sputtered, turning to look at his father with obvious anger.

His father, Hermes, was unaffected by his son's outburst. Instead, he just gave him a sympathetic look, as if he understood the reason for his anger. That only annoyed Luke.

For twelve years, Hermes had left him and his mother without any help. Luke admits it could have been worse. His mother could have taken Hermes' abandonment in a worse way, by going crazy or getting violent with him. Instead, she genuinely cared for her son as if he were the only memory she had of meeting Hermes.

And in a way, he was.

His mother had told him that he was identical to his father, but he had never really believed her until he was face to face with him. Looking at Hermes was like looking in a mirror of what he would look like in a few years. The same blond hair and blue eyes. He had even inherited that mischievous twinkle in his eye.

'You are the image of your father. And I love you for it.'

Luke didn't understand why his mother loved him for looking like his father, the same man who had abandoned them both. And part of him thought that his mother only loved him because he looked like his father.

'I don't love you because you look like your father, I love you because you are my son. I loved your father, and a big part of me still does, even though we can't be together. But out of that love... you were born. You are the living embodiment of that love. Luke... you are made of love.'

When he heard this, he was just a child and didn't understand. But now, after his mother was gone, and he was alone on the street, he understood her words. And he cherished them in his heart. He refused to forget them, along with his mother's loving gaze.

He was made of love. Of May Castellan's love.

"Why have you come?" Luke asked coolly. "Why have you brought me here?"

"I want to talk to you, Luke," Hermes said, his voice soft. "I've wanted to since the last time."

"That was over two years ago," Luke said coldly.

"Yeah, I know... And there hasn't been a day since I haven't wanted to talk to you."

"But you didn't! The only time you came to see me was when Mom died... And you told me who I really am."

Hermes' expression fell at the mention of Luke's mother. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes lost their mischievous glint.

"This is not how I wanted it to end," Hermes said sadly. "Your mother... You... You both deserved better. The only consolation I can take is that your mother is in a better place."

A cold feeling settled in Luke's chest at the thought of what had happened to his mother.

Yes, she deserved the best. Now she had it. And he was happy about that, but he couldn't help but feel a little sad that he couldn't see her. He really missed her. There wasn't a single day when he didn't think about her. He wanted to see her and talk to her like before. Tell her all the things he had done and the people he had met. But she was gone and he couldn't see her. And if what Hal prophesied for him was true, he wouldn't for a long time.

"I don't think you're here to talk about Mom," Luke said, trying to change the subject. "Why are you here, Hermes?"

"You're right. I'm not here for that," Hermes said, regaining his smile. "I am here for you. I want to help you, son."

Luke's eyes narrowed as he looked at his father.

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me explain," he said as he began to walk around the room. "As you know, the Old Laws prevent us, the gods, from directly helping our children, but the laws are not followed to the letter," Hermes explained, giving Luke a knowing wink. "There are little... holes, you might call them, where we have the ability to intervene. All gods do. The sword I gave you when you turned twelve, the spear and shield your friend received from her father are perfect examples."

Luke remembered the sword. He would be lying if he said he hadn't taken a liking to it. A beautiful blade of Celestial Bronze, almost as long as his arm. It felt so natural for him to wield that weapon. When it fell into that container of acid, it made him really sad. He knew deep inside that the real reason he cherished that weapon was because it was the first and only gift his father had ever given him. A sign that Luke meant something to him.

"I've been watching you this past week," Hermes continued. "And I couldn't help but notice that even though you have a weapon, you're not very comfortable with it, and that's not something you can afford if your life depends on it. So I decided to help you... indirectly."

Luke studied his... father. Looking for any sign of falsehood in his words. Perhaps he was being too cautious, but it was the same caution that had saved his life more than once, and the lack of it that had put him in too much danger.

"What do you have in mind?" Luke asked curiously.

"One mission. Nothing too big. Something you've done countless times over the past two years. Prove yourself to the gods and prove yourself worthy of our favor."

"Why should I prove myself to you?" he asked scathingly.

In his mind, he still held a grudge for what they had done to Hal. A man who had done the right thing, but had been cruelly punished by the gods. By his own father, no less. Luke wondered if Hermes would be able to punish him if he ever did anything to anger the gods.

"Because it's the only way I can help you without breaking the Old Laws," Hermes said, his voice slightly pleading. "Please, Luke, let me help you."

Seeing his father almost begging, Luke had no choice but to accept his help. But he didn't fool himself, he was still very angry with his father. And that would not change in the near future. But he wasn't going to refuse help when he offered it. Even though it came from a god who was also his father, who had abandoned him all his life.

Yes, his anger would not go away anytime soon.

"Fine," Luke said resignedly. "If it helps me defend myself against the monsters that are after us and protect my little gang, then I will. I can't leave all the work to Thalia and Percy."

Hermes smiled proudly at his son.

"Great. So what you have to do is very simple. You have to go to an abandoned factory on the side of the road and... clean it."

"Clean it? Do I have the face of a maid?" Luke asked.

"Not that kind of cleaning," Hermes said, shaking his head in amusement. "You might call it 'monstrous' cleaning. In the past few months, a somewhat unusual number of mythological creatures have gone missing. Nymphs, satyrs... even mortals. A few days ago, we received prayers for help from the wandering nymphs, and when a nymph so incredibly beautiful that even Aphrodite was annoyed, asked for help by offering herself... Well... The male gods, they couldn't refuse her."

"You too?" Luke asked questioningly.

An embarrassed chuckle from Hermes was all he received, making the demigod wince.

He put his hand to the bridge of his nose. He felt a migraine coming on. Was it possible to have a migraine in your dreams?

"Okay. Now I get it. I'm killing monsters at the request of a prostitute, that's great," Luke said, sarcasm in his voice. "Do you even know what kind of monsters they are?"

"Cyclops. We are not sure how many, but with the number of missing people in such a short time, we assume there are several. I suggest you don't go alone," Hermes warned, the concern in his voice evident. "Those friends of yours, the daughter of Zeus and... the other boy, ask them to come with you. I've seen what they're capable of... especially the boy. He is truly a demigod to be feared. I understand why the monsters and the gods are wary of him. The power he has for a demigod is... disturbing."

"Do you know Percy?" Luke asked, surprised and intrigued.

"Not personally, but the gods have heard much of him in recent years. Some find it intriguing that a demigod would actively seek out monsters to kill. Others find it disturbing."

"He... hunts the monsters?"

It seemed somewhat unheard of for Percy to do that. For as long as he had known him, Percy had always preferred to avoid conflict rather than face it. Not because he was cowardly and weak, far from it, but because he simply didn't want any trouble.

Hermes shook his head.

"He doesn't hunt them. He slays them. He doesn't do it for glory or recognition, or even for survival. For three years, the number of monsters he killed was enough to attract the attention of the gods, even the Olympians. None of them understood why he did it, not even his own father, who tried in vain to stop him. The boy did not stop. At least until Artemis decided to put an end to his actions by confronting him."

"What...? Why? He did nothing wrong!"

"The other gods felt the same way. In fact, they didn't even care that someone was killing monsters. But Artemis took it as a direct interference in her domain."

"And... What happened when she confronted Percy?" Luke asked, worried about his friend.

"No one knows. Artemis refuses to say anything, claiming it's irrelevant. Many think she found Percy and punished him somehow. It wouldn't be the first time she did that. Many gods have punished mortals for trifles."

Luke frowned uneasily. He wondered if Percy was being punished in a similarly to Halcyon Green and couldn't help but see the similarities. Hal had saved a girl's life by seeing the future, a power Apollo had forbidden him to use and for which he was cursed until the day he died. And Percy had hunted... killed monsters for years, constantly interfering with a god's domain. Was he cursed for that?

"He's not a bad person," Luke defended his friend. "Sure, he can be a little hard sometimes, and he can be a little scary sometimes, but he's not a bad person."

A gentle smile formed on Hermes' lips.

"You really care for him, don't you? He and the other three girls."

Luke dropped his head and nodded.

"That's the only reason I'm taking this mission. For them."

Even if he had to accept a mission from the man who had abandoned his mother and him.

"I just hope this is all worth it," Percy said. "This place is creepy."

"It looks like the kind of place a pedophile would take their victims," Thalia said.

Annabeth looked around with a slight fear in her eyes, while Sammy just tilted her head in confusion.

"What's a pedophile?" Sammy asked innocently.

"Oh, gods. I love your innocence," Thalia said, stroking Sammy's head, eliciting a small laugh from the girl.

"Can we cut the crap and take this seriously?" Luke asked, impatience in his voice. "We have to be careful. I don't want this to end up like the mansion."

"Was that place that bad?" Annabeth asked curiously for the thousandth time.

"It was," Luke said quickly and simply. He did not want to talk about it.

Since Thalia, Percy and Luke had returned from the mission Thalia's father had entrusted to her, they had changed. Maybe not in a noticeable way, but the small changes were there.

Thalia had become more overprotective of everyone and much more daring when it came to facing monsters, not wanting to put anyone in danger. Luke had become more careful and cautious in dealing with problems. He didn't run from monsters anymore, but he also didn't face them if he didn't have to. But when they fought, he did it fiercely with the knife he had received on that mission, as if he had something to prove to someone.

And Percy... he was the one who had changed the most. He looked more tired. His dark circles were more pronounced, as if he couldn't sleep. And from time to time, the kind and welcoming light in his eyes that characterized him so much would fade.

Thalia suspected it was because of the future Hal had predicted for him. She tried to talk to him about it. For him to open up to her, but he always refused, saying it was nothing important, followed by a change of subject. At any other time, she would have beaten the truth out of him. But seeing the somber state he was in when he mentioned Hal, she decided not to, for she too was still burdened by the death of the old demigod who had sacrificed himself to save them.

"This is different. This time we know what's in it," Percy said.

"Cyclops," Thalia snarled, cracking her knuckles. "I'll rip their one eye out of their face."

"Don't underestimate them. They may be incredibly stupid, but they are very strong."

"That's why we're going undercover," Luke said. "We will kill them in the most stealthy way possible. I will go in from the front. Thalia, Percy, you two..."

"I'm not going in," Percy said, surprising everyone.

"What...!? Why not!?" Luke shouted indignantly.

"Yes, we would have more chances if you came with us!" Thalia said, equally surprised.

"I told you... it's different this time," Percy said, pointing at Sammy and Annabeth. "Don't get me wrong, Luke. I'd love to help you, but we can't leave the girls unprotected when we don't know how many cyclopes are out there. Some of them might escape and come here."

This scenario did not look good, and everyone knew it. If the three of them left, it would leave Sammy and Annabeth unprotected. The smartest thing to do would be to leave someone behind to cover them.

"Don't worry. I know you'll be fine without me," Percy said, then added with a cheeky grin. "Besides, I can't always hold your hand and save your sorry asses."

"What did you say?" Thalia asked, offended and annoyed.

"You heard me, sparky!" He crossed his arms and gave her a smile of false arrogance. "You probably can't even kill a cyclops before you start screaming for help like a damsel in distress."

Lending credence to her nickname, slight sparks of electricity shot from Thalia's body, indicating that she was very upset.

"Damsel in distress, my ass! You shall see! I'm going to get a cyclops leg and kick your ass with it." She turned and glared at Luke. "Let's go, idiot. I'll show this other idiot what the Amazing Thalia is capable of."

As Thalia backed away from them, muttering under her breath, Luke shot Percy an irritated look.

"Did you have to make her so grumpy?"

"She needed an incentive," Percy said with a shrug.

"I think you incentive her too much," Luke said, watching Thalia walk angrily toward the abandoned factory.

The abandoned factory looked like any other abandoned factory; grim, creepy, and the place where a pedophile would take a child offered candy. Dirt and dust had collected on the cement walls. The windows were broken and the iron pillars that held the structure in place were rusted. But despite all that, the place seemed strangely... inhabited.

"Cozy," Thalia commented, surveying the place. "The kind of place I'd like to move into with my future husband. Have kids, grow old... and die of arthritis and diabetes."

Luke looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You want to get married and have kids?"

Thalia shrugged.

"Hell no... I think so now. Maybe I will change my mind in the future, although I doubt it. There is also the possibility that I will die before I reach twenty."

"You're not going to die," Luke said. "At least not tonight."

"You already roared, tiger."

They both stood at the front door of the factory and slowly opened it. The door creaked slightly as it opened. The first thing both demigods noticed was a foul smell of rotting flesh. Luke covered his mouth to keep from vomiting, while Thalia wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"We're definitely in the right place," she commented as she looked at the bones scattered across the lobby. Some looked human, while others had small bumps on their foreheads that Thalia identified as horns.

"Keep your eyes open," Luke said.

They moved slowly through the room that seemed to be the reception area. The place was destroyed. Shards of glass, roof debris, and destroyed wooden crates littered the place. They were careful not to step on anything so as not to draw attention to their presence, they wanted to be as stealthy as possible.

On the other side of the room, a wall led to a large area where they could see some old, rusty containers. A faint, flickering light came from this place.

Luke caught the eye of Thalia, who was hiding behind a battered wooden desk. She nodded and approached with her spray can turn into a spear and her bracelet ready to unleash her infamous shield.

As they crossed the threshold that led to what looked like a container yard, a metal roll-up door abruptly dropped, preventing them from going back the way they came.

Thalia quickly walked over and tried to pick it up, but the metal wouldn't budge.

"Damn it!" she exclaimed, kicking the door. "We're trapped."

Looking around, she could see the large number of containers scattered about the place. They looked old and rusty. They were spread out in a maze-like fashion, including some hanging from hooks twenty feet off the ground.

"Great," Thalia said, sarcasm creeping into her voice. "This place is a damn maze, and we don't know how many of these monsters are out there."

"Yeah. We'd better get going, Thalia," Luke urged. "It's not safe to stay here."

The dark maze of containers didn't inspire much confidence, but they had no choice. The only light in the place came from a few barrels burning inside in an open area. It looked like a place where some bums would huddle in the winter, but Luke had a feeling these barrels were used for cooking something, if the various bones scattered about meant anything.

As they walked carefully, they could hear heavy breathing that made their hearts pound loudly in their chests. Luke's grip on his knife trembled slightly, and cold sweat broke out on Thalia's face. They could both feel a shiver run down their spine and the skin on their neck crawl. Someone... something, was watching them. It was stalking them. Something was near.

"... Lia... Thalia..." a whisper could be heard in the darkness.

The young teenager became completely still. That voice... it was painfully familiar. She looked around in surprise and fear, trying to find the source of her voice. She found nothing. Only darkness.

"What... What was that?" she wondered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Thalia... help me..."

"Who's there!? Show yourself!" she demanded in a slight panic.

"Thalia? What's going on?" asked Luke, who had stepped forward.

"There's... There's someone here, but..."

"THALIA! WATCH OUT!" he warned her.

Luke watched in horror as a container weighing more than two tons fell on his friend. It all happened in less than a second. The container fell and the look of pure shock on Thalia's face.

A flash of electricity and the container fell heavily to the ground with a loud thud and a cloud of dust.

"Thalia!...(cough*cough*)... Are you okay?" Luke called worriedly.

Luke's fear grew as the seconds passed, afraid that his friend had been crushed. To his immense relief, a voice came from the other side of the container.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Thalia replied. "Just a few scratches! Nothing too serious!"

"That's good..." Luke sighed. "I don't think we can regroup, this thing is too big to walk over!"

There were a few seconds of silence while Thalia studied her surroundings for a way forward. Unfortunately, the container had perfectly blocked every path except the one they had come from, which seemed very strange and suspicious to Thalia.

"Yeah, I don't like the idea either, but I think I can find another way if I go back!"

"Please, be careful!"

"Pff, I'll be fine!" Thalia shouted, mockery in her voice. "It's your ass you should be worried about!"

'Of course. Only she would joke in a situation like this,' Luke thought.

Turning to continue on his way, Luke walked down the dark hallway. The only light came from the bronze dagger he held in his hand, ready to stab any monster that appeared.

As the two demigods made their way down the corridor between the containers, they were unaware that they were being watched by the very monsters they had come to kill.

"Hahaha. They fell into the trap just like the others," one of them said, laughing mischievously.

"And they will die just like the others," a second voice said.

"Shut up!" said a third voice, much more authoritative. "If you have time to talk, go and kill those demigods!"

The two figures could only gape in fear and nod frantically.

"Yes, big brother," they both said in unison.

As the elder brother watched his two younger brothers run away in fear to fulfill his task, a sickly smile adorned his face, which had only one eye that seemed to shine in the darkness of the night.

Annabeth was worried.

It was pretty obvious to Percy. She paced back and forth, glancing in the direction of the factory where her closest friends had left just a few minutes before.

"Calm down, Annabeth," Percy advised, leaning against the hood of the car. He looked up at the stars and moon in the sky.

"I can't help it," she said very uncomfortably, continuing to pace back and forth. "We don't know how many monsters there are. What if there's more than they can handle?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. Thalia is more than enough to take care of them," Percy said, waving nonchalantly. "The only thing they need to worry about is that tricky ability the cyclops has."

Sammy, who was sitting next to him, swinging her dangling feet, looked at him curiously.

"What ability?" the girl asked. "From what you told me, cyclopes are very strong, but they're also very stupid."

"Yes, that's true, but that's not all," Percy said. "Years ago, I faced a cyclops in an abandoned house. He managed to trick me by imitating the voice of someone I loved. He lured me into a trap and told me that the cyclopes have the ability to see into your memory and imitate the voice of someone you love. This is how they lure their victims. But Thalia and Luke don't need to worry, they already know. Right, Annabeth?"

The blonde girl grew paler as she listened to the story. When he finished, she looked at Percy anxiously and spoke slowly.

"They... They don't know, Percy. Whenever we encountered one, Thalia and Luke would face it head on until it was killed. We didn't know the cyclops could do that."

Percy looked at her with a poker face while a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Well... shit," he said before a loud bang could be heard coming from the factory.

"What was that?" Sammy yelled in alarm.

"Looked like something heavy fell," Annabeth said before shooting Percy a look. "Do you still think I have nothing to worry about?"

"No, now you should be worried with good reason," Percy said, looking at the factory for a few seconds before making up his mind. "Okay, let's go. I think they'll need help, but if anything dangerous happens, I want you two to hide."

Both girls nodded.

Percy patted the back of his jeans to make sure his trusty knife was there. When he did, he let out a long, tired sigh before heading for the factory.

"Oh, shit. Here we go again."

"You think they're okay?" Sammy asked, running beside him.

"As long as they don't get separated, they'll be fine," Percy said. "Besides, Luke is pretty resourceful. He'll know what to do."

'Shit, shit, shit! What am I going to do? What am I supposed to do?' Luke thought frantically as he fled in terror.

He was encouraged to look over his shoulder as he ran.

He immediately regretted it.

Only a few feet away, an eight-foot Cyclops was furiously chasing him. His footsteps echoed over the ground as he ran, and his huge, single eye stared at him with hunger and malice.

"Don't run, little demigod," the beast said. "I promise to kill you quickly before I cook you!"

"Hell no!" Luke yelled at it.

He needed a way to face the giant monster. He only had a small dagger, and the cyclops was about eight feet tall, quite small for someone of its kind, as he had seen cyclops reach thirteen feet height. Luckily for Luke, this one was small and a bit more of an idiot than most.

"I promise I'll kill you quickly before I cook you!" the cyclops shouted. "I'll even bury your bones properly!"

As he said, an idiot.

Luke was surprised that he knew the word 'properly'. Most cyclopes did not know such complex words, having the intelligence of an eight-year-old child.

He had to be clever to lure him into a trap. Fortunately, the old abandoned materials he had all over the factory would help him.

While fleeing from the cyclops, he saw an opportunity to throw the stupid monster off the scent for a moment. There was a small opening between two containers. It was quite small, but big enough for Luke to fit through.

Without thinking, he ran to the opening and dove in. For the first time, he was thankful that he was so small for his age. It made it difficult for him to move, but he was able to do so before the cyclops reached out his arm in a desperate attempt to catch the elusive demigod.

"No! Don't go!" the beast shouted, thrusting his hand through the opening to catch Luke. "Big Brother will punish me if I don't catch you!"

"Not my problem," Luke complained, slipping further out of his reach.

Finally, he was able to get out the other side, and as he did, a slightly wild smile spread across his face. In front of him were old metal shelves filled with all sorts of old materials. Rusty hammers, drills and nails, old welding masks, workman's gloves that had seen better days, and even a couple of chainsaws that looked like they hadn't been used in decades.

His eyes fell on coiled barbed wire, worn ropes, and a safety net that looked like it had been chewed up by rats.

"Oh, yeah, baby. It's payback time," Luke said, a plan forming in his head.

As she made her way through the gloomy, abandoned factory, Thalia could hear her heart pounding in her chest. The whole situation made her nervous. The dark maze, being separated from Luke, the voice whispering her name in the dark... She had a strange feeling about all of it.

But that wasn't what Thalia was thinking about right now.

'What happened?' she thought as she walked, her spear gripped tightly in her hand. 'It all happened so fast. I could almost swear that this container would turn me into demigod mash.'

She still found it hard to believe that she had somehow gotten out alive. She thanked her instincts for that, as her body reacted before her brain processed the information. Though it did feel a little strange as her whole body tingled, and before she realized it, she was already several feet away from where the container had landed, slightly out of breath and her muscles aching a little.

That was one of her concerns, but she could worry about that later. Right now she had something else to worry about.

"Thalia... help me..."

How? How was it possible that she could hear that voice here? It had to be some kind of trick, because it was impossible to hear the voice of someone who was dead.

"Thal-Thal..."

Thalia bit the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from crying out, to keep herself from falling apart mentally. It was not only the same voice, but also the way she was called. There was only one person who called her that, and she thought she would never hear that voice again.

"It's not real... It's not real..." Thalia muttered, trying to convince herself.

As she walked, she could see a light ahead, so she decided to go there. They were iron barrels in which the fire burned constantly, illuminating a small corner of the factory. She kept her eyes and ears open, this place was a very exposed area. And judging by the bones scattered about, this was where the cyclopes gathered to eat.

"All right, you bastards, where the hell are you?" said Thalia, inspecting the place, "It's time to go out and play with mommy Thalia."

It was only thanks to months of full attention that she was able to dodge the blow that would have smashed her to the ground like an old tomato. She rolled on the floor before quickly getting up and looking at her attacker.

"Tch! I failed," a deep voice said in annoyance.

Thalia was surprised to see a cyclops over ten feet tall. He towered over her, holding what appeared to be a huge iron beam in both arms.

As terrifying as this towering monster seemed, Thalia stood unafraid as she gazed at the creature.

"So you finally showed yourself, huh, ugly?" said Thalia with a mocking smile, "Although I wish you hadn't, so I wouldn't have to see your disgusting face."

The cyclops growled in annoyance as he lightly tapped his iron bar against his palm.

"I'll enjoy boiling you while you're still alive," the beast growled.

Lashing out wildly, the cyclops began swinging his iron beam at the young demigoddess. Thalia's keen instincts allowed her to dodge his blows, but more than one of them came too close to ending the fight; she didn't want to imagine what it would do to her if one of them hit her directly. One hit and it would be the end.

"Stay still, little rat!" growled the Cyclops.

"Make me, bitch!" Thalia spat at him with disgust in her voice.

In a moment of blind rage, the cyclops swung his weapon away. Thalia ducked under the beam at the last second and plunged her spear into the cyclops' stomach, sinking only a few inches, but it was enough to drive the beast back, and it grunted more in annoyance than pain.

"A stroke of luck, that's all," the cyclops said.

"Then I'll show you how lucky I am," Thalia said, preparing to release her shield. "Aegis!"

Immediately, Thalia's bracelet became her infamous shield, carved with Medusa's head. The cyclops' single eye widened in utter fear before letting out a terrified scream. Thalia thought the monster would run away in terror, as the leucrota did when they first saw her shield, but she was in for an unpleasant surprise when she realized that this monster reacted differently to fear.

The cyclops retreated, eyes closed, stumbling as he waved his makeshift weapon erratically. Thalia hadn't expected that reaction, and as the iron bar was about to hit her, she raised her shield to minimize the damage. When it hit her, she felt as if she had been run over by a freight train. The impact sent her crashing brutally into the wall, leaving a small crack in it. A groan of pain escaped Thalia's mouth as she landed on the floor.

"Hehe... I hit you... I hit you! I felt it!" the Cyclops exclaimed with joy.

'Yeah... I felt it too,' Thalia thought as she managed to get up despite the severe pain in her back.

Her head felt heavy and her vision a little blurry, she wondered absently if this was what it felt like to be drunk. She tried to focus her gaze on the huge beast that was beginning to approach her, it seemed to have his eye closed in fear of Aegis, but still had a predatory smile on his face.

"Mmm... I can smell you, demigod. You'll taste great when you're skewered and boiled."

The cyclops licked his grotesque, hideous lips. He reached out with his free arm and began to grope, trying to grasp Thalia. When the cyclops reached his arm in her direction and was only a few feet away from grabbing her, he stopped when he heard a scream from above.

"Get your filthy hands off her!"

"What...?" the cyclops shouted.

Thalia's vision cleared slightly and a gasp of surprise escaped her lips. She watched in amazement as a figure landed on the cyclops' shoulders. When she focused her gaze, her surprise was even greater.

"Who are you? Get down!" the cyclops growled in annoyance as he tried to wriggle free of Percy, who had an arm around his thick, greasy neck.

The cyclops did his best to push Percy away with one arm, while holding the iron bar that had struck Thalia with the other. Percy gritted his teeth in frustration as he maneuvered to avoid being caught.

Thalia considered helping him for a few seconds, but when she looked at Percy, any thought of helping him vanished.

His expression... was nothing like the Percy she knew. She had seen him in many ways, cold and callous, funny and cheerful... and brooding most of the time. But she had never seen him with an expression of pure hatred. If she was honest with herself, he frightened her.

And if that wasn't enough to scare her, what happened next was.

Percy, who was still on the Cyclops' shoulders, grabbed the monster's upper eyelid and forced it to open.

"GAAAAHHH! What are you doing!? Let me go!" the beast roared in anger and pain. Then that anger turned to fear as it saw Percy's knife raised above its eye, "Wait! No! PLEASE NO!"

"Die."

Without a hint of hesitation or wavering, Percy plunged his knife into the cyclops' single eye, through it and into his brain. He didn't even have time to scream in pain before he turned to gold dust. Percy fell to the ground, supporting himself with his hands.

Thalia watched in complete disbelief. Percy walked over to her and shook her shoulders lightly.

"Hey, Thalia, are you okay?" Percy asked.

Thalia looked up, a little afraid to see that look of hatred on Percy's face, but instead she saw only genuine concern in his eyes.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, I just... that bastard hit me really hard," she said, putting a hand to her head, which was throbbing with pain.

"Let me help you."

Percy grabbed Thalia's arm and slung it over his shoulder while holding onto her waist.

"What are you doing here, Percy?" Thalia asked as she started to walk. "You said you were staying outside with Annabeth and Sammy, where are they?"

"They're fine," Percy replied. "I told them to hide when we saw the cyclops. We get pretty worried when we hear a loud noise. I'm glad I came. Your ass would be lost without my help."

"Shut up," she growled, a little amused. "I could have done it myself with one hand tied behind my back."

"Yeah, I know. But I can't help worrying about you."

Thalia was grateful for the poor visibility in this place. That way Percy couldn't see the slight blush that adorned her cheeks.

"By the way, where's Luke?" Percy asked, relieving Thalia of the need to change the subject.

"We had to split up. This huge container fell out of nowhere, and we had to go our separate ways," she explained. "We were probably separated on purpose. We need to find him."

Percy nodded in agreement.

They both started to look for their friend, but they didn't take five steps before someone spoke behind their backs.

"You're not going anywhere," a booming voice said.

Percy reacted immediately. He pushed Thalia roughly aside, saving her from being hit by the back of a giant hand, but he didn't save himself and was sent crashing into a container more than thirty feet away.

"Percy!" Thalia cried, worried.

She stared at the beast that had attacked her friend. A cyclops, even larger than the previous one, towered over him with a malicious smile. He was easily thirteen feet tall, and his arms were as thick as tree trunks.

"JA JA JA! How weak!" the cyclops jeered with a booming laugh. "Did you really kill my little brother? Although I'm not surprised. After all, he was weak compared to me."

Thalia was shocked for a few seconds as she watched Percy fly like a rag doll and crash into the container with a loud thud. He fell to the ground and did not get up.

Her mind was blank, not even registering the cyclops speaking. Then, like a switch, a uncontrollable rage invaded her body.

With a deafening scream, she aimed her spear at the cyclops, unleashing thousands of volts of electricity. The attack struck the monster square in the chest, sending it crashing into a concrete wall.

Thalia ignored the downed cyclops, not even checking to see if he was dead or not. Instead, she looked over to where Percy was lying. Before she knew it, she was already at his side, feeling the same strange and persistent tingling throughout her body that she had felt before, but she decided to ignore it in favor of checking to see if her friend was still alive.

"Percy... Percy!" she said, panic creeping into her voice as she shook Percy awake. "Come on, Percy, wake up! Don't do this to me..."

Percy's body didn't move. Thalia watched as a trickle of blood trickled down the side of his face. She began to fear worse. She felt the side of his neck, and after a few seconds, she could feel his pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Looking down at his body, she could see his chest rising and falling slightly.

He was still alive.

Immediately, she felt a little relieved, but she was still worried. She had to get out of this place and get Percy to safety.

Carefully, she picked him up, grabbing his arm and draping it over her shoulder while keeping one arm around his waist. She barely took a few steps before she heard moans of pain. She turned to see the cyclops slowly getting to his feet. His entire chest and part of his abdomen were badly burned, and he was slightly smoking.

'Shit, he's still alive. He's one tough son of a bitch. All the other monsters would die if I hit them with lightning like that,' Thalia cursed her thoughts. 'I have to hide before he notices us.'

She looked around, trying to find a place to hide, or a place where the cyclops could not reach her with his bulky body. Her eyes fell on an iron door a few feet away. Without thinking, she dragged her unconscious friend through it.

"Damn it, Percy. That pretty ass of yours is heavier than I thought," Thalia complained.

When she reached the door, she didn't even try to turn the knob. Instead, she gave it a Spartan kick and entered the forgotten place. It was a supply shed. There were a few rusty shelves holding various materials, but Thalia paid no attention to them. She pulled Percy into a corner and set him down as gently as possible. A small complaint escaped his mouth, but he didn't wake up.

Thalia left and closed the door. She didn't want to risk leaving it open, even though it was only seven feet high and three feet wide. She used an iron bar that was on the floor to block it, and she dragged a bookcase to block it.

That should hold it off for a while. At least until Percy or she recover to fight again.

She hadn't thought about it, but she felt incredibly tired, and she didn't understand why. The lightning she had summoned was not powerful enough to tire her like that. She felt just as tired, if not more so, than when she summoned that powerful bolt from the sky to kill the Wendigo in the forest months ago.

Thalia moved away from the door and sat down beside Percy. The room felt a little cold as there was no fire nearby to heat the place. Seeing her friend's slightly ill state, her concern grew even more.

With the hem of her shirt, she wiped the trickle of blood from his face. It was fortunate that he wasn't bleeding any more. Percy looked a little pale, and he was clearly starting to shiver from the cold. It didn't help that he was only wearing an old t-shirt and equally old jeans.

A thought crept into her worried mind.

'This is so that he doesn't get worse. Yes, he is fragile and it is very cold here. It's nothing strange, I am not take advantage of him in any way,' she thought erratically, her hands shaking slightly as she approached her unconscious friend. 'Besides, it's not the first time I've hugged him...'

Not wanting her friend to suffer from hypothermia, she placed Percy between her legs and hugged him from behind, transmitting the warmth of her own body to him. She felt her own heart pounding harder and faster in her chest. With a gentleness that belied her rough exterior, Thalia grabbed Percy's cheek to pull him closer to her. Their cheeks touched and Thalia could feel his soft skin.

'You'd better appreciate what I'm doing for you and wake up fast, you dummy.'

Before she knew it, she found herself enjoying the fleeting moment.

...

..

.

And that's all for now, dear readers!

Again, I decided to split the original chapter into 2. Don't worry, I'll upload the next one very soon.

As you may have noticed, I've decided to add a special ability to the cyclops. I know that they cannot enter the mind to imitate the voice of the loved ones, but I decided to give them this ability to make the story more interesting.

It also makes the relationship between Percy and Thalia closer. You will see that in the next chapter.

And with that, nothing more to say... Until next time, beautiful people!