ｔｈｅ ｂａｔｔｌｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｌａｂｙｒｉｎｔｈ

LUCIA THOUGHT THEY'D LOST THE SPIDER until Tyson heard a faint pinging sound. They made a few turns, backtracked a few times, and eventually found the spider banging its tiny head on a metal door.

The door looked like one of those old-fashioned submarine hatches—oval, with metal rivets around the edges and a wheel for a doorknob. Where the portal should've been was a big brass plaque, green with age, with a Greek Ȇta inscribed in the middle.
They all looked at each other.

"Ready to meet Hephaestus?" Grover said nervously.

"No," Percy admitted.

"Yes!" Tyson said gleefully, and he turned the wheel.

As soon as the door opened, the spider scuttled inside with Tyson right behind it. The rest of them followed, not quite as anxious.
The room was enormous. It looked like a mechanic's garage, with several hydraulic lifts. Some had cars on them, but others had stranger things: a bronze hippalektryon 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's place. The staple gun was where the hacksaw was supposed to go.

Under the nearest hydraulic lift, which was holding a '98 Toyota Corolla, a pair of legs stuck out—the lower half of a huge man in grubby gray pants and shoes even bigger than Tyson's. one leg was in a metal brace.

The spider scuttled straight under the car, and the sounds of banging stopped.

"Well, well," a deep voice boomed from under the Corolla. "What have we here?"

The mechanic pushed out on a back trolley and sat up. Lucia had seen Hephaestus once before, briefly on Olympus, so she thought she was prepared, but his appearance made her gulp.

He must have cleaned up when they 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 then die out. His hands were the size of catcher's mitts, but he handled the spider with amazing skill. He disassembled it in two seconds, then put it back together.

"There," he muttered to himself. "Much better."

The spider did a happy flip in his palm, shot a metallic web at the ceiling, and went swinging away.

Hephaestus glowered up at us. "I didn't make you, did I?"

"Uh," Annabeth said, "no, sir."

"Good," the god grumbled. "Shoddy workmanship."

He studied Annabeth, Percy, and Lucia. "Half-bloods," he grunted. "Could be automatons, of course, but probably not."

"We've met, sir," Percy told him.

"Have we?" the god asked absently. Lucia got the feeling he didn't care one way or the other. he was just trying to figure out how Percy's jaw worked, whether it was a hinge or a lever or what. "Well then, if I didn't smash you to a pulp the first time we met, I suppose I won't have to do it now."

He looked at Grover and frowned. "Satyr." Then he looked at Tyson, and his eyes twinkled. "Well, a Cyclops. Good, good. What are you doing traveling with this lot?"

"Uh..." said Tyson, staring in wonder at the god.

"Yes, well said," Hephaestus agreed. "So, there'd better be a good reason you're disturbing me. The suspension on this Corolla is no small matter, you know."

"Sir," Annabeth said hesitantly, "we're looking for Daedalus. We thought—"

"Daedalus?" the god roared. "You want that old scoundrel? You dare to seek him out!"

His beard burst into flames and his black eyes glowed.

"Uh, yes, sir, please," Annabeth said.

"Humph. You're wasting your time." He frowned at something on his worktable and limped over to it. He picked up a lump of springs and metal plates and tinkered with them. In a few seconds, he was holding a bronze and silver falcon. It spread its metal wings, blinked its obsidian eyes, and flew around the room.

Tyson laughed and clapped his hands. The bird landed on Tyson's shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately.

Hephaestus regarded him. The god's scowl didn't change, but Lucia saw a kinder twinkle in his eyes. "I sense you have something to tell me, Cyclops."

Tyson's smile faded. "Y-yes, lord. We met a Hundred-Handed One."

Hephaestus nodded, looking unsurprised. "Briares?"

"Yes. He—he was scared. He would not help us."

"And that bothered you."

"Yes!" Tyson's voice wavered. "Briares should be strong! He is older and greater than Cyclopes. But he ran away."

Hephaestus grunted. "There was a time I admired the Hundred-Handed Ones. Back in the days of the first war. But people, monsters, even gods change, young Cyclops. You can't trust 'em. Look at my loving mother, Hera. You met her, didn't you? She'll smile to your face and talk about how important family is, eh? Didn't stop her from pitching me off Mount Olympus when she saw my ugly face."

"But I thought Zeus did that to you," Percy said.

Hephaestus cleared his throat and spat into a bronze spittoon. He snapped his fingers, and the robotic falcon flew back to the worktable.

"Mother likes telling that version of the story," he grumbled.

"Makes her seem more likeable, doesn't it? Blaming it all on my dad. The truth is, my mother, likes families, but she likes a certain kind of family. Perfect families. She took one look at me and...well, I don't fit the image, do I?"

Lucia frowned she knew all about the drastic measures people would go to have the "perfect family" no matter who would suffer in the process...

He pulled a feather from the falcon's back, and the whole automaton fell apart.

"Believe me, young Cyclops," Hephaestus said, "you can't trust others. All you can trust is the work of your own hands."

It seemed like a pretty lonely way to live. Plus, She didn't exactly trust the work of Hephaestus. His defective Talos statue was what cost Bianca her life.

He focused on Lucia and narrowed his eyes, as if he were reading her thoughts. "Oh, this one doesn't like me," he mused. "No worries, I'm used to that. What would you ask of me, little demigod?"

"We told you," She said. "We need to find Daedalus. There's this guy, Luke, and he's working for Kronos. He's trying to find a way to navigate the Labyrinth so he can invade our camp. If we don't get to Daedalus first—"

"And I told you, Girl. Looking for Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you."

"Why not?"

Hephaestus shrugged. "Some of us get thrown off mountainsides. Some of us...the way we learn not to trust people is more painful. Ask me for gold. Or a flaming sword. Or a magical steed. These I can grant you easily. But a way to Daedalus? That's an expensive favor."

"You know where he is, then," Annabeth pressed.

"It isn't wise to go looking, girl."

"My mother says looking is the nature of wisdom."

Hephaestus narrowed his eyes. "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 actually laughed—a booming sound like a huge bellow stoking a fire. "You heroes," he said, "always making rash promises. How refreshing!"

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, Lucia couldn't tell which. They were looking at a gray mountain-ringed in 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?" Percy asked.

"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."

"What do you want us to do?" Lucia asked, "Fight him?"

Hephaestus snorted. "That would be suicide. The gods themselves ran from Typhon when he was free. No, pray you never have to see him, much less fight him. But 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. I want to know who dates invade my territory, and if they mean to loose Typhon."

"You want us to find out who it is," Lucia deduced.

"Aye," Hephaestus said. "Go there. They may not sense you coming. You are not gods."

"Glad you noticed," She muttered.

"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."

"All right," Annabeth said. "How do we get there?"

Hephaestus clapped his hands. The spider came swinging down from the rafters. Annabeth flinched when it landed at her feet.

"My creation will show you the way," Hephaestus said. "It is not far through the Labyrinth. And try to stay alive, will you? Humans are much more fragile than automatons."

☼

THEY WERE DOING OKAY UNTIL THEY HIT THE TREE ROOTS. The spider raced along and they were keeping up, but then they spotted a tunnel off to the side that was dug from raw earth, and wrapped in thick roots. Grover stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" Percy questioned

He didn't move. He stared open-mouthed into the dark tunnel. His curly hair rustled in the breeze.

"Grover?" Lucia knitted her eyebrows

"Come on!" Annabeth said. "We have to keep moving."

"This is the way," Grover muttered in awe.

"This is it."

"What way?" Percy asked

Lucia's eyes widened in realization "It's pan, isn't it? Do you sense him?"

Grover looked at Tyson. "Don't you smell it?"

"Dirt," Tyson said. "And plants."

"Yes! This is the way. I'm sure of it!"

Up ahead, the spider was getting farther down the stone corridor. A few more seconds and they'd lose it.

"Well come back," Annabeth promised. "On our way back to Hephaestus."

"The tunnel will be gone by then," Grover said. "I have to follow it. A door like this won't stay open!"

"But we can't," Annabeth said. "The forges!"

Grover looked at her sadly. "I have to, Annabeth. Don't you understand?"

She looked desperate like she didn't understand at all. The spider was almost out of sight. But Lucia thought about the conversation with Grover last night, and she knew what they had to do.

"We'll split up," Lucia said.

"No!" Annabeth said. "That's way too dangerous. How will we ever find each other again? And Grover can't go alone."

Tyson put his hand on Grover's shoulder. "I—I will go with him."

Percy looked like he couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Tyson, are you sure?"

The big guy nodded. "Goat boy needs help. We will find the god person. I am not like Hephaestus. I trust friends."

Grover took a deep breath. "Percy, we'll find each other again. We've still got the empathy link. I just...have to."

Lucia didn't blame him. This was his life's goal. If he didn't find Pan on this journey, the council would never give him another chance.

"I hope you're right," Percy said.

"I know I am." Lucia had never heard him sound so confident about anything, except maybe that cheese enchiladas were better than chicken enchiladas.

"Go find him champion goat boy! " Lucia beamed

"Be careful," Percy reminded him. Then He looked at Tyson. He gulped back a sob and gave Percy a hug that just about squeezed his eyes out of their sockets. Then he and Grover disappeared through the tunnel of tree roots and were lost in the darkness.

"This is bad," Annabeth said. "Splitting up is a really, really bad idea."

Lucia thought to protest but that's when the wave of intense dread hit her. Harder, than it ever had before.

"We'll see them again," Percy said, trying to sound confident. "Now come on. The spider is getting away!"

☼

IT WASNT LONG BEFORE THE TUNNEL STARTED TO GET HOT.

The stone walls glowed. The air felt as if they were walking through an oven. Lucia had a strong tolerance for heat but after a while, it did feel like her face could start melting off. The tunnel sloped down and Lucia could hear a loud roar, like a river of metal. The spider skittered along, with Annabeth right behind.

"Hey, wait up,"  Percy called to her.

She glanced back at them. "Yeah?"

"Something Hephaestus said back there...about Athena."

"She swore never to marry," Annabeth said. "Like Artemis and Hestia. She's one of the maiden goddesses."

Lucia blinked. she'd never heard that about Athena before. "But then—"

"How come she has demigod children?"

Percy and Lucia nodded.

"You know how Athena was born?"

"She sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something," Percy responded

"Exactly. She wasn't born in the normal way. She was literally born from thoughts. Her children are born the same way. When Athena falls in love with a mortal man, it's purely intellectual, the way she loved Odysseus in the old stories. It's a meeting of minds. She would tell you that's the purest kind of love."

"So your dad and Athena...so you weren't..."

Lucia elbowed him, he gave her a 'what I'm just asking!' look

"I was a brainchild," Annabeth said. "Literally. Children of Athena are sprung from the divine thoughts of our mother and the mortal ingenuity of our father. We are supposed to be a gift, a blessing from Athena on the men she favors. It's like you Lucy, You were created from light. As a gift to your father rather than well you know."

"But—" Percy began

"Guys, the spider's getting away. Do you really want me to explain the exact details of how I was born?"

well maybe a little

"Um...no. That's okay."

She smirked. "I thought not." And she ran ahead.

The other two followed

The roaring got louder. After another half mile or so, they emerged in a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium. Their spider escort stopped and curled into a ball. They had arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.

There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. They 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 Lucia had 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.

Annabeth picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket. "I can. Wait here."

"Beth wait, "Lucia said, but before she could argue, she put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.

Lucia didn't dare call after her, but she didn't like the idea of her approaching the forge on her own. If those things out there could sense a god coming, would Annabeth be safe?

Lucia looked back at the Labyrinth tunnel. She missed Grover and Tyson already.

"Stay here," Percy told her

She grabbed his arm, glaring at him "Don't you dare. Because I will follow you Kelphead."

Percy huffed, "come on."

They crept along the outer rim of the lava lake, hoping they could get a better angle to see what was happening in the middle.
The heat was horrible. Geryon's ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this.

In no time Percy was drenched with sweat. Lucia felt the heat become heavier but she tried to focus mostly on not glowing. she did not want to get them caught

Their eyes stung from the smoke. they moved along, trying to keep away from the edge, until they found their way blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they use in mine shafts.

Percy lifted up the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal. He was about to squeeze his way around it when they heard voices from up ahead, probably from a side tunnel.

"Bring it in?" one asked.

"Yeah," another said. "Movie's just about done."

Lucia panicked. they didn't have time to back up. There was nowhere to hide except...the cart. She shoved Percy in before scrambling inside behind him she pulled the tarp over them, hoping no one had seen them.

"Luz ow ow your knee's on my stomach" Percy complained, he moved her knee.

The cart lurched forward.

Lucia lost her balance and toppled over directly onto him. Her cheeks blazed with heat, but it wasn't from the temperature.

Percy avoided her eyes, his face turning as red as a tomato but Lucia did blame that on the heat. "Sorry" he whispered

"You Kelphead" Lucia flicked his forehead before moving off of his lap

Lucia became hyper-focused on her charm bracelet, just in case they had to fight.

"Oi," a gruff voice said. "Thing weighs a ton."

"It's celestial bronze," the other said. "What did you expect?"

They got pulled along. they turned a corner, and from the sound of the wheels echoing against the walls, Lucia guessed they had passed down a tunnel and into a smaller room.

Hopefully, they were not about to be dumped into a smelting pot. If they started to tip them over, They'd have to fight their way out quick. Lucia heard lots of talking, chattering voices that didn't sound human—somewhere between a seal's bark and a dog's growl. There were other sounds too—like an old-fashioned film projector and a tinny voice narrating.

"Just set it in the back," a new voice ordered from across the room. "Now, younglings, please attend to the film. There will be time for questions afterward."

The voices quieted down, and Lucia could hear the film.

As a young sea demon matures, the narrator said, changes happen in the monster's body. You may notice your fangs getting longer and you may have a sudden desire to devour human beings. These changes are perfectly normal and happen to all young monsters.
Excited snarling filled the room.

Lucia raised an eyebrow

The teacher—she guessed it must have been a teacher—told the younglings to be quiet, and the film continued. Lucia didn't understand most of it, and she didn't dare look. The film kept talking about growth spurts and acne problems caused by working in the forges, and proper flipper hygiene, and finally, it was over.

"Now, younglings," the instructor said, "what is the proper name of our kind?"

"Sea demons!" one of them barked.

"No. Anyone else?"

"Telekhines!" another monster growled.

"Very good," the instructor said. "And why are we here?"

"Revenge!" several shouted.

"Yes, yes, but why?"

"Zeus is evil!" one monster said. "He cast us into Tartarus just because we used magic!"

"Indeed," the instructor said. "After we made so many of the gods' finest weapons. The trident of Poseidon, for one. And of course—we made the greatest weapon of the Titans! Nevertheless, Zeus cast us away and relied on those fumbling Cyclopes. That is why we are taking over the forges of the usurper Hephaestus. And soon we will control the undersea furnaces, our ancestral home!"

Percy clutched his pen-sword. She guessed it was the revelation that these snarling things had created Poseidon's trident. She had no idea what they were talking about.  She'd never even heard of a telekhine.

"And so, younglings," the instructor continued, "who do we serve?"

"Kronos!" they shouted.

"And when you grow to be big telekhines, will you make weapons for the army?"

"Yes!"

"Excellent. Now, we've brought in some scraps for you to practice with. Let's see how ingenious you are."

There was a rush of movement and excited voices coming toward the cart. Percy and Lucia got ready. The tarp was thrown back. They jumped up, their weapons springing to life in their hands, and found themselves facing a bunch of...dogs.

Well, their faces were dogs, anyway, with black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half foot, and humanlike hands with sharp claws. If you blended together a kid, a Doberman pinscher, and a sea lion, you'd get something like what they were looking at.

"Demigods!" one snarled.

"Eat them!" yelled another.

But that's as far as they got before Percy slashed a wide arc with Riptide and vaporized the entire front row of monsters.

"Back off!" He yelled at the rest, his voice fierce.

Behind them stood their instructor—a six-foot-tall telekhine with Doberman fangs snarling at them. Lucia stared him down.

"New lesson, class," Percy announced. "Most monsters will vaporize when sliced with a celestial bronze sword. This change is perfectly normal, and will happen to you right now if you don't BACK OFF!"

Percy looked so intimidating that Lucia was not surprised that it worked. The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them. His fear factor wasn't going to last long.

He jumped out of the cart, Before grabbing Lucia quickly by the waist as she climbed out. He yelled, "CLASS DISMISSED!" and they ran for the exit.

The monsters charged after them, barking and growling. Lucia hoped they couldn't run very fast with those stubby little legs and flippers, but they waddled along pretty well.

Thank the gods there was a door in the tunnel leading out to the main cavern. Lucia slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it, but she doubted it would keep them long.

They didn't know what to do. Annabeth was out there somewhere, invisible. Their chance for a subtle reconnaissance mission had been blown. Percy and she ran toward the platform at the center of the lava lake.

☼

"ANNABETH!" Percy yelled.

"Shhh!" an invisible hand clamped over his mouth and wrestled him down behind a big bronze cauldron. Lucia followed kneeling in front of him "You want to get us killed?"

Lucia found her head and took off her Yankees cap. She shimmered into existence beside her, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. "Percy, what is your problem?"

"We're going to have company!" He explained quickly about the monster orientation class. Her eyes widened.

"So that's what they are," she said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making...Well, look."

They peeked over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons, but these were fully grown, at least eight feet tall.

Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.

"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."

"What is that?" Lucia whispered.

Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder—"

"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," Lucia said. "And they...they said they made Percy's father's trident."

"The telekhines betrayed the gods," Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."

"With Kronos."

She nodded. "We have to get out—"

No sooner had she said that than the door to the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.

"Put your cap back on," Percy said. " Take Lucia with you! Get out!"

"What?" Annabeth shrieked.

Lucia shook her head "No! I'm not leaving you."

"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You guys use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

Annabeth hesitated, she nodded before putting her cap on. Shimmering away the spot next to Lucia felt empty.

"But you'll be killed!" Lucia cried, her hand finding itself gripping onto his bicep "Annabeth go without me!"

"No!" Percy protested " I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."

"No!" Lucia shook her head "That's not a choice I'm letting you make. I can help, You're not facing them alone."

"Don't worry about me Luz"

"Don't ask for the impossible Ocean eyes."

Percy stared at her, and her breath got caught in her throat at his intense gaze. His eyebrows knitted together like he was pained. Like he was struggling with something.

"Please—"

Suddenly, two hands cupped her jaw, and Percy dove forward. She squeezed Percy's bicep tighter once their lips met.

All her senses heightened the second he kissed her, she reciprocated the kiss desperately and immediately.

it felt so right

Her skin was on fire, she felt the rapid thud of their combined heartbeats. His touch stamped out all her worries. His tongue answered all her questions. His warmth was hotter than Hephaestus forges combined. And when they broke away the salty taste of his lips lingered long after.

"If you think I'm letting you go now." Her words came out breathlessly "You're insane"

"I'll find you." Percy rubbed her jaw as the sound of Telkhines flippers got louder "We'll find each other."

Lucia shook her head, she knew this could be the last time she ever saw him.

"Annabeth!" Percy cried

Suddenly Lucia felt two arms wrap around her shoulders, She shook her head harder as tears spilled down her cheeks but she didn't fight her off. Instead, she let Annabeth take her away as the sight of him faded away from her.

I love him she thought. it was now so clear. I'm in love with Percy Jackson.