nineteen
a masterclass on monstering

THE NEXT MORNING THEY were leaving. Lennon ended up having the same dream last night. They were standing on the porch, ready to walk back down to the cattle guard and say their goodbyes.

"You okay?" She glanced over to see Percy studying her face.

Lennon shrugged. "Just a dream,"

He frowned, which reminded her of sad puppy dog eyes. "But, you look anxious too,"

"Really?" She didn't know it was noticeable. Her dream was still running through her said, as she tried to decipher what it could all mean.

Tyson stepped out of the house and onto the porch, grinning proudly. "Ready,"

Grover sighed warily, "Back to the maze,"

Annabeth waved them ahead as she stepped off the porch. They all followed, eventually reaching the Cattle guard.

"Nico, you could come with us," Percy blurted out.

He shook his head. He seemed to have just as bad as a sleep Lennon did. His eyes were red and his face chalky. He was wrapped in a black robe that must've belonged to Geryon because it was three sizes too big even for a grown man.

"I need time to think." His eyes wouldn't meet Percy's.

"Nico," Lennon said. "Bianca just wants you to be okay."

She put her hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away and trudged up the road toward the ranch house. Lennon frowned as she watched him leave, the morning mist seeming to cling to him as he walked.

"I'm worried about him," Annabeth said. "If he starts talking to Minos's ghost again—"

"He'll be all right," Eurytion promised. The cowherd had cleaned up nicely. He was wearing new jeans and a clean flannel shirt and he'd even trimmed his beard. He'd put on Geryon's boots. "The boy can stay here and gather his thoughts as long as he wants. He'll be safe, I promise."

"What about you?" Percy asked.

Eurytion scratched Orthus behind one chin, then the other. "Things are going to be run a little differently on this ranch from now on. No more sacred cattle meat. I'm thinking about soybean patties. And I'm going to befriend those flesh-eating horses. Might just sign up for the next rodeo."

Percy seemed to shudder at the idea. "Well, good luck."

"Yep." Eurytion spits into the grass. "I reckon you'll be looking for Daedalus's workshop now?"

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Can you help us?"

Eurytion studied the cattle guard, the subject making him uncomfortable. "Don't know where it is. But Hephaestus probably would."

"That's what Hera said," Annabeth agreed. "But how do we find Hephaestus?"

Eurytion pulled something from under the collar of his shirt. It was a necklace—a smooth silver disk on a silver chain. The disk had a depression in the middle, like a thumbprint. He handed it to Annabeth. "Hephaestus comes here from time to time," Eurytion said. "Studies the animals and such so he can make bronze automaton copies. Last time, I— uh—did him a favor. A little trick he wanted to play on my dad, Ares, and Aphrodite. He gave me that chain in gratitude. Said if I ever needed to find him, the disk would lead me to his forges. But only once."

"And you're giving it to me?" Annabeth asked.

Eurytion blushed. "I don't need to see the forges, miss. Got enough to do here. Just press the button and you'll be on your way."

Annabeth pressed the button and the disk sprang to life. It grew eight metallic legs. Annabeth shrieked and dropped it, much to Eurytion's confusion.

"Spider!" she screamed.

"She's, um, a little scared of spiders," Grover explained. "That old grudge between Athena and Arachne."

"Oh." Eurytion looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, miss."

The spider scrambled to the cattle guard and disappeared between the bars.

"Uh guys," Lennon said. "We should hurry. It's not going to wait for us."

Annabeth wasn't anxious to follow, but they didn't have much choice. They said their goodbyes to Eurytion, Tyson pulled the cattle guard off the hole, and they dropped back into the maze.

After getting attacked by a Sphinx, they continued to follow the mechanical spider. Except then they'd lost it. 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.

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 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.

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. 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. 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. His hands were large 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 them. "I didn't make you, did I?"

Annabeth and Lenon glanced at each other with confusion, then the blonde spoke.

"Uh," Annabeth said, "No, sir."

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

He studied them, he made a look at Lennon. "Oh, this one has a curse. Half-bloods for sure," he grunted. "Could be automatons, of course, but probably not."

She ignored the fact that he'd realized she was cursed so easily, "We're not, uh, automatons," Lennon paused, considering the possibility. "At least I think,"

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

"Have we?" the god asked absently. He didn't seem to care, he seemed to be more interested in how Percy's jaw worked. "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. Lennon grimaced at his reaction.

"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 there was somewhat of 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, and 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.

Lennon sent him a look. The last thing they should do is correct a god.

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

"Mother likes telling that version of the story," he grumbled. "Makes her seem more likable, 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?"

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."

That seemed like a lonely life, Lennon frowned. Though if that was something the god was content with, then maybe it wasn't such a bad life.

His eyes locked on Percy. "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," Percy 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, boy. Looking for Daedalus is a waste of time. He won't help you."

"Why not?" Lennon wondered.

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. Very clever. 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!"

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. They were looking at a gray mountain ringed by forests. Smoke rising from its crest confirmed it was a volcano.

"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."

"You don't want us to fight him, right?" Lennon asked warily. If they had to do that, that would be the day she unsubscribed from being a half-blood.

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 dares invade my territory, and if they mean to let loose Typhon."

"You want us to find out who it is," Percy summarized.

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

"Glad you noticed," Percy 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. Lennon reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"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 asked.

Lennon peered at him. "Grover, you okay?"

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

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

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

"What way? You mean...to Pan?" Percy wondered.

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.

"We'll 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. Lennon understood that to her, following the spider was her key to completing her quest. The spider was almost out of sight.

"We'll split up," Percy said.

"No!" Annabeth said. "That's way too dangerous," She glanced at Lennon for help. "Right?"

She looked between them unsurely, then nodded slowly. "It... it is dangerous. Grover can't go alone,"

The blonde nodded. "How will we ever find each other again?"

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

Lennon looked at them worriedly. "Are you sure? I could go with Grover," She trailed off. She didn't like the idea of splitting up at all.

"No!" Percy shook his head. "We can't split up too much. Uh..." He glanced at Tyson. "Tyson, are you sure?"

The Cyclops 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."

"I hope you're right," He responded.

"I know I am."

Lennon looked at Grover and Tyson worriedly. "Be safe guys,"

Percy nodded. "Be careful," He looked at Tyson who gulped back a sob and gave him a tight hug.

Then Tyson hugged Lennon and sent a smile to Annabeth. 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 bad idea."

"It's okay, Tyson is with him. They'll be safe," Lennon reassured her.

"We'll see them again," Percy nodded. "Now come on. The spider is getting away!"

It wasn't long before the tunnel started to get hot. The stone walls glowed. It was like an incinerator, hot air smoldering around them. The tunnel sloped down and Lennon could hear a roar. The spider skittered along, Annabeth and Lennon right behind it.

"Hey, wait up," Percy called from behind them.

They glanced back at him, the blonde asking, "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."

"But then—"

Lennon looked ahead at the metal spider. "Uh, Percy what're you—"

Annabeth waved a hand, "It's okay. He'll just keep wondering until I answer him,"

"That's not true," Percy scoffed, though he wasn't very convincing.

"You were gonna ask how come she has demigod children?"

He gaped and then sheepishly glanced at the stone walls. Lennon held in a small laugh.

"Percy, you know how Athena was born?"

"She sprung from the head of Zeus in full battle armor or something."

"Exactly. She wasn't born in the normal way. She was 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..."

"She was a brainchild," Lennon confirmed.

She nodded. "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."

Lennon glanced once more at the spider. "Uh, guys,"

"But—"

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

Lennon giggled.

Percy sent her a half-hearted glare. His cheeks were flushed and Lennon had a feeling it wasn't from the heat. "Don't laugh,"

"I'm not laughing," she tried to fight the amused smile creeping on her face. "You're just curious,"

"Still wanna know Percy?" Annabeth asked teasingly.

Percy rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, you're so funny,"

She smirked. "I thought not."

"Can we go back to following the spider now?" Lennon asked.

Annabeth nodded, "Yeah, come on,"

After another half mile or so, they emerged in a stadium-sized cavern. The metal spider 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 Lennon 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 the details.

"We'll never be able to sneak up on them," Percy said.

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

"Wait, no," Lennon reached out to stop her but she put on her Yankees cap and turned invisible.

They didn't call after her, knowing that could just give her way. Lennon's brows furrowed with worry. "I hate when she does that,"

"Hey, it's okay," Percy said, glancing at her. "Come on, let's try to get a better look,"

They crept along the outer rim of the lava lake. The heat was horrible. The heat of Texas was nothing compared to this. Her eyes stung from the smoke.

As they moved along the lake, Lennon couldn't help but have a foreboding feeling, like something was going to happen. Maybe it was paranoia from all the dreams. But, in the last 6 months, she'd learned to trust her gut, and her gut told her that something bad was going to happen.

Eventually, their way was blocked by a cart on metal wheels, like the kind they use in mine shafts. Percy lifted the tarp and found it was half full of scrap metal.

"Bring it in?" A voice from up ahead asked.

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

They both widened their eyes, glancing at each other.

"What should we do?" Percy whispered to her.

Lennon glanced around. "The cart is our only option,"

They scrambled inside and pulled the tarp over themselves. Their shoulders were pressed together as the cart lurched forward.

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

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

Percy and Lennon exchanged wary glances as they got pulled along. They turned a corner. It sounded like they passed down a tunnel into a smaller room. There were 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 they 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. The teacher— or who she assumed was the teacher— told the younglings to be quiet, and the film continued. Percy gave Lennon a confused look which she returned. 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 looked over at her and mouthed, Have you ever heard of a telekhine? She only shook her head no. She tried to rack her brain from any time Annabeth had mentioned the creature but she came up with nothing.

"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 Lennon met eyes urgently. He held up Riptide and she nodded her head, flexing her hands. The tarp was thrown back. They jumped up. Riptide sprung to life in Percy's hands. Lennon's hands were raised, ready to blind the... dogs.

The creatures had black snouts, brown eyes, and pointy ears. Their bodies were sleek and black like sea mammals, with stubby legs that were half flipper, half a foot, and humanlike hands with sharp claws.

"Demigods!" one snarled.

"Eat them!" yelled another.

Lennon shined a column of light at the first creature that moved towards them. It stumped back and then Percy stared them down, slashing his sword in a wide arc and vaporizing the first row of monsters. "Back off!"

"New lesson, class," Percy announced. "Most monsters will vaporize when sliced with a celestial bronze sword, especially if they're blinded by someone with sun powers. This change is perfectly normal, and will happen to you right now if you don't back off!"

The heat of the forge must have been getting to Lennon because her cheeks were flushed.

The monsters backed up, but there were at least twenty of them. Percy jumped out of the cart and grabbed her hand to help her out.

He yelled, "Class dismissed!" and they ran for the exit.

The monsters charged after them, barking and growling. Lenon sent an arc of light towards them as she and Percy reached the door that lead out to the main cavern. They slammed it shut and turned the wheel handle to lock it.

Lennon sighed leaning against the door. "We need to find Annabeth,"

Percy nodded in agreement. "So much for a reconnaissance mission," Then he grabbed her hand once more and said, "Come on,"

They ran toward the platform at the center of the lava lake.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

"Perce, don't—" She was interrupted by an invisible Annabeth gripping their arms and pulling them behind a big bronze cauldron.

She shushed them, saying, "You want to get us killed?"

Lennon reached for her head and took off the blonde's Yankees cap, making her shimmer into existence.

Annabeth furrowed her brows at her. "Len, what're you doing?"

"We kinda ran into trouble,"

Percy nodded. "We're going to have company!" He quickly explained 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."

The trio 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?" Percy whispered.

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

"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," Lennon said.

"And they said they made my father's trident," Percy added.

"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—"

Suddenly, the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.

Percy whipped his head to the two girls. "You two get out,"

"What?" Annabeth scoffed. "No! We're not leaving you."

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

"Are you crazy?" Lennon hissed, glaring at him. "We've already split up our group enough and were not doing it again just for you to get killed,"

"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."

Lennon scoffed. "No choice? We can figure a way out of her without splitting up!"

Percy shared a look with Annabeth and the girl sighed. "Len, it's okay, he'll meet us back at the maze after the distraction," she looked at Percy. "Right?"

"Yes, it'll be fine,"

Lennon's nose wrinkled in anger, then she looked at Annabeth, "You go ahead, I'll meet you back in the entrance,"

"Lennon..." the blonde frowned.

"I can run fast, trust me,"

"You better," Annabeth sighed and gave Percy a firm look. "Be careful idiot,"

Annabeth turned and ran, leaving the two of them there.

Lennon turned back to Percy and glared at him. "I'm not leaving you behind. Staying here is stupid you'll just get hurt,"

Despite everything, Percy gave her a humorous smile, 'I'll be fine, sunshine,"

She glared at him even harder. "Don't try to distract me with stupid nicknames," She shook her head. "There's too many. You can't create a distraction without backup. Seriously! You've got to be insane to think that I'd let you get yourself killed in some random volcano fighting a bunch of... of... sea demons! Whatever they are. It's dangerous and impulsive and—"

One moment Lennon was shouting at him and the next, she felt soft lips on hers. It was over as quickly as it'd happened but she could still taste sea salt on her lips.

"I won't get killed Lennon, trust me. I'll be back in the maze with you guys in no time,"

Her brain had short-circuited. Was she crazy or had he kissed her? He couldn't have, right? Just some odd illusion, maybe it was the heat.

"Lennon, you trust me right?" Percy was looking at her, his hands on her shoulders.

She blinked. "Yes of course," She knew he wouldn't back down from this. She couldn't help but think that was so Percy. "Are... are you sure? This whole plan won't blow up in your face?"

"I'm very sure,"

She gave him a glare that wasn't genuine at all. She let out a small sigh, "Stay safe Percy,"

Then she turned and ran in the same direction Annabeth went in.

Everything would be fine, right? It'll be fine. She reassured herself. She kept thinking about the feeling she had like everything would go terribly wrong.

She finally found Annabeth and they ran as fast as they could. Just as they reached the tunnel they had come in from, they heard a terrible sound. An explosion. Lennon whipped her head back towards the sound.

"We can't go back," it took a moment for the girl to realize that Annabeth had spoken to her.

"What?"

"We can't go back, Lennon. We have to leave,"

Then, before Lennon could argue, Annabeth grabbed her hand and pulled her with her.

AUTHORS NOTE:
yeah so that happened, we all knew it was coming
prepare for angst in the next few chapters
anyway, any thoughts? theories? vote and comment don't be a ghost reader. comments let me know ur enjoying and tbh i love getting comments so yeah