Half-Blood High

XXXIII

                                     Jason

A pair of black obsidian doors stood before me. There were no handles, but a gold circle with a hand print in the middle like a lock. Odd, ancient symbols ran along its edge.

"Aha! The Forges at last!" Kronos cheered.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't say? I thought it was the Pizza place."

Kronos shot me a glare, his golden eyes gleaming with power. "Quiet, you! This is a sacred place!"

"I'll keep that in mind while fighting for my life."

Kronos glared at me again. We stood there in silence. He looked at me. "Well?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to open it?"

I frowned. "How?"

"The door may only be opened by demigod blood."

Cold fear ran through my veins. My face was probably white as a sheet. "You... you're going to kill me?!"

Kronos shook his head. "Foolish half-blood! Just place your hand on the door." Before I could move, he grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. My hand fit easily in the hole.

And odd feeling like electricity ran up my arm. The hairs on the back of my neck tingled. I felt like I'd just stuck my hand in a wall socket.

The gold circle lit up, the ancient symbols glowing. Streaks of light ran across the door. With a loud creak, the door opened. I tore my hand away from the hole. If I had held my hand there any longer I would have burnt up from the energy.

Kronos pushes past me and slipped inside. I had no choice but to follow.

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                                   Frank

Son of war. Son of war. Son of war.

I am a son of war.

The words of my guardian, a dracaena, echoed in my mind.

I am a son of Mars, the god of war.

This couldn't be real. I hated conflict. I was no good with a sword. My own mother had died in combat. If this was a joke, I wasn't laughing.

We were still following Daedalus. The tunnel was walled with bricks, and the floor was cement. The inventor took two left turns, the went backward to the right. At one point, we turned around and walked sideways.

"Enough!" Lupa exclaimed. Her wolfish eyes flashed as she glared at the inventor. "We have been going in circles for hours! Do you know which path we  should take or not?"

Daedalus sighed. "I'm trying. The maze is fighting my hold. It's giving me a headache." He rubbed his forehead.

Lupa lifted her lips in a threatening snarl. "I'll give you something worse then a headache if you don't hurry. One of our wards is with Kronos! If he hurts him, it'll be on your head."

Suddenly, I was scared of Lupa. It had never really clicked with me that she was a goddess. Despite being a minor one, I had no doubt that if she wanted to, she could inflict real damage. To Daedalus, and Kronos.

Chiron frowned. "Please, Lupa. We are trying to be diplomatic. I understand your frustration, but arguing and making threats won't help Jason, or stop Kronos." His horse tail flicked to the left. "Let's just keep moving, please."

Daedalus nodded. "I believe we should reach the heart of the maze soon. It's close to the Forges."

Hazel tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"

"The farther we delve into the maze, the stronger its power. The stronger it's power, the worse my headache."

"Oh."

We resumed walking. I noticed Percy playing with the hilt of his sword. He'd looped it through his belt, seeing as he didn't have a sheath.

"So, what's the deal with these Vulcanian Forges anyway?" Leo asked as we walked. He was fiddling with some odd washers and bolts, making something. I didn't pretend to know why he'd gotten a tool belt when the rest of us had real weapons, and he didn't seem to mind. "Are they like, really fancy or something?"

Chiron shook his head, but, surprisingly, Daedalus was the one who answered. "No, son of Hephaestus. In the days when the Labyrinth was still young, and easier to control, your father, Hephaestus, was a fan of mine. We both had an equal skill in building and engineering, and thus he enjoyed the Labyrinth significantly. As a gift to him, I willed the Labyrinth to build itself a special Forge that only he could access. He loved it, and used it often."

"Then, years later, when I was older, I murdered my nephew, Peridix, and-."

"Woah woah woah!" Percy held up his hand. Daedalus paused. "You murdered your nephew?!"

"Yes. And I regretted it later. My mother, Athena, cursed me for it. That's how I was found by King Minos. Anyway, when she and the other gods abandoned me, I became quite angry about it. So, using my hold over the Labyrinth, I changed the lock on the Forges, so that only a half-blood could open it. I knew the gods were far too proud to ask a demigod for help with a task like that, and it went untouched. Several decades later, during the rule of the Roman Empire and its expansion, a demigod son of Pluto-,"

Hazel coughed. "That would be my half-brother."

Daedalus shot her a look. He didn't like being interrupted, it seemed. "As I was saying, a half-blood Roman soldier accidentally stumbled across the Forges. He'd gotten lost, separated from his cohort during a raid. Since he was a half-blood, he was able to enter, and was stunned by the projects and architecture and marbles that he found. Then, he misinterpreted the scenes on the walls as being images of Vulcan's accomplishments, and later told stories about "the Vulcanian Forges" that he'd discovered. And thus, they had their name. But no other half-blood or god has entered since. It seems the Labyrinth hid the Forges away from any explorers."

"Until now." Piper said. "Jason said Kronos had been on his way to the Forges. Why do you think he wants to find it so bad?"

Daedalus scratched his chin. "As I said before, Hephaestus was a marvelous inventor. There's no telling what he built and stored in there. Frankly, I'm afraid of what Kronos will do if he opens it."

"Well that's reassuring." I heard Percy mutter.

Daedalus came to a halt. Annabeth walked into him, Percy crashed into her, Piper bumped into him, and so on. It was like demigod dominoes. Thankfully, Chiron and Lupa halted, which was good. The centaur might have crushed us by accident.

"What have we stopped?" Lupa asked.

Daedalus looked back, his expression grave.

"We have arrived."
. . .
And cue the cliffhanger music.

Thoughts?

Peace ✌️

-SilverQuillsandRoses