Half-Blood High

XXXIV

      Jason

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

I groaned. Unless it was the celestial cleaning crew, the others had fallen for Kronos' trap. I quietly cursed as Kronos gave me a wicked smile.

Before I could process what he was doing, thick gold chains had grown around my wrists and were bound to the table leg, and the ones on my ankles had thickened. Kronos pulled a spare cloth off a nearby work table and stuffed it in my mouth. The stench of oil filled my throat, and I tried not to vomit. Gross.

CREEAAAKKK. "Jason? Are you in here?"

It was Piper. Gods no, this couldn't be happening.

Kronos winked at me, then Luke's face became mine. He darted out from behind the table. His footsteps fell away, and I tried to shout or yelp or something, but to no avail.

"Piper! There you are!" It was weird hearing my own voice. I shuddered.

"Jason! Thank the gods you're okay!" I could hear Piper smiling, see her eyes shining, and it made something in me ache.

I was closing my eyes, when I felt something tap my shoulder. I turned, and my eyes widened in relief.

Annabeth put a finger to her lips, then carefully began to cut through my chains with a new bronze knife. The chains clinked and clicked as they fell away. The second my hands were free, I tore the gag out of my mouth and took a deep, cleansing breath of air. With a thankful nod to her, she began working on the chains around my ankles.

I peeked around the table. Piper and Kronos were still talking, but Piper's hand was inching slowly toward her side. Her eyes glimmered in the torchlight as she glanced around. She saw me, and smiled.

Quick as a wink, a bronze knife, longer then Annabeth's, was out and braced against My/Kronos' throat. My eyes widened, staring at Piper, who looked fierce as a lioness. Her eyes were flashing, reflecting the bronze of her knife, and the gold flames from the torches.

"Nice try Kronos." She tilted her head back toward the door and said. "All clear."

The others filed in, Chiron and Lupa amongst them. Some guy with a grayish beard was right behind them. He looked kind of familiar.

With a loud CLANK, my chains fell away, and I stood up from behind the table.

"Jason!" Lupa looked relieved. I think. She was in wolf form, so it was kind of hard to tell. "Thank the gods." She shot a look a Kronos. "Filthy imposter, take thy own form again!"

Kronos snarled, but my face changed back to Luke's. "Lupa. Pleasant as ever I see."

"Release your hold on Luke Castellan!" Chiron clopped forward. "In the name of the Olympians, I banish you!"

I'd expected heavenly fire, or some sort of lightning bolt to hit him, but nothing happened. Kronos laughed. "Oh, you foolish old centaur. The times have changed. The gods barely hear you now." He grinned in a way that showed his canines. "They blame humans for loosing faith. The irony."

Before any of us could react, his hand came up, snatching at Piper's fist, which held the knife. Piper grunted as he wrestled it away from her. One arm went around her shoulders, the other bringing the knife to her throat. Piper struggled, but to no avail. Kronos pressed the knife to her skin. A thin trickle of blood ran down her neck.

"Alright. No one moves, and she stays alive." Kronos snarled. His golden eyes were flashing like coins. The air crackled with tension. I sucked in a gasp and gripped the edge of the work table, the grooves of the wood cutting into my palms.

"Kronos," Chiron's face was tight with apprehension as he stepped forward. "Calm yourself. If you hurt Miss McLean in any way, the gods will be upon you."

Kronos let out a laugh. "The gods will be upon me? Fool, the gods haven't shown their cowardly faces in millennia! What makes you think they'll come now?"

Chiron stiffened, drawing up his shoulders. "We are in a sacred place. These seven are their children. I doubt they would appreciate your presence here." Lupa nodded in agreement.

Kronos rolled his eyes. I was beginning to think some of Luke's teenage attitude was rubbing off on him somehow. "Let them come. I am more powerful then they ever have been, and more so then they ever will be!" He punctuated his statement by drawing Piper closer. Her face turned red as she clawed at his arm. Kronos didn't seem to notice.

"Now listen carefully, unless you would like Miss McLean here to have a new scar."

He pointed to Leo. "You, son of Hephaestus. Start up the smelters."

Leo wrinkled his nose. "What? I-I don't know how to."

"You had better figure it out. And no tricks. You know what's on the line." He rubbed a finger across the knife blade to demonstrate. "Roman half-bloods, find a pole. About ten feet long should suffice. Celestial Bronze, if possible."

Hazel and Frank both looked confused. "Where are we going to get a pole from?" I heard Frank mutter. Hazel shrugged.

"Children Of Zeuce, Athena, and Poseidon, search the tables and bins for any metal plates or pieces. Chiron, you and Lupa will melt them down in the vats. Daedalus, you'll be working on the automaton molds. Select the biggest you can find. And I'll keep an eye on Miss McLane here." He wagged a finger at us. "Go. And if I see any sort of weapon or blade, well, it won't be pleasant." He gave a dark chuckle. Piper shut her eyes.

"Now go. Work."

With a sigh, Chiron and Lupa made their way toward the huge bronze vats in the back of the room. Leo started for the smelter, muttering to himself. Annabeth and I glanced over the table next to us as Percy picked his way through a nearby bin. Hazel and Frank searched through a pile of what looked like firewood.

I frowned, thinking. I was no engineering expert, but I was pretty sure we were working on Kronos' next form.

We had to find some way to stop it, or sabotage it. Or else the world was in huge trouble.

Yeah, no pressure.
. . .
Thoughts?

Peace ✌️

-SilverQuillsandRoses