Half-Blood High

XXXV

                                     Percy

"Got any plans?" I whispered to Annabeth out of the corner of my mouth. She gave the slightest shake of her head and stacked a bronze plate on top of another piece of scrap.

Great. If Annabeth didn't have a plan, what were we going to do now?

We were stuck building a new body for Kronos, who was holding Piper captive. If we didn't comply with his demands, people would get hurt. More specifically, us.

I sighed as we handed the pieces off to Chiron. He and Lupa were monitoring the bronze vats, melting down the metal until it was boiling hot. The heat from the vats was making the room hot, plastering my shirt to my back. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.

Chiron looked grim as he tossed the metal pieces over the brim into the vat. Lupa picked up a spare piece in her mouth and gave it to him.

"Got any plans?" I mouthed. Chiron shook his head.

This was going well. I was beginning to wonder if we would be able to stop Kronos at all, when I heard a shout from the other end of the workshop.

"NO! No no no no NO!"

"That sounds like Kronos." Lupa muttered. Annabeth, Jason, and I crept toward the back of the room.

Kronos was standing over Daedalus, an angry look marring his/Luke's face. The inventor was on his knees next to what looked like the world's largest bronze box. With a start, I realized it was a mold for an automaton.

I glanced around, looking for Piper, and noticed her propped up against the wall nearby, watching us. She was bound in thick bronze chains, and a white cloth was stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes widened when she saw us.

Daedalus raised a defensive hand as Kronos started yelling again. "I told you I needed the biggest mold there is! This can't be it! Keep looking! Really, you don't understand what's at stake here!"

Daedalus shut his eyes. At first, I thought he was just trying to tune Kronos out, which wouldn't work since he was right in front of him. Then, I saw his hands shaking, curling into fists and wiggling in odd turns, and it hit me.

He was manipulating the Labyrinth.

I didn't know what he was making it do, but Kronos didn't catch on. He kept ranting about our poor work, while Daedalus' features slowly became tighter. Whatever he was doing, the maze was sure fighting him on it.

Kronos stopped yelling and frowned, his head cocked to the side. After a moment, I heard it too.

Rumbling, like a volcano before it erupted. Annabeth grabbed my hand tightly as it grew louder, the floors and walls shaking.

CRASH

We all ducked as the workshop doors flew across the room, shattering into splinters. I coughed as a thick dust clogged my nose and throat. I rubbed my stinging eyes and looked to the doors.

In the doorway stood the biggest pig I'd ever seen. Seriously, this thing was really packing on the bacon. It was the height and width of a monster truck, with a pair of three-foot long tusks. It let out a squeal, and charged toward Kronos and Daedalus. I grabbed Annabeth's arm and drew her out of the way as it charged past. The smell of rotted garbage hit my nostrils, and I gagged. Wherever this thing had come from, it wasn't pleasant.

Kronos leapt to the side as it headed for him. Daedalus rolled to the side, and the pig smashed headfirst into the wall, making the room shake.

"What the heck is that?!" I heard Leo shout. The pig backed away from the wall, shaking its head like it was dazed. At the sound of Leo's voice, it turned and charged toward the smelter. Leo darted away seconds before it smashed the machine. Red-hot, liquid metal hissed as it poured out of the machine.

"It's the Erymanthian Boar!" I heard Chiron reply. "It's attracted to noise!"

At the sound of his voice, the pig charged the vats. It's hooves skidded through the metal from the smelter, and it screeched. The sound grated on my nerves.

Chiron galloped away, and grabbed a sharp looking scalpel from a workbench. With surprising precision, he threw it at the Boar.

What should have happened was that the Boar fell to the ground, squealing, as we finished it off, then turned on Kronos and defeated him as well.

Instead, the blade bounced off its hide like it was steel. The Boar grunted and spun around. Chiron backed away slowly as it pawed the ground. It he said one word, it would charge.

"Yo! Bacon Butt! Over here!"

We all turned and saw Leo, waving his hands in the air. "Come and get me!"

The Boar charged him, then, inexplicably, stopped. It shook its head back and forth, like a dog shaking off water. I saw a flash of blond hair, and a black and orange jersey.

Jason. The idiot had climbed onto the Boar's back, and was riding it like a bucking bronco. He let out a yelp as the Boar stomped and pranced, trying to throw him off.

"Jason!" I glanced over my shoulder. Hazel was banding down next to Piper, cutting at her ankle chains. Kronos was no where to been seen. We would have to worry about him later. Right now, we had Porky Pig's evil twin to deal with.

Once her last chain was broken, Piper leapt up and ran forward, towards the Boar. She snatched up the scalpel, tuck-and-rolled, diving under the Boar.

"Piper!" Annabeth shrieked. There was no answer. Piper was probably trampled by now.

REET REET. The Boar squealed one last, ear-piercing squeal. It slumped to one side, falling like a brick.

"Piper!" Jason climbed off the Boar, and shoved against it with his shoulder. Piper rolled out from under it, coughing. "Ugh. Remind me to never do that again." She said. Jason reached down and helped her up, gently pulling her to her feet.

"Is it dead?" Frank asked.

Leo kicked it in the snout. "Yep. Anyone in the mood for a hot dog?"

"No thanks." Piper wrinkled her nose. "I'm never eating meat again."

"Is everyone all right?" Lupa asked. We all nodded. "For the most part, yeah."

"Wait. Where's Kronos?" Leo asked. "And Daedalus, for that matter."

Hazel gasped, pointing to the door. "Look!"

The doors were wide open, the torches on either side sputtering from the draft. On the floor, a bronze washer sparkled. A few feet away, a glimmer indicated another. A trail of washers leading out from the workshop.

"Oh gods." Chiron swore, surprisingly. "He's escaped. And he's taken the inventor with him."

"Where do you think he's going?" Piper asked.

Chiron looked grim. "To the place he's always wanted to dominate."

"Half-Blood High."
. . .
Thoughts?

Peace ✌️

-SilverQuillsandRoses