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𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔
┏━━━━ ★ ━━━━┓ 𝓐𝓷𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓪 𝓐 ┗━━━━ ★ ━━━━┛
The first thing she could think was how she was so not giving this laptop back now. Second, was how unsurprised she was. After all, his heartbeat wasn't...his entire being was just wrong. Being alive for two thousand years, she would hope his entire being was wrong.
The only thing Percy could apparently think to blurt out was, "But you're not an inventor! You're a swordsman!"
"I am both," Quintus said. "And an architect. And a scholar. I also play basketball pretty well for a guy who didn't start until he was two thousand years old. A real artist must be good at many things."
"That's true," Rachel said. "Like I can paint with my feet as well as my hands."
"What the fuck?" Anastasia accidentally blurted out. Then she blinked, "Wait, I actually didn't mean to say that aloud. That was just really...random."
That was as close to apology as Rachel was going to get.
"She's a girl of many talents. You should not judge, Miss Amorette," Quintus said. "I have heard of your talents."
At least he didn't call her Cursed One.
"But you don't even look like Daedalus," Percy protested. "I saw him in a dream, and..."
Realization hit him.
"Yes," Quintus said. "You've finally guessed the truth."
"You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."
"Percy," Annabeth said uneasily, "that's not possible. That—that can't be an automaton."
"Actually, it actually can be possible," Anastasia tilted her head and pursed her lips.
Quintus chuckled. "Do you know what Quintus means, my dear?"
"The fifth, in Latin. But—"
"This is my fifth body." The swordsman held out his forearm. He pressed his elbow and part of his wrist popped open—a rectangular hatch in his skin. Underneath, bronze gears whirred. Wires glowed.
