𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓮 - 𝓅𝑒𝓇𝒸𝓎 𝒿𝒶𝒸𝓀𝓈𝑜𝓃

1.16

Amaya had been struggling with the gears on the machine for a couple of minuets now. Silent tears raced down her cheeks as she worked, she had been pushing and pulling at the gears trying to get Percy out of the machine for what felt like hours. Soft sobs feel from her lips as she struggled, she wasn't losing Percy. Not today. A door on the second level clunked open as Amaya continued to fiddle with the machine.

"Can I help you?" The man asked from where he stood in the doorway.

Amaya ignored him, she didn't even send a glance in his direction as she looked at the gears trying to find a way to get Percy out.

"Did you need some help finding your way out?" The man tried again.

This time when Amaya ignored him, he played a quick tune on a flute which caused a step ladder to shoot out of the water that surrounded the girl and give her an easy way out. Amaya's eyes quickly flicked over to the stairs and then to the man in the doorway before turning back to the machine.

"So, off you go." The man stated obviously trying to get the girl to leave.

"I'm not leaving with my friend." Amaya argued only sending a quick glance towards the man.

"Yeah, that isn't really how it works. It's kind of a one-way sort of thing. It can't be undone."

"How do you know?" The girl sassed.

"Because I built it." The man, now known as Hephaestus, spoke. Amaya stiffened a little, taking in a deep breath before turning back to the machine.

"I'm not leaving here without my friend." She hissed again. "And if you aren't going to help me, could you maybe leave me alone so I can focus?"

"In spite of what my brother might've told you, I am not someone to be pushed around." Hephaestus declared. "I know that the gods haven't been very happy with you recently, of course, other than your father. He seems plenty happy with all the chaos you have been causing. We both know the other gods aren't of much help but what you've done has put them off even more. You walk outta here with that shield... and you're a hero. On your way to the greatest glory. They will be proud and you will be forgiven, and all will go back to being as it always has been, always will be... as it should be."

"It isn't how it should be! It isn't! Eat or be eaten. Power and glory and nothing else matters." Amaya ranted, her voice rising as she argued with the god before her. "Ares is that way, Zeus is that way, Athena is that way, my father is that way."

Amaya stopped to take a deep breath. She was getting Percy back. End. Of. Story.

"He isn't that way. He's better than that. Maybe I was that way once. But I don't wanna be that way anymore. I won't be like all of you. I just won't." The dark-haired girl finished, she spoke with the same strength and power that Percy was speaking with before.

Hephaestus looked at the girl with sad eyes. He understood what she meant, and he knew that the gods weren't fair, but this is how they had to be, right? The man frowned, the more he thought over the girls words the more he didn't want to be that way either.

Amaya turned back to the gears, her mind was ticking, she was thinking over everything that Annabeth had ever said to her about architecture and anything that could possibly help her right now. It turned out that she didn't have too, Hephaestus played a soft tune on his flutes causing the gears to start moving. Amaya's eyebrows flew upwards, and her lips parted, the girl rushed to the front of the chair.

The girl watched as the gold slowly started to melt from Percy's body, a massive breath of relief exited her lips. Percy looked up his eyes landing on the girl that stood in front of him and the relived expression that she wore. His eyes then flicked to the man standing on the second level, seeing as Percy had no idea what was going on he hauled himself out of the chair, practically falling into Amaya. Percy put himself between Amaya and Hephaestus, he was still trying to protect her even after everything that had happened.