Indigo Eyes

Chapter 88

They split up.

They had split up. They had to. They'd been running when Grover had stopped. He'd stopped in front of a tunnel where he could sense Pan's power, and he had to follow it. Annabeth had said that they would come back, but they knew that it wouldn't stay open that long. It was now or never.

Tyson had gone with him. He was hesitant at first but he'd said that he wasn't like Hephaestus, that he trusted his friends and that he wanted to help find the god person.

Grover still had the empathy link with Percy as well, so, they'd see each other again.

Cressida had kissed them both on the cheek and hugged them tight, still thinking this was a bad idea but it was something they had to do.

The tunnel was growing hotter as they ran after the spider, Annabeth telling Percy how she was born seeing as he didn't know that Athena was also a maiden goddess that swore never to marry. Maybe those Greek History Classes weren't such a bad idea after all. Especially since the most he knew about Athena's birth was that she sprang from the head of Zeus in full battle armour. And that the glare that Cressida shot him stopped him from laughing when Annabeth said she was a brainchild, sprung from the divine thoughts of her mother and the mortal ingenuity of her father.

Annabeth took a page out of Cressida's book and made Percy kind of embarrassed so he'd change the subject or leave it alone and he did as the roaring got loud. They emerged into a cavern the size of a Super Bowl stadium, the spider escort stopping and curling into a ball as they arrived at the forge of Hephaestus.

There was no floor, just bubbling lava hundreds of metres below. They stood on a rock ridge that circled the cavern. A network of metal bridges spanned across it. At the centre was a huge platform with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges and the largest anvil I'd ever seen – a block of iron the size of a house. Creatures moved around the platform – several strange, dark shapes, but they were too far away to make out details.

"We'll never be able to sneak up on them," Percy said as Annabeth motioned Cressida forward and rolled her eyes as she picked up the metal spider and slipped it into her pocket.

"I can. Wait here."

"Hold it," Percy protested but Annabeth disappeared before they could argue and he didn't dare call after her.

"I'll go after her. Wait here," Cressida then said as she set her bag down next to where Annabeth had left hers.

"You're not going anywhere without me," Percy whispered as he grabbed her arm.

"I can and I will. I've taken Stealth Class, you haven't. Wait here."

"We're not doing this. We're not leaving each other behind," he persisted, not letting go of her. "You and I don't do that."

She sighed at his stubbornness but something in her also found it a little endearing. "Fine. Just stay behind me."

"Was that so hard?" Percy asked and she yanked her arm from his grip.

"Shut up and drop your bag before I drop you and leave you here," she threatened and they began creeping along the outer rim of the lava lake, trying to get a better angle to see what was happening in the middle.

Even though they'd left their bags and jackets behind, the heat was still unbearable. Geryon's ranch had been a winter wonderland compared to this. They were drenched in sweat, their eyes stinging from smoke.

"Think you can make me think I'm freezing cold? Or that I'm swimming in the lake at camp?" Percy asked as he wiped his face for the millionth time.

"Like hell," Cressida scoffed. "If I have to suffer through this, so do you. So deal with it."