Clockwork

34

Percy forgot about Kenneth and had Riptide at Adrien's throat. The son of Aphrodite chuckled. "You'd do that to an old friend?" He asked, his words laced with charmspeak. "Yeah, Adrien, I don't think I've ever liked you," Percy responded. Percy looked around and saw what looked like a science lab, with computers and weird stuff in tubes. Eleven was sprawled out on the table in pieces, people in masks hovering over his shattered body.

There were screens that showed slow and steady heartbeats, over a dozen of them. One of the heartbeats sped up, and one of the scientists pressed a button which made the heart go steady again.

Percy also noticed that this building looked a lot like a hospital. Even though what could've been a lobby happened to be the assembling room for Eleven.

"That's too bad. Your son is such a gem." Adrien said, gesturing to Kenneth who had gotten up and had his own weapon in his hand. Maybe Kai had bumped her head while getting here, but she was unconscious on the floor behind Kenneth.

Percy rolled his eyes and raised his free hand. Kenneth stiffened.

"Damn, you'd do that to your own offspring," Adrien tsked. "Now, is that any way a hero of Olympus should act?" Percy raised an eyebrow before twisting his hand and letting Kenneth fall to the ground, recoiling into a fetal position. Percy almost felt bad. Almost.

"Why don't you give me a tour of this place," Percy said, urging him with the end of his sword. "I don't do things well when there's a sword to my neck--" Percy lowered Riptide only to exchange it with a gun. "Better?" Percy asked, holding it against Adrien's temple.

Adrien gave a careful smile. "Of course. Great. This way."
-_-

"Hephaestus calm down," Hestia said to her nephew as he hobbled around his workshop.

"To Tartarus with your 'calm down'. Hephaestus grumbled. Hestia wasn't sure what the god of blacksmiths had begun to assemble, but he did it hastily yet flawlessly, his eyes squinted in concentration. It hadn't been an entire hour that Hephaestus had lost contact with his champion Clockwork, but the god had already begun to fear the worst.

He had called an emergency meeting with the rest of the gods, but himself and Hestia weren't there yet.

"I thank you, Aunt, for staying. You are the only one who can withstand and put out heat as well as I can." Hephaestus put a small, oddly shaped trinket in his hand. He placed the trinket in her hands. "I need you to heat that to the highest temperature of your ability," Hephaestus told her. Hestia looked at her nephew strangely before the trinket began to smolder as Hestia closed her hand around it.

Hephaestus hurriedly thanked his aunt again, grabbing the nearly molten scrap of metal and placing it in what looked like a whistle to Hestia.

Hephaestus whistled, and the ground began to tremble before it stopped.

"Come on, aunt. We need to hurry before the others become too impatient." Hephaestus said, before flashing away. Hestia was confused, but she was comforted at seeing Hephaestus worry about someone so much other than his machines. Well, Hestia supposed Clockwork was one of his machines, but not really a machine more like a creation. A child. She wasted no more time to flash to her nephew's location. 

She appeared in the middle of the forest. A large metallic mare was eating the trinket out of Hephaestus' hand.

"Find him, Sabre. Find him." Hephaestus said to the odd mare, who whinnied before turning and galloping away. Hephaestus nodded to Hestia. To Olympus, Aunt. You'll learn something at this meeting too.

(–—._—.)

"Finally, the one who called the meeting arrives," Hermes called when Hestia and Hephaestus flashed into the throne room. Hestia sat in her throne, wondering what Hephaestus had meant about learning something at this meeting.

"Where's your tin can? Have you found it yet?" Dionysus asked, uncharacteristically both awake and alert. "Yes, where is your machine, Hephaestus? It was him that alerted everyone that Poseidon was having a mental break down." Athena asked, no doubt tauntingly. She was making sure that everyone knew that Poseidon not only had the restraint of a spoiled two-year-old when throwing a tantrum, she also wanted to rub it in his face that he was saved by a machine. The great god of the sea gets saved by a mindless hunk of metal. Hestia frowned at her niece. Clockwork was far from mindless, machine or not. Nor was he heartless, which made Hestia think that he was the latter.

"I haven't found him yet," Hephaestus said. No one looked alarmed, except Artemis and two members of the demigod council. Not even Hephaestus' son looked all that worried. "Then what are you waiting for? Can't you just, I don't know, remote control him back to you." Apollo asked.

"No, I can't. I want to go get him," Hephaestus said. "I want to send some capable demigods--of my choosing-- to go find him." He leaned heavily on his walking stick, casting a hard stare at his father. He wasn't leaving any room for argument.

Of course, Zeus didn't care about that and made room for an argument.

"Not even a full hour ago, The camp flooded. It killed One, and now we have to plan our next step. We don't have time to find your favorite toy!" Zeus snapped.

"But you do have time to find Olympus' hero." Hephaestus, not moving off of his walking stick, stared his father down. He ignored the myriad of emotions that displayed themselves on everyone's faces.

"That machine was..." One of the demigods started, but Hephaestus didn't care who.

He turned to Poseidon, who had turned a sickly color, but hope renewed itself in his murky eyes, making them bright again.

"Percy Jackson is in trouble. We need to go get him." Hephaestus said with polished steel in his voice.

All done with this chapter. Sorry guys, I know it's been like a month but here you go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Bye!!!