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𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄

𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆
𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐃
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BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. Charlie contemplated throwing the radio as far as she could, but even if she did reel her arm back in preparation for a launch, she doubted her vice-like grip would let go, her fingers wrapped around the object so tight that her knuckles were seconds away from splitting open. One nap. She had pulled over for one nap - was that too much to ask for?

Apparently so, because not even five minutes into her beloved beauty sleep, her radio decided to become a fucking alarm clock. Seriously. But then she looked at the screen, internally yelling at Leo for not telling her it had an alarm, but then she saw the screen and realised he had told her, and that it wasn't a wake up call. A chill had ran down her spine as she scrambled to her feet, mounting her bike and taking off before she had even sat on it properly.

Charlie wasn't sure how many road violations she had collected, but she was almost sure it was all of them. The map on the radio proved to be outdated, and Charlie decided she had no choice but to go through the field in front of her. It was bumpy, and she felt like she had permanently bruised every part of her, but she didn't have the heart to turn back around.

It was weird, the constant beeping didn't come with any sort of message, she had no idea of what dangers awaited her, and yet she hadn't thought to think about it. Apart of her still nagged that there was no point in going, that the second she realised she was in over her head, she'd turn around and never look back, but something reasoned that there was no harm in looking, that perhaps Leo had just accidentally turned it on, and it reassured her, let her know that if they were fine, she could rest easily.

Although - if it did turn out to be an accident, Leo would be dead by dusk.

Leo felt cold all over, and though part of the reason was because of the scene before him, another part caused him to look over his shoulder, as if he expected someone else there with an intention of killing him.

Leo peeked around the machinery. Hanging directly above the assembly line, suspended by a chain from a crane on the opposite side, was a massive truck engine - just dangling thirty feet up, as if it had been left there when the factory was abandoned. Below it, on the conveyor belt sat a truck chassis, and clustered around it were three dark shapes the size of forklifts. Nearby, dangling from chains on two other robotic arm, were two smaller shapes - maybe more engines, but one of them was twisting around as if it were alive.

Then one of the forklifts rose, and Leo realized it was a humanoid of massive size. ''Told you it was nothing,'' the thing rumbled. Its voice too deep and feral to be human.

One of the other forklift-sized lumps shifted and called out in Piper's voice. ''Leo, help me! Help!'' Then the voice changed, becoming a masculine snarl. ''Bah, there's nobody out there. No demigod could be that quiet, eh?''

The first monster chuckled. ''Probably ran away, if he knows what's good for him. Or the girl was lying about there being a third. Let's get cooking.''

Snap. A bright orange light sizzled to life-an emergency flare-and Leo was temporarily blinded. He ducked behind the crane until the spots cleared from his eyes. Then he took another peep and saw a nightmare scene even Tía Callida couldn't have dreamed up.

The two smaller things dangling from crane arms weren't engines. They were Jason and Piper. Both hung upside down, tied by their ankles and cocooned with chains up to their necks. Piper was flailing around, trying to free herself. Her mouth was gagged, but at least she was alive. Jason didn't look so good. He hung limply, his eyes rolled up in his head. A red welt the size of an apple had swollen over his left eyebrow.

On the conveyor belt, the bed of the unfinished pickup truck was being used as a fire pit. The emergency flare had ignited a mixture of tires and wood, which, from the smell of it, had been doused in kerosene. A big metal pole was suspended over the flames-a spit, Leo realized, which meant this was a cooking fire.

But most terrifying of all were the cooks.

Monocle Motors: that single red eye logo. Why hadn't Leo realized?

Three massive humanoids gathered around the fire. Two were standing, stoking the flames. The largest one crouched with his back to Leo. The two facing him were each ten feet tall, with hairy muscular bodies and skin that glowed red in the firelight. One of the monsters wore a chain mail loincloth that looked really uncomfortable. The other wore a ragged fuzzy toga made of fiberglass insulation, which also would not have made Leo's top ten wardrobe ideas. Other than that, the two monsters could've been twins. Each had a brutish face with a single eye in the center of his forehead. The cooks were Cyclopes.

Leo's legs started quaking. Gulping, he realized he couldn't think, he was too terrified to. He took a hesitant step back.

And then jumped out of his skin.

A hand wrapped around his mouth, only just giving his nostrils enough room to breathe as they flared at the danger, and then he was tugged back, falling into something warm, their breath scorching his shoulder and Leo nearly passed out.

''It's me, don't scream.''

Leo wasn't going to scream, but he did want to yell at her because what the hell was that! You can't just sneak up on a guy like that, honestly.

Charlie span him around, pressing his back against the boulder they were hid behind, black pools staring into his own eyes as she nodded slowly. Realizing he was yet to respond, he nodded along, a lot quicker that Charlie was. Nodding once more, she slowly took her hand away from his mouth, and Leo gave a dramatic gasp for air, causing her to shove her hand back, whispering harshly, ''Be quiet curls!''

He stared at her blankly before licking her hand. She pulled away with a look of disgust.

Whipping it on her pants as if she was diseased, she spoke again. ''What's the situation?''

''Clyclopses.''

''Cyclops-es?'' Charlie said, her eyes widening. Leo nodded, mumbling a 'that's what I said'. It was too late to abort the mission, Charlie, she told herself, besides Leo's already seen you - you really going to let him down like that? The answer was no. For now at least. ''Odd, they're not exactly the type to travel in packs. And the other two? Where are they?''

Leo pointed with his thumb, eyes wide and hopeful as he didn't take his eyes off of Charlie, he needed his friends to be okay, he needed her to help him sort everything out, he needed everything to be okay. Glancing back at him, Charlie's heart twanged painfully. Looks like she was here for the long-haul.

Sighing through her nose, Charlie looked down, shaking her head softly as she tried to gather herself, she placed her hands on her crouched knees, rolling her sleeves up as she took a moment to said a prayer to the gods, (not that she expected an answer, it was more for reassurance than wanting help).

''Okay,'' Charlie said finally and Leo leaned forwards. ''What's in the bag?'' Leo practically threw it off his shoulders, desperate to give her anything that could help.

The Cyclops in the chain mail loincloth walked over to Piper, who squirmed and tried to head-butt him in the eye. ''Can I take her gag off now? I like it when they scream.''

The question was directed at the third Cyclops, apparently the leader. The crouching figure grunted, and Loincloth ripped the gag off Piper's mouth. She didn't scream. She took a shaky breath like she was trying to keep herself calm.

Meanwhile, Charlie had found what she was looking for: a stack of tiny remote control units - it seemed all Hephaestus kids packed the same things. She paused, giving them a look. At least, that's what she hoped they were. ''C'mon, keep low and don't get spotted.'' Leo nodded. Charlie began to crawl behind the boulders, Leo right behind her as he anxiously willed his arms to not give away underneath him.

He had seen some weird things so far; storm spirits and winged gods and a metal dragon that liked Tabasco sauce. But this was different. These were actual, flesh-and-blood, ten-foot-tall living monsters who wanted to eat his friends for dinner.

Eventually, she crouched again, turning to wait for Leo to catch up. They were behind a large crane. ''Think you can find the control panel?'' He nodded. The maintenance panel, (he didn't have time to tell her the difference, as much as it annoyed him), was easy enough to find. Leo slipped a screwdriver from his tool-belt and went to work, but he had to go slowly. The leader Cyclops was only twenty feet in front of him. The monsters obviously had excellent senses. Pulling off this plan without making noise seemed impossible, but he didn't have much choice.

Charlie smiled, Leo knew what he was doing, she only needed to whisper the very vague idea she had and he was on auto-pilot mode. She was positive that he could've easily handled the situation by himself, judging by his suddenly steady hands and the steely look in his eyes - he just needed moral support.

And that, that she could do.

An ease washed over her as she watched him work, her shoulders relaxing and jaw unclenching. She smiled ever so slightly, maybe she'd make it out alive after all, thoughts of turning a blind-eye and making a runner were no longer as intrusive, her mind let her be.

The Cyclops in the toga poked at the fire, which was now blazing away and billowing noxious black smoke towards the ceiling. His buddy Loincloth glowered at Piper, waiting for her to do something entertaining. ''Scream, girl! I like funny screaming!''

When Piper finally spoke,her tone was calm and reasonable, like she was correcting a naughty puppy. ''Oh, Mr. Cyclops, you don't want to kill us. It would be much better if you let us go.''

Loincloth scratched his ugly head. He turned to his friend in the fiberglass toga. ''She's kind of pretty, Torque. Maybe I should let her go.''

Torque, the dude in the toga, growled. ''I saw her first, Sump. I'll let her go!'' Sump and Torque started to argue, but the third Cyclpps rose and shoulded.

''Fools!''

Leo almost dropped his screwdriver, and he would've done if Charlie hadn't latched out to steady his wrist, her eyes had been focusing on his hands the whole time, and she had noticed when they wavered. Her eyes were wide and her breathing had hitched before she released him.

The third Cyclops was female. She was several feet taller than the other two, and even beefier. She wore a tent of chain mail cut like one of those sack dresses Leo's mean Aunt Rosa used to wear. What'd they call that - muumuu? Yeah, the Cyclops lady had a chain mail muumuu. Her greasy black hair was matted in pigtails, woven with copper wires and metal washers. Her nose and mouth were thick and smashed together, like she spent her free time ramming her face into walls, but her single red eye glittered with evil intelligence.

She stalked over to Sump and pushed him aside, knocking him over the conveyor belt. Torque backed up quickly. ''The girl is Venus spawn,'' the lady Cyclops snarled. ''She's using charmspeak on you.''

Piper began to speak. ''Please, ma'am-''

The Cyclops roared, grabbing Piper by the waist. ''Don't you try your pretty talk on me, girl! I'm Ma Gasket! I've eaten heroes tougher than you for lunch!''

Charlie feared Piper would get crushed, but Ma Gasket dropped her and let her dangle from her chain. Then started lecturing Sump on how stupid he was, loudly.

Leo's hands picked up the pace, working furiously. He twisted wires and turned switched, hardly thinking about what he was doing. He finished attaching the remote. Then he crept over to the robotic arm while the Cyclopes were talking.

''-eat her last, Ma?'' Sump was saying.

''Idiot!'' Gasket yelled, and Charlie pieced together that the other two were her sons, ugly ran in the family she supposed. ''I should've thrown you out on the streets when you were babies, like proper Cyclops children. You might have learned some useful skills. Curse my soft heart that I kept you!''

''Soft heart?'' Torque muttered.

''What was that, you ingrate!''

''Nothing, Ma. I said you got a soft hear.. We get to work for you, feed you, file your toenails-'' Charlie physically shivered, gagging.

''And you should be grateful!'' Gasket bellowed. ''Now, stoke the fire, Torque! And Sump, you big lump, my case of salsa is in the other warehouse. Don't tell me you expect me to eat these demigods without salsa!''

''Yes, Ma,'' Sump said. ''I mean no, Ma. I mean-''

''Go get it!'' Gasket picked up a nearby truck chassis and slammed it over Sump's head. Sump crumpled to his knees. Charlie had been hopeful that a hit like that would've killed him, but Sump apparently got hit by trucks a lot. He staggered to his feet after pushing it off of him and ran to fetch the salsa.

Charlie looked over, locking eyes with Leo and she realised that he had been thinking the same thing. She smiled and nodded. Now was the time, whilst they were separated.

He finished wiring the second machine and moved towards a third, Charlie following him, she didn't like their chances if they were to be split up. As they dashed between robotic arms, the Cyclopses didn't see them, but Piper did. Her expression turned from terror to disbelief, and she gasped.

Ma Gasket turned to her. ''What's the matter, girl? So fragile, I broke you?''

Thankfully, Piper was a quick thinker. She looked away subtly. ''I think it's my ribs, ma'am. If I'm all busted up inside, I'll taste horrible.''

Ma Gasket bellowed with laughter. ''Good one. The last hero we ate - remember him, Torque? Son of Mercury, wasn't he?''

''Yes Ma. Tasty; a little but stringy.''

''He tried a trick like that. Said he was on medication. But he tasted fine!''

''Tasted like mutton,'' Torque recalled. ''Purple shirt. Taked in Latin. Yes, a bit stringy, but good.''

Leo's finger's froze on the maintenance panel. Charlie climbed onto the large seat with him, gently shaking him by the shoulder. ''Leo, snap out of it. Keep going.'' Nodding, Leo began to work again, although Charlie could tell he wasn't solely focused on it anymore.

''Purple shirt? Latin?'' Piper asked.

''Good eating,'' Gasket said fondly, patting her stomach like she was trying to stir up whatever was left of him in order to re-experience it. ''Point is, girl, we;re not as dumb as everyone thinks we are! We're not falling for those stupid tricks and riddles, not us northern Cyclopes.''

Charlie remembered how a Cyclops had kept Grover alive because he thought they were getting married - she couldn't recall where exactly that was, but apparently it wasn't in the north.

Charlie looked back up at the engine block suspended right above the Cyclopes' campsite. She wished she could use that, it would make a great weapon. But the crane holding it was on the opposite side of the conveyor belt. There was no way she could get over there without being seen, and besides, time wasn't exactly on their side.

Muttering what to do once he had finished, she realized this part would be the trickiest. From his tool belt, he summoned some wires, a radio adapter, and a smaller screwdriver and started to build a universal remote. For the first time, he said a silent 'thank you' to his dad for the magic tool belt. Get me out of here, he prayed, and maybe you're not such a jerk.

Piper kept talking, layering on the praise. ''Oh, I've heard about the northern Cyclopes!'' Which Charlie thought was bullshit, but it sure did sound convincing. ''I never knew you were so big and clever!''

''Flattery won't work either,'' Gasket said, though she sounded pleased. ''It's true though, you'll be breakfast for the best Cyclopes around.''

''But aren't Cyclopes good?'' Piper asked. ''I thought you made weapons for the gods.''

''Bah! I'm very good. Good at eating people. Good at smashing. And good at building things, yes, but not for the gods. Our cousins, the elder Cyclopes, they do this, yes. Thinking they're so high and mighty 'cause they're a few thousand years older. Then there;s our southern cousins, living on islands and tending sheep. Morons! But we Hyperborean Cyclopes, the northern clan, we're the best! Founded Monocle Motors in this old factory - the best weapons, armor, chariots, fuel-efficient SUV's! And yet - bah! Forced to shut down! Laid off most of our tribe. The war was too quick. Titans lost. No good! No more need to Cyclops weapons.''

''Oh no,'' Piper sympathized. ''I'm sure you made some amazing weapons.''

Torque grinned. ''Squeaky war hammer!'' He picked up a large pole with an accordion-looking metal box on the end.

He slammed it against the floor and the cement cracked, but there was also a sound like the world's largest rubber ducky getting stomped.

''Terrifying,'' Piper said.

Torque looked pleased. ''Not as good as the exploding ax, but this one can be used more than once.''

''Can I see it?'' Piper asked. ''If you could just free my hands...''

Torque stepped forwards eagerly, but Gasket yelled, ''Stupid! She's tricking you again. Enough talk! Slay the boy first before he dies on his own. I like my meat fresh.''

Leo's fingers began to tremble, and Charlie grew anxious that he was going to misplace a wire and let everyone know they were there. Tentatively, she placed her hand over his, causing him to look at her. His eyes were even wider, worry laced over them and she smiled fondly. ''Hey, you got this.''

''Right, right. I got this,'' Leo nodded along, repeated her words under his breath a couple more times before he regained his speed.

Charlie had no idea what was happening, through the past six months, it only took so much as the idea of something going down hill, but suddenly her bravery had returned, it was a warm feeling in her chest and it reminded her of the past years, where she had worn her heart on her sleeve and leapt before anyone else could even think of doing so.

She couldn't tell if she liked it or not.

''Hey, wait,'' Piper said, trying to get their attention. ''Hey, can I just ask-''

The wires sparked in Leo's hand. The Cyclops froze and turned in their direction. Then Torque picked up a truck and threw it at them.

Regardless of what she said earlier, she was appreciative of her acts were coming back because instead of diving to the left in a panic, the adrenaline caused her to go right, taking Leo with her as she body slammed him out of the way. If they had been half a second slower, they would've been smashed.

''You seem to have a habit of needing to be saved,'' Charlie grinned down at him, ignoring how her heart was stuck in her throat and the noise of the blood pumping blocked out Leo's response.

They got to their feet and Ma Gasket spotted them almost instantly. ''Torque, you pathetic excuse for a Cyclops, get him!'' Torque barreled towards them. Leo frantically toggled on his makeshift remote.

Torque was fifty feet away. Twenty feet. Fiftee-

The first robotic arm whirred to life. A three-ton metal claw slammed the Cyclops in the back so hard, he landed flat on his face. Before Torque could recover, the robotic hand grabbed him by one leg and hurled him straight up.

Screaming, Torque rocketed into the gloom. The ceiling was too dark and too high up to see exactly what happened, but