Chapter 106

[Third Person's PoV] 

Lucian walked behind Annabeth, his hands behind his head, amused as she stomped along in anger.

Due to her frustration, she didn't notice an archway leading to a patch of greenery, but Lucian did. He froze on the spot and did a double take, making sure he was seeing it correctly.

A few feet away stood Pan, the Greek god of the wilderness. He looked like a typical satyr, except for his tired and defeated appearance.

Pan and Lucian locked eyes without saying a word. Lucian slowly used his hand to cover his face and pretended he hadn't seen anything, then continued walking while still covering part of his face.

'I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything,' Lucian kept repeating to himself.

Lucian then controlled his shadow tentacle to lift Annabeth off the ground.

Annabeth looked back at Lucian, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Need I remind you that you don't know where the traps are? I can't have you walking around in front," he said as he walked towards her.

Annabeth blushed a bit. "Oh, right… sorry. It's just that stupid Sphinx got me so angry," she said, crossing her arms in frustration as she remembered the Sphinx.

"Asking such simple trivia. Who does she think I am? If you're going to be named the master of riddles, then have some prepared that could challenge my intellect."

She grumbled, and Lucian just chuckled as she looked like a little kid throwing a tantrum with the way the tentacle was holding her up.

Lucian walked up to her and pinned a blue ribbon to her. Annabeth looked down in confusion as Lucian started to walk forward with her being carried by the shadow tentacle.

"So when are you going to put me down?" Annabeth asked, a bit embarrassed to be treated like that.

Lucian put on a pondering expression. "Hmm, how about when you answer some of my riddles?" he said with a smirk.

Annabeth smiled. "Alright, hit me with your best."

Lucian nodded. "What's the capital of Germany?"

"Berlin…" Annabeth reached down, took off a shoe, and flung it towards Lucian. "THAT'S JUST MORE TRIVIA!"

Lucian cackled maniacally as he caught it before throwing it back to her. "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"

Annabeth caught her shoe and put it back on before swinging her feet and thinking about the answer. She then smirked as she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled out the answer.

"An Echo!"

A few seconds later, they heard the echo come back to her, causing her to smirk.

"Ding ding ding, 10 points for Ravenclaw!" Lucian said.

Annabeth puffed out her chest with pride.

"Alright, then here's another: 'What can run but never walk, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?'"

"Come on," Annabeth said with a playful scoff. "If you're going to give me riddles, at least make them challenging."

"Oh yeah, Ms. Smartypants, what's the answer?"

"It's obviously a river," she said arrogantly.

Before Lucian had a chance to retort or say that the answer was correct, they arrived at a door with the Greek symbol Eta or H, which was the symbol of Hephaestus.

"Look at what we have here," Lucian said as he put Annabeth down next to him.

Behind the door, they heard the sound of metal clanging against metal.

Annabeth and Lucian looked at each other before Lucian went and knocked on the door. "Housekeeping~"

They heard grumbling before a man's voice shouted, "No one's home!"

"I come in anyways?"

"What? I said no one's home. Go away!"

"I come in anyways," Lucian smirked as he pushed open the door.

Annabeth and Lucian were then blasted with a wave of heat that caused them to begin sweating.

"Sorry, sir, I just really wanted to meet you," Lucian said respectfully.

Hephaestus, who was by his forge, looked towards the entrance in annoyance. "Didn't I say to go—oh, it's you. Come on in."

Annabeth looked nervous, meeting one of the 12 Olympians for the first time. "Um, sir… Lord Hephaestus, you aren't mad that we just barged in?"

"Of course I am," Hephaestus gruffed, "but I like the kid, so I'm willing to forgive him."

Lucian turned towards Annabeth and gave her a cocky smirk with a peace sign. "My good looks must be irresistible if even the gods are affected," he said arrogantly.

Hephaestus stopped swinging his hammer and looked at Lucian in disgust before ignoring him and returning to his work.

"So what do you want, kid?" Hephaestus asked.

"Just wanted to meet you and perhaps make friends with a god," Lucian said with a grin.

Hephaestus boisterously laughed, the sound resounding throughout the warm forge. "Friends with the gods, he says! You are just as impudent as I heard."

Lucian didn't look the least bit offended and shrugged his shoulders. "Never hurts to try."

Hephaestus scoffed before taking a good look at Lucian. He then looked at him in confusion. "Hey kid, you sure you aren't one of my own?"

"If you could control the dead and darkness, then maybe," Lucian shrugged.

Annabeth looked between the two of them and then asked, "Why would you ask him that?"

Hephaestus looked at Annabeth before focusing back on his work. "His talent in the way of the blacksmith is just like, if not higher than, all of my children."

Annabeth looked at Lucian, remembering one of the potions that gave him such talents.

"If you two are done with your little visit, you can head the same way you came from," Hephaestus said, not paying them any more attention.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got it. We've overstayed our welcome," Lucian said, waving him off and walked out, with Annabeth soon following.

"I'll come bother you at a different time," Lucian said with a hidden smirk.

"Don't," Hephaestus replied instantly.

Just as Lucian exited and the door was closing behind him, Hephaestus called out to him, "Oh, and kid, thanks for taking care of my children and giving them a chance to participate in the constructions project you did."

With that, the door finally closed behind them.

"Did a god just thank you?" Annabeth asked in surprise.

Lucian brushed his shoulders off arrogantly. "I've always been known to accomplish the impossible."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Alright, Mr. Impossible, take us to our goal. I think we have explored enough. We can continue exploring another time," she suggested.

Lucian nodded. "Very well then, follow me."