by Simon Archer
“Arges?” I said, repeating the name in awe. “You work for the Cyclops?”
“For a while now,” Phae said, her smile widening. “It’s not as though I have any cattle to watch anymore.”
There was an awkward pause because I wasn’t sure at first if she was joking. But Olivia picked up on it quicker than I did and burst into laughter, slapping the goddess on the upper arm as though they were old friends. Even Phae released a chuckle herself.
“You’re allowed to laugh, Cameron,” Phae said with a raised eyebrow, almost as though she was expecting me to keel over in laughter.
I gave her a slight chuckle. “Sorry, I’m just still a little groggy from the lotus juice,” I gave as an excuse.
“I see,” Phae said as she switched the copper staff from one hand to the other. “Well, you will have quite the car drive for it to wear off. Come now, we should let Olivia get back to campus.”
“It was good to see you again, Phae,” Olivia said with another squeeze to the goddess upper arm.
Phae replied with a pat on Olivia’s hand. “Same here. Until next time.”
“Indeed,” Olivia agreed. Then she offered me a salute. “Good luck, Cameron.”
“Thanks for the ride, Olivia,” I said with a wave as Phae led me down the plank towards the dock. As I descended, I felt the locket bounce against my sternum, a subtle reminder that even though I was about to head into an unknown situation, leaving behind all of the familiar, I at least wasn’t alone.
Phae led me to a parking lot where a black SUV with tinted windows waited for the pair of us. She climbed into the back, and I followed suit, even though it was on the other side. In the driver's seat, there was an official chauffeur, complete with a pressed suit and crisp cap.
The situation felt very weird and official, definitely a level of class and sophistication I wasn’t used to or remotely prepared for. Luckily, Phae seemed perfectly comfortable, almost as if she was in her natural habitat.
“Back to the villa, please, Walter,” Phae told the driver.
“Certainly, ma’am,” Walter replied with a swift and curt nod.
The car started with a low purr and glided along the road. I watched the Sicilian countryside blaze by as we drove along. The lush greens and brightly colored houses continued as we traveled. There were people on bicycles riding alongside the road, while I noticed small fishing boats out on the ocean which stayed in our view nearly the whole time.
“It’s amazing,” I breathed, not even realizing that I spoke aloud.
“It’s a beautiful country,” Phae agreed. “Even with all of the modern updates, it is one of those places that has never lost its charm.”
“Have you been here all that time?” I asked, curious about her origins.
“Is that just a secret way to ask me my age?” Phae said with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh no,” I said hurriedly. “I was just curious. I mean, you seem to love the area, and I was just making small talk, but we don’t have to. Silence is perfectly fine with me too. Unless you want to--”
Phae cut me off with a sprinkle of amused laughter. “There is no need to be nervous, you know.”
“That just makes me more nervous,” I grumbled, slouching in my seat a little more.
“Arges doesn’t just take on any apprentice,” Phae assured me. “He was impressed by you, that is not a small compliment.”
“You keep mentioning Arges,” I said, noticing her specific word choice. “But what about Brontes and Steropes? Will I not be working with them too?”
The goddess pursed her lips together and looked straight ahead for a moment. I instantly recognized that I asked another sensitive question.
“It is probably best that you ask this now and not when we get to the villa,” Phae said, her voice taking on an official tone. She continued to avoid my eye as she spoke. “The three brothers no longer work together, and it would be to your benefit to not mention Brontes and Steropes to Arges when you are working with him.”
“Can I ask why, or would that not be to my benefit, either?” I chanced the question, sensing that I was toeing the line to a dangerous degree.
“It would be quite detrimental to you if you asked that question, yes,” Phae informed me.
I licked my lips and put my chin in my hand, my eyes drifting back to the window. I couldn’t help the disappointment welling up in my chest. I wanted to work with the three Cyclops responsible for making the trident, the lightning bolt, and the helm of invisibility. Before my father was born, they were the best blacksmiths on the face of the planet. They helped the Gods win the war against the Titans, turning the war in favor of our godly parents. Knowledge from the three of them was the closest I could get to learning from my dad directly since they worked with him once he had been made the god of the blacksmiths. The fact that I would only be learning from one-third of that trio sucked.
I turned my thinking around as I watched the waves, the villas, and the greenery go by. I was in Italy, for Pete’s sake! For the next several weeks, I would be in one of the most beautiful places in the world, studying only blacksmithing with one of the top blacksmiths in the universe. Even though it was only one of them, it was also the one I needed, since Arges had been responsible for making the helm of invisibility, which was ironic considering his name meant “bright” in Greek. But Brontes, translated to thunder, made the trident and Steropes, lightning, made the lightning bolt. I was there to learn about armor and defense, so learning from the other two who made weapons like me was probably not what I needed. So I took a deep breath in, relishing the salty scents from even inside the car and tried to be grateful for this opportunity.
It all came back to Sarah and her mysterious death. I needed to focus on the task at hand so I could get back to Hades by December 1st with the helm. But just because that was the end goal didn’t mean I shouldn’t enjoy my time in a foreign country either.
Phae, Walter, and I rode in silence for the remainder of the trip. I had to bite my tongue back a couple of times to keep from asking stupid questions. Or at least what Phae would probably consider stupid questions. I lost myself in the beauty of the countryside and was even more amazed when the ocean disappeared from view, and we delved deeper into the outskirts of the city. There were more trees acting like fences from the acres of property that lived beyond. Between the close trunks, I did manage to glimpse a couple of mansion-like houses with fountains and manicured trees.
I didn’t know what I thought the Cyclops residence would be like. But I certainly didn’t picture an Italian villa. We passed through an intricate iron gate with high brick walls surrounding it. The car traveled onward and onto the property, my mouth dropping instantly.
Before us was a marble mansion. It had the quintessential Italian architecture with its round towers but low, sharp corners. It was a contrast between the new and the old. The windows had bright blue shutters that matched the color of the ocean which was the mansion’s backyard. There was a swimming pool off to the side of the property that looked as though the water fell off the side of the cliff. The house looked sturdy despite its precarious position. We could hear the roar of the waves the minute we left the car, and the ocean breeze was back to messing up my hair.
“This is where Arges lives?” I said breathlessly.
“It’s been remodeled over the centuries, but yes, this is his home,” Phae informed me with the tone of a tour guide. “I’m sure you would like to see inside. However, Arges is anxious to meet you and instructed me to take you down to his workshop the minute you arrived.”
My heart leaped at the thought of seeing the workshop. “That’s fine by me,” I told the goddess. “Can I bring my tools?”
“Of course,” she said as she gestured with her hand. “They are in the back of the car.”
I retrieved my supplies from the trunk of the SUV, Walter making sure to open and close the door for me because he wanted to be useful, and I wouldn't let him carry my supplies. It was nice to h
ear the familiar rattle of the various hammers, chisels, and clamps in the bag. It was a sound that reminded me of what I was here to do.
I was about to forge.
Once I had my stuff, Phae beckoned me around the left side of the house, on the opposite side of the pool. There was a set of steep stone stairs I hadn’t noticed before that descended the cliffside.
Unfortunately, I caught a glimpse of how high up we were, and I immediately froze. Phae walked down several stairs before she realized I wasn’t following her. When she looked up at me, I stood with both hands desperately clutching the straps of my black bag, looking wildly up at the sky.
“What are you doing?” Phae asked blankly.
“Just give me a minute,” I said with an audible swallow. I squinted my eyes shut for a moment and thought about all the times before now that I’d conquered my fear of heights. I tried to recapture that excitement I’d felt moments before and squash the sudden panic that seized my muscles.
Phae must have read the fear all over my face because I could hear her exasperated sigh even over the roar of the waves. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights?”
“I’m a son of Hephaestus,” I complained. “I like my two feet on the ground. Not in the air or underwater.”
Phae rolled her eyes. “Well, the workshop is down here, and if you have any hope of working in it, you need to get over this fear and quickly.”
I took a couple of deep breaths in and out, coughing once from the salty air. Then I stared intently at the ground, watching as I moved one foot at a time, down one step at a time. I didn’t dare take my eyes off my own feet, I refused to look out onto the beautiful ocean, especially not if it was going to make me freeze again.
After what felt like an eternity, Phae led me to the mouth of a well-lit cave. Instantly I felt the breath return to my lungs as we stepped inside, and the death drop to the rocky ocean below was out of my purview. We walked a little further, deeper into the mountainside, until we reached a forge beyond my wildest dreams.
I thought the one we renovated at the Academy was beautiful, but this was an antique work of art. It combined the old techniques of blacksmithing, like coal fires and hand sharpening stations with the modern amenities like power hammers and conveyor belts. A machine whirred above our heads as tools traveled around the forge. Suddenly it stopped, and the tools swung precariously, but not a single one fell from its perch. Machines moved on their own, the symphony of pounding and metal on metal ringing in my ears. Magic filled the room as multiple creations were being made at one time.
The conductor of this whole operation stood several yards away from Phae and me at the back of the workshop. The first thing I noticed about the figure was that he was huge. He stood at least seven feet tall, with bulging muscles that seemed unnatural even for a supernatural being. His skin was a burnt orange color, and he was bald. Sweat trickled down his shirtless back down into the belted jeans he wore.
“Arges,” Phae announced. She had to raise her voice over the continuing machinery.
The minute the goddess said his name, all of the action in the forge ceased. There was a steady hum from the lights, but other than that, the once-bustling smithy fell into a tense silence.
“He’s here,” Phae proclaimed as she took a step back so that I could be front and center when Arges turned around.
A sudden level of discomfort came over me. I didn’t like having so much attention on me, even when it was only in front of one person. I clenched my fists around the strap of my bag and waited for the monster to turn around.
“Cameron Alpin,” the cyclops said. His voice was crisp and clear, more sophisticated than I would have thought from an ancient creature, especially one that large. “Son of Hephaestus, god of the blacksmiths, a blacksmith himself. A rare male demigod. When I heard of your existence, I knew I had to meet you.”
“Thank you?” I said, my voice turning the phrase into a question. I cleared my throat to begin again. “I’ve been anxious to meet a great smith such as yourself too.”
A light chuckle came from the cyclops, making his massive shoulders shake. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me, son of Hephaestus. You will be judged on the quality of your work.”
Just then, Arges finally turned around to face me. I thought I was prepared for the sight of this well-known monster, but I wasn’t. I swallowed a gasp, but I wasn’t sure I could get my face to comply. Sure enough, as expected, the cyclops had only one eyeball placed right above his nose, where the space between two eyebrows might have been on a human. It was large, without eyelashes, and burned a severe blue, nearly matching my own turquoise eyes.
“Are you ready to get started?” Arges asked me, raising his single eyebrow as a smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
I knew right away that he was challenging me. I could see that despite my reputation, and what he had said just seconds ago, he didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in a lot of things, but the one thing I prided myself on was my skills as a blacksmith. No matter who this ancient creature was, I was determined to prove myself as a master smith.
“Yeah,” I answered as I straightened my shoulder and raised my chin. “I’m ready.”
16
“Excellent,” Arges said as he clapped his hands together. They were the size of baseball gloves, so they made quite the echo when he smacked his palms together. I flinched at the sound but did my best to keep my composure.
“You have six hours until you fight Phae,” Arges informed me. “Use that time to make what you need for the battle.”
Then the cyclops walked past me unceremoniously and headed for the exit of the smithy. I blinked, stunned for a second, thinking I had missed something.
“Hang on a minute,” I said as I whirled around to face my new teacher.
He and Phae paused, both of them turning over their shoulders simultaneously. The cyclops blinked at me innocently. “Yes, Cameron?”
“That’s it?” I wondered. “You’re just going to throw me a task like this without any instruction or guidance?”
“That is one way of looking at it,” Arges said calmly. He folded his hands over one another, and his expression changed to one of patience, like a parent trying to teach a child a lesson. “The only instruction is to make what you need. It must be new and created within this smithy in the next six hours. You will meet us on the training grounds, and we will see what you can do.”
With that proclamation, the cyclops and his assistant walked out of the cave, leaving me completely alone in the smithy.
I looked around the room, my mind completely blank. My eyes wandered around, searching the cave ceiling for an answer or solution. I didn’t know why, but I expected some kind of introduction or mini-lesson. But he basically threw me into the fire without any rhyme or reason. Normally I liked free-range, being able to create whatever I wanted, but I really wanted to impress the cyclops. How was I supposed to do that when I didn’t know what kind of fight I was getting into? Or what he really wanted?
I dropped my bag of supplies down on the ground. The tools clattered about noisily, accompanying my sigh of dismay. For the first time in my life, I didn’t even know where to start.
Luckily, my eyes drifted over to the blazing fire in the stone fireplace, and I remembered the secret I had around my neck. Quickly, I scrambled for the necklace and popped it open. Without wasting a second, Katlynn came out and stretched into her ghostly form.
“Took you long enough!” she complained as she bent her neck from side to side. “It was getting cramped in there.”
“Calm down,” I said, exasperated.
“Hey,” Katlynn said admirably as she took in our surroundings. She put her hands on her hips and twirled in a slow circle. “Nice digs. Is this where you’re going to be working?”
“Yeah, at least for the next six hours,” I said with a growl at the back of my throat.
“What’s wrong?” Katlynn asked, instantly picking up
on my bad mood. “I figured a smithy like this would be heaven for you.”
“I just met Arges, and he told me that I had six hours to make what I needed to fight Phae tonight,” I told my half-sister. “But I don’t know what that means!”
“I think it means exactly what he said,” Katlynn said plainly. “Just make whatever you would want for a fight. What’s so hard about that?”
“I don’t know what to make,” I complained. “What is he looking for? A spear? A sword? Some obscure weapon that’s super complicated? A simple Bowie knife? Like, I don’t even know where to go with this.”
“I think you're overthinking it,” Katlynn told me with a blank expression. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the workbench. “He gave you little instruction for a reason.”
“Care to share the reason?” I asked.
“I don’t know what it is!” Katlynn exclaimed. “That sounds like something you’re supposed to figure out.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes, putting my hands on my hips. “Okay, if I’m supposed to fight Phae, presumably, she’s going to bring that copper staff she got from her dad.”
“Why do you assume that?” Katlynn questioned.
“It’s her most prized possession,” I reasoned as I reached up and tapped my chin with my pointer finger. “She’s had it for basically a million years and is well trained with it.”
“So, what would be a good counter weapon to that pokey staff?” Katlynn asked, voicing the quintessential question.
I huffed out a heavy breath of air, and my eyes wandered to the rack of steel that covered the far wall of the smithy. I bit the inside of my cheek as I scoured the different types of metals. There were familiar types of steel but also softer metals like copper and gold that I normally would never touch. But seeing the copper gave me an idea.
I reached out and picked up a pipe in my hand. It was light, and I knew from my studies that copper was an easily malleable metal. That was the main reason I didn’t use it to make weapons because it didn’t hold up well when struck hard enough.
