The Lost Hero

―Mighty understanding of you …‖ Hephaestus frowned, then sighed wearily. ―That was sarcasm, wasn‘t it?
Machines don‘t have sarcasm, usually. But as I was saying, the gods felt ashamed, shown up by mortals. At
first, of course, we were grateful. But after a few months, those feelings turned bitter. We‘re gods, after all. We
need to be admired, looked up to, held in awe and admiration.‖
―Even if you‘re wrong?‖
―Especially then! And to have Jackson refuse our gift, as if being mortal were somehow better than being
a god... well, that stuck in Zeus‘s craw. He decided it was high time we got back to traditional values. Gods
were to be respected. Our children were to be seen and not visited. Olympus was closed. At least that
was part of his reasoning. And, of course, we started hearing of bad things stirring under the earth.‖
―The giants, you mean. Monsters re-forming instantly. The dead rising again. Little stuff like that?‖
―Aye, boy.‖ Hephaestus turned a knob on his pirate broadcasting machine. Leo‘s dream sharpened to full
color, but the god‘s face was such a riot of red welts and yellow and black bruises, Leo wished it would go back
to black and white.
―Zeus thinks he can reverse the tide,‖ the god said, ―lull the earth back to sleep as long as we stay quiet.
None of us really believes that. And I don‘t mind saying, we‘re in no shape to fight another war. We barely
survived the Titans. If we‘re repeating the old pattern, what comes next is even worse.‖
―The giants,‖ Leo said. ―Hera said demigods and gods had to join forces to defeat them. Is that true?‖
―Mmm. I hate to agree with my mother about anything, but yes. Those giants are tough to kill, boy. They‘re
a different breed.‖
―Breed? You make them sound like racehorses.‖
―Ha!‖ the god said. ―More like war dogs. Back in the beginning, y‘see, everything in creation came from the
same parents—Gaea and Ouranos, Earth and Sky. They had their different batches of children—your Titans,
your Elder Cyclopes, and so forth. Then Kronos, the head Titan—well, you‘ve probably heard how he chopped
up his father Ouranos with a scythe and took over the world. Then we gods came along, children of the Titans,
and defeated them. But that wasn‘t the end of it. The earth bore a new batch of children, except they were sired
by Tartarus, the spirit of the eternal abyss—the darkest, most evil place in the Underworld. Those children, the
giants, were bred for one purpose—revenge on us for the fall of the Titans. They rose up to destroy Olympus,
and they came awfully close.‖
Hephaestus‘s beard began to smolder. He absently swatted out the flames. ―What my blasted mother
Hera is doing now—she‘s a meddling fool playing a dangerous game, but she‘s right about one thing: you
demigods have to unite. That‘s the only way to open Zeus‘s eyes, convince the Olympians they must accept
your help. And that‘s the only way to defeat what‘s coming. You‘re a big part of that, Leo. ‖
The god‘s gaze seemed far away. Leo wondered if really could split himself into different parts—where
else was he right now? Maybe his Greek side was fixing a car or going on a date, while his Roman side was
watching a ball game and ordering pizza. Leo tried to imagine what it would feel like to have multiple
personalities. He hoped it wasn‘t hereditary.
―Why me?‖ he asked, and as soon as he said it, more questions flooded out. ―Why claim me now? Why
not when I was thirteen, like you‘re supposed to? Or you could‘ve claimed me at seven, before my mom died!
Why didn‘t you find me earlier? Why didn‘t you warn me about this?‖
Leo‘s hand burst into flames.
Hephaestus regarded him sadly. ―Hardest part, boy. Letting my children walk their own paths. Interfering
doesn‘t work. The Fates make sure of that. As for the claiming, you were a special case, boy. The timing had to
be right. I can‘t explain it much more, but—‖
Leo‘s dream went fuzzy. Just for a moment, it turned into a rerun of Wheel of Fortune. Then Hephaestus
came back into focus.
―Blast,‖ he said. ―I can‘t talk much longer. Zeus is sensing an illegal dream. He is lord of the air, after all,
including the airwaves. Just listen, boy: you have a role to play. Your friend Jason is right—fire is a gift, not a
curse. I don‘t give that blessing to just anyone. They‘ll never defeat the giants without you, much less the
mistress they serve. She‘s worse than any god or Titan.‖
―Who?‖ Leo demanded.
Hephaestus frowned, his image becoming fuzzier. ―I told you. Yes, I‘m pretty sure I told you. Just be
warned: along the way, you‘re going to lose some friends and some valuable tools.
But that isn‘t your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines. And everything can be
reused.‖
―What do you mean? I don‘t like the sound of that.‖
―No, you shouldn‘t.‖ Hephaestus‘s image was barely visible now, just a blob in the static. ―Just watch out
for—‖
Leo‘s dream switched to Wheel of Fortune just as the wheel hit Bankrupt and the audience said,
―Awwww!‖
Then Leo snapped awake to Jason and Piper screaming.