Choi Seungcheol

We were marched through the residential gate to the inside of the Good-People Residence. At the first glance, the complex was so normal, almost too normal in Demi-Gods’ eyes. At each house’s porch there were cars, some of the resident were chatting in front of their house. Even the lights were .

“This isn’t seems right.” I muttered. “Mingyu, could you please check it again. Just to make sure.”

Mingyu nodded and checked the tracker once again. “I-I’m sorry but it shows the right location, even the dot is blinking faster now.”

Slight of confusion pictured on my face. How come a godly item could be hidden in this mortal’s neighborhood? I touched the bracelet on my left arm, its orange gemstone glowed faintly.

I nodded at them, signaling that we must move further.

The four of us continued our march, walking on the sidewalk trying to get more information of this neighborhood. Well it was really a rare sight to find a residential complex in Korea. But that wasn’t the reason that makes me uneasy.

I took a single glance at the residents. They were staring at us, muttered some words to each other. I knew it. There must be something wrong with the people in this neighborhood.

More and more people were looking at us as we walked further. Until we got to the place that seems like the residence’s center, the whole neighborhoods were gathered around us, they looked at us with feisty eyes.

I raised my hand, signaling the rest to stop. The aura at the neighborhood suddenly changed to grim. Cold breezes suddenly pushed harder between our clothes. It wasn’t a normal neighborhood as it seems.

I checked at our surrounding, it seems like there were around seventy to eighty peoples circled themselves, tight enough to not leaving even a narrow gap to escape. They didn’t want us to escape for sure. I look at my teammates, they were in steady position, I know that they read the situation so well.

In a second, the peoples are charging us. I don’t realize that earlier but now clanking metal sounds could be heard as they ran toward us. I quickly took my bow and arrow from my back, shooting right at their feet. Surprisingly, my arrows weren’t pierced through as it was a flesh, it was deflected.

I kicked at a man who trying to gape me, he falls with a noisy clanking sounds as he dropped at the ground. But the sight now was more horror than before; the body pieces are now scatted. The limbs are all dismembered. But instead of blood, wires could be seen from the inside of the body, connecting each limb. They were Automatons.

I ran to the rest who were battling the machine-peoples hardly. Everyone’s is occupied by dozens of automatons that took shape of humans; even Mingyu’s now surprisingly fighting an Automaton skillfully with his blade. The clanking sounds could be heard from all directions.

“They were Automatons!” I shouted while shooting my arrows at the vital area of an Automaton. “Attack the heart! They were creations of Hepahestus, their body was made by celestial bronze, the only fragile part of their body was the heart, there was their source of power.”

I dodged the attack from a woman automaton who is swinging a kind of butcher knife to me. It misses a few centimeters from my neck. Because her body was made of bronze, she could not balancing her body well as she was stumbled when she swung her knife. I took the chance to kick her left knee, dismembered one of her legs, making her unbalanced then dropped to the ground.

And it was right there, in the corner of my eyes, a big man automaton was ready to pounce Mingyu from his behind. Mingyu seems doesn’t took any attention as he was busy fighting the automatons in front of him. I immediately took my bow and shot an arrow right at the machine’s heart. The spark of electricity come from the limbs then it seems exploded inside because some weird smokes seeped through the limbs.

Mingyu mouthed a thanks to me and continued the battle.

We were sure of winning at first when the numbers of the Automatons were reduced to half. But the horror was just begins. The dismembered body parts that lies around us were strangely shaking, and in seconds the limbs were back in their respective positions and re-joined again. The Automatons were standing back again. It seems that some of them were not really hit right the heart.

Now the situation’s changed, we were completely surrounded right at the center of a park, back on each other completely exhausted. We’re not going to last longer, the battle was so though, we were outnumbered one to twenty.

The Automatons were moved again, but instead of charging at us, they were separating themselves, making a way. A man with a shriveled hair was coming toward us. He walked through the path that was made by the automatons with a proud step, on his back was slung a really big hammer, from the first glance I could identified it. It was Hephaestus’ Forging Hammer.

“Well, Look what we found here, some Demigods.” He glanced at the Automatons “Hold your attack, my creations.”

The machines were obeyed the boy’s order, they steadied their positions.

We all know looking at him. He was wearing Celestial Bronze armor with some writings and buttons on it. Cables could be seen between the limbs. He surely not looked like Automatons, his eyes clearly has some live.

“Y-You...” I shook in disbelief.  “It can’t be you....”

He snickered at me, as he challenging me to reveal his identity.

“Y-You are Kim Jongdae, one of the missing campers six years ago.”

*******

Kim Minggyu

The air was tensing around us. We were being surrounded by a whole army of Automatons, and a weird guy came to us. Kim Jongdae, which was the name that Seungcheol was called to him.

“Yes I am Kim Jongdae, Son of Hephaestus.” He spat at us. “What do you think of my creations?”

He was now walked around us, clearly amused with the fears in our eyes.

“I thought you were dead.” Seungcheol claimed, he was now lowered his bow.

The man laughed evilly, clearly mocking at the word dead. “I am completely alive and healthy right now.”

“and I believe, you are Choi Seungcheol, the Son of Apollo, right?” He throws his gaze at our head commander. “I am surprised you still remember my face, even six years after that night.”

Seungcheol tensed at the words. I could clearly see it from the corner of my eyes. Meanwhile, I was completely confused, wanting an explanation about all of this, but the situation was just not right.

“Yes, I can’t completely forget your face.” The golden haired boy finally spoke. “I thought you were death when our ship was hit by the storm.”

“tsk tsk.. The story is long, young commander; you must be surprised when you hear it.”

“I’m glad that you are safe, Jongdae Hyung.” Seungcheol said while targeting his bow and arrow at the man. “Now give us the hammer, I believe that you stole it from Lord Hephaestus.”

“Hahaha...” He laughed once again evilly. “What are you thinking, heroes? You want to shot me? We were cousins right?”

Jongdae kept walking around, seems not taken by fear of Seungcheol’s bow. The hammer on his back was unseated right now, the more that Mingyu saw it the scarier it looks.

The hammer was an Iron hammer made by Olympus’ iron that said to be unbreakable. Hephaestus used it to forge the weapons and his creations. It said that the power was incredible that only the god could lift it.

“Technically I’m not the only thief.” He said. “It’s a ‘we’.”

Jongdae swung the hammer lightly. He snickered at us. “Yes, I’m not the only thief.”

The looks of confusion pictured on our face. We should already know it from the beginning, that such mighty items could not be stolen by one person, especially without the gods knowing.

“B-but, who are you working with?” I bravely said, putting some will on my words, I try to charm speaks to him.

“Oh, A Charm Speak.” He smirked. “Forget it Son of Aphrodite, We are technically a step brothers. Children of Hephaestus could not be Charm Speak-ed that easy. Besides, there is too much information to your knowing.”

We all drawing our weapon and pointed it him. There was something so evil in his presence, something that might be would never cross in our mind. We locked our gaze, be prepared for any attack that would came surely after this.

“You dare to challenge me...” Jongdae said. “Haven’t you tired yet? This whole area was filled by my automatons; they would obey any of my commands. Including killing you all right here and now”

“We won’t do you any harm if you gave us the hammer.” Seungcheol said with a stern voice.

The look on Seungcheol’s face, I never saw him with such killer face like that. The leer the he gave to Jongdae was pure hatred, like it could’ve killed someone with a bat of an eye. He pulled his bow string, getting ready to shot.

“Haha... You don’t even try, Child of the Sun.” the son of hephaestus sneered at him. “I know you so well, you don’t even have any guts to kill, you’re different from me.”

Jongdae turned his gaze, now leering at Seungcheol. “Yes I am different from you, camp leader, I’ll happily end your life, especially a weakling, like you.”

The air became so intense, I don’t really know if it was because of the hammer or the demi-god. But I know that if we don’t act soon we all would died in a silly way.

In second Seungcheol shot his arrow right at the man’s chest, it pierced through a small gap between his chest and his stomach. It was supposed to be a deathly shot but the man still stood right there looking unharmed. It was scarier than fighting a horde of automatons, seeing a man stood still with an arrow pierced deeply through his chest.

“You made a wrong choice, kid.”

Jongdae cried in ancient Greek, that I knew the meaning right away, Kill them!

The battle stated again, now with more automatons army were coming from nowhere, and Kim Jongdae who was pushing through us wildly swinging the hammer to every directions. We tried very hard to not to be crushed with the giant hammer. We all know that it was designed to wield godly power, one touch from the hammer would shatter us into dust.

We fight until we were too exhausted, now each of us was fighting with ten automatons each. We won’t be survived in another five minutes. Even Seokmin who were considered the best swordsman in the whole camp was surely showing the exhausted expression.

I point the katoptris, giving a stern look to the Automatons in front of me, ready to attack towards me.

“Stop!” I tried to Charm Speak.

“You are all Hephaestus’ creation right?” I tried to sound as confident as I can. I don’t if it could work to the immortals, but there were no other options.

I stepped back a little bit, making a larger gap between me and the automatons. “You all should listen to me. If you kill us, Lord Hephaestus won’t be so pleased.”

It actually works. The Automatons were stood still at their place, actually listening to my words. It means that I need to try harder, in a desperate way.

“Look, if you kill us there will be no creation from Hephaestus anymore. He will be vanished if we don’t bring him the hammer.” I pointed at the hammer which was on Jongdae’s hand. “Now listen to me, please help us to bring that hammer back to Olympus, to Lord Hephaestus!”

I put so much will in my last spoken words. Much enough that it actually stir the Automatons to defy Jongdae’s command and turning their back. Now much army of Automatons are under my command. They were attacking each other, some were charged at Jongdae.

Now the situation was balanced. Half of the Automatons were obeying my command. One by one of the enemy was fell, crushed right the heart that it can’t be brought back to life. It went so good, we actually cornered Jongdae and the rest of Automatons to a wall, weapon pointed to them.

“Now I said, give us the hammer, you traitor.” Seungcheol said arrow pointed to the thief.

On the other side, Jongdae was just laughing evilly. “No.. I won’t!”

He lifted the godly hammer with a mocking face, then hammered it to the ground.

The ground was trembled by a huge earthquake. It was a strong earthquake that the houses around us were starting to crack and crumbled in seconds.

We were panicked and stick our back to each other. Crack were starting to form on the ground, eating the automatons into the earth. Now only five of us left, including Kim Jongdae who is now smirking at us with a lunatic expression.

“Die you weaklings!” He said.

Then our vision went black as the ground beneath us was cracked and eating us alive. We were falling into the darkness.

******

Hi! Update again, it took days to write this chapter as the ideas were suddenly gone.

I think the more i update the lesser people who read my story. I'v checked the statistic :(

I know this story was not good enough, please support me much so i could bring good updates to you all!!

Big Thanks!!!

-Best Regards, Reybil16