Page 150 of Ares' Shield
“I’m going. Be ready to run in case there is no other way and one of you keep your eyes on the opening at all times.” Without waiting for an answer, I push between the two stacks of boxes, sucking my stomach in for all that I’m worth.
It’s a tighter squeeze than I originally thought and there is a real possibility of me getting stuck.
“B, it’s too small,” Raven grunts.
“Give me a push.”
“Are you sure that’s smart? The whole thing could come toppling down on us.” Raven nudges me lightly.
Reaching my hand out I grasp the corner of the box right outside the maze and tug myself forward through the opening and stumble as I finally pull myself free. The boxes wobble dangerously but I grab on to steady them.
“Raven, give me your hand. I’ll pull you through.”
“This is a very bad idea,” Raven grumbles.
“It worked for me and I had to literally grab on to the wall because someone pushes like a girl,” I growl.
“Hey, watch it. I was trying to be easy. You know my strength can get out of hand sometimes.”
Jayden shouts, “Can we hurry this along, please. This place is uncomfortable.”
Raven thrusts her hand into mine and I tug her free from the maze just before the hole closes.
“Fuck, why did they take their eyes off it. How are we going to get them out?” I bend, placing my hands on my knees and breathing heavily.
“Why is there a damn sentient maze in the middle of an abandoned factory in the first place?” Raven throws up her hands.
I straighten my spine as I peer around the space we’re in and smack Raven on the arm repeatedly to get her attention. “Look.”
The space we’re in is wide open and there are hundreds of bronze automatons lining the walls and shelves with parts that appear to be made out of the god metal Hephaestus likes to use on his weird experiments.
“The fuck?” Raven swears.
“We’re in one of Hephaestus’ forges. But why would he build a forge in an abandoned machine shop in Chicago?” I plant my hands on my hips.
“That’s the question you’re asking? Not why the fuck are there hundreds of creepy-ass automatons lining the walls like they’re ready for war?” Raven asks.
“We need to find the guys and whatever Artemis wanted us to see and get the hell out of here before those things wake up and attack us.”
“Agreed.” Raven shudders.
We walk along the edge of the maze, searching for a way for the guys to get out, when a crash booms through the quiet space. I pull Raven back by her bag just as a box catapults to us. It smacks into an automaton lining the wall and the contents spill on the floor.
Jayden steps through the hole made by the box followed by the others.
“What did you do?” I ask.
I rush to him and he wraps his arms around me. “Adrian had a vision that we could get out that way, so we blasted our way out.”
“Did you also see that?” Raven points at the automaton that got hit in the blast with glowing red eyes that hadn’t been there a minute ago.
“Fuck, you woke one of them up.” I glance around the warehouse but none of the others seem to have activated or whatever.
“Why are there so many of them?” Jayden asks.
His shadows writhe up his arms, ready to protect him from the latest threat. I grip my necklace, willing the whip to unfurl in my hand. It was a weapon made by Hephaestus himself and the best weapon to fight a crazy automaton.
The thing steps forward with jerky movements like it’s just learning how to walk and I tilt my head to the side. It’s not an ancient one; it’s new.
