The Crane, the Boar, and the Shield

As both Malcolm and Conan enetered the forge, a couple of his half siblings greeted him. Of course he responded and walked passed a couple of work benches until he came to his own. Malcolm grabbed some water paper and sat down on his chair and pulled on up for his Ares friend. "So tell me what you want, Conan. Like the design and such." He started to sketch out how the shield would look. He remember Canon saying something about it having wings.

Conan Hayes - Son of Ares

Conan walked into the Forge and cringed a bit as the heat washed over him. Aside from the heat Conan loved the forges, weapons all around (sometimes haphazardly), the familiar sound of metal striking metal. He followed Malcolm in as the Hephaestus kids called greetings to each other, sometimes not even stopping their work to do so. Malcolm lead the way past a few stations until they reached his. He sat and offered a chair to Conan, who took it as Malcolm asked what exactly he was looking for while sketching something either in the shape of wings, or with a wings pattern. Conan glanced at the paper and cocked an eyebrow at it. "Well, I know I don't want a wing shaped shield." He said as he settled down. "As for what I do want, well. I guess a typical round shield, though I'll leave and design and artsy stuff to you. Unless you have a few recommendations on the shape." Conan stammered on. Once he was thinking of the shield his mind wandered to how he'd move with it, what he'd want to get out of it. He knew on of the few things he wanted was a Celestial Bronze rim so when he slammed the shield into monsters it would kill them.

The son of Hephaestus gave himself a mental slap in the back of head as Conan reminded him that he did not want a wing shaped shield. "Oh, I must've been thinking of something else then. Sorry about that." Malcolm tried to play it off with a light chuckle before Conan continued to talk. He just wanted a basic round shield. He could do that. He started to sketch out designs, thinking.

The first design consisted of a boar in mid charge. He could insert celestial bronze spikes that would serve as tusks of the boar. If this thing were to bash into anything, it would definite leave some damage. He would add a bit of red that when it shimmered, it would seem as if the boar was blood red.

Conan Hayes - Son of Ares

When Conan finally reined in his stray thoughts he looked down to the new sketch that Malcolm had. As he looked a wicked grin spread across his face, he could almost see the thing leap off of the page and on to his arm. Conan couldn't wait to get the shield and test drive it in the woods on some hapless monster. "So, I'm thinking that I want it from here, to about here-ish." Conan said holding his left arm up, as though he was holding the shield. As he held his left arm up he used his right, indicating where "here" was. The distance between was anywhere between two or three feet apart, Conan wasn't exactly precise in his measurement but he figured that Malcolm could get what he was after. "I'd like the rim to be celestial bronze so that I can punch with it if needed." Conan said pantomiming the punch action he was talking about. "I'd also love it if I hide it like my sword." He said, pulling out the flashlight that was strapped to his fatigue jacket. "Though, I'm not sure what it should hide as, so I'll just leave that in your hands to." Conan finished and put the flashlight back.

Malcolm didn't even look up at Conan when he started to suggest how long and wide he wanted the shield. "I already know your BMI, Conan and knowing that helps me make the shield so it's an impressive defense tool as well as a threatening offensive weapon." The son of Hephaestus put drew brackets for the width and hieght. It wild be three feet high and two feet wide. He also made a note to make the rim celestial bronze. "It'll be a watch when it's not activated therefore it'll already be on your arm."

Conan Hayes - Son of Ares

Conan smirked when Malcolm shot down his "here to here-ish" measurement. He also remembered this part of the planing. It taught him that Hephaestus kids are like freight trains when they were focused, basically meaning that there was one speed, one direction, theirs and you had no choice but to go along or you were dragged along. "That sounds perfect." Conan said at the mention of the shield basically being designed for both offence and defense. That was the point of a shield, they were a defensive weapon, which implied that they could attack with it. "I'm not much of a watch person. They never make it through a fist fight." Which was Conan's one and only complaint about them. He tried to wear them before, but as he said they never made it passed training or a fight.

He sighed and thought of something that he could always have on him. "Well this won't be a normal watch, Con. It'll be mechinically magical." Malcolm pointed out. "But if you insist on something else then I'll do a ring. How does onyx colored ring with a ruby colored stone sound?" He asked as he asked he got up and got slabs of celestial bronze metal into a one of the fire stations to melt down into the shield mold. Malcolm returned to Conan and thought for moment. "Oh, and I made you a pair of brass knuckles too. Don't let me forget to get those from my bunk."

Conan Hayes - Son of Ares

Conan scowled as the thought, most people just assumed he was mad, about Malcolm's offer of an onyx ring with a ruby set in it. In truth he'd prefer the ring, but he wasn't how it was possible to fit a full three foot tall two foot wide shield into a simple ring. "Honestly Malcolm you've heard my one complaint against a watch. That said, I trust just about anything you make. Except maybe automatons." Conan said, and you really couldn't blame him, the Cabin 9 kids sometimes had machines go wrong and those thing could hurt. He shifted weight as Malcolm moved for the celestial bronze slab. He cracked another "Ares grin" when he was told about the misnamed "Brass" knuckles. First rule you learned in the Ares Cabin was strength matters, second was you always needed more weapons."Trust me I wouldn't dream of letting you forget that."

Malcolm smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Automatons? What is that?" He asked as he waited for the metal to melt down. He sat back down in his chair, turning his attention to Conan. He almost laughed when he saw Conan's reaction to him making celestial bronze brass knuckles. "Good." He turned and started to sketch robotic creature. Malcolm usually did this when he was bored. This son o Hephaetus would also create these creatures and bring them to life.

"I enjoy helping my best fri..." He paused before continuing. He knew that the two of them weren't best friends, rather, good friends. This made him want to bite his tongue in half."I'll go check on the metal." With that, he got up and headed over to the hearth. He took the liquid metal that was already in its shield mold and sat it down into the quencher to cool it off. He did this without gloves sense he was immune to flames as well as having an immunity to high heat.

[ooc: HUEHUEHUE AUTOMATONS SO FUNNY]

Thud. The ground was shaking -- but why?

Thud. Was it a bird? Was it a truck?

No, it was an animatronic automaton of Chuck E Cheese! Ten feet tall, with part of its costume mouth torn off from a previous little spat with a car to expose long Celestial bronze fangs, the oversized mouse was making its way across the camp towards the forge, where the heat from its plumes offered its heat senses very satisfying prospects. Vaguely, it reminded it of home with Master Hephaestus -- wherever he was. "Who's ready to rock?" it called out, and promptly slammed its head clean through the wall, laughing mechanically before spouting out a stream of fire at the demigods inside.

Conan Hayes - Son of Ares

Sweat was beginning to form on Conan's forehead and neck, from the heat of the fires. So he was only just half paying attention to what Malcolm was saying, and noticed that he just cut himself off. What was that all about? Conan wondered He was actually about to ask when a single thing suddenly took all his attention.

Thud. He felt more than heard it. That very fact meant it was big, but where he was worried him. Big monsters were one thing, but ...

Thud. This one he felt AND heard, and he only had time for one thought. Dammit! As he stood.

Suddenly one wall burst open and a ten foot tall mouse thing with a missing lower jaw crashed through. Conan jumped behind Malcolm's station as he heard the roar of fire shooting around the forge, though he had know idea if the flames would actually reach him or not. He swore in Ancient Greek, and pulled out his flashlight. He hit the arrow button near the top and felt it quickly grow into a two foot celestial bronze blade. As the fire dissipated Conan lunged for the next station where he grabbed and threw a celestial bronze double-headed war axe at the metal mouse. Then he ran to grab a shield from a stack of completed ones set against one wall. Well, if I had to get attacked this is either the second best place to be or the second worst. Conan thought as he waited to see what the metal monster would do next, and the others in the forge for that matter. He didn't want to run forward and collide with some overzealous camper.

*Conan's Sword:

Malcolm was about to lift the mold out of the water when he suddenly heard a loud noise coming from outside; now inside. "What the f#%k!" He shouted and got into warrior mode. The first thing he knew was that this thing was made out of metal and could possibility be controlled. The son of Hephaetus outstretched his hands to it, but wasn't able to manipulate the bot. This only meant one thing. A god created this metal monster. Was this creepy metal Chucky Cheese his father's?

He stood there as Conan threw a battle axe at it. He quickly got back into his mode and reached into his pockets to pull out two bolts that were his duel war hammers inactivated . He tossed them up and in a matter of seconds, two celestial bronze hammers appeared and landed back in his hands. Malcolm let go of them and used his ferrokinesis to control the duel hammers. He pointed to the metal bot and the hammers flew toward 'Chucky Cheese' and started to slam into its head repeatedly.

Malcolm nodded his head and quickly ran behind his sister. Gods he loved her and the power she possessed. He didn't know anyone who could bring magma from the ground. After going about ten feet behind his half-sister, he stopped and watched as the lava slowly made its way toward the robo-rat thing.

Oh noooo.

The war axe's handle hit the automaton squarely on the nose, while the blade skidded off the forge's walls as it fell to a clatter on the ground. The dual hammers the other boy was controlling was hitting the mouse with loud ding noises, but no clear damage could be seen as it pulled its head out of the wall and turned as it recognized, with its heat sensors, a new person coming towards them. One of the boys ran to this new person -- a girl with a big shield who was summoning lava that flowed towards the mouse, almost rapidly. What mild inconveniences these all were: the hammers, the girl, the lava, the crushing student debt in America.

But of course, the automaton had faced more lava before. Some of Master Hephaestus' forges tended to be positioned in very dramatic volcano-y places, after all.

As the lava flowed, nearing the mouse's furry feet, there was a sudden clicking noise and suddenly -- it sprouted beautiful bird-like Celestial Bronze wings, glimmering in the sunlight, and took off from the ground; its mouth snapped open and unleashed a powerful jet of scalding hot water down at the demigods.

[ooc: are we inside or outside here what's going on idk this is very uncoordinated. if this doesn't make sense i'll edit]

OOC: They're outside, I think I said so when I made Sawyer summon lava.

BIC: Sawyer watched on as the automaton grew wings and got airborne, but her eyes widened under her helmet as the giant robotic mouse spewed a torrent of boiling water straight at them. No! she thought with panic just before she got drenched from head to toe in the steaming hot water. Sawyer roared in pain, her hands flying to her face. The pain numbed her senses and she lost control of the lava, which churned and bubbled and started to flow downhill. It wouldn't do her any harm, she was immune to anything volcanic, but it would be lethal to anyone who fell into it.

Malcolm watched as the boiling water came raining down on them, Sawyer getting the blunt of the attack. The scolding water also fell on Malcolm which made him wince and released shouts of pain from his lips. No! He couldn't go down like this! The African American demigod had enough and balled his fists up. He wasn't going to let this metal beast inflict anymore pain on him or his family.

His dark skinned started to change into a onyx colored metal. He hadn't use this power before, but he knew that this wouldn't last long. "I'm coming, Sawyer!" Malcolm sprinted toward his sister, trudging through the lava and boiling water like it was nothing. Once he got to his sister's side, he wielded a sheet of celestial bronze out of the forge and through it at the automan. The sheet was ten feet by seven feet with an inch thickness. Hopefully that would stop the water works. Wrapping his arms around Sawyer, he quickly led her out of the lava and tried to get out of the range of the boiling water.

Sawyer barely felt anything else than pain, she wasn't even aware of Malcolm's touch as he dragged her away from the automaton. Her throat felt numb from roaring, which had now subsided into aching yells every few moments. The huge girl collapsed onto her knees about twenty meters later, looking at her hands. Her armor had done a good job of protecting her but everywhere else, the scalded skin looked red, raw, and brownish blisters had started to form. Please, no!

Then the skin started swelling.

"Do something! Do something!" she shouted, panicking. No burning, no burning, no burning, please, Hephaestus, no more burning- She felt like she was eight again, in the building on fire. No fire. No burning. Please. And now here she was nine years later, being scorched again but on a larger scale; Sawyer sensed the scared child inside her mind starting to scream in anguish. If there was one thing she was afraid of more than anything, it was burning.

[ooc: annddd i'm sorry for the really late post here]

The automaton easily flew out of the way of the Celestial bronze sheet, letting it fly off wherever the winds or the boy's ferrokinesis would let it go as it shut off its water-spout. Boy could control metal, hm? And the girl could control lava. Interesting combination. Chuckie definitely found it as amusing as a robot with mild sentience could.

With more internal creaking of its joints, the mouse unleashed a spray of hydra venom down on the children.