Chapter Text
For the Love of the Gods, Why Did You Think There Was a Single Living Soul in This Godforsaken Place?
What the hell was going through Percy’s head as he stared at the massive factory? To investigate all of this would take years, if not centuries! Hell, he’d take a second war with Kronos over this crap.
As you probably guessed, this was yet another search—but not just any search. They had to find demigods at an abandoned toy factory. Rumor had it there used to be an orphanage on the premises. Percy and his friends felt like they were losing brain cells from sheer stupidity thanks to their divine parents. I mean, come on—it was painfully obvious that if there had been any demigods there, they’d have long since died of hunger and thirst, or maybe something else. But something was pulling them toward the place. And hey, you can’t exactly ignore a prophecy.
Percy stood at the main entrance, feeling like he was in danger. Those ancient, ingrained demigod instincts were screaming, "RUN LIKE HELL—GET OUT OF HERE!" blasting like a war horn in his head. But there was no turning back now.
No one dared to be the first inside. They all felt the same thing Percy did.
«Well… what, are we gonna stand here forever? What are we waiting for? The faster we go in, the faster we find nothing and leave,» Leo announced, stepping through first. Despite his brave words, you could see his hand hovering near his belt, ready to whip out a screwdriver and take down a monster if he had to. Annabeth followed, and Percy hurried after her like a loyal puppy. One by one, they all went in.
Inside, the building wasn’t as bad as expected. A vacant registration desk stood in the center, with nothing but an old desktop computer and a green tape cassette on it. But what really caught their attention was the wall behind it: a peeling painting of a blue monster and the word “welcome.” Annabeth immediately gravitated toward the computer—maybe it had something about the demigods they were looking for. She slipped behind the U-shaped desk and bent down in front of the monitor since there was no chair. After a few minutes of fiddling with it, she gave it a smack—immediately regretting it as black smoke started pouring out.
«The computer’s dead,» the daughter of Athena stated, noticing Nico inspecting the cassette.
«What is this?» he asked, squinting. Clearly, he’d never watched anything on a tape—if he’d ever even seen a TV in his life.
«It’s a cassette. Basically, you can record video or audio on it. And look—there’s a TV right there,» she explained, taking the green box from di Angelo and slotting it into the VCR on her first try.
While they dealt with the obviously busted TV, let’s break down the team. The ones we already know are Percy, Leo, Annabeth, and Nico, but this lovely group also includes Piper and Will. Seems like a lot for what sounded like a simple job, but after hearing how massive the factory was, no one was complaining.
With Leo’s help, they got the TV working. Static crackled through the speakers. Annabeth was about to move on when a man’s voice came through, making the group go silent.
«Hello. My name is Leith Pierre. I’m the head of innovation at Playtime co. If you’re seeing this, it means you’re trespassing.»
The demigods tensed, nervously scanning the room, half-expecting some monster to leap out of the darkness.
«Yes, we play this on a loop every time the factory closes for the day. So, trespasser… just so you know…»
They listened, only half-paying attention.
«While we pride ourselves on the quality of our toys and our dedication to children, we also take pride in our security system. For instance, this building is full of hidden motion sensors. If triggered, they activate the emergency alarm and contact the authorities. And… that’s one of the simplest parts of our security system. No spoilers!»
«Good luck.»
Little did they know how often they’d be hearing that.
«Well,» Annabeth said after Pierre’s message. «Looks like most of the systems here are malfunctioning anyway, so we probably don’t need to worry about what Pierre warned us about. Still, we should stay alert. We have no idea what’s living in here.»
She was clearly nervous.
They soon reached a fork in the path and decided to split into groups of three. Three’s a luckier number than six anyway. Annabeth, Percy, and Leo went left. Will, Nico, and Piper went right.
The second group found a door with a poster of a red dinosaur chomping on grass, with text reading: «Eat Your Greens. Just Like Bron.» Nico led the way inside, followed by Piper, then Will.
The room was unremarkable—just a bunch of green boxes with robot logos on them. While Piper and Nico looked around, Will peeked inside one. There was a robot inside, looking brand new thanks to being boxed up. It ran on batteries, which Will didn’t have—until he checked and saw that batteries were included. Excited as a kid, he pulled them out. Nico walked over, Piper close behind.
«Will… what are you doing?» Piper asked while Nico gave him a confused look.
«Well, we’re gonna be here a while, so I figured I’d check out what kind of toys they made. Maybe I can grab some for the younger campers,» the son of Apollo said, popping the batteries in. The robot’s eyes glowed yellow, and a robotic voice chirped:
«Hi! I’m Boogie Bot! Your loyal robo-friend! Do you like to dance?»
It was obviously prerecorded lines, but Will was instantly charmed.
«It’s cute, but we’re supposed to be searching for demigods,» Piper said. Meanwhile, Nico was staring at the robot like it was a miracle from the heavens. He never had toys like this as a kid… Not that he needed them. He was an adult now. Will nodded, switched the robot on, and tucked it into his messenger bag.
Adjusting the strap, Will looked around. On the opposite wall was another mascot — a pale blue cat in a red box. Nothing else stood out except a train with four cars hanging above them.
The group headed back after hearing obvious sounds of frustration.
«What happened?» Nico asked, watching Annabeth’s failed attempts to crack a code. Percy’s pen was currently serving as a pen, jotting down failed combos.
«I honestly don’t understand why the electricity still works here!» Annabeth snapped, smacking the panel so hard it completely died. Exhausted sighs followed. Nico rolled his eyes, borrowed Leo’s hammer, and smashed the glass.
«After you, ladies and gentlemen,» Nico said with a mock bow and a sweeping gesture. After a moment, he squeezed through the broken door, and the others followed. Percy was last, glancing back at the dark hallway one more time.
«Percy? You okay?» Piper asked.
«Huh?… Yeah, just… weird vibes being here,» he chuckled, watching Leo fix yet another TV while Annabeth held a cassette—this one a different color. Hard to tell in the dim lighting, but it looked blue. The only light came from a compartment containing a strange device that looked like an extra set of mechanical arms.
Annabeth popped the tape into the player and stepped back so everyone could see.
A purple-and-white checkerboard background appeared with the factory logo. A few seconds later, it faded into what looked like a tutorial for the strange device. After the video, the compartment opened. Leo stepped forward to check if it still worked.
«Seems functional, but there’s only one. One of us has to carry it,» he said. After a vote, the group unanimously decided Percy should carry it—the GrabPack was heavy, and Jackson was the strongest, able to haul it without too much complaining.
Annabeth strapped it onto Percy. The son of Poseidon tested one of the arms—why was there only one? The tutorial showed two. Maybe they’d find another one later. He reached out, and the hand shot out, grabbing a box. He looked at the others, surprised.
«Right… Well, no other way out. We’re heading back to the lobby,» Annabeth stated, climbing back through the smashed doors. The others followed.
Once back in the lobby, they had no choice but to climb over the boxes past the reception desk. Nico hopped over the railing first and waited for the others to do the same.
«I feel like a thief,» Piper snorted.
«Of course,» Leo grinned. «Here to steal a couple of demigods, if there are any in this dump.»
They pressed on until they reached a door with a blue handprint glowing above it.
«Ahem… fish brains, that’s your cue,» Annabeth reminded him. Percy snapped back to attention and raised one of the GrabPack’s hands to the scanner.
After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a statue of the mascot from the entrance painting. Annabeth moved closer to inspect it. The figure was made of plush—but the fur was matted, like an old stuffed animal left out for years.
«I don’t think it was a great idea to display a statue like this,» she noted, studying the blue monster’s face. «It must’ve been a nightmare to clean.»
Percy grinned, aiming the GrabPack at the outstretched hand of the smiling creature and gave it a high-five.
«Percy, we’re on a serious mission here,» Annabeth said.
«Then why are we watching every tape and wasting time fixing TVs?» he shot back. She shot him an annoyed look.
«Fine. Do whatever you want,» she muttered. The others watched the exchange in silence. Will spotted another door with a handprint scanner.
«Percy. Over there,» he said, pointing. Percy turned his attention away and gave a quick «On it!» — but then the GrabPack’s cable shorted out. A clinking sound came from the statue. Everyone turned to see a key sitting there that hadn’t been there seconds ago.
They all exchanged glances.
«Okay, then…» Leo said cautiously, hopping across wooden blocks toward the blue giant’s hand. He grabbed the key and jumped down.
Annabeth noticed a plaque on the statue. «Huggy Wuggy? That’s… a weird name.» The rest of the text was unreadable. Leo glanced at the massive plush figure.
«Toys always have stupid names,» he grinned. They headed toward the only open door, Piper and Nico glancing nervously back at the statue as they passed.
The moment they were through, the door slammed shut behind them. Leo yelped and spun around, staring at it.
«Who makes doors that loud!?» he complained. He looked around the room— it was full of electrical panels.
«Oh, these things were in the tutorial. Looks like we need to find a power source somewhere,» Nico commented. Apparently, he’d paid the most attention during the tape, given how rarely he even saw a TV.
«Okay?» Percy said.
Searching the room, they found another handprint scanner compartment. «Seems like they’ve got us covered,» Percy said with a grin — but had to put in some effort to force the panel open.
Once they got the power running, they stepped back out… and Huggy Wuggy was gone. Everyone froze.
«Uh… maybe he got tired of standing around?» Leo tried to lighten the mood. It didn’t work. Now they were on edge.
They opened the now-accessible door and made their way down the hall. A door to the right was locked, so they pushed forward. The moment they entered, a pipe burst with a deafening bang. Everyone screamed—but when no danger appeared, they exhaled in relief.
«Stupid piece-of-crap pipe!» Leo swore. The others nodded in agreement. The tension eased slightly as they walked down the corridor.
They entered another room and found a TV—but no tape in sight. Whatever. Climbing a set of stairs, Annabeth spotted a glowing cube. It fit perfectly into one of the slots on a central panel. Three more were missing.
«Great. Guess we’re looking for those,» Nico muttered. He scanned the room. No obvious exit—only a drop down a shaft. Before anyone could stop him, Nico jumped. Will rushed to the edge.
«Are you insane!?» he shouted. Fortunately, Nico landed on some boxes.
«I’m fine… and I found one!» he called up, holding up a cube.
«Good. Find the others and find a way out!» Annabeth yelled down, sorting through boxes, probably hoping to find a tape. Maybe she wanted to figure out why this massive place was abandoned—or maybe she just didn’t want to get stuck because of some factory puzzle.
After a while, Nico returned empty-handed.
«I found the other three. Oh, and there’s a tape,» he said, handing it to Annabeth.
The video showed two men discussing «Huggy Wuggy boxes» — but what stood out wasn’t the boxes, but that these boxes were for *orphans*.
«Orphans… does that mean some of them could’ve been demigods?» Annabeth wondered aloud, staring at the floor. Percy shrugged, frowning.
«Then why did our parents leave them here? Why did they let them stay? Where are these kids now? This factory has clearly been closed for years,» he said, frustration bubbling at the gods’ typical neglect.
«I don’t know… Looks like we’ll find out as we go. Let’s just finish this puzzle,» Annabeth said, climbing back up the stairs. The others followed in silence.
They inserted the cubes into the panel. Above the mechanism, a claw moved and grabbed something from above. When they went back down, it turned out to be a second GrabPack arm. Percy attached it to the harness.
«Well, now we’ve got the full set!» Leo tried to lift the mood again, but seeing it didn’t land, he glanced away. «Looks like we need to open the conveyor line,» he suggested. Percy tested the dual hands on two scanners. The conveyor line activated, leaving them with no choice but to head in.
A terrible maze. What’s worse than a maze? A cramped one where Percy had to shuffle sideways thanks to the GrabPack.
They solved a power puzzle—with Annabeth’s help, of course—and the conveyor moved them forward. Suddenly, alarms blared, and everything turned red. Any remaining relaxation vanished. Everyone was sure a possessed Huggy Wuggy was about to jump out at any second. But they made it to the end in one piece, emerging into a strange room with bizarre machines at the far end.
«What the hell—I nearly crapped myself back there,» Leo panted. Piper snickered and went to examine the machines.
A sign near the control panel explained it was like those Build-a-Bear places—except here, you could assemble your own plushie. They also learned a new name: «Elliot Ludwig» , the founder of the factory. Based on the date — 1960 —he’d be ancient by now. Not that they’d get any info from him unless they found him after leaving—assuming he was even alive.
Annabeth checked the panel. No power. Will looked up.
«Uh… Annabeth, Percy, this one’s yours,» he said, pointing to an overhead power puzzle. Percy let out a dramatic groan and trudged after Annabeth.
After solving the puzzle, they found another tape.
«Hey, anyone wanna watch?» Percy called down. The others joined them. The video was brief—an interview with some employee named Stella. Nothing special—just her rambling about the fleeting nature of life. Percy sighed. Honestly, sometimes he wished he’d never found out he was a demigod. But he didn’t regret it either.
They went back down to the panel. Percy pressed the button… Nothing. He pressed it again. Still nothing. Just when they thought it was broken, the mechanism sputtered to life.
«AUGH— this factory is going to give me a heart attack!» Everyone silently agreed with Leo.
As the machine did its work, Will walked over to a set of levers and pulled them to send parts down the conveyor. The whole process took forever. Did employees do this every day?
The end result was a little bee-cat plushie. Will picked it up.
«It’s so cute!» he grinned, showing the others. Piper agreed. The camp kids would love it.
Percy glanced at the exit. «I hate to break it up, but… we’re gonna have to sacrifice it to get out,» he said, nodding toward a slot by the door. Will and Piper looked disappointed but placed the plush inside. The door slid open.
Percy cautiously stepped into the dark hallway.
Their worst fear came true.
Huggy Wuggy emerged from the corridor, very much alive.
The demigods screamed, panicking. Annabeth’s eyes darted to the conveyor.
«Everyone on the conveyor! Now!» she ordered. They didn’t argue, scrambling into the open hatch.
The blue plush monster chased them with rows of terrifying teeth and hungry eyes. They burst out onto a bridge—a dead end. Percy turned and spotted a box above them with handprint markings. He didn’t know who had set it up, but he was grateful. He pulled it down. It crashed onto the monster just as the bridge collapsed beneath them.
Thank Zeus there was another bridge below. Huggy wasn’t so lucky—the creature plummeted into the darkness. Annabeth looked down, the others following her gaze.
«Is that… blood?» Nico asked with disgust, staring at the blood-stained pipes the giant plush had smashed into.
«Maybe it’s from his past victims?» Leo guessed. Will shook his head.
«But… it looks fresh. No one’s been on this factory in ages… the blood would’ve dried up even if someone was here a week ago. And Huggy Wuggy looked relatively clean,» he said, leaving the others unsettled.
«We’ll figure it out later. We need to keep moving,» Annabeth said, crossing the bridge toward the exit of the conveyor area. Nico lingered for a moment, staring at the blood, then followed.
Before leaving, they found a gray cassette. The recording mentioned «Experiment 1006» . The Prototype? What kind of experiments? Maybe related to toys — new materials or mechanisms. The recording cut off abruptly, leaving a bad feeling behind.
They walked in silence, each processing what they’d heard. The «exit» was plastered with a giant painting of a poppy flower and graffiti reading «RUN», «DO NOT ENTER», and the like. But demigods never followed rules, so they went in anyway.
Beyond the door was something out of a 90s renovation — floral wallpaper, wooden floors, white ceilings. Just a long, long hallway lit by identical lamps. It was genuinely unsettling.
They emerged into a room where the only thing of note was a dollhouse, so they kept moving.
«This is super creepy,» Leo said, hugging himself against the chill running down his spine.
«Yeah…» Percy agreed, gripping the GrabPack.
It only got worse. The next hallway was bathed in red light, and the door at the end made it all the more ominous. Percy carefully opened it and peeked inside.
«Looks safe?» he said, stepping in. The room was dominated by a display case holding a porcelain doll.
Percy cautiously approached and opened it.
Red smoke billowed out. A wave of drowsiness hit everyone.
The last words any of them heard were:
«You opened my box…»
Then, nothing but darkness.