Ethan Nelson

“room below were connected to a metal plate under the sphere. Leo could sense the Celestial bronze running through the workshop like arteries from a heart—ready to conduct magical energy from this spot. “One basketball to rule them all,” Leo muttered. This sphere was a master regulator. He was standing at Ancient Roman mission control. “Leo Valdez!” the spirit howled. “Open this gate or I will kill you!” “A fair and generous offer!” Leo said, his eyes still on the sphere. “Just let me finish this. A last request, all right?” That must have confused the spirits, because they momentarily stopped hacking at the bars. Leo’s hands flew over the sphere, reassembling its missing pieces. Why did the stupid Romans have to take apart such a beautiful machine? They had killed Archimedes, stolen his stuff, then messed with a piece of equipment they could never understand. On the other hand, at least they’d had the sense to lock it away for two thousand years so that Leo could retrieve it. The eidolons started pounding on the gates again. “Who is it?” Leo called. “Valdez!” Wolf Head bellowed. “Valdez who?” Leo asked. Eventually the eidolons would realize they couldn’t get in. Then, if Wolf Head truly knew Leo’s mind, he would decide there were other ways to force his cooperation. Leo had to work faster. He connected the gears, got one wrong, and had to start again. Hephaestus’s Hand Grenades, this was hard! Finally he got the last spring in place. The ham-fisted Romans had almost ruined the tension adjuster, but Leo pulled a set of watchmaker’s tools from his belt and did some final calibrations. Archimedes was a genius—assuming this thing actually worked. He wound the starter coil. The gears began to turn. Leo closed the top of the sphere and studied its concentric circles—similar to the ones on the workshop door. “Valdez!” Wolf Head pounded on the gate. “Our third comrade will kill your friends!” Leo cursed under his breath. Our third comrade. He glanced down”
― Rick Riordan, The Mark of Athena