The trip back to Elysian was quiet. Lucas, Annabeth, and Ethan slipped off the pickup truck they had hitch-hiked on, thanking the kind stranger as they drove off, leaving the trio to complete the final distance on foot.
Soon they reached the entrance to the city, only the occasional individual was spotted this early in the morning.
Annabeth was the first to speak. "I'm heading back to my quarters. I need sleep, proper sleep."
Ethan grunted in agreement. "I'll do the same, without Clarisse to drag me around, maybe I could get a satisfactory sleep."
Lucas just nodded, already turning away. "I've got something I need to do; you guys go on without me."
Annabeth and Ethan didn't question Lucas's plans, too tired to wonder, and looking forward to sleeping in their own comfy beds. As Lucas headed into Elysian, they made their way towards the camp, heading towards their respective cabins, with Annabeth taking residence in the Hestia Cabin.
As for Lucas? He intended to find Tekto, the cyclops Hestia brought to help build Elysian, as he believed he would be the best person to ask about delving into blacksmithing.
He walked the empty streets of Elysian, except for the occasional individual still walking around or preparing their stalls for the coming day. There were very few people, allowing the city to fall into a soft, comfortable silence.
The forge where Tekto worked sat near the eastern edge of the city. The closer he got to the forge, the more the air changed: warmer, tinged with coal smoke and the faint tang of heated metal.
Tekto's forge was alive with noise even at the early hours of the morning. The rhythmic clang of hammer on bronze echoed off the walls, punctuated by the hiss of quenched metal. The early morning ringing of work was probably why Annabeth set up the art district so far from the residential district, especially the forge, which was furthest away.
As for how he was sure this was the correct forge, that was simple. Unlike traditional blacksmiths, Tekto was different, holding interest in materials other than metal, so while he may have set up a forge to work as a blacksmith, the hammer and chisel surrounding a large block of basalt told how Tekto hadn't lost what made him different.
Lucas entered the forge, watching as the flames of the furnace roared under the cyclops' manipulations, its light throwing flickering shadows across racks of half-finished weapons, some small marble statues of different monsters, and what looked like some custom-sized cookware. It seems while Lucas has been away from Elysian, Tekto has been busy, receiving a broad range of requests.
Tekto himself was hunched over the anvil, working a piece of bronze no larger than a dinner plate. His hands moved with slow, careful strikes, taking care not to damage the metal. He didn't look up when Lucas entered, even when he sensed his entrance, his single eye fixed on the metal, focusing solely on his task.
Lucas waited until Tekto set the plate aside to greet him. The construction of Elysian was done under the leadership of Tekto, so although he came to help under the fulfillment of a debt to Hestia, Lucas felt nothing but respect and gratitude for this cyclops.
"It's nice to see you again, Tekto," Lucas nodded toward the row of products behind him. "It seems your time at Elysian has been good for you."
Lucas remembered his first meeting with Tekto, how the cyclops was an outcast at the underwater forges of Atlantis, how he lacked confidence in his work after constant belittlement from the stronger cyclops, causing him to leave before they officially kicked him out, but from the many works Lucas saw, he knew Elysian was treating him well, allowing him to showcase his talents.
Tekto smiled, and though he still avoided making eye contact, the subconscious puff of his chest and the embarrassed scratching of his neck allowed Lucas to tell just how proud Tekto was and how much that comment meant to him, even if he couldn't work up the courage to say that.
After some time catching up with Tekto, Lucas broached the reason he had come here for.
"Tekto, I want to learn blacksmithing," Lucas said. "I was hoping, if you didn't mind, you could teach me."
Tekto quickly shook his head.
"I don't mind. Why me? Better Smiths outside." Tekto was happy to help Lucas, grateful for the opportunity to assist him. During the time he knew Lucas, he consistently received trust and respect from the demigod, a stark contrast to his past, which made him feel grateful to Lucas. But he knew he wasn't the best blacksmith. While the cyclops in the underwater forge were cruel, they spoke the truth: his blacksmithing talent was lacking compared to other cyclops, fueling his endeavor to craft other materials instead of the traditional metalwork like others.
Lucas understood Tektos' insecurity; his blacksmithing talent wasn't as great as that of other cyclops or children of Hephaestus. Maybe he could find someone to make the items for him. Still, the children of Hephaestus were at Camp Half-Blood, making teaching impossible, and that was if they could teach at all, with most relying on their demigods' abilities, making their understanding completely different from that of the cyclops, who learned from scratch. And other cyclops wouldn't be as understanding or patient as Tekto for him, especially since Lucas wasn't sure he had any talent for blacksmithing, being a complete rookie.
Tekto scratched the back of his neck, avoiding Lucas' eyes. "…Alright. We start simple."
...
Lucas left the forge sweaty, arms aching, but there was a faint smile on his face. He was only learning the very basics from Tekto, but they discovered he had talent for blacksmithing. The combination of his abilities seemed to help in such work. His perfect recall, telekinesis, and precision enhancement made it easy for him to spot flaws in his works, never making the same mistake twice, and even helping him have better control of his smithing, meaning he was a quick learner.
This would allow him to reduce the expected time he thought learning blacksmithing, meaning he would sooner jump into crafting his own tools and equipment, fixing his combat style and making it more fitting for his abilities.