"We can negotiate," Piper said.

"We'll only accept a fair price," Amoriel added.

"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price. "

Amoriel couldn't help but facepalm at her stupid boyfriend. These boys will get them killed.

"Leo!" Piper snapped.

The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy," Oh Amoriel couldn't agree more, "But at least you know a thing's value. Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would ask me to release this satyr, who attacked my storm winds—"

"Who attacked us," Amoriel interjected.

Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you—that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal. And no harm was done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free will! At any rate, you want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits—who are very valuable servants, by the way—so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high. "

"Who's your patron?" Amoriel asked, her eyes narrowed.
The princess grinned. "You'd wish you never asked, dear."

I could see that the boys were ready to offer anything, promise anything. Before they could speak, Piper played our last card.

"You're Medea," she said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the evilest villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo—don't trust her. "

Her words seem to have affected the boys to some extent as Leo scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream. "What are we doing, again?"

"Boys!" The princess spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. Her diamond jewelry glittered, and her painted fingers curled like blood-tipped claws. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, Amoriel, my dears, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands. But I was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis. "

Jason—their Jason—scowled. "Then ... you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?"

"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again. "

"You ... re-formed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"

Medea spread her fingers, and steam hissed from her nails, like water splashed on hot iron. "You have no idea what's happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. I am mortal. I learn from my mistakes. And now that I have returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now, here is my price for what you ask. "

"Guys," Amoriel said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty. "

"Lies!" Medea said.

"Jason met another princess, on the way back from Colchis and he agreed to marry her and dump Madea," Amoriel continued, looking at Jason and Leo straight in the eyes.

"After I bore him two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?"

Jason and Leo dutifully shook their heads, but Amoriel and Piper weren't through.

"It may not have been right," Piper said, "but neither was Medea's revenge."

"She murdered her own children to get back at Jason." Amoriel continued. "Then she pretended to be the new wife's friend and poisoned her, killed their unborn child."

Medea snarled. "An invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth—that unruly mob—killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I sneaked back into the palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair—a suitable price. "

"You're insane," Piper said.

"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"

"Jason dumped you because he realized you're crazy," Amoriel said. "And now I can see that he's right."

Amoriel drew out her sword, reader to cut the princess in half if necessary. "Leo, Jason, snap the hell out of it!"

The fountain turned bright red. Piper drew her dagger, but her hand was shaking almost too badly to hold it. "Jason, Leo—it's time to go. Now. "

"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out fully formed—stronger and more powerful than ever. "

"Seriously?" Leo asked.

"Leo, she's lying," Piper said. "She did that trick with somebody before—a king, I think. She convinced his daughters to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young and healthy again, but it just killed him!"

"Ridiculous," Medea said, and they could feel the power charged in every syllable. "Leo, Jason—my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You do want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"

"Don't be idiots!" Amoriel screamed, her patience running thin. "You're best friends!"

"Guys, no!" Piper yelled. But they were already glaring at each other as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.

Leo scowled. "Jason's always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted. "

"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said. "You never take anything seriously. You can't even fix a dragon. "

"Stop!" Piper pleaded, but both drew weapons—Jason his gold sword, and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.

"Let them go, Piper," Medea urged. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!" I gave Piper a weird look. Her father?

Amoriel glanced at Piper, wanting to ask what Medae meant but knowing that they had more pressing matters. She placed herself between Leo and Jason, her hands outstretched to keep them from stepping toward each other. "The two of you, listen to me!" She screamed at them. "She's a witch and she's lying to you. She has you in a spell! You're not enemies, you're best friends!"

The two looked confused, staring at her as they waited for another order. She can only hope that at least a small part of them was resisting.

Amoriel could tell Medae's charmspeak didn't work on Piper, but the sorceress still had a persuasive voice. Amoriel stared at her friend worriedly. What if she was taken in?

"You work for Enceladus," she said.

Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause—a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, children of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your deaths, too. Save yourselves, and her father can go free. "

"Listen to me, girls. " Medea plucked a diamond off her bracelet and threw it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicolored light, Medea said, "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean." Medae called, making Amoriel turn to them. The mist shimmered, like a cloud starting to take form. Amoriel saw an office, movie posters proudly hanging on the wall as are several pictures of a girl- Piper, Amoriel realized- sitting behind the desk is a woman talking on the phone in a dark business suit, her hair in a tight bun.

"Hello, Jane," Medea said.

Jane hung up the phone calmly. "How can I help you, ma'am? Hello, Piper. "

"You—" Piper looked so angry that Amoriel was afraid she'd start attacking now, which would be bad. Obviously, a simple word from Medae and Leo and Jason would fight them.

"Yes, child," Medea said. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak. "

"Thank you, ma'am," Jane said. Amoriel couldn't help but snort in amusement. She sounded like a robot.

"Don't mention it," Medea said. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police—well done! No one seems to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line—that was a nice touch to get his cooperation. "

"Yes," Jane agreed in a bland tone as if she were sleepwalking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger. "

Gods, Amoriel thought, finally realizing what Piper had been hiding all along.

"I may have new orders for you, Jane," Medea said. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital. "

"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by. "

The image faded, and Medea turned to Piper. "There, you see?"

Amoriel wanted to intervene but she realized that this was Piper's fight and that Piper herself hadn't offered this information to them and that she had to respect that.

And also, she didn't feel very safe with taking her attention off of the boys.

"You lured my dad into a trap," Piper said. "You helped the giant—"

"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I'm a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little—just enough to visit him. "

"Leo's mother," Amoriel said, piecing two together. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"

"Uh-huh," Leo mumbled, in a daze. He frowned at his hammer. "So ... I just attack Jason? That's okay?"

"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake. "

"No!" Piper ordered. We both knew it was her last chance. "Jason, Leo—she's tricking you. Put down your weapons. "

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "Please, girl. You're no match for me. I trained with my aunt, the immortal Circe. I can drive men mad or heal them with my voice. What hope do these puny young heroes have against me? Now, boys, kill each other!"

And this was the last drop for Amoriel. "That's it!"

She swings her sword towards Jason and knocked his sword out the unexpecting boys' hands then she threw a high kick to his head and knocked him out. She then turned to Leo, she gave him a sorry look. "I'm sorry handsome." Before Leo could ask 'what for?' Amoriel kicked his legs under him grabbed his head and slammed his head to the nearest table knocking him out too.

"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way. "

Medae pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Amoriel swung her sword at Medae, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.

"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"

Before Amoriel could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts—flesh-and-blood winged dragons—crawled out from the pits below. Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.

The dragons spread their wings and hissed. Amoriel could feel the heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on Piper.

"Don't look them in the eye!" Amoriel warned. "They'll paralyze you. "

"Indeed!" Medea was leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watched the fun. "These two dears have been with me a long time—sun dragons, you know, gifts from my grandfather Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your destruction. Ta-ta!"


Amoriel quickly clutched the dagger charm from her bracelet and willed it to enlarge as she ran towards the dragon and she threw her dagger with such a force that it seems to be zooming through the air. Before the dragon could move, her dagger had buried itself in its eye.

The dragons lunged. Amoriel charged to intercept. Piper was amazed how fearlessly Amoriel attacked. She sliced, kicked and punched. She threw on of the dragons off of her and turned to Piper.

"Piper!" She called. "Search Leo's pockets, find the whistle and call Festus!"

Piper didn't need to be told twice as she rushed to Leo. Amoriel soon heard the sound of Leo's whistle.

A loud crash echoed around. Festus the bronze dragon dropped into the department store.

He hurtled into the fray, snatching up a sun dragon in each claw. Amoriel really appreciated just how big and strong their metal friend was. Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons into the pits they'd come from. Piper raced to the fountain and pressed the marble tile, closing the sundials. They shuddered as the dragons banged against them, trying to get out, but for the moment they were contained.

"Oh, no, you don't," Amoriel growled once she saw that Medae was trying to get away, and took off after her.

Medea was running towards the potions section. Of course, that's what she would go for. She was famous for potions.

Too bad Amoriel got to her before she could get to her precious potions. Amoriel grabbed her from her waist and threw her into Hera's golden throne, the one that no one can escape from.

"No! You will not survive this quest, you or your stupid friends! My patron will rise!"

"Not today, witch. " Amoriel said and she drove her sword through Medae's heart.


Piper was waiting for her at the downstairs next to Festus. She straightened up once she saw her. "Is she dead?" Piper asked.

"Yes, but I don't think she will stay that way for long. So help me put the boys on Festus, let's take Coach Hedge and the storm spirits and get the hell out of here." Said Amoriel tiredly.

They loaded the boys on Festus. Amoriel took the wheel while Piper kept Leo and Jason steady. The bronze dragon flapped his mighty wings, snatched the two cages with the satyr and the storm spirits in his claws, and began to ascend.

Festus landed on a clearance. Amoriel and Piper layed the boys on the ground and silently waited for them to wake up. After an hour or two, Leo and Jason started to stir up.

"Argh, my head, what happened? " Leo groaned. Amoriel was next to him in a second. "You guys were about to kill each other. So I knocked you two out and handled Medae myself." She explained.

"You should've seen her, she was so badass," Piper commented.

"Amorie, what kind of kick was that?" Jason whined. Holding his head.

"Hey, it was the only way to keep you two safe. So stop being a crybaby." Amoriel said and walked towards Festus "and besides I got the Ventis and Coach Hedge so let's go"

When they all get on Festus they took off.