I don't own this.
PIPER CORNERED THE PRINCESS as Jason and Leo went off to check out the living fur coats.
"You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demanded.
Esperanza and Beryl flinched at this.
"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer,
"Seer?" Frederick kept mumbling. Something about this doesn't seem right.
my dear. I know your little secret. But we don't want to dwell on that, do we? The boys are having such fun."
Leo laughed as he tried on a hat that seemed to be made from enchanted raccoon fur. Its ringed tail twitched, and its little legs wiggled frantically as Leo walked.
Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. She could find something better for him.
Jason was ogling the men's sportswear. Boys interested in shopping for clothes? A definite sign they were under an evil spell.
The men shivered. Evil spell indeed.
Piper glared at the princess. "Who are you?"
"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."
"Where's Colchis?"
The princess's expression turned a little sad. "Where was Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days. But Colchis is no more—lost eons ago."
"That puts things into perspective." Frederick mumbled.
"Eons?" Piper asked. The princess looked no more than fifty, but a bad feeling started settling over Piper—something King Boreas had mentioned back in Quebec.
Hades sighed. So much work.
"How old are you?"
The princess laughed. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter your country took quite a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible." The princess swept her hand around the department store.
Piper's mouth tasted like metal. "Your patron …"
The mortals tensed. Patron. The Earth Mother.
"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you—only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insists on so little—a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."
Run, Piper thought. We have to get out of here.
"Yeah, Pipes, run." Tristan was back to muttering. He was thinking hard. Princess, Colchis, a certain hero, Jason, a treasure. He groaned.
"Something wrong, Tristan?" asked Sally concerned.
"That's Medea, right?" Tristan said wearily.
The gods nodded.
"How'd you figure that out?" Frederick asked. "I thought you didn't know anything about this?"
"Well, the book did mention I had read through a few stories with Piper because of the last movie I did." Tristan said dryly.
Frederick blinked. "Oh, I might've missed that part."
Esperanza started reading when it was clear that the conversation was over.
But before she could even turn her thoughts into words, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"
From a rack labeled distressed clothing, he held up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip—except this shirt looked as if it had been clawed by tigers.
The gods winced while the mortals shivered.
Jason frowned. "Why does this look so familiar?"
"Jason, it's like yours," Piper said. "Now we really have to leave." But she wasn't sure he could even hear her anymore through the princess's enchantment.
"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys aren't done, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular—trade ins from previous customers.
"I hope they close down that store." Queen Marie muttered.
It suits you."
Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood tee with a hole through the middle, as if it had been hit by a javelin.
The gods winced again some of them clutched their heads.
Next to that was a dented bronze breastplate pitted with corrosion—acid, maybe?—and a Roman toga slashed to pieces and stained with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood.
The mortals looked sick.
"Your Highness," Piper said,
Everyone tensed at the reminded of Medea.
trying to control her nerves. "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."
Her words didn't have any effect on the princess, but the boys turned, suddenly interested.
Tristan looked proud. "Good job, Piper, don't give up."
"More story?" Leo asked.
"I like more story!" Jason agreed.
The princess flashed Piper an irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell.
"I did not!" Aphrodite snapped. "Believe it or not, but I'm not in control of every relationship! And you better not hurt Piper!"
Artemis laid a hand on Aphrodite's arm. Aphrodite visibly calmed down.
"Thanks. You may continue." Aphrodite said calmly.
If it wasn't for her—but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?"
The princess's tone made her meaning clear: I can take it out on you.
Aphrodite looked angry again. A very faint silver light flowed from Artemis' hand to Aphrodite.
"Excuse me, Lady Artemis, but what are you doing?" Esperanza asked, noticing the light.
"Oh, that. I'm just calming her down. I have a bit of power to do that. I am a goddess of childbirth." Artemis said. "I used it sometimes to calmed down mothers in labor."
Esperanza nodded. "Thank you for explaining."
Artemis nodded.
"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Piper remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."
The look in the princess's eyes made Piper want to apologize, but she didn't back down.
"At first," Her Highness admitted, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he still needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."
"And you killed your own brother," Piper said,
The mortals who didn't know, gasped.
the horrible story all coming back to her, along with a name—an infamous name that began with the letter M.
"What?" Jason stirred. For a moment he looked almost like himself. "Killed your own—"
Beryl looked hopeful.
"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother,
The gods snorted. "No. It was you." Hermes said.
though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end."
Jason still looked uncomfortable. "What did he do?"
The princess held the sliced-up toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination.
Beryl and Zeus flinched.
"Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him."
"Jason," Piper said. "The original Jason. But then you're —you should be dead!"
Hades sighed again.
The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. Piper could feel the sorcery washing over them, taking control more firmly than ever.
The parents of the three looked worried and a little bit hopeless. The hearth reflected the emotions by almost going out. Sally noticed it and said, "Hey, they make it out. Tristan is still here. They save him and Piper is still alive and Jason. I'm pretty sure Leo makes it out. They won't leave him behind."
The parents had renewed hope.
"Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"
"Oh, sure," Jason said.
"Okay," Leo said.
"Guys!" Piper ground her teeth in frustration. "Don't you see who she is? Don't you—"
"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily.
"Let's not and say we did." Muttered Tristan.
Beryl nodded in agreement.
"I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits—and your satyr."
Leo got distracted on the second floor with the appliances.
"No way," he said. "Is that an armored forge?"
Before Piper could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a big oval oven that looked like a barbecue on steroids.
Hephaestus looked thoughtful. Why would she have that?
When they caught up with him, the princess said, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."
Jason flinched as if he recognized that term. "Imperial gold?"
The gods winced.
"That's a Roman metal. The Greeks have the Celestial bronze." Sally explained to the other mortal parents.
The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade…" She smiled pleasantly.
"Foreshadowing." Athena murmured.
"Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here—this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items.
Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."
"Why would she have that?" Hera asked. "What did you do with it after you used it?" She directed that last question to Hephaestus.
Hephaestus shrugged. "I don't really know. I forgot."
Hera nodded. "You might want to do an inventory. See what else has been lost or taken." She suggested.
Hephaestus thought for a moment. "I might just do that."
Esperanza looked down and gasped. "No, mijo."
"What?" Tristan and Beryl asked, alarmed.
Esperanza shakily read the next two sentences.
Leo apparently took this as an order. He began walking toward it in a trance.
The mortal parents gasped.
Esperanza read a bit further and relaxed a little bit. "Remind me to thank your daughter when I see her next." She said to Tristan.
"Leo, don't!" Piper warned.
He blinked.
The mortals looked hopeful . . .
"How much for both?"
Then deflated.
"Don't worry. They make it out alive." Sally encouraged. "They have to." She said softly.
"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength—" She led Leo into the appliance section, giving him prices on various items.
Piper didn't want to leave him alone with her,
"It's fine, carino, don't worry about him right now." Esperanza muttered before continuing.
but she had to try reasoning with Jason.
Beryl looked hopeful. "Please, please, please." She murmured under her breath.
She pulled him aside and slapped him across the face.
Artemis smirked. "Well, that's one way to get him to think."
Apollo and Hermes gulped.
"Ow," he muttered sleepily. "What was that for?"
"Snap out of it!" Piper hissed.
"Not going to work." Frederick warned. "She needs to use her Charmspeak."
"What do you mean?"
"She's charmspeaking you. Can't you feel it?"
He knit his eyebrows. "She seems okay."
"She's not okay! She shouldn't even be alive! She was married to Jason—the other Jason—three thousand years ago. Remember what Boreas said—something about the souls no longer being confined to Hades? It's not just monsters who can't stay dead. She's come back from the Underworld!"
Hades sighed. Lots of work to do after this.
Jason shook his head uneasily. "She's not a ghost."
"No, she's worse! She's—"
"Children." The princess was back with Leo in tow.
Esperanza sighed in relief that Leo seemed okay.
"If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes?"
Piper had to choke back a scream. She was tempted to pull out her dagger and take on this witch herself,
"Not wise to do that." Athena said. "She would have to take on a sorceress, and her friends might not even be on her side."
Esperanza smiled a bit as she read the next part.
but she didn't like her chances—not in the middle of Her Highness's department store while her friends were under a spell. Piper couldn't even be sure they'd take her side in a fight. She had to figure out a better plan.
Athena blinked and sat back. "I think I might actually like her. She seems smart enough."
Tristan and Aphrodite smirked a bit.
They took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. For the first time, Piper noticed two large bronze sundials—each about the size of a trampoline—inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain.
Apollo frowned at that. They sounded familiar.
The gilded oversize canary cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits. They were so densely packed, spinning around like a super-concentrated tornado, that Piper couldn't tell how many there were—dozens, at least.
"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks okay!"
Dionysus and Hermes relaxed at that. They were glad the satyr was okay.
They ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment he was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon. He was frozen mid-shout, his club raised over his head like he was ordering the gym class to drop and give him fifty. His curly hair stuck up at odd angles. If Piper just concentrated on certain details—the bright orange polo shirt, the wispy goatee, the whistle around his neck—she could imagine Coach Hedge as his good old annoying self. But it was hard to ignore the stubby horns on his head, and the fact that he had furry goat legs and hooves instead of workout pants and Nikes.
"Yes," the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits and the satyr. A package deal. If we come to terms, I'll even throw in the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace." She gave Piper a shrewd look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"
Aphrodite's lip curled a bit. "I'll show you unpleasantness." She snarled under her breath.
Don't trust her, warned a voice in her head.
Aphrodite slumped down. She was relieved. Piper's instincts were kicking in.
If Piper was right about this lady's identity, nobody would be leaving in peace. A fair deal wasn't possible. It was all a trick. But her friends were looking at her, nodding urgently and mouthing, Say yes! Piper needed more to time to think.
"We can negotiate," she said.
"Totally!" Leo agreed.
Esperanza sighed exasperated.
"What?" asked several people.
Esperanza waved them away. She read further.
"Name your price."
The gods, Emily, Queen Marie, and Maria facepalmed.
"Leo!" Piper snapped.
The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy, 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," Piper 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.
"Yeah, right." Tristan said. He was really starting to realize how dangerous Piper's life now was. He was worried because she hadn't contacted him in a while. He bet her new 'school' was actually the camp.
And no harm 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."
Piper could see that her friends were ready to offer anything, promise anything. Before they could speak, she played her last card.
"You're Medea," she said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo—don't trust her."
Piper put all the intensity she could gather into those words.
"Not gonna work. She needs emotion." Aphrodite muttered.
She was utterly sincere, and it seemed to have some effect. Jason stepped away from the sorceress.
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.
The mortals flinched.
"It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, my dear, 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."
The gods snorted.
"Not likely." Hera said.
Jason—Piper's 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?"
Everyone laughed. A monster indeed.
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," Piper said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty."
The gods nodded. An apt description.
"Lies!" Medea said.
"On the way back from Colchis, Jason's ship landed at another kingdom, and Jason agreed to dump Medea and marry the king's daughter."
"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 Piper wasn't through.
"It may not have been right," she said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."
The mortal gasped and flinched.
"That's just terrible." Queen Marie said. No matter how much Hazel's curse caused her shame and guilt she would never murder her.
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.
Apollo and Hermes nodded. "Definitely insane." They chorused.
"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!"
Beryl gulped. She was afraid of this.
The fountain turned bright red. Piper drew her dagger, but her hand was shaking almost too badly to hold it.
Ares was about to call her a wimp the considered who her mother was. Aphrodite was not one to anger.
"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!"
Tristan nodded. "Good girl Pipes." He murmured.
"Ridiculous," Medea said, and Piper could hear 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!"
"Guys, no!" Piper said. But they were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.
Piper had never felt more helpless. Now she understood what real sorcery looked like. She'd always thought magic meant wands and fireballs,
Athena snorted. "Don't let Hecate hear you say that. She'll go on a three hour rant about the subject."
but this was worse. Medea didn't just rely on poisons and potions. Her most potent weapon was her voice.
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."
Esperanza winced as she read that part. Her boy's self esteem was already low. That was just going to make it worse.
"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!"
"No, Pipes. I'm not that important. Save your friends." Tristan pleaded quietly.
Medea's charmspeak didn't work on her, but the sorceress still had a persuasive voice. Her father back today? Despite her best intentions, Piper wanted that. She wanted her father back so much, it hurt.
Tristan smiled sadly. After all he did to push her away, she still loved him.
"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, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free."
Leo and Jason were still facing off, ready to fight, but they looked unsteady and confused—waiting for another order. Part of them had to be resisting, Piper hoped. This went completely against their nature.
Beryl and Esperanza looked hopeful.
"Listen to me, girl." 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."
"What?" Tristan asked confused.
The mist shimmered, and Piper saw her father's study. Sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone, was her dad's assistant, Jane, in her dark business suit, her hair swirled in a tight bun.
"Hello, Jane," Medea said.
Jane hung up the phone calmly. "How can I help you, ma'am? Hello, Piper."
Tristan gaped. She really wasn't a good PA.
"You—" Piper was so angry she could hardly talk.
"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.
Apollo and Hermes snickered.
"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."
Tristan looked angry now. No one messed with his daughter like that.
"Yes," Jane agreed in a bland tone, as if she were sleepwalking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger."
Piper looked down at her dagger. The blade trembled in her hand. She couldn't use it for a weapon any better than Helen of Troy could, but it was still a looking glass, and what she saw in it was a scared girl with no chance of winning.
"Come one, Pipes. You can do it." Tristan pleaded quietly.
"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."
"I never'd thought I'd say this, but thanks for erasing my memories. If you hadn't I'd probably be in a bad place right about now." Tristan looked at Aphrodite when he said this.
Aphrodite inclined her head in acknowledgement.
"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by."
The image faded, and Medea turned to Piper. "There, you see?"
"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.
Esperanza gasped as she continued to read in a shaky voice.
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," Piper said. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"
Now all the mortals gasped and looked angry except for Queen Marie who looked down shamefully.
"I don't blame you." Esperanza said quietly as she sat the book down. "It would've happened eventually."
Queen Marie nodded with tears in her eyes. All of this because of her stupid greed and pride.
Esperanza, sensing that she needing time to herself, brought the book back to her face.
"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. She 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!"
"Jason, Leo, listen to me." Piper put all of her emotion into her voice.
"Here we go. Now she's got it." Aphrodite beamed.
Tristan, Beryl and Esperanza looked hopeful for one last time.
For years she'd been trying to control herself and not show weakness, but now she poured everything into her words—her fear, her desperation, her anger. She knew she might be signing her dad's death warrant, but she cared too much about her friends to let them hurt each other. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"
The mortals held their breath.
They hesitated, and Piper could feel the spell shatter.
Beryl and Esperanza smiled gratefully at Tristan.
Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"
"Something about my mother … ?" Leo frowned, then turned toward Medea. "You … you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."
Esperanza chuckled when she read that part.
"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way."
She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.
"Great. How are they supposed to fight her now?" asked Emily.
"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"
Before Jason could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open.
"Dragons." Apollo muttered. "Dragons." He said louder. "Those sundial are cages for Helios' old sun dragons."
The mortals looked scared.
Sally stepped up. "They are going to be fine. They get out of this. We have half a book and four more to read. They survive."
The other parents look relieved. They had forgotten about the other books.
Esperanza picked up the book.
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.
"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo said meekly.
The dragons spread their wings and hissed. Piper could feel the heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on her.
"Don't look them in the eye!" Jason warned. "They'll paralyze you."
Tristan, Beryl and Esperanza looked hopeless. How were they supposed to fight something they couldn't look in the eye.
"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!"
The dragons lunged. Leo and Jason charged to intercept. Piper was amazed how fearlessly the boys attacked—working like a team who had trained together for years.
Esperanza and Beryl looked at each other and smiled. It was nice to know that their sons had a best friend who would watch their back in battle.
Medea was almost to the second floor, where she'd be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.
"Oh, no, you don't," Piper growled, and took off after her.
Tristan grinned, proud of his daughter.
When Medea spotted Piper, she started climbing in earnest. She was quick for a three-thousand-year-old lady. Piper climbed at top speed, taking the steps three at a time, and still she couldn't catch her. Medea didn't stop at floor two. She hopped the next escalator and continued to ascend.
The potions, Piper thought. Of course that's what she would go for. She was famous for potions.
The gods nodded. She was famous for them.
Down below, Piper heard the battle raging. Leo was blowing his safety whistle, and Jason was yelling to keep the dragons' attention. Piper didn't dare look—not while she was running with a dagger in her hand. She could just see herself tripping and stabbing herself in the nose. That would be super heroic.
Ares snickered a little.
She grabbed a shield from an armored manikin on floor three and continued to climb. She imagined Coach Hedge yelling in her mind, just like back in gym class at Wilderness School: Move it, McLean! You call that escalator-climbing?
She reached the top floor, breathing hard, but she was too late. Medea had reached the potions counter.
The sorceress grabbed a swan-shaped vial—the blue one that caused painful death—and Piper did the only thing that came to mind. She threw her shield.
Frederick winced.
"What's wrong?" asked Emily.
"All those potions, what happens when they are all mixed together." He answered.
Emily winced as well.
Medea turned triumphantly just in time to get hit in the chest by a fifty-pound metal Frisbee. She stumbled backward, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves. When the sorceress stood from the wreckage, her dress was stained a dozen different colors. Many of the stains were smoldering and glowing.
"Fool!" Medea wailed. "Do you have any idea what so many potions will do when mixed?"
"Kill you?" Piper said hopefully.
Everyone snickered.
The carpet began to steam around Medea's feet. She coughed, and her face contorted in pain—or was she faking?
Below, Leo called, "Jason, help!"
Piper risked a quick look, and almost sobbed in despair. One of the dragons had Leo pinned to the floor.
Esperanza paled when she read that little bit.
It was baring its fangs, ready to snap. Jason was all the way across the room battling the other dragon, much too far away to assist.
"You've doomed us all!" Medea screamed. Smoke was rolling across the carpet as the stain spread, throwing sparks and setting fires in the clothing racks. "You have only seconds before this concoction consumes everything and destroys the building. There's no time—"
"Oh, shut up." Demeter mumbled.
CRASH! The stained glass ceiling splintered in a rain of multicolored shards, and Festus the bronze dragon dropped into the department store.
He hurtled into the fray, snatching up a sun dragon in each claw. Only now did Piper appreciate just how big and strong their metal friend was.
Hephaestus grinned to himself.
"That's my boy!" Leo yelled.
Festus flew halfway up the atrium, then hurled the sun dragons into the pits they'd come from. Leo 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.
Medea cursed in some ancient language.
Demeter huffed. "They are children you know."
The whole fourth floor was on fire now. The air filled with noxious gas. Even with the roof open, Piper could feel the heat intensifying. She backed up to the edge of the railing, keeping her dagger pointed toward Medea.
"I will not be abandoned again!" The sorceress knelt and snatched up the red healing potion, which had somehow survived the crash. "You want your boyfriend's memory restored? Take me with you!"
Piper glanced behind her. Leo and Jason were on board Festus's back. 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.
Esperanza looked worried. The dragon would be carrying too much weight. What would happen if it fell again.
The building rumbled. Fire and the smoke curled up the walls, melting the railings, turning the air to acid.
"You'll never survive your quest without me!" Medea growled. "Your boy hero will stay ignorant forever, and your father will die. Take me with you!"
For one heartbeat, Piper was tempted. Then she saw Medea's grim smile. The sorceress was confident in her powers of persuasion, confident that she could always make a deal, always escape and win in the end.
"Not today, witch." Piper jumped over the side. She plummeted for only a second before Leo and Jason caught her, hauling her aboard the dragon.
She heard Medea screaming in rage as they soared through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. Then the department store exploded behind them.
"Done." Esperanza said, bookmarking the spot.
"Hermes', turn." Athena said.
Hermes got up and grabbed the book. "Chapter 29 Leo."
Addy