O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   T E N

( the golden king )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          JASON KNEW SOMETHING was up when Malia leaned back against him, her complexion much paler than it had been throughout the entire quest. There was the distinct sheen of sweat along her forehead, like she was burning up, and she looked like she was in pain. His eyes trailed from her face to her side, growing wide when he spotted the large bloodstain on her shirt.

"Oh my, gods!" How had he not noticed this while fighting alongside her. The dragon must have gotten to her, biting into her side. There was a crescent shaped dotted line along her side, like teeth marks, and he had a feeling they would be matching on the other side. "Guys, look at this."

Piper turned, her mouth falling open when she saw what Jason was looking at. "How did we not see this? Why didn't she tell us?"

"Probably didn't want us to worry about her while dealing with dragons and Medea," Leo said.

Jason knew that was probably the right idea. But still, they needed to get somewhere where they could wrap the wound and take care of it. He tapped her shoulder to try and wake her up, but all he got in return was a groan as she readjusted herself, leaning further into his chest. If this were any other time, he was sure his cheeks would be a brilliant shade of red. But this was terrifying, and he didn't have time to think about his feelings for the girl.

"We're going to have to put down soon," Leo warned his friends. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that. And Malia needs medical attention."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is—where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guessed. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Piper didn't say anything, but Jason remembered hearing it loud and clear.

"Piper's dad," Jason said. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper let out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would both die in the Bay Area. And besides. . . even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunted. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward, careful not to move Malia too much and cause her pain. "You mean you don't see it?" He pointed ahead of them, where a faint purple trail of light was floating in the air.

"What?" Leo asked.

"That. . . whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."

Leo glanced back. Piper and him both looked confused.

"Right," Leo said. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail," Jason said. "Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

Leo shook his head. "Maybe Festus can sense it. You think Aeolus made it?"

"Well, it's a magic trail in the wind," Jason said. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

"Or it's another trap," Piper said.

Her tone worried Jason. She didn't just sound nervous. She sounded broken with despair, like they'd already sealed their fate, and like it was her fault.

"Pipes, you all right?" Leo asked.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, fine. You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble and we can help—"

"You can't," she said, her voice getting shakier. "Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind. . ."

She leaned back against Malia, careful of her side, and closed her eyes.

They flew in silence for a while. Festus followed the vapor trail, heading toward the southwest and hopefully Aeolus's fortress. Jason saw Leo's eyes growing heavy and he sighed.

"Catch a few Z's," Jason said. "It's cool. Hand me the reins."

"Nah, I'm okay—"

"Leo," Jason said, "you're not a machine. Besides, I'm the only one who can see the vapor trail. I'll make sure we can stay on course."

Leo's eyes began to close on their own. "All right. Maybe just. . ."

He didn't finish the sentence before slumping forward against the dragon's warm neck. Jason took the reins and let out a breath, glancing down at Malia's paling face.

"Okay, Festus. Let's get everyone somewhere safe, all right?"

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

Jason didn't know how it happened. One moment they were good, and the next they were falling from the sky for the second time on this quest. They spiraled through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus's hide was cold. His ruby eyes were dim. Leo, Piper, and Malia all woke up screaming, Jason fighting with the reins.

"Not again!" Leo yelled. "You can't fall again!"

Leo began to fiddle with the dragon, attempting to save them. But he seemed to be getting nowhere. Malia looked around in a daze, eyes barely open. "What—"

"Jason!" Leo screamed. "Take Piper and Malia and fly out of here!"

"What?" Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you?" Piper cried. "If you can't reboot him—"

"I'll be fine," Leo yelled. "Just follow me to the ground. Go!"

Jason grabbed Malia around the waist as carefully as he could, the daughter of Poseidon wincing as she grabbed Piper's hand in her own. He unbuckled Malia's harness and his own while Piper got hers undone, and in a flash they were gone—shooting into the air.

Malia held tightly to Jason and Piper while Jason tried to control their fall to the ground, being especially careful since Malia and Piper were both still relatively injured. He held them close as he guided them all to the ground, their feet touching the snow somewhat gently in comparison to what it would have been like if they'd hit the ground without slowing down.

Piper looked over to where they could see Festus falling, but before any of them could say anything, they heard a loud explosion. Malia's grip on Jason's waist grew tighter, and she used him to keep herself standing.

"Leo!" Piper raced off toward the fortress that Festus and Leo had disappeared behind. Large walls surrounding something that the owners obviously didn't want anyone to see. "Leo! Festus!"

Jason helped Malia over to the fortress, the three of them scouting along the edges until they found a way to get inside. Once they were, they saw a mansion standing in the middle of the walls, and off to the side was a broken bronze dragon. Festus was scattered all over the place in steaming pieces, Leo's unconscious body laying flat on the ground.

"Oh, gods!" Malia held a shaking hand to her lips. "Leo."

The three walked over to where the body of the dragon was, Leo laying beside it on the ground. They surrounded him and Piper got to work on dribbling some nectar in his mouth. After a moment, the son of Hephaestus opened his eyes, groaning. He was covered in mud and grease as he sat up, spitting a clump of frozen grass out of his mouth.

"Where—"

"Lie still." Piper was looking down at him with tears in her eyes. "You rolled pretty hard when—when Festus—"

"Where is he?" Leo sat up. He looked around at the compound they had landed in.

"Seriously, Leo," Jason said. "You could be hurt. You shouldn't—"

Leo pushed himself to his feet, not listening to them. The big canary cages were on opposite sides of the compound, perfectly unharmed on their sides.

Festus was not as lucky.

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head were somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.

"No," Leo sobbed. He ran to the dragon's head, leaving the others to watch him break down.

They walked over to where he was holding onto the dragon's head. Jason felt guilt creep into his mind as he remembered what he'd said about Leo back in the store. About how Leo couldn't even fix a dragon. And now this was happening. Gods, he couldn't imagine what was going through Leo's head.

"You can't go," Leo pleaded. "You're the best thing I ever fixed."

The dragon's head whirred its gears, as if it were purring. Leo kept his gaze on the dragon.

"It's not fair," he said.

The dragon clicked. Long creak. Two short clicks. Creak. Creak. It sounded like a pattern, one that Jason didn't seem to understand but Leo did.

"Yeah," Leo said. "I understand. I will. I promise."

The dragon's eyes went dark. Festus was gone.

Leo cried. Piper had tears streaming down her cheeks and Malia had her face buried in Jason's shoulder, her body shaking from both the cold and probably pain. Jason patted Leo's shoulder, trying to comfort him in any way he could.

Finally, Jason said, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"

Leo sniffled. "Something my dad told me. Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asked. "When was this?"

Leo didn't answer. He fumbled around with something on the dragon's neck until the head was detached. He held it in his arms despite the head probably weighing a thousand pounds. Leo looked up at the starry sky and said, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at him in amazement. "He answered you?"

"I had a dream," Leo managed. "Tell you later."

Jason didn't expect Leo to tell them right now after what he'd been through. He felt Malia lean further into him, and when he looked over, he saw fresh blood surrounding the cuts. They'd stopped bleeding during the flight, but falling must have made them start bleeding again.

He looked around. The large white mansion glowed in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter.

"Where are we?" Leo asked. "I mean, what city?"

"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper said. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like—I don't know—"

"Lasers," Leo said. He picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it toward the top of the fence. Immediately a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistled. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"

"Festus," Leo said miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"You couldn't have known," Piper said. "He saved our lives again."

"But what now?" Jason felt bad for asking, but they needed to help Malia and get to Hera before the solstice passed. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."

Leo looked up the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

Jason would've died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo.

First it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.

Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"You're amazing, man," Jason said.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your—"

"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.

Piper stared at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?"

Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation. Piper walked in after him, looking incredibly nervous.

Before Jason could follow, Malia placed a hand on his arm. She looked pale and shaky, but she attempted a smile. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally."

"Yeah," Jason said. "Yeah, okay."

But he still felt terrible. Back in Medea's store, he'd said some pretty harsh stuff to Leo—stuff a friend shouldn't say, not to mention the fact he'd almost skewered Leo with a sword. If it hadn't been for Piper and Malia, they'd both be dead. And Malia hand't gotten out of that encounter easily, either.

"Hey, let's get you inside and fixed up, okay?" Malia nodded sleepily and the two of them walked into the house where the other two were already waiting for them.

Jason's first impression of the house: Dark.

From the echo of his footsteps he could tell the entry hall was enormous, even bigger than Boreas's penthouse; but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peeked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. The windows rose about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-sized metal statues. As Jason's eyes adjusted, he saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glinted overhead. Along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" His voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

"Don't see one," Leo said.

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"You're fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.

"Well, if I knew that—"

"It's probably because of what just happened. Your emotions can affect your abilities. Anger can make them flare up. Sadness can make them stop working. Emotions are a big factor with abilities." Malia sounded dazed, like she wasn't fully there. Jason was growing more and more worried by the second.

"Okay, what do we do—explore?" Piper asked.

Leo shook his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."

Jason's skin tingled. He hated being a demigod. Looking around, he didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. He imagined vicious storm spirits lurking in the curtains, dragons under the carpet, a chandelier made of lethal ice shards, ready to impale them.

"Leo's right," he said. "We're not separating again—not like in Detroit."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes." Piper's voice quavered. "I needed that."

"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Malia, let's get you situated. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

Nobody offered a better idea, so they rolled in the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then settled in. Thankfully, Leo didn't find any poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.

Jason sat Malia down on the couch and used the light of his sword to study her side, which was caked with dried and fresh blood. Piper was digging through Malia's bag to get to the first-aid stuff, pulling out nectar, ambrosia, and bandages. Jason winced when he saw the deep holes from the dragon's teeth digging into Malia's skin. They looked painful.

Malia's breathing was shaky as she tried not to move too much. Jason knew she was in pain, but he had to admit that she was good at hiding it. Piper passed him the stuff to help fix her side, and Jason got to work. He first moved to clean the wound, apologizing when Malia would wince in pain.

"Sorry," he mumbled, dabbing at the blood-stained skin. It took ten cloths to get the skin clean and make the wound clear, and Jason sighed in relief when he saw that it wasn't as bad as it had looked at first. "Good news. It's not too deep. Should heal up soon."

Malia sent him a weak smile. "That's good."

Piper handed her a square of ambrosia that she ate quickly, and Jason watched the skin around the wounds begin to grow closer to each other. Jason poured some nectar on her side and watched as the wounds began to close up even faster. He knew it would take some time, but he was glad to see that the nectar and ambrosia was working. He then wrapped her side so if it started bleeding again, the blood would get caught and pressure would be applied.

Once he was done, Malia lowered her tattered shirt and sat up, blinking away the sleepiness in her eyes. Leo didn't seem in the mood to make more tacos. Besides, they had no fire, so they settled for cold rations.

As Jason ate, he studied the metal statues along the walls. They looked like Greek gods or heroes. Maybe that was a good sign. Or maybe they were used for target practice. On the coffee table sat a tea service and a stack of glossy brochures, but Jason couldn't make out the words. The big chair at the other end of the table looked like a throne. None of them tried to sit in it.

The canary cages didn't make the place any less creepy. The venti kept churning in their prison, hissing and spinning, and Jason got the uncomfortable feeling they were watching him. He could sense their hatred for the children of Zeus—the lord of the sky who'd ordered Aeolus to imprison their kind. The venti would like nothing better than to tear Jason apart.

As for Coach Hedge, he was still frozen mid-shout, his cudgel raised. Leo was working on the cage, trying to open it with various tools, but the lock seemed to be giving him a hard time. Jason decided not to sit next to him in case Hedge suddenly unfroze and went into ninja goat mode.

Despite how wired he felt, once his stomach was full, Jason started to nod off. The couches were a little too comfortable—a lot better than a dragon's back—and he'd taken the last two watches while his friends slept. He was exhausted.

Piper had already curled up on the armchair. Jason wondered if she was really asleep or dodging a conversation about her dad. Whatever Medea had meant in Chicago, about Piper getting her dad back if she cooperated—it didn't sound good. If Piper had risked her own dad to save them, that made Jason feel even guiltier.

Malia was also knocked out, her head resting on the arm of couch, legs resting over Jason's lap. Her breaths were coming out soft and smooth, telling him that she was getting stronger and better after some medical attention. He immediately felt better than he had been, sighing in relief. They needed her for this quest. He needed her for this quest.

Because they were running out of time. If Jason had his days straight, this was early morning of December 20. Which meant tomorrow was the winter solstice.

"Get some sleep," Leo said, still working on the locked cage. "It's your turn."

Jason took a deep breath. "Leo, I'm sorry about that stuff I said in Chicago. That wasn't me. You're not annoying and you do take stuff seriously—especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you can do."

Leo lowered his screwdriver. He looked at the ceiling and shook his head like, What am I gonna do with this guy?

"I try very hard to be annoying," Leo said. "Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like prince of the sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you."

"Lord of the Universe?"

"Sure, you're all—bam! Lightning man. And 'Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars—'"

"Shut up, Valdez."

Leo managed a little smile. "Yeah, see. I do annoy you."

"I apologize for apologizing."

"Thank you." He went back to work, but the tension had eased between them. Leo still looked sad and exhausted—just not quite so angry.

"Go to sleep, Jason," he ordered. "It's gonna take a few hours to get this goat man free. Then I still got to figure out how to make the winds a smaller holding cell, 'cause I am not lugging that canary cage to California."

"You did fix Festus, you know," Jason said. "You gave him a purpose again. I think this quest was the high point of his life."

Jason was afraid he'd blown it and made Leo mad again, but Leo just sighed.

"I hope," he said. "Now, sleep, man. I want some time without you organic life forms."

Jason wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he didn't argue. He closed his eyes and had a long, blissfully dreamless sleep.

He only woke when the yelling started.

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

"Ahhhggggggh!"

Jason leaped to his feet. He wasn't sure what was more jarring—the full sunlight that now bathed the room, or the screaming satyr.

"Coach is awake," Leo said, which was kind of unnecessary. Gleeson Hedge was capering around on his furry hindquarters, swinging his club and yelling, "Die!" as he smashed the tea set, whacked the sofas, and charged at the throne.

"Coach!" Jason yelled.

Hedge turned, breathing hard. His eyes were so wild, Jason was afraid he might attack. The satyr was still wearing his orange polo shirt and his coach's whistle, but his horns were clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters were definitely all goat. Could you call a goat beefy? Jason put the thought aside.

"You're the new kid," Hedge said, lowering his club. "Jason." He looked at Leo, then Piper, who'd apparently just woken up. Her hair looked like it had become a nest for a friendly hamster.

Malia was also awake, looking at Hedge with wide eyes. She must have been awake for some time because her hair was freshly braided and she didn't look as exhausted or disoriented as anyone else.

"Valdez, McLean," the coach said. He then spotted Malia. "Jackson? What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and—" He zeroed in on the storm spirit cage, and his eyes went back to DEFCON 1. "Die!"

"Whoa, Coach!" Leo stepped in his path, which was pretty brave, even though Hedge was six inches shorter. "It's okay. They're locked up. We just sprang you from the other cage."

"Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push-ups, Valdez!"

Jason cleared his throat. "Coach—Gleeson—um, whatever you want us to call you. You saved us at the Grand Canyon. You were totally brave."

"Of course I was!"

"The extraction team came and took us to Camp Half-Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their—um, operator, Medea."

"That witch! Wait—that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Yeah, well," Leo said, "somehow she got not dead anymore."

Hedge nodded, his eyes narrowing. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"

"Um." Piper got to her feet, holding out her hands so Coach Hedge wouldn't attack her. "Actually, Glee—can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson seems wrong. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."

"Oh." The coach's spirits seemed to deflate, but only for a second. Then his eyes lit up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was meant to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

"Gold?" Jason looked around. From the way Leo, Piper, and Malia caught their breath, he guessed they hadn't noticed yet either.

The room was full of gold—the statues, the tea set Hedge had smashed, the chair that was definitely a throne. Even the curtains—which seemed to have opened by themselves at daybreak—appeared to be woven of gold fiber.

"Nice," Leo said. "No wonder they got so much security."

"This isn't—" Piper stammered. "This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"

Before Jason could decide if he wanted to explain or just shove Coach Hedge back into his cage, a door opened at the far end of the room

A pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth.

He glanced into the room behind him and called, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

Coach Hedge did the obvious thing. He raised his club and shouted, "Die!"

It took all four of them to hold back the satyr.

"Whoa, Coach!" Malia said. "Bring it down a few notches."

A younger man charged into the room. Jason guessed he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He was dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless tee shirt that said CORNHUSKERS, and he held a sword that looked like it could husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms were covered in scars, and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would've been handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.

Lit immediately zeroed in on Jason like he was the biggest threat, and stalked toward him, swinging his sword overhead.

"Hold on!" Piper stepped forward, trying for her best calming voice. "This is just a misunderstanding! Everything's fine."

Lit stopped in his tracks, but he still looked wary.

It didn't help that Hedge was screaming, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Coach," Malia sighed, "they may be friendly. Besides, we're trespassing in their house."

"Thank you!" said the old man in the bathrobe. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's put all our weapons down," Piper said. "Coach, you first."

Hedge clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"

"Now," Piper said.

"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper insisted.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowered his club.

Malia gave Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile. Even with her skin still pale from blood loss and wearing two-day-old clothes, she looked extremely cute, and Jason felt a little jealous she was giving Lit that smile.

Lit huffed and sheathed his sword, looking over to Piper. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"Appreciate it," Leo said. "I try not to get run through before lunchtime."

The old man in the bathrobe sighed, kicking the teapot that Coach Hedge had smashed. "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."

Lit frowned. "Your Majesty—"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," the old man said. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities." He did his best to smile, though it looked a little forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

Malia stiffened beside Jason at the mention of the king's name. The group moved to sit down on the couch, Jason reaching over to grab Malia's hand as a sign of comfort. She took it and gave it a squeeze, keeping her gaze on the king.

"Midas? Impossible," said Coach Hedge. "He died."

The king reclined in his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and Jason kept worrying the old guy would forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden boxers under there.

Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and Malia and flexing his arms just to be annoying. Jason wondered if he looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, he doubted it.

Piper sat forward. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be—sorry—dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"Interesting." The king gazed out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the distance, downtown Omaha looked like a cluster of children's blocks—way too clean and small for a regular city.

"You know," the king said, "I think I was a bit dead for a while. It's strange. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?"

"A very long dream, Your Majesty."

"And yet, now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"But how?" Malia asked. "You didn't happen to have a. . . patron?"

Midas hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"

"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.

"Coach, not helping," Jason said. "Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"

Leo coughed. "Is that safe? They've got some serious security."

"Oh, yes," the king said. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!"

He fished a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons—a pass code, Jason guessed.

"There," Midas said. "Safe to go out now."

Coach Hedge grunted. "Fine. But if you need me. . ." He winked at Jason meaningfully. Then he pointed at himself, pointed two fingers at their hosts, and sliced a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.

"Yeah, thanks," Jason said.

After the satyr left, Piper tried another diplomatic smile. "So. . . you don't know how you got here?"

"Oh, well, yes. Sort of," the king said. He frowned at Lit. "Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn't the weather.

"The oracle," Lit said.

"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha." The king shrugged. "Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit—it's short for Lityerses, by the way—horrible name, but his mother insisted—has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days."

"Oh." Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."

Malia had a hand placed over her mouth and it looked like she was trying to hold back a laugh. He didn't know if she was laughing because of Lit's name or his attempt at a smile, but the action made Jason feel better about being trapped in a house with an old king and his insane son. Jason was now one hundred percent sure he didn't like this guy, and he was starting to regret sending Hedge outside.

"So," Jason said. "All this gold—"

The king's eyes lit up. "Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!"

Jason looked at the brochures on the coffee table. The title said GOLD: Invest for Eternity. "Um, you sell gold?"

"No, no," the king said. "I make it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

Leo frowned. "I've seen that commercial."

"Oh, don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" the king said. "I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."

"But. . ." Piper shook her head in confusion. "Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"

The king looked astonished. "Gave it up?"

"Yes," Piper said. "You got it from some god—"

"Dionysus," the king agreed. Malia pulled a face at that name. "I'd rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I chose the golden touch."

"But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold," Piper remembered. "And you realized how greedy you'd been. So you repented."

"Repented!" King Midas looked at Lit incredulously. "You see, son? You're away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around. My dear girl, did those stories ever say I'd lost my magic touch?"

"Well, I guess not. They just said you learned how to reverse it with running water, and you brought your daughter back to life."

"That's all true. Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents"—he gestured to his statues—"but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back—"

Lit retreated a few steps. "I hate that."

"I told you I was sorry, son. At any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?"

"Well. . ." Piper looked truly lost now. "Isn't that the point of the story? That you learned your lesson?"

Midas laughed. "My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here."

Piper hesitated, but she wasn't eager to offend the king. She dumped everything out of the pack and tossed it to Midas. As soon as he caught it, the pack turned to gold, like frost spreading across the fabric. It still looked flexible and soft, but definitely gold. The king tossed it back.

"As you see, I can still turn anything to gold," Midas said. "That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead—put your little storm spirit enemies in there."

"Seriously?" Leo was suddenly interested. He took the bag from Piper and held it up to the cage. As soon as he unzipped the backpack, the winds stirred and howled in protest. The cage bars shuddered. The door of the prison flew open and the winds got vacuumed straight into the pack. Leo zipped it shut and grinned. "Gotta admit. That's cool."

"You see?" Midas said. "My golden touch a curse? Please. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue."

Malia winced beside him, her eyes flickering down to her hands.

"She talked a lot," Lit offered.

"Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold." Midas pointed. There in the corner was a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression, as if she were thinking, Dad!

"That's horrible!" Piper said.

"Nonsense. She doesn't mind. Besides, if I'd learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"

Midas pulled off his oversize sleeping cap, and Jason didn't know whether to laugh or get sick. Midas had long fuzzy gray ears sticking up from his white hair—like Bugs Bunny's, but they weren't rabbit ears. They were donkey ears.

"Gods, this is just like that scene from Pinocchio," Malia muttered, looking away from Midas.

"Oh, wow," Leo said. "I didn't need to see that."

"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighed. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of an ass, and voilà. This was my reward for being truthful. I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing." Midas pointed out another golden statue—a bald man in a toga, holding a pair of shears. "That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again."

The king smiled. Suddenly he didn't strike Jason as a harmless old man in a bathrobe. His eyes had a merry glow to them—the look of a madman who knew he was mad, accepted his madness, and enjoyed it. "Yes, gold has many uses. I think that must be why I was brought back, eh Lit To bankroll our patron."

Lit nodded. "That and my good sword arm."

Jason glanced at his friends. Suddenly the air in the room seemed much colder.

"So you do have a patron," Jason said. "You work for the giants."

King Midas waved his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."

Jason slipped his hand into his pocket and grabbed his gold coin. "The last group?"

"Hunters," Lit snarled. "Blasted girls from Artemis."

Jason felt a spark of electricity—a literal spark—travel down his spine. He caught a whiff of electrical fire like he'd just melted some of the springs in the sofa.

His sister had been here.

Malia tensed beside him, her eyes narrowing at Lit. Her irises swirled with a hurricane of emotions so powerful it could wipe out an entire city.

"Sounds like someone's sour about losing to a group of girls," Malia said, causing Lit to glare back at her.

"I'll show you—"

"When?" Jason demanded, cutting Lit's threat off. "What happened?"

Lit looked away from Malia and forced a facade of calm, shrugging. "Few days ago? I didn't get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a trail, heading west. Missing demigod—I don't recall."

Percy Jackson, Jason thought. Annabeth had mentioned the Hunters were looking for him. And in Jason's dream of the burned-out house in the redwoods, he'd heard enemy wolves baying. Hera had called them her keepers. It had to be connected somehow.

Malia sucked in a breath, the three looking at her. Jason sometimes forgot that she was missing her brother, what with how well she hid it. Piper sent her a sympathetic smile, like she knew the feeling. Malia just looked down at her bracelet, pursing her lips.

Midas scratched his donkey ears. "Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters," he recalled. "They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Much of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don't have time for those who aren't serious investors."

Jason stood warily and glanced at his friends. They got the message.

"Well," Piper said, managing a smile. "It's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."

"Oh, but you can't leave!" Midas said. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collection."

Lit was smiling cruelly. The king rose, and Leo and Piper moved away from him.

"Don't worry," the king assured them. "You don't have to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice—join my collection, or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."

Piper tried to use her charmspeak. "Your Majesty, you can't—"

Quicker than any old man should've been able to move, Midas lashed out and grabbed her wrist.

"No!" Jason yelled.

But a frost of gold spread over Piper, and in a heartbeat she was a glittering statue. Leo tried to summon fire, but he'd forgotten his power wasn't working. Midas touched his hand, and Leo transformed into solid metal.

Jason was so horrified he couldn't move. His friends—just gone. And he hadn't been able to stop it. But Malia was still there with him, and like Hades he was going to let Midas turn her into a golden statue.

Midas smiled apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waved around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power dampens all others: fire, water. . . even charmspeak. Which leaves me only two more trophies to collect."

"Hedge!" Malia yelled. "Need help in here!"

For once, the satyr didn't charge in. Jason wondered if the lasers had gotten him, or if he was sitting at the bottom of a trap pit.

Midas chuckled. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry, my girl. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you."

"Don't you dare think about coming near me, you greedy ass-eared son of a—"

Malia was cut off as Midas grabbed her wrist, gold spreading across her skin until she resembled the other golden statues. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open, mid-insult. Jason felt his heart stop beating as he looked at the girl who'd been there for him throughout this quest, standing there frozen in time.

As the shock faded, anger surged through his blood. Anger at the king for turning his friends into statues and leaving him alone. Anger at the king for trying to turn his sister to gold. Anger at the king for touching Malia and making her what she was now. He clenched his fists tightly, glaring at the king as an idea came to mind.

"I choose combat. You said I could choose to fight Lit instead."

Midas looked mildly disappointed, but he shrugged. "I said you could die fighting Lit. But of course, if you wish."

The king backed away, and Lit raised his sword.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit said. "I am the Reaper of Men!"

Jason could hear Malia's voice in his head, insulting Lit for his choice of name. That only made him more determined to get his friends back. To get her back. Lightning crackled in his eyes and he summoned his own weapon. This time, it came up as a javelin, and Jason was glad for the extra length.

"Come on, Cornhusker."

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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A lot of shit went down in this chapter. Festus. . . RIP my dragon. I wanted to try and change this aspect of the story, but then I realized how important it was and I decided to just go with it and be sad while writing it. Leo has been through so much and it pained me to make his friend die, but oh well. What can you do?

Jason is such a simp it's not even funny. He would do anything to protect Malia, and she'd do the same for him. They are a power couple and no one can change my mind. When she got turned to gold, you can bet all he wanted to do was kill the king and Lit. And I left that part out just because I didn't feel like writing it. Sue me. But you can see that they are definitely closer than they were at the beginning of the book and they will continue to get closer! I promise that!

Anyway, next chapter is when the Hunters get involved and Thalia makes and appearance. We are getting close to the end of the first part, only a few more chapters. Aeolus, Enceladus, and then finally freeing Hera. God, this is moving so quickly. But I can't wait for Malia and Jason to fight together again. It'll be epic!

Please comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.