[Cindy Crawford as Medea]

I 014. I

𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒆

❝ atrium ❞

     SHE WAS THE LAST ONE TO WAKE. Partly because she didn't want to. Her main goal was to get through this quest and find Percy as quickly as possible, so she wouldn't have to keep living off of memories.

Piper had offered her coat back, but the younger girl looked as if she needed it more. Besides, she could always find some coat to steal, she had picked up a few things from the Stolls.

Finally they broke camp and started down the tunnel.

It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Ariadne wasn't sure what to expect. She never put anything out of the realm of possibility, because there had many too many surprises in her life.

They found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level
Furnishings and Cafe M: 1
Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2
Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3
Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4

"Kennels for what?" Piper said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons?" Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"

Ariadne placed her hands on her hips. "I don't like this. I say we get in and out—quickly."

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."

The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready.

"Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."

Piper joined him and caught her breath. "This is not Macy's."

The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around the sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.

Aside from the stained lass ceiling and the elevator, Ariadne couldn't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators ran between the levels. The carpeting was a riot or oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take in at once, but she saw normal stuff like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed in with armored mannequins, beds of nails, and fur coats that seemed to be moving.

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glittered with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage—like an oversized canary cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had in prisoner the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree branch club.

"Coach Hedge!" Piper said. "We've got to get down there."

Ariadne shook her head. "We should check to make sure no one else is—"

A voice said, "May I help you find something?"

All four of them jumped back.

A woman had just appeared in front of them. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model—maybe fifty years old. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.

She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

Leo glanced at Jason like, All yours.

"Um," Jason started, "is this your store?"

The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good...how do you say...first acquisition in this country."

She spoke with a pleasing accent, but Ariadne couldn't guess where from. But she didn't like it one bit.

"So you're new to America?" he asked.

"I am...new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your High esa. Now, what are you looking for?"

Her head was fuzzy. Ariadne knew what her name was. But, for the moment, she couldn't focus properly into thinking of various Greek stories that flooded her brain. It was as if they were being blocked out by something—or someone.

Piper poked him in the ribs. "Jason..."

"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness..." He pointed to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleason Hedge. The satyr. Could we....leave him back, please?"

"Of course!" the Princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"

Jason hesitated.

Ariadne gave the boy a stern look. Usually he would become nervous from her gaze, but he looked normal, as if it was Leo's stare. "Jason, don't—"

"This is Ariadne," he said. "This is Piper. This is Leo. I'm Jason."

The Princess fixed her eyes on him and Ariadne, and just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, they could see her skull beneath her skin. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness gave Ariadne a cold smile.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."

Piper and Ariadne had the same idea: attack the weird Princess now and run for the elevator. A fight was sure to come. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo didn't seem to think anything was wrong.

The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potion?"

"Cool," Jason said.

"Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this—princess—is really our friend—"

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's—cold and dark. "Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper, Ariadne?"

Piper did her best to stare daggers at him.

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them toward the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

Ariadne and Piper didn't have much choice except to follow.

She hated department stores—mostly because she was stared at all the time, and most people usually have her an immense amount of attitude.

Anyway, she wasn't thrilled to be back in a department store—especially one run by a crazy princess who glowed in the dark.

"And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks—some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids were every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells—ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh baked cookies of roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.

The princess pointed to a blood red vial—a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy, and this vial"—she pointed to a swan shaped container with blue liquid inside—"will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," Jason said. His voice sounded daze and sleepy.

"Jason," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?" She tried to put power into her words, to snap him out of his trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky even to her.

"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

The princess beamed at him. "Then we have potions for resisting fire—"

"Bit that covered," Leo said

"Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen...but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or—"

"Wait." Piper was still staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"

"How much?" Piper asked.

The princess got a faraway look in her eyes. "Well, now...the price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me." Her gaze drifted to Jason. "Once, for instance, u met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."

"From your own dad?" Jason still looked half in a trance, but the idea seemed to bother him.

"Oh, don't worry," the princess said. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good looking, dashing, strong..." She looked at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."

Ariadne furrowed her eyebrows. She got the creepiest feeling the princess could read her thoughts. Her first thoughts had been of Percy, and that seemed to strike a nerve that she had been possibly rooting through her brain to find it.

She also found the princess's story disturbingly familiar. The sunscreen was familiar, but her brain was still fuzzy, like a fog had washed over it.

"At any rate," Her Highness continued, "my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize. And still he cheated me of my payment."

"Cheated?" Jason frowned, as if trying to remember something important.

"That's messed up," Leo said.

Her Highness patted his cheek affectionately. "I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"

Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."

Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness—how much?"

The princess assessed Piper's clothes, her face, her posture, as if putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.

"Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asked. "I sense that you would."

The words washed over Ariadne as powerfully as a good surfing wave. The force of the suggestion seemed to try to dig into her brain. Her stomach twisted, but she stood her ground, as she had done so many times before.

She was being charmspoken.

Piper summoned all her willpower. "No, I won't pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"

Just for a moment, her words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused.

"Leave?" Jason said.

"You mean...after shopping?" Leo asked.

Piper wanted to scream, but the princess tilted her head, examining Piper with a newfound respect.

"Impressive," the princess said. "Not many purple could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes—I should have seen it."

Her Highness inspected Ariadne, who stood defensively beside Piper. Her purple eyes were commanding. The princess felt dizzy all of a sudden, her brain becoming hazy, swirling and spinning. "Daughter of the Vines. Yes, I have heard of you, my dear. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decided what to buy, eh?"

"But the vial—"

"Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo, . Her voice was so much more powerful than Piper's, so full of confidence. "Would you like to see more?"

"Sure," Jason said.

"Okay," Leo said.

"Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."

Piper's hand moved to her dagger. Ariadne gripped her ring tightly.

"The Bay Area?" Piper said. "Why the Bay Area?"

The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?"

Then she led them toward the escalators, Jason and Leo still looking excited to shop.

Ariadne and 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.

"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, 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 fire. It's ringed tail twitched, and it's little legs wiggled frantically as Leo walked. Jason was ogling the men's sportswear.

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."

"Eons?" Piper asked. The princess looked no more than fifty, but a bad feeling started settling over Ariadne—something King Boreas had mentioned back in Quebec. Her brain still felt fuzzy. "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.

Ariadne's throat ran dry. "Your patron..."

"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."

They needed to get out of there.

But before she could even turn her thoughts into words, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"

From a rack disabled 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.

Jason frowned. "Why does this look so familiar?"

"Jason, it isn't 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. 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. 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.

Seeing the orange tee that was so near and dear to her heart, it angered her incredibly.

"Your Highness," Piper said, 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.

"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. 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.

"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Ariadne remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."

The look in the princess's eyes made Piper nervous, but Ariadne glared her down, prepared to tackle the woman of anything happened.

"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 truce. He trusted me."

"And you killed your own brother," Ariadne said, 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—"

"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, 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 hey could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I didn't for my husband. And he forging out bargain. He betrayed me in the end.0

Jason still looked uncomfortable. "What did he do?"

The princess held the sliced up yoga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "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!"

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 it acted out of love." She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. Ariadne could feel the sorcery washing over them, taking control more firmly than ever.

"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—0

"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily. "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 Ariadne could stop him, he hopped off the escalator and ran over to a big oval oven that looked like a barbecue on steroids.

"When they caught up with him, the princess said, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Got enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."

Jason flinched as if he recognized that term. "Imperial gold?"

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. "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, Hers. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."

Leo apparently took this as an order. He began walking toward it in a trance.

"Leo, don't!" Piper warned.

He blinked. "How much for both?"

"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 appliances section, giving him prices on various items."

Piper pulled Jason to the side to try reason with Jason. Ariadne focused her attention on Leo and the princess.

"We don't need this useless junk," Ariadne spat at Her Highness. "You're wasting our time. You can't keep them under this spell forever."

The princess smiled sweetly, but her cold eyes seemed irked by her words. "Ariadne, my dear, why don't you go look at those jackets, it's cold outside."

"I don't want your stuff," she said harshly. "Trust me, lady, you'll find out why all monsters are afraid of me. Didn't they explain that to you in Tartarus?"
I
It looked as if they were about to get into a fist fight, which Ariadne knew she would win.

"Children." The princess diverted her attention toward Piper and Jason, who stood off to the side. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. This is what you want, yes?"

Piper had to choke back a scream. She had to grab Ariadne's arms, forcing her from turning the entire department store into a vineyard with her powers and their friends under a powerful spell.

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. The gilded oversized 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 Ariadne couldn't tell how many there were—dozens, at least.

"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks 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. 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 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 have Piper and Ariadne a shrewd look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"

"We can negotiate," she said.

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

"Leo!" Ariadne 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 up," 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 has nothing personal. And no harm done, as you came come 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 then over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high."

Ariadne 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."

Somehow, without needing Piper, her words were enough to cause an effect. Jason blinked twice and 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. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Ariadne, 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 the 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—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...reformed?" 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 u 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."

"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 her 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."

Medea snarled. "And invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth—that unruly mob—killed my children's bd 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," Ariadne said. "And I'm the daughter of Dionysus."

"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!"

The fountain turned bright red. Ariadne drew her sword, a scowl on her face. "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 Ariadne 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, now!" Piper said. 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 even fix a dragon."

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

Ariadne growled. She ignored whatever Medea was saying to Piper and stood between the boys. She glanced over at them with Lunacy in hand.

"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 eight 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," Piper said. "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:"

"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. Ariadne narrowed her eyes at the boys. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"

They hesitated, and Ariadne could feel the spell shatter.

Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"

"No," Ariadne said. "You would've stabbed me first, but I would've knocked you out before you had the chance."

"Something about my mother...?" Leo frowned, them 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."

"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.

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

Before Ariadne 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 can, 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."

"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, while Ariadne turned toward Piper.

"Go," she said. "We've got them!"

Leo began blowing his safety whistle, and Jason was telling to keep the dragons' attention. Ariadne was using his distraction to take a swipe at them, but each time she swiped, fire shot out at her.

Leo called, "Jason, help!"

Ariadne risked a quick look. One of the dragons had Leo pinned to the floor. It was baring its fangs, ready to snap. Jason was all the way across the room battling ready to other dragon, much too far away to assist.

She growled. Her feet raced over, and she stabbed the dragon in the back, causing Jason to watch in shock while she tackled the dragon, wrestling it. Ariadne bashed its head in with her fist. Steam billowed from its mouth, and its wings curled up tightly.

"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—"

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.

"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 as 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 som ancient language. The whole fourth floor was on fire now. The air was filled with noxious gas. Even with the roof open, Ariadne could feel the heat intensifying. She pointed her blade up to 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. Ariadne was climbing on. 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.

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.

"Not today, witch." Piper jumped over the side. She plummeted for only a second before Ariadne caught her, hauling her aboard the dragon.

Ariadne heard Medea screaming in rage as they soared through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. She smirked to herself.

In a blink of an eye, vines dug over the fountain. She heard the sorceress scream louder. The department store exploded behind them.

authors note:

This is so late I'm sorry

Honestly idk how to fit her in this chapter it was mainly about Piper and shit. Had to keep it in her sake

Ariadne is just stressed like me right now

I got my permit! My mom already expects me to drive to the store by myself which is illegal so fuck that thought of hers

Q: what song described you and your feelings right now?
A: Lonely by Noah Cyrus

It's such a good song I swear

I'm also starting scheduling fir my JUNIOR YEAR THATS SO WEIRD TO SAY

any advice on how not to die is greatly appreciated.

Also: thank _Feartheuwu_ bringing my motivation back for this single chapter. She was the one who created my covers for this series and they are 👌🏼❤️ so thank you

I may be taking a short break from this story. I hate to say it, but my motivation and ideas are spreading thin for this story. I've always lived my the fact that you shouldn't force a story if you didn't feel it. I'm in love with Robin/Dick Grayson from Young Justice. So expect that and I'm working on my Lance McClain and for that young justice book

Love you guys and hope this doesn't bother you too much!

Tell me what you're excited for and stuff!

Love you guys!