THE HEALER| Heroes of Olympus

VI

"But you introduced yourself," Jason said. "You're Sciron."

The bandit's eyes widened. "How did you – Oh. Yes, I suppose I did." He lowered one flintlock and scratched the side of his head with the other. "Terribly sloppy of me. Sorry. I'm afraid I'm a little rusty. Back from the dead and all that. Let me try again."

He leveled his pistols. "Stand and deliver! I am an anonymous bandit and you do not need to know my name!"

An anonymous bandit. Something clicked in my memory. 

"Theseus. He killed you once." I said. 

Sciron's shoulders slumped. "Now, why did you have to mention him? We were getting along so well!" 

Jason frowned. 'Lains, you know this guy's story?'

I nodded, though the details were murky. "Theseus met him on the road to Athens. Sciron would kill his victims by, um ..."

Something about the turtle. I couldn't remember.

"Theseus was such a cheater!" Sciron complained. "I don't want to talk about him. I'm back from the dead now. Gaia promised me I could stay on the coastline and rob all the demigods I wanted, and that's what I'm going to do! Now ... where were we?"

"You were about to let us go," Hazel ventured.

"Hmm ..." Sciron said. "No, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it. Ah, right! Money or your life. Where are your valuables? No valuables? Then I'll have to –"

"Wait," Hazel said. "I have our valuables. At least, I can get them."

Sciron pointed a flintlock at Jason's head. "Well, then, my dear, hop to it, or my next shot will cutoff more than your friend's hair!"

Hazel looked like she was concentrating very hard. The ground rumbled beneath us and immediately yielded a bumper crop – precious metals popping to the surface as though the earth was anxious to expel them.

We found ourselves surrounded by a knee-high mound of treasure – Roman denarii, silver drachmas, ancient gold jewelry, glittering diamonds and topaz and rubies – enough to fill several lawn bags.

Sciron laughed with delight. "How in the world did you do that?"

Hazel didn't answer. 

Centuries' worth of hidden wealth from every empire that had ever claimed this land – Greek, Roman, Byzantine and so many others. Those empires were gone, leaving only a barren coastline for Sciron the bandit.

"Just take the treasure," Hazel said. "Let us go."

Sciron chuckled. "Oh, but I did say all your valuables. I understand you're holding something very special on that ship ... a certain ivory-and-gold statue about, say, forty feet tall?"

The sweat started to dry on my neck, sending a shiver down my back.

Jason stepped forward. Despite the gun pointed at his face, his eyes were as hard as sapphires. "The statue isn't negotiable."

"You're right, it's not!" Sciron agreed. "I must have it!"

"Gaia told you about it," I guessed. "She ordered you to take it."

Sciron shrugged. "Maybe. But she told me I could keep it for myself. Hard to pass up that offer! I don't intend to die again, my friends. I intend to live a long life as a very wealthy man!"

"The statue won't do you any good," Hazel said. "Not if Gaia destroys the world."

The muzzles of Sciron's pistols wavered. "Pardon?"