She only woke when the yelling started.
"Ahhhggggggh!"
She leapt up so fast, her and Piper both tumbled off the couch they were sleeping on. She wasn't sure what was more jarring- the sunlight that now bathed the whole 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.
Freya groaned as she and Piper got up and made their way to where Jason and Leo were.
"Coach!" Jason yelled.
Hedge turned, breathing hard. His eyes were so wild, Freya 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. She still wasn't entirely sure who this random satyr was- but her friends knew him, so she figured he was alright.
"You're the new kid," Hedge said, lowering his club. "Jason. " He looked at Leo, then Piper, who's hair looked like it had become a nest for a friendly hamster.
"Valdez, McLean," the coach said. Then his eyes slid to Freya. "Who are you? An attacker! Impostor!" He hefted his club, and then bravely tried to smack her with it. Freya would of laughed and probably blocked his move, but Leo intervened.
"Woah! Easy, coach." He said. "That's our friend, Freya. She's a demigod like us, from Camp Half-Blood."
At that, the satyr seemed to calm down a little, but then he remembered where they were. "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!" Piper 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, Mclean!"
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," Freya said, "somehow she's not so dead anymore. "
The coach narrowed his eyes at her, as if he didn't think she was trustworthy just yet. Then he nodded and lifted his chin.
"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-?" Started Freya, and then looked around her. From the way Leo, Piper and Jason caught their breath, she 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. "
Freya was about to adopt a fighting stance, when Hedge did the most rational thing he could. He hefted his club, and shouted, "Die!"
The next second, the four of them we're all holding him back from butchering the owner of the house they'd just broken into.
"Whoa, Coach!" Jason said. "Bring it down a few notches."
A younger man charged into the room. Freya guessed he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He was dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless T-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. He zeroed in on her and Jason, and immediately raised his sword towards Jason, as if he was the biggest threat. It annoyed Freya that he didn't think of her as a threat.
"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!"
"Hedge," Freya said, "Calm down. They might be friendly, and we'll never know if you keep throwing your club around like a maniac. Plus," She paused and spared a look at Lit who was now looking at her. "We are trespassing in their house."
"Thank you!" said the old man in the bathrobe. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"
"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper said. "Coach, you first. "
Hedge clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"
"No," Piper said.
"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."
Freya didn't know weather to laugh or wrack him across the head. "Jesus Christ," She muttered looking away and covering her face with a hand. From next to her Leo was holding his arm over his mouth and looking at the ground. His eyes we're crinkled, and Freya suspected he was quietly laughing. When they locked eyes, she almost lost it. Thankfully, Piper was there, ready to be strict as ever and remind them that they're on a quest and possibly in immediate danger.
"No!" She insisted.
"Meh. " Coach Hedge lowered his club.
Piper gave Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile. Even with her hair messed up and wearing two-day-old clothes, she looked extremely cute. One of the pros of being and Aphrodite kid; you could do all sorts of shit, but you never, ever, looked bad. Freya saw Leo stop laughing, and now look wearily between Lit and Piper.
Lit huffed and sheathed his sword. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through. "
"Or we would of run you through," Said Freya.
"Er- what she means," Said Leo hurriedly, giving her a "are you being for real right now" look. "Is that we appreciate it. I try not to get run through before lunchtime." He finished with a smile that was more a grimace.
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. "
Freya's first thought; what the fuck.
"Midas? Impossible," said Coach Hedge. "He died. "
They were sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclined on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and Freya kept worrying the old guy would forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden boxers under there. Just the thought made her shudder. Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. Freya hated how it reminded her of Jason- when he fought with utmost focus and precision, muscled arms gleaming as if he was a god himself.
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. "
Freya had to give it to her- Piper was one hell of a peoples pleaser. But not the annoying kind that spoke the right words just for the sake of praise. No, she was the kind that said the right things to sway and get you out of trouble when you most needed it. Right now, if it wasn't for Piper's sugared words, they'd probably be long dead.
"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. "
"Let me guess, you have a patron?" Asked Freya, wishing she still had her sword out.
Midas looked at her, more hesitant then he had been with Piper. "Does it matter?"
"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.
"Not helping, coach." 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, Freya 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.
"Subtle." Muttered Freya.
Jason looked embarrassed, but said, "Yeah, thanks," nevertheless.
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—Lit 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. "
Lovely, Freya thought.
"Oh. " Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. "How nice. "
Lit's smile was more of a cruel sneer. Freya's hands itched towards her sword, and she wished Jason hadn't sent 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!"
"Good to know you've got your priorities straight." Grumbled Freya.
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. "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. "
"Woah, what?" Intervened Freya, confused and intrigued all at once.
"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. "
"Lovely father daughter relationship right there," Whispered Jason to Freya.
"We can't relate," She whispered back, suddenly having an urge to giggle. Jason looked like he was trying to reign in his laughs.
"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!
"How fatherly of you." Offered Freya.
The king scowled.
"That's horrible," Stated Piper.
"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 Freya 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.
"Good gods," Freya said.
"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. "
Freya glanced at her friends, and they all shared a look. 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. "
Freya's heart speed up. A million thoughts swirled through her head;
Thalia had been here.
Was she ok?
Did this dead king kill them?
Was she getting closer to finding Percy?
Did that have a new lead?
Jason. His sister had been here.
Freya looked at him and saw exactly what she'd been expecting to see. His eyes we're wide, his hands gripping his sword. A small trail of electricity traveled down his back. Then their eyes met, somehow understanding.
"When." He demanded. "What happened."
Leo and Piper seemed taken aback. She couldn't blame them. This was yet one of the things they hadn't told them. Freya tried to push down the guilty feeling.
Lit shrugged. "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. "
At her brother's mention, Freya felt something she hadn't felt in a long time- a glimmer of hope.
"Did they say anything about the lost demigod? Tell me."
Lit looked at her weirdly. "Why do you care?"
"Oh of course she cares, son!" Said Midas. "That's her brother you're talking about. Percy Jackson. And you must be his lovely twin sister," He paused. "Freya. My patron had some very colorful opinions about you and your brother you know."
"Get to the point." She said.
"Well." Grumbled Midas. "We didn't talk much. Nothing other then that about your brother. 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 beckoning for Freya to do the same. They glanced at their 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!" Yelled Leo. 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.
"Fuck," Muttered Jason. He looked horrified- and she was too. Their friends- just like that- gone.
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... even charmspeak. Which leaves me only two more trophy's to collect. "
"Hedge!" Jason yelled, which Freya thought was a desperate move, but in all honesty she'd take any backup right now. "Need help in here!"
For once, the satyr didn't charge in.
Midas chuckled. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry, children. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you. "
"Now wait a minute." Said Freya. "You said we could choose." She spared a look at Jason and saw him nodding. "We choose to fight Lit."
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. Freya expected to be at least a little afraid, but there we're two of them and one of him. Plus, they we're demigods. Half god. They could take one scarred mortal.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit said. "I am the Reaper of Men!"
"Have fun saying that from the grave, scar face." Snarled Freya
Lit growled and lifted his sword.
"Come on, Cornhusker. " Jason summoned his own weapon. This time it came up as a javelin, and in the next second, Freya had her's out as well.
Together, they surged forward.