↳ chapter eleven ₊˚.༄
[# foreigner alert!]
IANA ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS CREEPY TO WATCH PEOPLE IN THEIR SLEEP. It was an invasion of privacy, someone's vulnerable state being laid bare for them to see. But she was a hypocrite for admiring her best friend's sleeping figure. Piper had a (cute) habit of breathing in from her nose and exhaling from her mouth. She just looked so... peaceful.
Iana had woken up an estimate of ten minutes before Piper stirred in her sleep and fluttered her eyes open. She was almost tempted to kiss her.
When they had finally broke camp and started down the tunnel, Iana felt the shadows' presence beside her. She didn't pay it any mind, used to its sudden come and goes. The tunnel twisted and turned for meters, never really leading them to an ending. She didn't know if they'd come face to face with a flesh eating monster by the end of it, or perhaps her and her friends would end up in the middle of a forest.
Instead, 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.
"Ugh, I hope not." Iana muttered. "Look, the directory is so messed up."
Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level
Furnishings and Café M: 1
Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2
Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3
Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4
"Kennels for what?" Piper wondered. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"
"Or sells poisons," Leo pointed out. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"
Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."
A curious custom to follow, Iana wondered but didn't protest.
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 daylight covered everything in colors, streaming through the stained glass ceiling with mosaics of astrological signs around a giant sun. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at.
There were no other windows or doors, aside from the stained glass ceiling and the elevator, but two sets of glass escalators ran between the levels. The carpeting was a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise were just as bizarre. There was too much to take at once, but there was normal stuff like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed in with armored manikins, 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 oversize canary cage.
Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned 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.
"That's Coach Hedge!" Iana exclaimed.
"We've got to get down there." Piper urged.
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 (but Iana felt awkward assuming a woman's age). Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that super-model type—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With her long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.
She smiled at the group. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"
The three of them 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 Iana couldn't pinpoint where from. Her tone was rich and exotic, speaking in a way to calm them. But, there was an odd addition to her voice, similar to Piper's, but stronger. She was charmspeaking them ever so slightly.
"So you're new to America?" Jason continued asking.
"I am... new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"
Jason stood still, as if weighing his options.
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, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we... have 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, also considering this. Iana wanted to smack his head to bring some sense into him, or maybe knock him out to avoid saying too much. "Jason, I swear if—"
"This is Piper," he said. "This is Leo and Iana. I'm Jason."
The princess fixed her eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face glowed, blazing with so much anger, Iana could see her skull beneath her skin. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.
"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."
• ────── ✾ ────── •
Iana wished she had a counter spell for Charmspeak, because the way Jason and Leo seemed to act like nothing was wrong meant it would be harder for them to get out of here alive. Piper and her kept sharing panicked looks, hoping either of them would somehow make an escape plan in the span of three minutes.
The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"
"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?"
"No, Leo." Iana deadpanned, her expressions stern. "Following a random woman in her store is not okay."
"Nonsense," the lady brushed her off. "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."
The two girls didn't have much choice except to follow.
"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 inside were every color were a wide range of glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells— ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or flowers, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.
"Do you perhaps have... a recipe book for them?" Iana inquired, admiring the various potions.
The princess looked at her pleasantly, as if she was expecting the question from her. "I do, I could show you them later, but first—" she 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 dazed and sleepy.
"Jason," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?"
Iana could sense that she tried to put power into her words, to snap him out of his trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky.
"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"
The princess beamed at him. "Then we have potions for resisting fire —"
"Got 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?"
Piper tried to keep her expression neutral, but Iana had the same thought as hers. If that vial could cure Jason's memory...
"How much does it cost?" Iana asked, locking eyes with Piper before meeting the woman's gaze.
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, I 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 Iana and Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."
Iana half-expected Piper to blush at her words, but she only looked deep in thought, as if the woman had read their thoughts. Iana also found her story disturbingly familiar... Colchis... A young man that wanted the riches of a kingdom... Her hand hovered over the side of her waist where her dagger rested.
"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."
"No, I won't pay any price." Piper stated firmly. "But a fair price, maybe."
Iana nodded. "And we'll be leaving after that."
"Right, guys?" Piper turned to the two boys.
Just for a moment, her words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused.
"Leave?" Jason said.
"You mean... after shopping?" Leo asked.
Iana nearly yelled at him. "God damn it, Leo—"
"Impressive," the princess interrupted her, tilting her head as she examined the two girls with newfound respect. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Of course, you must be the daughter of Hecate spoken of so highly. And this one, are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes— I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"
"What do you mean by spoken of highly?"
"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 clapped her hands. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."
"The Bay Area?" Piper questioned, her eyes frantic. "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.
Iana turned to look at Piper, her expression unsettled. "What does she mean they'll die?"
All Piper could offer her was a hopeless expression, as if she was saying sorry for something.
author's note!
iana your anger issues are showinggg