It was actually kind underwhelming that when they reentered the maze... they were back in the sewer-like area from before. Well, at least Lea thought it was the same. She didn't spend her times in sewers to know. Though it could be different.
They were in a factory-sized cavern. The rock walls bristled with old cables, pipe, and lines of brickwork- maybe the foundations of old buildings. Busted water pipes, possibly old sewer lines, sent a steady drizzle of water down the walls, turning the floor muddy. Lea grimaced her. She did not want to know what was in that water.
There wasn't much light, but the cavern looked like a cross between a construction zone and a flea market. Scattered across the cave were crates, toolboxes, pallets of timber, and stacks of steel pipe. There was even a bulldozer half-sunken in the mud.
Even stranger: several old cars had somehow been brought from the surface, each filled with suitcases and mounds of purses. Racks of clothing had been carelessly tossed around like somebody had cleaned out a department store. Worst of all, hanging from meat hooks on a stainless steel scaffold was a row of cow carcasses- skinned, gutted, and ready for butchering. Judging from the smell and the flies, they weren't very fresh. It was almost enough to make Lea turn vegan, except for the pesky fact that she loved a good pepperoni pizza.
The most disturbing thing though was the person also hanging from the meat hooks bound tightly rope and a bunch of chains.
Lea couldn't even find the energy to ignore them.
She and Medea moved as one towards the hooks.
"You got a spell?" Medea asked casually. Lea gave herself a moment to wonder why the other girl was just so casual about Lea having powers.
Still, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I think so." She pulled her grimoire out, flipping through the pages quickly. She did a mental check on her mageia. Still a bit - a lot - out of her comfort zone and she should really see if she could stop the storm that she had conjured. She aimed her ring at the metal, and took a deep breath. "Salt of earth and salt of ocean, I call on you to stop this motion." Green sparked around her ring. "Iron seize and joints grasp, mortis in a rusting grasp." A beam of light shot from her ring and they both only had a moment to say Oh, shit! before the person and the nasty cow carcasses fell towards the ground.
Medea threw her hands out and the landed on some kind of trampoline type of thing. Salome growled, sniffing around the carcasses.
"No," Lea protested as they eased him off the thing. "You don't know where that has been and its in a sewer now. No." The kitten sighed before pushing at person. Lea and Medea both pulled out some wet wipes and cleared the dirt away as much as they could. And it didn't take much for Lea to recognize the face of one Mr. Magnus Chase.
Well... that was easy.
"We should clean his wounds first," Medea said, looking around. "Then rest a bit after we're finished."
"I am not sleeping in a sewer and cleaning his wounds in this place is counter productive to his health."
"I'm okay," a third voice groaned. Both girls screamed and Magnus slammed into the ground as they dropped him. "Ouch."
"Good going, Medea. Give him brain damage on top of it," Lea snarked.
"You dropped him!"
"You were holding him too!"
"You let go first!"
"Your hands were under mine!"
"I thought heaven was more peace and angelic beings." The body under them groaned. The two girls immediately quiet down. "Less arguing."
Lea raised a brow. "You're not dead?"
"He probably has a concussion," Medea said, leaning in closer to him.
Magnus groaned once more, sitting up a bit. Lea reached out to steady him. "Do you know first aid or something," Medea asked.
The only first aid Lea knew was how to clean a cut and slap a band aid on it. Why would she need to know first aid? And be around needles? Ha! Lea would rather die. She was terrified of needles and blood made her squeamish.
Lea ignored her. "Hey, Magnus. My name is Leaneira. I'm a—" Oh, great. If she would never hear the end of this. "—friend of Annabeth. Your cousin?" He looked a whole lot different than the picture. His hair had grown out a bit and he was in desperate need of a retwist. He was a bit scrawny, with a concave chest, sticking-out ribs and very pale skin, to the point that his blue veins were clearly visible. He had definitely been in the maze longer for weeks, but... why was he still alive?
Unless Lea's theory was correct and Luke was trying to break him so that he could join the other side which... well, Alabaster liked to claim that Lea was dramatic and would do well in theatre but sometimes even she didn't believe the bullshit she spewed.
He also had a scar of his left palm; or well, he had a soulmark from the way that Medea choked the moment she saw it.
Which... was she using the wrong pronouns? She thought Magnus was a dude, but maybe he was secretly trans and hadn't come out yet? Only females got their marks at twelve and males got theirs at fifteen and Lea was sure that Annabeth said the boy was a year younger than them.
"I..."
"Medea?"
"What's your name again," Medea asked, looking up at the person. Lea's breath caught in her throat as she saw the look in her eyes. It was like like her world just tilted and focused like not dissimilar to a camera lens focusing on a target. She saw that look every time Hermes looked at her and when Drew and Ethan started acting as if they were only two people in the universe.
"Magnus," he coughed. Lea fiddled with her bag, wishing she had the forethought she bring a few healing potions that were suited for mortal consumption. "Magnus—"
"—Chase," Medea finished. There was something filled with longing in her voice. "I thought...Mother... she has a deal." Her voice was thick as she stared at his hand. "My siblings and I... we're not supposed to meet our soulmates until we're twenty-one."
Lea heard that before. She was just thinking about it... "Unless they're about to die."
Medea flinched, turning her eyes onto Magnus.
"I don't have my soulmark though," Magnus stated, but there was something in his voice that sounded like he wanted to believe her. "And how can your Mother do that?"
"She's a goddess," Medea stated absently, pulling up her shirt showing a very large image of a Witch's Knot against the side of her ribcage. "I've met some of mine already though. They don't know it but you..." There was a name on each point. Danielle Campbell. Pranjal Gupta. Medea Williams. And one Magnus Chase.
"Gods aren't real," came the immediate denial.
I'm witcha when you're right, buddy Lea thought, but aloud, she said: "What do you know about the gods and mythology?"
"Uh, not much. My mom had a picture book she used to read me when I was little. And aren't there a couple in some comics and tv shows? Like Thor and Wonder Woman?"
Lea snorted. "Those shows... ridiculously inaccurate. The real gods of Olympus are much more powerful, much more terrifying than anything Hollywood could concoct."
"But ... they're myths. They're not real."
Medea gave him a sort of pitying look while also somehow looking as if it were the third day and Jesus had risen. "Myths are simply stories about truths we've forgotten."
Lea stared between the two, the way that Magnus looked one second away from panicking and the way that Medea looked as if she would fight the alien-gods herself just to make them one. "Medea," she said. She cleared her throat. "Medea, take a look around. Find an exit out of this place since the doorway disappeared. I'll get him caught up since... since I know about this and how it's connected to Annabeth."
Medea tried to protest, but Salome growled and started pushing her away.
Magnus yelped. "What is that?"
"Hm? Oh, Salome? She's my emotional support kitten."
"That is not a kitten."
"Of course, she is. Salome's only four months," Lea sniffed. "Female tigers reach maturity at 3 years old."
"I can see her skeleton!"
Lea blinked. "You can see her true form?" Huh. That was something. "Magnus? Did your mom ever tell you about your other parent? Or um, can you see this?" She held out her necklace where Arkas leaned his little head snap at the air. She was still surprised that he managed to shift down to that size considering that she had been wearing him as a backpack now.
"Why do you have a turtle on your necklace?"
"Excuse you! Arkas is a tortoise."
"Same thing."
"No, its not. All tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. And Arkas is not a turtle!"
"You just said it yourself."
"I also made a distinction!"
"It's a turtle!"
"Tortoise!"
"Turtle!"
"Tortoise!"
"Turtle!"
"Tortoise, dammit! You're worse than your cousin!"
"Annabeth," he jerked. "Annabeth... you said you knew her."
"Yeah, she's one of my friends." Dammit. She was going to have to give the girl nickname privileges after this. "But she's also a demigod."
"A demigod?"
"Yeah. A child born from the gods like Heracles and—" Her lips twitched into a smile. "like Heracles and Perseús."
"And you're saying what one of these gods slept with Uncle Frederick? Have you seen him?"
Lea shrugged. "He looks better than your Uncle Randolph."
"Well, which one is it? Who's her mom?"
"Her dad actually," Lea smirked. "Good ol' Uncle Frederick slept with Diomēdēs, this dude from the Trojan War that managed to injure Aphrodite and Ares, right. And Athena went to her sisters and told them that she wanted to give Diomēdēs, who was like her personal assistant that she turned into a god. Anyway, she was like give his boyfriend a magic baby that I will adopt and raise as my own and tell everyone else I have brain children."
"Brain children?"
"She was born from the head," Lea stated, waving her hand. "So she said her children were born the same way which made no sense at all. Like what about their belly buttons?"
"I mean the dude that stole fire made them from clay so maybe she got the idea from there?"
You know. Lea never thought about that.
"I don't believe in gods though."
Lea nodded her head. "Me either. But we got freaky ass powers. You wanna hear my theory?"
He pursed his lips and then he nodded.
"I think they are interdimensional alien beings that are trying to take over the world by impregnation and there's a parasite residing in your body that will eventually awaken once they complete their mission of takeover."
Magnus stared at her. "You watch a lot of sci-fi movies?"
"We couldn't afford cable until like two years ago."
"I hate how much that makes sense though."
Lea knew exactly what the feeling that overcame her was.
Vindication.
"So what are your powers?"
"I have magic," Lea smirked. She called her mageia up just a bit before hurriedly dismissing it before it could do actual damage. "Like pulling rabbits out of hats but better."
"So you're a witch," he hummed.
"Medea is too."
"Are you good witches or bad witches?"
Lea pursed her lips, thinking. "Eh, depends on the day." She then tilted her head at him. "I got one thing to say though if you really are Medea's soulmate and if you tell her I said this, I'll deny in this life and the next."
"What is it?"
"If you ever hurt her, it's gonna be December 31st three thousand years from now when they get me off you, understand?" She leaned in closer, letting her mageia flare in her eyes. "I will end you."
She sat back, taking in the appropriate amount of fear in his eyes before standing to her feet. "Yo! Medea? You found anything?"
"You should come look at this," echoed back. Lea furrowed her brow, hauling Magnus to his feet before they made the slow trek deeper into the cavern. Lea didn't necessarily like the idea of walking to the other side of the cave, especially though the flea market of heavy machinery and cow carcasses. But she liked it even less the longer that they were separated.
This was not Scooby Doo.
The silence was eerie though.
Lea quickened her steps.
Because...
Because there was something oppressive and dangerous about the tunnel they were in. Something was waiting down that tunnel and demigods didn't belong in it. In fact, it felt a bit... murderous.
Pasiphaë and Ariadne. Alabaster had said. Both with a reason to dislike kids of the sea.
Lea walked faster.
Medea was digging through some boxes with a red eye logo print on them. "Look at this." Lea sat Magnus down beside Salome and stepped up next to the other girl. It was a bunch of weapons from something called Monocle Motors. Lea pulled out what looked like a knock off hammer, but when she threw it back into the box, it squeaked. Oh, wow. A squeaky war hammer. Terrifying. Not.
Lea pursed her lips and a quick glance at Medea showed the same thought. If Magnus was going to be with them for who knows how long or until they found another door exit to take him somewhere safe, then he was going to need a weapon to protect him. And while Lea could let him use one of her enchanted knives, they were enchanted. And only keyed in to be used by her.
Behind them, a groan echoed from the far tunnel.
Lea and Medea shared looks before the three of them hid behind the bulldozer just as the most god ugly being Lea had ever cursed to see appear from the darkness, stretching his massive arms. Oh, man. Talk about a face only a mother could love.
He was about was about ten feet tall, which made him small compared to some other giants Lea had met but man, he could still give whoever was the tallest person in the world a run for their money. Somebody needed to call up Guinness World Records.
He had curly orange hair, pale skin, and orange freckles. Which really irritated her because Lea loved freckles. Birth defect or not. They were beautiful. His face was smeared upward with a permanent pout, upturned nose, wide eyes, and arched eyebrows, so he appeared both startled and unhappy. He wore a red velour housecoat with matching slippers. The housecoat was open, revealing silky Valentine-patterned boxer shorts and luxurious chest hair of a red/pink/orange color not found in nature.
Lea was going to be sick.
Medea made a small gagging sound. "It's the ginger giant."
Unfortunately, the giant had extremely good hearing. He frowned and scanned the cavern, zeroing in on their hiding place.
"Who's there?" he bellowed. "You—behind the bulldozer."
Lea and Magnus both gave her incredulous looks. She mouthed, Oops.
"Come on!" the giant said. "I don't appreciate sneaking about! Show yourself."
And before she could stop her, Salome bounded from around the bulldozer.
The giant grinned. "Well! I did not suspect this. I haven't had authentic sabertooth meat in centuries!"
Was he threatening to eat her?
Lea would give him a good wax and get rid of that carpet on his chest if he even tried!
The giant stretched lazily. Twin wisps of smoke escaped his nostrils. "I imagine you'd taste wonderful with tortillas, salsa, and eggs. Huevos semidiós. Just thinking about it makes me hungry!" He sauntered over to the row of fly-specked cow carcasses.
"Oh, he's not really gonna—"
He snatched one of the carcasses off a hook. He blew fire over it— because of fucking course, he had fire powers— that cooked the meat in seconds but didn't seem to hurt the giant's hands at all. Once the cow was crispy and sizzling, he unhinged his jaw, opening his mouth impossibly wide, and downed the carcass in three massive bites, bones and all.
"Yep," Medea said weakly. Salome whimpered. "He really did it."
The giant belched. He wiped his steaming greasy hands on his robe and grinned at her beautiful tiger. "I should lend you out to Geryon! He raises an assortment of mythological animals on his ranch, you know. And then I can make a fortune with your fur coats!"
Magnus and Medea had to hold her back from ripping him apart with her bare hands.
"That's what all this is," he said, gesturing around him. "This is just the barebones of everything, but soon, I'll have me a bargain store going on! I'll sell everything from designer suits to watches. Better than what I was doing anyway. My Father hasn't been happy with me since I caused the Great Chicago Fire."
He sounded relaxed and friendly, like he was happy to talk with Salome. Between that and the red velour housecoat, he almost didn't seem dangerous. Except of course that he was ten feet tall, blew fire, and ate cows in three bites.
And he wanted to kill Salome like she was some sort of monster or something.
"I suppose I could go back to the old days. I started with cattle thieving, you know, back in the old days. Love cattle! That's why I settled in the Meatpacking District. Then I discovered they have more than meat here!" He grinned as if this was an amazing discovery. "Street vendors, high-end boutiques—this is a wonderful city, even better than Ancient Rome! And the workers were very nice to make me this cave." He smiled as he looked around him. "The next thing I have to do is a bit of work for freeing me from Tartara. Gotta get a demigod to fill the ranks and I was promised a princess!"
Salome yawned.
"You don't want to hear that do you," he smiled, turning to where they had knocked down the other cow carcasses. "That's fine. Stay right there. I'll take you to the ran—" He trailed off as he realized that his hostage was gone, and well if nothing else, that confirmed that Magnus was a demigod. Wonderful.
(Didn't Annabeth once say that the reason she kept running away from home was because the monsters were attacking her family? If they were close when they were younger like she implied, maybe it wasn't all her fault.)
"What happened to the halfblood?" He demanded turning angry eyes to Salome like she knew the answer. She did, but still. "Did you eat him? Foolish kitty! Now I have to find another."
He stepped closer to her and well, Lea wasn't going for that. She granted one of her knives and the three of them watched it sail through the air. It sunk into his skin like a heated rock on ice.
One...
Two...
Three...
The screaming started.
The giant clawed at its face as she knew the phantom feeling of acid and fire was tearing him up.
"What did you do that for," Medea yelled as Lea jumped up from behind the bulldozer.
"He was going to eat Salome," she yelled back, throwing her arms around the kitten. She would have snuggled her, but they were in a sewer and Lea had standards. She climbed a top of the tiger, reaching out for Magnus and Medea when Salome lurched forward. Lea eeped, as the two of them dodge a torrent of flames.
The giant was mad, and his face was an angry shade red that nearly matched his hair. "You would dare, demigod!" He blinked as he realized that yes, there were demigods in his little cave. "Ha! I should make the Titan Lord very happy! Three demigods all at once!"
Lea and Medea scoffed from where they stood. "You're going to make him very angry actually," Medea stated matter-of-factly. "We're going to send you straight to hell!"
He threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, I see! That was supposed to scare me! But alas, the only demigod who ever defeated me was Hercules himself."
"Who even are you," Lea demanded.
The giant kept boasting. "For centuries, I was the terror of Italy! I stole many cows—more than any other giant. Mothers used to scare their children with my name. They would say, 'Mind your manners, child, or Cacus will come and steal your cows!'"
"I'm shaking in my boots," Lea drawled.
The giant grinned. "I know! Right? So, you may as well give up, demigods. I will take you to the army and I will be rewarded the lovely Leaneíras."
Leaneíras jerked back. "No, the fuck you will not!"
Ew. Gross.
She had standards and he was so far below them even the devil wouldn't touch it.
The giant grabbed timber pallet and clothing rack in his head. "Yes! Soon I will take the blessing of the herald and after her, I'll go for his staff! I'll be as powerful as him. I'll be able to go anywhere! I'll steal anything I want, make high-quality knockoffs, and sell them around the world. I will be the lord of traveling salesmen!"
"That," Magnus croaked, "is truly evil."
"I had my doubts. She is apparently very powerful, but I'm convinced. If I bring you to the Titan Lord, then I will have all the backup I need to obtain my prize! Taking her away will be an excellent idea! Now surrender. I'm planning for a winter wedding."
"Hey, Cacus!" Medea shouted as Lea and Salome snarled so fiercely it was hard to tell the difference between them. "Answer our question. Who told you that you would get Lea?"
The giant sneered. "Foolish demigod. She may have escaped her friend but kidnapping her wasn't the only thing he planned for her. He wanted her for himself, but after his failure, Kronos said anyone could have her and I stepped up to the plate! Without her in his life, the Herald would go mad, abandoning his sense of self in a bid to get her back and we will throw him to Tartara! Or make him watch as I had my way with her! Without him, Olympian communication lines will be disrupted, and that's only the first bit of chaos my friends have planned."
"Your friends?" Medea asked.
Cacus waved off the question. "Doesn't matter. You'll find out once we get you signed up, and I'm only in it for the money. Now come along."
"Eat shit and die," Lea snarled, blasting him in the face with pure mageia. Salome bounded over to the other two, skidding to a stop. "Time to fight."
Medea smiled with wayyyyy too many teeth. "Smartest thing I've heard all day." She charged him head on and then blinked out of visibility while Lea and Salome knocked Magnus down behind the weapon's cache and veered to his left.
Lea pulled out the staff that Tyson crafted her with its very, very pointy ends.
Cacus unhinged his jaw and blew fire.
Lea made a startling discovery: fire and sewer water was not a pleasant smell.
That crap was never coming out of her hair.
Salome and Lea leaped to the side, and Lea inwardly cried when she felt the water splash on her clothes.
The giant roared. "Stop running!" He blew fire at her once more. And dammit, it was hotter than a spoon in a crack house.
"Do you even know who I am," Lea demanded.
"No one important!"
Lea gave a sharp laugh. "I'm Leaneira, idiot."
He paused for a moment to peer at her. Medea took that as the distraction that it was. Cacus roared as golden ichor began to pour out the back of his knee and she blinked back into visibility not too far away from Lea.
"I'll kill you!" Cacus stumbled. He blew fire at her, but Medea turned invisible once more. Lea blasted him with another beam of mageia, turning his hair into flames. Cacus bellowed in pain. "Aaaaahhhh!"
"Medea, we need to go," Lea yelled as he rolled around the sewer water. Nasty. Just nasty. Lea preferred her suitors to at least have good personal hygiene.
"Yeah well, we need something a bit stronger to get past him," Medea said, breathing heavily as she appeared at Lea's side. "You got a spell?"
"Only thing I could think of right now would be a little too strong," she admitted. "I'd bring all this down on us and if I'm going to die, it will not be in a sewer!"
"Shit," they said, jumping out of the way as a torrent of flames came at them. Salome threw Lea from a top of her to duck under the giant's guard and attack him like life sized scratching post.
Medea dragged her over to the weapons cache while Lea continued to send shots of mageia at the giant whenever Salome broke away. Arkas swung angrily around her neck. Lea looked down and got a crazy idea. "Pass this hurdle we must do, turn Arkas into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle to help us too!"
Before their eyes, the watery chain around her neck snapped and the animal mutated right in front of them. He reached down into the weapons cache grabbing ahold of two sais and threw himself into the fight with a loud cry out, "Booyakasha!"
"Lea... what did you do?"
"It's Leaneira," she grumbled.
"Okay, Leaneira, what the fuck did you do?"
"You got any better suggestions?"
"I don't like you!" Cacus yelled throwing her poor animals harshly into the sewer walls. He stalked toward them, smoke pouring from his nostrils. "It's time to end this."
Before he could get too close, Lea heard the unmistakable sound of a sword been drawn. She looked behind her as Magnus stood to his feet, holding something that looked more like a lead pipe than a sword and was corroded, crusted with barnacles, and covered in mud and slime and something else she didn't want to think about. "Cool down, man. I have a corroded piece of metal and I'm not afraid to use it."
Cacus laughed. "The girl will be mine, boy. But you? You, I will reduce to cinders!" Salome and Arkas threw themselves at him. He blew flames that tinged blue at them and Lea...
Lea got angry.
Her mageia began to rise within her, gleaming around the tunnel. She could feel the maze trying to suppress her and in an absent way, she could feel the malovance center onto her.
Lea didn't care.
She'd rip this place apart with her bare hands.
Cacus stepped away from them. His beady little eyes flickered nervously.
She is apparently very powerful, he had said.
Well, it was time to show him what she could do.
She didn't have to in the end. Magnus' corroded piece of junk was no longer a piece of junk. It was an actual weapon. It was a thirty-inch blade, double-edged and rounded at the tip. Down the center of the blade, a wide groove is emblazoned with what looked like Viking runes that shimmer in a lighter shade of silver, as if they'd been inlaid while the blade was forged. It gave Lea the same feeling that Riptide did whenever Percy uncapped it.
Her mageia swirled to a stop as the sword swung itself, dragging Magnus with it, and hacked into Cacus' right leg. The giant screamed. The wound in his thigh smouldered, setting his housecoat on fire. More golden ichor flooded from the wound. Before he could recover, the sword leaped upward and slashed his face. With a howl, Cacus stumbled back, cupping his hands over his nose.
"What the fuck," Lea and Medea yelled.
"I'll kill you," Cacus said, sounding like he was gargling with syrup. He took his hands from his face, and they all stared stunned as his nose was cut off. Ichor streamed down his cheeks, splattering onto the ground. He looked like a diabolical version of Porky Pig, but hell, even Porky looked better than that doofus.
"I have tolerated you long enough," he gargled.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you." Magnus raised the sword. "You want us? Come and get us." In retrospect, that was a pretty stupid thing to say.
Cacus blew another torrent of fire at them. This time Medea joined the fight. A wall of sheetrock emerged from the nasty water, blocked the fire, and made the sewer even more stinky than before. Behind him, Lea caught sight of Salome and Arkas struggling back to their feet.
The wall crashed to the ground, but before Cacus could make another move, Lea used the staff to blast another stream of mageia into his newly wounded nose.
He roared and charged.
Just as he reached them, Magnus' sword leaped up and ran him through. On the other side, Salome and Arkas tore into his back tearing him apart.
"We need to go," Medea yelled.
"Gee, why didn't I think of that," Lea yelled back as they fell back to flank Magnus. Her pets had dragged the giant under the nasty water and well... Lea had a very crazy idea that she was already regretting. "I got an idea and when this is over, I give full permission to punch me."
"What?"
Lea gave a sharp whistle for her pets. Arkas caught a ride on the back of Salome and Lea threw another enchanted knife at him. This one causing hallucinations which meant they really needed to leave before he decided to breath fire again from whatever he saw.
She climbed onto Salome's back and Arkas helped Medea up before cradling Magnus in his arms. A good thing really because despite his freaky new sword, he looked like a stiff breeze could blow him over.
"Hold on," she warned.
"I will just make both of you my wives then," Cacus said, standing over an empty batch of concrete. He began pulling down his boxers and Lea immediately averted her eyes. Lea concentrated on the water around them. This was something she had never tried before, so it had about 85% chance of failing.
"Come on," Lea grumbled. Percy made it look so easy. "I'm ready to leave this never-ending hallway."
And then she could understand how it was so easy.
She could feel a dangerous amount of pressure in the city's waterlines, and well, she summoned it all into the broken pipes. The whole cavern rumbled as a thousand water pipes burst overhead. A not-so-clean waterfall slammed Cacus in the face.
"Lea, what the hell," Medea screamed. And then they were traveling upstream. Far below, Lea could hear Cacus bellowing as millions of filthy gallons of water slammed into him. Meanwhile, Lea and Medea were both screaming enough curses that the nuns skip right over the soap and pour bleach down their throats.
Eventually, they shot out of the ground atop a disgusting geyser and landed safely on the pavement. A lot of people yelled in alarm at their sewage version of Old Faithful. The geyser receded, followed by the horrendous sound of water draining down the tunnel, like somebody up on Olympus had flushed the godly toilet.
Lea glared death at the sewage drain.
The next time she saw the giant... she was going to make a giant blanket out of his skin.
The group of moved further away as it closed back up and Lea had a sense that it was also cursing her name for getting away. Lea turned to the others, feeling the glares on her back.
"Hey, I got doused in the nasty crap... too." Her voice trailed off as she took in the land behind them.
Dryads and naiads and nymphs and all other kind of fantasy races that were marketed as "cute" and "girly" stared at them. The place was beautiful. It was mostly countryside covered with beautiful forests and the river next to them was filled with crystal clear water; the banks of it were lined with amber-weeping poplar-trees and its waters home to flocks of white swans. In the distance, she could see mountains taller than Cacus. It was like a kingdom of enchanted forests, candy vegetation, rivers and springs of wine, and beautiful gardens. A place of peace otherwordly wonder.
"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."