Jason's pov
It took all four of us to hold back to satyr.
"Whoa, Coach!" Jason said. "Bring it down a few notches."
A younger man charged into the room. I guessed he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He was dressed in pajama pants and a 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 dark hair, would've been handsome if it wasn't so sliced up.
Lit immediately zeroed in on me like I was the biggest threat, and walked toward me, swinging his sword overhead. Tori whipped out her sword. When Lit turned to her, she turned her head and looked at Lit and raised eyebrow with a look that said: You really want to go there. Lit looked amused and smirked.
"Hold on!" Piper stepped forward, trying for her best calming voice. "This is a misunderstanding! Everything's fine."
Lit stopped in his tracks, but he still looked very wary.
It didn't help that Hedge was screaming, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"
"Coach," I pleaded, "they may be friendly. Besides, we're 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 can be first."
Hedge clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"
"No," Piper said.
"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns they were friendly, I'll apologize."
"No!" Piper 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, and I felt a little jealous she was giving Lit that smile.
Lit huffed and sheathed his sword. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."
"I would've love to seen you try." Tori said.
Lit glared at her. The old man in the bathrobe sighed, kicking the teapot that Coach Hedge 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 forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."
"Midas? Impossible," said Coach Hedge. "He died."
We were sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclined on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and I kept worrying the old guy would forget and uncrossed his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden boxers under there.
Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Tori and flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. I wondered if I looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, I doubted it.
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 thousand of years ago."
"Interesting." The king gazed out the window 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."
"But how?" Tori asked. "You didn't happen tot have a...patron?"
Midas hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"
"We could kill them again," Hedge suggested.
"Coach, not helping," I 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, I guessed.
"There," Midas said. "Safe to go out now."
Coach Hedge grunted. "Fine. But if you need me..." He winked at me meaningfully. Then he pointed at himself, pointed two fingers at their host, and sliced a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.
"Yeah, thanks," I said.
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 a—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."
"Oh." Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."
Lit's smile was more of a cruel sneer. I was now one hundred percent sure I didn't like this guy, and I was starting to regret sending Hedge outside.
"So," I said. "All this gold—"
The king's eyes lit up. "Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!"
I 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? Government fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains it value!"
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 moments 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."
Tori let out a small laugh and a smile, "That's gotta suck."
"It does." Lit said, I swear I saw the ends of his mouth twitch up. Leo glared at him.
"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 now magic, as well. Go ahead—put you little storm spirits enemies in there."
"Seriously?" Leo was interested. He took the bag from Piper and held it up to the cage. As soon as he 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."
"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!
"That's horrible!" Tori said.
"Nonsense. She doesn't mind. Besides, if I'd learn my lesson, would I have gotten these?"
Midas pulled off his oversized sleeping cap, and I 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 ears they weren't rabbit ears. They were donkey ears.
"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 decorated Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of an ass, and 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 hike. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again."
The king smiled. Suddenly he didn't strike me 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 mar, accepted his madness, and enjoyed it. "Yes, gold had 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."
"I'm sure I could beat you." Tori said.
"I'd love to see you try." Lit smiled and Tori smiled right back. Then, if it was possible, Leo glared harder at Lit, what was up with him?
I glanced at my friends. Suddenly the air in the room seemed much colder.
"So you do have a patron," I said. "You work for the giants."
King Midas waved his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for the 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."
I slipped my hand into my pocket and Tori started to play with her necklace. "The last group?"
"Hunters," Lit snarled. "Blasted girl from Artemis."
I felt a spark of electricity—a literal spark—travel down my spine. I caught a whiff of electrical fire like I'd just melted some of the springs in the sofa.
My sister had been here.
"When?" Tori demanded. "What happened?"
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."
Percy Jackson, Tori's brother, I thought. Annabeth had mentioned the Hunters were looking for him. And in my dream of the burned-out house in the redwoods, I'd heard enemy wolves baying. Hera had called them her keepers. It had to be connected somehow.
Midas scratched his donkey ears. "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."
I stood warily and glanced at my 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 guest 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!" I yelled.
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.
"Leo." I heard Tori under her breath. She looked horrified but her eyes went a deep purple and she raised her sword.
Midas smiled apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waved around all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power dampens all others: fire...charmspeak. Which leaves me only one more trophy to collect."
"Hedge!" I yelled. "Need help in here!"
For once, the satyr didn't charge in. I wondered if the lasers had gotten him, or if he was sitting at the bottom of a trap pit.
Midas chuckled. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry my boy. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you."
I fixed on the idea l. "I believe I speak for myself and Tori when I say this, but we choose combat. You said we could choose to fight Lit instead."
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.
"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit said. "I am the Reaper of Men! But it's a shame, girl, I was growing quite fond of you."
"Come on, Cornhusker." Tori said, ready to fight. "You may be the Reaper of Men, you never said anything about women."
I summoned my weapon. This time it came up a javelin, and I was glad for the extra length.
"Oh, a gold weapon!" Midas said. "Very nice."
Lit charged
The guy was fast. He slashed and sliced, and I could barely dodge the strikes, but my mind went into a different mode—analyzing patterns, learning Lit's style, which was all offense, no defense.
I countered, sidestepped, and blocked. Lit seemed surprised to find me still alive.
"What is that style?" Lit growled. "You don't fight like a Greek."
"Legion training," I said, though I wasn't sure how I knew that. "It's Roman."
"Roman?" Lit struck again, and I deflected his blade. "What is Roman?"
"News flash," Tori said. "While you were dead, Rome defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time."
"Impossible," Lit said. "Never even heard of them."
Tori spun on one heel, smacked Lit in the chest with the butt of her white silver sword, and sent him toppling into Midas's throne.
"Oh, dear," Midas said. "Lit?"
"I'm fine," Lit growled.
"You'd better help him up," Tori said.
Lit cried, "Dad, no!"
Too late. Midas put his hand on Lit's golden shoulder. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you down to the river right after I collect my prize."
Midas raced forward. I dodged, but the old man was fast, too. I kicked the coffee table into the old man's legs and knocked him over. But as Midas was falling, he touched Tori's leg. Gold frosted over her until she was a statue.
I glanced at Piper's golden statue. Anger washed over me. I was the son of Zeus. I could not fail my friends.
I felt a tugging sensation in my gut, and the air pressure dropped so rapidly that my ears popped. Midas must've felt it too, because he stumbled to his feet and grabbed his donkey ears.
"Ow! What are you doing?" He demanded. "My power is supreme here!"
Thunder rumbled. Outside, the sky turned black.
"You know another good use for gold?" I said.
Midas raised his eyebrows, suddenly excited. "Yes?"
"It's an excellent conductor of electricity."
I raised my javelin, and the ceiling exploded. A lightning bolt ripped through the roof like it was an eggshell, connected with the tip of my spear, and sent out arcs of energy that blasted the sofas to shreds. Chunks of ceiling plaster crashed down. The chandelier groaned and snapped off its chain, and Midas screamed as it pinned him to the floor. The glass immediately turned to gold.
When the rumbling stopped, freezing rain poured into the building. Midas cursed in Ancient Greek, throughly pinned under his chandelier. The rain soaked everything, turning the gold chandelier back to glass. Piper, Tori, and Leo were slowly changing too, along with the other statues in the room.
Then the front door burst open, and Coach Hedge charged in, club ready. His mouth was covered with dirt, snow, and grass.
"What'd I miss?" he asked.
"Where were you?" I demanded. My head was spinning from summoning the lightning bolt, and it was all I could do to keep from passing out. "I was screaming for help."
Hedge belched. "Getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?"
"No one, now!" I said. "Just grab Leo. I'll get the girls."
"Don't leave me like this?" Midas wailed.
All around him the statues of his victims were turning to flesh—his daughter, his barber, and a while lot of angry-looking guys with swords.
I grabbed Piper's golden bag and my own supplies. Then I threw a rug over the golden statue of Lit on the throne. Hopefully that would keep the Reaper of Men from turning back to flesh—at least until after Midas's victims did.
"Let's get out of here," I told Hedge. "I think these guys will want some quality time with Midas."