When the rest of the group finally woke up, Kira just wished they would go back to sleep.
Jason ordered that they keep moving, though, so they packed up their camp, and moved towards the south tunnel.
It seemed to go on forever, and Kira was started to wish she had gotten some sleep. Leo offered to give her a piggy-back ride, but Jason had given her a look, and she just blushed and said no.
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."
"Maybe it's for Maniac Who Wants to Kill Us?" Kira offered, but no one agreed.
"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's 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 said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"
"Or sells poisons," Leo said. "Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?"
Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."
Kira groaned.
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."
Kira touched her ring, watching it grow into her trusty sword.
Piper joined him and caught her breath. "This is not Macy's."
Kira gave Leo a look before they joined the two of them side-by-side.
The department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. 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.
Kira saw 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.
"Coach Hedge!" Kira cried.
"We've got to get down there." Piper said.
A voice said, "May I help you find something?"
The group jumped back to face a woman. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model—maybe fifty years old. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons.
She smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"
"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."
Kira wanted to speak up and help, but as per usual, her words got stuck in her throat. "Nice you meet you, ma'am," Was all she said.
"So you're new to America?" he asked.
"I am...new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"
Kira frowned. A princess was running this underground store?
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?"
Piper started to say, "Jason, I wouldn't—"
"This is Piper," he said. "This is Leo. That's Kira. I'm Jason."
"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."
Kira didn't usually like shopping, but she liked this woman.
The princess gestured toward the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"
"Ooh," Kira said.
Piper punched her in ribs. "Ow!" She cried, moving towards Leo, who motioned her towards the potions. Piper was mean.
"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?"
"Coach.." Kira muttered, but the first floor seemed very interesting. She frowned, her mind tugging with each other.
Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper?"
"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."
Kira skipped behind them, but Piper held her back.
She slapped her.
"Ouch, Piper!" She cried. "Stop doing that!"
"You're under her spell," Piper hissed, glancing back at the boys and woman carefully.
"Spell?" Kira asked, looking at a potion behind Piper.
Piper shook her shoulders. "Snap out of it! I need you, Kira!"
Kira blinked, frowning. "Where'd they go?" Piper sighed in relief, and grabbed her hand.
"We've got to save them,"
"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, from glowing white to polka-dotted. Some smelled pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.
The princess pointed to a bloodred 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?" She tried to put power into her words, to snap him out of his trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky. Kira couldn't do much, she was too busy trying to stay focused enough to fight off the urge to follow the scary woman.
"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. Kira frowned deeply, and whispered to him to not tell random people about his powers. But he didn't seem to care.
"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?"
"Piper!" Kira hissed.
The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"
Kira knew exactly what she was doing.
"How much?" Piper asked.
"Stop, Pip!" Kira said, hitting her arm. Piper slapped her arm back.
"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 Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help him."
"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?" Kira fumed at the sight of the woman touching Leo.
Leo nodded. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."
Piper broke in: "So, the vial, Your Highness—how much?"
"Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asked. "I sense that you would."
"No, I won't pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"
Just for a moment, her words seemed to have some effect. The boys looked confused. Leo looked to Kira.
"Leave?" Jason said.
"You mean...after shopping?" Leo asked.
"Impressive," the princess said. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. 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?"
"But the vial—"
"Now, boys." She turned to Jason and Leo. Her voice was so much more powerful. "Would you like to see more?"
Kira frowned, feeling herself be sucked under again. Piper slapped her again.
"She's a bad saleswoman. She just lost a sale," Kira muttered, following Piper with a grimace, rubbing her cheek.
"Excellent," the princess said. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."
"The Bay Area?" Piper said. "Why the Bay Area?"
The princess smiled. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?"
Kira's heart stopped, looking to Leo, who didn't seem to hear her. She turned to Piper, terrified.
"You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demanded.
"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, my dear. I know your little secret. But we don't want to dwell on that, do we? The boys are having such fun."
Piper glared at the princess. "Who are you?"
"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."
Kira hadn't said anything, her usual fear and self-doubt holding her back from being helpful.
"Where's Colchis?"
The princess's expression turned a little sad. "Where was Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days. But Colchis is no more—lost eons ago."
"Eons?" Piper asked. The princess looked no more than fifty. "How old are you?"
The princess laughed. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter your country took quite a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible." The princess swept her hand around the department store.
"Your patron..." Piper trailed off. Oh, no.
"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you—only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insists on so little—a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."
Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"
From a rack labeled distressed clothing, he held up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip—except this shirt looked as if it had been clawed by tigers.
Jason frowned. "Why does this look so familiar?"
"Jason, it's like yours," Piper said. "Now we really have to leave."
Kir struggled, she didn't really want to leave, but she knew Piper was usually right. Doesn't mean the slaps didn't hurt.
Leo picked up an orange Camp Half-Blood tee with a hole through the middle, as if it had been hit by a javelin. Next to that was a dented bronze breastplate pitted with corrosion—acid, maybe?—and a Roman toga slashed to pieces and stained with something that looked disturbingly like dried blood.
"Your Highness," Piper said. "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."
Her words didn't have any effect on the princess, but the boys turned, suddenly interested.
"More story?" Leo asked.
"I like more story!" Jason agreed. Kira agreed, she liked stories.
The princess flashed Piper an irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn't for her—but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?"
"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Piper remembered. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."
"At first," Her Highness admitted, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he still needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."
"And you killed your own brother," Piper said, the horrible story all coming back to her, along with a name—an infamous name that began with the letter M.
"What?" Jason stirred. For a moment he looked almost like himself. "Killed your own—"
"No," the princess snapped. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end." Kira couldn't imagine trying to harm one of her siblings in the Ares' cabin, even if they hated her. They were family.
Jason still looked uncomfortable. "What did he do?"
The princess held the sliced-up toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him."
"Jason," Piper said. "The original Jason. But then you're—you should be dead!"
The princess smiled. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She turned to the boys and gave them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. Piper could feel the sorcery washing over them, taking control more firmly than ever.
"Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"
"Oh, sure," Jason said.
Leo paused, looking to Kira, with dazed eyes. He smiled.
"Of course," He said.
"Guys!" Piper ground her teeth in frustration. "Don't you see who she is? Don't you—"
Kira would have to admit, she had no idea. Maybe she should listen in school more.
"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess said breezily. "I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits—and your satyr."
Leo got distracted on the second floor with the appliances.
"No way," he said. "Is that an armored forge?"
When they caught up with him, the princess said, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."
Jason flinched as if he recognized that term. "Imperial gold?"
The princess nodded. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade..." She smiled pleasantly. "Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here—this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."
Leo apparently took this as an order. He began walking toward it in a trance.
"Leo, don't!" Piper yelled. He continued.
"Stop!" Kira yelled, and Leo stopped at her words, looking to the girl, frowning.
He blinked. "How much for both?"
"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength—" She led Leo into the appliance section, giving him prices on various items.
Then Piper pulled Jason aside. Kira didn't think it was right for her to choose Jason over Leo.
Kira ran over to Leo and the woman, angry. She felt confidence oozing into her veins again, but it was different this time. She felt in control, and ready to protect Leo.
"He isn't interested." Kira said boldly, glaring at the woman.
"I'm not sure about that, dear. Why don't you let him speak for himself?" She said, glaring at Kira. But when they turned to Leo, he was frowning, looking to Kira.
"I'm..I-I'm not interested." He struggled, but he knew Kira wanted the best for him, and he trusted her. More then the random charmspeaker.
The woman was not happy with this answer. Her eyes were blazing, and she was ready to blast Kira to dust when she saw Piper and Jason. She took Leo, and dragged him over.
Kira had to follow the two, but she couldn't help but be super happy. Leo had broken out of the woman's spell because he heard her voice, even if it was only for a few seconds.
She was also super happy because she had controlled her powers. She hadn't lost control, but still managed to protect Leo and stand up for him.
"Children." The princess was back with Leo in tow. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes?"
They took the escalator down to the base of the fountain. There were two large bronze sundials—each about the size of a trampoline—inlaid on the marble tile floor to the north and south of the fountain. The gilded oversize canary cages stood to the east and west, and the farthest one held the storm spirits. They were so densely packed, spinning around like a super-concentrated tornado, that Piper couldn't tell how many there were—dozens, at least.
"Hey," Leo said, "Coach Hedge looks okay!"
They ran to the nearest canary cage. The old satyr seemed to have been petrified at the moment he was sucked into the sky above the Grand Canyon. He was frozen mid-shout, his club raised over his head.
"Yes," the princess said. "I always keep my wares in good condition. We can certainly barter for the storm spirits and the satyr. A package deal. If we come to terms, I'll even throw in the vial of healing potion, and you can go in peace." She gave Piper a shrewd look. "That's better than starting unpleasantness, isn't it, dear?"
"We can negotiate," Piper said.
"Totally!" Leo agreed. "Name your price."
"Leo!" Piper snapped. Kira stepped on his foot, and he blinked wildly.
The princess chuckled. "Name my price? Perhaps not the best haggling strategy, my boy, but at least you know a thing's value. Freedom is very valuable indeed. You would ask me to release this satyr, who attacked my storm winds—"
"Who attacked us," Piper interjected.
Her Highness shrugged. "As I said, my patron asks me for small favors from time to time. Sending the storm spirits to abduct you—that was one. I assure you it was nothing personal. And no harm done, as you came here, in the end, of your own free will! At any rate, you want the satyr freed, and you want my storm spirits—who are very valuable servants, by the way—so you can hand them over to that tyrant Aeolus. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it? The price will be high."
"You're Medea," Piper said. "You helped the original Jason steal the Golden Fleece. You're one of the most evil villains in Greek mythology. Jason, Leo—don't trust her."
Instantly, Kira took a step away from the witch, hand hovering over her ring.
Leo scratched his head and looked around like he was coming out of a dream. "What are we doing, again?"
"Boys!" The princess spread her hands in a welcoming gesture. Her diamond jewelry glittered, and her painted fingers curled like blood-tipped claws. "It's true, I'm Medea. But I'm so misunderstood. Oh, Piper, my dear, you don't know what it was like for women in the old days. We had no power, no leverage. Often we couldn't even choose our own husbands. But I was different. I chose my own destiny by becoming a sorceress. Is that so wrong? I made a pact with Jason: my help to win the fleece, in exchange for his love. A fair deal. He became a famous hero! Without me, he would've died unknown on the shores of Colchis."
Jason scowled. "Then...you really did die three thousand years ago? You came back from the Underworld?"
"Death no longer holds me, young hero," Medea said. "Thanks to my patron, I am flesh and blood again."
"You...re-formed?" Leo blinked. "Like a monster?"
Medea spread her fingers, and steam hissed from her nails, like water splashed on hot iron. "You have no idea what's happening, do you, my dears? It is so much worse than a stirring of monsters from Tartarus. My patron knows that giants and monsters are not her greatest servants. I am mortal. I learn from my mistakes. And now that I have returned to the living, I will not be cheated again. Now, here is my price for what you ask."
"Guys," Piper said. "The original Jason left Medea because she was crazy and bloodthirsty." Kira gulped.
"Lies!" Medea said.
"After I bore him two children!" Medea said. "Still he broke his promise! I ask you, was that right?"
Jason and Leo dutifully shook their heads.
"It may not have been right," she said, "but neither was Medea's revenge. She murdered her own children to get back at Jason. She poisoned his new wife and fled the kingdom."
Medea snarled. "An invention to ruin my reputation! The people of the Corinth—that unruly mob—killed my children and drove me out. Jason did nothing to protect me. He robbed me of everything. So yes, I sneaked back into the palace and poisoned his lovely new bride. It was only fair—a suitable price."
"You're insane," Piper said.
"I am the victim!" Medea wailed. "I died with my dreams shattered, but no longer. I know now not to trust heroes. When they come asking for treasures, they will pay a heavy price. Especially when the one asking has the name of Jason!"
No matter how evil the woman was, and the horrible things she had done, Kira felt slightly bad for her.
The fountain turned bright red. "Jason, Leo—it's time to go. Now."
"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked. "What of your quest, boys? And my price is so easy. Did you know this fountain is magic? If a dead man were to be thrown into it, even if he was chopped to pieces, he would pop back out fully formed—stronger and more powerful than ever."
"Seriously?" Leo asked.
"Leo, she's lying," Piper said. "She did that trick with somebody before—a king, I think. She convinced his daughters to cut him to pieces so he could come out of the water young and healthy again, but it just killed him!"
"Piper, you're so smart," Kira said, distractedly, smiling blissfully at the fountain.
"Ridiculous," Medea said, and Piper could hear the power charged in every syllable. "Leo, Jason—my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You do want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"
"Guys, no!" Piper said. But they were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt.
Leo scowled. "Jason's always the star. He always gets the attention and takes me for granted."
"You're annoying, Leo," Jason said. "You never take anything seriously. You can't even fix a dragon."
"Stop!" Piper pleaded, but both drew weapons—Jason his gold sword, and Leo a hammer from his tool belt.
"Leo!" Kira cried, but this time he only flinched.
"Let them go, Piper," Medea urged. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!"
"You work for Enceladus," she said.
Medea laughed. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause—a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free."
Leo and Jason were still facing off, ready to fight, but they looked unsteady and confused—waiting for another order.
"Listen to me, girl." Medea plucked a diamond off her bracelet and threw it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicolored light, Medea said, "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."
Kira continued to plead with Leo.
The mist shimmered, and Piper saw her father's study. Sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone, was a woman in a dark business suit, her hair swirled in a tight bun.
"Hello, Jane," Medea said.
Jane hung up the phone calmly. "How can I help you, ma'am? Hello, Piper."
"You—" Piper was so angry she could hardly talk.
"Yes, child," Medea said. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak."
"Thank you, ma'am," Jane said.
"Don't mention it," Medea said. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police—well done! No one seems to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line—that was a nice touch to get his cooperation."
"Yes," Jane agreed in a bland tone, as if she were sleepwalking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger."
"I may have new orders for you, Jane," Medea said. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital."
Kira turned her ring into a sword.
"Please, Leo," she cried, and Leo turned to her, deeply confused.
"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by."
The image faded, and Medea turned to Piper. "There, you see?"
"You lured my dad into a trap," Piper said. "You helped the giant—"
"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I'm a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the eight in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little—just enough to visit him."
"Leo's mother," Piper said. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"
"Uh-huh," Leo mumbled, in a daze. Turning away from Kira, he faced Medea. He frowned at his hammer. "So ... I just attack Jason? That's okay?"
"Perfectly safe," Medea promised. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake."
"No!" Piper ordered. She knew it was her last chance. "Jason, Leo—she's tricking you. Put down your weapons."
"Jason, Leo, listen to me." Piper pleaded. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"
Jason stopped, but Leo still looked unconvinced.
"Leo, please," Kira said, begging desperately. Leo stopped as well, turning to her.
Jason blinked. "Leo, was I just about to stab you?"
"Something about my mother...?" Leo frowned, then turned toward Medea. "You...you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He lifted his arm. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."
"Bah!" Medea sneered. "I'll simply collect payment another way."
She pressed one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbled. Jason swung his sword at Medea, but she dissolved into smoke and reappeared at the base of the escalator.
"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"
Before Jason could go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swung open. Two snarling gold beasts—flesh-and-blood winged dragons—crawled out from the pits below. Each was the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.
"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo said meekly.
Kira ran to Leo's side for comfort, facing the dragons together, or not at all.