misplaced || l. valdez

22 || dragons, we love dragons, we also love not dying

° ~ •. ♆ chapter twenty-two ♆ .• ~ °
"dragons, we love dragons, we also love not dying"

The fountain turned bright red. Piper drew her weapon, but she was shaking too much to hold it steady. "Jason, Leo, Mari— it's time to go. Now."

"Before you've closed the deal?" Medea asked sweetly. "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!"

"Ridiculous!" Medea said, and Mari could feel 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 cried, but the boys were already glaring at each other, as if it was just dawning on them how they really felt. Medea then turned to Mari with a smile.

"And Mari, my dear." She said sweetly. "These foolish boys seem to think that they're men. But you and I know that isn't the case. Why don't you join them? A powerful young woman like yourself should be able to easily put arrogant boys in their place.

Mari glared at the two of them as she drew her sword. "Boys... they think they can just do whatever they want without consequence."

"Mari, please, don't listen to her. We need to get Jason and Leo back and leave." Piper said urgently.

Mari blinked in surprise, trying to focus on just one voice. Piper and Medea's voices were swirling in her head, and it was only making everything worse. Her whole body started shaking, and she was struggling to keep herself and her sword steady.

"Think about your friends." Medea whispered. "You're going to have to make such a difficult choice. But I can offer you an easy way out. Just defeat Jason and Leo. You can throw their bodies in the fountain and they'll come back. Just put them in their place. Show them the power and wrath of women."

Mari slowly stopped shaking. Her mind went blank and she knew exactly who she was listening to. "This'll be easy."

"Mari, no!" Piper screamed.

"Jason's always the star." Leo scowled. "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."

"Honestly, do you guys ever shut up?" Mari yelled. "I can't believe I put up with your bullshit for this long."

"Stop, please!" Piper pleaded, but no one listened.

"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!"