LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . hoo

XXIV.

"A BARGAIN." LEO'S fingers twitched. "Yeah. Absolutely."

His hands went to work. He started pulling things out of the pockets of his magic tool belt — copper wire, some bolts, a brass object.

As he did that, Mia figured that she'd be the diplomatic one, because she didn't trust Leo to do it.

"So, Apollo," Mia mused, "Zeus is angry at you for not fulfilling your duties, right? If you help us defeat Gaia, you could make it up to him."

Apollo wrinkled his nose. "I suppose that's possible. But it would be easier to smite you."

"What kind of message would that give?" Mia asked. "You're the god of music. Would you listen to a song called 'Apollo Smites The Princess of the Underworld and Associates'? Personally, I wouldn't. But 'Apollo Defeats the Earth Mother and Saves the Universe' . . . that sounds like it'd top the charts."

Apollo gazed into the air, as if envisioning his name on a billboard. "What do you want exactly? And what do I get out of it?"

Mia looked at Leo, raising her eyebrows. What did he want out of this? She couldn't read minds.

"First thing I need: advice." Leo said, his hands still working. "I want to know if a plan of mine will work."

Leo explained what he had in mind. Mia nodded as she listened to the plan he had. It made sense, what he was thinking. With the lines in the prophecy and what Nike and Kymo-whatever had said.

Apollo hummed thoughtfully. "I will give you this advice for free. You might be able to defeat Gaia in the way you describe, similar to the way Ouranos was defeated aeons ago. However, any mortal close by would be utterly . . ." His voice faltered. "What is that you have made?"

Mia looked down at the contraption in Leo's hands. Layers of copper wires, like multiple sets of guitar strings, crisscrossed inside the brass thing. Rows of striking pins were controlled by levers on the outside of the cone, which was fixed to a square metal base with a bunch of crank handles.

"Oh, this . . . ?" Leo frowned thoughtfully. "Um, well . . . this is quite simply the most amazing instrument ever!"

"How does it work?" asked the god.

Good question, Mia thought.

Leo turned the crank handles. A few clear tones rang out — metallic yet warm. He manipulated the levers and gears to form a sad, wistful melody. It actually made Mia feel a twinge of sadness. Leo's eyes were watery.

Apollo stared in awe at the instrument. "I must have it. What is it called? What do you want for it?"

"This is the Valdezinator, of course!" Leo puffed out his chest, and Mia let out a snort. "It works by, um, translating your feelings into music as you manipulate the gears. It's really meant for me, a child of Hephaestus, to use, though. I don't know if you could—"

"I am the god of music!" Apollo cried. "I can certainly master the Valdezinator. I must! It is my duty!"

"So let's wheel and deal, Music Man," Leo said. "I give you this; you give me the physician's cure."

"Oh . . ." Apollo bit his godly lip. "Well, I don't actually have the physician's cure."

"You're the god of medicine," Mia said.

"Yes, but I'm the god of many things! Poetry, music, the Delphic Oracle—" He broke into a sob and covered his mouth with his fist. "Sorry. I'm fine, I'm fine. As I was saying, I have many spheres of influence. Then, of course, I have the whole 'sun god' gig, which I inherited from Helios. The point is, I'm rather like a general practitioner. For the physician's cure, you would need to see a specialist — the only one who has ever successfully cured death: my son Asclepius, the god of healers."