𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

THIRTEEN ; the boys get brainwashed

     The doors slid open with a pleasant ding! on the fourth floor, allowing in the heavy scent of perfume. Jason stepped out first, golden sword in his hand.

     "Guys," he said. "You've got to see this."

     Eileen followed Piper out of the elevator, and her breath caught. "Pipes, I don't think this is a Macy's."

     It was clearly a department store, but it was the most beautiful department store that Eileen had ever seen. The entirety of the ceiling was a gorgeous stained glass mosaic of astrological signs patterned around a giant sun; a thousand different squares of colour bathing the inside as daylight streamed through. It was built like a huge central atrium, so the upper floors formed rings around the walls and they could see all the way back down to the bottom floor. Glittering golden railing hugged the outer rims, so polished and bright that they were almost hard to look at. The floors were all carpeted, and such an array of its own colour and pattern Eileen felt she may never have to look at another rainbow in her life.

     There didn't seem to be any more entry ways, but two glass elevators ran from the top to bottom level. Everything looked clean and well kept, not an item out of place.

     Racks of all sorts of merchandise were just as strange as the patterned carpet that covered the floors. Battle armour, beds of nails, fur coats that moved like they were still attached to the animal, as well as some more normal things; shoes, day-to-day clothing.

     "Check it out," Leo said.

     Eileen joined him at the railing.

     A fountain in the middle of the atrium shot water twenty feet in the air, bubbling with colours that changed from red to yellow to blue and back again. Hundreds of gold coins glittered in the pool, and on either side of the fountain stood what looked like over-sized canary cages that looked just as grand as the store. Gilded cages, Eileen believed they were called.

     In one, the storm spirits from earlier sputtered lightning and swirled in their own angry miniature hurricane. The cage shuddered, but didn't budge. And in the other cage, frozen like a statue, was a familiar, short, buff satyr, tree-branch bat clutched in his hands...

     "Coach Hedge!" Piper said. "We've got to get down there."

     A voice said, "May I help you find something?"

     All four of them jumped back.

     Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman had appeared in front of them. She looked like some sort of retired model - maybe around fifty years old, however it was hard to tell - and wore a sleek black dress that hugged her somewhat wiry frame. Diamond jewellery glittered at her throat and ears. Long, dark hair was swept over her shoulder, smaller pieces framing her thin face. As pretty as she was, she almost seemed cold and a little bit unnatural. Not quite human. Her long red nails almost looked like someone had given an eagle a pedicure and then stuck its talons on the ends of her fingers.

     She reminded Eileen a little bit of a glorified Lucinda - her step mum - which took away some of her appeal.

     The woman smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

     Eileen found herself looking to Jason.

     "Um," he said, "is this your store?"

     She decided that Jason probably didn't have much experience talking to sales people.

     "I found it abandoned, you know," The woman nodded. She spoke with an accent that Eileen hadn't heard before. It was pleasant enough, though, and her demeanour didn't seem hostile.