𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

FOURTEEN ; mixing potions

     As soon as they stepped on to the second floor, Leo got distracted by the appliances.

     "No way," he said. "Is that an armored forge?"

     Eileen reached out a hand to grab the back of his shirt, but she was too slow. He hopped off the escalator and ran over to a large oven shaped like an oval. It looked a bit like a barbecue, but only if the barbeque had a druggy older sibling.

     Eileen wasn't sure she trusted Leo around large hot things in his current state. Sure, he seemed fireproof, but what if that fireproof-ness stopped working when he was basically high as a kite?

     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 recognised that last 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 punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."

     Apparently, Leo took that as some sort of order. He began to walk towards it in a trance.

     "Leo, don't!" Piper warned, at the same time Eileen caught his sleeve.

     He blinked almost sleepily. "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 -" the princess lead Leo into the appliance section and began listing off the prices of various items.

     "We can't leave him alone with her," Piper said. She bit her lip as some sort of nervous reaction, and glanced over at Jason.

     Eileen knew what her friend was thinking. "I'll get him," she said. "You try and sort out Jason."

     Piper nodded, and as Eileen set off after Leo and the princess, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone being slapped across the face.

     Eileen wouldn't have been surprised if she tripped over her own feet and her knees gave way. What was she doing? Following the dangerous, old, witchy woman instead of turning on her heel and running out of the department store? Was she crazy? She decided that Demeter must have done an awful job of fixing up her head a few hours ago if she was making decisions like this.

     "-and this is one of my more priceless artifacts, but I'm willing to offer it to you for a special price," the princess was saying. "Two years off your old age and it's yours."

     "That's the same as two years off your life," Eileen said as she took Leo's hand. He didn't exactly hold her back, but he didn't pull away either. She tried to take that as a good sign. "You can't romantisise that."

     Something in the princess's face twitched, and Eileen realised with a little bit of pride that she getting on Her Highness's nerves. But then she realised that this was a very powerful woman who had lived thousands of years ago before being brought back to life, and she suddenly wasn't so pleased with herself.

     The princess stepped away from the industrial sized object that looked something like a vaccuum cleaner and cleared her throat. "Two years you wouldn't be missing." She said. "I assure you, you wouldn't even know it was gone."