Nemesism

5)

"FINALLY!" SCIRON CRIED. "That was much longer than two minutes!"

"Sorry," Jason said. "It was a big decision...which foot."

Jason stepped forward, his hands open in surrender. "I'll go first, Sciron. I'll wash your left foot."

"Excellent choice!" Sciron wriggled his hairy, corpse-like toes. "I may have stepped on something with that foot. It felt a little squishy inside my boot. But I'm sure you'll clean it properly."

Jason's ears reddened. From the tension in his neck, I could tell that he was tempted to drop the charade and attack—one quick slash with his Imperial gold blade. But I knew if he tried, he would fail. I gripped my dagger that was hidden on the side of my waist. Just focus on the plan, simple.

"Sciron," Hazel broke in, "do you have water? Soap? How are we supposed to wash—"

"Like this!" Sciron spun his left flintlock. Suddenly it became a squirt bottle with a rag. He tossed it to Jason.

Jason squinted at the label. "You want me to wash your feet with glass cleaner?"

"Of course not!" Sciron knit his eyebrows. "It says multi-surface cleanser. My feet definitely qualify as multi-surface. Besides, it's antibacterial. I need that. Believe me, water won't do the trick on these babies."

Sciron wiggled his toes, and more zombie café odor wafted across the cliffs. I covered my nose with my shirt.

Jason gagged. "Oh, gods, no..."

Sciron shrugged. "You can always choose what's in my other hand." He hefted his right flintlock.

"He'll do it," Hazel said.

Jason glared at her, but Hazel won the staring contest. "Fine," he muttered.

"Excellent! Now..." Sciron hopped to the nearest chunk of limestone that was the right size for a footstool. He faced the water and planted his foot, so he looked like some explorer who'd just claimed a new country. "I'll watch the horizon while you scrub my bunions. It'll be much more enjoyable."

"Yeah," Jason said. "I bet."

Jason knelt in front of the bandit, at the edge of the cliff, where he was an easy target. One kick, and he'd topple over.

I had to get ready. The moment he kicked Jason, I had to grabbed him with the dirt as Hazel controlled the mist.

Jason squirted the cleaning fluid. His eyes watered. He wiped Sciron's big toe with his rag and turned aside to gag. I could barely watch. When the kick happened, I almost missed it.

Sciron slammed his foot into Jason's chest. Jason tumbled backward over the edge, his arms flailing, screaming as he fell. When he was about to hit the water, the turtle rose up and swallowed him in one bite, then sank below the surface.

Alarm bells sounded on the Argo II. My friends scrambled on deck, manning the catapults. I heard Piper wailing all the way from the ship.

It was so disturbing, I almost lost my focus. My head was spilt in two with reality and the mist. I manipulated dirt to suck Jason in the mountain, but to have his head out so he can breath and hear the command to attack.

She screamed in outrage. "What did you do?"

I covered my mouth and gasped looking at the turtle. "You lied!"

"Oh, dear..." Sciron sounded sad, but I got the impression he was hiding a grin under his bandana. "That was an accident, I assure you."

"My friends will kill you now!"