𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 (𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨'𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬)

TWENTY ; lights, camera, ahh!

     Leo probably would have died if Jason hadn't caught him. Eileen couldn't scold him for not looking where he was going, though - she was in awe herself.

     The central section of Aeolus's palace was massive - a huge room with a domed roof that glittered silver. It was plain enough to be impressive but not jaw dropping - no, that wasn't what had caught Eileen's attention.

     Cameras; spotlights; set pieces; the whole room was set up like a movie set and a news channel had had a baby. White lights and massive tripods in every empty space of the room - and there was a lot of empty space in said room, considering there was no floor. Instead, it was an enormous chasm that went straight through the heart of the mountain. The walls of the pit looked like purple Swiss cheese - riddled with countless caves. Some were sealed off with wax or glass, while others blew gusts of wind outside.

     Leo clutched his chest as he stared down the chasm he had almost tumbled into. "Holy shit! Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"

     "Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She pulled a walkie-talkie from her robe and held down the button. "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

     Before Mellie could even put her walkie-talkie away, harpies rose from the pit - a dozen or so, all carrying various building materials. They were quick to work, gluing and hammering the most incredibly random assortment of sheets together until they had built something that resembled a floor. It looked far from solid, but the harpies had declared their work done and flew away before anyone could say anything.

     "That doesn't look very... stable," Eileen said.

     "Oh, it is!" Mellie assured her. "The harpies are very good."

     "Very good at getting people splattered," Leo finished under his breath. "Go on, Jason."

     Jason raised an eyebrow.

     Leo pushed him forward. "You're the flying guy - test it out!"

     Mellie had already begun to drift away, so Jason humphed, but followed after her. By some magic, the floor held.

     Piper stepped out next and took a firm hold of Jason's hand. "If I fall, you're catching me."

     Jason turned red. "Gah - sure."

     "Smooth," Eileen said. She interlocked her fingers with Leo's and followed Piper. "Conga line of safety?"

     Leo stuck out his tongue. "I'm not holding his hand."

     Eileen rolled her eyes and grabbed Jason's other hand.

     Mellie led them to the middle of the room where a ring of video screens hovered around what looked like some sort of control panel. In the middle, a man floated above the ground, checking monitors and messages sent in by a few paper aeroplanes. He looked a bit like a ken doll that someone had left in the sun for too long, with a face compacted with so much stage makeup that it seemed to be melting. His eyes darted from screen to screen, and his mouth kept twitching - almost like a nervous tick. He smoothed his sky-blue suit with frantic hands - right over a cloud that changed from fluffy white to dark and stormy and back again. Brilliant white hair had been slicked back in a strange updo, but the phone pressed to his ear kept leaving scuff marks, so it looked more like something a distressed porcupine would get around looking like.

     Mellie floated up. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods-"

     "Hold it!" The man cried and held up his hand for silence. He pointed to one of the screens, "watch!"