❝ i thought i lost the only thing
keeping me from going insane, ❞
❝ and what's that? ❞
❝ you. ❞
❝ when death takes
my hand, i will hold you
with the other and
promise to find...
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⇝
OCTAVIA WAS CLOSE TO DYING MAYBE 5 TIMESON THE WAY TO THE FRONT DOOR. But luckily Leo was there to save her, every time.
First it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.
Leo deactivated all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.
"You're amazing, Leo" Octavia said.
Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."
"Hey, that wasn't your—"
"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announced.
"Seriously?" Octavia stared in disbelief at the door.
Piper stared at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?"
Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation.
Octavia followed after him, ignoring Piper and Jasons small talk.
Octavias first impression of the house: Dark. From the echo of her footsteps she could tell the entry hall was enormous, even bigger than Boreas's penthouse; but the only illumination came from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peeked through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains.
The windows rose about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-size metal statues. As Octavias eyes adjusted, she saw sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glinted overhead. Along the back wall stood a row of closed doors.
"Where's the light switch?" Jasons voice echoed alarmingly through the room.
"Don't see one," Leo said.
"Fire?" Piper suggested.
Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."
"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.
"Well, if I knew that—"
"Okay, okay," she said. "What do we do—explore?"
Leo shook his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."
"Leo's right," Jason said. "We're not separating again—not like in Detroit."
"Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes." Piper's voice quavered. "I needed that."
"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."
