You'll Learn to Love Me

Chapter 7: Medea in Macy's

When Laylana awoke, she felt herself curled into something, or rather someone. When her eyes opened she was cuddled against Leo Valdez, the son of Hephaestus having an arm around her waist. He was still asleep, his face calm for once. She had gone to sleep shivering from the cold, but now she felt warm wrapped in his arms. Her brain finally caught up to her and she pulled Leo's arm off her and rolled out of his grasp. When she turned around and sat up, she looked right at Piper and Jason who were awake and snickering at her.

"What?" She snapped at them. 

"You two have been like that for hours." Piper giggled.

"You were tossing and turning in your sleep. Curled up next to him and settled down immediately." Jason grinned at her.

"Shut up!" Laylana hid her face in her hands to ignore the blush. "We're on a quest, and you two are teasing me about a boy." 

"Hey, we have to get away from the chaos that our lives have turned into somehow." Piper defended.

"You're impossible." Laylana groaned, not letting them respond as she booted Leo in the side. "Get up, we have to get moving." 

Leo woke with a start, noticing the stupid looks on his friends' faces and Laylana's red face. She refused to tell him why she was blushing, and she constantly stopped the other two from telling him. For once since this quest started, they just felt like teenagers goofing off. It was something Laylana hadn't lived in few days, and it was nice for once. After a lot of arguing, they finally broke camp and started down the tunnel. It twisted and turned and seemed to go on forever. Laylana had a few sips of nectar before she left, giving a bit to Piper as well so they could actually walk without constantly wincing in pain. 

At the end of the tunnel, they found polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letter M. Next to the elevator was a directory, like for a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper guessed. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"I will jump off a bridge if this is a Macy's." Laylana looked over at the directory with Leo, eyes widening at some of the signs. Poisons?

"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo said. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

"Kennels for what?" Piper said. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons," Laylana said.

"Man, what does 'sundries' even mean? Is that like underwear?" Leo asked.

"No, you dumbass." Laylana groaned, but she herself didn't even know what that word meant. (won't lie I legit looked up the definition of the word and I didn't understand it, also I'm sleep deprived and can't bother to read anymore) 

Jason took a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."

"The top is always fun." Laylana murmured to herself, giggling at the innuendo. Piper and Leo snorted as they ender the elevator and pressed the 'floor 4' button. The doors slid open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume wafted into the elevator. Jason stepped out first, sword ready, with Laylana following close behind with her daggers drawn. he department store looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling was a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washed everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors made a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they could see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glittered so brightly, they were hard to look at. There seemed to be no other doors or windows, which confused Laylana 

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

"This is not Macy's." Piper breathed out. 

"Thank the Gods." Laylana murmured. 

Leo stepped to the railing and looked down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprayed water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. On either side of the fountain stood a gilded cage—like an oversize canary cage. Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirled, and lightning flashed. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shuddered as they tried to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, was a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club. Laylana instantly recognized him; Gleeson Hedge.

"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. A woman had just appeared in front of them. She wore an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looked like a retired fashion model —maybe fifty years old. Her long dark hair swept over one shoulder, and her face was gorgeous in that surreal super-model way—thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers looked more like talons. 

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

Leo glanced at Jason, who then glanced at Laylana. She sighed, easing the tension in her hands.

"Hi there," she started, "is this your store?"

The woman nodded. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good... how do you say... first acquisition in this country."

She spoke with a pleasing accent, but none of them couldn't guess where from. Clearly she wasn't hostile, though. Laylana could feel herself relaxing at the calmness of her voice.

"So you're new to America?" Jason asked.

"I am... new," the woman agreed. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"

In the back of Laylana's mind, all the warning signs were going off. But she didn't care, this woman was nice and hadn't tried to kill her immediately so she called it a win. She couldn't be that bad, could she? 

Piper poked Jason in the ribs. "Jason...?"

"Um, right. Actually, Your Highness..." He pointed to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we... have him back, please?"

"Of course!" the princess agreed immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"

Jason hesitated. But Laylana didn't have any hesitation on her mind as she grinned at the Princess. Piper seemed to notice the way Laylana perked up and started to say, "Lana, I wouldn't—"

"This is Piper," she said. "This is Leo. This is Jason. And I'm Laylana."

The princess fixed her eyes on Jason and, just for a moment, her face literally glowed, blazing with so much anger, Laylana could see her skull beneath her skin. Her mind was getting blurrier, but she knew something didn't seem right. Then the moment passed, and Her Highness looked like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she said, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come, children. Let's go shopping."

"Don't mind if I do!" Laylana replied