𝕺𝖕𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘 𝕬𝖙𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙 - 𝕱𝖊𝖒𝕺𝕮 𝖃 𝕷𝖊𝖔 𝖁𝖆𝖑𝖉𝖊𝖟

Leo

Kiera and I saved Piper and Jason over five times on the way to the front door.

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.

We deactivated all of them. It was easy since I could sense the traps, and I just picked the right tool out of my belt for it.

"You're amazing," Jason said.

I scowled as Kiera examined the front door lock, "Yeah, amazing," I said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your—"

"Door's already unlocked," Kiera announced. 

Piper stared at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?"

Kiera shrugged, "Yeah. Usually that's how it is with monsters." She turned the knob. The door swung open easily. She stepped inside without hesitation, and I followed. I would follow her to the end of the world.

"Stupid quest," Kiera mumbled. "Ruins everything."

I put a hand on her back and she smiled softly at me. "I'm sorry, Kie. I really am."

"It's not your fault." She yawned. Kiera's eyes were more pale of a green tonight, like someone took sky blue and dyed it green.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓ ❤︎༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓ ❤︎༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ‧͙⁺˚*･༓ ❤︎༓･*˚⁺‧͙ 

My first impression of the house: Dark.

From the echo of our footsteps I 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 my eyes adjusted, I 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?" My voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

"Don't see one," Kiera said.

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

I held out my hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.

"Well, if I knew that—"

"Okay, okay," Jason said. "What do we do—explore?"

Kiera shook her head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea. It's best to stay inside, especially since we don't know if these residents are mortals. Your and my scent is enough to attract—know what? I'm gonna jinx it."

The daughter of Poseidon rubbed her arms uncomfortably. "We should stay here, rest up, and figure out our next plan in the morning. We can't separate again—not like in Detroit."

"Oh, god, I hated that," Piper mumbled. "It sucked ass."

Kiera snorted. "Tell me about it."

"It's a few hours until dawn," I said. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room, like Kiera said. We wait for daylight."

Nobody offered a better idea, so we rolled in the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits, then settled in. Thankfully, we didn't find any poison throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions on the sofas.