Eye of Hecate

Jason

We would died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo. 

First it's the motion-activated trapdoor in 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 deactivates all of them. It's like he can smell then traps, and he picks just the right tool out of his belt to disable them. 

"You're amazing, man," I say. 

Leo scowls as he examines the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing," he says. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your-"

"Front door's already unlocked," Leo announces. 

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

Ozzy turns the knob. The door swings open easily. She and Leo step inside without hesitation. 

Before I can follow, Piper catches my arm. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally."

"Yeah," I say. "Yeah, okay."

But I still feel terrible. Back in Medea's store, I said some pretty harsh stuff to Leo—stuff a friend shouldn't say, not to mention the fact that I almost skewered Leo with a sword. If it hadn't been for Piper and Ozzy, we'd both be dead. And Piper and Ozzy didn't get out of that encounter easily, either. 

"Piper, I say, "I know I was in a daze back in Chicago, but that stuff about your dad—if he's in trouble, I want to help. I don't care if it's a trap or not."

"Did Ozzy say something to you?"

I blink. "No. She said it's not her place to talk about it, and you'll tell us when you're ready. I'm just saying, I'm here to help." 

Her eyes are always different colors, but now they look shattered, as if she saw something she just can't cope with. "Jason, you don't know what you're saying. Please—don't make me feel worse. Come on. We should stick together."

She ducks inside. 

"Together," I say to myself. "Yeah, we're doing great with that."

My first impression of the house: Dark. 

"Ozzy, can you brighten this up a bit?" I ask. 

She shoots me a look. Even though it's dark, I can tell it's not a happy one. 

From the echo of my footsteps I can tell the entry hall is enormous, even bigger than Boreas's penthouse; but the only illumination comes from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peeks through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. The windows rise about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls are life-size metal statues. As my eyes adjust, I see 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 glints overhead. Along the back wall stands a row of closed doors. 

"Where's the light switch?" My voice echoes alarmingly through the room. 

"Don't see one," Leo says. 

"Fire?" Piper suggests. 

Leo holds out his hand, but nothing happens. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asks. 

"Well, if I knew that—"

"Okay, okay," Ozzy says. "What do we do—explore?"

Leo shakes his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."