Eye of Hecate

Ozzy

It takes all four of us to hold back the satyr. 

"Woah, Coach!" Jason says. "Bring it down a few notches."

A younger man charges into the room. I guess he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He's dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless T-shirt that says CORNHUSKERS, and he holds a sword that looks like it could husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms are covered in scars, and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would be handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.

Lit immediately zeroes in on Jason like he's the biggest threat, and stalks toward him, swinging his sword overhead.

"Hold on!" Piper steps forward, trying for her best calming voice. "This is just a misunderstanding! Everything's fine."

Lit stops in his tracks, but he still looks wary.

It doesn't help that Hedge is screaming, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Coach," Jason pleads, "they may be friendly. Besides, we're trespassing in their house."

"Thank you!" says the old man in the bathrobe. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper says. "Coach, you first."

Hedge clenches his jaw. "Just one thwack?"

"No," I say.

"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper and I insist.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowers his club.

Piper gives Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile, then shoots me a grateful look. 

Piper and I talked last night, when we were rolling in the cages. she'd thanked me for not spilling her secret, and promised she'd tell Leo and Jason when she was ready. Then, she apologized for being so mean to me, which I'd really appreciated. I feel like it brought us a bit closer, which is a big relief. I really didn't want us to be enemies.

Lit huffs and sheathes his sword. "You speak well, girl—fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"Appreciate it," I say.

"Yeah, I try not to get run through before lunchtime." Leo nods.

The old man in the bathrobe sighs, kicking the teapot that Coach Hedge smashed. "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."

Lit frowns. "Your Majesty—"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," the old man says. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities." He does his best to smile, though it looks a little forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

"Midas? Impossible," says Coach Hedge. "He died."

We're sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclines on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and I keep worrying the old guy will forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he's wearing golden boxers under there.

Lit stands behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and I and flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. 

I can't help but feel frustrated. I don't know a lot about Greek myth. I wish it was the other way around, just once, and we were dealing with something Egyptian. It would seriously help my ego to have my friends be lost for once. Of course, I know King Midas turned things to gold, but that's about it. I should have read more books. Or watched more movies. 

Piper sits forward. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be—sorry—dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"Interesting." The king gazes out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the distance, downtown Omaha looks like a cluster of children's blocks—way too clean and small for a regular city.

"You know," the king says, "I think I was a bit dead for a while. It's strange. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?"

"A very long dream, Your Majesty."

"And yet, now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"But how?" Piper asks.

I lean forward in my seat a little. "You didn't happen to have a...patron?"

Midas hesitates, but there's a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"

"We could kill them again," Hedge suggests.

"Coach, not helping," Jason says. "Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"

Leo coughs. "Is that safe? They've got some serious security."

"Oh, yes," the king says. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!"

He fishes a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and presses a few buttons—a pass code, I guess.

"There," Midas says. "Safe to go out now."

Coach Hedge grunts. "Fine. But if you need me..." He winks at Jason meaningfully. Then he points at himself, points two fingers at our hosts, and slices a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.

"Yeah, thanks," Jason says.

After the satyr leaves, Piper tries another diplomatic smile. "So...you don't know how you got here?"

"Oh, well, yes. Sort of," the king says. He frowns at Lit. "Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn't the weather."

"The oracle," Lit says.

"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha." The king shrugs. "Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit—it's short for Lityerses, by the way—horrible name, but his mother insisted—Lit has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days."

"Oh." I try to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."

Lit's smile is more of a cruel sneer. I'm starting to wish Jason hadn't sent the crazy goat guy outside.

"So," Jason says. "All this gold—"

The king's eyes light up. "Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!"

Jason looks at the brochures on the coffee table. The titles say GOLD: Invest for Eternity. "Um, you sell gold?"

"No, no," the king says. "I make it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

I frown. "I've seen that commercial."

"Oh, don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" the king says. "I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."

"But..." Piper shakes her head in confusion. "Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"

The king looks astonished. "Gave it up?"

"Yes," Piper says. "You got it from some god—"

"Dionysus," the king agrees. "I'd rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I chose the golden touch."

"But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold," Piper remembers. "And you realized how greedy you'd been. So you repented."

"Repented!" King Midas looks at Lit incredulously. "You see, son? You're away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around. My dear girl, did those stories ever say I'd lost my magic touch?"

"Well, I guess not. They just said you learned how to reverse it with running water, and you brought your daughter back to life."

"That's all true. Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents"—he gestures to his statues—"but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back—"

Lit retreats a few steps. "I hate that."

"I told you I was sorry, son. At any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?"

"Well..." Piper looks truly lost now. "Isn't that the point of the story? That you learned your lesson?"

Midas laughs. "My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here."

Piper hesitates, but she clearly isn't eager to offend the king. She dumps everything out of the pack and tosses it to Midas. As soon as he catches it, the pack turns to gold, like frost spreading across the fabric. It still looks flexible and soft, but definitely gold. The king tosses it back.

"As you see, I can still turn anything to gold," Midas says. "That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead—put your little storm spirit enemies in there."

"Seriously?" Leo is suddenly interested. He takes the bag from Piper and holds it up to the cage. As soon as he unzips the backpack, the winds stir and howl in protest. The cage bars shudder. The door of the prison flies open and the winds get vacuumed straight into the pack. Leo zips it shut and grins. "Gotta admit. That's cool."

"You see?" Midas says. "My golden touch a curse? Please. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue."

"She talked a lot," Lit offers.

"Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold." Midas points. There in the corner is a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression, as if she's thinking, Dad!

"That's horrible!" Piper says.

"Nonsense. She doesn't mind. Besides, if I'd learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"

Midas pulls off his oversize sleeping cap, and I don't know whether to laugh or get sick. Midas has long fuzzy gray ears sticking up from his white hair—like Bugs Bunny's, but they aren't rabbit ears. They're donkey ears. I scoot further away from the king. 

"Oh, wow," Leo says. "I didn't need to see that."

"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighs. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of an ass, and voilà. This was my reward for being truthful. I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing." Midas points out another golden statue—a bald man in a toga, holding a pair of shears. "That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again."

The king smiles. Suddenly he doesn't strike me as a harmless old man in a bathrobe. His eyes have a merry glow to them—the look of a madman who knows he's mad, accepts his madness, and enjoys it. "Yes, gold has many uses. I think that must be why I was brought back, eh Lit? To bankroll our patron."

Lit nods. "That and my good sword arm."

I glance at my friends. Suddenly the air in the room seems much colder.

"So you do have a patron," Jason says. "You work for the giants."

King Midas waves his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."

Jason slips his hand into his pocket. "The last group?"

"Hunters," Lit snarls. "Blasted girls from Artemis."

I know who Artemis is, at least. I don't know who the Hunters are. I'm feeling increasingly frustrated. I don't even have my staff. I have one trick up my sleeve, but that's only in the case of a fight. And I won't be able to use my magic, because this house is weird and blocks it. I might be able to draw on my magic reserves, but that's super dangerous. It could make me pass out, or even kill me. No, better we don't do that.

"When?" Jason demands. "What happened?"

Lit shrugs. "Few days ago? I didn't get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a trail, heading west. Missing demigod—I don't recall." Midas scratches his donkey ears. "Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters. They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Much of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don't have time for those who aren't serious investors."

Jason stands warily and glances at us. We get the message.

"Well," I say, managing a smile. "It's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."

"Oh, but you can't leave!" Midas says. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collection."

Lit is smiling cruelly. The king rises, and Leo, Piper, and I move away from him.

"Don't worry," the king assures us. "You don't have to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice—join my collection, or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."

Piper tries to use her charmspeak. "Your Majesty, you can't—"

Quicker than any old man should be able to move, Midas lashes out and grabs her wrist.

"No!" Jason yells.

But a frost of gold spreads over Piper, and in a heartbeat she's a glittering statue. Leo tries to summon fire, but he forgot his power isn't working. Midas touches his hand, and Leo transforms into solid metal.

"Leo!" I yell. 

Midas reaches for me next, but I tumble over the back of the couch before he can reach me. I reach into the Duat as I get up, summoning the axe that Amos gave me, the last trick I have up my sleeve. He gave it to me in case I needed to get in a physical fight, and trained me on how to use it. It's technically a ceremonial akhu axe, with a narrow bronze head engraved with hieroglyphics, but it's great for fighting. I come up wielding the axe and instinctively shout, "Mar!"  while using my other hand to point at the king.

The hieroglyph for "retch" faintly shimmers in the air, then sputters out. A small part of me is relieved. I don't know why my first instinct was to make the king throw up. That would've been an embarrassing start to the fight.

Midas smiles apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waves around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power dampens all others: fire, charmspeak...even magic. Which leaves me only two more trophies to collect."

"Hedge!" Jason yells. "Need help in here!"

For once, the satyr doesn't charge in. I wonder if the lasers got him, or if he's sitting at the bottom of a trap pit. 

Midas chuckles. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry, children. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you."

Jason's expression hardens. "We choose combat. You said we could choose to fight Lit instead."

Midas looks mildly disappointed, but he shrugs. "I said you could die fighting Lit. But of course, if you wish."

The king backs away, and Lit raises his sword.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit says. "I am the Reaper of Men!"

I join Jason's side. "Come on, Cornhusker." I'm not extremely confident, but I am pretty good with my axe. I just hope Jason is a good fighter too. 

Jason summons his own weapon. His gold coin flashes through the air, and suddenly he's holding a six-foor javelin.

"Oh, gold weapon!" Midas says. "Very nice."

Lit charges.

The guy is fast. He slashes and slices, and I can barely dodge the strikes. Still, Jason and I work as a team. He's a seriously good fighter, thank the gods. I'm impressed with myself, too. 

We counter, sidestep, and block. Lit seems surprised to find us still alive.

"What is that style?" Lit growls. "You don't fight like Greeks."

"Legion training," Jason says. "It's Roman."

"Roman?" Lit strikes again, and Jason deflects his blade. "What is Roman?"

"News flash," Jason says. "While you were dead, Rome defeated Greece. Created the greatest empire of all time."

"Impossible," Lit says. "Never even heard of them."

I scoff. "Greatest empire of all time? What about Egypt?" I hook Lit's sword with the bottom of my axe blade and shove him off to the right. "Egypt existed before Greece and Rome, and helped both of them grow."

I block another of Lit's strikes. "And, news flash: Egypt created the House of Life. An organization that has some of the most powerful magicians in the world. I'm trained to fight gods. I can fight you any day."

I spin on one heel, smack Lit in the chest with the butt of my axe, and send him toppling into Midas's throne.

"Oh, dear," Midas says. "Lit?"

"I'm fine," Lit growls.

"You'd better help him up," I suggest, brushing the hair out of my face.

Lit cries, "Dad, no!"

Too late. Midas puts his hand on his son's shoulder, and suddenly a very angry-looking gold statue is sitting on Midas's throne.

"Curses!" Midas wails. "That was a naughty trick, sorceress. I'll get you for that." He pats Lit's golden shoulder. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you down to the river right after I collect these prizes."

Midas races forward. Jason and I dodge, but the old man is fast, too. Jason kicks the coffee table into the old man's legs and knocks him over, but Midas won't stay down for long.

Then I glance at Leo's golden statue. Anger washes over me. I'm trained for worse than this. I am a magician of the Twenty First Nome. I am a scribe of the HOuse of Life. I can't fail my friends. I can't fail Leo. We have a date planned, after all.

"Jason," I speak quietly. "I have one last idea. It'll probably make me pass out, if it even works."

He looks at me doubtfully. 

"Summon a storm." I tell him. "You can do that, right?"

"Um, yeah, but...I thought your magic didn't work in here."

"I think I can draw from my own reserves."

"What does that-"

"Just do it."

Almost instantly, the air pressure drops so rapidly that my ears pop. Midas must feel it too, because he stumbles to his feet and grabs his donkey ears.

"Ow! What are you doing?" he demands. "My power is supreme here!"

Thunder rumbles. Outside, the sky turns black.

"You know another good use for gold?" I ask.

Midas raises his eyebrows, suddenly excited. "Yes?"

"It's an excellent conductor of electricity."

I point at the ceiling, like a two fingered finger gun, with my thumb parallel. I draw into my own magic reserves, a very dangerous thing to do, and speak my favorite spell, "ha-di."

The ceiling explodes, and I hear rain falling and lightning crackle, but then I pass out.