Learning to Trust (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

Chapter 11

LEO'S POV

      Leo's jaw dropped. The central section of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. A small gasp escaped Kyra's mouth and she looked around the fortress with a newfound look of wonder in her eyes, that made them sparkle. Television equipment floated randomly through the air- cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there was no floor. Leo almost fell into the chasm before Jason grabbed him and pulled him back.

      "Holy-! Leo gulped. "Hey Mellie, a little warning next time!"

      An enormous circular pit plunged into the side of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led strait outside. Other caves were sealed with some glistening material, like wax or glue. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but for some who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.

      "Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry." She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it. "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes a solid one. Thanks."

      A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit- three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing- and using large quantities of duct tape, which didn't assure Leo. In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod- just about anything.

      "This can't be safe," Jason said.

      "Oh, it is!" Mellie assured him. "The harpies are very good." East for her to say. She just drifted across without touching the floor, but Jason stepped out first. Figures, Leo thought. He has the best chance of survival since he was basically a blonde superman and could fly. Amazingly the floor held.

      Piper gripped his hand and followed him. "If I fall, you're catching me."

      "Uh sure," Jason said, blushing.

      Leo hopped on next, and Kyra followed close behind. "You're catching me too, Superman. But I ain't holding your hand."

      "Uh, yes please," Kyra said, moving closer to Leo. Of course Leo would of preferred if she held his hand. But he guessed this was as good as it was going to get, considering what Kyra had been through.

      Mellie led them toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat- panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages. The man paid them no attention as Mellie brought them forward. She pushed a forty-two-inch Sony out of their way and led them into a control room.

      Leo whistled, "I got  to get a room like this."

      The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone. He had a remote control in each hand and was pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random. He wore a business suit that looked like the sky, blue. He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, and he had tons of stage makeup on. He appeared to be not really young, not really old, just wrong.- like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.

      Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods-"

      "Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!"