heavy bones [jason grace]

11. piper and i start unpleasantness

"Jason," Piper says. "The original Jason. You should be dead."

Medea chuckles. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly, I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She bats her eyes at the boys. "Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"

Jason grins. "Oh, sure." Maybe it's just my imagination, but I think I catch him glancing my way. No, it's definitely just my imagination. It has to be.

"Okay," Leo says.

"Guys!" Piper shouts. "Don't you see who she is? Don't you—"

Medea cuts in. "Let's continue, shall we? I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits — and your satyr." She and the boys bustle back to the escalators. My soft glow fades.

Piper's face falls. She turns to me. "We're screwed."

"We got this," I assure her. "We are two badass bitches. We are more than capable of taking this dusty artifact down." We rush to follow. Now we're on the second floor: Appliances. Leo gets distracted by something shiny.

"No way!" he gasps. "Is that an armored forge?" He jumps off the escalator and makes a break for the forge, which just looks like an oversized oven to me.

When we catch up with him, Medea snaps back into saleswoman mode. "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold." Imperial gold?

Jason flinches and echoes my thoughts. "Imperial gold?"

"Yes, my dear," Medea says. "Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade...Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here — this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items."

She draws our attention to a giant golden throne. "Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped." Leo, still in his trance, goes to sit down on the throne.

"Leo, don't!" Piper warns.

He halts in his tracks. "How much for both?"

"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds," Medea says. "The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength—"

She and Leo disappear into the appliance section as she names the prices for each item. Piper sighs. "I'll take Leo. You take Jason." She lets go of my hand and follows after Leo and Medea, leaving Jason and me by ourselves. Well, this is the exact scenario I've been hoping to avoid.

But I yank him to the side and punch him in the gut.

"Ow!" he groans as he doubles over, his words equal parts sleepy and breathless. "What was that for?"

I grab him by the shoulders. "Jay, you have to snap out of this. That woman? That's Medea, as in the one the original Jason married. She's charmspeaking you." At his dazed look, I add, "She died three thousand years ago, Jay! She's come back from the Underworld!"

Jason shakes his head. "She's not a ghost."

"You're right, she's so much worse," I snap. "Jay, please—"

"Children," Medea croons, Leo and a clearly irritated Piper in tow. I release Jason immediately, my face burning red. "If you please, we will now see what you came for. That is what you want, yes?"