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𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐀
𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄
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OUCH. Was one of Charlie's first words after storming past lasers that carried the heat of the explosion, and then it was followed by a string of curse words when she tried to sit up, both hands wrapping around her abdomen. She was lucky for that reaction, however, as the pain meant she could still feel her limbs, her hands were numb and when she tried to wiggle her toes, she wasn't sure if they did or not.

She wasn't exactly crying, but her cheeks were stained with tears and her breath rattled in her lungs every time she tried to breathe.

Piper was in front of her then, hands darting in all sorts of directions as she tried to figure out what part to rest her hands on. Eventually, she settled for Charlie's face, cradling her cheeks as her own tears fell.

''Where—''

''Shh, lay still.'' Piper's chest was shaking too. ''You rolled pretty hard when—when Festus—''

''Where's?''

Piper moved one hand to her forehead, taking her temperature. ''You must've hit your head pretty hard. Maybe you have a concussion — this all must be really confusing for you.''

''Piper, Piper, I'm fine, seriously,'' Charlie said, but when she wafted Piper off her and tried to sit up, she only made it around halfway before she let out a scream of pain, head slamming back into the dirt as she gasped, suddenly feeling as though the wind had been knocked out of her.

Piper's eyes were wide. ''Shit, shit, Charlie, what—''

Now Charlie was crying. Fresh tears streaming down her face as her head reached backwards, trying to relieve herself of the pain.

Jason appeared at the corner of her eye, but he was blurred from her perspective, Leo had a hand draped around his shoulders and Raccoon Leo on his head. Piper's head snapped towards the two, ''I told you not to move him! He could—''

''He heard Charlie.''

Leo removed his hand from around Jason's waist, using his friend's body as a wall as if he was in a very cliché romantic film and his heart had just been broken. He reached the floor, releasing Jason's legs as he moved forwards, cradling an arm to his chest. Raccoon Leo did more or less the same thing, moving down Jason's body in a spiral until he scurried over and stopped near Charlie's face, taking up more of her vision as he lent over her.

''Oh, hey Leo,'' Charlie grinned, revealing her teeth. Unfortunately, that made the situation worse as blood was revealed, dripping down her teeth and changing their colour.

''H-Hey, Charlie,'' Leo said, smiling back as he tried not to wince at the mere sight of her. She figured now was not the time to tell him she was talking to the raccoon.

''I take it we lived, then?'' He nodded at her. ''Embarrassing, man. I told you were cool, only for us to live? What a joke.'' Even though it pained her to say every word, it was worth it when Leo laughed. ''How's Festus?'' Charlie asked and Leo looked sad then. He looked over his shoulder.

When he had first seen the wreckage, he was beyond any emotion that could be labelled. Festus must've dropped the big canary cages as he came over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

Festus hadn't been so lucky.

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's garden before breaking apart. What remained of his hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his head and neck had been somewhat in tact, and Leo was just thankful his father had taken it. He'd never ask for anything else ever again.

Leo shook his head and Charlie's smile dropped. ''Damn, I'm so sorry man. How're you doing?'' Her chest rose again, head tilting even further back as her body forced her to take the biggest breath of her life, eyes slamming shut and wincing as she did so.

Piper was touching her again, moving the muddy clothes to the side to reveal her torso. Raccoon Leo replaced her hands, his little paws holding onto her her cheeks and she smiled. Piper gasped, hands slamming over her mouth as she stared and tried not to throw up. A very bruised and uneven torso. 

''Can we go inside somewhere?'' Charlie asked, feeling guilt in even asking. ''I'm just really cold.''

''Sure, sure Charlie,'' Jason nodded as Piper brushed her hair out of her face for her. The blonde turned to the other two. ''Where are we? I mean, what city?''

''Omaha, Nebraska,'' Piper said. ''I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you were landing, well, I swear it looked like — I don't know—''

''Lasers,'' Leo said. With his good arm, he picked up a piece of dragon wreckage and threw it towards the top of the fence. Immediately, a turret popped up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistled. ''Some defense system. How are we even alive right now?''

''Festus,'' Leo said miserably. ''He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in, so they didn't focus on you.''

''He saved our lives again,'' Piper said with a soft smile in Leo's direction.

''The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down.''

Leo looked up the walkway and at the big, white mansion. ''Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in. Besides, it's probably warmer in there.''

Getting Charlie off the floor and into Jason's arms turned out to be harder than they had thought. And they had thought it to be impossible. Eventually, when Jason had let her fully rest against the floor for the fifth time, to catch her breath, she wafted her hands into his chest.

''Jason, Jason, listen, I don't care how much I scream, you gotta pick me up, okay? I'm fucking freezing.''

Jason's hands were shaking, but he nodded anyway. He had already tried several times, and that was just to get his arms fully underneath her, picking her up was the real struggle. Every time, she withered and screamed so loudly that the sound was still echoing in his ears. 

Sooner or later, she was off the floor and in even more pain than she was before. Raccoon Leo scampered up a very unwilling Real Leo, perching on his shoulder as he tried to peer at Charlie.

Piper, (bless her soul), was trying to talk her through breathing exercises but the only thing keeping Charlie away from the bridge of insanity was imagining punching her.

They all would've died at least five times on the way to the door if not for Leo.

First, it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the pavement, 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 deactivated them all. It was like he could smell the traps, and he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them every time. He wouldn't admit it, but the raccoon on his shoulder turned out to be helpful with holding the tools for him.

''You're amazing, man,'' Jason said.

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

''Hey, that wasn't your—''

''Front door's already unlocked,'' Leo announced.

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

''To be fair, Piper,'' Charlie said. ''I don't think that people that aren't Leo would've even made it this far, I mean, it's not like exploded body parts can open a door — whether it's locked or not.'' Raccoon Leo chittered as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

Piper looked at her. ''How are you even less tolerable when you're in pain.''

''Oh, I don't know, probably because I'm in pain.''

Leo turned the door knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation. Piper followed, and Charlie took the moment to whisper at Jason. ''He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally.''

''Yeah,'' Jason said. ''Yeah, okay.''

But he still felt terrible. Back in Medea's store, he'd said some pretty harsh stuff to Leo — stuff a friend shouldn't say, not to mention the fact that he'd almost skewered Leo with a sword. If it hadn't been for Piper, they'd both be dead. He'd have to ask her about it later.

''We'll be okay,'' Charlie said, patting Jason's chest. ''We're all together, and that's all that matters.''

''Together,'' Jason muttered as he shook his head. ''Yeah, we're doing great at that.''

Even though he probably meant no harm saying those words, they hurt Charlie even more than the broken rib-cage. Great, she had failed her own little mission. These three had to save Hera, Queen of the Gods, in a few days with little to no leads — and she couldn't even keep them all happy.

Jason stepped into the house.

Her first impression of the house? Dark.

''Brighter than my future, in here.'' No one laughed. Maybe it was because of the condition she was in, which was annoying; Charlie thought it made it funnier.

From the echo of Jason's footsteps, she 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. Spaced between them along the walls were life-sized metal statues. As Charlie's eyes adjusted, he saw sofa's rearranged 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?'' Jason's voice echoed alarmingly through the room.

''Don't see one,'' Leo said.

''Fire?'' Piper suggested.

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. ''It's not working.''

''Your fire is out, why?'' Piper asked.

''Well, if I knew that—''

''Okay, okay,'' she raised her hands in mock surrender. ''What do we do— explore?''

Leo shook his head. ''After all those traps outside? Bad idea.''

Jason's skin tingled. He hated being a demigod. Looking around, he didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. He imagined vicious storm spirits lurking in the curtains, dragons under the carpet, a chandelier made of lethal ice shards, ready to impale them. ''Leo's right. We're not separating again — not like in Detroit.''

''Oooh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes,'' Piper's voice quivered, ''I needed that.''

''It's a few hours until dawn,'' Jason guessed. ''Let's bring the cages in and make camp here. Wait for daylight, then we can decide what to do.''

Nobody offered a better idea, and when Charlie started complaining about the cold again, Jason set her down as the other two went to roll the cages in. Thankfully, there wasn't any poisonous throw pillows or electric whoopee cushions when she was placed down.

Raccoon Leo bounced off of his shoulder and landed at Charlie's feet, crawling all the way up until he rested on the couch's chair, by her head.

Jason tried to carefully pry his hands from underneath her, stopping before he could leave. ''Charlie, is that a belt?'' She nodded, still trying to find a comfortable position. ''No wonder you're cold. If your ribs actually are broken, the belt's acting as a splint! Your lungs aren't able to expand enough and your blood circulation's not keeping you warm anymore.'' She blinked up at him. ''You, uh, you need to take your belt off.''

''Damn, I thought the first girl you'd ask to get undressed would've been Piper.'' C'mon — Charlie was in extreme pain, it brought her great joy to see him struggle for words. Embarrassing Jason, was her favourite past-time. Who was she to turn down her own guilty pleasures?

Nevertheless, she did as she was told, and unbuckled her belt, forcing herself to take a deep breath afterwards. Maybe Piper was onto something after all.

Once both cages were brought in, they settled into separate corners. Piper and Jason sat against the couch opposite Charlie, talking soft enough that she couldn't hear them. Leo was manning the fire he had created with Charlie's lighter, right beside her to try and warm her up. He didn't seem to be in the mood to try make more tacos, but nobody complained when he passed around sandwiches from his belt.

As Charlie ate — more like nibbled — she studied the metal statues along the walls. They looked like Greek gods or heroes. Maybe that was a good sign. Or maybe they were used for target practice. On the coffee table, sat a tea service and a stack of glossy brochures, but Charlie couldn't make out the words. The bog chair at the other end of the table looked like a throne. None of them tried to sit in it.

The canary cages didn't make the place any less creepy. The venti kept churning in their prison, hissing and spinning, and Charlie got the uncomfortable feeling that they were watching them. As for Coach Hedge, he was still frozen mid-shout, his cudgel raised.

''Hey, Leo?'' He hummed. ''We got any ambrosia left? Y'know, the Rambo food?''

Leo glanced over his shoulder, a little surprised to hear someone else refer to it that way, but he quickly scrambled to grab one of the ambrosia flap-jack things. Why didn't she ask for it sooner? ''Here,'' he said, kneeling by her as he handed it over, cautious as to whether she had the strength to eat herself.

His hands brushed against hers and Charlie nearly tackled him. ''You're warm!''

Leo looked down at his hand and Charlie held it. ''I suppose so? I guess my powers aren't completely dampened.''

Charlie scooted over slightly, wincing. She patted the place beside her. ''Come, Mr. Radiator, you're sleeping with me tonight.''

He could feel his ears burn as he pulled a face. ''What? Charlie, I don't like you like that—''

''And I don't like you like that either. Jeez, get off your high horse.'' Leo's ears burnt redder. ''You're just warm and I'm freezing my fucking tits off, so lay here. Right now. That's an order, peasant.''

Leo laughed, head tilting backwards. He tried to ignore the sound of the ambrosia snapping Charlie's ribs back into place as he awkwardly laid beside her. The couch was big enough for the two of them, but he found it difficult to find where to put his hands, not wanting to intrude.

Charlie, on the other hand, did not care. The second Leo was fully laid down, she was latched onto him like a leech. He jumped, nearly falling off the couch, as Charlie mumbled a 'Hmm, warm' into his side. With furrowed brows, he slowly lowered his hands onto her back, avoiding her rib cage in case that would hurt her too.

''Did the, uh,'' he gulped, suddenly fully aware of his limbs and breathing, ''the Rambo food help at all?''

''A little,'' Charlie said. ''Would you loosen up, you're as comfy as a board right now.''

''Well, I'm not used to being used as a pillow, believe it or not.'' 

''Oh, I believe it alright.''

There was a short pause. ''What's that meant to mean!''

''Oh, nothing, don't worry about it,'' Charlie softly pushed his side, ''Now stop moving.''

''Your rodent's tail is in my face.''

''He is not a rodent.''

Leo scoffed, adjusting slightly as he turned to hug her back. ''You're just saying that 'cause you're one too. Rodent's can't tell each other apart — everyone knows this. Except for rodents, of course... which is you, by the way.''

''You're so fucking annoying,'' Charlie grumbled, rolling her eyes as she spoke into his jacket. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, suppressing the pain she still felt.

''You should get some sleep,'' Leo said, craning his neck to look behind him. ''It's your turn.''

Jason took a deep breath. ''Leo, I'm sorry about the stuff I said in Chicago. That wasn't me. You're not annoying and you do take stuff seriously — especially your work. I wish I could do half the things you do.''

Leo furrowed his brows, moving his head so far back that he and Charlie nearly went tumbling onto the floor, (he earned a sharp nudge in his stomach for that one). He looked at the ceiling and shook his head, like, 'What am I going to do with this guy?'

''I try very hard to be annoying,'' Leo said. ''Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like the Prince of the Sky, son of the Lord of the Universe. I'm supposed to resent you.''

''Lord of the Universe?'' Jason asked.

''Sure, you're all — bam! Lightning, man. And 'Watch me fly! I am the eagle that soars—''

''Shut up, Valdez.''

Leo managed a little smile. ''Yeah, see. I do annoy you.''

''I apologize for apologizing.''

''Thank you.'' Leo turned back around, settling once again, but he made sure to still be uncomfortable enough to avoid falling asleep. ''Go to bed, Jason Something Grace.''

''You did fix Festus, you know,'' Jason said. ''You gave him a purpose again. I think this quest was the highest point of his life.''

Jason was afraid he'd blown it and made Leo mad, again, but Leo just sighed. ''I hope so,'' he said, ''now sleep, man. I want some time without you organic life forms.''

''Then why are you spooning with one?''

''Shut the fuck up. Don't you have women to go hate on, or something?''

Jason chuckled, rolling over on his own couch and fell asleep quicker than he expected. He only woke again when the yelling started.

''Ahhhgggggh!''

Everyone leapt to their feet, Leo fell to the floor with a loud thud and if Charlie wasn't completely confused, she would've laughed. She wasn't sure what was more annoying: the loss of warmth, being woken up in a very bright room, or the screaming satyr.

''Coach is awake,'' Piper said, which was kind of unnecessary. Gleeson Hedge was capering around on his fury hindquarters, swinging his club and yelling 'Die!' as he smashed the tea set, whacked the sofas, and charged at the throne. Scanning the room for the cause of his regretful freedom, she spotted Raccoon Leo with a guilty look on his face, a screwdriver in one paw, and a permanent marker in the other. When she looked at Coach again, she spotted the drawn on mustache and glasses.

She laughed, head tilting backwards in pure joy. That revealed to be a bad idea as she broke out into a cough, cradling her stomach as she groaned.

''Coach!'' Jason yelled.

Hedge turned, breathing heavily. His eyes were so wild, Charlie was afraid he might attack. The satyr was still wearing his orange polo shirt and his coach's whistle, but his horns were clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters were definitely all goat. Could you even call a goat beefy?

''You're the new kid,'' Hedge said, lowering his club. ''Jason.'' He looked at Leo, then Piper, and then at Charlie. ''Valdez, McLean, Potter,'' the coach said. ''What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and—'' He zeroes in on the storm spirit cage and his eyes went back to DEFCON ONE. ''Die!''

''Whoa, Coach!'' Leo stepped in his path, which was pretty brave, even when he was six inches taller. ''It's okay, they're locked up. We just sprang you from the other cage.''

''Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank