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―Midas? Impossible,‖ said Coach Hedge. ―He died.‖<br />
<strong>The</strong>y were sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclined on his throne. Tricky to do that in a bathrobe,<br />
and Jason kept worrying the old guy would forget and uncross his legs. Hopefully he was wearing golden<br />
boxers under there.<br />
Lit stood behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and flexing his muscular arms just<br />
to be annoying. Jason wondered if he looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, he doubted it.<br />
Piper sat forward. ―What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you‘re the second mortal we‘ve met<br />
who should be—sorry—dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago.‖<br />
―Interesting.‖ <strong>The</strong> king gazed out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the<br />
distance, downtown Omaha looked like a cluster of children‘s blocks —way too clean and small for a regular<br />
city.<br />
―You know,‖ the king said, ―I think I was a bit dead for a while. It‘s strange. Seems like a dream, doesn‘t it,<br />
Lit?‖<br />
―A very long dream, Your Majesty.‖<br />
―And yet, now we‘re here. I‘m enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better.‖<br />
―But how?‖ Piper asked. ―You didn‘t happen to have a … patron?‖<br />
Midas hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. ―Does it matter, my dear?‖<br />
―We could kill them again,‖ Hedge suggested.<br />
―Coach, not helping,‖ Jason said. ―Why don‘t you go outside and stand guard?‖<br />
Leo coughed. ―Is that safe? <strong>The</strong>y‘ve got some serious security.‖<br />
―Oh, yes,‖ the king said. ―Sorry about that. But it‘s lovely stuff, isn‘t it? Amazing what gold can still buy.<br />
Such excellent toys you have in this country!‖<br />
He fished a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons—a pass code, Jason<br />
guessed.<br />
―<strong>The</strong>re,‖ Midas said. ―Safe to go out now.‖<br />
Coach Hedge grunted. ―Fine. But if you need me …‖ He winked at Jason meaningfully. <strong>The</strong>n he pointed at<br />
himself, pointed two fingers at their hosts, and sliced a finger across his throat. Very subtle sign language.<br />
―Yeah, thanks,‖ Jason said.<br />
After the satyr left, Piper tried another diplomatic smile. ―So … you don‘t know how you got here?‖<br />
―Oh, well, yes. Sort of,‖ the king said. He frowned at Lit. ―Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn‘t<br />
the weather.‖<br />
―<strong>The</strong> oracle,‖ Lit said.<br />
―Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha.‖ <strong>The</strong> king shrugged. ―Apparently I was mistaken. But this<br />
is a rather nice house, isn‘t it? Lit—it‘s short for Lityerses, by the way—horrible name, but his mother insisted—<br />
Lit has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. <strong>The</strong>y called him<br />
the Reaper of Men back in the old days.‖<br />
―Oh.‖ Piper tried to sound enthusiastic. ―How nice.‖<br />
Lit‘s smile was more of a cruel sneer. Jason was now one hundred percent sure he didn‘t like this guy,<br />
and he was starting to regret sending Hedge outside.<br />
―So,‖ Jason said. ―All this gold—‖<br />
<strong>The</strong> king‘s eyes lit up. ―Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!‖<br />
Jason looked at the brochures on the coffee table. <strong>The</strong> title said GOLD: Invest for Eternity. ―Um, you sell<br />
gold?‖<br />
―No, no,‖ the king said. ―I make it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don‘t you<br />
think? Governments fall. <strong>The</strong> dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!‖<br />
Leo frowned. ―I‘ve seen that commercial.‖<br />
―Oh, don‘t be fooled by cheap imitators!‖ the king said. ―I assure you, I can beat any price for a serious<br />
investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment‘s notice.‖<br />
―But …‖ Piper shook her head in confusion. ―Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn‘t you?‖<br />
<strong>The</strong> king looked astonished. ―Gave it up?‖<br />
―Yes,‖ Piper said. ―You got it from some god—‖<br />
―Dionysus,‖ the king agreed. ―I‘d rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I<br />
chose the golden touch.‖<br />
―But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold,‖ Piper remembered. ―And you realized how<br />
greedy you‘d been. So you repented.‖<br />
―Repented!‖ King Midas looked at Lit incredulously. ―You see, son? You‘re away for a few thousand years,<br />
and the story gets twisted all around. My dear girl, did those stories ever say I‘d lost my magic touch?‖
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