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―You know another good use for gold?‖ Jason said.<br />
Midas raised his eyebrows, suddenly excited. ―Yes?‖<br />
―It‘s an excellent conductor of electricity.‖<br />
Jason raised his javelin, and the ceiling exploded. A lightning bolt ripped through the roof like it was an<br />
eggshell, connected with the tip of Jason‘s spear, and sent out arcs of energy that blasted the sofas to shreds.<br />
Chunks of ceiling plaster crashed down. <strong>The</strong> chandelier groaned and snapped offits chain, and Midas screamed<br />
as it pinned him to the floor. <strong>The</strong> glass immediately turned into gold.<br />
When the rumbling stopped, freezing rain poured into the building. Midas cursed in Ancient Greek,<br />
thoroughly pinned under his chandelier. <strong>The</strong> rain soaked everything, turning the gold chandelier back to glass.<br />
Piper and Leo were slowly changing too, along with the other statues in the room.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n the front door burst open, and Coach Hedge charged in, club ready. His mouth was covered with<br />
dirt, snow, and grass.<br />
―What‘d I miss?‖ he asked.<br />
―Where were you?‖ Jason demanded. His head was spinning from summoning the lightning bolt, and it<br />
was all he could do to keep from passing out. ―I was screaming for help.‖<br />
Hedge belched. ―Getting a snack. Sorry. Who needs killing?‖<br />
―No one, now!‖ Jason said. ―Just grab Leo. I‘ll get Piper.‖<br />
―Don‘t leave me like this!‖ Midas wailed.<br />
All around him the statues of his victims were turning to flesh—his daughter, his barber, and a whole lot of<br />
angry-looking guys with swords.<br />
Jason grabbed Piper‘s golden bag and his own supplies.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n he threw a rug over the golden statue of Lit on the throne. Hopefully that would keep the Reaper of<br />
Men from turning back to flesh—at least until after Midas‘s victims did.<br />
―Let‘s get out of here,‖ Jason told Hedge. ―I think these guys will want some quality time with Midas.‖<br />
PIPER WOKE UP COLD AND SHIVERING.<br />
She‘d had the worst dream about an old guy with donkey ears chasing her around and shouting, You‟re it!<br />
―Oh, god.‖ Her teeth chattered. ―He turned me to gold!‖<br />
―You‘re okay now.‖ Jason leaned over and tucked a warm blanket around her, but she still felt as cold as a<br />
Boread.<br />
She blinked, trying to figure out where they were. Next to her, a campfire blazed, turning the air sharp with<br />
smoke. Firelight flickered against rock walls. <strong>The</strong>y were in a shallow cave, but it didn‘t offer much protection.<br />
Outside, the wind howled. Snow blew sideways. It might‘ve been day or night. <strong>The</strong> storm made it too dark to<br />
tell.<br />
―L-L-Leo?‖ Piper managed.<br />
―Present and un-gold-ified.‖ Leo was also wrapped in blankets. He didn‘t look great, but better than Piper<br />
felt. ―I got the precious metal treatment too,‖ he said. ―But I came out of it faster. Dunno why. We had to dunk<br />
you in the river to get you back completely. Tried to dry you off, but … it‘s really, really cold.‖<br />
―You‘ve got hypothermia,‖ Jason said. ―We risked as much nectar as we could. Coach Hedge did a little<br />
nature magic—‖<br />
―Sports medicine.‖ <strong>The</strong> coach‘s ugly face loomed over her. ―Kind of a hobby of mine. Your breath might<br />
smell like wild mushrooms and Gatorade for a few days, but it‘ll pass. You probably won‘t die. Probably.‖<br />
―Thanks,‖ Piper said weakly. ―How did you beat Midas?‖<br />
Jason told her the story, putting most of it down to luck.<br />
<strong>The</strong> coach snorted. ―Kid‘s being modest. You should‘ve seen him. Hi-yah! Slice! Boom with the lightning!‖<br />
―Coach, you didn‘t even see it,‖ Jason said. ―You were outside eating the lawn.‖<br />
But the satyr was just warming up. ―<strong>The</strong>n I came in with my club, and we dominated that room. Afterward,<br />
I told him, ‗Kid, I‘m proud of you! If you could just work on your upper body strength—‘‖<br />
―Coach,‖ said Jason.<br />
―Yeah?‖<br />
―Shut up, please.‖<br />
―Sure.‖ <strong>The</strong> coach sat down at the fire and started chewing his cudgel.<br />
Jason put his hand on Piper‘s forehead and checked her temperature. ―Leo, can you stoke the fire?‖<br />
―On it.‖ Leo summoned a baseball-sized clump of flames and lobbed it into the campfire.