Catching Lightning | Jason Grace

xvi

☀️☀️☀️

Aurora would've died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo.

First, it was the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, 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 all of them. It was like he could smell the traps, he picked just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

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

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, I'm 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 unlocked?"

Leo turned the knob. The door swung open easily. He stepped inside without hesitation, and Aurora followed cautiously behind.

Her first impression of the house: Dark.

From the echoes of their 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 tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-sized statues.

Aurora saw sofas arranged 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.

"Rory?" Jason turned to her. 

Aurora looked down at her hands, squeezing them shut as she willed them to glow with no success. "Sorry."

"Fire?" Piper suggested.

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

Normally at this time, Aurora would get back at Leo for the 'clap on' joke at Monocle Motors. But she figured now wasn't the best time.

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asked.

"Well, if I knew that-"

"Okay, okay," Aurora said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder. "It'll be fine. What's our game plan?"

"Explore?" Piper suggested.

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

Aurora hated being a demigod sometimes. Looking around, she didn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. She 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," Jason said. "We're not separating again- not like in Detroit."

Aurora winced.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes." Piper's voice quavered. "I needed that."

"It's four hours until dawn," Aurora stared at the velvet curtains.

"How do you-?" Jason asked, Aurora glanced at him. "Nevermind, daughter of Apollo, right. Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight, then we can decide what to do."