𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 leo valdez

xviii. A DEAD KING TURNS LEO TO GOLD

LEO.

——- All three, excluding Y/n who remained leaning against the table, used all their strength to reel in the charging satyr.

Jason held on tight as Leo released his grasp, hoping the coach would calm himself. "Woah, coach! Bring it down a few notches." Jason ordered.

A young man barreled into the room. Leo looked as he approached the group, and assumed he must be Lit, the old man's son. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt that read 'cornhuskers' and some blue, plaid pajama pants. He gripped a long sword in his palm, and Leo wondered if he slept with it. The man had extremely muscular arms, his biceps being very much on display. He had a mean-looking face surrounded by dark curly hair, and the surplus of scars didn't make him look any nicer. He was pretty handsome, Leo admitted.

The man immediately zeroed in on Jason and stalked over to him. Guessing that he was the biggest threat of the bunch, he raised his sword over his head and prepared to swing down.

Piper stepped forward, "Hold on! This is just a misunderstanding," she persuaded, "everything's fine."

Lit looked wary but stopped in his tracks.

Coach Hedge didn't help. He screamed, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Coach," Jason begged, "they may be friendly. Besides, we are trespassing in their house."

The old man sighed in relief, "Thank you! Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper offered, "Coach, you first."

"Just one thwack?" Hedge asked while clenching his jaw.

"No," Piper said.

"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper insisted.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowered his club.

Piper gave Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile, and even with her hair messed up and her clothes being two days old she managed to look undeniably pretty.

Lit sheathed his sword, huffing. "You speak well, girl — fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"Appreciate it," Leo chided. "I try not to get run through before lunchtime."

The old man in the bathrobe kicked the broken teapot that Coach had smashed and sighed. "Well, since you're here, please sit down."

Lit frowned. "Your Majesty — "

"No, No, it's fine, Lit. New land, new customs." the old man began, "They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities."

The old man forced a kind smile, seemingly pretty fake, "Welcome to my humble home, I am King Midas."

"Midas? Impossible," Coach Hedge's face scrunched. "He died."

The king reclined in his sofa as the others sat on the sofas. He leaned back further into the chair and Leo worried that with the bathrobe, the old man may forget to keep his legs crossed. Hopefully, he had some golden boxers under there.

His son stood behind the throne with both hands on his sword, glancing at the girls in the group and flexing his muscular arms just to annoy Jason; unfortunately, he was starting to get under Leo's skin too.

Piper sat forward, "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be — sorry — dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."