ichor - jason grace

XI

Nell could quite happily smack both boys upside the head right about now.

Her second thought was to prepare because there was no way this lady was as nice as she was making out to be. The way the lady's face glowed when she'd heard Jason's name was bad enough. Now Her Highness was smiling like nothing had happened, and Jason and Leo didn't seem to think anything was wrong. At least Piper was herself.

The princess gestured towards the cosmetic counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"

"Cool," Jason said.

"Guys," Piper interrupted, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this - princess - is really our friend -"

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," her highness said. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkled, and her eyes glittered like a snake's - cold and dark. "Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

"I hate salesmen," Nell muttered under her breath.

Leo nodded eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper? Nell?"

He seemed oblivious to both girls staring daggers at him as if to say: No, it is not okay!

"Of course, it's okay." Her highness put her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steered them to the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

The girls didn't have any choice but to follow.

Usually, Nell liked having a wander around department stores, it's something she used to do with her Mom before she'd started drinking and Nell came to Camp Half-blood full time. This store, however, was something else entirely.

"And here," the princess said, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter was crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves were crystal flasks - some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside were every colour, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells - ugh! Some were pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they were mixed with the scents of burning tyres, skunk spray and gym lockers.

The princess pointed to a blood-red vial - a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial -"she pointed to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside. "will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," Jason said. He sounded dazed and sleepy. Nell was feeling concerned for the boys, but also incredibly exasperated that she was able to manipulate them so easily.

"Jason," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?" She knew she was attempting her charmspeak, but her voice sounded shaky as hell, so there wasn't much hope of it working. Not that Nell blamed her, this woman's aura just had a way of making your confidence crumble.

"Job to do," Jason muttered. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

"I swear to the gods, sparky," Nell muttered. "You are never living this down."

The princess beamed at Jason. "Then we have potions for resisting fire -"

"Got that covered," Leo said.

"Indeed?" The princess studied Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen... but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep or -"

"Wait." Piper was staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"

The princess narrowed her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"