Where there's smoke // L.Valdez

Chapter twenty-eight

"Ahhhggggggh!"

"Holy Hera's peacock!"

Persephone jolted up when she heard the yell, screaming the first thing that came to mind.

"Coach is awake." Leo told them.

"He is?" Persephone asked, sarcasm dripping. She uncurled herself from Leo, not missing the look Piper gave her. She shot back a look of confusion.

The satyr capered around the room, swinging his bat, yelling 'die!' as he smashed a tea set, whacked the sofas and charged the throne.

"Coach!" Jason yelled. The satyr turned around, breathing heavily.

"You're the new kid," Hedge said, club lowering. "Jason."

His gaze turned to look at Leo, who pushed himself to stand up, then to Persephone standing next to him, and lastly to Piper, who looked about ready to fall back asleep.

"Valdez, McLean," The Coach said. "What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The Anemoi thuellai were attacking and-" His eyes locked onto the storm spirits in the cage, eyes narrowing. "Die!"

"Whoa Coach!" Leo said, stepping in front of the crazed satyr. Now, Leo wasn't the tallest person (he liked to say he was still growing), but he still towered over Coach Hedge. Not to say that didn't make the older any less dangerous. "It's okay. They're locked up. We just sprung you from the other cage."

"Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push-ups, Valdez!"

"Coach! Calm down!" Persephone raised her hands in a 'surrender' motion. "Like Leo said, they're locked up. Everyone at camp thinks you're a hero. You saved us at the Grand Canyon, you were totally brave."

"Of course I was!"

"The extraction team came and took us back to Camp Half-Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their- um, operator, Medea." Jason explained.

"That witch! Wait- that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Yeah, well." Leo said. "Somehow she got not dead anymore."

Hedge nodded, eyes narrowing, as if coming to an insane conclusion. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"

"Um," Piper stood, her arms out in front of her. "Actually, Glee- can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson seems wrong. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."

"Oh," Even Persephone cringed. Though his eyes seemed to light back up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was meant to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

"Gold?" Jason asked.

Persephone finally had a chance to look around. Coach Hedge was right, everything was gold. The statues, the chair, even the tea set Coach Hedge smashed in his blinded rage. Upon further inspection, Persephone realised the chair she'd seen was a throne. A glance at the windows, showed the curtains were gold, too, like they were made from golden fibre.

"Nice," Leo said. "No wonder they've got so much security."

"This i-isn't-" Piper stammered. "This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash landed here." Persephone winced.

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"

None of them had time to answer his question, as a door opened at the far edge of the room. A pudgy man walked out in a bathrobe, a toothbrush held in his mouth. He had a white beard and an old fashioned night cap pulled over his white hair. The toothbrush in his mouth clattered to the ground once he saw the four teens plus a goat-man standing in front of him.

"Son? Lit, come out here, please." The guy called. "There are strange people in the throne room."

Coach Hedge did the most obvious thing, and raised his club, yelling 'Die!'

It took the four of them to hold the satyr back.

"Whoa, Coach!" Jason said. "Bring it down a few notches."

A younger man charged into the room. Persephone put two and two together and guessed that he was Lit; dressed in pyjama bottoms and a sleeveless T-shirt that said CORNHUSKERS. He gripped a huge sword in front of him. His arms were hugely muscled, a mop of curly hair atop his head. Even without his sliced up face, Persephone had no attraction to this guy, what-so-ever.

Lit zoned in on Jason, like he was the biggest threat and not the screaming satyr. He stalked towards Jason, swinging his sword.

"Hold on!" Piper stepped forward, her voice wavering slightly, but for the most part sounded calm. "This is just a misunderstanding! Everything's fine."

This seemed to make Lit stop, though he still eyed them. Of course, the screaming goat didn't exactly help the situation.

"I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Hey, Coach!" Persephone called. "Maybe don't threaten the kill the people in their own home! They may be friendly or something. This is their house, so let's not start any unnecessary fights, please."

"Thank you!" said the old man. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

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

He clenched his jaw. "Just one thwack?"

"No." Piper said.

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

"Dude no!" Persephone exclaimed.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowered his club.

Persephone looked at Leo, eyebrows raised. He smiled and shook his head.

""You speak well, girls- fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through." Lit told them, after sheathing his sword, his gaze lingering on the daughter of Hades.

"Appreciate it," Leo said, brows creased. "I try to not get run through before lunchtime."

The old man sighed, licking the tea pot from the golden tea set Coach hedge had smashed. "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."

Lit frowned. "Your majesty-"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit." The old man said. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities." He forced a smile. Persephone was uncomfortable, both with the looks she kept getting from Lit and the old man's choice of wording. It reminded her of Medea. She shuffled closer to Jason and Leo, the latter watching her expression. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."