He’d primed the oar flaps. He’d injected Styx water into the samophlange. He’d treated Festus the figurehead to his favourite brew – thirty-weight motor oil and Tabasco sauce. Even Buford the Wonder Table had pitched in, rattling around belowdecks while his holographic Mini-Hedge yelled, ‘GIVE ME THIRTY PUSH-UPS!’ to inspire the engine.
Now, at last, they hovered over the ancient temple complex of the healing god Asclepius, where they could hopefully find the physician’s cure and maybe also some ambrosia, nectar and Fonzies, because Leo’s supplies were running low.
Next to him on the quarterdeck, Percy peered over the railing.
‘Looks like more rubble,’ he noted.
His face was still green from his underwater poisoning, but at least he wasn’t running to the bathroom to upchuck quite so often. Between him and Hazel’s seasickness, it had been impossible to find an unoccupied toilet onboard for the past few days.
Annabeth pointed to the disc-shaped structure about fifty yards off their port side. ‘There.’
Leo smiled. ‘Exactly. See, the architect knows her stuff.’
The rest of the crew gathered around.
‘What are we looking at?’ Frank asked.
‘Ah, Señor Zhang,’ Leo said, ‘you know how you’re always saying, “Leo, you are the only true genius among demigods”?’
‘I’m pretty sure I never said that.’
‘Well, turns out there are other true geniuses! Because one of them must have made that work of art down there.’
‘It’s a stone circle,’ Frank said. ‘Probably the foundation of an old shrine.’
Piper shook her head. ‘No, it’s more than that. Look at the ridges and grooves carved around the rim.’
‘Like the teeth of a gear,’ Jason offered.
‘And those concentric rings.’ Hazel pointed to the centre of the structure, where curved stones formed a sort of bull’s-eye. ‘The pattern reminds me of Pasiphaë’s pendant: the symbol of the Labyrinth.’
‘Huh.’ Leo scowled. ‘Well, I hadn’t thought of that. But think mechanical. Frank, Hazel … where did we see concentric circles like that before?’
‘The laboratory under Rome,’ Frank said.
‘The Archimedes lock on the door,’ Hazel recalled. ‘It had rings within rings.’
Percy snorted. ‘You’re telling me that’s a massive stone lock? It’s, like, fifty feet in diameter.’
‘Leo might be right,’ Annabeth said. ‘In ancient times, the temple of Asclepius was like the General Hospital of Greece. Everybody came here for the best healing. Aboveground, it was the size of a major city, but supposedly the real action happened belowground. That’s where the high priests had their intensive-care super-magical-type compound, accessed by a secret passage.’
Percy scratched his ear. ‘So, if that big round thing is the lock, how do we get the key?’
‘Way ahead of you, Aquaman,’ Leo said.
‘Okay, do not call me Aquaman. That’s even worse than water boy.’
Leo turned to Jason and Piper. ‘You guys remember the giant Archimedes grabber arm I told you I was building?’
Jason raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought you were kidding.’
‘Oh, my friend, I never kid about giant grabber arms!’ Leo rubbed his hands in anticipation. ‘It’s time to go fishing for prizes!’
Compared to the other modifications Leo had made to the ship, the grabber arm was a piece of cake. Originally, Archimedes had designed it to pluck enemy ships out of the water. Now Leo found another use for it.
He opened the hull’s forward access vent and extended the arm, guided by the console monitor and Jason, who flew outside, yelling directions.
‘Left!’ Jason called. ‘A couple of inches – yeah! Okay, down. Keep it coming. You’re good.’
Using his trackpad and turntable controls, Leo opened the claw. Its prongs settled around the grooves in the circular stone structure below. He checked the aerial stabilizers and the monitor’s video feed.
‘Okay, little buddy.’ Leo patted the Archimedes sphere embedded in the helm. ‘This is all you.’
He activated the sphere.
The grabber arm began to turn like a corkscrew. It rotated the outer ring of stone, which ground and rumbled but thankfully didn’t shatter. Then the claw detached, fixed itself around the second stone ring and turned it in the opposite direction.
Standing next to him at the monitor, Piper kissed him on the cheek. ‘It’s working. Leo, you’re amazing.’
Leo grinned. He was about to make a comment about his own awesomeness, then he remembered the plan he had worked out with Hazel and Frank – and the fact that he might never see Piper again after tomorrow. The joke sort of died in his throat. ‘Yeah, well … thanks, Beauty Queen.’
Below them, the last stone ring turned and settled with a deep pneumatic hiss. The entire fifty-foot pedestal telescoped downward into a spiral staircase.
Hazel exhaled. ‘Leo, even from up here, I’m sensing bad stuff at the bottom of those stairs. Something … large and dangerous. You sure you don’t want me to come along?’
‘Thanks, Hazel, but we’ll be good.’ He patted Piper on the back. ‘Me and Piper and Jason – we’re old pros at large and dangerous.’
Frank held out the vial of Pylosian mint. ‘Don’t break it.’
Leo nodded gravely. ‘Don’t break the vial of deadly poison. Man, I’m glad you said that. Never would have occurred to me.’
‘Shut up, Valdez.’ Frank gave him a bear hug. ‘And be careful.’
‘Ribs,’ Leo squeaked.
‘Sorry.’
Annabeth and Percy wished them good luck. Then Percy excused himself to go throw up.
Jason summoned the winds and whisked Piper and Leo down to the surface.
The stairs spiralled downward about sixty feet before opening into a chamber as large as Bunker Nine – which is to say, ginormous.
The polished white tiles on the walls and floor reflected the light of Jason’s sword so well that Leo didn’t need to make a fire. Rows of long stone benches filled the entire chamber, reminding Leo of one of those mega-churches they always advertised back in Houston. At the far end of the room, where the altar would have been, stood a ten-foot-tall statue of pure white alabaster – a young woman in a white robe, a serene smile on her face. In one hand she raised a cup, while a golden serpent coiled around her arm, its head poised over the brim as if ready to drink.
‘Large and dangerous,’ Jason guessed.
Piper scanned the room. ‘This must have been the sleeping area.’ Her voice echoed a little too loudly for Leo’s comfort. ‘The patients stayed here overnight. The god Asclepius was supposed to send them a dream, telling them what cure to ask for.’
‘How do you know that?’ Leo asked. ‘Annabeth told you?’
Piper looked offended. ‘I know stuff. That statue over there is Hygeia, the daughter of Asclepius. She’s the goddess of good health. That’s where we get the word hygiene.’
Jason studied the statue warily. ‘What’s with the snake and the cup?’
‘Uh, not sure,’ Piper admitted. ‘But back in the day this place – the Asclepeion – was a medical school as well as a hospital. All the best doctor-priests trained here. They would’ve worshipped both Asclepius and Hygeia.’
Leo wanted to say, Okay, good tour. Let’s leave.
The silence, the gleaming white tiles, the creepy smile on Hygeia’s face … it all made him want to crawl out of his skin. But Jason and Piper headed down the centre aisle towards the statue, so Leo figured he’d better follow.
Strewn across the benches were old magazines: Highlights for Children, Autumn, 20 B.C.E.; Hephaestus-TV Weekly – Aphrodite’s Latest Baby Bump; A: The Magazine of Asclepius – Ten Simple Tips to Get the Most out of Your Leeching!
‘It’s a reception area,’ Leo muttered. ‘I hate reception areas.’
Here and there, piles of dust and scattered bones lay on the floor, which did not say encouraging things about the average wait time.
‘Check it out.’ Jason pointed. ‘Were those signs here when we walked in? And that door?’
Leo didn’t think so. On the wall to the right of the statue, above a closed metal door, were two electronic signboards. The top one read:
THE DOCTOR IS:
INCARCERATED.
The sign below that read:
NOW SERVING NUMBER: 0000000
Jason squinted. ‘I can’t read it that far away. The doctor is …’
‘Incarcerated,’ Leo said. ‘Apollo warned me that Asclepius was being held under guard. Zeus didn’t want him sharing his medical secrets or something.’
‘Twenty bucks and a box of Froot Loops that statue is the guardian,’ Piper said.
‘I’m not taking that bet.’ Leo glanced at the nearest pile of waiting-room dust. ‘Well … I guess we take a number.’
The giant statue had other ideas.
When they got within five feet, she turned her head and looked at them. Her expression remained frozen. Her mouth didn’t move. But a voice issued from somewhere above, echoing through the room.
‘Do you have an appointment?’
Piper didn’t miss a beat. ‘Hello, Hygeia! Apollo sent us. We need to see Asclepius.’
The alabaster statue stepped off her dais. She might have been mechanical, but Leo couldn’t hear any moving parts. To be certain, he’d actually have to touch her, and he didn’t want to get that close.
‘I see.’ The statue kept smiling, though she didn’t sound pleased. ‘May I make a copy of your insurance cards?’
‘Ah, well …’ Piper faltered. ‘We don’t have them on us, but –’
‘No insurance cards?’ The statue shook her head. An exasperated sigh echoed through the chamber. ‘I suppose you haven’t prepared for your visit, either. Have you washed your hands thoroughly?’
‘Uh … yes?’ Piper said.
Leo looked at his hands, which, as usual, were streaked with grease and grime. He hid them behind his back.
‘Are you wearing clean underwear?’ the statue asked.
‘Hey, lady,’ Leo said, ‘that’s getting personal.’
‘You should always wear clean underwear to the doctor’s office,’ chided Hygeia. ‘I’m afraid you are a health hazard. You will have to be sanitized before we can proceed.’
The golden snake uncurled and dropped from her arm. It reared its head and hissed, flashing sabre-like fangs.
‘Uh, you know,’ Jason said, ‘getting sanitized by large snakes isn’t covered by our medical plan. Darn it.’
‘Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ Hygeia assured him. ‘Sanitizing is a community service. It’s complimentary!’
The snake lunged.
Leo had had a lot of practice dodging mechanical monsters, which was good, because the golden serpent was fast. Leo leaped to one side and the snake missed his head by an inch. He rolled and came up, hands blazing. As the snake attacked, Leo blasted it in the eyes, causing it to veer left and smash into the bench.
Piper and Jason went to work on Hygeia. They slashed through the statue’s knees, felling her like an alabaster Christmas tree. Her head hit a bench. Her chalice splashed steaming acid all over the floor. Jason and Piper moved in for the kill, but, before they could strike, Hygeia’s legs popped back on like they were magnetic. The goddess rose, still smiling.
‘Unacceptable,’ she said. ‘The doctor will not see you until you are properly sanitized.’
She sloshed her cup towards Piper, who jumped out of the way as more acid splashed across the nearest benches, dissolving the stone in a hissing cloud of steam.
The snake, meanwhile, recovered its senses. Its melted metal eyes somehow repaired themselves. Its face popped back into shape like a dent-resistant car hood.
It struck at Leo, who ducked and tried to grapple its neck, but it was like trying to grab sandpaper going sixty miles an hour. The serpent shot past, its rough metal skin leaving Leo’s hands scraped and bleeding.
The momentary contact did give Leo some insight, however. The snake was a machine. He sensed its inner workings and, if the statue of Hygeia operated on a similar schematic, Leo might have a chance …
Across the room, Jason soared into the air and lopped the goddess’s head off.
Sadly, the head flew right back into place.
‘Unacceptable,’ Hygeia said calmly. ‘Decapitation is not a healthy lifestyle choice.’
‘Jason, get over here!’ Leo yelled. ‘Piper, buy us some time!’
Piper glanced over, like Easier said than done.
‘Hygeia!’ she yelled. ‘I have insurance!’
That got the statue’s attention. Even the golden snake turned towards her, as if insurance was some sort of tasty rodent.
‘Insurance?’ the statue said eagerly. ‘Who is your provider?’
‘Um … Blue Lightning,’ Piper said. ‘I have the card right here. Just a second.’
She made a big show of patting down her pockets. The snake slithered over to watch.
Jason ran to Leo’s side, gasping. ‘What’s the plan?’
‘We can’t destroy these things,’ Leo said. ‘They’re designed for self-healing. They’re immune to pretty much every kind of damage.’
‘Great,’ Jason said. ‘So … ?’
‘You remember Chiron’s old gaming system?’ Leo asked.
Jason’s eyes widened. ‘Leo … this isn’t Mario Party Six.’
‘Same principle, though.’
‘Idiot mode?’
Leo grinned. ‘I’ll need you and Piper to run interference. I’ll reprogram the snake, then Big Bertha.’
‘Hygeia.’
‘Whatever. Ready?’
‘No.’
Leo and Jason ran for the snake.
Hygeia was assailing Piper with health-care questions. ‘Is Blue Lightning an HMO? What is your deductible? Who is your primary care deity?’
As Piper ad-libbed answers, Leo jumped on the serpent’s back. This time he knew what he was looking for, and for a moment the serpent didn’t even seem to notice him. Leo prised open a service panel near the snake’s head. He held on with his legs, trying to ignore the pain and sticky blood on his hands as he redid the serpent’s wiring.
Jason stood by, ready to attack, but the snake seemed transfixed by Piper’s problems with Blue Lightning’s coverage.
‘Then the advice nurse said I had to call a service centre,’ Piper reported. ‘And the medications weren’t covered by my plan! And –’
The snake lurched as Leo connected the last two wires. Leo jumped off and the golden serpent began shaking uncontrollably.
Hygeia whirled to face them. ‘What have you done? My snake requires medical assistance!’
‘Does it have insurance?’ Piper asked.
‘WHAT?’ The statue turned back to her, and Leo jumped. Jason summoned a gust of wind, which boosted Leo onto the statue’s shoulders like a little kid at a parade. He popped open the back of the statue’s head as she staggered around, sloshing acid.
‘Get off!’ she yelled. ‘This is not hygienic!’
‘Hey!’ Jason yelled, flying circles around her. ‘I have a question about my deductibles!’
‘What?’ the statue cried.
‘Hygeia!’ Piper shouted. ‘I need an invoice submitted to Medicare!’
‘No, please!’
Leo found the statue’s regulator chip. He clicked a few dials and pulled some wires, trying to pretend that Hygeia was just one large, dangerous Nintendo game system.
He reconnected her circuits and Hygeia began to spin, hollering and flailing her arms. Leo jumped away, barely avoiding an acid bath.
He and his friends backed up while Hygeia and her snake underwent a violent religious experience.
‘What did you do?’ Piper demanded.
‘Idiot mode,’ Leo said.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Back at camp,’ Jason explained, ‘Chiron had this ancient gaming system in the rec room. Leo and I used to play it sometimes. You’d compete against, like, computer-controlled opponents, coms –’
‘– and they had three difficulty options,’ Leo said. ‘Easy, medium and hard.’
‘I’ve played video games before,’ Piper said. ‘So what did you do?’
‘Well … I got bored with those settings.’ Leo shrugged. ‘So I invented a fourth difficulty level: idiot mode. It makes the coms so stupid it’s funny. They always choose exactly the wrong thing to do.’
Piper stared at the statue and snake, both of which were writhing and starting to smoke. ‘Are you sure you set them to idiot mode?’
‘We’ll know in a minute.’
‘What if you set them to extreme difficulty?’
‘Then we’ll know that, too.’
The snake stopped shuddering. It coiled up and looked around as if bewildered.
Hygeia froze. A puff of smoke drifted from her right ear. She looked down at Leo. ‘You must die! Hello! You must die!’
She raised her cup and poured acid over her face. Then she turned and marched face-first into the nearest wall. The snake reared up and slammed its head repeatedly into the floor.
‘Okay,’ Jason said. ‘I think we have achieved idiot mode.’
‘Hello! Die!’ Hygeia backed away from the wall and face-slammed it again.
‘Let’s go.’ Leo ran for the metal door next to the dais. He grabbed the handle. It was still locked, but Leo sensed the mechanisms inside – wires running up the frame, connected to …
He stared at the two blinking signs above the door.
‘Jason,’ he said, ‘give me a boost.’
Another gust of wind levitated him upward. Leo went to work with his pliers, reprogramming the signs until the top one flashed:
THE DOCTOR IS:
IN DA HOUSE.
The bottom sign changed to read:
NOW SERVING:
ALL DA LADIES LUV LEO!