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{ ☀️ } · gold rush. . ݁ ٬٬ ࣪
THEYWOULD HAVE died at least 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, and 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, 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 with Madeline following him and Jason and Piper behind them.
The house is not a place where Madeline would like to live. It screamed dark; not something a child of Apollo was used to. From the echo of their footsteps, the girl could tell the entry hall was enormous, 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-size metal statues. There were 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 backwall stood a row of closed doors.
Where was some light?
"Where's the light switch?" Jason's voice echoed alarmingly through the room.
"Don't see one," Leo said.
"Fire?" Piper suggested.
Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."
"How are your powers not working?" Piper asked.
"Well, if we knew that ─ "
"Okay, okay," she said. "Maddy, something."
"Do you see any sunlight?" Madeline asked, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, Mrs. and Mr. Sassy much, What do we do ─ explore?" Piper asked.
Leo shook his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."
"Leo's right," Jason said. "We're not separating again ─ not like in Detroit."
