The Blood of Olympus(96)

‘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.