The Blood of Olympus(99)

Asclepius cleared his throat. ‘I … never mind. Forget I said anything. Now, you want the physician’s cure.’

Piper frowned. ‘But –’

‘Seriously, guys,’ Leo said, ‘I’m fine, except for the fact that Gaia’s destroying the world tomorrow. Let’s focus.’

They didn’t look happy about it, but Asclepius forged ahead. ‘So this daisy was picked by my father, Apollo?’

‘Yep,’ Leo said. ‘He sends hugs and kisses.’

Asclepius picked up the flower and sniffed it. ‘I do hope Dad comes through this war all right. Zeus can be … quite unreasonable. Now, the only missing ingredient is the heartbeat of the chained god.’

‘I have it,’ Piper said. ‘At least … I can summon the makhai.’

‘Excellent. Just a moment, dear.’ He looked at his python. ‘Spike, are you ready?’

Leo stifled a laugh. ‘Your snake’s name is Spike?’

Spike looked at him balefully. He hissed, revealing a crown of spikes around his neck like a basilisk’s.

Leo’s laugh crawled back down his throat to die. ‘My bad,’ he said. ‘Of course your name is Spike.’

‘He’s a little grumpy,’ Asclepius said. ‘People are always confusing my staff with the staff of Hermes, which has two snakes, obviously. Over the centuries, people have called Hermes’s staff the symbol of medicine, when of course it should be my staff. Spike feels slighted. George and Martha get all the attention. Anyway …’

Asclepius set the daisy and poison in front of Spike. ‘Pylosian mint – certainty of death. The curse of Delos – anchoring that which cannot be anchored. Now the final ingredient: the heartbeat of the chained god – chaos, violence and fear of mortality.’ He turned to Piper. ‘My dear, you may release the makhai.’

Piper closed her eyes.

Wind swirled through the room. Angry voices wailed. Leo felt a strange desire to smack Spike with a hammer. He wanted to strangle the good doctor with his bare hands.

Then Spike unhinged his jaw and swallowed the angry wind. His neck ballooned as the spirits of battle went down his throat. He snapped up the daisy and the vial of Pylosian mint for dessert.

‘Won’t the poison hurt him?’ Jason asked.

‘No, no,’ Asclepius said. ‘Wait and see.’

A moment later Spike belched out a new vial – a stoppered glass tube no bigger than Leo’s finger. Dark red liquid glowed inside.

‘The physician’s cure.’ Asclepius picked up the vial and turned it in the light. His expression became serious, then bewildered. ‘Wait … why did I agree to make this?’

Piper placed her hand palm up on the desk. ‘Because we need it to save the world. It’s very important. You’re the only one who can help us.’

Her charmspeak was so potent even Spike the snake relaxed. He curled around his staff and went to sleep. Asclepius’s expression softened, like he was easing himself into a hot bath.

‘Of course,’ the god said. ‘I forgot. But you must be careful. Hades hates it when I raise people from the dead. The last time I gave someone this potion, the Lord of the Underworld complained to Zeus, and I was killed by a lightning bolt. BOOM!’

Leo flinched. ‘You look pretty good for a dead guy.’

‘Oh, I got better. That was part of the compromise. You see, when Zeus killed me, my father Apollo got very upset. He couldn’t take out his anger on Zeus directly; the king of the gods was much too powerful. So Apollo took revenge on the makers of lightning bolts instead. He killed some of the Elder Cyclopes. For that, Zeus punished Apollo … quite severely. Finally, to make peace, Zeus agreed to make me a god of medicine, with the understanding that I wouldn’t bring anyone else back to life.’ Asclepius’s eyes filled with uncertainty. ‘And yet here I am … giving you the cure.’

‘Because you realize how important this is,’ Piper said, ‘you’re willing to make an exception.’

‘Yes …’ Reluctantly, Asclepius handed Piper the vial. ‘At any rate, the potion must be administered as soon as possible after death. It can be injected or poured into the mouth. And there is only enough for one person. Do you understand me?’ He looked directly at Leo.

‘We understand,’ Piper promised. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, Asclepius? Your guardian is out of commission. You’d be really helpful aboard the Argo II.’

Asclepius smiled wistfully. ‘The Argo … back when I was a demigod, I sailed on the original ship, you know. Ah, to be a carefree adventurer again!’