The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)(35)

“You are wise to accept your fate,” she said. “The real Dionysus would be pleased.”

“Yeah, about that,” Leo said. “I think there’s a reason he changed his number. You guys aren’t followers. You’re crazy rabid stalkers. You haven’t found him because he doesn’t want you to.”

“Lies!” Babette said. “We are the spirits of the wine god! He is proud of us!”

“Sure,” Leo said. “I’ve got some crazy relatives too. I don’t blame Mr. D.”

“Kill him!” Babette shrieked.

“Wait!” Leo held up his hands. “You can kill me, but you want this to be a real party, don’t you?”

As he’d hoped, the Maenads wavered.

“Party?” asked Candy.

“Party?” asked Buffy.

“Oh, yeah!” Leo looked up and shouted to the catwalks: “Piper? It’s time to crank things up!”

For three incredibly long seconds, nothing happened. Leo just stood there grinning at a dozen frenzied nymphs who wanted to dice him into bite-sized demigod cubes.

Then the whole bunker whirred to life. All around the Maenads, pipes rose from the floor and blew purple steam. The pneumatic tube system spit out metal shavings like glittered confetti. The magic banner above them shimmered and changed to read WELCOME, PSYCHO NYMPHS!

Music blared from the sound system—the Rolling Stones, Leo’s mom’s favorite band. He liked to listen to them while he worked, because it reminded him of the good old days when he hung out in his mom’s shop.

Then the winch system swung into place, and a mirrored ball began to descend right over Leo’s head.

On the catwalk above, Piper stared down at the chaos she’d wrought with the push of a button, and her jaw dropped. Even the Maenads looked impressed by Leo’s instant party.

Given a few more minutes, Leo could’ve done much better—a laser show, pyrotechnics, maybe some appetizers and a drink machine. But for two minutes’ work, it wasn’t bad. A few Maenads began to square dance. One did the Hokey Pokey.

Only Babette looked unaffected. “What trick is this?” she demanded. “You do not party for Dionysus!”

“Oh, no?” Leo glanced up. The mirrored ball was almost within reach. “You haven’t seen my final trick.”

The ball opened up. A grappling hook dropped down, and Leo jumped for it.

“Get him!” Babette yelled. “Maenads, attack!”

Thankfully, she had trouble getting their attention. Piper started calling down square dancing instructions again, confusing them with odd commands. “Turn left, turn right, bonk your heads! Sit down, stand up, fall down dead!”

The pulley lifted Leo into the air as the Maenads swarmed underneath him, gathering in a nice compact cluster. Babette leaped at him. Her claws just missed his feet.

“Now!” he muttered to himself, praying that his timer was set accurately.

BLAM! The nearest pneumatic tube shot a curtain of golden mesh over the Maenads, covering them like a parachute. A perfect shot.

The Maenads struggled against the net. They tried pushing it off, cutting the ropes with their teeth and fingernails, but as they punched and kicked and struggled, the net simply changed shape, hardening into a cubical cage of glittered gold.

Leo grinned. “Piper, hit the button again!”

She did. The music died. The party ended.

Leo dropped from the hook onto the top of his newly made cage. He stomped on the roof, just to be sure, but it felt as hard as titanium.

“Let us out!” Babette shrieked. “What evil magic is this?”

She slammed against the woven bars, but even her superstrength was no match for the golden material. The other Maenads hissed and screamed and banged on the cage with their thyrsus rods.

Leo jumped to the ground. “This is my party now, ladies. That cage is made from Hephaestian netting, a little recipe my dad cooked up. Maybe you’ve heard the story. He caught his wife Aphrodite cheating on him with Ares, so Hephaestus threw a golden net over them and put them on display. They stayed trapped until my dad decided to let them out. That netting right there? That’s made from the same stuff. If two gods couldn’t escape it, you don’t stand a chance.”

Leo seriously hoped he was right about that. The furious Maenads raged around their prison, climbing over each other and trying to rip through the mesh with no success.

Piper slid down the ladder and joined him. “Leo, you are amazing.”

“I know that.” He looked at the digital display next to the ship’s engine. His heart sank. “For about two more minutes. Then I stop being amazing.”

“Oh, no.” Piper’s face fell. “We need to get out of here!”

Suddenly Leo heard a familiar sound from the bunker entrance: a puff of steam, the creak of gears, and the clink-clank of metal legs running across the floor.

“Buford!” Leo called. The automated table chuffed toward him, whirring and clacking its drawers.

Jason walked in behind him, grinning. “Waiting for us?”

Leo hugged the little worktable. “I’m so sorry, Buford. I promise I’ll never take you for granted again. Only Lemon Pledge with extra-moisturizing formula, my friend. Anytime you want it!”

Buford puffed steam happily.