Chapter 25

Thanks to his intense training with Naruto Luke knew instantly that this woman was not to be trusted. The fact that she was able to get behind him without him noticing was the first clue.

Then her voice.

The instant she started talking and showing them around Luke could feel the effects of charm speak in the air. Thankfully he was immune to it due to Silena training him in it for the scenario of ever coming across a rogue child of Aphrodite and he was incredibly thankful for it.

He knew who she was the second she introduced herself as the 'Princess of Colchis' due to Annabeth's history lessons.

She was Medea, the former wife of the original Jason before he left her, making her attack his new wife and the people of Corinth in an act of rage. He had no idea how she was even alive to begin with but with those Cyclopes reforming so quickly and the earth acting odd he honestly wasn't surprised by it.

Though he was on guard. He'd have to be an idiot not to be but he didn't react just yet. He needed to figure out what he could learn from her before they escaped.

He frowned as she led Leo and Jason, who had revealed their names to her, off through the potions leaving him behind with Piper. "Piper relax they are just under the control of her charm speak for now. We can break them out of it soon and then get out of here" he said as she looked at him surprised.

"I knew something was off about her" Piper said with a frown. "But if that's true how are you not affected?" she asked as he chuckled.

"I am dating Silena, she is the camp's strongest charm speaker. It only makes sense that I would have some resistance to it" he said quietly as Medea turned back towards them. "Just play along for now"

Piper frowned but nodded as they walked through the potions as Luke stared ahead.

"Is something wrong you two? Are we going too fast?" Medea asked with a sweet tone as Luke chuckled.

"No your highness, I was just in awe of your collection of potions" he lied effortlessly as he caught up with the group.

"Well I'm glad you noticed Luke. I have potions that can cure any illness and even kill others in the most painful fashion" she said nonchalantly as they continued through.

Luke held up his hand as Piper looked like she was about to yell something and put his finger to his lips. He knew what she was going to ask about. "So they can cure anything, even amnesia?" he asked as Medea nodded.

"Yes, this one here can make the one who drinks it remember everything, why did you forget something dear?" she asked as he eyed the red liquid in the small glass bottle.

"Well I just think it might come in handy if there ever comes a time that I were to get amnesia or a really bad head wound" he said as he picked up the bottle. "How much for it?" he asked as she frowned at him.

"Well, now the price is always tricky. I love helping people. Honestly, I do. And I always keep my bargains, but sometimes people try to cheat me" she said as her gaze drifted towards Jason for a moment. "Once, for instance I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain and I'd help him steal it"

"From your own dad?" Jason asked as his eyes slightly regained their normal, non-murky color before it faded away as Medea patted his cheek.

"Oh don't worry," she said with a small smile. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing and strong" she said as she smiled at Luke and stroked his cheek.

"You fit that description as well young hero" she said before she giggled a bit. "At any rate my hero had to do many impossible tasks, and I'm not bragging when I say he couldn't have done them without me. I betrayed my own family to win the hero his prize and still he cheated me of my payment" she said with a frown.

"Cheated?" Jason muttered as his eyes seemed to flicker for a moment before Leo spoke up.

"That's messed up" Leo said in a daze

Medea patted Leo's cheek affectionately before turning to Luke. "I'm sure I won't need to worry with you three charming men. You all seem so honest after all and you would pay a fair price wouldn't you?" she asked as Luke smirked.

Luke wasn't the favorite child of his father for nothing. He was the one that had inherited most of his father's traits. Including his undetectable lies and his silver tongue when it came to making a bargain.

"Well that is true but all I am only going to use this potion to help clear someone's mind and since the one I have in mind is perfectly healthy the other healing properties don't really apply to me. I can offer three memories of mine in exchange for this memory potion" he said as she frowned.

"But the potion would heal the lost memories making the deal invalid" she said as Jason and Leo agreed with her.

"Yeah stop trying to swindle her out of her stuff" Leo said as Luke shook his head.

"I never said I was going to use it. It is for someone else" he said as he eyed Medea with a smirk. "It's pretty fair if you think about it three of my memories in exchange for the memories of another"

"Who chooses the memories? And who is to say the memories are to be important?" she countered as Luke shrugged his shoulders.

"Memories could be important to my enemies considering all that is happening" he said with a smirk as he hinted at his theory as she took a step back and turned to Leo and Jason.

"No deal" she said in a final tone before she snapped her fingers and both Leo and Jason straightened up. "Now let's continue on with the tour" she said as she took the vial from Luke's hand and set it down.

"What was that about?" Piper whispered as Luke smirked as he slipped his hands into his pocket, feeling the real potion as he had created an earth replica for Medea to put back.

"Relax, I merely started the ball rolling and put some fear in her so just give it time" he said as he unsealed Kusanagi and strapped it to his waist. "I need to lessen her hold over the two of them before I end her since it would have very bad repercussions if I did it now" he said as she frowned but followed him.

He continued to keep an eye on her as she talked with Leo and Jason before they got to the real reason for being here, the storm spirits and the satyr named Hedge.

"You came here for the satyr did you not? If you wish we can make a deal. I will throw in the spirits, the satyr and even the potion if you want" Medea said as the earthen potion appeared in her hand.

"I'm sure we can negotiate" Luke said as he crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Totally! Just name your price" he said before Luke covered his mouth

"Sorry, this is my deal so any actions of the others do not apply" he said as he stared her down and let his hand off of Leo's mouth.

"Smart boy, who is your godly parent?" she asked as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Make a deal and I will tell you. I will also add in the name of my patron god, who I know your patron is dying to know" he said as she frowned slightly.

"Well freedom is very valuable so the deal would have to be even. You want me to release the satyr who attacked my storm spirits-" she said with a frown before Piper interrupted her.

"Who attacked us first" Piper said as Luke nodded.

"True but forget who attacked who, that doesn't have anything to do with the deal does it Medea, ancient queen of Colchis" he said as she took a step back in shock. "Queen that went crazy and bloodthirsty after being dumped by the original Jason"

Luke smirked as he saw Jason and Leo start to regain their color in their eyes. He had to keep going.

"Sure the original Jason dumped you but you ended up killing Princess Creusa and the people of Corinth, and in your anger, murdered your two children from your marriage to Jason which definitely isn't equal to being dumped" Luke said as he quickly drew Kusanagi before appearing before Medea in a burst of speed once he saw that the spell over the two others was gone.

"Wai-!" she yelled before he stabbed Kusanagi through her heart.

"I've known exactly who you are Medea since you mentioned Colchis. I also know who your patron is and you can tell her, while you go back to the doors of death that Naruto Otsutsuki won't let her rise again" he said as he pulled the sword from her heart.

"She will rise and you will die. I have seen it all" she said before she disappeared into a cloud of golden dust.

"Y-You killed her" Jason said as Luke kicked his foot through the pile of dust as it faded away.

"She wasn't a human. She was reformed like a monster and would have used the both of you to fight me and Piper" he said as he picked up the dark blue pendent left behind and frowned in confusion as it bound itself to his wrist and a symbol for a dragon's head appeared on the jewel.

"You three get the cage and call for Festus I am going to look around for anything we can use on the quest" he said as Piper nodded as she went over to tell Jason and Leo what had happened.

Luke frowned as he fiddled with the jeweled pendant, now bracelet that was around his wrist. He'd have to ask Naruto to look it over once he got back since if it was a spoil from someone as manipulative as Medea he didn't know if it would mess with his head or not.

He couldn't find anything particularly useful since he figured most of the items were enchanted to backfire on their wielder. The potions would be useful if he could know what each of them did.

He sealed away the few ones that Medea had told them about and stabbed down a spare Hiraishin marker and pulled a large black marker from behind the counter and wrote an explanation of what had happened for Naruto when he eventually came to check on the marker.

"Luke you coming?! We need to keep going!" Leo yelled as Luke sighed.

"I'll be right there!" he yelled back as he finished up his message and tossed the marker back behind the counter before sliding down the escalator to get on the first floor where the three others and Festus were waiting.

"Are we going to let Hedge out of the cage or what?" he asked as Jason shook his head.

"Not now, we need to get out of here. I don't like being down here any longer than we need to and letting him out here will only prolong our stay since he'll what an explanation of what happened before we were to leave" Jason said as Luke nodded.

"Well, all aboard" Leo said as he patted Festus after getting onto the front seat.

"We'll continue to follow the vapor trail" Jason said as Leo nodded.

"Well it's led us to interesting areas so far so why not" Leo said as Jason helped Piper up

"Oh yeah Luke give Jason the potion. It can restore your memories" Piper said as she remembered Luke taking it.

"Well Jason, drink some of this and see where it gets you" Luke said as he handed Jason the vial of red liquid.

"Wait what if the real me is some jerk?" Jason asked worriedly as he looked at the bottle.

"I don't think your entire personality was forgotten, just your memories so I think you will be fine Blondie" he said as Jason nodded nervously as they took off.

"Drink for a bit while we keep going. If you pass out we can look after you" Leo said as Festus kept driving.

Jason nervously uncorked the potion before downing it in a chug but could only drink half of it due to its incredibly spicy flavor.

He nearly dropped it as he coughed but luckily Luke caught it.

"I'll hold onto it. If nothing works I will give you the rest back" he said as he sealed it away and patted Jason on the back as Piper helped as well.

"We should land soon to get some rest since it seems we spent more time in there than we thought" Luke said as Piper nodded.

"Fine, let's just get some distance first" Leo said as Jason nodded as he finally stopped coughing.

-Naruto's POV-

Naruto rose an eyebrow as he read the message on the floor of what seemed to be a mall before looking at the merchandise around him.

He could definitely feel the enchantments on the items around him. Some bad and some good but they were too mixed together for him to fully identify.

"Let's see if I have this right" he said aloud as he cleared his throat. "Hecate goddess of witchcraft and magic. Answer my call and offer your advice" he said as he called on Hera's blessing to summon other gods and goddesses to him as long as they weren't Olympians.

"Oho? Naruto, it is surprising to have you call me like this. It must be important" a voice spoke out as he turned around to see Hecate standing and looking at a fur coat near her.

Hecate frowned as she glared at a fur coat made of polecats before she snapped her fingers and the coat divided into 20 or so polecats.

"Well you are the goddess of witchcraft and magic so I thought you would be best at telling which is bad stuff and which is good" he said as he crouched down to pet the polecats as they snuggled up against him.

"True but who did all of this? Its way too advanced to be any child of mine" she said as he pointed to the message on the ground.

"It seems the one I thought was waking has been reviving people and they revived Medea. If more dangerous people of Ancient Greece keep appearing there will be more troubles" he said as she nodded.

"I will take away the dark hexed items and put the good ones in Hestia's temple. There will also be a cheat sheet of what does what" she said with a smile as he nodded.

"Thank you Hecate" he said as she waved it off.

"Nonsense, you were able to get the council to not punish me for siding with Kronos so it is the least I can do" she said as the polecats followed her through the mall. "Though you could lend me some clones to help"

He nodded and summoned 25 clones before he sent them to follow her. "Take all the time you need, nothing should bother you here. Just dispel a clone if you need something" he said as she nodded before he flashed away.

"My, my so many stores. This would make a great store after everything is cleaned up. Hopefully none of you mind me using this place" Hecate said as the clones shook their heads.

"Good, now come along" she said with a smile as she started off at the top floor.

-Luke POV-

Luke groaned in annoyance as Festus started to fall once again thought this time it wasn't its fault.

It had all started an hour or so after Leo and Jason had passed out while Piper and him had been working on her charm speak since even if he was immune to it he could still sense its effects. Everything had been going smoothly until lasers shot off both of Festus's wings just as Leo woke up.

"Leo we have to get off before it crashes!" Luke yelled as both Jason and Piper had already jumped off.

"I can't leave him!" Leo yelled as Luke groaned and grabbed Leo before tossing him over his shoulder.

"I am not dying because you can't leave behind a destroyed dragon!" he yelled as he jumped off and ran through the one handed hand seals.

"Land style: Terra Float!" he yelled as a large chunk of earth flew up and cushioned onto his legs before it slowly started to float down just as Festus crashed into the ground.

"Festus!" Leo yelled as the piece of earth crumbled and settled them back on actual ground before Leo ran off to the wreckage.

"Are you okay Luke? You hit your floating rock pretty hard" Piper asked as he nodded.

"I am trained to take a high fall so that was nothing, I just didn't want Leo to get hurt by the force of the fall" he said as he saw Leo holding the head of Festus before the wind picked up and the pieces of Festus started to fly away.

"Those lasers, they were the security system for a house weren't they?" Leo asked in a calm voice as he nodded.

"Yes and they were surrounded by the Mist so the house could be interesting" he said as Leo nodded and pulled out his sledgehammer from his tool belt.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's pay a visit to the kind people" Leo said with fire in his eyes, and on his hands slightly as well