Charmed: Let Gorgons Be Gorgons by Paul Ruditis

figure out what’s going on with these couples and I’m going to fix it. That’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. So, Mika, if you don’t mind, I’ve got to get to work.”
    Phoebe grabbed her bag and stood to emphasize her commitment to finding some answers. The archives had told her everything they could about the couples, which wasn’t much at all. She didn’t know where she was going as she brushed past Mika and left her office, but there weren’t any answers for her at the paper. Since Coop was off at Cupid headquarters, it was time for Phoebe to consult her own supernatural resources as well.

Chapter 9
    “…Around the world, but please don’t hex us. Connect this portal with the Nexus.” Paige grabbed the handle of the magical door in the attic and concentrated on her destination. Usually when she opened it the endless main hall of Magic School greeted her. This time she wished for something a little different. She was almost afraid to open the door for fear of what could be on the other side. The Nexus of the All was some serious magic.
    “How is it we’ve been coming up with these spells all these years and we still haven’t gotten any better with our rhymes?” Piper asked from her perch behind the Book of Shadows.
    “The demons that make up our usual audience aren’t very discerning. And they’re usually dead by the time we get to the end.” Paige held her breath and yanked open the door hoping to find Prue on the other side, but only seeing darkness.
    “Did it work?” Piper asked as she came over to join her sister.
    “Can’t tell.” Paige leaned as close to the portal as she felt comfortable doing until she knew what waited on the other side. It wasn’t total blackness in there, but it was very hard to see. One thing was certain: it wasn’t Prue’s castle.
    “Careful,” Piper warned.
    Paige pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight app, shining it into the portal. The darkness gave way to a familiar image. It was the basement of the Manor. “Guess I should have specified which Nexus.”
    “Close the door,” Piper said. “We haven’t cleaned down there in forever. I don’t want to look at that mess.”
    Paige did as instructed. She was frustrated but not surprised that she wasn’t having any luck. She’d been working on the portal since she had gotten back from visiting Henry. He hadn’t heard about any other statues suddenly turning up around town, but he promised to check with his usual connections.
    The good thing about her husband being a parole officer was that she not only had his police contacts at her disposal, but his former criminal ones as well. Henry’s parolees were fairly tuned in to the word on the street and had proven useful resources in the past. Not that she expected them to be of much value with their current magical issue, but she never knew where help would come from.
    “Give it a rest for today,” Piper said as she returned to the Book. “We need to figure out who turned the congressman to stone before it happens to someone else.”
    Paige closed the door. “That’s going to be a little difficult since we have absolutely nothing to work with so far.”
    “And yet, I’ve already got a partial list of suspects.” Piper held up the notepad she’d been jotting information down on while Paige worked. The page was filled with more cross-outs than words, but it was a starting point.
    As Paige joined her sister by the Book of Shadows, Cole and Leo materialized in front of them. “Success,” Leo said. “We dropped off a fairy, dwarf, and leprechaun with Prue.”
    “That’s a pretty loose definition of success,” Paige replied. “And it sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke.”
    “Leprechauns can be kind of annoying,” Cole said. “I never really dealt with them much before.”
    “Consider yourself lucky,” Paige said. “No pun intended.”
    “Thanks, honey,” Piper gave her husband a hug. “But somehow I