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Seeing The Beauty (Piper Mclean x Fem!Reader) - Chapter 2

Chapter 1

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Here I am, actually posting something :0

I know it's something a lot of people won't read, but this is a fic I'm passionate about, and what I decided to work on :)

The storm churns into a miniature hurricane. Funnel clouds snakes towards the skywalk like the tendrils of a monster jellyfish.

Students scream and run for the building. The wind snatches away their notebooks, jackets - including (Y/n)'s black bomber, revealing heavily scarred arms - hats, and backpacks. Both Jason and (Y/n) skid across the slick floor.

Leo loses his balance and almost topples over the railing, but (Y/n) grabs his jacket, pulling him back.

"Thanks, man," Leo yells.

"Go, go, go!" orders Coach Hedge.

Piper and Dylan are holding the doors open, herding the other kids inside. Piper's snowboarding jacket is flapping wildly, her dark hair all in her face. Jason thinks that she must've been freezing, but Piper looks calm and confident - telling the others it would be okay, encouraging them to keep moving.

Jason, Leo, (Y/n), and Coach Hedge runs towards them, but it is like running through quicksand. The wind seems to fight them, pushing them back.

Dylan and Piper push one more kid inside, then lose their grip on the doors. They slam shut, closing off the skywalk.

Piper tugs at the handles. Inside, the kids pound on the glass, but the door seems to be stuck.

"Dylan, help!" Piper shouts over the roar of the wind.

Dylan just stands there with an idiotic grin, his Cowboys jersey rippling in the wind, like he is suddenly enjoying the storm.

"Sorry, Piper," he says. "I'm done helping." He flicks his wrist, and Piper flies backwards, slamming into the doors and sliding to the skywalk deck.

"Piper!" Jason and (Y/n) try to charge forward, but the wind is against them, and Coach Hedge pulls them back.

"Coach," Jason protests, "let me go!"

"Jason, (Y/n), Leo, stay behind me," the coach orders. "This is my fight. I should've known that was our monster."

"What?" Leo demands. A rogue worksheet slaps him in the face, but he swats it away. "What monster?"

The coach's cap blows off and sticking up above his curly hair are two bumps - like the knots cartoon characters get when they're bonked on the head. Coach Hedge lifts his baseball bat - but it isn't a regular bat anymore. Somehow, it had changed into a crudely shaped tree-branch club, with twigs and leaves still attached.

Dylan gives him that psycho happy smile. "Oh, come on, Coach. Let the boy attack me! After all, you're getting too old for this. Isn't that why they retired you to this stupid school? I've been on your team the entire season, and you didn't even know. You're losing your nose, grandpa."

The coach makes an angry sound like an animal bleating. "That's it, cupcake. You're going down!"

"You think you can protect four half-bloods at once, old man?" Dylan cackles. "Good luck." Dylan points at Leo, and a funnel cloud materializes around him. Leo flies off the skywalk like he'd been tossed. Somehow, he manages to wrist in midair, and slams slideways into the canyon wall. He skids, clawing furiously for any handhold. Finally, he grabs a thin ledge about fifty feet below the skywalk, and hangs there by his fingertips.

"Help!" he yells up at them. "Rope, please? Bungee cord? Something?"

Coach Hedge curses and tosses Jason his club. "I don't know who you are, kid, but I hop you're good. Keep thatthingbusy" - he stabs a thumb at Dylan - "while I get Leo."

"Get him how?" (Y/n) demands. "You going to fly?"

"Not fly. Climb," Hedge kicks off his shoes, and (Y/n) almost has a coronary. The coach didn't have any feet. He has hooves - goat's hooves.Which means those things on his head,(Y/n) realizes,weren't bumps. They were horns.

"You're a faun," Jason exclaims.

"Satyr!" Hedge snaps. "Fauns are Roman. But we'll talk about that later."

Hedge leaps over the railing. He sails towards the canyon wall and hits hooves first. He bounds down the cliff with impossible agility, finding footholds -Hoofholds?(Y/n) wonders - no bigger than postage stamps, dodging whirlwinds that try to attack him as he picks his way towards Leo.

"Isn't that cute!" Dylan turns toward Jason. "Now it's your turn, boy." Dylan ignores (Y/n) for the time being, and (Y/n) uses the moment to pull the pen from her pocket again.

Jason throws the Coach's club. It seems useless with the winds so strong, but the club flies right at Dylan, even curving when he tries to dodge, and smacks him on the head so hard he falls to his knees.

Piper isn't as dazed as she appears. Her fingers close around the club when it rolls next to her, but before she can use it, Dylan rises. Blood - golden blood - tickles from his forehead. "Nice try, boy." He glares at Jason. "But you'll have to do better."

The skywalk shudders. Hairline fractures appear in the glass. Inside the museum, kids stop banging on the doors. They back away, watching in terror.

Dylan's body dissolves into smoke, as if his molecules are coming unglued. He has the same face, the same brilliant white smile, but his whole form is suddenly composed of swirling black vapor, his eyes like electrical sparks in a living storm cloud. He sprouts black smoky wings and rises above the skywalk.If angels could be evil, Jason decides,they would look exactly like this.

"You're aventus," Jason says, though he had no idea how he knew that word. "A storm spirit!"

Dylan's laugh sounds like a tornado tearing off a roof. "I'm glad I waited, demigod. Leo and Piper I've known about for weeks. Could've killed them at any time. But my mistress said two more were coming - something special. She'll reward me greatly for your death!"

Two more funnel clouds touch down on either side of Dylan and turn into venti - ghostly young men with smoky wings and eyes that flicker with lightning.

Piper stays down, pretending to be dazed, her hand still gripping the club. Her face is pale, but she gives Jason and (Y/n) determined looks, and he understands the message:Keep their attention. I'll brain them from behind.

Smart and violent,Jason wishes he remembered having Piper as a girlfriend.

Jason clenches his fists and gets ready to charge, but he never gets a chance.

Dylan raises his hand, arcs of electricity running between his fingers, and blasts Jason in the chest.

Jason finds himself flat on his back. His mouth tastes like burning aluminum foil. He lifts his head and sees that his clothes are smoking. The lightning bolt had gone straight through his body and blasts off his left shoe; his toes are black with soot.

The storm spirits are laughing. The wind rages. Piper is screaming defiantly, but it all sounds tinny and far away.

Instinctually, she uncaps the pen still in her hand, and suddenly (Y/n) is holding a sword - a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.

(Y/n) tests the weight of the sword in her hand. (Y/n) can't tell who's more surprised, herself, or the storm spirits.

Dylan snarls and backs up. He looks at his two comrades and yells, "Well? Kill her!"

The other storm spirits don't look happy with that order, by they fly at (Y/n), their fingers crackling with electricity.

(Y/n) jabs at the first spirit; her blade passes through it, and the creature's smoky form disintegrates into golden powder.

The second spirit lets loose a bolt of lightning, and (Y/n) is blasted back into the glass doors.

(Y/n) slides down the doors beside Piper, her sword sliding out of her hand and skittering off the side of the skywalk and into the canyon.

"sh*t," (Y/n) curses, staggering to her feet.

Then Coach Hedge leaps back onto the skywalk and dumps Leo like a sack of flour. "Spirits, fear me!" Hedge bellows, flexing his short arms. Then he looks around and realizes that Dylan was the only spirit left - Jason dispelled the other. "Curse it, boy!" he snaps at Jason. "Didn't you leave some for me? I like a challenge!"

Leo gets to his feet, breathing hard. He looks completely humiliated, his hands bleeding from clawing at the rocks. "Yo, Coach Supergoat, whatever you are - I just fell down the freaking Grand Canyon! Stop asking for challenges!"

Dylan hisses at them, but Jason can see fear in his eyes. "You have no idea how many enemies you've awakened, half-bloods. My mistress will destroy all demigods. This war you cannot win."

Above them, the storm explodes into a full-force gale. Cracks expand in the skywalk. Sheets of rain pour down, and Jason has to crouch to keep his balance.

A hole opens in the clouds - a swirling vortex of black and silver.

"The mistress calls me back!" Dylan shouts with glee. "And you, demigod, will come with me!"

He lunges at Jason, but Piper tackles the monster from behind. Even though he is made of smoke, Piper somehow manages to make contact; both of them go sprawling. Leo, Jason, (Y/n), and the coach surge forward to help, but the spirit screams with rage. Dylan lets loose a torrent that knocks the four onto their buts. Jason's sword skids across the glass. Leo hits the back of his head and curls up on his side, dazed and groaning.

Piper gets the worst of it. She is thrown off Dylan's back and hits the railing, tumbling over the side until she is hanging by one hand over the abyss.

(Y/n) gets to her feet, sprinting and vaulting over the side of the railing, grabbing the railing - and Piper's wrist.

Piper stares at (Y/n).

Are you insane?!Piper's gaze seems to say.

Probably, (Y/n) reads Piper's expression. (Y/n) didn't remember Piper, but Piper clearly trusted her, and (Y/n) would not let her die.

(Y/n)'s grip tightens on the railing, and she tries to pull Piper up.

"Hey!" Piper yells, seeing the sweat beading on (Y/n)'s forehead. "We could use some help over here!"

Jason starts towards them, but Dylan screams, "I'll settle for this one!" He grabs Leo's arm and begins to rise, towing a half-concious Leo below him. The storm spins faster, pulling them upwards like a vacuum cleaner.

"Help! Somebody!" Piper yells. And then, her hands slick with sweat, Piper slips out of (Y/n)'s grip, screaming as she falls.

"Jason, go!" Hedge yells. "Save her."

(Y/n) hauls herself up and over the railing, staring down at Piper's figure plummeting towards the little river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

The coach launches himself at the spirit, lashing out with his hooves, knocking Leo free from the spirit's grasp. Leo drops safely to the floor, but Dylan grapples the coach's arms instead. Hedge tries to head-butt him, then kicks him and calls him a cupcake. They rise into the air, gaining speed.

Coach Hedge shouts down once more, "Save her! I got this!" Then the satyr and the storm spirit spiral into the clouds and disappear.

Save her?Jason thinks.She's gone!But again, his instincts win. He runs to the railing, thinkingI'm a lunatic,and jumps over the side.

. . .

Jason isn't scared of heights. He is scared of being smashed against the canyon floor five hundred feet below. He figures he hadn't accomplished anything other than dying along with Piper, but he tucks in his arms and plummets headfirst. The sides of the canyon race past like a film on fast-forward; his face feels like it is peeling off.

In a heartbeat, he catches up with Piper, who is flailing wildly. He tackles her waist and closes his eyes, waiting for death.

Piper screams.

The wind whistles in Jason's ears.

He wonders what dying would feel like. He is thinking,Probably not so good.He wishes somehow they could never hit the bottom.

Suddenly, the wind dies. Piper's scream turns into a strangled gasp. Jason thinks that they must be dead, but he hadn't felt any impact.

"J-j-jason," Piper manages.

Jason opens his eyes; they aren't falling. They are floating in midair, a hundred feet above the river. Jason hugs Piper tight, and she repositions herself so she is hugging him too. They are nose to nose. Her heart beats so hard, Jason can feel it through her clothes.

Piper's breath smells like cinnamon. She says, "How did you -"

"I didn't," Jason says . "I think I would know if I could fly..." But then he thinks,I don't even know who I am.

Jason imagines going up; Piper yelps as they shoot a few feet higher.We aren't exactly floating, Jason decides. He can feel pressure under his feet, like they are balancing at the top of a geyser.

"The air is supporting us," Jason says.

"Well, tell it to support us more! Get us out of here!"

Jason looks down. The easiest thing would be to sink gently to the canyon floor. Then he looks up. The rain had stopped. The storm clouds don't seem as bad, but they are still rumbling and flashing. There was no guarantee the spirits were gone for good. He had no idea what had happened to Coach Hedge. And he'd left Leo up there, barely conscious, with a most likely guilty (Y/n).

"We have to help them," Piper says, as if reading Jason's thoughts. "Can you -"

"Let's see." Jason thinks,Up!, and instantly, they shoot skyward.

The fact he is riding the winds might've been cool under different circ*mstances, but Jason is too much in shock. As soon as they land on the skywalk, they run to Leo, (Y/n) sitting beside him, looking dazed and guilty - just as Jason had guessed.

Piper turns Leo over, and he groans. Leo's army coat is soaked from the rain. His curly hair glitters gold from rolling around in monster dust. But at least he isn't dead.

"Stupid . . . ugly . . . goat," Leo mutters.

"Where'd he go?" Piper questions.

Leo points straight up. "Never came down. Please tell me he didn't actually save my life."

"Twice," (Y/n) replies, studying the - possibly hundreds - of scars lacing her arms.

Leo groans even louder. "What happened? The tornado guy, the bronze and gold swords . . . I hit my head. That's it, right? I'm hallucinating?"

Jason had forgotten about his sword. He walks over to where it was lying and picks it up. The blade is well balanced. On a hunch he flips it; midspin, the sword shrinks back into a coin and lands in his palm.

(Y/n) reaches into her pocket, studying her pen before uncapping it, the ballpoint lengthening to the three and a half foot long bronze sword.

"Yep," Leo says. "Definitely hallucinating."

Piper shivers in her rain-soaked clothes. "Jason, those things -"

"Venti," Jason interrupts. "Storm spirits."

"Okay," Piper stares at Jason. "You acted like . . . like you'd seen them before. Who are you?"

Jason shakes his head. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I don't know."

The storm dissipates. The other kids from the Wilderness School are staring out the glass doors in horror. Security guards are working on the locks, but they don't seem to be having any luck."

"Coach Hedge said he had to protect four people," (Y/n) thinks aloud, touching the tip of her sword with a finger and watching it shrink back into a pen. "I'm ninety-five percent sure he meant us."

"And that thing Dylan turned into . . ." Piper shudders. "God, I can't believe it wash*ttingon me. He called us . . . what,demigods?"

Leo lies on his back, staring at the sky. He doesn't seem anxious to get up. "Don't know what demi means," he replies. "But I'm not feeling too godly. You guys feeling godly?"

(Y/n) lets out a snort of laughter, but then there is brittle sound like dry twigs snapping, and the cracks in the skywalk begin to widen.

"We need to get off this thing," Jason says.

"Maybe if we -"

"Ohh-kay," Leo interrupted. "Look up there and tell me if those are flying horses."

At first Jason thinks Leo had hit his head too hard. Then he sees a dark shape descending from the east - too slow for a plane, too large for a bird. As it got closer he can see a pair of winged animals - one black and one gray, four-legged, exactly like horses - except each one had a twenty-foot wingspan. The horses are pulling a brightly painted box with two wheels: a chariot.

"Reinforcements," (Y/n) says. "Hedge told me an extraction squad was coming for us."

"Extraction squad?" Leo struggles to his feet. "That sounds painful."

Jason watches as the chariot lands on the far end of the skywalk. The flying horses tuck in their wings and canter nervously across the glass, as if they sense it was near breaking. Two teenagers stand in the chariot - a tall blond girl maybe a little older than Jason, and a bulky dude with a shaved head and a face like a pile of bricks. They both wear jeans and orange T-shirts like (Y/n)'s, with shields tossed over their backs. The girl leaps off before the chariot had even finished moving. She pulls a knife and runs toward the group while the bulky dude is reining in the horses.

"I'm going to kill you," the blonde girl steps up to (Y/n), whose eyes widen with shock.

"What?" (Y/n) asks, looking so utterly confused that the blonde lowers her knife. "Did I do something to hurt you?" (Y/n)'s eyebrows knit with confusion.

The blonde stares at (Y/n) for a moment, her gray eyes are fierce and a little startling.

"What about Gleeson? Where is your protector, Gleeson Hedge?" she asks.

The coach's first name was Gleeson?Jason might've laughed if the morning hadn't been quite so weird and scary.Gleeson Hedge: football coach, goat man, protector of demigods. Sure. Why not?

Leo clears his throat. "He got taken by some . . . tornado things."

"Venti," Jason clarifies. "Storm spirits."

The blonde girl arches an eyebrow. "You meananemoi thuellai? That's the Greek term. Who are you, and what happened?"

Jason does his best to explain, though it is hard to meet those intense gray eyes. About halfway through the story, the other guy from the chariot comes over. He stands there glaring at them, his arms crossed. He has a tattoo of a rainbow on his biceps, which seems a little unusual to Jason.

"Annabeth," the bald guy grunts. "Check it out." He pointed at Jason's feet.

Jason hadn't thought much about it, but he is still missing his left shoe, which had been blown off by the lightning. His bare foot feels okay, but it looks like a lump of charcoal.

"The guy with one shoe," says the bald dude. "He's the answer."

"No, Butch," the girl insists. "He can't be. I was tricked." She glares at the sky as though it had done something wrong. "What do you want from me?" she screams. "What have you done?"

"Hey there, Boss,"(Y/n) hears in her head and she turns to one of the horses, a jet black pegasus.

"Uh, hey," (Y/n) says aloud, stepping over to the horse. She reaches out, and the pegasus nuzzles her hand.

"You got any sugar cubes?" he whinnies.

"No, sorry, bud," (Y/n) pats the pegasus's head.

Leo, Jason, and Piper stare at (Y/n), their eyebrows raised, but both Annabeth and Butch look unfazed.

The skywalk shudders , and the pegasi whinnies urgently. "We'd better hurry, Boss. The glass is crackin'!"the black pegasus says.

"Annabeth," says the bald dude, Butch, "we gotta leave. Let's get these four to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back."

Annabeth fumes for a moment. "Fine." She fixes Jason with a resentful look. "We'll settle this later." She turns on her heel and marches towards the chariot.

Piper shakes her head. "What'sherproblem? What's going on?"

"Seriously," Leo agrees.

(Y/n) stares after Annabeth for a moment before following. She places a gentle hand on Annabeth's arm, and the blonde turns to her.

"I'm sorry," (Y/n) says and Annabeth's expression softens. "I don't remember who I am, or what I've done, but I'm sorry if I've hurt you."

Annabeth nods.

"Come on," Annabeth says. "Let's go home. I'll even ask Chiron to get you a new shirt. For now," Annabeth swings a backpack off her shoulders and pulls out a navy blue and white lettermen jacket, "put this on."

(Y/n) studies the jacket, noticing the last name - Jackson - before sliding it on. "Is this mine?" (Y/n) asks.

Annabeth nods. "You were on the swim team," Annabeth's eyes glow with what (Y/n) guesses is sisterly - pride.

Word Count: 3521 words

Taglist:

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@pink-widows

Seeing the Beauty (Piper Mclean x Fem!Reader) - Chapter 3

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After a morning of storm spirits, goat men, best friends talking to horses, and flying boyfriends, Piper should've been losing her mind, but instead, all she feels is dread.

It's starting, she thinks. Just like the dream said.

Piper stands in the back of the chariot with Leo, (Y/n), and Jason, while Butch handles the reins, and Annabeth adjusts a bronze navigation device. They rise over the Grand Canyon and head east, icy wind rippling straight through Piper's jacket. Behind them, more storm clouds are gathering.

The chariot lurches and bumps. There are no seat belts and the back is wide open, so Piper wonders if Jason would catch her again if she fell. That was probably the most disturbing part of the morning - not that he could fly, but that Jason had held her and didn't know who she was.

All semester, she'd worked on a relationship, trying to get Jason to notice her as more than a friend. Finally, she had gotten the big dope to kiss her. The last few weeks had been the best of her life. And then, three nights ago, the dream had ruined everything - that horrible voice, giving her horrible news. She hadn't told anyone about it, not Jason, or (Y/n), her best friend.

Now, she doesn't even have them. It's like someone had wiped their memories, and she is stuck in the worst "do over" of all time. Piper wants to scream. Jason stands right next to her: those sky blue eyes, close-cropped blond hair, that cute little scar on his upper lip. His face is kind and gentle, but always a little sad. And he just stares at the horizon, not even noticing her.

Meanwhile, Leo is being annoying, as usual. "This is so cool!" He spits a pegasus feather out of his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"A safe place," Annabeth replies. "The only safe place for kids like us. Camp Half-Blood."

"Half-Blood?" Piper is immediately on guard. She hated that word. She'd been called a half-blood too many times—half Cherokee, half white—and it was never a compliment. "Is that some kind of bad joke?"

"She means we're demigods," (Y/n) replies, and Annabeth looks over her shoulder at her. There is a slight gleam in the gray eyes, as though Annabeth was surprised that something inherently intelligent had come from (Y/n)'s mouth.

Jason hums his agreement. "Half god, half mortal."

Annabeth looks at Jason now. "You seem to know a lot, Jason. But, yes, demigods. My mom is Athena, goddess of wisdom. Butch here is the son of Iris, the rainbow goddess."

Leo chokes. "Your mom is a rainbow goddess?"

"Got a problem with that?" Butch grunts in reference to Leo's question.

"No, no," Leo says. "Rainbows. Very macho."

"Buch is our best equestrian," Annabeth says, and she seems to be holding something back. "He gets along great with the pegasi."

"Rainbows, ponies," Leo mutters.

"I'm gonna toss you off this chariot," Butch warns.

"Demigods," Piper says. "You mean you think you're . . . you think we're -"

Lightning flashes. The chariot shudders, and Jason yells, "Left wheel's on fire!"

Piper steps back. Sure enough, the wheel is burning, white flames lapping up the side of the chariot.

The wind roars. Piper glances behind them and sees dark shapes forming in the clouds, more storm spirits spiraling towards the chariot - except these look more like horses than angels.

Piper starts to say, "Why are they -"

"Anemoi come in different shapes," Annabeth replies. "Sometimes human, sometimes stallions, depending on how chaotic they are. Hold on. This is going to get rough."

Butch flicks the reins. The pegasi put on a burst of speed, and the chariot blurs. Piper's stomach crawls into her throat. Her vision goes black, and when it comes back to normal, they are in a totally different place.

A cold gray ocean stretches out to the left. Snow-covered fields, roads, and forests spread to the right. Directly below them is a green valley, like an island of springtime, rimmed with snowy hills on three sides and water to the north. Piper sees a cluster of buildings like ancient Greek temples, a big blue mansion, ball courts, a lake, and a climbing wall that seems to be on fire. But before she can really process all she is seeing, their wheels come off and the chariot drops out of the sky.

Annabeth and Butch try to maintain control. The pegasi labor to hold the chariot in a flight pattern, but they seem exhausted from their burst of speed, and bearing the chariot and the weight of six people is just too much for the horses.

"The lake," Annabeth yells. "Aim for the lake!"

Piper remembers something her dad had once told her, about hitting water from high up being as bad as hitting cement.

And then - BOOM!

The biggest shock is the cold. She is underwater, so disoriented that she doesn't know which way is up.

She just has time to think: This would be a stupid way to die.Then faces appear in the green murk - girls with long black hair and glowing yellow eyes. They smile at her, grab her shoulders, and haul her up.

They toss her, gasping and shivering, onto the shore. Nearby, Butch stands in the lake, cutting the wrecked harnesses off the pegasi. Fortunately, the horses look okay, but they are flapping their wings and splashing water everywhere. Jason, Leo, and Annabeth are already on shore, surrounded by kids giving them blankets and asking questions. Somebody takes Piper by the arms and helps her stand. Apparently kids fell into the lake a lot, because a detail of campers ran up with big bronze leaf blower - looking things and blasts Piper with hot air; and in about two seconds her clothes are dry.

There are at least twenty campters milling around - the youngest nine, the oldest college age, eighteen or nineteen - and all of them are wearing orange t-shirts like (Y/n)'s and Annabeth's. Piper looks back at the water and sees the strange girls just below the surface, their hair floating in the current. They wave like, toodle-oo, and disappear into the depths. A second later, the wreckage of the chariot is tossed from the lake and lands nearby with a wet crunch.

"Annabeth!" a guy with a bow and quiver on his back pushes through the crowd. "I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it."

"Will, I'm sorry," Annabeth sighs. "I'll get it fixed, I promise."

Will scowls at his broken chariot. Then he sizes up Piper, Leo, and Jason. "These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"

"Claimed?" echoes Leo.

Before Annabeth can explain, Will says, "Any sign of Percy or -"

Will stops as a wave ripples across the lake, though it didn't seem to come from anywhere.

Piper stares at the water, and a figure emerges from the water, their clothes completely dry.

"This is really f*ckin' cool," (Y/n) says, staring down at her dry clothes.

The campers suddenly break out into a fit of whispering, as though they recognized (Y/n), but before they can say anything aloud, another girl steps forward - tall, Asian, dark hair in ringlets, plenty of jewelry, and perfect makeup. Somehow, the girl managed to make jeans and an orange t-shirt look glamorous - but then, if Piper admitted to herself, (Y/n) could also make jeans and a t-shirt - Piper cuts off her own thoughts. The girl glances at Leo, fixes her eyes on Jason like he might be worthy of her attention, then curls her lip at Piper as if she was a week-old burrito that had just been pulled out of a dumpster. Piper knows this girl's type - she'd dealt with a lot of girls like this at the Wilderness School, and every other stupid school her father had sent her to. Piper knows at once that they are going to be enemies.

"Well," the girl says. "I hope they're worth the trouble."

Leo snorts. "Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"

"No kidding," (Y/n) replies, meeting the girl's gaze. "How about some answers before you start judging us - like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"

Piper has the same questions, but a wave of anxiety surges over her. Worth the trouble? If only they knew about her dream. They have no idea.

"(Y/n)," Annabet says, "I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew -" she frowns at the glamorous girl - "all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."

"Hey," Piper protests, "we didn't ask to be brought here."

Drew sniffs. "And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?"

Piper steps forward, ready to smack her, but Annebth says, "Piper, stop," and (Y/n) glowers silently at Drew.

Piper does stop. She isn't scared of Drew, but Annabeth doesn't seem like someone Piper would want for an enemy.

"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome," Annabeth says, with another pointed look at Drew. "We'll assign them each a guide, and give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by tonight, Piper, Leo, and Jason will be claimed."

(Y/n) turns to Annabeth, looking surprised. "Have I been claimed before?"

"Can someone tell me what claimed means?" Piper asks.

Before anyone can answer, there is suddenly a collective gasp, and the campers back away. At first, Piper thinks she'd done something wrong. Then she realizes that their faces are bathed in a strange red light. Piper turns and almost forgets how to breathe.

Floating over Leo's head is a blazing holographic image - a fiery hammer.

"That," Annbeth says, "is claiming."

"What'd I do?" Leo backs toward the lake. Then he glances up and yelps. "Is my hair on fire?" He ducks, but the symbol follows him, bobbing and weaving so it looks like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.

"This can't be good," Butch mutters. "The curse -"

"Butch, shut up," Annabeth interrupts. "Leo, you've just been claimed—"

"By a god," Jason interjects. "That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?"

All eyes turn to him.

"Jason," Annabeth says carefully, "how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Vulcan?" Leo demands. "I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"

"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus," Annabeth replies, "the god of blacksmiths and fire."

The fiery hammer gades, but Leo keeps swatting the air like he is afraid it is following him. "The god of what? Who?"

Annabeth turns to the guy with the bow. "Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."

"Sure, Annabeth."

"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will puts a hand on his shoulder and steers him off towards the cabins.

Annabeth turns her attention back to Jason. Usually Piper didn't like it when other girls checked out her boyfriend, but Annabeth doesn't seem to care that he is a good-looking guy. She studies him more like he's a complicated blueprint. Finally she says, "Hold out your arm."

Piper sees what she is looking at, and her eyes widen.

Jason had taken off his windbreaker after his dip in the lake, leaving his arms bare, and on the inside of his right forearm is a tattoo. How had Piper never noticed it before? She'd looked at Jason's arms a million times. The tattoo couldn't have just appeared, but it's darkly etched, impossible to miss: a dozen straight lines like a barcode, and over that an eagle with the letters SPQR.

"I've never seen marks like this," Annabeth says. "Where did you get them?"

Jason shakes his head. "I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know."

The other campers push forward, trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. The marks seem to bother them a lot - almost like a declaration of war.

"They look burned into your skin," Annabeth noticed.

"They were," Jason said. Then he winces as if his head is aching. "I mean . . . I think so. I don't remember."

No one says anything. It was clear the campers see Annabeth as the leader - they seemed to be waiting for her verdict.

"He needs to go straight to Chiron," Annabeth decides. "Drew, would you—"

"Absolutely." Drew laces her arm through Jason's. "This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's . . . an interesting guy." She flashes Piper a smug look and leads Jason toward the big blue house on the hill.

The crowd begins to disperse, until only Annabeth, (Y/n), and Piper are left.

"Who's Chiron?" Piper asks. "Is Jason in some kind of trouble?"

Annabeth hesitates. "Good question, Piper. Come on, I'll give you a tour. We need to talk." Then Annabeth turns to (Y/n), who was looking around at the cabins. "Cabin Three," Annabeth tells (Y/n), who nods, as though she'd been about to say the words herself.

The black pegasus - Blackjack - trots over to (Y/n) and nuzzles her cheek.

"Okay, man," (Y/n) says to the horse. "Blackjack wants me to follow."

"Go ahead," Annabeth looks amused. "He knows where to take you."

(Y/n) waves to Piper and Annabeth and jogs after the jet black pegasus.

"Will she be okay?" Piper asks Annabeth.

"With Blackjack? Of course," Annbeth replies. "He's loyal only to (Y/n) and Per -" Annabeth cuts herself off.

Piper didn't know who this Percy person was, but he seemed to be a big deal around here.

. . .

Piper soon realizes that Annabeth's heart isn't in the tour.

She talks all about the amazing stuff the camp offers - magic archery, pegasus riding, the lava wall, fighting monsters - but she shows no excitement, as if her mind is elsewhere. She points out the open-air dining pavilion that overlooks Long Island Sound - Yes, Long Island, New York; they'd traveled that far on the chariot. Annabeth explains how Camp Half-Blood is mostly a summer camp, but some kids stayed here year-round, and they'd added so many campers it is always crowded now, even in winter.

Piper wonders who runs the camp, and how they'd known Piper and her friends belonged here.I wonder if I'd have to stay full time, or if I'd be good at any of the activities,Piper wonders.Could you flunk out of monster fighting?A million questions bubble in her head, but given Annabeth's mood, she decides to keep quiet.

As they climb up a hill at the edge of camp, Piper turns and gets an amazing view of the valley - a big stretch of woods to the northwest, a beautiful beach, the creek, the canoe lake, lush green fields, and the whole layout of the cabins - a bizarre assortment of buildings arranged like a Greek omega, with a loop of cabins around a central green, and two wings sticking out the bottom on either side. Piper counts twenty cabins in all. One glows golden, another silver. One has grass on the roof. Another is bright red with barbed wire trenches. One cabin is black with fiery green torches out front.

All of it seems like a different world from the snowy hills and fields outside.

"The valley is protected from mortal eyes," Annabeth explains. "As you can see, the weather is controlled, too. Each cabin represents a Greek god - a place for that god's children to live." She looks at Piper, as though she's trying to judge how Piper was taking the news.

"You're saying Mom was a goddess?" Piper wonders aloud.

Annabeth nods. "You're taking this awfully calmly."

Piper can't tell Annabeth why. She can't admit that this just confirmed some weird feelings she'd had for years, arguments she'd had with her father about why there were no photos of Mom in the house, and why Dad would never tell her exactly how or why her mom had left them. But mostly, the dream had warned her this was coming. Soonthey will find you, demigod, the voice had rumbled.When they do, follow our directions. Cooperate, and your father might live.

. . .

(Y/n) follows Blackjack through the rows of cabins until the pegasus stops in front of a low, long and solid cabin, with all the windows facing the sea.

Go on in, boss, Blackjack whinnies, nosing (Y/n) through the door.

Inside the cabin, six empty bunkbeds line the wall between two doors - (Y/n) guesses they were rooms - and another door - maybe a bathroom. The walls glow like abalone, a few fish-horses -hippocampi, the word comes to (Y/n) - hanging from the ceiling, and a fountain made of dark sea-rock in the corner.

On one of the doors, written in bronze is the name (Y/n), so (Y/n) walks over, pushing the door open.

One of the walls seemed to be windows, but (Y/n) knew that they couldn't be there - there were no visible windows other than the ones off the main room. (Y/n) studies the coast of Long Island Sound through the windows, but then she catches sight of a reading nook in the corner of the room. (Y/n) lets out a murmur of appreciation at the massive bookshelf and reading nook in a corner of the room. She walks over, studying a few of the tiles: something called Heartstopper - Volume 1, a massive series titled The Ranger's Apprentice, a book called One of Us is Lying, and a ton of other books that (Y/n) thinks she'd love to read - or reread.

On the wall across from the windows, there is a wall of photos - her and a dark-haired boy with sea-green eyes, (Y/n) guesses that that must be her twin brother, Percy; her, Annabeth, Percy, and a scrawny guy with a wispy goatee - Grover, the name comes to her - and they look about twelve; and a ton others.

Word Count: 3001 words

Taglist:

@camaddison​​

@steinfellds​​

@p-taryn-dactyl​​

@oculusalien​​

@pink-widows

Seeing the Beauty (Piper McLean x Fem!Jackson!Reader) - Chapter 12

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Here's a really, really long chapter, about 12K words! It wasn't planned either lmao, but I hope yall enjoy!

Love ya!

Leo keeps looking back. He half expects to see those nasty sun dragons toting a flying chariot with a screaming, magical sales woman throwing potions but nothing follows them.

Leo steers the dragon towards the southwest. Eventually, the smoke from the burning department store fades into the distance, but Leo doesn't relax until the suburbs of Chicago give way to snowy fields, and the sun begins to set.

"Good job, Festus," he pats the dragon's metal hide. "You did awesome."

The dragon shutters; gears popping and clicking in his neck.

Leo frowns, not liking the noises coming from the dragon. If the control disk is fading again –No, hopefully it's something minor. Something I can fix.

"I'll give you a tune-up next time we land," Leo promises. "You've earned some motor oil and Tabasco sauce."

Festus whirls his teeth, but even that sounds weak. He flies at a steady pace, his great wings angling to catch the wind, but he is carrying a heavy load. Two cages in his claws plus four people on his back — the more Leo thinks about it, the more worried he gets. Even metal dragons have limits.

"Leo." Piper pats his shoulder. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah . . . not bad for a brainwashed zombie." He hopes he didn't look as embarrassed as he feels. "Thanks for saving us back there, beauty queen. If you hadn't talked me out of that spell —"

"Don't worry about it," Piper replies.

But Leo worries a lot. He feels terrible about how easily Medea had set him against his best friends.

What bothers him more is the news about his mom. Medea had seen the future down in the Underworld. That is how her patron, the woman in the black earthen robes, had come to the machine shop seven years ago to scare him, ruin his life. That's how his mother had died — because of something Leo might do someday. So in a weird way, even if his fire powers aren't to blame, Mom's death is still his fault.

When they'd left Medea in the exploding store, Leo had felt a little too good. He hopes she didn't make it out, and would go right back to the Fields of Punishment, where she belongs. Those feelings he isn't proud of either.

And if souls are coming back from the Underworld . . . is it possible Mom can be brought back?

He tries to put that aside. Medea may have been brought back to life, but she hadn't seemed quite human, with the hissing nails and the glowing head, and whatnot.

No, mom's passed on. Thinking like that is just gonna drive me nuts.Still, the thought keeps poking at Leo liken an echo of Medea's voice.

"We're going to have to put down soon," Leo warns his friends. "Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," Piper agrees. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is — where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," Leo guesses. His memories of the department store are fuzzy, but he seems to remember hearing that. "Didn't Medea say something about Oakland?"

Piper doesn't respond for so long, Leo wonders if he'd said something wrong.

"Piper's dad," Jason puts in. "Something's happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap."

Piper lets out a shaky breath. "Look, Medea said you would both in the Bay Area. And besides . . . even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge! First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunts. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leans forward. "You mean you don't see it?" He points ahead of them, but Leo doesn't see anything except clouds and the lights of a few towns glowing in the dusk.

"What?" Leo asks.

"That . . . whatever it is," Jason said. "In the air."

Leo glances back. Piper looks just as confused as he is.

"Right," Leo says. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail," Jason replies. "Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

Leo shakes his head. "Maybe Festus can sense it. You think Aeolus made it?"

"Well, it's a magic trail in the wind," Jason says. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

"Or it's another trap," Piper replies.

Her tone worries (Y/n). She doesn't just sound nervous. She sounds broken with despair, like they'd already sealed their fate, and like it's her fault.

"Pipes, you all right?" he questions.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay, fine. You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble and we can help —"

"You can't," she says, her voice getting shakier. "Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind . . ." She leans back against (Y/n) and closes her eyes.

All right, Leo thinks,pretty clear signal she didn't want to talk.

They fly in silence for a while. Festus seems to know where he is going. He keeps his course, gently curving toward the southwest and hopefully Aeolus's fortress. Another wind god to visit, a whole new flavor of crazy —Oh, boy, Leo can't wait.

He has way too much on his mind to sleep, but now that he is out of danger, his body has different ideas. His energy level is crashing. The monotonous beat of the dragon's wings make his eyes feel heavy. His head starts to nod.

"Catch a few Z's," Jason replies. "It's cool. Hand me the reins."

"Nah, I'm okay —"

"Leo," Jason replies, "you're not a machine. Besides, I'm the only one who can see the vapor trail. I'll make sure we stay on course."

Leo's eyes starts to close on their own. "All right. Maybe just . . ."

He doesn't finish the sentence before slumping forward against the dragon's warm neck.

. . .

Leo snaps awake to Jason, Piper, and (Y/n) screaming.

They spiral through the dark in a free fall, still on the dragon's back, but Festus's hide is cold. His ruby eyes are dim.

"Jason!" (Y/n) screams. "Take Piper and fly out of here!"

"What? What about you and Leo?"

"We need to lighten the load!" Leo yells. "I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you guys?" Piper cries. "If you can't reboot him —"

"We'll be fine," Leo replies. "Just follow me to the ground. Go!"

Jason grabs Piper around the waist. They both unbuckle their harnesses, and in a flash they are gone — shooting into the air.

"Now," Leo said. "Just you and me, Festus — and two heavy cages and (Y/n). You can do it, boy!"

Leo talks to the dragon while he works, falling at terminal velocity. He could see the city lights below him, getting closer and closer. He summons fire in his hand so he can see what he is doing, but the wind keeps extinguishing it. (Y/n) uncaps her pen, grabbing the blade with her hand, cutting into the flesh of her hand, but it keeps a steady light so Leo can see. He glances back, nodding gratefully at the light.

He pulls a wire that he thought connected the dragon's nerve center to its head, hoping for a little wake-up jolt.

Festus groans — metal creaking inside his neck. His eyes flicker weakly to life, and he spreads his wings. Their fall turns into a steep glide.

"Good!" Leo says. "Come on, big boy. Come on!"

They are still flying in way too hot, and the ground is too close. Leo needed a place to land — fast.

(Y/n) taps the tip of her pen, and the blade shrinks back down, and she grips the pen in her bleeding hand.

On the riverbanks, Leo spots a white mansion with a huge snowy lawn inside a tall brick perimeter fence – like some rich person's private compound, all of it blazing with light. A perfect landing field. He does his best to steer the dragon towards it and Festus seems to come back to life.We're gonna make this!

Then everything goes wrong. As they approach the lawn, spotlights along the fence fix on them, blinding Leo. He hears bursts like tracer fire, the sound of metal being cut to shreds – andBOOM!

. . .

When (Y/n) comes to her senses, Piper is leaning over her. (Y/n) is lying in snow, covered in mud, grease, and blood.

"Where –" (Y/n) rasps.

"Lie still," Piper's eyes flood with tears. "You guys rolled pretty hard when – when Festus –"

"Where is he?" Leo sits up, his head feeling like it is floating.

"Seriously, Leo," Jason says. "You could be hurt. You shouldn't –"

(Y/n) rolls onto her stomach, pushing herself up, and then her leg sags underneath her weight, and she collapses on her face in the mud.

"Hey, hey," Piper's tone is gentle. "I've got you. Jason, come help."

Two sets of hands pull (Y/n) to her feet, and her leg collapses under her, but Jason and Piper keep her supported.

"Go help Leo," (Y/n) glances at Jason. "Go."

Piper's arm wraps around (Y/n)'s waist, and then (Y/n) sees the wreckage.

Festus must have dropped the big canary cages, as he'd come over the fence, because they'd rolled in different directions and landed on their sides, perfectly undamaged.

The dragon had disintegrated. His limbs are scattered across the lawn. His tail hung on the fence. The main section of his body had plowed a trench twenty feet wide and fifty feet long across the mansion's yard before breaking apart. What remains of his hide is a charred, smoking pile of scraps. Only his neck and head are somewhat intact, resting across a row of frozen rosebushes like a pillow.

"No," Leo sobs. He runs to the dragon's head and stroked its snout. The dragon's eyes flicker weakly. Oil leaks out of his ear. "You can't go," Leo pleaded.

And (Y/n) gets sucked into a memory.

The Hephaestus cabin is out of Greek fire. The Apollo cabin and the Hunters are scrounging for arrows. Most of the demigods had already ingested so much ambrosia and nectar that they didn't dare take anymore.

Sixteen campers, fifteen Hunters, and half a dozen satyrs are left in fighting shape. The rest had taken refuge on Olympus. The Party Ponies try to form ranks, but they stagger and giggle and they all smell of root beer. The Texans are head-butting the Coloradoans; the Missouri branch is arguing with Illinois. The chances are pretty good the whole army would end up fighting each other, rather than the enemy.

Chiron trots up with Rachel on his back.

"Your girlfriend here has some useful insights, (Y/n)," he says.

Rachel blushes. "Just some things I saw in my head."

"A drakon," Chiron says. "A Lydian drakon, to be exact. The oldest and most dangerous kind."

(Y/n) stares at her. "How did you know that?"

"I'm not sure," Rachel admits. "But this drakon has a particular fate. It will be killed by a child of Ares."

Annabeth crosses her arms. "How can you possibly know that?"

"I just saw it. I can't explain."

"Well, let's hope you're wrong," Percy replies. "Because we're a little short on children of Ares . . ." A horrible thought occurs to Percy, and he curses in Ancient Greek.

"What?" Annabeth asks.

"The spy," Percy tells her. "Kronos said, 'We know they cannot beat this drakon.' The spy has been keeping him updated. Kronos knows the Ares cabin isn't with us. He intentionally picked a monster we can't kill."

Thalia scowls. "If I ever catch your spy, he's going to be very sorry. Maybe we could send another messenger to camp —"

"I've already done it," Chiron replies. "Blackjack is on his way. But if Silena wasn't able to convince Clarisse, I doubt Blackjack will be able —"

A roar shakes the ground. It sounds very close.

"Rachel," (Y/n) says, "get inside the building. Please."

"I want to stay."

A shadow blots out the sun. Across the street, the drakon slithers down the side of a skyscraper. It roars, and a thousand windows shattered.

"On second thought," Rachel says in a small voice, "I'll be inside." Then she meets (Y/n)'s gaze. "Please be careful."

. . .

Clarisse's chariots circle the drakon. Lances break against the monster's skin. Skeletal horses breathe fire and whine. Two more chariots overturn, but the warriors simply leap to their feet, draw their swords, and go to work. They hack at chinks in the creature's scales. They dodge poison spray like they'd been training for this all their lives, which of course they had.

No one can say that the Ares campers aren't brave – Clarisse is right up front, stabbing her spear at the drakon's face, trying to put out its other eyes. But as (Y/n) watches, things start to go wrong. The drakon snaps up an Ares camper in a gulp, knocks aside another, and sprays poison on a third, who retreats in a panic, his armor melting.

"We have to help," Annabeth says.

She is right. (Y/n) and Percy had just been standing there frozen in amazement. Mrs. O'Leary tries to get up but yelps again. One of her paws is bleeding.

"Stay back, girl," (Y/n) tells her. "You've done enough already."

Annabeth, (Y/n), and Percy jump onto the monster's back and run toward its head, trying to draw its attention away from Clarisse.

Her cabinmates throw javelins, most of which break, but some lodge in the monster's teeth. It snaps its jaws together until its mouth is a mess of green blood, yellow foamy poison, and splintered weapons.

"You can do it!" (Y/n) encourages Clarisse. "A child of Ares is destined to kill it!"

Through her war helmet, (Y/n) can only see her eyes — but she can tell something was wrong. Her blue eyes shine with fear. Clarisse never looked like that. And she didn't have blue eyes.

"ARES!" she shouts in that strangely shrill voice. She levels her spear and charges the drakon.

"No," (Y/n) mutters. "WAIT!"

But the monster looks down at her – almost in contempt – and spits poison directly in her face.

She screamed and fell.

"Clarisse!" Annabeth jumps off the monster's back and runs to help, while the other Ares campers try to defend their fallen counselor. (Y/n) drives Tsunami between two of the creature's scales and manages to turn its attention on her.

(Y/n) gets thrown but she lands on her feet. "C'MON, you stupid worm! Look at me!"

For the next several minutes, all she sees are teeth. (Y/n) retreats and dodges poison, but she can't hurt the thing.

At the edge of her vision, (Y/n) sees a flying chariot land on Fifth Avenue.

Then someone runs toward them. A girl's voice, shaken with grief, cries, "NO! Curse you, WHY?"

(Y/n) dares to glance over, but what she sees makes no sense. Clarisse is lying on the ground where she'd fallen, her armor smoking with poison. Annabeth and the Ares campers are trying to unfasten her helmet. And kneeling next to them, her face blotchy with tears, is a girl in camp clothes. It's . . . Clarisse.

(Y/n)'s head spins.Why hadn't I noticed before.The girl in Clarise's armor is much thinner, not as tall.But why would someone pretend to be Clarisse?

(Y/n) is so stunned, the drakon almost snaps her in half. She dodges and the beast buries its head in a brick wall.

"WHY?" the real Clarisse demands, holding the other girl in her arms while the campers struggle to remove teh poison-corroded helmet.

Chris Rodriguez runs over from the flying chariot. He and Clarisse must've ridden it from camp, chasing the Ares campers, who'd mistakenly been following the other girl, thinking she was Clarisse. But it still makes no sense.

The drakon tugs its head from the brick wall and screams in rage.

"Look out!" Chris warns.

Instead of turning towards her, the drakon whirls toward the sound of Chris's voice. It bares its fangs at the group of demigods.

The real Clarisse looks up at the drakon, her face filled with absolute hate.

Percy had seen a look that intense only once before. Her father, Ares, had worn the same expression when Percy'd fought him in single combat.

"YOU WANT DEATH?" Clarisse screams at the drakon. "WELL, COME ON!"

She grabs her spear from the fallen girl. With no armor or shield, she charges the drakon.

(Y/n) tries to close the distance to help, but Clarisse is faster. She leaps aside as the monster struck, pulverizing the ground in front of her. Then she jumps onto the creature's head. As it rears up, she drives her electric spear into its good eye with so much force it shatters the shaft, releasing all of the magic weapon's power.

Electricity arcs across the creature's head, causing its whole body to shudder. Clarisse jumps free, rolling safely to the sidewalk as smoke boils from the drakon's mouth. The drakon's flesh dissolves, and it collapses into a hollow, scaly, tunnel of armor.

The rest of the demigods stare at Clarisse in awe. (Y/n) had never seen anyone take down such a huge monster single-handedly. But Clarisse doesn't seem to care. She runs back to the wounded girl who'd stolen her armor.

Finally, Annabeth manages to remove the girl's helmet. They all gather around: the Ares campers, Chris, Clarisse, Annabeth, Percy, and (Y/n). The battle rages along Fifth Avenue, but for that moment nothing exists but the small circle around the wounded girl.

Her features, once beautiful, are badly burned from poison. (Y/n) can tell that no amount of nectar or ambrosia would save her.

Something is about to happen. Rachel's words ring in (Y/n)'s ears.A trick that ends in death. Now I knew what she meant, and I knew who had led the Ares cabin into battle.

(Y/n) looks down at the dying face of Silena Beauregard.

"You're the best thing I ever fixed." Leo wails.

The dragon's head whirs its gears, as if he's purring. Jason, Piper, and (Y/n) stand next to Leo, but Leo keeps his eyes fixed on his dragon.

He remembers what Hephaestus had said:That isn't your fault, Leo. Nothing lasts forever, not even the best machines.His dad had been trying to warn him.

"It's not fair," he says.His dad had been trying to warn him. "It's not fair," he repeats.

The dragon clicks. Long creak. Two short clicks. Creak. Creak. Almost like a pattern . . . triggering an old memory in Leo's mind. Leo realizes Festus is trying to say something. He's using Morse code — just like Leo's mom had taught him years ago. Leo listens more intently, translating the clicks into letters: a simple message repeating over and over.

"Yeah," Leo said. "I understand. I will. I promise."

The dragon's eyes go dark. Festus is gone.

Leo cries. He isn't even embarrassed. His friends stand on either side, patting his shoulders, saying comforting things; but the buzzing in Leo's ears drowns out their words.

Finally Jason says, "I'm so sorry, man. What did you promise Festus?"

Leo sniffs. He opens the dragon's head panel, just to be sure, but the control disk is cracked and burned beyond repair.

"Something my dad told me," Leo replies. "Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" Jason asks. "When was this?"

Leo doesn't answer. He works at the dragon's neck hinges until the head is detached. It weighs about a hundred pounds, but Leo manages to hold it in his arms. He looks up at the starry sky and says, "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything." The wind picks up, and the dragon's head floats out of Leo's arms like it weighs nothing. It flies into the sky and disappears.

Piper looks at him in amazement. "He answered you?"

"I had a dream," Leo manages. "Tell you later." He knows he owes his friends a better explanation, but Leo can barely speak. He feels like a broken machine himself – like someone had removed one little part of him, and now he'd never be complete. He might move, he might talk, he might keep going and do his job, but he'd always be off balance, never calibrated exactly right.

Still, he can't afford to break down completely. Otherwise, Festus had died for nothing. He has to finish this quest – for his friends, for his mom, for his dragon.

He looks around. The large white mansion glows in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surround the perimeter, but now Leo can see — or rather sense — just how well those walls are defended.

"Where are we?" he asks. "I mean, what city?"

"Omaha, Nebraska," Piper replies. "I saw a billboard as we flew in. But I don't know what this mansion is. We came in right behind you, but as you guys were landing, Leo, I swear it looked like — I don't know —"

"Lasers," Leo replies. He picks up a piece of dragon wreckage and throws it toward the top of the fence. Immediately a turret pops up from the brick wall and a beam of pure heat incinerated the bronze plating to ashes.

Jason whistles. "Some defense system. How are we even alive?"

"Festus," Leo says miserably. "He took the fire. The lasers sliced him to bits as he came in so they didn't focus on you. I led him into a death trap."

"You couldn't have known," Piper says. "He saved our lives again."

"But what now?" Jason asks. "The main gates are locked, and I'm guessing I can't fly us out of here without getting shot down."

Leo looks up the walkway at the big white mansion. "Since we can't go out, we'll have to go in."

. . .

The other three demigods would've died five times on the way to the front door if not for Leo.

First it's the motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, then the lasers on the steps, then the nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, the pressure-sensitive poison spikes in the welcome mat, and of course the exploding doorbell.

Leo deactivates all of them – almost like he could smell the traps, and he picks just the right tool out of his belt to disable them.

"You're amazing, man," Jason says.

Leo scowls as he examines the front door lock. ''Yeah, amazing," he said. "Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your —"

"Front door's already unlocked," Leo interrupts.

Piper stares at the door in disbelief. "It is? All those traps, and the door's unlocked?"

Leo turns the knob. The door swings open easily. He steps inside without hesitation.

Before Jason can follow, Piper catches his arm with her free hand. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally."

"Yeah," Jason replies. "Yeah, okay."

But still he feels terrible.

"Piper," he begins, "I know I was in a daze back in Chicago, but that stuff about your dad — if he's in trouble, I want to help. I don't care if it's a trap or not."

Her eyes are always different colors, but now they look shattered, as if she'd seen something she just couldn't cope with. "Jason, you don't know what you're saying. Please — don't make me feel worse. Come on. We should stick together."

She helps (Y/n) inside.

"Together," Jason says to himself. "Yeah, we're doing great with that."

. . .

Jason's first impression of the house:Dark.

From the echo of his footsteps, he can tell the entry hall is enormous, even bigger than Boreas's penthouse; but the only illumination comes from the yard lights outside. A faint glow peaks through the breaks in the thick velvet curtains. The windows rise about ten feet tall, spaced between the walls are life-size metal statues. As Jason's eyes adjust, he sees sofas arranged in a U in the middle of the room, with a central coffee table and one large chair at the far end. A massive chandelier glints overhead. Along the back wall stands a row of closed doors.

"Where's the light switch?" His voice echoes alarmingly through the room.

"Don't see one," Leo replies.

"Fire?" Piper suggests.

Leo holds out his hand, but nothing happens. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out? Why?" Piper asks.

"Well, if I knew that —"

"Okay, okay," she says. "What do we do — explore?"

Leo shakes his head. "After all those traps outside? Bad idea."

Jason's skin tingles. He hates being a demigod. Looking around, he doesn't see a comfortable room to hang out in. He imagines vicious storm spirits lurking in the curtains, dragons under the carpet, a chandelier made of lethal ice shards, ready to impale them.

"Leo's right," Jason says. "We're not separating again — not like in Detroit."

"Oh, thank you for reminding me of the Cyclopes." Piper's voice quavers. "I needed that."

"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guesses. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's bring the cages in and make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

Nobody offers a better idea, so Piper helps (Y/n) settle on the floor, and they roll the cages with Coach Hedge and the storm spirits.

(Y/n) rummages through her backpack to find a baggie of pastries like lemon barns. She breaks one in half, and nibbles off the corner.

Piper settles down next to (Y/n) against the wall.

"What does it taste like for you?" Piper asks.

"My mom's homemade blue chocolate chip cookies," (Y/n) replies, taking another bite of the pastry square.

"Blue?" Piper asks, taking a bite of a peanut butter Ritz cracker.

(Y/n) smiles slightly. "I'm pretty sure it was some sort of dig at my ex-stepfather." Piper tilts her head in curiosity. "He, was not a very nice dude. He was –" she pauses.

"Abusive?" Piper asks gently.

(Y/n) glances back over at Piper. "How'd –"

"I was trying to break you from Medea's spell," Piper glances down into her lap, not wanting to meet (Y/n)'s gaze. "I raised my hand, and you flinched, like you'd been hit before."

(Y/n) sighs, taking another bite from the ambrosia, feeling the godly food starting to repair her leg. Then she nods. "My mom was only ever with him to protect me," she says.

"How?"

"I'm pretty sure it was the smell," (Y/n) fiddles with Tsunami, who'd appeared back in her pocket. "Perc and I didn't call him Smelly Gabe for nothing. Mom explained it was because he was incredibly mortal, that he could, like, mask our smell." Piper just sits and listens, and (Y/n) doesn't know if anyone had ever listened to her like Piper was listening to her now – just letting her talk without interrupting. "What're you doing?" she asks, bewildered.

"I'm listening," Piper replies. "Go on," she smiles slightly.

That's nice, (Y/n) thinks, grinning at Piper. "Apparently, we demigods smell. Like really bad." Piper laughs. "Especially us Big Three kids, it's worse. My friend Grover says we smell like –" she falters.

"The sea," Piper finishes, and (Y/n) nods. And then she yawns, leaning her head against the wall. "You must be tired," Piper says. "Did you even sleep in the sewer last night?" (Y/n) glances over at Piper, and smiles sheepishly. "Sleep, oh my gods," Piper says with exasperation, though she looks amused. "Come on, now," she pats her lap, and (Y/n) lies down, resting her head in Piper's lap.

The top boulder is twenty feet tall, and really hard to climb, so the flag is clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it.

Percy sets Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, figuring he'd be safely out of the way.

"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Thalia tells the team. "Selina, you lead that."

"Got it!"

"Take Laurel and Jason. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise." She glances at (Y/n), who had been leaning on her shield, looking bored. Catching Thalia's look however, she nods.

"I got you," (Y/n) nods.

Thalia looks at Percy. "Anything to add, Percy?"

"Urn, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got four guards, two scouts. That's not much for a big forest. I'll be roving. Yell if you need help."

"And don't leave your post!" Thalia says.

"Unless you see a golden opportunity," Percy adds.

Thalia scowls. "Just don't leave your post."

"Right, unless —" Percy says, and (Y/n) laughs.

"Percy!" Thalia touches his arm and shocks Percy. "Sorry," Thalia says, though she doesn't sound particularly sorry. "Now, is everybody clear?"

Everybody nods. We break into our smaller groups. The horn sounds, and the game begins.

. . .

Percy is two feet from the water when Zoe bolts across to her own side, slamming into him for good measure. The Hunters cheer as both sides converge on the creek. Chiron appears out of the woods, looking grim. He has the Stoll brothers on his back, and it looks as if both of them had taken some nasty whacks to the head. Connor Stoll has two arrows sticking out of his helmet like antennae.

"The Hunters win!" Chiron announces without pleasure. Then he mutters, "For the fifty-sixth time in a row."

"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yells, storming toward me. She smells like rotten eggs, and she is so mad that blue sparks flicker on her armor. Everybody cringes and backs up because of Aegis. It takes all his willpower not to cower. "What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?" she bellows.

Percy balls his fists. "I got the flag, Thalia!" He shakes it in her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"WE WERE AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia yells. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won."

"You had too many on you!"

"So it's my fault we lost!"

"I didn't say that."

"Argh!" Thalia shoves Percy, and a shock goes through his body that blows him backward ten feet into the water. Some of the campers gasp. A couple of the Hunters stifle laughs.

"Sorry!" Thalia says, turning pale. "I didn't mean to—"

Anger roars in my ears. A wave erupts from the creek, blasting into Thalia's face and dousing her from head to toe.

Percy stands up. "Yeah. I didn't mean to, either."

Thalia is breathing heavily.

"Enough!" Chiron orders.

But Thalia holds out her spear. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?"

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!"

Percy raises Riptide, but before he can even defend himself, Thalia yells, and a blast of lightning comes down from the sky, hits her spear like a lightning rod, and slams into his chest.

Percy suits down hard, and (Y/n) runs over to him, jumping over the rocks and into the riverbed. There is a burning smell; and (Y/n) has a feeling it's Percy's clothes.

"Thalia!" Chiron says. "That is enough!"

(Y/n) helps Percy to his feet and the Son of Poseidon wills the entire creek to rise. It swirls up, hundreds of gallons of water in a massive icy funnel cloud.

"Percy!" Chiron pleads.

. . .

"Ahhhggggggh!"

(Y/n) leaps to his feet, thankfully her leg had completely healed overnight. She isn't sure what is more jarring — the full sunlight that now bathes the room, or the screaming satyr.

"Coach is awake," Leo says, which was kind of unnecessary. Gleeson Hedge is capering around on his furry hindquarters, swinging his club and yelling, "Die!" as he smashes the tea set, whacks the sofas, and charges at the throne.

"Coach!" Jason yells.

Hedge turns, breathing hard. His eyes are so wild, Jason is afraid he might attack. The satyr is still wearing his orange polo shirt and his coach's whistle, but his horns are clearly visible above his curly hair, and his beefy hindquarters are definitely all goat.Could you call a goat beefy?Jason puts the thought aside.

"You're the new kid," Hedge says, lowering his club. "Jason." He looks at Leo, then Piper, who'd apparently also just woken up. Her hair looks like it had become a nest for a friendly hamster.

"Valdez, McLean, Jackson" the coach says. "What's going on? We were at the Grand Canyon. The anemoi thuellai were attacking and —" He zeroes in on the storm spirit cage, and his eyes go back to DEFCON 1. "Die!"

"Whoa, Coach!" Leo steps in his path, which (Y/n) thinks is pretty brave, even though Hedge was six inches shorter. "It's okay. They're locked up. We just sprang you from the other cage."

"Cage? Cage? What's going on? Just because I'm a satyr doesn't mean I can't have you doing plank push-ups, Valdez!"

Jason clears his throat. "Coach — Gleeson — urn, whatever you want us to call you. You saved us at the Grand Canyon. You were totally brave."

"Of course I was!"

"The extraction team came and took us to Camp Half-Blood. We thought we'd lost you. Then we got word the storm spirits had taken you back to their — um, operator, Medea."

"That witch! Wait — that's impossible. She's mortal. She's dead."

"Yeah, well," Leo says, "somehow she got not dead anymore."

Hedge nods, his eyes narrowing. "So! You were sent on a dangerous quest to rescue me. Excellent!"

"Urn." Piper gets to her feet, holding out her hands so Coach Hedge wouldn't attack her. "Actually, Glee — can I still call you Coach Hedge? Gleeson seems wrong. We're on a quest for something else. We kind of found you by accident."

"Oh." The coach's spirits seem to deflate, but only for a second. Then his eyes light up again. "But there are no accidents! Not on quests. This was meant to happen! So, this is the witch's lair, eh? Why is everything gold?"

"Gold?" Jason looks around. From the way Leo, (Y/n), and Piper catch their breath, he guesses they hadn't noticed the throne either.

The room is full of gold — the statues, the tea set Hedge had smashed, the chair that is definitely a throne. Even the curtains — which seems to have opened by themselves at daybreak — appear to be woven of gold fiber.

"Nice," Leo says. "No wonder they got so much security."

"This isn't —" Piper stammers. "This isn't Medea's place, Coach. It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insists. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?"

Before Jason can decide if he wants to explain or just shove Coach Hedge back into his cage, a door opens at the far end of the room.

A pudgy man in a white bathrobe steps out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He has a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He freezes when he sees them, and the toothbrush falls out of his mouth.

He glances into the room behind him and calls, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

Coach Hedge does the obvious thing. He raises his club and shouts, "Die!"

It takes all four of them to hold back the satyr. "Whoa, Coach!" Jason sats. "Bring it down a few notches." A younger man charges into the room. Jason guesses he must be Lit, the old guy's son. He is dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless T-shirt that saysCornhuskers, and he holds a sword that looks like it can husk a lot of things besides corn. His ripped arms are covered in scars – not unlike (Y/n)'s – and his face, framed by curly dark hair, would've been handsome if it wasn't also sliced up.

Lit immediately zeroes in on Jason like he is the biggest threat, and stalks toward him, swinging his sword overhead.

"Hold on!" Piper steps forward, trying for her best calming voice. "This is just a misunderstanding! Everything's fine." Lit stops in his tracks, but he still looks wary. It doesn't help that Hedge is screaming, "I'll get them! Don't worry!"

"Coach," Jason pleads, "they may be friendly. Besides, we're trespassing in their house."

"Thank you!" says the old man in the bathrobe. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

"Let's all put our weapons down," Piper says. "Coach, you first."

Hedge clenches his jaw. "Just one thwack?"

"No," Piper says.

"What about a compromise? I'll kill them first, and if it turns out they were friendly, I'll apologize."

"No!" Piper insists.

"Meh." Coach Hedge lowers his club.

Piper gives Lit a friendly sorry-about-that smile. Even with her hair messed up and wearing two-day-old clothes, she looks extremely cute, and (Y/n) feels a little jealous she is giving Lit that smile.

Lit huffs and sheaths his sword. "You speak well, girl — fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"Appreciate it," Leo said. "I try not to get run through before lunchtime."

The old man in the bathrobe sighs, kicking the teapot that Coach Hedge had smashed. "Well, since you're here. Please, sit down."

Lit frowns. "Your Majesty—"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," the old man says. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense observing formalities." He does his best to smile, though it looks a little forced. "Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

"Midas? Impossible," says Coach Hedge. "He died."

They are sitting on the sofas now, while the king reclines on his throne.Tricky to do that in a bathrobe, and Jason keeps worrying the old guy would forget and uncross his legs.Hopefully he's wearing golden boxers under there.

Lit stands behind the throne, both hands on his sword, glancing at Piper and flexing his muscular arms just to be annoying. (Y/n) wonders if she looked that ripped holding a sword. Sadly, she doubts it.

Piper sits forward. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be — sorry — dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"Interesting." The king gazes out the windows at the brilliant blue skies and the winter sunlight. In the distance, downtown Omaha looks like a cluster of children's blocks — way too clean and small for a regular city.

"You know," the king says, "I think I was a bit dead for a while. It's strange. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?"

"A very long dream, Your Majesty."

"And yet, now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"But how?" Piper asks. "You didn't happen to have a . . . patron?"

Midas hesitates, but there is a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"

"We could kill them again," Hedge suggests.

"Coach, not helping," Jason says. "Why don't you go outside and stand guard?"

Leo coughs. "Is that safe? They've got some serious security."

"Oh, yes," the king replies. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!" He fishes a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and presses a few buttons —a pass code, Jason guesses.

"There," Midas says. "Safe to go out now."

Coach Hedge grunted. "Fine. But if you need me . . ." He winks at Jason meaningfully. Then he points at himself, points two fingers at their hosts, and slices a finger across his throat.Very subtle sign language. "Yeah, thanks," Jason says.

After the satyr leaves, Piper tries another diplomatic smile. "So . . . you don't know how you got here?"

"Oh, well, yes. Sort of," the king replies. He frowns at Lit. "Why did we pick Omaha, again? I know it wasn't the weather."

"The oracle," Lit said.

"Yes! I was told there was an oracle in Omaha." The king shrugs. "Apparently I was mistaken. But this is a rather nice house, isn't it? Lit — it's short for Lityerses, by the way — horrible name, but his mother insisted — Lit has plenty of wide-open space to practice his swordplay. He has quite a reputation for that. They called him the Reaper of Men back in the old days."

"Oh." Piper tries to sound enthusiastic. "How nice."

Lit's smile is more of a cruel sneer. (Y/n) is now one hundred percent sure he didn't like this guy, and Jason is starting to regret sending Hedge outside.

"So," Jason says. "All this gold —"

The king's eyes light up. "Are you here for gold, my boy? Please, take a brochure!"

Jason looks at the brochures on the coffee table. The title saysGOLD: Invest for Eternity. "Urn, you sell gold?"

"No, no," the king says. "I make it. In uncertain times like these, gold is the wisest investment, don't you think? Governments fall. The dead rise. Giants attack Olympus. But gold retains its value!"

Leo frowns. "I've seen that commercial."

"Oh, don't be fooled by cheap imitators!" the king says. "I assure you, I can beat any price fora serious investor. I can make a wide assortment of gold items at a moment's notice."

"But..." Piper shakes her head in confusion. "Your Majesty, you gave up the golden touch, didn't you?"

The king looks astonished. "Gave it up?"

"Yeah," Piper says. "You got it from some god —''

"Dionysus," the king agrees. "I'd rescued one of his satyrs, and in return, the god granted me one wish. I chose the golden touch."

"But you accidentally turned your own daughter to gold," Piper remembers. "And you realized how greedy you'd been. So you repented."

"Repented!" King Midas looks at Lit incredulously. "You see, son? You're away for a few thousand years, and the story gets twisted all around. My dear girl, did those stories ever say I'd lost my magic touch?"

"Well, I guess not. They just said you learned how to reverse it with running water, and you brought your daughter back to life."

"That's all true. Sometimes I still have to reverse my touch. There's no running water in the house because I don't want accidents" — he gestures to his statues — "but we chose to live next to a river just in case. Occasionally, I'll forget and pat Lit on the back —"

Lit retreats a few steps. "I hate that."

"I told you I was sorry, son. At any rate, gold is wonderful. Why would I give it up?"

"Well..." Piper looks truly lost now. "Isn't that the point of the story? That you learned your lesson?"

Midas laughs. "My dear, may I see your backpack for a moment? Toss it here."

Piper hesitates, but she isn't eager to offend the king. She dumps everything out of the pack and tosses it to Midas. As soon as he caught it, the pack turns to gold, like frost spreading across the fabric. It still looks flexible and soft, but definitely gold. The king tosses it back.

"As you see, I can still turn anything to gold," Midas says. "That pack is magic now, as well. Go ahead — put your little storm spirit enemies in there."

"Seriously?" Leo is suddenly interested. He takes the bag from Piper and holds it up to the cage. As soon as he unzips the backpack, the winds stir and howl in protest. The cage bars shudder . The door of the prison flies open and the winds get vacuumed straight into the pack. Leo zips it shut and grins. "Gotta admit. That's cool."

"You see?" Midas says. "My golden touch a curse ? Please. I didn't learn any lesson, and life isn't a story, girl. Honestly, my daughter Zoe was much more pleasant as a gold statue."

"She talked a lot," Lit offers.

"Exactly! And so I turned her back to gold." Midas points. There in the corner is a golden statue of a girl with a shocked expression, as if she were thinking,Dad!

"That's horrible!" Piper says.

"Nonsense. She doesn't mind. Besides, if I'd learned my lesson, would I have gotten these?"

Midas pulls off his oversize sleeping cap, and Jason doesn't know whether to laugh or get sick. Midas has long fuzzy gray ears sticking up from his white hair — like Bugs Bunny's, but they aren't rabbit ears. They are donkey ears.

"Oh, wow," Leo says. "I didn't need to see that."

"Terrible, isn't it?" Midas sighs. "A few years after the golden touch incident, I judged a music contest between Apollo and Pan, and I declared Pan the winner. Apollo, sore loser, said I must have the ears of an ass, and voila. This was my reward for being truthful. I tried to keep them a secret. Only my barber knew, but he couldn't help blabbing." Midas pointed out another golden statue — a bald man in a toga, holding a pair of shears. "That's him. He won't be telling anyone's secrets again." The king smiles, and suddenly, he doesn't strike Jason as a harmless old man in a bathrobe. His eyes have a merry glow to the – the look of a madman who knows he's mad, accepted his madness, and enjoyed it. "Yes, gold has many uses. I think that must be why I was brought back, eh Lit? To bankroll our patron."

Lit nods. "That and my good sword arm."

Jason glances at his friends. Suddenly the air in the room seems much colder.

"So you do have a patron," Jason says. "You work for the giants."

King Midas waves his hand dismissively. "Well, I don't care for giants myself, of course. But even supernatural armies need to get paid. I do owe my patron a great debt. I tried to explain that to the last group that came through, but they were very unfriendly. Wouldn't cooperate at all."

Jason slips his hand into his pocket and grabs his gold coin. "The last group?"

"Hunters," Lit snarls. "Blasted girls from Artemis."

Jason feels a spark of electricity — a literal spark — travel down his spine. He catches a whiff of electrical fire like he'd just melted some of the springs in the sofa.

His sister had been here.

"When?" he demands. "What happened?"

Lit shrugs. "Few days ago? I didn't get to kill them, unfortunately. They were looking for some evil wolves, or something. Said they were following a trail, heading west. Missing demigod — I don't recall."

Percy Jackson – (Y/n)'s missing brother, Jason thinks. Annabeth had mentioned the Hunters were looking for him. And in Jason's dream of the burned-out house in the redwoods, he'd heard enemy wolves baying. Hera had called them her keepers. It has to be connected somehow.

Midas scratches his donkey ears. "Very unpleasant young ladies, those Hunters," he recalls. "They absolutely refused to be turned into gold. Much of the security system outside I installed to keep that sort of thing from happening again, you know. I don't have time for those who aren't serious investors."

Jason stands warily and glances at his friends. They got the message.

"Well," Piper says, managing a smile. "It's been a great visit. Welcome back to life. Thanks for the gold bag."

"Oh, but you can't leave!" Midas replies. "I know you're not serious investors, but that's all right! I have to rebuild my collection."

Lit is smiling cruelly. The king rises, and Leo, (Y/n), and Piper move away from him.

"Don't worry," the king assures them. "You don't have to be turned to gold. I give all my guests a choice — join my collection, or die at the hands of Lityerses. Really, it's good either way."

Piper tries to use her charmspeak. "Your Majesty, you can't —"

Quicker than any old man should've been able to move, Midas lashes out and grabs her wrist.

"No!" Jason yells.

Gold frost spreads over Piper, and, in a heartbeat, she is a glittering statue. Leo tries to summon fire, but he'd forgotten his power wasn't working. Midas touches his hand, and Leo transforms into solid metal. (Y/n) stands, stunned, and can't move, and Midas touches her shoulder, and gold spreads across her body.

Jason is so horrified he can't move. His friends – just gone. And he'd been unable to stop it.

Midas smiles apologetically. "Gold trumps fire, I'm afraid." He waves around him at all the gold curtains and furniture. "In this room, my power dampens all others: fire . . . even charmspeak. Which leaves me only one more trophy to collect."

"Hedge!" Jason yells. "Need help in here!"

For once, the satyr doesn't charge in. Jason wonders if the lasers had gotten him, or if he is sitting at the bottom of a trap pit.

Midas chuckles. "No goat to the rescue? Sad. But don't worry, my boy. It's really not painful. Lit can tell you."

Jason fixes on an idea. "I choose combat. You said I could choose to fight Lit instead."

Midas looks mildly disappointed, but he shrugs. "I said you could die fighting Lit. But of course, if you wish."

The king backs away, and Lit raises his sword.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Lit grins. "I am the Reaper of Men!"

"Come on, Cornhusker." Jason summons his own weapon. This time it comes up as a javelin, and Jason is glad for the extra length.

"Oh, gold weapon!" Midas says. "Very nice."

Lit charges.

. . .

Piper wakes up cold and shivering.

She has the worst dream about an old guy with donkey ears chasing her around and shouting,You're it!

"Oh, god." Her teeth chatter. "He turned me to gold!"

"You're okay now." (Y/n) leans over and tucks a warm blanket around her, but she still feels as cold as a Boread.

She blinks, trying to figure out where they are. Next to her, a campfire blazed, turning the air sharp with smoke.

Firelight flickers against rock walls. They are in a shallow cave, but it doesn't offer much protection. Outside, the wind howls. Snow blows sideways. It could've been day or night. The storm makes it too dark to tell.

"L-L-Leo?" Piper manages, her teeth chattering.

"Present and un-gold-ified." Leo is also wrapped in blankets. He doesn't look great, but better than Piper feels. "I got the precious metal treatment too," he says. "But I came out of it faster. Dunno why. We had to dunk you in the river to get you back completely. Tried to dry you off, but . . . it's really, really cold."

"You've got hypothermia," (Y/n) tells Piper. "We risked as much nectar as we could. Coach Hedge did a little nature magic —"

"Sports medicine." The coach's ugly face looms over her. "Kind of a hobby of mine. Your breath might smell like wild mushrooms and Gatorade for a few days, but it'll pass. You probably won't die. Probably."

"Thanks," Piper says weakly. "How did you beat Midas?"

Jason tells her the story, putting most of it down to luck.

The coach snorts. "Kid's being modest. You should've seen him. Hi-yah! Slice! Boom with the lightning!"

"Coach, you didn't even see it," Jason replies, rolling his eyes. "You were outside eating the lawn."

But the satyr is just warming up. "Then I came in with my club, and we dominated that room. Afterward, I told him, 'Kid, I'm proud of you! If you could just work on your upper body strength —'"

"Coach," said Jason.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up, please."

"Sure." The coach sits down at the fire and starts chewing his cudgel.

(Y/n) put her hand on Piper's forehead and checks her temperature. "Leo, can you stoke the fire?"

"On it." Leo summons a baseball-sized clump of flames and lobs it into the campfire.

"Do I look that bad?" Piper shivers.

"Nah," (Y/n) replies.

"You're a terrible liar," Piper says. "Where are we?"

"Pikes Peak," Jason replies. "Colorado."

"But that's, what – five hundred miles from Omaha?" Piper's eyes widen slightly.

"Something like that," Jason agrees. "I harnessed the storm spirits to bring us this far. They didn't like that – went a little faster than I wanted, almost crashed us into the mountainside before I could get them back in the bag. I'm not going to be trying that again."

"Why are we here though?" Piper asks.

Leo sniffs. "That's what I asked him."

Jason glances into the storm as if watching for something. "That glittery wind trail we saw yesterday? It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I followed it until I couldn't see it anymore. Then — honestly I'm not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop."

"'Course it is." Coach Hedge spits out some cudgel splinters. "Aeolus's floating palace should be anchored above us, right at the peak. This is one of his favorite spots to dock."

"Maybe that was it." Jason knits his eyebrows. "I don't know. Something else, too . . ."

"The Hunters were heading west," Piper remembers. "Do you think they're around here?"

Jason rubs his forearm as if the tattoos are bothering him. "I don't see how anyone could survive on the mountain right now. The storm's pretty bad. It's already the evening before the solstice, but we didn't have much choice except to wait out the storm here. We had to give you some time to rest before we tried moving." He doesn't need to convince her. The wind howling outside the cave scares her, and she can't stop shivering.

"Jace," (Y/n) says, and Jason looks up to meet her sea-green gaze. "I've known Thalia and the Hunters for years. I promise you, that they'll be fine." Then she sees Piper shivering beside her. "We have to get you warm." She holds out her arms a little awkwardly. "Uh, you mind if I . . ."

"I suppose." Piper tries to sound nonchalant, though her stomach erupts with butterflies. She puts her arms around her and holds her. They scoot closer to the fire; Coach Hedge chews on his club and spits splinters into the fire.

Leo breaks out some cooking supplies and starts frying burger patties on an iron skillet. "So, guys, long as you're cuddled up for story time . . . something I've been meaning to tell you. On the way to Omaha, I had this dream. Kinda hard to understand with the static and the Wheel of Fortune breaking in —"

"Wheel of Fortune?" Piper assumes Leo is kidding, but when he looks up from his burgers, his expression was deadly serious.

"The thing is," Leo says, "my dad Hephaestus talked to me."

Leo tells them about his dream. In the firelight, with the wind howling, the story is even creepier. Piper can imagine the static-filled voice of the god warning about giants who were the sons of Tartarus, and about Leo losing some friends along the way. And she had noticed the quick looks exchanged between Leo, Jason, and (Y/n).Wonder what that's about.

Piper tries to concentrate on something good: (Y/n)'s arms around her, the warmth slowly spreading into her body, but she is terrified. "I don't understand. If demigods and gods have to work together to kill the giants, why would the gods stay silent? If they need us —"

"Ha," says Coach Hedge. "The gods hate needing humans. They like to be needed by humans, but not the other way around. Things will have to get a whole lot worse before Zeus admits he made a mistake closing Olympus."

"Coach," Piper says, "that was almost an intelligent comment." (Y/n) laughs.

Hedge huffs. "What? I'm intelligent! I'm not surprised you cupcakes haven't heard about the Giant War. The gods don't like to talk about it. Bad PR to admit you needed mortals to help beat an enemy. That's just embarrassing."

"There's more, though," Jason adds. "When I dreamed about Hera in her cage, she said Zeus was acting unusually paranoid. And Hera — she said she went to those ruins because a voice had been speaking in her head. What if someone's influencing the gods, like Medea influenced us?"

Piper shudders. She'd had a similar thought — that some force they couldn't see was manipulating things behind the scenes, helping the giants.Maybe the same force is keeping Enceladus informed about our movements, and had even knocked their dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Perhaps Leo's sleeping Dirt Woman, or another servant of hers . . .

Leo sets hamburger buns on the skillet to toast. "Yeah, Hephaestus said something similar, like Zeus was acting weirder than usual. But what bothered me was the stuff my dad didn't say. Like a couple of times he was talking about the demigods, and how he had so many kids and all. I don't know. He acted like getting the greatest demigods together was going to be almost impossible — like Hera was trying, but it was a really stupid thing to do, and there was some secret Hephaestus wasn't supposed to tell me."

(Y/n) shifts. Piper can feel the tension in her arms. "Didn't you mention something about Chiron acting the same way when you were meeting him in the Big House?" (Y/n) asks. "

Jason nods "He mentioned a sacred oath not to discuss — something. Coach, you know anything about that?"

"Nah. I'm just a satyr. They don't tell us the juicy stuff. Especially an old —" He stops himself.

"An old guy like you?" Piper asks. "But you're not that old, are you?"

"Hundred and six," the coach mutters.

Leo coughs. "Say what?"

"Don't catch your panties on fire, Valdez. That's just fifty-three in human years. Still, yeah, I made some enemies on the Council of Cloven Elders. I've been a protector a longtime. But they started saying I was getting unpredictable. Too violent. Can you imagine?"

"Why don't you talk to Grover?" (Y/n) asks the satyr.

The Coach lets out a grunt, and then mutters something along the lines of "– don't like askin' for help." Then the Coach scowls. "Yeah, then finally we get a good war going with the Titans, and do they put me on the front lines? No! They send me as far away as possible — the Canadian frontier, can you believe it? Then after the war, they put me out to pasture. The Wilderness School. Bah! Like I'm too old to be helpful just because I like playing offense. All those flower-pickers on the Council — talking about nature."

"I thought satyrs liked nature," Piper ventures.

"Shoot, I love nature," Hedge replies. "Nature means big things killing and eating little things! And when you're a — you know — vertically challenged satyr like me, you get in good shape, you carry a big stick, and you don't take nothing from no one! That's nature." Hedge snorts indignantly. "Flower-pickers. Anyway, I hope you got something vegetarian cooking, Valdez. I don't do flesh."

"Yeah, Coach. Don't eat your cudgel. I got some tofu patties here. Piper's a vegetarian too. I'll throw them on in a second."

The smell of frying burgers filled the air. Piper usually hates the smell of cooking meat, but her stomach rumbles like it wanted to mutiny.

I'm losing it, she thinks.Think broccoli. Carrots. Lentils.

Her stomach isn't the only thing rebelling. Lying by the fire, with (Y/n) holding her, Piper's conscience feels like a hot bullet slowly working its way toward her heart. All the guilt she'd been holding in for the last week, since the giant Enceladus had first sent her a dream, is about to kill her.

Her friends wanted to help her. Jason even said he'd walk into a trap to save her dad. And Piper had shut them out.

For all she knows, she'd already doomed her father when she attacked Medea.

She chokes back a sob. Maybe she'd done the right thing in Chicago by saving her friends, but she'd only delayed her problem. She can never betray her friends, but the tiniest part of her is desperate enough to think,What if I did?

She tries to imagine what her dad would say.Hey, Dad, if you were ever chained up by a cannibal giant and I had to betray a couple of friends to save you, what should I do?

Funny, that had never come up when they did Any Three Questions. Her dad would never take the question seriously, of course. He'd probably tell her one of Grandpa Tom's old stories — something with glowing hedgehogs and talking birds—and then laugh about it as if the advice was silly.

Piper wishes she remembers her grandpa better. Sometimes she dreams about that little two-room house in Oklahoma. She wonders what it would've been like to grow up there.

Her dad would think that was nuts. He'd had spent his whole life running away from that place, distancing himself from the rez, playing any role except Native American. He'd always told Piper how lucky she was to grow up rich and well cared-for, in a nice house in California.

She'd learned to be vaguely uncomfortable about her ancestry — like Dad's old pictures from the eighties, when he had feathered hair and crazy clothes.Can you believe I ever looked like that?he'd say. Being Cherokee was the same way for him — something funny and mildly embarrassing.

But what else were they? Dad didn't seem to know. Maybe that's why he was always so unhappy, changing roles.

Maybe that's why Piper started stealing things, looking for something her dad couldn't give her.

Leo puts the tofu patties on the skillet. The wind keeps raging.

Gradually, Piper starts to feel warmer. She stops shivering and settles against (Y/n)'s chest. Leo hands out the food, and (Y/n) takes a tofu patty, more to make Piper more comfortable; Piper doesn't want to move, talk, or do anything to disrupt the moment. But she has to.

We need to talk." She sits up so she can face (Y/n). "I don't want to hide anything from you guys anymore."

They look at her with their mouths full of burger.Too late to change my mind now.

"Three nights before the Grand Canyon trip," she begins, "I had a dream vision — a giant, telling me my father had been taken hostage. He told me I had to cooperate, or my dad would be killed."

The flames crackles.

Finally Jason says, "Enceladus? You mentioned that name before."

Coach Hedge whistles. "Big giant. Breathes fire. Not somebody I'd want barbecuing my daddy goat."

(Y/n) gives him a shut up look. "Piper, go on. What happened?"

"I — I tried to reach my dad, but all I got was his personal assistant, and she told me not to worry."

"Jane?" Leo remembers. "Didn't Medea say something about controlling her?"

Piper nods. "To get my dad back, I had to sabotage this quest. I didn't realize it would be the four of us. Then after we started the quest, Enceladus sent me another warning: He told me he wanted you three dead. He wants me to lead you to a mountain. I don't know exactly which one, but it's in the Bay Area — I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the summit. I have to be there by noon on the solstice, tomorrow. An exchange."

She can't meet her friends' eyes. She waits for them to yell at her, or turn their backs, or kick her out into the snowstorm.

Instead, (Y/n) scoots next to her and puts her arm around her again, "Gods, Piper. I'm so sorry."

Leo nods, "No kidding. You've been carrying this around for a week?"

"Piper, we could help you," Jason adds.

She glares at each of them. "Why don't you yell at me or something? I was ordered to kill you."

"Aww, come on," Jason says. "You've saved all three of us on this quest."

"You don't get it!" Piper argues. "I've probably just killed my dad, telling you this."

"I doubt it." Coach Hedge belches. He is eating his tofu burger folded inside the paper plate, chewing it all like a taco. "Giant hasn't gotten what he wants yet, so he still needs your dad for leverage. He'll wait until the deadline passes, see if you show up. He wants you to divert the quest to this mountain, right?"

Piper nods uncertainly.

"So that means Hera is being kept somewhere else," Hedge reasons. "And she has to be saved by the same day. So you have to choose — rescue your dad, or rescue Hera. If you go after Hera, then Enceladus takes care of your dad. Besides, Enceladus would never let you go even if you cooperated. You're obviously one of the seven in the Great Prophecy."

One of the seven.She'd talked about this before with Jason, (Y/n), and Leo, and she supposes it must be true, but she still has trouble believing it. She doesn't feel that important. She is just a stupid child of Aphrodite.How can I be worth deceiving and killing?

"So we have no choice," she replies miserably. "We have to save Hera, or the giant king gets unleashed. That's our quest. The world depends on it. And Enceladus seems to have ways of watching me. He isn't stupid. He'll know if we change course and go the wrong way. He'll kill my dad."

"He's not going to kill your dad," Leo says. "We'll save him."

"We don't have time!" Piper cries. "Besides, it's a trap."

We're your friends, beauty queen," Leo said. "We're not going to let your dad die. We just gotta figure out a plan."

Coach Hedge grumbles. "Would help if we knew where this mountain was. Maybe Aeolus can tell you that. The Bay Area has a bad reputation for demigods. Old home of the Titans, Mount Othrys, sits over Mount Tam, where Atlas holds up the sky. I hope that's not the mountain you saw."

Piper tries to remember the vista in her dreams. "I don't think so. This was inland."

Jason frowns at the fire, like he is trying to remember something.

"Bad reputation . . . that doesn't seem right. The Bay Area . . ."

"You think you've been there?" Piper asks the son of Zeus.

"I. . . He looks like he is almost on the edge of a breakthrough. Then the anguish comes back into his eyes. "I don't know. Hedge, what happened to Mount Othrys?"

Hedge takes another bite of paper and burger. "Well, Kronos built a new palace there last summer. Big nasty place, was going to be the headquarters for his new kingdom and all. Weren't any battles there, though. Kronos marched on Manhattan, tried to take Olympus. If I remember right, he left some other Titans in charge of his palace, but after Kronos got defeated in Manhattan, the whole palace just crumbled on its own."

"No," Jason says suddenly.

Everyone looks at him.

"What do you mean, 'No'?" Leo questions.

"That's not what happened. I—" He tenses, looking toward the cave entrance. "Did you hear that?"

For a second, nothing. Then Piper hears it: howls piercing the night.

Word Count: 11828 words

Seeing the Beauty (Piper McLean x Jackson!Reader) - Masterlist and Taglist

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

. . .

​​Taglist:@camaddison​​​@steinfellds​​@p-taryn-dactyl​​​@oculusalien​​​@pink-widows​@unlikelysublimekryptonite@decadentrebelkitten@eevil-empress@anteroz​@mag-mfm@26randomness@cair-paravel-narnia​@hayhaythegaygay​

Seeing the Beauty (Piper McLean x Fem!Jackson!Reader) - Chapter 13

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

"Wolves," Piper says. "They sound close."

Jason and (Y/n) rise, drawing their swords. Leo and the Coach get to their feet too. Piper tries, but black spots dance before her eyes.

"Stay there," (Y/n) tells her. "We've got you."

Piper grits her teeth, hating feeling helpless. She doesn't want anyone to protect her. First her stupid ankle, and then stupid hypothermia. She wants to be on her feet, with her dagger in her hand.

Then, just outside the firelight, at the entrance of the cave, she sees a pair of red eyes glowing in the dark.

Okay, she thinks.Maybe a little protection is fine.

More wolves edge into the firelight — black beasts bigger than Great Danes, with ice and snow caked on their fur. Their fangs gleam, and their glowing red eyes look disturbingly intelligent. The wolf in front is almost as tall as a horse, his mouth stained as if he'd just made a fresh kill.

Piper pulls her dagger out of its sheath.

Then Jason steps forward and says something in Latin.

Piper doesn't think a dead language would have much effect on wild animals, but the alpha wolf curls his lip. The fur stands up along his spine. One of his lieutenants tries to advance, but the alpha wolf snaps at his ear. Then all of the wolves back into the dark.

"Dude, I gotta study Latin." Leo's hammer shakes in his hand. "What'd you say, Jason?"

Hedge curses. "Whatever it was, it wasn't enough. Look."

The wolves are coming back, but the alpha wolf isn't with them. They don't attack. They wait — at least a dozen now, in a rough semicircle just outside the firelight, blocking the cave exit.

The coach hefts his club. "Here's the plan. I'll kill them all, and you guys escape."

"Coach, they'll rip you apart," Piper says.

"Nah, I'm good."

Then Piper sees the silhouette of a man coming through the storm, wading through the wolf pack.

"Stick together," Jason advises. "They respect a pack. And Hedge, no crazy stuff. We're not leaving you or anyone else behind."

Piper gets a lump in her throat. She's the weak link in their "pack" right now. No doubt the wolves can smell her fear. She might as well be wearing a sign that saysfree lunch.

The wolves part, and the man steps into the firelight. His hair is greasy and ragged, the color of fireplace soot, topped with a crown of what looks like finger bones. His robes are tattered fur — wolf, rabbit, raccoon, deer, and several others Piper can't identify. The furs don't look cured, and from the smell, they aren't very fresh. His frame is lithe and muscular, like a distance runner's. But the most horrible thing is his face. His thin pale skin is pulled tight over his skull. His teeth are sharpened like fangs. His eyes glow bright red like his wolves' — and they fix on Jason with absolute hatred.

"Ecce,"he said, "filli Romani."

"Speak English, wolf man!" Hedge bellow.

The wolf man snarls. "Tell your faun to mind his tongue, son of Rome. Or he'll be my first snack."

Piper remembers that faun is the Roman name for satyr.Not exactly helpful information.Now, if she can remember who this wolf guy is in Greek mythology, and how to defeat him, that she can use.

The wolf man studies their little group. His nostrils twitch. "So it's true," he muses. "A child of Aphrodite. A son of Hephaestus. The Jackson girl. A faun. And a child of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, no less. All together, without killing each other. How interesting."

You were told about us?" Jason asks. "By whom?"

The man snarls — perhaps a laugh, perhaps a challenge. "Oh, we've been patrolling for you all across the west, demigod, hoping we'd be the first to find you. The giant king will reward me well when he rises. I am Lycaon, king of the wolves. And my pack is hungry."

The wolves snarl in the darkness.

Out of the corner of her eye, Piper sees Leo put up his hammer and slip something else from his tool belt — a glass bottle full of clear liquid.

Piper racks her brain trying to place the wolf guy's name. She knows she'd heard it before, but she can't remember details.

Lycaon glares at Jason's sword. He moves to each side as if looking for an opening, but Jason's blade moves with him.

"Leave," Jason orders. "There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want tofu burgers," (Y/n) offers.

Lycaon bares his fangs. Apparently he isn't a tofu fan.

"If I had my way," Lycaon says with regret, "I'd kill you first, son of Jupiter. Your father made me what I am. I was the powerful mortal king of Arcadia, with fifty fine sons, and Zeus slew them all with his lightning bolts."

"Ha," Coach Hedge says. "For good reason!"

Jason glances over his shoulder. "Coach, you know this clown?"

"I do," Piper answers. The details of the myth come back to her — a short, horrible story she and her father had laughed at over breakfast. She isn't laughing now.

"Lycaon invited Zeus to dinner," she says. "But the king wasn't sure it was really Zeus. So to test his powers, Lycaon tried to feed him human flesh. Zeus got outraged —"

"And killed my sons!" Lycaon howls. The wolves behind him howl too.

"So Zeus turned him into a wolf," Piper continues. "They call . . . they call werewolves lycanthropes, named after him, the first werewolf."

"The king of wolves," Coach Hedge finishes. "An immortal, smelly, vicious mutt."

Lycaon growls. "I will tear you apart, faun!"

"Oh, you want some goat, buddy? 'Cause I'll give you goat."

"Stop it," Jason says. "Lycaon, you said you wanted to kill me first, but . . .?

"Sadly, Child of Lightning, you two" – he nods to (Y/n) – "are spoken for. Since this one" – he waggles his claws at Piper – "has failed to kill you, you are destined to be delivered alive to the Wolf House. One of my compatriots has asked for the honor of killing you herself."

"Who?"

The wolf king snickers. "Oh, a great admirer of yours. Apparently, you two made quite an impression on her. She will take care of you soon enough, and really I cannot complain. Spilling your blood at the Wolf House should mark my new territory quite well. Lupa will think twice about challenging my pack."

Piper's heart tries to jump out of her chest. She doesn't understand everything Lycaon had said, but a woman who wants to kill Jason and (Y/n)?Medea, she thought.Somehow, she must've survived the explosion.

Piper struggles to her feet. Spots dance before her eyes again. The cave seems to spin. "You're going to leave now," Piper says, "before we destroy you." She tries to put power into the words, but she is too weak. Shivering in her blankets, pale and sweaty and barely able to hold a knife, she can't have looked very threatening.

Lycaon's red eyes crinkle with humor. "A brave try, girl. I admire that. Perhaps I'll make your end quick. Only the son of Jupiter and daughter of Poseidon are needed alive. The rest of you, I'm afraid, are dinner."

At that moment, Piper knows she is going to die. But at least she'd die on her feet, fighting next to (Y/n).

(Y/n) takes a step forward. "You're not killing anyone, wolf man. Not without going through me."

Lycaon howls and extends his claws. (Y/n) slashes at him, but her bronze sword passes straight through as if the wolf king isn't there.

Lycaon laughs. "Gold, bronze, steel — none of these are any good against my wolves, child of the Sea."

"Silver!" Piper cries. "Aren't werewolves hurt by silver?"

"We don't have any silver!" Jason replies.

Wolves leaps into the firelight. Hedge charges forward with an elated "Woot!"

But Leo strikes first. He throws his glass bottle and it shatters on the ground, splattering liquid all over the wolves — the unmistakable smell of gasoline. He shoots burst of fire at the puddle, and a wall of flames erupts.

Wolves yelp and retreat. Several catch fire and have to run back into the snow. Even Lycaon looks uneasily at the barrier of flames now separating his wolves from the demigods.

"Aw, c'mon," Coach Hedge complains. "I can't hit them if they're way over there."

Every time a wolf comes closer, Leo shoots a new wave of fire from his hands, but each effort seems to make him a little more tired, and the gasoline is already dying down. "I can't summon any more gas!" Leo warns. Then his face turns red. "Wow, that came out wrong. I mean the burning kind. Gonna take the tool belt a while to recharge. What you got, man?"

"Nothing," Jason replies. "Not even a weapon that works."

"Nothin,'" (Y/n) says. "Unless we're gonna f*ckin' box some wolves."

"Lightning?" Piper asks, glancing at (Y/n) with amusem*nt.

Jason concentrates, but nothing happens. "I think the snowstorm is interfering, or something."

"Unleash the venti!" Piper offers.

"Then we'll have nothing to give Aeolus," Jason replies. "We'll have come all this way for nothing."

Lycaon laughs. "I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me."

The flames begin to sputter out. Jason curses and drops his sword. He crouches like he is ready to go hand-to-hand. Leo pulls his hammer out of his pack. Piper raises her dagger — not much, but it is all she has. Coach Hedge hefts his club, and he is the only one who looks excited about dying.

Then a ripping sound cuts through the wind — like a piece of tearing cardboard. A long stick sprouts from the neck of the nearest wolf — the shaft of a silver arrow. The wolf writhes and falls, melting into a puddle of shadow.

More arrows. More wolves fall. The pack breaks in confusion. An arrow flashes towards Lycaon, but the wolf king catches it in midair. Then he yells in pain. When he drops the arrow, it leaves a charred, smoking gash across his palm. Another arrow catches him in the shoulder, and the wolf king staggers.

"Curse them!" Lycaon yells. He growls at his pack, and the wolves turned and ran. Lycaon fixed Jason with those glowing red eyes. "This isn't over, boy."

The wolf king disappears into the night.

Seconds later, Piper hear more wolves baying, but the sound is different — less threatening, more like hunting dogs on the scent. A smaller white wolf bursts into the cave, followed by two more.

Hedge says, "Kill it?"

"No!" Piper replies. "Wait."

The wolves tilt their heads and study the campers with huge golden eyes. One of the wolves steps forward, sniffing around (Y/n), and (Y/n) kneels down, stroking the wolf's ears. Piper watches as (Y/n)'s expression softens as she talks quietly to the wolf, as though missing her own dog.

A heartbeat later, their masters appear: a troop of hunters in white-and-gray winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carry bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.

Their faces are covered with parka hoods, but clearly they are all girls. One, a little taller than the rest, crouches in the firelight and snatches up the arrow that had wounded Lycaon's hand.

"So close." She turns to her companions. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you." (Y/n)'s head snaps up, and she watches the girl, as though she recognized the voice.A possible girlfriend, Piper wonders, feeling a little disappointed.

The other hunters mumble agreement and disappear, heading after Lycaon's pack.

The girl in white turns toward them, her face still hidden in her parka hood. "We've been following that demon's trail for over a week. Is everyone alright? No one got bit?"

Jason stands frozen, staring at the girl. Piper realizes that something about her voice sounds familiar. It's hard to pin down, but the way she speaks, the way she forms her words, reminds her of Jason.

"You're her," Piper guesses. "You're Thalia."

The girl tenses. Piper is afraid she might draw her bow, but instead she pulls down her parka hood. Her hair is spiky black, with a silver tiara across her brow. Her face has a super-healthy glow to it, as if she's a little more than human, and her eyes are brilliant blue. She is the girl from Jason's photograph.

"Do I know you?" Thalia asks.

Piper takes a breath. "This might be a shock, but —"

"Thalia." Jason steps forward, his voice trembling. "I'm Jason, your brother."

For a minute, Jason and Thalia face each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushes forward and hugs him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She grips Jason's face and seems to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip — you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughs. "Seriously?"

Hedge nods like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers — excellent source of iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammers. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barks. Thalia looks back at the wolf and nods, but she keeps her hands on Jason's face, like she's afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

Piper does better than that. She collapses. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if (Y/n) hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushes over. "What's wrong with her? Ah — never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowns at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffs. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

The wolf at (Y/n)'s feet lifts her front paws after she helps Piper back onto the ground.

"You always were good with dogs, Jackson," Thalia's eyes twinkle with mischief. She parts with Jason, and wraps (Y/n) in a bear hug. Then her gaze turns slightly angry. "Where've you been?"

The wolf at (Y/n)'s feet barks, staring at Piper.

Thalia looks at Leo. "You and the satyr," Thalia orders, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

It's cold out there!" Hedge retorts. "I'll freeze my horns off."

But Leo knows when they weren't wanted. "Come on, Hedge. These three need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine," the satyr mutters. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carries Piper towards the entrance. Leo is about to follow when Jason calls, "Actually, Leo, could you, urn, stick around?"

Leo sees something in Jason's eyes he doesn't expect:Jason is asking for support. He wants somebody else there. He's scared.

Leo grins. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia doesn't look too happy about it, but the four of them sat at the fire – (Y/n) in between Leo and Jason. For a few minutes, nobody speaks. Jason studies his sister like she is a scary device — one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seems more at ease, as if she's used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But still she regards Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Leo takes a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twists them together.

Finally Leo can't stand the silence. "So . . . the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing — is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?" (Y/n) lets out a snort of laughter, stroking the wolf's snout – the wolf had put her head in (Y/n)'s lap.

Thalia stares at Leo as if he'd just evolved from pond scum.Yeah, definitely liking this girl.

Jason kicks him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia . . . what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"

Thalia tugs at a silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looks like Khione the snow princess —just as cold and beautiful.

"Do you remember anything?" Thalia finally asks.

Jason shakes his head. "(Y/n) and I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper."

"Which wasn't our fault," Leo adds hastily. "Hera stole their memories."

Thalia tenses. "Hera? How do you know that?"

Jason explains about their quest — the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline. Leo chimed in to add the important stuff: how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.

Thalia's a good listener. Nothing seems to surprise her — the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. But when Jason mentions King Midas, she curses in Ancient Greek.

"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she says. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon — Well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been . . . what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know." Jason brings out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looks at the picture, and her expression softens. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"

Jason nods. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave . . . I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"

Nah," Leo assures him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."

Thalia ignores him.Probably she just didn't want to let on how much I impress her.

"Jason," she begins, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"

The color drains from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have . . . You don't remember — No, of course you don't."

"What?" Jason asks.

Thalia's features seem to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality isn't working so well. "Jason . . . I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She . . . she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods . . . well, they don't hang around."

Leo remembers his own mom, the way she'd assured him over and over that his dad would be back someday. But she'd never acted mad about it. She didn't seem to want Hephaestus for herself — only so Leo could know his father. She'd dealt with working a dead-end job, living in a tiny apartment, never having enough money — and she'd seemed fine with it. As long as she had Leo, she always said, life would be okay.

Leo watches Jason's face — looking more and more devastated as Thalia describes their mom — and for once, Leo doesn't feel jealous of his friend. Leo might have lost his mom. He might have had some hard times. But at least he remembers her. He finds himself tapping out a Morse code message on his knee:Love you. (Y/n), who had seen the movement of Leo's fingers, smiles gently at him, also decoding the message – one of the cons of being best friends with the smartest girl at Camp Half-Blood, you learned stuff, like Morse Code.

Leo feels bad for Jason, not having memories like that — not having anything to fall back on.

"So . . . " Jason doesn't seem able to finish the question.

"Jason, you got friends," (Y/n) tells him gently, reaching out to squeeze his hand in a sisterly fashion. "Now you have a sister. You're not alone."

Thalia offers her hand, and Jason takes it in his free one. The wolf in (Y/n)'s lap nudges her hand again, and (Y/n) takes her hand from Jason's, and starts petting the white canine's ears again.

"When I was about seven," Thalia begins, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed — different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom . . . well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too — that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but more demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

Leo fiddles with his copper wires. He feels like an intruder. He shouldn't be listening to this, but it also makes him feel like he's getting to know Jason for the first time — like maybe being here now made up for those four months at Wilderness School, when Leo had just imagined they'd had a friendship.

"How did you guys get separated?" Leo asks.

Thalia squeezes her brother's hand. "If I'd known you were alive . . . gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in the car for a family vacation. We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and . . ." She takes a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes. When I came back . . . Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying. She said — she said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and you were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done. I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical. I don't remember everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like she was the only one who mattered. Finally I couldn't stand it. Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful."

"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounds far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead."'

"That doesn't make sense," Thalia insists. "I never told him."

"Hey," Leo says. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."

Thalia nods. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up."

"But where have I been?" Jason says. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff . . ."

Thalia frowns. "The Roman stuff?"

"Your brother speaks Latin," Leo says. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." Leo points out the marks on Jason's arm. Then he gives Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that had happened: Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them.

Thalia plucks her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal."

"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asks. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?"

"Possibly," Thalia replies. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak Latin rather than Ancient Greek. That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood. A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him — you would've been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven —"

"He wasn't alone," Leo blurts out. "We've heard about others like him."

Thalia looks at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

(Y/n) tells her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.

"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asks. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."

As soon as he says it, Leo realizes how stupid the idea sounds. Thalia's dazzling blue eyes study him intently, making him feel like a suspect in a lineup. "I've been all over the country," Thalia muses. "I've never seen evidence of a crazy Latin teacher, or demigods in purple shirts. Still . . ." Her voice trailed off, like she'd just had a troubling thought.

"What?" Jason asks.

Thalia shakes her head. "I'll have to talk to the goddess. Maybe Artemis will guide us."

"She's still talking to you?" Jason asks. "Most of the gods have gone silent."

"Artemis follows her own rules," Thalia says. "She has to be careful not to let Zeus know, but she thinks Zeus is being ridiculous closing Olympus. She's the one who set us on the trail of Lycaon. She said we'd find a lead to a missing friend of ours."

"Percy," (Y/n) finishes; Thalia nods, her face full of concern.

Leo wonders if anyone had ever looked that worried all the times he'd disappeared. He kind of doubts it.

"So what would Lycaon have to do with it?" Leo asks. "And how does it connect to us?"

"We need to find out soon," Thalia admits. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus could tell you —"

A white wolf appears again at the doorway and yips insistently.

"I have to get moving." Thalia stands. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus's palace."

"If you can't, it's okay," Jason says, though he sounds kind of distressed.

"Oh, please." Thalia smiles and helps him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let's go!"

When Leo sees how well Piper and Hedge are being treated, he is thoroughly offended. He'd imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter, Phoebe, had set up this silver pavilion right outside the cave. How she'd done it so fast, Leo has no idea, but inside is a kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looks back to normal, decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe are kicking back, drinking hot chocolate, but when Phoebe catches sight of (Y/n), she stands up and comes over to give her a quick hug.

"Jackson," Phoebe says.

"Phoebe," (Y/n) replies, smiling slightly.

"Oh, no way," Leo says. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffs. "Boys," she says, like it's the worst insult she can think of.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia smiles slightly. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."

Phoebe grumbles, but soon Leo, (Y/n), and Jason are also dressed in silvery winter clothes that are incredibly lightweight and warm. The hot chocolate is first-rate.

"Cheers!" says Coach Hedge. He crunches down his plastic thermos cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," (Y/n) jokes.

Thalia pats Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"

Piper nods. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I can run ten miles.

Thalia winks at (Y/n). "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."

Piper can see (Y/n)'s cheeks redden, but she can't tell whether she's flustered or just warm.

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteers. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it." Naturally, Thalia ignores him.

It takes Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Leo cannot believe. The tent self-collapses into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wants to ask her for the blueprints, but they don't have time.

Thalia runs uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon Leo is regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters leave him in the dust.

Coach Hedge leaps around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo —"

"Let's not," Thalia snaps.

So they run in silence.

Leo falls in next to Jason at the back of the group. "How you doing, man?"

Jason's expression is enough of an answer:Not good.

"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason says. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but . . . she's not like me. She seems so much more together."

"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo says. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises."

"Maybe," Jason says. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."

"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a lot like you."

Jason takes that in silence. Leo wonders if he'd said the right things. He wants to make Jason feel better, but this is way outside his comfort zone.

Leo wishes he can reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason's memory — maybe a little hammer — bonk the sticking spot and make everything run right. That would be a lot easier than trying to talk it through.Not good with organic life forms. Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad.

He is so lost in thought, he didn't realize the others had stopped. He slams into (Y/n), who slams into Thalia, and nearly sends the three of them down the side of the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter is light on her feet. She steadies them, then points up.

"That," Leo chokes, "is a really large rock."

They stand near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world is blanketed in clouds. The air is so thin, Leo can hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars are incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rises from the clouds like islands — or teeth.

But the real show is above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, is a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It is hard to judge in size, but (Y/n) figures it's about half the length of a football stadium, and just as tall. The sides are rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind bursts out with a sound like an organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ring the fortress.

Piper leans over, her mouth next to (Y/n)'s ear, "It's really pretty."

"Just like you," slips out of (Y/n)'s mouth.

Piper pulls away, raising an eyebrow. "That was smooth, Jackson."

(Y/n) flushes, looking at the only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island – a narrow bridge of ice that glistens in the moonlight.

Then (Y/n) realizes the bridge isn't exactly ice, because it isn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snakes around — blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane.

"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo says.

Thalia shrugs. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asks. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia says. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason says.

Thalia laughs. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?"

Thalia grimaces, exchanging a look with (Y/n) – as if it isn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," Leo says. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughs. Then she seems to realize Leo's question isn't a joke. "Wait . . . Jason, you can fly?"

Jason gazes up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia you mean . . . you can't fly?

For a second, Thalia looks genuinely afraid. Then she gets her expression under control. Leo realizes she is a lot more scared of heights than she is letting on. "Truthfully," she says, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge taps the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumps onto the bridge. Amazingly, it holds his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, (Y/n), come on, girls. I'll give you a hand."

"No, that's okay," Piper starts to say, but the coach grabs her's and (Y/n)'s hands and drags them up the bridge.

When they are about halfway, the bridge still seems to be holding them just fine.

Thalia turns to her Hunter friend. "Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."

"You sure?" Phoebe narrows her eyes at Leo and Jason, like they might kidnap Thalia.

"It's fine," Thalia promises.

Phoebe nods reluctantly, then races down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.

"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia says. "It hardly ever breaks."

"It hasn't met me yet," Leo muttered, but he and Jason lead the way up the bridge.

Halfway up, things start going wrong. Piper, (Y/n), and Coach Hedge had already made it safely to the top, and are waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing, but Leo gets distracted. He is thinking about bridges – how he would design something way more stable than this shifting ice vapor business if this was his palace. He is pondering braces and support columns. Then a sudden revelation stops him in his tracks.

"Why do they have a bridge?" he asks.

Thalia frowns. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"

"They're wind spirits," Leo says. "Can't they fly?"

"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."

"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asks.

Thalia shakes her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."

Leo's mind is racing. He is so excited he can almost feel his body's temperature rising. He can't quite put his thoughts into words, but he

knows he's onto something important.

"Leo?" Jason says. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, gods," Thalia says. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."

Leo shuffles backwards. With horror, he realizes his body temperature really is rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him. Now, excitement is causing the reaction. His pants steam in the cold air. His shoes are literally smoking, and the bridge doesn't like it. The ice is thinning.

"Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."

"I'll try," Leo says. But his body is overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge."

"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia says. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is —''

"Just listen," Leo insists. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."

"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widen. "Oh, gods."

Jason frowns. "What are you two talking about?"

Thalia mutters something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

"I don't understand," he protests. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"

Leo snaps his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?"

Thalia nearly chokes. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?"

"You know where it is?" Jason asked.

"Something's wrong," (Y/n) realizes, watching as Jason grabs Leo's coat. (Y/n) goes to step back onto the bridge to help, but Piper pulls her back.

"Don't," she says. "You might make it worse."

Then Jason and Leo start scrambling up the bridge. (Y/n) grabs the boys' hands, pulling them onto the floating island. When they turn, they see Thalia backing down the bridge as it crumbles.

"Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad! Save him!" she shouts. "I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!"

"But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouts.

"You know where it is, little brother!" She is so far away now that they can barely hear her voice over the wind. Leo is pretty sure she says: "I'll see you there. I promise."

Then she turns and races down the dissolving bridge.

Leo looks back down. The top of Pikes Peak floats below them in a sea of clouds, but there is no sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their only exit.

"What happened?" Piper demands. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," Leo gasps. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't —''

"It's all right," Jason says, but his expression is grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

. . .

I found my sister and lost her in less than an hour, Jason thinks miserably. As they climb the cliffs of the floating island, he keeps looking back, but Thalia is gone.

Despite what she'd said about meeting again, Jason wonders;she's found a new family with the Hunters, and a new mother in Artemis.She had seemed so confident and comfortable with her life, Jason isn't sure if he'd ever be a part of it. And she'd seemed so happy when she'd found (Y/n), and so set on finding Percy.Did she ever search for me like that?

Not fair,Jason retorts.She thought you were dead.

He could also barely tolerate what Thalia had said about their mom. It was like she'd handed him a baby – a really loud, ugly baby – and said,Here, this is yours. Carry it.He doesn't want to carry it. He doesn't want to look at it or claim it. He hadn't wanted to know she had an unstable mother who'd gotten rid of him to appease a goddess.No wonder Thalia ran away.

And then he remembers the Zeus cabin at camp – the tiny little alcove Thalia had used as a bunk, out of sight from the glowering statue of the sky god.Dad isn't much of a bargain either,Jason thinks, understanding why Thalia had renounced that part of her life, though he's still resentful.I can't be so lucky. I get stuck holding the bag – literally.

The golden backpack of winds is strapped over his shoulders, and the closer they get to Aeolus's palace, the heavier they get. The winds keep struggling, rumbling and bumping around.

The only one who seems to be in a good mood is Coach Hedge. He keeps bouncing up the slippery staircase and trotting back down. "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand steps."

As they climb, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper leave Jason in his silence.Maybe they can sense my bad mood.Piper keeps glancing back, worried, as if he were the one who'd almost died of hypothermia rather than she.Or maybe she is thinking about Thalia's idea.Jason doens't really understand how they were going to save Piper's dad and Hera, and he isn't sure if the possibility had made Piper more hopeful or just more anxious.

Leo keeps swatting his own legs, checking for signs that his pants are on fire. He wasn't steaming anymore, but the incident on the ice bridge had really freaked Jason out. Leo hadn't seemed to realize that he had smoke coming out his ears and flames dancing through his hair. If Leo started spontaneously combusting every time he got excited, they were going to have a tough time taking him anywhere. Jason imagines trying to get food at a restaurant.I'll have a cheeseburger and—Ahhh! My friend's on fire! Get me a bucket!

Mostly, though, Jason worries about what Leo had said. Jason doesn't want to be a bridge, or an exchange, or anything else. He just wants to know where he'd come from. And Thalia had looked so unnerved when Leo mentioned the burned-out house in his dreams — the place the wolf Lupa had told him was his starting point.How did Thalia know that place, and why did she assume I could find it?

The answer seems close. But the nearer Jason gets to it, the less it cooperated, like the winds on his back.

Jason keeps catching (Y/n) glancing back at him, as though trying to find something to say.

They arrive at the top of the island. Bronze walls march all the way around the fortress grounds, though Jason can't imagine who would possibly attack this place. Twenty-foot-high gates open for them, and a road of polished purple stone leads up to the main citadel — a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C. — except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's bizarre," Piper mutters.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo says. "Dang, check this guy's front yard."

The rotunda sits in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds are amazing in a scary way. They are divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section on their right is an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen roll across the landscape as the wind blows, so Jason isn't sure if they were decorations or alive.

To their left is an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns — gods, people, animals that run after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, Jason can see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looks like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last section is a desert where tumbleweeds scratch strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisem*nt that read:watch aeolus nightly!

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guesses. "Four cardinal directions."

I'm loving that pasture." Coach licks licked his lips. "You guys mind —"

"Go ahead," Jason says. He is actually relieved to send the satyr off. It would be hard enough getting on Aeolus's good side without Coach Hedge waving his club and screaming, "Die!"

While the satyr runs off to attack springtime, Jason, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper walk down the road to the steps of the palace. They pass through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that readolympian weather channel, and some that just readow!

"Hello!" A woman floats up to them. Literally floated. She is pretty in that elfish way Jason associates with nature spirits at Camp Half-Blood — petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkle cheerfully. Even though there is no wind, her dark hair blows in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billows around her like parachute material. Jason can't tell if she has feet, but if so, they don't touch the floor. She has a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asks. "We've been expecting you."

Jason tries to respond, but it is a little hard to think straight, because he'd realizes the woman was see-through. Her shape fades in and out like she is made of fog. "Are you a ghost?" he asks.

Right away he knows he'd insulted her. The smile turns into a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Piper comes to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Wow, she's good, (Y/n) thinks.

The complement seems a little over top, but Mellie blushes. "Oh . . . well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

"Er," Jason starts. "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent! Please, right this way," she leads them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floats. She doesn't look where she is going, but apparently it doesn't matter as she drifts straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she muses. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Urn, okay," Jason says.

The lobby is a pretty distracting place. Winds blast around them, so Jason feels like he is pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blow open and slam by themselves.

The things Jason can see are just as bizarre. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes speed around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

A creature flutters past. She looks like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She has a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It's amazing she could fly at all. She keeps drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an aura?" Jason asks Mellie as the creature wobbles by.

Mellie laughs. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes." She bats her eyes at Jason.

"'Course you are," he replies.

"So," Piper prompts, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie leads them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinks.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie says cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"

. . .

(Y/n)'s jaw drops. The central section of Aelous's fortress is as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floats randomly through the air – camera, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants. And there's no floor. Leo almost falls into the chasm before Jason pulls him back."

"Holy —!" Leo gulps. "Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"

An enormous circular pit plunges into the heart of the mountain. It is probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside. (Y/n) remembers seeing winds blast out of them when they'd been on Pikes Peak. Other caves is sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustles with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.

"Oh, my," Mellie gasps. "I'm so sorry." She unclips a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and speaks into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."

A few seconds later, an army of harpies rises from the pit — three dozen or so demon chicken ladies, all carrying squares of various building material. They go to work hammering and gluing – and using large quantities of duct tape, which doesn't reassure (Y/n). In no time there is a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was is of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod — just about anything.

"That can't be safe," Jason comments.

"Oh, it is!" Mellie assures him. "The harpies are very good."

Easy for her to say.She just drifts across without touching the floor, but Jason decides he has the best chance at surviving, since he can fly, so he steps out first. Amazingly, the floor holds.

Piper follows, then (Y/n), and then Leo.

Mellie leads them towards the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floats around a kind of control center. A man hovers inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.

The man pays them no attention as Mellie brings them forward. She pushes a forty-two-inch Sony out of their way and leads them into the control area.

Leo whistles. "I got to get a room like this."

The floating screens show all sorts of television programs. Some Jason recognizes — news broadcasts, mostly — but some programs look a little strange: gladiators fighting, demigods battling monsters. Maybe they're movies, but they look more like reality shows.

At the far end of the sphere is a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.

The man in the center is talking into an earpiece phone. He has a remote control in each hand and is pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.

He is wearing a business suit that looks like the sky — blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that change, darken, and move across the fabric. He looks like he's in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he has a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face, so he appears not really young, not really old, just wrong — like a Ken doll someone had halfway melted in a microwave. His eyes dart back and forth from screen to screen, like he's trying to absorb everything at once. He mutts things into his phone, and his mouth keeps twitching. He is either amused, or crazy, or both.

Mellie floats towards him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods —"

"Hold it!" He holds up a hand to silence her, then points at one of the screens. "Watch!"

It's one of those storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornados. As Jason watches, a Jeep plows straight into a funnel cloud and gets tossed into the sky.

Aeolus shrieks with delight. "The Disaster Channel. People do that on purpose !" He turned toward Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Urn, sir," Mellie says, "this is Jason, son of—"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus interupts. "You're back. How did it go?"

Jason hesitates. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me —"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was — what — last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."

"I — I don't remember."

Aelous laughs. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus — gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into —"

"Sir," Mellie interrupts. "Two minutes to air."

"Air!" Aeolus exclaims. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!"

Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descend on Aeolus. They blur across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration is even more gruesome than before. Wind swirl through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Mr. Aeolus." Jason slips off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" Aeolus looks at the bag like it's a gift from a fan — something he really doesn't want. "Well, how nice."

Leo nudges him, and Jason offers the bag. "Boreas sent us to capture them for you. We hope you'll accept them and stop — you know — ordering demigods to be killed."

Aeolus laughs, and looks incredulously at Mellie. "Demigods be killed — did I order that?"

Mellie checks her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc . . . yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

"Oh, pish," Aeolus says. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and urn, who's on guard duty — Teriyaki? — Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"

A harpy swoops out of nowhere, snatches the golden bag, and spirals into the abyss.

Aeolus grins at Jason. "Now, sorry about that kill-on-sight business. But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face suddenly darkens, and his suit does the same, the lapels flashing with lightning. "You know . . . I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

Jason tenses. A cold tingle on the back of his neck . . .Why does that sound so familiar? "A . . . um, voice in your head, sir?"

"Yes. How odd. Mellie, should we kill them?"

"No, sir," she says patiently. "They just brought us the storm spirits, which makes everything all right."

"Of course." Aeolus laughs. "Sorry. Mellie, let's send the demigods something nice. A box of chocolates, perhaps."

"A box of chocolates to every demigod in the world, sir?"

"No, too expensive. Never mind. Wait, it's time! I'm on!"

Aeolus flies off towards the blue screen as newscast music starts to play.

Jason looks at Piper, (Y/n), and Leo, who seem just as confused as he is.

"Mellie," he says , "is he . . . always like that?"

She smiles sheepishly. "Well, you know what they say. If you don't like his mood, wait five minutes. That expression 'whichever way the wind blows' — that was based on him."

"And that thing about the sea monster," Jason says. "Was I here before?"

Mellie blushes. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still — not that long."

"How long do his assistants usually last?" Piper asks curiously.

"Oh . . ." Mellie thinks for a moment. "I've been doing this for . . . twelve hours?"

A voice blares from floating speakers: "And now, weather every twelve minutes! Here's your forecaster for Olympian Weather — the OW! channel — Aeolus!"

Lights blaze on Aeolus, who is now standing in front of the blue screen. His smile is unnaturally white, and he looks like he'd had so much caffeine his face is about to explode.

"Hello, Olympus! Aeolus, master of the winds here, with weather every twelve! We'll have a low-pressure system moving over Florida today so expect milder temperatures since Demeter wishes to spare the citrus farmers!" He gestures at the blue screen, but when (Y/n0 checks the monitors, she sees that a digital image is being projected behind Aeolus, so it looks like he's standing in front of a U.S. map with animated smiley suns and frowny storm clouds. "Along the eastern seaboard — oh, hold on." He taps his earpiece. "Sorry, folks! Poseidon is angry with Miami today so it looks like that Florida freeze is back on! Sorry, Demeter. Over in the Midwest, I'm not sure what St. Louis did to offend Zeus, but you can expect winter storms! Boreas himself is being called down to punish the area with ice. Bad news, Missouri! No, wait. Hephaestus feels sorry for central Missouri, so you all will have much more moderate temperatures and sunny skies."

Aeolus keeps going like that — forecasting each area of the country and changing his prediction two or three times as he gets messages over his earpiece — the gods apparently putting in orders for various winds and weather.

"This can't be right," Jason whispers. "Weather isn't this random."

Mellie smirks. "And how often are the mortal weathermen right? They talk about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us why it's so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It's enough to drive anyone . . ."

She trails off, but Jason knows what she meant.Mad.Aeolus is completely mad.

"And that's the weather," Aeolus concludes. "See you in twelve minutes, because I'm sure it'll change!"

The lights shut off, the video monitors go back to random coverage, and just for a moment, Aeolus's face sags with weariness. Then he seems to remember he has guests, and he puts a smile back on.

"So, you brought me some rogue storm spirits," Aeolus says. "I suppose . . . thanks! And did you want something else? I assume so. Demigods always do."

Mellie says, "Urn, sir, this is Zeus's son."

"Yes, yes. I know that. I said I remembered him from before."

"But, sir, they're here from Olympus."

Aeolus looks stunned. Then he laughs so abruptly, Jason almost jumps into the chasm. "You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I knew they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"

"Urn, what?" Jason asks.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Aeolus sighs with relief. "It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I want to be god of the winds, because the benefits are so much better. Can we start with that?"

Jason looks at his friends, mystified.

"Dude," Leo says, "you think we're here to promote you?"

"You are, then?" Aeolus grins. His business suit turns completely blue — not a cloud in the fabric. "Marvelous! I mean, I think I've shown quite a bit of initiative with the weather channel, eh? And of course I'm in the press all the time. So many books have been written about me: Into Thin Air, Up in the Air, Gone with the Wind —"

"Er, I don't think those are about you," Jason says, before he notices Mellie shaking her head.

"Nonsense," Aeolus says. "Mellie, they're biographies of me, aren't they?"

"Absolutely, sir," she squeaks.

"There, you see? I don't read. Who has time? But obviously the mortals love me. So, we'll change my official title to god of the winds. Then, about salary and staff —"

"Sir," Jason says, "we're not from Olympus."

Aeolus blinks. "But —"

"I'm the son of Zeus, yes," Jason says, "but we're not here to negotiate your contract. We're on a quest and we need your help."

Aeolus's expression hardens. "Like last time? Like every hero who comes here? Demigods! It's always about you, isn't it?"

"Sir, please, I don't remember last time, but if you helped me once before —"

"I'm always helping! Well, sometimes I'm destroying, but mostly I'm helping, and sometimes I'm asked to do both at the same time! Why Aeneas, the first of your kind —"

"My kind?" Jason asks. "You mean, demigods?"

"Oh, please!" Aeolus says. "I mean your line of demigods. You know, Aeneas, son of Venus — the only surviving hero of Troy. When the Greeks burned down his city, he escaped to Italy, where he founded the kingdom that would eventually become Rome, blah, blah, blah. That's what I meant."

"I don't get it," Jason admits.

Aeolus rolls his eyes. "The point being, I was thrown in the middle of that conflict, too! Juno calls up: 'Oh, Aeolus, destroy Aeneas's ships for me. I don't like him.' Then Neptune says, 'No, you don't! That's my territory. Calm the winds.' Then Juno is like, 'No, wreck his ships, or I'll tell Jupiter you're uncooperative!' Do you think it's easy juggling requests like that?"

"No," Jason said. "I guess not."

"And don't get me started on Amelia Earhart! I'm still getting angry calls from Olympus about knocking her out of the sky!"

"We just want information," Piper says in her most calming voice. "We hear you know everything."

Aeolus straightens his lapels and looks slightly mollified. "Well . . . that's true, of course. For instance, I know that this business here" — he waggles his fingers at the four of them — "this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble." He holds out his hand, and a scrap of paper flutters into his grasp. It's a photo of Piper with a guy who must've been her dad. His face does look familiar. Jason is pretty sure he'd seen him in some movies.

Piper takes the photo. Her hands are shaking. "This — this is from his wallet."

"Yes ," Aeolus says. "All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him."

"The what?" Piper asks.

Aeolus waves aside the question and narrows his eyes at Leo. "Now, you, son of Hephaestus . . . Yes, I see your future." Another paper falls into the wind god's hands — an old tattered drawing done in crayons.

Leo takes it as if it might be coated in poison. He staggers backwards.

"Leo?" Jason says. "What is it?"

"Something I — I drew when I was a kid." He folds it quickly and put it in his coat. "It's . . . yeah, it's nothing."

Aeolus laughs. "Really? Just the key to your success!" Aeolus then looks at (Y/n). He waves his hand, and a photograph flies down, falling into the daughter of Poseidon's hands.

(Y/n) chokes back a sob as she studies the photo. It was a picture of herself, Percy, and their parents, Sally and Paul, and Percy's arm is wrapped around Annabeth's waist – and everyone looked happy.

(Y/n) clears her throat, and shoves the picture into her pocket, she aggressively wipes at her eyes and Leo, Jason, and Piper avoid her gaze.

Aeolus shrugs it aside, "Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information can be dangerous." He smiles at Jason like he's issuing a challenge. Behind him, Mellie shakes her head in warning.

"Yeah," Jason says. "We need to find the lair of Enceladus."

Aeolus's smile melts, "The giant? Why would you want to go there? He's horrible! He doesn't even watch my program!"

Piper holds up the photo. "Aeolus, he's got my father. We need to rescue him and find out where Hera is being held captive."

"Now, that's impossible," Aeolus says. "Even I can't see that, and believe me, I've tried. There's a veil of magic over Hera's location—very strong, impossible to locate."

"She's at a place called the Wolf House," Jason says.

"Hold on!" Aelous puts a hand to his forehead and closes his eyes. "I'm getting something! Yes, she's at a place called the Wolf House! Sadly, I don't know where that is."

"Enceladus does," Piper persists. "If you help us find him, we could get the location of the goddess —"

"Yeah," Leo adds, catching on. "And if we save her, she'd be really grateful to you —"

"And Zeus might promote you," (Y/n) finishes.

Aeolus's eyebrows creep up. "A promotion — and all you want from me is the giant's location?"

"Well, if you could get us there, too," Jason amends, "that would be great."

Mellie claps her hands in excitement. "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds —"

Mellie, quiet!" Aeolus snaps. "I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people in under false pretenses."

Her face pales. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"It wasn't her fault," Jason says, "But about that help . . ."

Aelous tilted his head as if thinking. Then Jason realized the wind lord was listening to voices in his earpiece.

"Well . . . Zeus approves," Aeolus mutters. "He says . . . he says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned — Ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus . . . yes. Hmm. Very rare they agree on anything. Poseidon agrees . . . Hold on . . ."

Jason smiled at his friends. Finally, they were having some good luck. Their godly parents were standing up for them.

Back towards the entrance, Jason hears a loud belch. Coach Hedge waddles in from the lobby, grass all over his face. Mellie sees him coming across the makeshift floor and catches her breath. "Who is that?"

Jason stifles a cough. "That? That's just Coach Hedge. Uh, Gleeson Hedge. He's our . . ." Jason wasn't sure what to call him:teacher, friend, problem?"Our guide."

"He's so goatly," Mellie murmurs.

Behind her, Piper poofs out her cheeks, pretending to vomit.

"What's up, guys?" Hedge trots over. "Wow, nice place. Oh! Sod squares."

"Coach, you just ate," Jason says. "And we're using the sod as a floor. This is, ah, Mellie —"

"An aura." Hedge smiles winningly. "Beautiful as a summer breeze."

Mellie blushes.

"And Aeolus here was just about to help us," Jason explains.

"Yes," the wind lord mutters. "It seems so. You'll find Enceladus on Mount Diablo."

"Devil Mountain?" Leo questions. "That doesn't sound good."

"I remember that place!" Piper says. "I went there once with my dad. It's just east of San Francisco Bay."

The Bay Area again?" The coach shakes his head. "Not good. Not good at all."

"Now . . .''Aeolus began to smile. "As to getting you there —"

Suddenly his face goes slack. He bends over and taps his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes are wild. Despite the makeup, he looks like an old man — an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoke to me for centuries. I can't — yes, yes I understand."

He swallows, regarding Jason as if he had suddenly turned into a giant co*ckroach. "I'm sorry, son of Jupiter. New orders. You all have to die."

Mellie squeaks. "But — but, sir! Zeus said to help them. Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hephaestus —"

"Mellie!" Aeolus snaps. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

"Whose orders?" Jason says. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us!"

"I doubt it." Aeolus flicks his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opens in the pit. Jason could hear storm spirits screaming out of it, spiraling up towards them, howling for blood.

"Even Zeus understands the order of things," Aeolus said. "And if she is waking — by all the gods — she cannot be denied. Good-bye, heroes. I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on the air in four minutes."

Jason summons his sword. Coach Hedge pulls out his club. Mellie the aura screams, "No!"

She dives at their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact. The six of them fall into the pit, and Aeolus screams above them, "Mellie, you are so fired!"

"Quick," Mellie yells. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"A little!"

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" Mellie grabs his hand, and an electric charge goes through Jason's arm. He understands what she needs. They have to control their fall and head for one of the open tunnels. The storm spirits are following them down, closing rapidly, bringing with them a cloud of deadly shrapnel.

(Y/n) grabs Piper's hand. "Group hug!"

Hedge, Leo, (Y/n), and Piper tried to huddle together, hanging onto Jason and Mellie as they fall.

"This is NOT GOOD!" Leo yells.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" Hedge screams up at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"

"He's magnificent," Mellie sighs.

"Concentrate?" Jason prompts.

"Right!" she says.

They channel the wind so their fall becomes more of a tumble into the nearest open chute. Still, they slam into the tunnel at painful speed and go rolling over each other down a steep vent that is not designed for people. There's no way they can stop.

Mellie's robes billow around her. Jason and the others cling to her desperately, and they begin to slow down, but the storm spirits are screaming into the tunnel behind them.

"Can't — hold — long," Mellie warns. "Stay together! When the winds hit —"

"You're doing great, Mellie," Hedge says. "My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."

"Iris-message me?" Mellie pleads.

Hedge winks.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" Piper screams. "Look!"

Behind them, the tunnel is turning dark. Jason can feel his ears pop as the pressure builds.

"Can't hold them," Mellie warns. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."

"Thanks, Mellie," Jason says. "I hope you get a new job."

The aurai smiles, and then dissolves, wrapping them in a warm, gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Jason blacks out.

Word Count: 12090 words

Seeing the Beauty (Piper McLean x Fem!Jackson!Reader) - Chapter 11

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

They continue to fly west and Jason becomes lost in his thoughts – all of them bad. He isn't sure how much time passes before the dragon dives through a break in the clouds, and below them, glittering in the winter sun, is a sixty at the edge of a massive lake. A crescent of skyscrapers line the shore. Behind them, stretching out to the western horizon, is a vast grid of snow-covered neighborhoods and roads.

"Chicago," (Y/n) says.

Jason thinks about what Hera had said in his dream.His most mortal enemy is waiting here. If I'm to die, it will be by her hand.

"One problem down," Leo says. "We got here alive. Now, how do we find the storm spirits?"

Jason sees a flash of movement below them. At first, he thinks it's just a small plane, but it's too small, too dark, and too fast. The thing spirals towards the skyscrapers, weaving and changing shape – and, just for a moment, it becomes the smokey figure of a horse.

"How about we follow that one," Jason suggests, "and see where it goes?"

Jason is afraid they'd lose their target. The ventus moves like. . . well, like the wind."Speed up!" he urges.

"Bro," Leo said, "if I get any closer, he'll spot us. Bronze dragon ain't exactly a stealth plane." (Y/n) laughs.

"Slowdown!" Piper yelps.

The storm spirit dives into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tries to follow, but his wingspan is way too wide. His left wing clips the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulls up.

"Get above the buildings," Jason suggests. "We'll track him from there."

"You want to drive this thing?" Leo grumbles, but he does what Jason asks.

After a few minutes, Jason spots the storm spirit again, zipping through the streets with no apparent purpose — blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerve.

"Oh great," Piper says. "There're two."

She's right. A second ventus blasts around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and links up with the first. They weave together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down towards the street.

"Those guys do not need any more caffeine," Leo says.

"You could say they had a large," (Y/n) grins stupidly at her joke.

"I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Piper said, glancing back at (Y/n) and rolling her eyes teasingly. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."

"More than a couple," Jason said. "Look."

The dragon circles over a wide avenue next to a lake-side park. Storm spirits are converging — at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.

"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asks. "I wanna throw something at him."

But Jason is focused on the art installation. The closer they get to it, the faster his heart beats.It's just a public fountain, but it is unpleasantly familiar. Two five-story monoliths rise from either end of a long granite reflecting pool. The monoliths seem to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spews water into the pool.

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but it looks like a high-tech, super-size version of that ruined reflecting pool Jason and (Y/n) has seen in their dreams, with the two dark masses jutting from either end. As Jason watches, the image on the screens changes to a woman's face with her eyes closed.

"Leo . . ." Jason says nervously.

"I see her," Leo replies. "I don't like her, but I see her."

Then the screens go dark. The venti swirl together into a single funnel cloud and skitter across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They get to its center, pop off a drain cover, and disappear underground.

"Did they just go down a drain?" Piper questions. "How are we supposed to follow them?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo says. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"

(Y/n) feels the same way, but they have to follow. It is their only way forward. They had to find Hera, and they now only have two days until the solstice.

"Put us down in that park," (Y/n) suggests. "We'll check it out on foot."

Festus lands in an open area between the lake and the skyline. The signs say Grant Park, and Jason imagines it would've been a nice place in the summer. The dragon's hot metal feet hiss as they touch down. Festus flaps his wings unhappily and shoots fire into the sky, but there was no one around to notice. The wind coming off the lake is bitter cold. Anyone with sense would be inside. Jason's eyes sting so badly, he can barely see.

They dismount , and Festus the dragon stomps his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickers, so it looks like he is blinking.

"Is that normal?" Jason asks.

Leo pulls a rubber mallet from his tool bag. He whacks the dragon's bad eye, and the light goes back to normal. "Yes," Leo says. "Festus can't hang around here, though, in the middle of the park. They'll arrest him for loitering. Maybe if I had a dog whistle . . ." He rummages in his tool belt, but comes up with nothing. "Too speciallized?" he guesses. "Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops."

This time, Leo pulls out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen." Leo blew the whistle. The shrill sound probably rolls all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbecue any pedestrians."

The dragon snorts —hopefully in agreement,(Y/n) thinks. Then he spreads his wings and launches into the air.

Piper took one step and winces. "Ah!"

"You're ankle?" Jason felt bad he'd forgotten about her injury back in the Cyclops factory. "That nectar we gave you might be wearing off."

"It's fine." Piper shivers; she took a few more steps with only a slight limp, but (Y/n) can tell she is trying not to grimace.

"Let's get out of the wind," (Y/n) suggests gently.

"Down a drain?" Piper shudders. "Sounds cozy."

They wrap themselves up as best as they can and head towards the fountain.

The four step into the center of the pool. The drain hole is easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder leads down into the gloom.

(Y/n) goes first. As she climbs, she braces herself for horrible sewer smells, but it isn't that bad. The ladder drops into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air is warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

Piper, Jason, and Leo climb down after her.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wonders.

"No," Leo says. "Trust me."

Jason frowns. "How do you know —"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

Jason tilts his head, listening, then points south. "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asks.

"There's a draft blowing south," Jason says. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."

It isn't much of a lead, but nobody offers anything better.

As soon as they start walking, Piper stumbles, and (Y/n) catches her. "Stupid ankle," Piper curses.

"Let's rest," Jason decides. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!"

Piper, (Y/n), and Jason sit on a brick ledge while Leo shuffles through his pack.

"It's not your fault," Piper tells Jason.

He looks at her blankly. "What?"

"Getting jumped by the Cyclopes," she says. "It wasn't your fault."

He looks down at the coin in his palm. "I was stupid. I left you alone and walked into a trap. I should've known . . ." He doesn't finish.

"Hey." Piper nudged his arm. "Cut yourself some slack. Just because you're the son of Zeus doesn't mean you're a one-man army."

A few feet away, Leo lights a small cooking fire. He hummed as he pulled supplies out of his pack and his tool belt.

In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. (Y/n) had been studying them for days now, and she still can't decide what color they were. She'd gone with kaleidoscope.

Jason glances between Piper and (Y/n), and then he gets to his feet, walking over to Leo.

"I'm sorry," (Y/n) turns to meet Piper's gaze.

"For what?" Piper looks bewildered.

"I know this must suck for you," (Y/n) replies. She sighs softly before she continues. "Not just the quest, I mean. The way I just appeared on that bus and the Mist messing with your mind." She pulls Tsunami out of her pocket, fiddling with the pen.

Piper drops her gaze. "Yeah, well. None of us asked for this. It's not your fault." She tugs at the little braids on each side of her head. With the makeup and the dress and the perfect hair, she'd looked beautiful with the blessing of Aphrodite.But, (Y/n) argues with herself,she looks more beautiful now.

Before (Y/n) can say anything, however, Leo announces, "And bingo!" He and Jason come over with four plates. (Y/n) has no idea where Leo had gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looks amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.

"Leo," Piper says in amazement. "How did you —?"

"Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he says proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"

. . .

After Piper eats, (Y/n) encourages her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curls up and puts her head in (Y/n)'s lap. In two seconds, she's snoring.

(Y/n) looks up at Jason and Leo, who are obviously trying not to laugh.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, drinking lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.

"Good, huh?" Leo grins.

"You should start a stand," Jason says. "Make some serious coin." But as he stares at the embers of the fire, something begins to bother him. "Leo . . . about this fire stuff you can do . . . is it true?"

Leo's smile falters. "Yeah, well..." He opens his hand. A small ball of flame bursts to life, dancing across his palm.

"That is so cool," Jason says. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Leo closes his hand and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."

"I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. (Y/n) can talk to horses and survive landing in water from hundreds of feet in the air. You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell, 'Flame on!"'

Leo snorts. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!' Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn't see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they're super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen. Really bad."

"Maybe it's the other way around," (Y/n) offers, meeting Leo's gaze. "Maybe people with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."

Leo clears out the plates. "Maybe. But I'm telling you . . . it's not always a gift."

(Y/n) and Jason fall silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you?" Jason asks. "The night that she died?"

Leo doesn't answer. He doesn't have to. The fact that he's quiet – not joking around, tells (Y/n) and Jason enough.

"Leo, her death wasn't your fault. Whatever happened that night — it wasn't because you could summon fire. This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up your confidence, take away everything you care about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."

"That's what she said." Leo looks up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important — something that would make or break that big prophecy about the seven demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up to it." Leo pokes at the remnants of his fire, turning over red-hot coals with his bare hand. "You ever wonder about the other three demigods? I mean . . . if we're four of the ones from the Great Prophecy, who are the others? Where are they?"

(Y/n) sighs, glancing down, seemingly just now noticing she'd been running her fingers subconsciously through Piper's hair. "I -" she pauses, looking back up to see Leo and Jason watching her closely. "I don't think I'm part of the main prophecy." Both Jason and Leo's eyebrows knit with concern. "Rachel mentioned another prophecy to me the night of the campfire –Child of the Sea will accompany the Seven. And drop into endless darkness."

"It can't be you though," Leo says. "They're might be another –" but then he falters, for there's no one else it could be.

And the only thing that either Jason or Leo thought 'dropping into endless darkness' could possibly mean, would be death.

(Y/n) had unconsciously stopped running her fingers through Piper's hair, and Piper had let out a sleepy murmur of annoyance, snuggling deeper into (Y/n)'s lap.

"You guys get some sleep," (Y/n) says. "I'll take first watch."

Jason and Leo exchange uncertain looks, neither wanting to let their friend stay up alone to think about her own fate, but they finally give in.

(Y/n) leans forward slightly, pulling off her jacket. She throws it over Piper's sleeping form before she allows her head to fall against one of the walls, falling deep into another surfacing memory.

Annabeth, (Y/n), and Percy stand at the top of Half-Blood Hill. They watch the buses and vans pull away, taking most of the campers back to the mortal world. A few old-timers would be staying behind – and a few of the newcomers – but (Y/n) and Percy were heading back to Goode High School for their sophom*ore year.

Then (Y/n)'s gaze falls on Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who was walking up the hill towards the trio. "Good-bye," Rachel says as she shoulders her bag. She looks nervous, but she's keeping her promise to her father and attending Clarion Academy in New Hampshire.

"You'll do great." Annabeth hugs her.

Rachel bites her lip. "I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class? The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two. . . . Gods, that would be embarrassing."

Annabeth laughs, and to (Y/n)'s relief, it makes Rachel smile.

(Y/n) meets Rachel's gaze; Annabeth notices, taking Percy's hand and pulls the Son of Poseidondown the hill.

Both (Y/n) and Rachel sit down, and Rachel automatically starts drawing on (Y/n)'s arm with a pen.

"I'm going to miss you," Rachel says, focusing on her drawing.

"I - me too," (Y/n) replies, pulling Tsunami out of her pocket and fiddling with the pen with her free hand.

Rachel looks up from her drawing. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you about it before. The Oracle stuff."

"I was upset at first," (Y/n) admits. "But I also knew that it was something you had to do. There's nothing you have to apologize for."

Rachel smiles at (Y/n), "Friends?"

"Friends." (Y/n) replies, smiling in return.

Someone shaking her arm jostles (Y/n) out of the memory.

"Are you okay?" Piper blinks sleepily, looking up into (Y/n)'s face.

"I - yeah," (Y/n) replies.

Piper yawns, moving out of (Y/n)'s lap to sit beside her against the wall.

"Piper," (Y/n) begins, and the daughter of Aphrodite looks over at her. "Is your dad in some sort of trouble?"

Piper stares at her for a moment; she takes a shaky breath. "(Y/n) . . . I can't talk about it."

"We're your friends. Let us help."

This seems to make her feel worse. "I wish I could, but –" Jason and Leo had stirred awake, and Piper quickly stops talking.

(Y/n) keeps a careful watch on Piper as the four demigods break camp.

Piper is grateful for (Y/n)'s silent support on her left as they start down the tunnel. It twists and turns and seems to go on forever. Piper isn't sure what to expect at the end – a dungeon, a mad scientist's lab, or maybe a sewer reservoir where all Porta-Potty sludge ends up, forming an evil toilet face large enough to swallow the world.

Instead, they find polished steel elevator doors, each one engraved with a cursive letterM.Next to the elevator is a directory, like for a department store.

"M for Macy's?" Piper wonders aloud. "I think they have one in downtown Chicago."

"Or Monocle Motors still?" Leo says. "Guys, read the directory. It's messed up."

Parking, Kennels, Main Entrance: Sewer Level; Furnishings and Cafe M: 1; Women's Fashion and Magical Appliances: 2; Men's Wear and Weaponry: 3; Cosmetics, Potions, Poisons & Sundries: 4

"Kennels for what?" Piper says. "And what kind of department store has its entrance in a sewer?"

"Or sells poisons," Leo adds. "Man, what doessundrieseven mean? Is that like underwear."

(Y/n) grabs hold of her pen in her pocket.

Jason takes a deep breath. "When in doubt, start at the top."

. . .

The doors slide open on the fourth floor, and the scent of perfume waft into the elevator. (Y/n) and Jason step out first, swords ready.

"Guys," Jason says. "You've got to see this."

Piper joins them and catches her breath. "This is not Macy's."

The department store looks like the inside of a kaleidoscope. The entire ceiling is a stained glass mosaic with astrological signs around a giant sun. The daylight streaming through it washes everything in a thousand different colors. The upper floors make a ring of balconies around a huge central atrium, so they can see all the way down to the ground floor. Gold railings glitter so brightly, they are hard to look at.

Aside from the stained glass ceiling and the elevator, Jason can't see any other windows or doors, but two sets of glass escalators run between the levels. The carpeting is a riot of oriental patterns and colors, and the racks of merchandise are just as bizarre. There are too much to take it at once, but Jason sees normal stuff like shirt racks and shoe trees mixed in with armored manikins, beds of nails, and fur coats that seem to be moving.

Leo steps to the railing and looks down. "Check it out."

In the middle of the atrium a fountain sprays water twenty feet into the air, changing color from red to yellow to blue. The pool glitters with gold coins, and on either side of the fountain stands a gilded cage — like an oversized canary cage.

Inside one, a miniature hurricane swirls, and lightning flashes. Somebody had imprisoned the storm spirits, and the cage shudders as they try to get out. In the other, frozen like a statue, is a short, buff satyr, holding a tree-branch club.

"Coach Hedge!" Piper says. "We've got to get down there."

A voice replies, "May I help you find something?"

All four of them jump back.

A woman had just appeared in front of them. She is wearing an elegant black dress with diamond jewelry, and she looks like a retired fashion model — maybe fifty years old, though it is hard for Jason to judge. Her long dark hair sweeps over one shoulder, and her face is gorgeous in that surreal super-model way — thin and haughty and cold, not quite human. With their long red-painted nails, her fingers look more like talons.

She smiles. "I'm so happy to see new customers. How may I help you?"

(Y/n) glances at Jason like, All yours.

"Urn," Jason starts, "is this your store?"

The woman nods. "I found it abandoned, you know. I understand so many stores are, these days. I decided it would make the perfect place. I love collecting tasteful objects, helping people, and offering quality goods at a reasonable price. So this seemed a good . . . how do you say . . . first acquisition in this country."

She speaks with a pleasing accent, but Jason can't guess where from. Clearly she isn't hostile, though. Jason starts to relax. Her voice is rich and exotic. Jason wants to hear more, but glancing at (Y/n), Jason can tell that the daughter of Poseidon couldn't care less.

"So you're new to America?" he asks.

"I am . . . new," the woman agrees. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now, what are you looking for?"

Jason had heard of rich foreigners buying American department stores.Of course most of the time they didn't sell poisons, living fur coats, storm spirits, or satyrs, but still—with a nice voice like that, the Princess of Colchis can't be all bad.

Piper pokes him in the ribs. "Jason . . ."

"Urn, right. Actually Your Highness . . ." He points to the gilded cage on the first floor. "That's our friend down there, Gleeson Hedge. The satyr. Could we . . . have him back, please?"

"Of course!" the princess agrees immediately. "I would love to show you my inventory. First, may I know your names?"

Jason hesitates. It seems like a bad idea to give out their names. A memory tugs at the back of his mind — something Hera had warned him about, but it seems fuzzy. On the other hand, Her Highness is on the verge of cooperating. If we can get what we want without a fight, that would be better, right? Besides, this lady doesn't seem like an enemy.

Piper starts to say, "Jason, I wouldn't—"

"This is Piper McLean," he said. "This is Leo Valdez. (Y/n) Jackson. And I'm Jason."

The princess fixes her eyes on him and, just for a moment, her face literally glows, blazing with so much anger, Jason can see her skull beneath her skin. Jason's mind is getting blurrier, but he knows something doesn't seem right. Then the moment passes, and Her Highness looks like a normal elegant woman again, with a cordial smile and a soothing voice.

"Jason. What an interesting name," she says, her eyes as cold as the Chicago wind. "I think we'll have to make a special deal for you. Come children. Let's go shopping."

. . .

Piper wants to run for the elevator.

Her second choice: attack the weird princess now, because she is sure a fight is coming. The way the lady's face had glowed when she'd heard Jason's name had been bad enough. Now, Her Highness is smiling like nothing has happened, and Jason and Leo don't seem to think anything is wrong.

Piper is unsure what's going on with (Y/n), but she seems to be resisting whatever spell Her Highness had placed on Leo and Jason, though her forehead is beading with sweat.

The princess gestures towards the cosmetics counter. "Shall we start with the potions?"

And (Y/n)'s mental block shatters. "Cool," she says, following Jason and Leo.

"Guys," Piper interrupts, and (Y/n) stops in her tracks, "we're here to get the storm spirits and Coach Hedge. If this –princess– is really our friend –"

"Oh, I'm better than a friend, my dear," Her Highness says. "I'm a saleswoman." Her diamonds sparkle, and her eyes glitter like a snake's — cold and dark. "Don't worry. We'll work our way down to the first floor, eh?"

(Y/n) nods eagerly. "Sure, yeah! That sounds okay. Right, Piper?"

Piper does her best to stare daggers at her:No, it is not okay!

"Of course it's okay." Her Highness puts her hands on Leo's and Jason's shoulders and steer them towards the cosmetics. "Come along, boys."

Piper didn't have much choice except to follow, especially when (Y/n) glances eagerly back at Piper before she bounces after Leo, Jason, and the princess.

Piper hated department stores — mostly because she'd gotten caught stealing from several of them.Well, not exactly caught, and not exactly stealing.She'd talked salesmen into giving her computers, new boots, a gold ring, once even a lawn mower, though she had no idea why she wanted one. She never kept the stuff. She just did it to get her dad's attention. Usually she talked her neighborhood UPS guy into taking the stuff back. But of course the salesmen she duped always came to their senses and called the police, who eventually tracked her down.

Anyway, she isn't thrilled to be back in a department store — especially one run by a crazy princess who glows in the dark.

"And here," the princess says, "is the finest assortment of magical mixtures anywhere."

The counter is crammed with bubbling beakers and smoking vials on tripods. Lining the display shelves are crystal flasks — some shaped like swans or honey bear dispensers. The liquids inside are every color, from glowing white to polka-dotted. And the smells —ugh! Some are pleasant, like fresh-baked cookies or roses, but they are mixed with the scents of burning tires, skunk spray, and gym lockers.

The princess points to a blood red vial — a simple test tube with a cork stopper. "This one will heal any disease."

"Even cancer?" Leo asks. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Any disease, sweet boy. And this vial" — she points to a swan-shaped container with blue liquid inside — "will kill you very painfully."

"Awesome," (Y/n) says, her voice sounds dazed and sleepy.

"(Y/n)," Piper said. "We've got a job to do. Remember?" She tries to put power into her words, to snap her out of her trance with charmspeak, but her voice sounds shaky, even to her. This princess scares her too much, making her confidence crumble, just the way she'd felt back in the Aphrodite cabin with Drew.

"Job to do," (Y/n) murmurs, meeting Piper's kaleidoscope gaze. "Sure. But shopping first, okay?"

The princess beams at her. "Then we have potions for resisting fire —"

"Got that covered," Leo said.

"Me too," (Y/n) replies. "One time I got exploded out of a volcano." And she simply moves closer to the potions counter.

Piper blinks, looking bewildered.

"Indeed?" The princess studies Leo's face more closely. "You don't appear to be wearing my trademark sunscreen . . . but no matter. We also have potions that cause blindness, insanity, sleep, or —"

"Wait." Piper is still staring at the red vial. "Could that potion cure lost memory?"

The princess narrows her eyes. "Possibly. Yes. Quite possibly. Why, my dear? Have you forgotten something important?"

Piper tries to keep her expression neutral,but if that vial can cure Jason's memory . . . Do I really want that?she wonders.If Jason finds out who she is, she might not even be her friend. Hera had taken away her memories for a reason.(Y/n) might come out of her amnesia and decide that she hated Piper.She might have a girlfriend back home.

It doesn't matter, Piper decided,which kind of surprised her.(Y/n) always looked so anguished when she tried to remember things. Piper hates seeing her that way. She wants to help her because she cares about (Y/n), even if that means losing her.And maybe it'll make this trip through Her Craziness's department store worthwhile.

"How much?" Piper asks.

The princess gets a faraway look in her eyes. "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." Her gaze drifts to Jason. "Once, for instance, I met a handsome young man who wanted a treasure from my father's kingdom. We made a bargain, and I promised to help him steal it."

"From your own dad?" Jason still looks half in a trance, but the idea seems to bother him.

"Oh, don't worry," the princess says. "I demanded a high price. The young man had to take me away with him. He was quite good-looking, dashing, strong . . ." She looks at Piper. "I'm sure, my dear, you understand how one might be attracted to such a hero, and want to help her," the princess glances at (Y/n), who is studying all the labels on the potion bottles.

Piper tries to control her emotions, but she probably blushes. She gets the creepiest feeling the princess can read her thoughts.

But Piper also finds the princess's story disturbingly familiar. Pieces of old myths she'd read with her dad start coming together, but this woman can't be the one she was thinking of.

"At any rate," Her Highness continues, "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."

"Cheated?" (Y/n) frowns, as if trying to remember something important.

"That's messed up," Leo says.

Her Highness pats his cheek affectionately. "I'm sure you don't need to worry, Leo. You seem honest. You would always pay a fair price, wouldn't you?"

Leo nods. "What were we buying again? I'll take two."

Piper breaks in: "So, the vial, Your Highness — how much?"

The princess assesses Piper's clothes, her face, her posture, as if putting a price tag on one slightly used demigod.

"Would you give anything for it, my dear?" the princess asks. "I sense that you would."

The words wash over Piper as powerfully as a good surfing wave. The force of the suggestion nearly lifts her off her feet. She wants to pay any price. She wants to say yes.

Then her stomach twists. Piper realizes she is being charmspoken. She'd senses something like it before, when Drew spoke at the campfire, but this is a thousand times more potent. No wonder her friends are dazed.Is this what people felt when I use charmspeak? A feeling of guilt settles over her.

She summons all her willpower. "No, I won't pay any price. But a fair price, maybe. After that, we need to leave. Right, guys?"

Just for a moment, her words seem to have some effect. The boys look confused, and the glazed look leaves (Y/n)'s gaze.

"Leave?" Jason asks.

"You mean . . . after shopping?" Leo asked.

Piper wants to scream, but the princess tilts her head, examining Piper with newfound respect.

"Impressive," the princess says. "Not many people could resist my suggestions. Are you a child of Aphrodite, my dear? Ah, yes — I should have seen it. No matter. Perhaps we should shop a while longer before you decide what to buy, eh?"

"But the vial —"

"Now, children." She turns to Jason, (Y/n), and Leo. Her voice is so much more powerful than Piper's, so full of confidence, Piper doesn't stand a chance. "Would you like to see more?"

The film slides back over over (Y/n)'s brain, and she nods excitedly.

"Sure," Jason says.

"Okay," Leo adds.

"Sounds fun," (Y/n) chirps.

"Excellent," the princess says. "You'll need all the help you can get if you're to make it to the Bay Area."

Piper's hand moves to her dagger. She thinks about her dream of the mountaintop — the scene Enceladus had shown her, a place she knew, where she was supposed to betray her friends in two days.

"The Bay Area?" Piper says. "Why the Bay Area?"

The princess smiles. "Well, that's where they'll die, isn't it?" Then she leads them towards the escalators, Jason, (Y/n), and Leo still looking excited to shop.

. . .

Piper corners the princess as Jason, (Y/n), and Leo go off to check out the living fur coats.

"You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demands, following (Y/n) out of the corner of her eye.

"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, my dear. I know your little secret. But we don't want to dwell on that, do we? They are having such fun."

Leo laughs as he tried on a hat that seems to be made from enchanted raccoon fur. Its ringed tail twitches, and its little legs wiggle frantically as Leo walks. Jason is ogling the men's sportswear. (Y/n) is studying a rack of shield, some of them looking as though they'd been burned with acid.

Piper glares at the princess. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."

"Where's Colchis?"

The princess's expression turns a little sad. "Where was Colchis, you mean. My father ruled the far shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail in those days. But Colchis is no more—lost eons ago."

"Eons?" Piper asks. The princess looks no more than fifty, but a bad feeling starts settling over Piper — something King Boreas had mentioned back in Quebec. "How old are you?"

The princess laughs. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say the, ah, immigration process to enter your country took quite a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible." The princess sweeps her hand around the department store.

Piper's mouth tastes like metal. "Your patron –"

"Oh, yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you — only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insists on so little — a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele; and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."

Run, Piper thinks.We have to get out of here.

But before she can even turn her thoughts into words, Jason calls, "Hey, check it out!"

From a rack labeled distressed clothing, he holds up a purple T-shirt like the one he'd worn on the school field trip — except this shirt looks as if it had been clawed by tigers.

Jason frowns. "Why does this look so familiar?"

"Jason, it's like yours" Piper says. "Now we really have to leave." But she wasn't sure he could even hear her anymore through the princess's enchantment.

"Nonsense," the princess said. "The boys aren't done, are they? And yes, my dear. Those shirts are very popular—trade ins from previous customers. It suits you."

(Y/n), who had joined Jason at the rack, pulls out an orange Camp Half Blood t-shirt, shredded much like the one she'd been wearing on the Grand Canyon field trip.

She looks up at the princess, and the princess nods. "I'll throw that one in with the storm spirits and your satyr."

"Really?" (Y/n) looks more excited than Piper had ever seen her – a child-like excitement.

"Mhm," the princess smiles.

"Your Highness," Piper said, trying to control her nerves. "Why don't you tell the boys how you betrayed your family? I'm sure they'd like to hear that story."

Her words don't have any effect on the princess, but the boys turn, suddenly interested. The film slides back off (Y/n)'s brain, and Piper catches the momentary look of fury that had slid across (Y/n)'s face, but then it slips back into a dazed grin.

"More story?" Leo asks.

"I like more story!" Jason agrees.

The princess flashes Piper an irritated look. "Oh, one will do strange things for love, Piper. You should know that. I fell for that young hero, in fact, because your mother Aphrodite had me under a spell. If it wasn't for her — but I can't hold a grudge against a goddess, can I?" The princess's tone makes her meaning clear:I can take it out on you.

"But that hero took you with him when he fled Colchis," Piper remembers. "Didn't he, Your Highness? He married you just as he promised."

The look in the princess's eyes makes Piper want to apologize, but she doesn't back down.

"At first," Her Highness admits, "it seemed he would keep his word. But even after I helped him steal my father's treasure, he still needed my help. As we fled, my brother's fleet came after us. His warships overtook us. He would have destroyed us, but I convinced my brother to come aboard our ship first and talk under a flag of truce. He trusted me."

"And you killed your own brother," Piper says, the horrible story all coming back to her, along with a name — an infamous name that began with the letterM.

"What?" Jason stirs. For a moment he looks almost like himself. "Killed your own—"

"No," the princess snaps. "Those stories are lies. It was my new husband and his men who killed my brother, though they couldn't have done it without my deception. They threw his body into the sea, and the pursuing fleet had to stop and search for it so they could give my brother a proper burial. This gave us time to get away. All this, I did for my husband. And he forgot our bargain. He betrayed me in the end."

Jason still looks uncomfortable. "What did he do?"

The princess holds the sliced-up toga against Jason's chest, as if measuring him for an assassination. "Don't you know the story, my boy? You of all people should. You were named for him."

"Jason," Piper said. "The original Jason. But then you're — you should be dead!"

The princess smiles. "As I said, a new life in a new country. Certainly I made mistakes. I turned my back on my own people. I was called a traitor, a thief, a liar, a murderess. But I acted out of love." She turns to the boys and gives them a pitiful look, batting her eyelashes. Piper can feel the sorcery washing over them, taking control more firmly than ever. "Wouldn't you do the same for someone you loved, my dears?"

"Oh, sure," Jason says.

"Okay," Leo adds.

But (Y/n) doesn't reply, and she sneaks a glance at Piper.

"Guys!" Piper grinds her teeth in frustration. "Don't you see who she is? Don't you —"

"Let's continue, shall we?" the princess says breezily. "I believe you wanted to talk about a price for the storm spirits – and your satyr.

Leo gets distracted on the second floor with the appliances. "No way," he exclaims. "Is that an armored forge?"

Before Piper can stop him, he hops off the escalator and runs over to a big oval oven.

When they catch up with him, the princess says, "You have good taste. This is the H-2000, designed by Hephaestus himself. Hot enough to melt Celestial bronze or Imperial gold."

Jason flinches as if he recognizes that term. "Imperial gold?"

The princess nods. "Yes, my dear. Like that weapon so cleverly concealed in your pocket. To be properly forged, Imperial gold had to be consecrated in the Temple of Jupiter on Capitoline Hill in Rome. Quite a powerful and rare metal, but like the Roman emperors, quite volatile. Be sure never to break that blade . . ." She smiles pleasantly. "Rome was after my time, of course, but I do hear stories. And now over here — this golden throne is one of my finest luxury items. Hephaestus made it as a punishment for his mother, Hera. Sit in it and you'll be immediately trapped."

Leo apparently takes this as an order. He begins walking towards it in a trance.

"Leo, don't!" Piper warns.

Leo blinks, "How much for both?"

"Oh, the seat I could let you have for five great deeds. The forge, seven years of servitude. And for only a bit of your strength —" She leads Leo into the appliance section, giving him prices on various items.

Piper doesn't want to leave Leo alone with her, but she has to try reasoning with (Y/n). She pulls her aside and raises an arm to slap her across the face to try and wake her from the spell.

(Y/n) however, flinches violently, and Piper's heart clenches. Her expression softens, and she simply rests her hand on (Y/n)'s arm. "Hey," her tone is gentle. "You gotta snap out of it," Piper puts as much force into her words as she can without raising her voice.

The film slides from behind the daughter of Poseidon's eyes, and she focuses on Piper.

"We gotta help the boys," (Y/n) says, following Leo and Jason with her eyes.

. . .

Ridiculous," Medea says, and Piper can hear the power charged in every syllable. "(Y/n), Jason — my price is so simple. Why don't you two fight? If you get injured, or even killed, no problem. We'll just throw you into the fountain and you'll be better than ever. You do want to fight, don't you? You resent each other!"

The sorcery washes over the two demigods.

"Zeus's kids are always the stars," (Y/n) snarls. "They always get the attention."

"You're annoying, (Y/n)," Jason replies. "You never take anything seriously."

"Stop!" Piper pleads, but both draw weapons – Jason his gold sword, and (Y/n) her bronze sword.

The ancient rivalry between Zeus and Poseidon was about to be finished by their children – first it had been Percy and Thalia, and now by (Y/n) and Jason.

"Let them go, Piper," Medea urges. "I'm doing you a favor. Let it happen now, and it will make your choice so much easier. Enceladus will be pleased. You could have your father back today!"

Medea's charmspeak doesn't work on her, but the sorceress still has a persuasive voice.Her father back today?Despite her best intentions, Piper wants that. She wants her father back so much, it hurt.

"You work for Enceladus," she says.

Medea laughs. "Serve a giant? No. But we all serve the same greater cause — a patron you cannot begin to challenge. Walk away, child of Aphrodite. This does not have to be your death, too. Save yourself, and your father can go free."

(Y/n) and Jason are still facing off, ready to fight, but they look unsteady and confused — waiting for another order.Part of them had to be resisting, Piper hoped.But fighting – especially children of Poseidonand Zeus – is in their nature.

"Listen to me, girl." Medea plucks a diamond off her bracelet and throws it into a spray of water from the fountain. As it passed through the multicolored light, Medea said, "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."

The mist shimmers, and Piper sees her father's study. Sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone, is her dad's assistant, Jane, in her dark business suit, her hair swirled in a tight bun.

"Hello, Jane," Medea says.

Jane hangs up the phone calmly. "How can I help you, ma'am? Hello, Piper."

"You —" Piper is so angry she can hardly talk.

"Yes, child," Medea replies. "Your father's assistant. Quite easy to manipulate. An organized mind for a mortal, but incredibly weak."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jane says.

"Don't mention it," Medea replies. "I just wanted to congratulate you, Jane. Getting Mr. McLean to leave town so suddenly, take his jet to Oakland without alerting the press or the police — well done! No one seems to know where he's gone. And telling him his daughter's life was on the line — that was a nice touch to get his cooperation."

"Nfes," Jane agrees in a bland tone, as if she is sleepwalking. "He was quite cooperative when he believed Piper was in danger."

Piper looks down at her dagger. The blade trembles in her hand. She can't use it for a weapon any better than Helen of Troy could, but it is still a looking glass, and what she sees in it is a scared girl with no chance of winning.

"I may have new orders for you, Jane," Medea says. "If the girl cooperates, it may be time for Mr. McLean to come home. Would you arrange a suitable cover story for his absence, just in case? And I imagine the poor man will need some time in a psychiatric hospital."

"Yes, ma'am. I will stand by."

The image fades, and Medea turns to Piper. "There, you see?"

"You lured my dad into a trap," Piper said. "You helped the giant —''

"Oh, please, dear. You'll work yourself into a fit! I've been preparing for this war for years, even before I was brought back to life. I'm a seer, as I said. I can tell the future as well as your little oracle. Years ago, still suffering in the Fields of Punishment, I had a vision of the seven in your so-called Great Prophecy. I saw your friend Leo here, and saw that he would be an important enemy someday. I stirred the consciousness of my patron, gave her this information, and she managed to wake just a little — just enough to visit him."

"Leo's mother," Piper realizes. "Leo, listen to this! She helped get your mother killed!"

"Uh-huh," Leo mumbles, in a daze.

"So . . . I just attack Jason? That's okay?" (Y/n) interrupts, glaring daggers at the son of Zeus.

"Perfectly safe," Medea promises. "And Jason, strike him hard. Show me you are worthy of your namesake."

"No!" Piper orders. She knows this is her last chance. "Jason, (Y/n) — she's tricking you. Put down your weapons."

The sorceress rolls her eyes. "Please, girl. "You're no match for me. I trained with my aunt, the immortal Circe. I can drive men mad or heal them with my voice. What hope do these puny young heroes have against me? Now, kill each other!"

Piper doesn't even see (Y/n) move, but the bronze sword moves so fast that Jason just barely raises his sword to block the blow.

The two metal sword clang together, locking each other in a standstill,

"Jason, Leo, (Y/n), listen to me." Piper puts all of her emotion into her voice. For years she'd been trying to control herself and not show weakness, but now she pours everything into her words — her fear, her desperation, her anger. She knows she might be signing her dad's death warrant, but she cares too much about her friends to let them hurt each other. "Medea is charming you. It's part of her magic. You are best friends. Don't fight each other. Fight her!"

They hesitate, and Piper can feel the spell shatter.

Jason blinks. "(Y/n), was I just about to stab you?"

"Something about my mother . . . ?" Leo frowns, then turns towards Medea. "You . . . you're working for Dirt Woman. You sent her to the machine shop." He reaches into his toolbelt and pulls out a hammer. "Lady, I got a three-pound hammer with your name on it."

"Bah!" Medea sneers. "I'll simply collect payment another way."

She presses one of the mosaic tiles on the floor, and the building rumbles. Jason swings his sword at Medea, but she dissolves into smoke and reappears at the base of the escalator.

"You're slow, hero!" She laughed. "Take your frustration out on my pets!"

Before Jason can go after her, the giant bronze sundials at either end of the fountain swing open. Two snarling gold beasts — flesh-and-blood winged dragons — crawl out from the pits below. Each is the size of a camper van, maybe not large compared to Festus, but large enough.

"So that's what's in the kennels," Leo says meekly.

The dragons spread their wings and hiss. Piper can feel the heat coming off their glittering skin. One turned his angry orange eyes on her.

"Don't look them in the eye!" Jason warns. "They'll paralyze you."

"Indeed!" Medea is leisurely riding the escalator up, leaning against the handrail as she watches the fun. "These two dears have been with me a long time — sun dragons, you know, gifts from my grandfather Helios. They pulled my chariot when I left Corinth, and now they will be your destruction. Ta ta!"

The dragons lunge. Leo, (Y/n), and Jason charge to intercept. Piper is amazed how fearlessly they attack — working like a team who had trained together for years.

Medea is almost to the second floor, where she'd be able to choose from a wide assortment of deadly appliances.

"Oh, no, you don't," Piper growls, and took off after her.

When Medea spots Piper, she starts climbing in earnest. She is quick for a three-thousand-year-old lady. Piper climbs at top speed, taking the steps three at a time, and still she can't catch her. Medea doesn't stop at floor two. She hops the next escalator and continues to ascend.

The potions, Piper thought.Of course that's what she would go for. She was famous for potions.

Down below, Piper hears the battle raging. Leo is blowing his safety whistle, and Jason and (Y/n) are yelling to keep the dragons' attention. Piper doesn't dare look — not while she is running with a dagger in her hand. She can just see herself tripping and stabbing herself in the nose.That would be super heroic.

She grabs a shield from an armored manikin on floor three and continues to climb. She imagines Coach Hedge yelling in her mind, just like back in gym class at Wilderness School:Move it, McLean! You call that escalator-climbing?

She reaches the top floor, breathing hard, but she is too late. Medea had reached the potions counter.

The sorceress grabs a swan-shaped vial — the blue one that caused painful death — and Piper does the only thing that comes to mind. She throws her shield.

Medea turns triumphantly just in time to get hit in the chest by a fifty-pound metal Frisbee. She stumbles backward, crashing over the counter, breaking vials and knocking down shelves. When the sorceress stands from the wreckage, her dress is stained a dozen different colors. Many of the stains are smoldering and glowing. "Fool!" Medea wails. "Do you have any idea what so many potions will do when mixed?"

"Kill you?" Piper said hopefully.

The carpet begins to steam around Medea's feet. She coughs, and her face contorts in pain —or is she faking?

Below, Leo calls, "Jason, help!"

Piper risks a quick look, and almost sobs in despair. One of the dragons has Leo pinned to the floor. It is baring its fangs, ready to snap. Jason is all the way across the room battling the other dragon, much too far away to assist.

(Y/n) vaults over the dragon's back, and stabs it in the side, pulling it's attention off Leo.

Suddenly, a loud bark shatters the sounds, and a monstrous shape bowls over the other dragon and bites off a leg.

"Good dog!" (Y/n) exclaims. Ms. O'Leary lets out another earth shattering bark, and she attacks the dragon.

"You've doomed us all!" Medea screams at Piper. Smoke is rolling across the carpet as the stain spreads, throwing sparks and setting fires in the clothing racks. "You have only seconds before this concoction consumes everything and destroys the building. There's no time —"

CRASH! The stained glass ceiling splinters in a rain of multicolored shards, and Festus the bronze dragon drops into the department store.

He hurtles into the fray, snatching up a sun dragon in each claw. Only now does Piper appreciate just how big and strong their metal friend is.

"That's my boy!" Leo yells.

Festus flies halfway up the atrium, then hurls the sun dragons into the pits they'd come from. Leo races to the fountain and pressed the marble tile, closing the sundials. They shudder as the dragons bang against them, trying to get out, but for the moment they are contained.

(Y/n) leaps onto Ms. O'Leary's back, and the dog charges up the escalator. She vaults off the dog's back, sliding over to Piper.

Medea curses in some ancient language. The whole fourth floor is on fire now. The air fills with noxious gas. Even with the roof open, Piper can feel the heat intensifying. She backs up to the edge of the railing, keeping her dagger pointed toward Medea.

"I will not be abandoned again!" The sorceress kneels and snatches up the red healing potion, which had somehow survived the crash. "You want your girlfriend's memory restored? Take me with you!"

Piper glances behind her. Leo and Jason are on board Festus's back. The bronze dragon flaps his mighty wings, snatching the two cages with the satyr and the storm spirits in his claws, and begins to ascend.

The building rumbles. Fire and the smoke curls up the walls, melting the railings, turning the air to acid.

"Let's go!" (Y/n) grabs Piper's hand, and the two jump over the side.

They plummet only for seconds, when Leo and Jason grab (Y/n)'s arm, hauling them aboard the dragon.

"What about your dog?" Piper looks around to find that the massive, mountainous dog had vanished.

The dragon soars through the broken roof and over downtown Chicago. Then the department store explodes behind them.

Word Count: 8934 words