aces: leo valdez¹

004

in which; immortal demigods are overly
fond of hockey, pizza and making
Hana and Piper uncomfortable.

THE DAYLIGHT FADED AS SHE POKED his side, Leo shifted and grumbled himself awake "Wake up greasy- we're here."

Leo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, looking down. Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town, way older than any place Hana had seen before.

In the center was an actual castle- at least it looked like a castle. Hana wasn't an expert in Quebec but she wasn't aware they had castles. It had pictureste massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said.

"Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

She made a face at him, which Leo seemed used to, but Hana wasn't sure if it was supposed to look as glamorous as her new makeup made it. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"Feisty!" Leo said. "So you know so much, what's that castle?"

"A hotel, I think."

Leo laughed. "No way."

But as they got closer, Piper was proved right. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.

"The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" Leo said.

"You'd be surprised- Hermes drives a postal van." Hana Spoke up from behind Leo, remembering the time her father came to wish her a happy 12th birthday in his postman shorts. Her voice was light and amused like she was joking but given the whole hotel situation Leo wasn't too sure.

"That can't be- "

"Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted. "We got company!"

"12 o'clock- coming from below." The direction spilled out before she could even think, Jason snapped his head immediately but Leo and Piper had to look a few places before it registered in their minds. Below them and directly ahead, Rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures- angry angels, with nasty looking swords.

The dragon didn't like the angel guys. It swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound in his throat that did give Hana the impression of sunshine and happiness. She'd heard it before at camp- It was getting ready to blow fire.

"Steady, boy," Leo muttered. Thank goodness, Hana didn't think the cranky angles would appreciate being turned into barbecue.

"I don't like this," Jason said. "They look like storm spirits."

Hana might have agreed with him, but as the angels got closer, she could see they were much more solid than storm spirits and moved smoothly- not like the chaos of Ánemoi Thúellai. They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair, feathery purple wings and jagged bronze swords that looked like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might have been brothers, but they definitely weren't twins.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.