ANTI-HERO, j.grace

THIRTY

     "You guys are just in time. My Hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion, but we'll be overrun any minute."

Given the fighting that the group could hear coming from the Wolf House, just about anyone else could have put together that the Hunters were about to be run into the ground.

Thalia hugged Jason, her face one of relief at seeing him still standing. She nodded to Piper, looked right past Leo, and then shared an awkward 'right, you're here too' look with Klein.

"Earthborn?" Jason asked.

Thalia nodded, "And wolves - Lycaon's minions. Also storm spirits-"

"But we gave them back to Aeolus!" Piper protested.

"Who tried to kill us." Leo noted.

Klein frowned, "Yeah, safe to assume he's back on team Gaea."

"The monsters keep reforming almost as fast as we can kill them." Thalia shook her head, "We took the Wolf House with no problem: surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snowstorm blew in, and wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what was leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trap to kill anyone who rescued Hera."

"Where is she?"

"Inside. We tried to free her, but we can't figure out how to break the cage." Thalia sighed, "It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment when Porphyrion will be reborn. Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon-"

There was no need for the Grace girl to even finish her thought, for the rest of the demigods knew exactly what she means. If we don't free Hera soon, we're all totally screwed.

     Jason collapsed the very second they stepped over the threshold to the ruined mansion.

"Whoa-" Klein grabbed his arms, catching the boy from almost hitting the ground. "Do not do that right now."

"This place..." Jason shook his head. "Sorry... it all came rushing back to me."

"All?"

"So you have been here?" Piper questioned.

"We both have." Thalia said, but her expression told the group that the memories were anything but pleasant. "This is where my mom took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead... he just disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves, at Hera's insistence." Jason frowned, "She gave me to Lupa."

"That part I didn't know. Who's Lupa?"

Before anyone could answer, an explosion sounded from the building. An icy blue mushroom cloud shook the remains of the mansion as snowflakes rained down upon them.

Klein couldn't help but frown, more confused than she was concerned. What kind of explosion is cold instead of blasting heat?

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions." Leo piped up, "Show us the goddess."

Inside the Wolf House was just as intimidating as Jason had described from his dreams. An empty reflecting pool sat in the center of the U shaped building, two giant rock and root spires protruding up  from the ground and causing large cracks to grow across the foundation.

One of the spires was much bigger and resembled that of a giant body bag made of concrete. Underneath the twisting tendrils Klein could just barely make out the shape of a head, shoulders, a massive chest, like some humanoid creature was rising up from the ground.