𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒༄ • Jᴀsᴏɴ Gʀᴀᴄᴇ

Chapter 29

She didn't think things could get worse. After her brawl with Hera, the exhaustion from the fight with Enceladus and the panicking feeling that they were running out of time, Freya was at her wits end. Then the temperature dropped. Frost coated the walls of the Wolf House. Venti rushed in —but instead of winged men, these were shaped like horses, with dark storm-cloud bodies and manes that crackled with lightning. Some had silver arrows sticking out of their flanks. Behind them came red-eyed wolves and the six-armed Earthborn.

Her stomach churned with anticipation. She drew her sword. Piper her dagger. Jason grabbed an ice-covered plank off the pool floor, and Leo pulled out a hammer from his tool belt. One of the wolves padded forward. It was dragging a human-size statue by the leg. At the edge of the pool, the wolf opened its maw and dropped the statue for them to see—an ice sculpture of a girl, an archer with short spiky hair and a surprised look on her face.

Horror washed over Freya like cold run of water. 

"Thalia!" Jason rushed forward, but was pulled back by Freya and the others when she noticed he ground around Thalia's statue was already webbed with ice. She feared if Jason touched her, he might freeze too.

"Who did this?" Jason yelled. His body crackled with electricity. "I'll kill you myself!"

Freya shared the sentiment. She was already angry about Percy. She didn't need to loose another friend. From somewhere behind the monsters, Freya heard a girl's laughter, clear and cold. She stepped out of the mist in her snowy white dress, a silver crown atop her long black hair. Khione, the snow goddess, regarded them with her bleak, brown eyes. 

"Bon soir, mes amis," said Khione. She gave Leo a frosty smile. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have. "

"What've you done?" Jason demanded.

"Oh, so many things," the snow goddess purred. "Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once. "

The wolves snarled appreciatively.

"Yes, my dears. " Khione kept her eyes on Jason. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know. Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere, no doubt licking his wounds, but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world. "

"Traitor!" Hera shouted. "You meddlesome, D-list goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world. "

Khione sighed. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera. I've been wanting to shut you up for millennia. "

Khione waved her hand, and ice encased the prison, sealing in the spaces between the earthen tendrils.

"That's better," the snow goddess said. "Now, demigods, about your death—"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Snarled Freya. "You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here." 

"You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus," Continued Jason, catching on.

The wolves snarled, and the storm spirits whinnied, ready to attack, but Khione held up her hand. "Patience, my loves. If they want to talk, what does it matter? The sun is setting, and time is on our side. Of course, Freya Jackson and Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other gods, especially when I am only confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus's ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons the giants come to power. "