𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒, 𝑳𝒆𝒐 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒛¹ᵃ ✓

𝒙𝒊𝒙. Coach Hedge has the best lovelife out of the group? Since when?

But what he said about Jason being some kind of 'bridge' was for some reason, relieving. At least it wasn't Michelle who was some kind of bridge between two enemies, since if it was her she will collapse immediately under pressure. Meanwhile Jason, at least he could actually take it, and was more reliable. But at the same time, she didn't want to wish all this pressure on him.

They were stuck under the weight of the world just because they had ichor flowing through their veins, and especially Jason. If he was a bridge-an exchange, what was he connecting? Two enemies, sure. But still, what? She hoped that the answer would find her, as she needed something else to think about, and not the fate of the world.

Finally the arrived to the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though Michelle couldn't imagine who would have the strength to attack this place after the gazillion steps leading up to this place. Twenty-foot-high gates opened up for them, and a road of polished purple stones led up to the main citadel-a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of those monuments in Washington, D.C.-expect got the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's bizarre." Piper said. "Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said. "Dang, check this guy's front yard." he said. The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided in four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section on their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, and the poor Snowmen started to fall over. Yet Michelle couldn't tell if they were alive or not. To their left was a autumn park with gold and red trees, kind of like Central Park in the fall. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns-gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves.

In the distance, Michelle could spot two more areas around the rotunda. One was a green pasture with blooming flowers and sheep made out of clouds, while the other looked like some kind of desert with tumbleweeds and scratched strange symbols in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces and a huge advertisement that read : WATCH AEOLUS NIGHTLY! (for reference, Jason had to whisper to her what it read, since dyslexia sucks!)

"One section got each of the four wind gods," Jason guessed. "Four cardinal directions." "I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind-" "Go ahead," Jason said. Michelle had let some breath that she didn't know was holding in out. Thankfully, Coach Hedge would be too preoccupied by the pasture to pull out his tree branch club and start yelling, "Die!" every five seconds.

While the satyr ran off to attack the beautiful green springtime, Michelle, Leo, Jason and Piper walked down the road to the steps of the palace. Why was there even more steps? They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL, and some that just read OW!

"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. Literally floated, like a ghost would. She was pretty in this elvish way that reminded Michelle of the pretty nymphs at Camp Half-Blood-petite, slightly pinky ears, and a ageless face that face that could've been either sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, like a shampoo commercial. Her white gown billowed around like parachute material. She probably didn't have feet, since they weren't touching the floor. She held a white tablet computer in her hands.

"Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asked. "We've been expecting you." the nymph said. Something Michelle noticed about her, is that her figure kept fading in and out of reality, but not like how Michelle would. She actually looked translucent, while Michelle just became a ghost. "Are you a ghost?" she and Jason asked, weirdly in sync.