Learning to Trust (A Leo Valdez Love Story)

Chapter 9

      "Hey," Leo said. "She's not fighting amnesia. Plus, she's had more time to get used to this demigod thing. You try fighting monsters and talking to gods for a while, she's probably used to surprises."

      "Maybe," Jason said. "I just wish I knew what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."

      "Hey whatever happened wasn't your fault, and plus, your sister's a lot like you. She's cool." Jason took that in silence. Leo wondered if he had said the right things. This was way out of his comfort zone. Leo wished that he could reach inside his tool belt and pull out the right tools to fix Jason. Maybe a little hammer to tap his memory back into place? 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 saw Kyra running next to the wolf from earlier. They appeared to be having a conversation. How Kyra could talk to wolves, Leo had no clue, he should probably ask her. That weird growling thing she did back in the cave seemed to be helpful.

      He was so lost in thought, he didn't realized The Hunters had stopped running. He slammed into Thalia and nearly sent them both down the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She steadied them and pointed up.

      "That," Leo choked. "Is a very large rock." They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. The air was so thin, Leo could barely breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone, and the stars were incredible. Kyra seemed so much more at peace at night. She seemed much more healthier and was even more beautiful than before, if that was possible. But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky was a massive purple island. It was hard to judge its size, but Leo figured it was twice as wide as a football stadium, and just as tall. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of fortress. The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice, that glistened in the moonlight. Then Leo realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around- blurring and thinning, in some areas even breaking into a dotted line, like the vapor trail of a plane. "We're not seriously crossing that," Leo said incredulous.

      Thalia shrugged. "I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of heights. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

      "Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pike Peak?"

      "The Mist." Kyra said, still looking up at the colossal palace.

      Thalia nodded. "Still Mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but it's actually the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face. Anyways we should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

      "That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

      Thalia laughed. Then she realized Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait.... Jason, you can fly?"

      Well, sort of. More like I can control then winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I want to try. Wait. Thalia, you mean you can't fly?"

   Thalia had a look of pure horror on her face. Just then, Kyra jumped in "It's probably because your a son of Jupiter and she's a daughter of Zeus, there's a difference."

Thalia looked at Kyra gratefully and nodded, her expression now back under control. "Truthfully, I've never tried. Might be better if we stick to the bridge."