heavy bones [jason grace]

17. i almost fall to my death (for the third time)

Pro-tip: don't ascend a slippery staircase when your legs are kind of broken.

My focus is torn between climbing the stairs without slipping and hiding how much pain I'm in. When we first started our ascent, Jason had offered to carry me again, but I said no because I'm terrified of being close to him. I should've taken him up on his offer because I'm pretty sure I'm doing permanent damage to my legs. Curse my pride and fear of initmacy!

At least Will isn't here to chastise me about how I'm not properly taking care of my broken bones.

Coach is being extra annoying. The slick stone steps are no match for his goat legs. He keeps traipsing up and down the staircase like it's nothing, yelling at us to get a move on and that it's "only a few thousand more steps." Gods, I want to wring his neck more than anything, but I think my companions might frown upon that.

Jason is silent and brooding, which is concerning because that's kind of my territory. I guess it makes sense. He did just find his sister after being apart from over a decade, learn the horrible truth about his mom, and then lose his sister again within the span of a few hours. I get why he's sulking. If I wasn't so busy being concerned about him, I'd be sulking myself.

I remember too much now. For three years, I've wanted nothing more than to remember my past and now that I do, I wish I could forget. I don't want to remember how my dad treated me. I don't want to remember almost being buried alive. I don't want to remember losing the one adult in my life that I trusted, the woman who shaped me and cared for me and loved me when no one else did. I don't want to remember those intimate moments with Jason when the world disappeared and it was like it had only ever been the two of us and it will only ever be the two of us. I don't remember everything, but I don't want to.

I try to force those thoughts aside and think about Thalia's idea instead. Once Jason and Leo had safely landed on the floating island, they'd given us the lowdown on the conversation they had with Thalia. It's a weird feeling to find out you're right and to wish you weren't. Anyway, it's reassuring to know she thinks it's possible to save both Piper's dad and Hera. Thalia is one of the most experienced demigods I know. If she thinks we can do both, then we must be able to.

It feels like milennea have passed by the time we reach the top of the island. The palace is fortified with bronze walls, but the twenty-foot gates are wide open. They're waiting for us. The path to the main citadel is paved with purple stone. The main citadel is definitely Greek-inspired with a modern touch: what seems like over a dozen satellites and radio towers clustered together on the roof. It looks kind of absurd. I love it.

"That's bizarre," Piper comments, her voice low as if she speaks too loudly, she'll be smited on the spot. I want to tell her that volume doesn't matter when it comes to divine beings, but Leo cuts me off before I can even start my sentence.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," he jokes. "Dang, check this guy's front yard."

Front yard doesn't feel like the right word for it. It's a quarter-mile circle sectioned off like a slice of pie, each section representing...a season? No, a cardinal direction. A part of me wants to dive right into the snow banks in the section to our right and make some snow angels, or maybe pet the cloud sheep grazing in the pasture in one of the two sections slightly obscured by the citadel. But no. We're here on business.

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason deduces. "Four cardinal directions."

Coach is eyeing the pasture like he hasn't eaten in centuries. "I'm loving that pasture. You guys mind—" Jason gives him the go ahead and Coach takes off to eat some nature. Meanwhile, we head straight for the palace. No one stops us as we walk through the front doors. We're greeted by a white marble foyer adorned with purple banners with messages such as 'Olympian weather channel' and 'Ow!'