Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xvi. welcome to greece

Now, it felt like the whole team had dropped anchor.

"So then Jason harnessed the venti," Hazel finished. "And here we are."

Leo whistled. "Hot-air horses? Dang, Jason. So basically, you held a bunch of gas together all the way to Malta, and then you let it loose."

Jason frowned. "You know, it doesn't sound so heroic when you put it that way."

"Yeah, well. I'm an expert on hot air. I'm still wondering, why Malta? I just kind of ended up here on the raft, but was that a random thing, or—"

"Maybe because of this." Frank tapped his brochure. "Says here Malta was where Calypso lived."

Leo's face paled significantly. "W-what now?"

Frank shrugged. "According to this, her original home was an island called Gozo just north of here. Calypso's a Greek myth thingie, right?"

"Ah, a Greek myth thingie!" Coach Hedge rubbed his hands together. "Maybe we get to fight her! Do we get to fight her? 'Cause I'm ready."

"No," Leo murmured. "No, we don't have to fight her, Coach."

Piper frowned. "Leo, what's wrong? You look—"

"Nothing's wrong!" Leo shot to his feet. "Hey, we should get going. We've got work to do!"

"But... where did you go?" Hazel asked. "Where did you get those clothes? How—"

"Jeez, ladies!" Leo said. "I appreciate the concern, but I don't need two extra moms!"

Piper smiled uncertainly. "Okay, but—"

"Ships to fix!" Leo said. "Festus to check! Earth goddesses to punch in the face! What are we waiting for? Leo's back!" He spread his arms and grinned.

He was making a brave attempt, but Ophelia could see some kind of sadness lingering in his eyes. Something had happened to him... something to do with Calypso.

Ophelia didn't know much of Calypso's myth, but she was pretty sure she was some kind of sorceress, maybe like Medea or Circe. But if Leo had escaped from an evil sorceress's lair, why did he seem so sad?

Jason got up and clapped him on the shoulder. "Leo's right. We should get going."

Everybody took the cue. They started wrapping up their food and finishing their drinks.

Suddenly, Hazel gasped. "Guys..."

She pointed to the northeast horizon. At first, Ophelia didn't see anything but the sea. Then a streak of darkness shot into the air like black lightning—as if pure night had torn through the daytime.

"I don't see anything," Coach Hedge grumbled.

"Me neither," Piper said.

Ophelia looked at her friends. Most of them just looked confused, save for Jason and Nico.

"That can't be..." Nico muttered. "Greece is still hundreds of miles away."

The darkness flashed again, momentarily leaching the color from the horizon.

"You think it's Epirus?" Jason asked.

Nico nodded. "The House of Hades is open for business."

A few seconds later, a rumbling sound washed over them like distant artillery.

"It's begun," Hazel said.

"What has?" Leo asked.

When the next flash happened, Hazel's gold eyes darkened like foil in fire. "Gaea's final push," she said. "The Doors of Death are working overtime. Her forces are entering the mortal world en masse."