EDEN DIDN'T KNOW MUCH about the Mediterranean, but she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to freeze in July.
Two days out to sea from Split, gray clouds swallowed the sky. The waves turned choppy. Cold drizzle sprayed across the deck, forming ice on the rails and the ropes.
"It's the scepter," Nico murmured, hefting the ancient staff. "It has to be."
It made sense that the scepter might have caused this weather change. The black orb on top seemed to leach the color right out of the air. The golden eagles at its base glinted coldly. The scepter could supposedly control the dead, and it definitely gave off bad vibes. Coach Hedge had taken one look at the thing, turned pale, and announced that he was going to his room to console himself with Chuck Norris videos.
So, yes . . . maybe the scepter could cause a freak ice storm. But Eden didn't think that was it. Something else was going to happen. As if the last three days hadn't been hard enough.
"We can't talk up here," Perfect Jason decided. "Let's postpone the meeting."
They'd all gathered on the quarterdeck to discuss strategy as they got closer to Epirus. Now it was clearly not a good place to hang out. Wind swept frost across the deck. The sea churned beneath them.
Eden didn't mind the waves so much. Despite not being a daughter of Poseidon apparently, she liked the sea. But she could tell Hazel wasn't doing well. The poor girl got seasick even in calm waters. She looked like she was trying to swallow a billiard ball.
"Need to—" Hazel gagged and pointed below.
"Yeah, go." Nico kissed her cheek.
"I'll walk you down." Frank put his arm around Hazel's waist and helped her to the stairs.
Nico brushed some ice from his hair. He frowned at the scepter of Diocletian. "I should put this thing away. If it's really causing the weather, maybe taking it below deck will help . . ."
"Sure," Eden said. "Just don't put it in my room, Bone Boy."
Nico glanced at Piper and Leo, before heading below.
Leo pulled a screwdriver from his belt. "So much for the big team meeting. Looks like it's just us again."
Just us again.
Eden remembered a wintry day in Chicago last December, when the four of them had landed in Millennial Park on their first quest. Well, it wasn't hers, but still.
Leo hadn't changed much since then, except he seemed more comfortable in his role as a child of Hephaestus. He'd always had too much nervous energy. Now he knew how to use it. His hands were constantly in motion, pulling tools from his belt, working controls, tinkering with his beloved sphere. Today he'd removed it from the control panel and shut down Festus the figurehead for maintenance — something about rewiring his processor for a motor-control upgrade with the sphere, whatever the fuck that meant.
As for Perfect Jason, he looked thinner, taller, and more careworn. His hair had gone from close-cropped Roman style to longer and shaggier. The groove the turtle dude had shot across the left side of his scalp was interesting too — almost like a rebellious streak. His icy blue eyes looked older, somehow — full of worry and responsibility.
Piper honestly looked happier. Her hair was still in those braids that she adored, her eyes were still kaleidoscopes. But she looked happier, in her eyes and in her posture. Maybe that was because she was dating Eden now, but she didn't know. Her wardrobe had changed a little bit, but she also wore Eden's shit half the time.
And Eden? God forbid she actually changed. Though she felt happier, with Piper by her side.
Her mind did drift to what Cupid had said about the supernova . . . but it was fine, wasn't it? It's not like she changed. It's that it's more prominent these days.
Perfect Jason did stare at her warily sometimes . . . and Eden and Nico had talked about it, but it didn't matter.
Eden shook herself out of her thoughts, wrapping her arms around Piper's waist from behind and sighing. "Hey, it'll be fine. We're close to Epirus now. Another day or so, if Nico's directions are right."
"Yep." Leo tinkered with his sphere, tapping and nudging one of the jewels on its surface. "By tomorrow morning, we'll reach the western coast of Greece. Then another hour inland, and bang — House of Hades! I'ma get me the T-shirt!"
"Yay," Piper muttered. Eden snorted against her skin.
"Guys," Kaleidoscope said, "I've been thinking about the Prophecy of Eight."
It took a lot to get Leo's attention away from his work, except for Perfect Jason existing, but that did the trick.
"What about it?" he asked. "Like . . . good stuff, I hope?"
"In Katoptris," Piper started, "I keep seeing that giant Clytius — the guy who's wrapped in shadows. I know his weakness is fire, but in my visions, he snuffs out flames wherever he goes. Any kind of light just gets sucked into his cloud of darkness."
"Sounds like Nico," Leo said. "You think they're related?"
Perfect Jason scowled. "Hey, man, cut Nico some slack. So, Piper, what about this giant? What are you thinking?"
Eden raised an eyebrow at him. Damn, make them seem suspicious now.
"I keep thinking about fire," Piper said. "How we expect Leo to beat this giant because he's . . ."
"Hot?" Leo suggested with a grin.
"No," Eden said at the same time that Perfect Jason said "yes."
"Um, let's go with flammable. Anyway, that line from the prophecy bothers me: To storm or fire the world must fall."
"Yeah, we know all about it," Leo promised. "You're gonna say I'm fire. And Jason here is storm."
Piper nodded. Eden knew that none of them liked talking about this, but they all must have felt it was the truth.
The ship pitched to starboard. Perfect Jason grabbed the icy railing. "So you're worried one of us will endanger the quest, maybe accidentally destroy the world?"
"No," Piper said. "I think we've been reading that line the wrong way. The world . . . the Earth. In Greek, the word for that would be . . ."
"Gaea." Perfect Jason's eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "You mean, to storm or fire Gaea must fall?"
"Oh . . ." Leo grinned even wider. "You know, I like your version a lot better. 'Cause if Gaea falls to me, Mr. Fire, that is absolutely copacetic."
"Or to me . . . storm." Perfect Jason laughed. "Piper, that's brilliant! If you're right, this is great news. We just have to figure out which of us destroys Gaea."
"Maybe." Piper stiffened under Eden's hold. "But, see, it's storm or fire . . ."
She unsheathed Katoptris and set it on the console. Immediately, the blade flickered, showing the dark shape of the giant Clytius moving through a corridor, snuffing out torches.
"I'm worried about Leo and this fight with Clytius," she said. "That line in the prophecy makes it sound like only one of you can succeed. And if the storm or fire part is connected to the third line, an oath to keep with a final breath . . ."
She didn't finish the thought, but Eden understood. If Kaleidoscope was reading the prophecy right, either Leo or Perfect Jason would defeat Gaea. The other one would die.
* * *
Leo stared at the dagger. "Okay . . . so I don't like your idea as much as I thought. You think one of us defeats Gaea and the other one dies? Or maybe one of us dies while defeating her? Or—"
"Dude," Eden said, "we'll drive ourselves crazy overthinking it. You know how prophecies are. Heroes always get in trouble trying to thwart them. That's what happened to me in the past."
"Yeah," Leo muttered. "We'd hate to get in trouble. We've got it so good right now."
"You know what she means," Perfect Jason said. "The final breath line might not be connected to the storm and fire part. For all we know, the two of us aren't even storm and fire. Eden and Percy can raise hurricanes."
"Oh, thanks for involving me," Eden crossed her arms.
"And I could always set Coach Hedge on fire," Leo volunteered. "Then he can be fire."
The thought of a blazing satyr screaming, "Die, scumbag!" as he attacked Gaea was almost enough to make Eden laugh — almost.
"I hope I'm wrong," Piper said cautiously. "But the whole quest started with us finding Hera and waking that giant king Porphyrion. I have a feeling the war will end with us too. For better or worse."
"Hey," Perfect Jason said, "personally, I like us."
"Agreed," Leo said. "Us is my favorite people."
"Well, I don't," Eden stated, letting go of Piper, who held on to her arm, giving her a smile.
Piper froze. "Leo, sound the alarm."
Leo immediately dropped his screwdriver and punched the alarm button. He frowned when nothing happened.
"Uh, it's disconnected," he remembered. "Festus is shut down. Gimme a minute to get the system back online."
"We don't have a minute! Fires — we need vials of Greek fire. Jason, call the winds. Warm, southerly winds. Eden, bring out your flame sword thing that you were showing me earlier."
"Wait, what?" Perfect Jason stared at her in confusion. "Piper, what's wrong?"
"It's her!" Piper snatched up her dagger. "She's back! We have to—"
Before she could finish, the boat listed to port. The temperature dropped so fast, the sails crackled with ice. The bronze shields along the rails popped like over-pressurized soda cans.
Perfect Jason drew his sword, but it was too late. A wave of ice particles swept over him, coating him like a glazed donut and freezing him in place. Under a layer of ice, his eyes were wide with amazement.
"Leo! Flames! Now!" Piper yelled.
Leo's right hand blazed, but the wind swirled around him and doused the fire. Leo clutched his Archimedes sphere as a funnel cloud of sleet lifted him off his feet.
"Hey!" he yelled. "Hey! Let me go!"
Eden ran toward him, but a voice in the storm said, "Oh, yes, Leo Valdez. I will let you go permanently."
Leo shot skyward, like he'd been launched from a catapult. He disappeared into the clouds.
"Stop running, Eden Fairchild." Suddenly, Eden froze as well. Then she was flying, up in the sky, and she let out a scream before her vision turned black.