Annabeth's POV
The first dream Annabeth had after she had left the camp was the first one she had in a while that seemed to be entirely hers. No hidden messages, no warnings or anything like that, she thinks that was why it stuck out to her, that's why it hurt.
She dreamed of being on Olympus, a place she had seen a lot over the summer, but in this dream only one specific spot stuck out to her, a garden on one of it's edges, flowers in bloom, fresh smells on her nose.
Someone took her hand before her vision came into focus, gently, tentatively, as if not to hurt her, from the feeling of that alone, she knew where this dream was headed, but let it be, she liked this dream.
In the dream, gentle music played, it was a mix of a lot of things, some of Chiron's awful music, some music she heard at her fathers house growing up, she even thought she caught the tune of an old gum commercial at one point, but the music didn't matter.
Her partner did, his face almost brought her to tears even in a dream, as they gently twirled around Olympus, content with each other's company, (Y/N) seemed to notice she was getting upset.
Annabeth was in her camp half blood shirt and jeans, her camp necklaces around her, he was wearing something similar, but she noticed his necklace was gone, she still had it. And his eyes were still (E/C).
In her dream, he never stopped dancing, but managed to run a finger under her eye, "What's with the waterworks blondie?" He asked, and at the sound of his voice, she broke down a little more, and in a quiet voice replied, "I miss you."
Suddenly, gentle summer rain seemed to fall around them, since this was a dream, she never felt any hit her, but it was more of the thought of this being symbolic that got to her, again, he wiped her tears away.
"Have you been doing what I asked?" He said with his head slightly tilted as they danced, she wiped her eyes with her sleeved and nodded at first, but then with an even smaller voice said, "It's a lot harder then you made it sound."
"Well, I had a flair for the dramatic didn't I? What was it again? 'if there is a person on this planet that can love you a fraction of the amount I do, then I know you are in good hands'" He laughed quietly, "Y'know, I think I saw that on a fortune cookie once."
Despite that painful memory still eating away at her, and despite the fact her dream was already becoming less and less clear as they danced, meaning it would soon be over, she laughed, for the first time in ages, she laughed and he laughed with her.
He smiled at her, pulling her a little closer, smiling down at her to say "You don't have to miss me Annabeth, I'm not going anywhere." He said, pulling her into his chest so they just swayed to the music.
She wished that were true, she wished that the 'signs' she had told herself were real actually meant something. She wished that the war had left her happy, left her whole, but like so many others, she had lost a part of herself in that war.
Deep down, she knew her pleas for a sign, her dreams and delusions were just that. He had said it himself, he wasn't coming back this time, it was part of his deal, to protect her, and everyone else.
After a minute more of dancing, her dream changed a little, and his image got lighter and lighter, like he was becoming one with the background, she clung onto him, "No!" She cried, trying to hold onto him as hard as she could.
She never wanted this dream to end, she never wanted to wake up, if she could have made a deal with some god to stay here forever, in the moment, in her dream, she would have taken it without thinking.
"I never meant to hurt you Annabeth." He said, she cried out to him, his form slowly fading away, still smiling, still dancing with her, he brushed a hand over her cheek and she felt his hand, and then he kissed her lightly, pulling back gently.
"How could this not have hurt me?" She said as the feeling of being alone enveloped her more and more each second. He sighed, "I guess you're right as always, I shouldn't have done that to you, but hurting the people we love the most, unfortunately runs in both sides of my family."
"I miss you too. So much." He said, and before he was gone, before she danced alone he said, "I love you." And just like that, as if their dance meant nothing, as if their time together meant nothing, he was gone, and she was alone once more.
She awoke to see that Zoe was already packing up their camp, somehow managing to pack it into sizes that shouldn't have been possible without magic. When Annabeth stirred, she looked over her shoulder with a small smile.
She had dark circles under her eyes, that was the first thing Annabeth noticed in their brief interaction, the second thing was that Zoe's hands were shaking, and her cheeks were red, she had been crying again.
In that moment, after leaving that dream, even half asleep, Annabeth could honestly have joined her. She knew what Zoe was doing, because she had been doing it for months, busying her hands, busying her mind, because when Annabeth stopped to think, the pain in her chest welled up again.
"Let's keep moving." She said tiredly, wiping her own eyes as she packed up her things. She didn't need to look at her laptop this time, she had stared at it so much she could fid the locations in her sleep.
"What do you think, are we closing in on them?" Zoe asked, her voice was the tiniest bit shaky, Annabeth replied simply, "By the gods I hope so, I can't take this much longer." Zoe blushed, "Do I snore that loud?" And Annabeth found herself laughing once more.
Piper's POV
Piper didn't relax until the glow of Quebec City faded behind them. "You were amazing," Jason told her. The compliment should've made her day. But all she could think about was the trouble ahead. Evil things are stirring, Zethes had warned them. She knew that first hand.
The closer they got to the solstice, the less time Piper had to make her decision. She told Jason in French: "If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't think I was so amazing." "What'd you say?" he asked.
"I said I only talked to Boreas. It wasn't so amazing." She didn't turn to look, but she imagined him smiling. "Hey," he said, "you saved me from joining Khione's sub-zero hero collection. I owe you one."
That was definitely the easy part, she thought. There was no way Piper would've let that ice witch keep Jason. What bothered Piper more was the way Boreas had changed form, and why he'd let them go. It had something to do with Jason's past, those tattoos on his arm.
Boreas assumed Jason was some sort of Roman, and Romans didn't mix with Greeks. She kept waiting for Jason to offer an explanation, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it. Until now, Piper had been able to dismiss Jason's feeling that he didn't belong at Camp Half-Blood.
Obviously he was a demigod. Of course he belonged. But now ... what if he was something else? What if he really was an enemy? She couldn't stand that idea any more than she could stand Khione. Leo passed them some sandwiches from his pack.
He'd been quiet ever since they'd told him what happened in the throne room. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice." "Trust me, man," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."
Piper smiled, but Leo didn't look pleased. He hadn't said much about his time in the palace, or why the Boreads had singled him out for smelling like fire.
Piper got the feeling he was hiding something. Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus, who grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon was not so happy.
They ate their sandwiches as they flew. Piper had no idea how Leo had stocked up on supplies, but he'd even remembered to bring veggie rations for her. The cheese and avocado sandwich was awesome.
Nobody talked. Whatever they might find in Chicago, they all knew Boreas had only let them go because he figured they were already on a suicide mission. The moon rose and stars turned overhead.
Piper's eyes started to feel heavy. The encounter with Boreas and his children had scared her more than she wanted to admit. Now that she had a full stomach, her adrenaline was fading. Suck it up, cupcake! Coach Hedge would've yelled at her. Don't be a wimp!
Piper had been thinking about the coach ever since Boreas mentioned he was still alive. She'd never liked Hedge, but he'd leaped off a cliff to save Leo, and he'd sacrificed himself to protect them on the skywalk.
She now realized that all the times at school the coach had pushed her, yelled at her to run faster or do more push-ups, or even when he'd turned his back and let her fight her own battles with the mean girls, the old goat man had been trying to help her in his own irritating way—trying to prepare her for life as a demigod.
On the skywalk, Dylan the storm spirit had said something about the coach, too: how he'd been retired to Wilderness School because he was getting too old, like it was some sort of punishment.
Piper wondered what that was about, and if it explained why the coach was always so grumpy. Whatever the truth, now that Piper knew Hedge was alive, she had a strong compulsion to save him.
Don't get ahead of yourself, she chided. You've got bigger problems. This trip won't have a happy ending. She was a traitor, just like Silena Beauregard. It was only a matter of time before her friends found out.
She looked up at the stars and thought about a night long ago when she and her dad had camped out in front of Grandpa Tom's house. Grandpa Tom had died years before, but Dad had kept his house in Oklahoma because it was where he grew up.
They'd gone back for a few days, with the idea of getting the place fixed up to sell, although Piper wasn't sure who'd want to buy a run-down cabin with shutters instead of windows and two tiny rooms that smelled like cigars.
The first night had been so stifling hot—no air conditioning in the middle of August—that Dad suggested they sleep outside. They'd spread their sleeping bags and listened to the cicadas buzzing in the trees. Piper pointed out the constellations she'd been reading about —Hercules, Apollo's lyre, Sagittarius the centaur.
Her dad crossed his arms behind his head. In his old T-shirt and jeans he looked like just another guy from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a Cherokee who might've never left tribal lands.
"Your grandpa would say those Greek patterns are a bunch of bull. He told me the stars were creatures with glowing fur, like magic hedgehogs. Once, long ago, some hunters even captured a few in the forest. They didn't know what they'd done until night time, when the star creatures began to glow. Golden sparks flew from their fur, so the Cherokee released them back into the sky."
"You believe in magic hedgehogs?" Piper asked. Her dad laughed. "I think Grandpa Tom was full of bull, too, just like the Greeks. But it's a big sky. I suppose there's room for Hercules and hedgehogs."
They sat for a while, until Piper got the nerve to ask a question that had been bugging her. "Dad, why don't you ever play Native American parts?" The week before, he'd turned down several million dollars to play Tonto in a remake of The Lone Ranger.
Piper was still trying to figure out why. He'd played all kinds of roles—a Latino teacher in a tough L.A. school, a dashing Israeli spy in an action-adventure blockbuster, even a Syrian terrorist in a James Bond movie.
And, of course, he would always be known as the King of Sparta. But if the part was Native American—it didn't matter what kind of role it was—Dad turned it down.
He winked at her. "Too close to home, Pipes. Easier to pretend I'm something I'm not." "Doesn't that get old? Aren't you ever tempted, like, if you found the perfect part that could change people's opinions?" "If there's a part like that, Pipes," he said sadly, "I haven't found it."
She looked at the stars, trying to imagine them as glowing hedgehogs. All she saw were the stick figures she knew—Hercules running across the sky, on his way to kill monsters. Dad was probably right. The Greeks and the Cherokee were equally crazy. The stars were just balls of fire. "Dad," she said, "if you don't like being close to home, why are we sleeping in Grandpa Tom's yard?"
His laughter echoed in the quiet Oklahoma night. "I think you know me too well, Pipes." "You're not really going to sell this place, are you?" "Nope," he sighed. "I'm probably not." Piper blinked, shaking herself out of the memory.
She realized she'd been falling asleep on the dragon's back. How could her dad pretend to be so many things he wasn't? She was trying to do that now, and it was tearing her apart. Maybe she could pretend for a little while longer.
She could dream of finding a way to save her father without betraying her friends—even if right now a happy ending seemed about as likely as magic hedgehogs. She leaned back against Jason's warm chest. He didn't complain. As soon she closed her eyes, she drifted off to sleep.
(Y/N)'s POV
Since his time in the hospital, (Y/N) felt a lot better, not just physically, but mentally, there were a lot more memories being returned to him, though none of them were key information, mostly just feelings or little moments, still, it did is motivation a world of good.
He allowed his feet to carry him again, having only one direction in mind, north. And he relied on Iris to not lead him off a cliff, somehow, he managed a cross country journey in mere hours. Again, as he walked, he felt the world shift around him.
Where he found himself probably would have been his last choice for 'places where you'd find a wind god' but he had to admire Boreas's style, this was definitely the place a god would reside. He looked at the sign.
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. He read with surprising ease, "Now that's a scrabble winner if I've ever seen one." He thought as he tried to find an entrance. Ignoring the crowd of mortals, he followed a pair of nymphs.
As he marveled at the building and how amazing it was, a feeling welled in his chest. But he didn't really feel it full force until he had entered. He felt oddly settled once the feeling came over him, more comfortable in his skin.
He eventually found the mist concealing an entrance into the place with a few giants guarding it, he managed to sneak past them by distracting them with a snowball, and slipping inside. Where he found a lobby full of people like him, monsters, nymphs, etc.
He walked up to the front desk where a white haired faun stood, he rung the bell, because you've always gotta ring the bell, and explained to the man what he as doing there. The guy just stared at him.
The faun held up one finger, "Un instant s'il vous plaît" He said softly. (Y/N) didn't speak the language as well as he read it, but understood what the man was trying to say, he brought back a younger faun to translate, once (Y/N) had got the message across, the white haired one ducked into a side office.
The faun left behind clearly wanted to keep (Y/N) entertained, so in a suprisingly american accent said, "Um, did you know. The Château Frontenac was the first of a series of Chateau-style hotels built by Canadian railway companies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to encourage tourists to travel on their railways."
As the satyr kept talking, (Y/N) fell into a sort of calm, a smile plastered on his face, to be honest, he didn't pay attention to half of what the man was saying, but found himself instead absolutely riveted by this feeling in his chest.
"Excuse me. Sorry, I know it sounds silly, but can you tell me more about this place?" He asked, "Of course, well you see this place is located near the edge of the promontory of Quebec, and is situated near several major historic attractions-"
(Y/N) finally recognized it. It was longing, he knew that much, but different to the longing he usually, felt, it was longing for the past, but no answers, no memories, it was longing for someone, he suddenly got the feeling that someone would be very mad at him for being here without them.
It made him sad, but he pushed past the feeling, explaining to the third faun that arrived that he needed to reach the penthouse and speak to Boreas, and that he had been sent by Iris. After a few minutes of delegation between staff one got off the phone and asked him.
"Is this more hyacinths because Boreas said he has already received a bundle this month" "Errr...no, this is something else." Suddenly an elevator appeared from the wall, as if it was made of frost.
At first it was water, but as soon as it threatened to trickle onto the floor, it became entirely solid ice, cracking as it formed, and a space in the wall opened up that wasn't there before, it looked like an ornate elevator, but entirely made of ice.
From it stepped the weirdest Elvis impersonator (Y/N) had ever seen, and (Y/N) was pretty sure he had been to Vegas. No, not Elvis...this guy looked like the guy who sang Ballroom Blitz had an albino baby.
After that train of weird thoughts, the man walked up to him, and (Y/N) was aware the man had a sword on his hip, but he didn't feel like he was being threatened. The guy simply said, "Come with me." With a terribly forced accent.
He turned and marched back to the elevator, and as he turned, (Y/N) saw he had a set of purple wings on his back, and his heart panged with envy for a moment, but he followed, stepping into the elevator.
As he approached the elevator, a woman appeared out of nowhere and seemed to get out of it, the man let her shuffle past and paid her no mind, a blonde woman in her late thirties, with ringlets in her hair.
She wore a green sequin dress like a Vegas showgirl, with long gloves that reached her elbows, and had one of those cigarette things so she could smoke it from far away? What are those things for anyway?
The moment (Y/N) looked at her, he knew she was important, but once he did a double take to look at her again, she was gone, and he had the feeling it was too soon to meet her yet, that she was just making sure he knew she was around here. She winked at him as he passed her.
"Who was that?" He asked the glam rock icon, only now noticing how bad the guys acne was, the guy rolled his eyes, "Another minor god, breaking the rules set by Olympus." "Anyone I would know?" He asked, but the guy just said, "Perhaps, but I wouldn't worry. You, have bigger problems." As the elevator slammed shut.
Piper's POV
In her dream, she was back on the mountaintop. The ghostly purple bonfire cast shadows across the trees. Piper's eyes stung from smoke, and the ground was so warm, the soles of her boots felt sticky. A voice from the dark rumbled, "You forget your duty."
Piper couldn't see him, but it was definitely her least favorite giant—the one who called himself Enceladus. She looked around for any sign of her father, but the pole where he'd been chained was no longer there. "Where is he?" she demanded. "What've you done with him?"
The giant's laugh was like lava hissing down a volcano. "His body is safe enough, though I fear the poor man's mind can't take much more of my company. For some reason he finds me—disturbing. You must hurry, girl, or I fear there will be little left of him to save."
A vision flashed in her eyes, of a woman with golden eyes, like the ones she had seen in her knife, laughing at her father, who was stretched out over a rock. Looking terrible, "DAD!" Piper yelled, but it faded away.
"Let him go!" she screamed. "Take me instead. He's just a mortal!" "But, my dear," the giant rumbled, "we must prove our love for our parents. That's what I'm doing. Show me you value your father's life by doing what I ask."
"Who's more important—your father, or a deceitful goddess who used you, toyed with your emotions, manipulated your memories, eh? What is Hera to you?" Piper began to tremble. So much anger and fear boiled inside her, she could hardly talk. "You're asking me to betray my friends."
"Sadly, my dear, your friends are destined to die. Their quest is impossible. Even if you succeeded, you heard the prophecy: unleashing Hera's rage would mean your destruction. The only question now—will you die with your friends, or live with your father?"
The bonfire roared. Piper tried to step back, but her feet were heavy. She realized the ground was pulling her down, clinging to her boots like wet sand. When she looked up, a shower of purple sparks had spread across the sky, and the sun was rising in the east.
A patchwork of cities glowed in the valley below, and far to the west, over a line of rolling hills, she saw a familiar landmark rising from a sea of fog. "Why are you showing me this?" Piper asked. "You're revealing where you are." "Yes, you know this place," the giant said.
"Lead your friends here instead of their true destination, and I will deal with them. Or even better, arrange their deaths before you arrive. I don't care which. Just be at the summit by noon on the solstice, and you may collect your father and go in peace." "I can't," Piper said. "You can't ask me—"
"To betray that foolish boy Valdez, who always irritated you and is now hiding secrets from you? To give up a boyfriend you never really had? Is that more important than your own father?" "I'll find a way to defeat you," Piper said. "I'll save my father and my friends."
The giant growled in the shadows. "I was once proud too. I thought the gods could never defeat me. Then they hurled a mountain on top of me, crushed me into the ground, where I struggled for eons, half-conscious in pain."
"That taught me patience, girl. It taught me not to act rashly. Now I've clawed my way back with the help of the waking earth. I am only the first. My brethren will follow. We will not be denied our vengeance—not this time."
"And you, Piper McLean, need a lesson in humility. I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth." The dream dissolved. And Piper woke up screaming, free-falling through the air.
(Y/N)'s POV
"I like your shirt." (Y/N) said on the way up, the man smiled a little and said "Why would you not?" Popping his collar again for the tenth time on the elevator ride, as the doors opened (Y/N) saw the person he assumed was his brother.
The second guy was much stockier, wearing a red hockey jersey, a pair of baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. He had purple wings on his back, icy white hair, black eyes, and he was missing a lot of his teeth.
"I am Cal." He said through his missing teeth, picking up a hockey stick. "Hi Cal." (Y/N) waved "Destroy him?" "No Cal, be quiet remember." Cal thought about this for a second, which clearly physically hurt him.
Then he said "Sister." The other man nodded, turning to (Y/N) "Wait here, my Father is still deciding whether he would like to see you or not." "What if he refuses?" (Y/N) asked, it was at that moment that the ice elevator melted.
"Got it." (Y/N) said. His rings feeling much colder against his skin. "So you're Boreas's sons huh, that's pretty neat." (Y/N) said, trying to small talk, they ignored him entirely. Cal went to speak, but the effort of talking stopped him instead asking (Y/N), "Hockey?"
"Uhhh..." "So, why are you here really demigod?" the glam rock one said, (Y/N) rolled his eyes slightly, sick of repeating himself, and explained once more what he had came here for. They didn't take it well.
(Y/N) didn't mention his name during, but the brothers still pulled swords on him, he went to summon his Pilum, but decided not to when a cold chill took over his body, he had the feeling he wouldn't make it far if he tried.
Suddenly a flurry of snow sprouted between the three of them that made the brothers back off nervously, and a voice announced itself from the top of a staircase that (Y/N) hadn't noticed because of the swords at his back.
"Zethes. When I said you were meant to guard him, what did I say?" It asked. Zethes looked away in shame, Cal looked down at his feet, like they would tell him the answer to her question, if (Y/N) didn't know he was looking for Boreas, he definitely would have thought this lady was the boss.
"I am Khione, goddess of snow, and I'm glad to see that you've made it here at last." She said from the top of the stairs. "Destroy him?" Cal asked his feet. "No." She said coldly, (Y/N) looked her over.
Khione had very well kept black hair, littered with little snowflakes like decoration, brown eyes that were sort of disturbing, but only because of the contrast with her unnaturally pale skin that was the color of snow.
She wore a white dress with heels that looked like they were made of ice, and had a silver crown atop her hair. He tried to hold back, he really did, but with the brothers pointing swords at him, and her glaring down at him, it just slipped out.
"I don't suppose you have any Turkish delight?" he scoffed, she just looked puzzled, her brothers still pointed their weapons at his back. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and suddenly snow began to rain from the ceiling, "Cool" He murmured.
"Exactly." She smiled. "Oh, Father will definitely want to see you..." She smiled at him, it was a smile he tried to return, but it made him feel very uncomfortable. So his smile only lasted a second, she descended the stairs gracefully.
It was like she was on a catwalk, her long white dress was moving gracefully, occasionally exposing some of her pale white legs. (Y/N) felt very, very confused. She walked up to him and smiled widely.
"You're just the man I've been waiting for." She said, and (Y/N) noticed her brothers sharing a confused look. "You knew I was coming?" He asked, he didn't realize that Iris had sent word ahead, but wasn't surprised, she was a messenger god after all.
"Oh, you'd be surprised the things that get picked up by the wind and snow my dear." "Yes, just don't ask about the yellow-" Zethes began, but Khione shot him a glare that made him yelp. Before smiling again.
"Zethes I warned you not to speak to him!" She said, her cool demeanor dropping as she scolded her brothers, "We have to make an impression." "Oh, trust me, you have." (Y/N) said quietly, but she must have heard him, because she turned and smiled at him.
She looked down at his shirt casually, glancing into his eyes deeply and smirking. "As have you. I see you are not deterred by the frost." She said happily, he shrugged, "Never have been really, the cold doesn't bother me." He explained, though he did remember jumping in the sea once, and feeling very cold, strange.
"Oh, I understand, but there aren't many men that can resist the cold." She smiled sensually, (Y/N) nodded. "Yeah, I imagine you don't get many visitors around here huh?" He answered back, the tone behind her voice completely going over his head until much later.
"Come with me." She said, "You two, stay here." She ordered, but Zethes protested, "No, it's not fair, Father always lets you watch, I'm coming too." and Cal said "Hockey?" Raising a stick. She sighed, "Fine."
They took him to the place that Yetis must go to die, (Y/N) didn't mind the cold, but he wasn't exactly comfortable in this heat. As his teeth almost began chattering, Khione did the same. Like she was trying to sell him on an idea.
The walked into the frost bitten throne room, where tapestries lined the walls, and spires of ice hung from the ceiling like deadly chandeliers, he looked around at the area as she kept talking to him about the snow, and it's close connection with the dark, and how the two were perfectly entwined
"-It's proof see." She said, gesturing around. "That the touch of cold, and the grasp of death, have always been intertwined." "I guess." He walked on, "When was this place built anyway?" He asked, for some reason feeling like he had to find that out, "Who cares?" Khione answered.
He frowned as she continued, "-That's why they call it the chill of death see?" He nodded, "But isn't death entwined with like...everything?" He asked, she frowned for a second as he explained.
"Car crashes, fire, bad luck on Russian roulette, falling pianos, not everyone dies cold." Zethes snorted, and Khione looked at (Y/N), whispering in his ear and dropping his body temperature drastically as she said "Well then I pity them (Y/N), because I know just how close, we could be."
Before he could tell this chick to back off, Boreas announced himself, Khione introduced him, and the god spoke...in French. Sounding very upset about something. Khione turned to (Y/N), prompting him to say something.
"Quick, think of something impressive to say in French!" He thought, his brain filtering through all the French he knew, maybe he had music on the brain because of dealing with the pretty boy, or maybe he was just that dumb, but he ended up picking an all time classic
"Uhhh...Voulez-vous...coucher avec moi...ce soir?" He said in a polite tone, bowing his head slightly. They all just stared at him, bewildered, suddenly sharing the family resemblance with Cal and his blank expression.
Khione looked at her father with an expression that was either, 'please don't make me translate your answer' or 'please can we deep freeze him now' (Y/N) was too impressed by his own knowledge of the French language to care.
Her father seemed less than impressed either way, and said in English, "No, not currently. Thank you for the offer..." He blinked a few times, as if he didn't know what to do next, but after a moment caught himself and said "I assume you did not come to me for this alone?"
"I'm looking for three demigods, might have come through here, might still be here if I'm in luck, Piper, Jason and Leo." Boreas just frowned at him. "One's really annoying, one's about this big, and the other has a dragon?" (Y/N) said, gesturing.
"I'm supposed to help them on their quest, that's why Iris sent me to you, but I'm running a little late...for personal reasons." Boreas just kept staring at him, "What is your name?" He asked, and (Y/N) stammered.
"Well...you see...I can't really tell you...for more personal reasons..." (Y/N) began to explain, "But I mean no offence, it's just-" Suddenly there were two swords pressed against his back, he shivered with cold. This kind of cold, definitely did bother him.
Piper's POV
Piper tumbled through the sky. Far below she saw city lights glimmering in the early dawn, and several hundred yards away the body of the bronze dragon spinning out of control, its wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a badly wired lightbulb.
A body shot past her—Leo, screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds. "Not coooooool!" She tried to call to him, but he was already too far below.
Somewhere above her, Jason yelled, "Piper, level out! Extend your arms and legs!" It was hard to control her fear, but she did what he said and regained some balance. She fell spread-eagle like a skydiver, the wind underneath her like a solid block of ice.
Then Jason was there, wrapping his arms around her waist. Thank god, Piper thought. But part of her also thought: Great. Second time this week he's hugged me, and both times it's because I'm plummeting to my death.
"We have to get Leo!" she shouted. Their fall slowed as Jason controlled the winds, but they still lurched up and down like the winds didn't want to cooperate. "Gonna get rough," Jason warned. "Hold on!"
Piper locked her arms around him, and Jason shot toward the ground. Piper probably screamed, but the sound was ripped from her mouth. Her vision blurred. And then, thump! They slammed into another warm body—Leo, still wriggling and cursing.
"Stop fighting!" Jason said. "It's me!" "My dragon!" Leo yelled. "You gotta save Festus!" Jason was already struggling to keep the three of them aloft, and Piper knew there was no way he could help a fifty-ton metal dragon.
But before she could try to reason with Leo, she heard an explosion below them. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and Leo sobbed, "Festus!" Jason's face reddened with strain as he tried to maintain an air cushion beneath them, but intermittent slow-downs were the best he could manage.
Rather than free-falling, it felt like they were bouncing down a giant staircase, a hundred feet at a time, which wasn't doing Piper's stomach any favors.
As they wobbled and zigzagged, Piper could make out details of the factory complex below—warehouses, smokestacks, barbed-wire fences, and parking lots lined with snow-covered vehicles.
They were still high enough so that hitting the ground would flatten them into roadkill—or sky kill—when Jason groaned, "I can't—" And they dropped like stones.
They hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed through into darkness. Unfortunately, Piper tried to land on her feet. Her feet didn't like that. Pain flared in her left ankle as she crumpled against a cold metal surface.
For a few seconds she wasn't conscious of anything but pain—pain so bad that her ears rang and her vision went red. Then she heard Jason's voice somewhere below, echoing through the building. "Piper! Where's Piper?"
"Ow, bro!" Leo groaned. "That's my back! I'm not a sofa! Piper, where'd you go?" "Here," she managed, her voice a whimper. She heard shuffling and grunting, then feet pounding on metal steps.
Her vision began to clear. She was on a metal catwalk that ringed the warehouse interior. Leo and Jason had landed on ground level, and were now coming up the stairs toward her. She looked at her foot, and wave of nausea swept over her. Her toes weren't supposed to point that way, were they?
Oh, god. She forced herself to look away before she threw up. Focus on something else. Anything else. The hole they'd made in the roof was a ragged starburst twenty feet above. How they'd even survived that drop, she had no idea.
Hanging from the ceiling, a few electric bulbs flickered dimly, but they didn't do much to light the enormous space. Next to Piper, the corrugated metal wall was emblazoned with a company logo, but it was almost completely spray-painted over with graffiti.
Down in the shadowy warehouse, she could make out huge machines, robotic arms, half-finished trucks on an assembly line. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Jason and Leo reached her side.
Leo started to ask, "You okay ... ?" Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not." "Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned. "You'll be fine," Jason said, though Piper could hear the worry in his voice. "Leo, you got any first aid supplies?"
"Yeah—yeah, sure." He dug around in his tool belt and pulled out a wad of gauze and a roll of duct tape—both of which seemed too big for the belt's pockets. Piper had noticed the tool belt yesterday morning, but she hadn't thought to ask Leo about it.
It didn't look like anything special—just one of those wraparound leather aprons with a bunch of pockets, like a blacksmith or a carpenter might wear. And it seemed to be empty. "How did you—" Piper tried to sit up, and winced. "How did pull that stuff from an empty belt?"
"Magic," Leo said. "Haven't figure it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?" Jason snatched away the mints. "That's great, Leo. Now, can you fix her foot?"
"I'm a mechanic, man. Maybe if she was a car ..." He snapped his fingers. "Wait, what was that godly healing stuff they fed you at camp—Rambo food?" "Ambrosia, dummy," Piper said through gritted teeth. "There should be some in my bag, if it's not crushed."
Jason carefully pulled her backpack off her shoulders. He rummaged through the supplies the Aphrodite kids had packed for her, and found a Ziploc full of smashed pastry squares like lemon bars. He broke off a piece and fed it to her.
The taste was nothing like she expected. It reminded her of Dad's black bean soup from when she was a little girl. He used to feed it to her whenever she got sick.
The memory relaxed her, though it made her sad. The pain in her ankle subsided. "More," she said. Jason frowned. "Piper, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up. I think I should try to set your foot."
Piper's stomach fluttered. "Have you ever done that before?" "Yeah ... I think so." Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half for a splint. Then he got the gauze and duct tape ready.
"Hold her leg still," Jason told him. "Piper, this is going to hurt." When Jason set the foot, Piper flinched so hard she punched Leo in the arm, and he yelled almost as much as she did.
When her vision cleared and she could breathe normally again, she found that her foot was pointing the right way, her ankle splinted with plywood, gauze, and duct tape. "Ow," she said. "Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo rubbed his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."
"Sorry," she said. "And don't call me 'beauty queen,' or I'll punch you again." "You both did great." Jason found a canteen in Piper's pack and gave her some water. After a few minutes, her stomach began to calm down.
(Y/N)'s POV
"You dare insult lord Boreas in such a way." Zethes said, (Y/N) sighed, "I was in the middle of saying that I-" "Destroy him!" Cal said, in a mix of excitement and anger. "Perhaps he would make a good addition to my collection?" Khione looked up at her father expectantly.
Boreas seemed to be pondering the thought of destroying (Y/N), "We allowed Piper and Jason, the demigods on the same quest, safe passage did we not, even the boy you told me about that offered us offence by bringing fire into our midst."
"If Iris has truly sent the boy, it would be an insult to my brother to not hear him out-" "Or perhaps, it would be the perfect reason, to do it?" Khione said. Boreas waved her off. "No, I will listen to him."
"But father, this man is your enemy." Khione said, and (Y/N) looked at her like, "What the hell lady, be cool!" She just smirked at him horribly, like she was enjoying this. "My enemy?" The north wind asked.
(Y/N) felt the temperature begin to plummet harshly, his feet began to form into ice. but he dared not move, he still had swords to his back. "If I was your enemy, why would Iris send me after them? She loves Hera."
"He is a demigod father, we have been ordered to destroy him." Khione had really changed her tune in the last twenty seconds, but it was Zethes who pointed that out, (Y/N) whispered back to him, "I take it back, your shirt sucks." "But I just came to an agreement that would..." Boreas trailed off, like he was dazed.
(Y/N) looked at Boreas, he didn't know why his eyes were so drawn to him in the moment, but he thought he saw something behind the god's head, floating in the air next to him, like a devil on his shoulder, but before he could comment on it, the north wind spoke over him.
"Destroy him, yes. I remember now. Destroy him." "YAY!" Cal said, and suddenly (Y/N)'s legs went numb. He looked down to see that ice was crawling up his leg, it was like the worlds coldest bath.
He heard the air being split by two swords and knew he couldn't react in time. For some reason he though of the woman coming out of the elevator, and her winking at him, and in a strange stroke of luck, an icicle fell from the ceiling.
The two brothers dived aside to avoid being crushed, (Y/N) didn't have that luxury, and was pelted with ice cubes as it landed behind him. Though the impact of the ice cubes seemed to knock the ice keeping his feet loose.
They raked down his back, and the mist of cold in the room only got thicker, for a moment, he and Boreas stared at each other, the god seemed just as curious as he was about this lucky coincidence, and looked up at the ceiling.
(Y/N) just took his opportunity and ran around the ten foot icicle, which was now only eight foot, and in the process of falling over. He ducked underneath it, wheeling towards Cal, in a stroke of inspiration, he said "Sorry."
Then he picked up Cal's hockey stick and broke it across the guys face, he would have gotten away after that in a perfect world, but Call was very used to taking hockey sticks to the face, he grabbed (Y/N) by his shirt and punched him in the mouth.
(Y/N) saw white for a moment, it was like getting slugged by a slab of ice, "Your turn." Cal said, and in his daze (Y/N) nodded. Grabbing Cal by his shirt, but instead of hitting him, he tossed him, with tremendous effort.
The son of Boreas was clearly too confused to recover from the hip throw and just laid there, so (Y/N) sprinted down the hallway he had come from as Zethes chased him. And he was gaining fast, (Y/N) could hear his wings flapping faster and faster.
And to make matters worse, two ice sculptures blocked his path with spears. He tried to stop but skidded on the ice, and again, luck was with him, because he managed to slip under the two statues as they brought down their spears, blocking Zethres with their efforts.
"What the hell is going on?" (Y/N) thought, but decided not to question it as he ducked into a nearby room, looking for a window to escape from. However, this was his worst mistake yet. Because behind him, he heard Khione say, "Does the offer still stand?"
He turned in horror to see that he was in a smaller room, surrounded by the prettiest ice statues he had ever seen, all of them with scared expressions, and the snow goddess sitting on a king sized bed in her white dress which was now much more sheer. With a smile she asked "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?"
Piper's POV
Once she wasn't screaming in pain, she could hear the wind howling outside. Snowflakes fluttered through the hole in the roof, and after their meeting with Khione, snow was the last thing Piper wanted to see. "What happened to the dragon?" she asked. "Where are we?"
Leo's expression turned sullen. "I don't know with Festus. He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall." Piper remembered Enceladus's warning: I'll show you how easily your rebellious spirit can be brought to earth.
Had he managed to strike them down from so far away? It seemed impossible. If he were that powerful, why would he need her to betray her friends when he could just kill them himself? And how could the giant be keeping an eye on her in a snowstorm thousands of miles away?
Leo pointed to the logo on the wall. "As far as where we are ..." It was hard to see through the graffiti, but Piper could make out a large red eye with the stenciled words: monocle motors, assembly plant 1.
"Closed car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crash-landed in Detroit." Piper had heard about closed car plants in Detroit, so that made sense. But it seemed like a pretty depressing place to land.
"How far is that from Chicago?" Jason handed her the canteen. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."
"No way," Leo said. "It isn't safe." Piper thought about the way the ground had pulled at her feet in the dream, and what King Boreas had said about the earth yielding up more horrors.
"He's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And three people—Jason, you can't fly that many across country by yourself." "No way," Jason said. "Leo, are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and—" "And I might not have repaired him right?"
"I didn't say that," Jason protested. "It's just—maybe you could fix it." "I don't know." Leo sounded crestfallen. He pulled a few screws out of his pockets and started fiddling with them. "I'd have to find where he landed, if he's even in one piece."
"It was my fault." Piper said without thinking. She just couldn't stand it anymore. The secret about her father was heating up inside her like too much ambrosia. If she kept lying to her friends, she felt like she'd burn to ashes.
"Piper," Jason said gently, "you were asleep when Festus conked out. It couldn't be your fault." "Yeah, you're just shaken up," Leo agreed. He didn't even try to make a joke at her expense. "You're in pain. Just rest."
She wanted to tell them everything, but the words stuck in her throat. They were both being so kind to her. Yet if Enceladus was watching her somehow, saying the wrong thing could get her father killed.
Leo stood. "Look, um, Jason, why don't you stay with her, bro? I'll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him."
"It's too dangerous," Jason said. "You shouldn't go by yourself." "Ah, I got duct tape and breath mints. I'll be fine," Leo said, a little too quickly, and Piper realized he was a lot more shaken up than he was letting on.
"You guys just don't run off without me." Leo reached into his magic tool belt, pulled out a flashlight, and headed down the stairs, leaving Piper and Jason alone. Jason gave her a smile, though he looked kind of nervous.
It was the exact expression he'd had on his face after he'd kissed her the first time, up on the Wilderness School dorm roof—that cute little scar on his lip curving into a crescent. The memory gave her a warm feeling. Then she remembered that the kiss had never really happened. "You look better," Jason offered.
Piper wasn't sure if he meant her foot, or the fact that she wasn't magically beautified anymore. Her jeans were tattered from the fall through the roof. Her boots were splattered with melted dirty snow. She didn't know what her face looked like, but probably horrible.
Why did it matter? She'd never cared about things like that before. She wondered if it was her stupid mother, the goddess of love, messing with her thoughts. If Piper started getting urges to read fashion magazines, she was going to have to find Aphrodite and smack her.
She decided to focus on her ankle instead. As long as she didn't move it, the pain wasn't bad. "You did a good job," she told Jason. "Where'd you learn first aid?" He shrugged. "Same answer as always. I don't know."
"But you're starting to have some memories, aren't you? Like that prophecy in Latin back at camp, or that dream about the wolf." "It's fuzzy," he said. "Like déjà vu. Ever forgotten a word or a name, and you know it should be on the tip of your tongue, but it isn't? It's like that—only with my whole life."
Piper sort of knew what he meant. The last three months—a life she thought she'd had, a relationship with Jason—had turned out to be Mist. A boyfriend you never really had , Enceladus had said. Is that more important than your own father?
She should've kept her mouth shut, but she voiced the question that had been on her mind since yesterday. "That photo in your pocket," she said. "Is that someone from your past?" Jason pulled back. "I'm sorry," she said. "None of my business. Forget it."
"No—it's okay." His features relaxed. "Just, I'm trying to figure things out. Her name's Thalia. She's my sister. I don't remember any details. I'm not even sure how I know, but—um, why are you smiling?"
"Nothing." Piper tried to kill the smile. Not an old girlfriend. She felt ridiculously happy. "Um, it's just—that's great you remembered. Annabeth told me she became a Hunter of Artemis, right?"
Jason nodded. "I get the feeling I'm supposed to find her. Hera left me that memory for a reason. It's got something to do with this quest. But ... I also have the feeling it could be dangerous. I'm not sure I want to find out the truth. Is that crazy?"
"No," Piper said. "Not at all." She stared at the logo on the wall: monocle motors, the single red eye. Something about that logo bothered her.
Maybe it was the idea Enceladus was watching her, holding her father for leverage. She had to save him, but how could she betray her friends?
"Jason," she said. "Speaking of the truth, I need to tell you something—something about my dad—" She didn't get the chance. Somewhere below, metal clanged against metal, like a door slamming shut. The sound echoed through the warehouse.
Jason stood. He took out his coin and flipped it, snatching his golden sword out of the air. He peered over the railing. "Leo?" he called. No answer. He crouched next to Piper. "I don't like this." "He could be in trouble," Piper said. "Go check." "I can't leave you alone."
"I'll be fine." She felt terrified, but she wasn't about to admit it. She drew her dagger Katoptris and tried to look confident. "Anyone gets close, I'll skewer them." Jason hesitated. "I'll leave you the pack. If I'm not back in five minutes—"
"Panic?" she suggested. He managed a smile. "Glad you're back to normal. The makeup and the dress were a lot more intimidating than the dagger." "Get going, Sparky, before I skewer you." "Sparky?"
Even offended, Jason looked hot. It wasn't fair. Then he made his way to the stairs and disappeared into the dark. Piper counted her breaths, trying to gauge how much time had passed. She lost track at around forty-three. Then something in the warehouse went bang!
The echo died. Piper's heart pounded, but she didn't call out. Her instincts told her it might not be a good idea. She stared at her splinted ankle. It's not like I can run. Then she looked up again at the Monocle Motors sign.
A little voice in her head pestered her, warning of danger. Something from Greek mythology ... Her hand went to her backpack. She took out the ambrosia squares. Too much would burn her up, but would a little more fix her ankle?
Boom. The sound was closer this time, directly below her. She dug out a whole square of ambrosia and stuffed it in her mouth. Her heart raced faster. Her skin felt feverish. Hesitantly, she flexed her ankle against the splint.
No pain, no stiffness at all. She cut through the duct tape with her dagger and heard heavy steps on the stairs—like metal boots. Had it been five minutes? Longer? The steps didn't sound like Jason, but maybe he was carrying Leo. Finally she couldn't stand it.
Gripping her dagger, she called out, "Jason?" "Yeah," he said from the darkness. "On my way up." Definitely Jason's voice. So why did all her instincts say Run? With effort, she got to her feet. The steps came closer.
"It's okay," Jason's voice promised. At the top of the stairs, a face appeared out of the darkness—a hideous black grin, a smashed nose, and a single bloodshot eye in the middle of his forehead. "It's fine," the Cyclops said, in a perfect imitation of Jason's voice. "You're just in time for dinner."
(Y/N)'s POV
It was only in this context, while running for his life, that it finally occurred to (Y/N) what he had offered to Boreas upon meeting him, a blush found his face, and he turned his head, Khione frowned at it, "Please don't ruin this by getting hot and bothered."
Any normal person might have said "OUI!" Immediately, to this offer regardless of circumstance, but (Y/N) was a demigod, and had the sneaking suspicion he would still end up an ice sculpture if he accepted, because he looked around the room, and wondered how many others she had given that same offer to.
That and the fact he had absolutely no urge to be any closer to this woman then he was right now, and he was pretty sure he would be murdered for even attempting to, so he just said "No thanks."
Khione's room turned much colder, a miniature blizzard swelling up. "I do not like being denied (Y/N) (L/N)-" "That'll be the ancient Greek in you I imagine, but it's the twenty first century so-" Suddenly every statue in the room turned to him.
"Yeah...nope." He said, immediately rushing out the door and back into the hallway, away from the creepy lady. He ran towards where he saw the elevator appear, and hoped for a miracle, only to find himself cut off.
Khione was stood at the exit, six or so statues behind her. He turned his head, "How...how did you?" She just sighed at him, "You aren't living up to my expectations of you (Y/N), these past years, I've heard stories of your cold expression, your anger with the gods, what I see before me is...lacking that frosty demeanor."
"Good. That's the plan" He said simply, charging the first figure that swung a sword at him and kicking it in the jaw, it's head rolled off, and his leg really hurt, but it kept swinging. "You don't have to be intimidated (Y/N)"
(Y/N) pushed over another figure and said "Lady, there are only a few women alive who intimidate me, and you ain't one of 'em'" He smirked at the princess like he was welcoming her to attack, the room got colder.
The ice princess got so angry with (Y/N) his cold breath stayed in the air like mist. It rolled off her skin. Her eyes tracing his entire body, like she was sizing him up to see how good of a statue he'd make, she bit back a snarl and coldly said "So it would seem..."
He expected the ice soldiers to move like chess pieces. Bottom heavy because of the large chunks of ice that pinned them to the floor. Apparently that was some wishful thinking on his part because the ice men all moved with supernatural quickness.
Though from ice men conjured up by the god of north winds. He didn't know why he expected anything less. But still, (Y/N) couldn't help but sense a theme with all of his deadly encounters so far, with only a few exceptions.
"What is it with Greeks and statues?" He wondered. Trying to find an escape route and really wishing he had a fire breathing dragon right now. But instead, he found the next best thing, a window.
He tried to keep her talking as he dealt with her minions, so that she didn't realize his real target "How did you know who I was?" He asked her s he picked up a hefty chunk of ice. She smiled brightly, "What a silly question, I recognized you of course."
"Yeah, but how. Nobody else has been able to, not the satyr downstairs, not your brothers or father, not even Iris." Speaking of which, he heard the hurried batting of wings and felt cold breeze approaching.
She seemed to ponder this question for a moment, "Well, surely it must be the fates connecting us (Y/N)." She answered, snow falling lightly all around them, he didn't buy it, but couldn't think of a different explanation.
"Let's hope not." He said, his suspicions rising as she led the soldiers towards him. "Maybe they know you'd suit this world much better as a statue in my room." "No thanks!" He called out as he knocked the head off a statue.
He threw it towards her and she spiked through it with a rather sharp icicle, shattering the head of a rather lovely looking girl, but distracting her long enough for (Y/N) to make a dash for the window as Cal and his brother rounded the corner.
Not thinking about anything else, he threw his chuck of ice at the window, cold wind bit at him, icicles sprouted from the floor in front of him, but he just swan dived out the window a second before it froze over with ice.
He managed to dodge the icicles fairly well, even having the triumphant moment of looking down at his shirt and smiling at the lack of holes in it. He was proud of himself even as he fell through the air.
He thought about something for a second. "Wow that could have been a lot worse I almost ripped my-" Then, all the air left his lungs in a chilling moment, where he was frozen in shock. He twisted in the air, looking at the ice sheet.
"MY FANNY PACK!" He screamed so loud the window shook, and along the rooftops a few more deadly chandelier's fell. Along with his satchel, that had been sliced by the last attack and fell on to the freezing cold floors below as he tumbled out the window.
Suddenly 'SMASH!' Khione stood at the window, looking livid at the shattered ice, "Maia!" He yelled. Suddenly he could stand on the air, face to face with her at the window. She glared at him. "Au Revoir" He said as he blasted his way out of the room, flying as fast as he could on his wings.
Bad move, the second he had made it safely away from the building, his whole body froze up, the winds around him swirling harshly as he tried to fly away, pulling him into a cyclone of frost.
He was pelted with hailstones the size of golf balls, and slashed with icicles sharp as razors. All while his vision swirled harshly. He got closer and closer to the place he had just fled from as the Boreads all waited for him.
Suddenly it occurred to him that he as on a mission from a god, that meant he could call for her help right? Like his friend did in every fight he was ever in. He was half way through praying to Iris when he remembered something the abominable snow woman had said.
It was a thought that someone, probably Iris herself had bestowed upon him. About Boreas killing him because he was sent by his brother, Iris was the wife of Zephyros, if she helped him, he wondered if that could have been declared as a threat and spark a war. So he didn't want to risk it.
"FLEECY LITTLE HELP HERE!" He screamed over the howling winds, and luckily, his prayers were answered, the nymph must have been watching, because not only did the cold wind cyclone stop, he found himself lying on a rainbow.
Watching the winds above him contort angrily. "Well, that looked fun." Her voice said. "I wouldn't recommend it." He said as he watched the two Boread brothers fight to exit the window he had jumped through at the same time, and their father still looking on, dazed, as they faded into the distance.
But most concerning was Khione, who was hurling icicles at him even from there, he considered himself lucky she didn't have wings, or at least refused to use them, her attacks missed thankfully.
It was a truly terrifying glared that she gave him once it was clear she couldn't hit him, she just stopped and glared at him, mouthing the words "See you soon." And (Y/N) felt this was the appropriate time to add her to the list of women who intimidated him.