Kira woke up at a sidewalk cafe.
She had a dreamless sleep, which was odd how unpatternlike her dreams were. Plus, she missed Hestia.
"Mother!" She heard Piper yell, and Kira's eyes shot open. She almost fell out of her chair with surprise.
All four demigods and the satyr was sitting at table, her friends all waking up across from her.
It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.
"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"
"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"
Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Piper and made a little choking sound. "What are you wearing?"
She was wearing the turquoise dress she'd seen in her dream, with black leggings and black leather boots. Kira hid back a smirk, knowing Piper hated it until she looked down.
She was wearing a white satin dress with a loose cow neck line, greek goddess style. Kira had never worn something so fancy and showy, and when she noticed Leo staring, she immediately threw a windbreaker over it.
She glanced at her shoulders, where her hair was perfectly curled, sitting nicely on her shoulders.
"It's nothing," Piper said. "It's my—It's nothing."
Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh?"
"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"
"What...oh."
Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.
Kira couldn't help but find it extremely attractive.
"God, Leo." Piper tried not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."
"Hey, shut up!"
"I think he looks nice," Kira said, frowning. Leo burned up. Literally. Steam spilled out of his ears.
"I think he looks good, too," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."
The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.
"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me."
Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt, like he'd worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed.
"Lucky," Grumbled Kira, rubbing her arms, insecure in the dress.
"Anyway," Piper said uncomfortably, "how did we get here?"
"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."
"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."
"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."
"I'm going to be sick," Piper said. "Anyone else want coffee?"
"Coffee!" Hedge's grin was stained blue from the flower. "I love coffee!"
"Um," Jason said, "but—money? Our packs?"
Piper looked down, which Kira followed. Their packs were at their feet, and everything seemed to still be there. Piper brought out money from her coat.
Leo whistled. "Allowance? Piper, your mom rocks!"
"Waitress!" Hedge called. "Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."
It didn't take them long to figure out where they were. The menus said "Café Verve, Walnut Creek, CA." And according to the waitress, it was 9 a.m. on December 21, the winter solstice, which gave them three hours until Enceladus's deadline.
They didn't have to wonder where Mount Diablo was, either. They could see it on the horizon, right at the end of the street. It seemed downright peaceful, its golden creases marbled with gray-green trees.
Leo pulled something out of his pocket—the old crayon drawing Aeolus had given him.
As he did that, Kira's heart leaped, looking for her mother's photo. She skimmed through her bag, where she found it sitting at the bottom. She let a sigh of relief.
"What is that?" Piper asked.
Leo folded it up gingerly again and put it away. "Nothing. You don't want to see my kindergarten artwork."
"I do!" Kira said sweetly, smiling at Leo.
"It's more than that," Jason guessed. "Aeolus said it was the key to our success."
Leo shook his head. "Not today. He was talking about...later."
"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.
"Trust me," Leo said. "Now—what's our game plan?"
Coach Hedge belched. He'd already had three espressos and a plate of doughnuts, along with two napkins and another flower from the vase on the table. He would've eaten the silverware, except Piper had slapped his hand.
Kira stopped herself from having anything but a muffin so she didn't vomit on the giant that was holding Piper's dad hostage.
"Climb the mountain," Hedge said. "Kill everything except Piper's dad. Leave."
"Thank you, General Eisenhower," Jason grumbled.
"Hey, I'm just saying!"
"Guys," Piper said. "There's more you need to know."
Piper told them about their real enemy: Gaea.
"Gaea?" Leo shook his head. "Isn't that Mother Nature? She's supposed to have, like, flowers in her hair and birds singing around her and deer and rabbits doing her laundry."
"Leo, that's Snow White," Piper said.
"Okay, but—"
"Listen, cupcake." Coach Hedge dabbed the espresso out of his goatee. "Piper's telling us some serious stuff, here. Gaea's no softie. I'm not even sure I could take her."
Leo whistled. "Really?"
Hedge nodded. "This earth lady—she and her old man the sky were nasty customers."
"Ouranos," Piper said.
"Right," Hedge said. "So Ouranos, he's not the best dad. He throws their first kids, the Cyclopes, into Tartarus. That makes Gaea mad, but she bides her time. Then they have another set of kids—the twelve Titans—and Gaea is afraid they'll get thrown into prison too. So she goes up to her son Kronos—"
"The big bad dude," Leo said. "The one they defeated last summer."
"Right. And Gaea's the one who gives him the scythe, and tells him, 'Hey, why don't I call your dad down here? And while he's talking to me, distracted, you can cut him to pieces. Then you can take over the world. Wouldn't that be great?'"
"Definitely not Snow White," she decided.
"Nah, Kronos was a bad guy," Hedge said. "But Gaea is literally the mother of all bad guys. She's so old and powerful, so huge, that it's hard for her to be fully conscious. Most of the time, she sleeps, and that's the way we like her—snoring."
"But she talked to me," Leo said. "How can she be asleep?"
Gleeson brushed crumbs off his canary yellow lapel. He was on his sixth espresso now, and his pupils were as big as quarters. "Even in her sleep, part of her consciousness is active—dreaming, keeping watch, doing little things like causing volcanoes to explode and monsters to rise. Even now, she's not fully awake. Believe me, you don't want to see her fully awake."
"But she's getting more powerful," Piper said. "She's causing the giants to rise. And if their king comes back—this guy Porphyrion—"
"He'll raise an army to destroy the gods," Jason put in. "Starting with Hera. It'll be another war. And Gaea will wake up fully."
Coach nodded. "Which is why it's a good idea for us to stay off the ground as much as possible."
Leo looked warily at Mount Diablo. "So...climbing a mountain. That would be bad."
Kira could see Piper's face fall.
"Guys, I can't ask you to do this," Piper said. "This is too dangerous."
"We've got your back, Dove Girl," Kira told her. "Forever and always,"
"You kidding?" Gleeson belched and showed them his blue carnation smile. "Who's ready to beat stuff up?"
They ordered a cab to take them to the top of Mount Diablo to save Piper's father from the giant Enceladus.
The cab only made it halfway before it began making lurching, grinding noises.
Honestly, Kira wasn't even surprised with their luck at this point.
"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."
"We're sure." Leo was the first one out.
When Kira got out, she saw the wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. Not fast—just enough to make the driver think he had a transmission problem or a bad axle.
The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Kira's new white sneakers from Aphrodite were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.
"Keep the change," Leo told the driver. "And get out of here. Quick."
The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives—the kind Kira would never get again.
"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..."
He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."
"Jason?" Piper touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"
"Yes...no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."
"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."
Kira's heels were completely covered in the dirt.
"Hey, guys," Leo said. "Let's keep moving."
"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."
Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"
"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."
"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.
Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Kira had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.
"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."
Kira hit Leo's arm nervously. "That's all you, Lava Girl," She said, trying to lighten the mood, but everyone was tense.
Kira tried to stay positive, and she tried to help the group calm down, but she couldn't do that until she was calm herself.
Leo made his way to her as they climbed.
"You know," He said. "I never told you how awesome you were with those dragons,"
Kira winced. "Please don't make this seem like a goodbye, Leo,"
"I'm not! Simply praising you for your awesomeness with deadly golden dragons,"
Kira sighed. She looked at his chocolate eyes, wishing she had the confidence to tell him how she felt before she was crushed by the evil giant, Enceladus. This could be the last time she saw him!
Stop, she told herself. Stop thinking like that. You got this. "I got this," She murmured under her breath.
"Yes, you do, Shark Boy," Leo said loudly. Kira snuck a smile, shaking her head.
She just had to control her anger, and use her father's skills to kill the giant. She could do this. Even Leo thought she could do it.
Finally Jason crouched behind a wall of rock. He gestured for the others to do the same. Leo and Kira crawled up next to him. Piper had to pull Coach Hedge down.
"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.
"Shhh!" Piper said.
Reluctantly, the satyr knelt.
Just over the ridge where they were hiding, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.
Trees had been cut down to make a huge purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment.
To start with, he was thirty feet tall—easily as tall as the treetops. He seemed intent on the weird purple bonfire, circling it and chanting under his breath. From the waist up, the giant appeared human, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. His skin was bronze but covered with ash. His eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.
His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet—like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.
"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"
Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"
"Aw, c'mon."
Piper choked back a sob. "Look."
Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious.
"Dad," she said.
"There's four of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."
"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo asked.
"Okay," Hedge said. "So you, me, Kira, and Jason distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."
They all looked at Jason.
"What?" Jason asked. "I'm not the leader."
"Yes," Piper said. "You are."
"Shut up and accept it, Grace," Kira told him quietly, taking her sword out.
"I hate to say it," Jason sighed, "but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."
"Let's boogie," Leo said. "Before I come to my senses."
Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while Leo, Kira, Jason, and Coach Hedge walked straight into the clearing.
Kira branded her sword, trying to look powerful. Taking a deep breath, her mind cleared and she was ready for a fight.
If anyone looked at her in the right mind, they probably would have run. She was scary when she was determined.
Jason summoned his golden lance. He brandished it over his head and yelled, "Giant!"
"Yo, Potato Face!" Kira yelled next to him.
Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.
"Well," the giant rumbled. "What a nice surprise."
Leo hand closed on his windup gadget. He stepped sideways, edging his way toward the bulldozer.
Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your—"
"Coach," Jason said. "Shut up."
Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how funny satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."
"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at Leo. "I don't think that was a compliment."
Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.
"Scatter!" Leo yelled.
Kira and Jason dove opposite ways, Hedge with Jason and Kira almost falling into Leo.
She shot him a wave, before turning to see the giant fire protrude from his mouth.
Jason rose and charge the giant. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" Then he raised his club and charged, too.
Kira took a deep breath again, glaring at the monster. Then she ran into battle.
Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.
Kira was thrown back, hitting a construction vehicle.
She saw Jason staggering to his feet on the other side of the clearing.
Coach Hedge was knocked out cold. He'd fallen forward and hit his head on a log.
She groaned, trying to stop the dizziness in her vision. She stood, wobbling. Her eyes widened as she thought that Enceladus multiplied, but she had only gotten herself a second concussion. Lovely.
The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes to Leo's right. Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.
Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"
They had played right into Enceladus trap. But Kira didn't care. She was going to try with everything she had to beat this stupid monster.
"That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"
Kira saw Leo staring off, but she couldn't afford to. She blanked herself, shaking off her disorientation.
Piper, Leo, and Enceladus were arguing, but Kira couldn't focus. She caught eyes with Jason, who nodded. They went for take two, but Enceladus roared, a call so loud it echoed down the valley.
At the edge the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up. They'd risen straight out of the earth.
Kira gulped, holding her sword tightly.
The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms—one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths, and even across the clearing, Kira could smell them.
Leo stepped toward Piper. "What—what are those?"
Her blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees."
"In English?" Leo asked.
"The Earthborn," she said. "Six-armed giants who fought Jason—the first Jason."
"Very good, my dear!" Enceladus sounded delighted. "They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain. Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"
"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hands as though driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"
"Yes, thank you, boys," Encedalus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."
"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"
Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."
Kira was ready to fight, no matter what Piper chose. She wouldn't judge her for the hard choice she was about to make.
"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."
Her words rippled across the clearing with such force, the Earthborn muttered, "Okay. Okay, sorry," and began to retreat.
"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "This is why we wanted you alive, my dear. You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earth-born! I will show you Jason."
Enceladus pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.
"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"
One look from Jason, and all four of them knew the game plan. When had that happened, that they could read each other so well?
Jason and Kira charged Enceladus, while Piper rushed to her father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.
Kira could hear Leo and Piper take off, but she had to focus on her job. She worked flawlessly with Jason, both taking turns to distract him and the other to hurt.
The giant lunged his spear at Kira first, but she blocked it easily, turning her sword so she parred it at the last second.
The forced with digging her into the Earth, and she could feel the dirt becoming softer, dragging her in like quicksand.
When Enceladus brought up the spear again to stab her, and she rolled out of the way just in time before the spear sunk into the dirt.
He roared, but Jason was already on top of him, slicing at him anywhere he could.
Enceladus flung him off and shot fire breath at Kira. Yelping, she scurried out of the way. The dress was not helping, even though she had shorts on under, it was caked with dirt and it was flowing, slowing her down.
They continued to fight, both knowing to play defense until the giant was worn out.
Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike, but he just barely managed to deflect the spear, it grazed his shoulder.
He backed up, almost tripping over a burning log.
Kira distracted him, stabbing him in the ankle while he tried to get to Jason.
He roared, but he was faster then Kira expected. He swung out at her, and she dodged easily. But then he breathed fire. She blocked her face with her sword, but she winced as burns heated her legs.
Groaning, she held her ground.
"The mighty Jason Grace," Enceladus taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."
Enceladus turned to Kira, snarling.
"And you. Girl? You're nothing, a puny demigod who thinks they can defeat me?"
Kira let his words roll off her. Kira saw Jason stand. Knowing he was about to charge, she ran into action as well to distract Enceladus.
He smirked at her, slamming his spear into the ground. Kira yelped, and rolled away, heaving for breath.
She got up quickly, zig zagging enough to get past his giant spear and stab at his legs more.
The giant swung again, and Kira dodged, but the spear grazed her shoulder down to her arm, and she was shoved into another construction vehicle.
Containing her tears, she tried to stand. Her burns and the new cut that was much deeper then a graze was weakening her.
She hear Jason and Enceladus fighting, but it sounded miles away. She squeezed her eyes shut, using her sword as a cane to get up.
Wobbling slightly, she managed to stand on her own.
Enceladus swept his spear sideways, met Jason's javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.
The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding Kira.
The explosion created a crater. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused.
Using this, Kira ran forward.
"Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."
Enceladus leaped the crater in a single bound, planting his feet on either side of Jason. The giant raised his spear, its tip hovering six feet over Jason's chest.
"And now," Enceladus said, "my first sacrifice to Gaea!"
Kira jumped at him, stabbing his shin. Enceladus roared, turning around to her.
She barely dodged it. Her shoulder screamed as she crashed into the ground again, but she had to scurry up before Gaea sucked her into the Earth.
Leo's voice yelled, "Heads up!"
A large black metal wedge slammed into Enceladus with a massive thunk! The giant toppled over and slid into the pit.
"Jason, get up!" Piper called. Piper grabbed him under his arms and hauled him to his feet. "Don't die on me," she ordered. "You are not dying on me."
"C'mon, Ki!" Leo called gently. "Get up!"
Kira staggered to her feet, listening to Leo as well as she could.
Enceladus was struggling to rise, an ax blade the size of a washing machine stuck in his breastplate.
Amazingly, the giant managed to pull the ax blade free. He yelled in pain and the mountain trembled. Golden ichor soaked the front of his armor, but Enceladus stood.
Shakily, he bent down and retrieved his spear.
"Good try." The giant winced. "But I cannot be beaten."
As they watched, the giant's armor mended itself, and the ichor stopped flowing.
Kira sighed, exhausted, but still completely determined.
"What is it with this guy? Die, already!" Leo yelled.
"My fate is preordained," Enceladus said. "Giants cannot be killed by gods or heroes."
"Only by both," Jason said. The giant's smile faltered, and Kira saw in his eyes something like fear. "It's true, isn't it? Gods and demigods have to work together to kill you."
"You will not live long enough to try!" The giant started stumbling up the crater's slope, slipping on the glassy sides.
"Anyone have a god handy?" Leo asked.
"Leo," he said, "if you've got a rope in that tool belt, get it ready."
Jason was weaponless and hurt. With one look to Kira, she knew. She had to hold him off until his father answered him.
Kira charged.
"Enceladus!" Piper yelled. "Look behind you!"
Kira leaped, stabbing his upper thigh. The giant lost his balance. Enceladus slammed into the crater and slid to the bottom. While he tried to rise, Kira put her arms around the giant's neck. When Enceladus struggled to his feet, Kira was riding his shoulders.
"Get off!" Enceladus screamed. He tried reach Kira, who scrambled out of the way.
Suddenly she could smell the metallic scent of a storm. Darkness swallowed the sun. The giant froze, sensing it too.
Jason yelled, "Hit the deck!"
Jason was lightening proof. Kira? Not so much. She scampered away as fast as she could, towards Leo's arms, but her eyes were growing heavy, her shoulder ached..
She stumbled as the crack of a lightening bolt shattered behind her. She was knocked unconscious immediately, her body falling in front of Leo.