O C E A N U S

C H A P T E R   F I V E

( the quest begins )

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

          WHEN MALIA HAD woken up that morning, she hadn't expected to see the giant bronze fire-breathing dragon that had been terrorizing the woods of camp flying above the cabins. And she definitely hadn't expected to see the one and only Leo Valdez riding on the back of it.

With her bag on her shoulders and her sword concealed in the bracelet on her wrist, she ran toward the gathering crowd with a few campers, Jason, and Annabeth following her. Excitement raced through her veins as she looked at the bronze dragon gleaming in the early-morning sunlight. In her opinion, the mechanical dragon was insanely beautiful.

As they got closer, Malia could hear what the other campers were saying. One of the Ares girls shouted, "That thing is dangerous! Kill it now!"

"Stand down!" Jason ordered beside Malia, the group finally coming to a stop as they reached the front of the gathering.

Now that she was closer, she could see Leo standing in front of the dragon with a grin. He looked like he'd been rolling around in the campfire. His army coat and his face were smeared with soot. His hands were grease-stained, and he wore a new tool belt around his waist. His eyes were bloodshot. His curly hair was so oily it stuck up in porcupine quills, and he smelled strangely of Tabasco sauce. But he looked absolutely delighted.

"Leo, what have you done?" Jason asked in amazement.

"Found a ride!" Leo beamed. "You said I could go on the quest if I got you a ride. Well, I got you a class-A metallic flying bad boy! Festus can take us anywhere!"

"Hell yeah!" Malia said, grinning widely. She forgot about her fear of heights at the sight of the dragon.

"It—has wings," Nyssa stammered. Her jaw looked like it might drop off her face.

"Yeah!" Leo said. "I found them and reattached them."

"But it never had wings. Where did you find them?"

Leo hesitated, and Malia could tell he was hiding something.

"In. . . the woods," he said. "Repaired his circuits, too, mostly, so no more problems with him going haywire."

"Mostly?" Nyssa asked.

The dragon's head twitched. It titled to one side and a stream of black liquid—maybe oil, hopefully just oil—poured out of its ear, all over Leo.

"Just a few kinks to work out," Leo said.

"But how did you survive. . . ?" Nyssa was still staring at the creature in awe. "I mean, the fire breath. . ."

"I'm quick," Leo said. "And lucky. Now, am I on this quest, or what?"

Jason scratched his head. "You named him Festus? You know that in Latin, 'festus' means 'happy'? You want us to ride off to save the world on Happy the Dragon?"

The dragon twitched and shuddered and flapped his wings.

"That's a yes, bro!" Leo said. "Now, um, I'd really suggest we get going, guys. I already picked up some supplies in the—um, in the woods. And all these people with weapons are making Festus nervous."

Jason frowned. "But we haven't planned anything yet. We can't just—"

"Go," Annabeth said. She was the only one who didn't look nervous at all. Her expression was sad and wistful, and Malia knew what she was thinking about. She was thinking back on the multiple quests that she, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover had gone on with little to no plan at all.

"Jason, she's right. We've only got three days until the solstice now, and you should never keep a nervous dragon waiting. This is certainly a good omen! Let's go!" Malia was excited at the prospect of having a dragon as her ride.

Jason nodded, meeting her eyes. He smiled at her. "You ready, partner?"

Malia grinned up at the dragon, excitement swimming in her eyes. She then looked back at Jason and nodded. "You bet!"

Piper and Leo boarded the dragon, but Annabeth held Jason and Malia back. Her gray eyes shimmered with multiple thoughts, and Malia wondered what all was running through her head.

"Promise me you'll be safe out there, Lia. You and Percy have a knack for getting in trouble." Malia rolled her eyes with a grin.

"When am I never not safe, Annie?" Annabeth gave her a look, and Malia sighed. "I promise I'll be safe. But you promise that, too, okay? Find my brother, but don't die in the process. Please?"

Annabeth nodded, and wrapped the girl in a tight hug. Malia felt Annabeth slip something into her jacket pocket, but she didn't mention it. They pulled back and Annabeth gave her a small smile.

"I promise I'll be safe. And I promise I'll find Percy. The idiot is probably off somewhere insulting a god." Malia laughed and nodded, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. "I'll see you when you get back."

They embraced again before Malia turned to Jason with a small smile. "Ready to go, Hercules?"

"Hercules?" Jason asked, furrowing his brows. "Where did that name come from?"

"You're a child of Zeus. He's a child of Zeus. He's saved the world. You're about to save the world. Boom. Hercules!" Malia said.

Jason blinked. "I'm actually not mad about that."

"Great, 'cause you're never getting rid of that name anytime soon." She grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the dragon where the others were waiting. She climbed on first, taking the spot behind Piper, and Jason got on behind her. "Let's get this started before I change my mind."

Leo sent her a grin. "That's what I'm talking about. Come on, Festus. Let's go!"

With that, the giant bronze dragon took off into the sky, leaving behind the safety of Camp Half-Blood and everything Malia knew.

Oh, gods. What was she getting herself into?

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

Flying on the dragon was the most horrifying yet amazing experience ever, Malia thought.

Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren't uncomfortable at all. Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating. They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, then Malia, then Jason, and Malia was very aware of Jason right behind her. To her surprise, he had wrapped his arms around her waist when they took off, filling her body to the brim with warmth.

Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.

Leo grinned back at them. "Cool, right?"

"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.

"The Mist," Jason said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."

Piper glanced over her shoulder. "You sure about that?"

"No," he admitted.

Malia looked back at him, fully prepared to give him some form of sarcastic remark, when she noticed that he was holding a photo in his hand—a picture of a girl with dark hair. Malia felt her smile widen when she spotted Thalia Grace smiling back at her.

When Jason looked up and met her eyes, he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. "I see you've found out about Thalia."

He nodded. "Did you know her?"

"Yeah. She's really cool. Sent my brother flying once by giving him an electric shock that would make Old Sparky turn green with envy." Malia grinned at the memory. "Crashed Apollo's sun chariot, too. You two would really get along, I think. You're a lot alike."

Jason hummed in thought. "How so?"

"Show offs. Not huge fans of your father, but still wanted to make him proud. Natural born leaders," Malia said, giving him a smile. "I hope you get to meet her one day."

"Me, too," he said. He then addressed the rest of their group. "We're making good time. Probably get there by tonight."

"Where are we heading?" Piper asked.

"To find the god of the North Wind," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."

Piper and Malia kept up casual conversation for a while, allowing Jason to get some rest and Leo to fly the dragon. However, Leo woke Jason up and halted any conversation when he said, "Shut up, me."

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."

Malia perked a brow. She knew he couldn't see her, but she hoped he could feel her stare burning into the back of his head. Having a sleep-deprived and hallucinating pilot was not what she wanted. Especially since she was a daughter of Poseidon currently traveling through Zeus's domain, which was a big no-no.

"Just joking," Leo said. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?"

As they flew over New England, Jason laid out the game plan: First, find the god of the North Wind Boreas and grill him for information—

"His name is Boreas?" Leo asked. "What is he, the God of Boring?"

Second, Jason continued, they had to find those venti (anemoi thuellai, whatever) that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon—

"Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo asked. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."

"Huh, guess that's where Starbucks got the name from," Malia muttered.

And third, Jason finished, they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so they could find Hera and free her.

"So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose," Leo said. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."

"Sounds like a nice guy," Malia said with a grin. "Is he hot?"

"That's about it," Jason said. He then turned to Malia. "And no, to both of those things."

Malia rolled her eyes. "All right, no need to get grumpy."

Jason shook his head with a smile. "There may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."

Jason told them about his dream—the big nasty mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool.

"Sounds like Lupa," Malia said, her mind racing a million miles a second. "She raised Remus and Romulus after they were thrown from Olympus and into the Tiber. She's like the Roman counterpart of Chiron, training heroes and all that. From what I've read, she can be real nasty if you were weak around her."

"Annabeth said you knew a lot about Roman and Greek mythology," Jason said.

Malia nodded with a hum. "Had to find a way to call Percy an idiot without him being able to understand it or tell on me to our mom. Latin was one language he really had a hard time understanding."

"Would you happen to know anything about the house she is in?" Piper asked.

Malia thought for a moment before shaking her head with a sigh. "Nope. Nothing in Roman mythology mentions a burned down house. Sorry."

"And you don't know where this place is, either?" Leo asked Jason.

"Nope," Jason admitted.

"There's also giants," Piper added, making Malia shiver. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."

"Hold on," Leo said. "Giants—like more than one? Why can't it be just one giant who wants revenge?"

"I don't think so," Piper said. "I remember in some of the old Greek stories, there was something about an army of giants."

Malia nodded. "The children of Gaea and Tartarus, the spirit of the abyss. Made to take down each Olympian god."

"Great," Leo muttered. "Of course, with our luck, it's an army. So you know anything else about these giants? Didn't you do a bunch of myth research for that movie with your dad?"

"Your dad's an actor?" Jason and Malia asked.

Leo laughed. "I keep forgetting about your amnesia. Heh. Forgetting about amnesia. That's funny. But yeah, her dad's Tristan McLean."

Malia furrowed her brows. She had no clue who that was. She preferred to watch movies that didn't focus on Greek or Roman mythology since she had to deal with that stuff every day. And it seemed like that's all that Piper's dad did movies on, since Leo had mentioned her doing myth research.

"Uh— Sorry, what was he in?" Jason asked.

"It doesn't matter," Piper said quickly. "The giants—well, there were lots of giants in Greek mythology. But if I'm thinking of the right ones, they were bad news. Huge, almost impossible to kill. They could throw mountains and stuff. I think they were related to the Titans. They rose from the earth after Kronos lost the war—I mean the first Titan war, thousands of years ago—and they tried to destroy Olympus. If we're talking about the same giants—"

"Chiron said it was happening again," Jason remembered. "The last chapter. That's what he meant. No wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."

"Makes sense that the giants would be reborn," Malia said, fiddling with her bracelet. "If the past is repeating itself, the fall of Kronos should bring the giants. Gods, when I get back to camp, I'm gonna drown that old centaur."

Leo whistled. "So. . . giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us of we show weakness. Evil espresso drinks. Gotcha. Maybe this isn't the time to bring up my psycho babysitter."

"Is that another joke?" Piper asked.

Leo told them about Tia Callida, who was really Hera, and how she'd appeared to him at camp. Malia felt as though Leo was holding something important back, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to upset the only person who could control the dragon they were using as transportation. Plus, he'd already told them about how his mother died when her machine shop collapsed. She didn't want to make him feel worse.

He also told them about the strange woman in earthen robes who seemed to be asleep, and seemed to know the future. Malia tensed as her thoughts ran wild, ideas on who this woman could be sifting through her mind. Jason sent her a look of concern, probably feeling her stiffen, but she played it off with a small smile.

"That's. . . disturbing," Piper said.

"Try grotesque or violating," Malia added.

"'Bout sums it up," Leo agreed. "Thing is, everybody said don't trust Hera. She hates demigods. And the prophecy said we'd cause death if we unleash her rage. So I'm wondering. . . why are we doing this?"

Malia glowered. "Hera isn't one to trust your life with, I can tell you that. But, despite how much I despise her, she is still the queen of the gods. No matter how much better life would be without her, the Olympians depend on her for balance. She is, after all, the goddess of marriage and family."

"She chose us, too," Jason added. "All four of us. We're the first of the eight who have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something much bigger."

That didn't seem to make either Piper or Leo feel better, but Malia couldn't argue with Jason's point. It did feel like this was the start of something huge. She just wished that the other four demigods that were part of the prophecy would get their act together and help them sooner rather than later. Malia hoped that Percy and Annabeth were two of the eight. Otherwise she would go out of her mind with worry.

"Besides," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way I can get my memory back. And that dark spire in my dream seemed to be feeding on Hera's energy. If that thing unleashes a king of the giants by destroying Hera—"

"Not a good trade-off," Piper agreed. "At least Hera is on our side—mostly. Losing her would throw the gods into chaos. Like Malia said, she's the main one who keeps peace in the family. And a war with the giants could be even more destructive than the Titan War."

"Gods, I hope not." Malia pursed her lips, praying to every god out there that it wouldn't be worse.

Jason nodded. "Chiron also talked about worse forces stirring on the solstice, with it being a good time for dark magic, and all—something that could awaken if Hera were sacrificed on that day. And this mistress who's controlling the storm spirits, the one who wants to kill all the demigods—"

"Might be the weird sleeping lady," Leo finished. "Dirt Woman fully awake? Not something I want to see."

"But who is she?" Jason asked. "And what does she have to do with giants?"

Malia bit her lip. She had a sneaking suspicion on who this dirt woman was. If history really was repeating itself, then the waking of the giants meant that their mother wasn't far behind. And their mother was the only sleeping goddess that Malia really knew about. She could be wrong, of course, but spending so much time with Annabeth taught Malia that her demigod gut feelings were normally never wrong.

Festus kept flying. The wind got colder, and below them, snowy forests seemed to go on forever. Malia didn't know exactly where Quebec was. She'd been to a lot of parts of the U.S., but she'd never entered Canada before. That, and she didn't know much French. Sure, she'd taken it in high school and middle school, but she could barely read English, let alone French.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Piper told Leo. "You were up all night."

Leo looked like he wanted to protest, but his eyes were already drooping. "You won't let me fall off?"

Piper patted his shoulder. "Trust me, Valdez. Beautiful people never lie."

"Right," he muttered. He leaned forward against the dragon's neck and closed his eyes, instantly falling asleep.

Malia noticed how exhausted Piper looked and gave her a small smile. "Why don't you take your own advice and get some shut eye, Piper. You look tired."

Piper nodded and leaned forward, resting against Leo's back. She quickly fell asleep, leaving only Malia and Jason awake. The daughter of Poseidon studied her surroundings with careful eyes. She was waiting for Zeus to strike her out of the sky, since it had been pretty smooth sailing so far, but maybe having the son of Zeus sitting behind her gave her some leeway.

After a moment of silence, Jason spoke, "You know who this Dirt Woman is, don't you?"

Malia bit her lip and sighed. "Jason, there's a lot I've learned since discovering I'm a demigod. Some of it good, some of it bad. If this Dirt Woman is who I think she is. . . then the giants aren't what we should worry about."

Jason's grip on her waist tightened a bit. "You know, you're almost as cryptic as Chiron."

"Those are fighting words, Hercules." Malia turned to look over her shoulder, meeting Jason's bright eyes. "That's an insult of the highest accord."

Jason cracked a grin. "Oh, really?"

Malia nodded. "Really."

The two laughed softly, the sound echoing in the cold air. When they settled down, Jason nudged Malia's shoulder. "You should get some sleep, too, Malia. We have a long journey ahead of us, and I have a feeling right now is the only time we'll have to sleep."

Malia nodded. "Don't let me fall, Jason. Or I'll haunt your ass in the Underworld."

Jason chuckled. "I promise I won't let you fall."

With that, Malia leaned back against Jason's chest, her heart racing when she felt his arms tighten around her waist. Within seconds, she was falling asleep, slipping into an ocean of memories.

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

"Come on, Lia! Move, you slow poke!" Percy shouted over his shoulder.

An eight year old Malia chased after a nine year old Percy, the two children stumbling over their feet as they ran around their apartment in Manhattan. Sally Jackson watched her kids with shining eyes, laughing to herself as Malia tackled her older brother to the ground with a grin.

"Gotcha, Percy!" Malia grinned down at him, giggling.

Percy rolled his eyes. "You only got me because I let you get me."

"You have a cru-u-ush!" Malia sang as she skipped into the Poseidon cabin, smirking at her brother.

Percy frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

Malia sat down on Percy's bed and poked his cheek. "You like Annabeth!"

"What? No!" Percy's cheeks flamed red.

Malia scoffed. "Ugh, it's so-o-o obvious, Perce. I mean, you blush when you're around her. You look at her like she's the only girl in the world. Puh-lease! I know what I'm talking about."

Percy rolled his eyes and nudged Malia. "Shut up, Lia. I don't have a crush on Annabeth."

"Whatever you say." Percy threw a pillow at Malia, the girl laughing as she threw it back, starting a pillow fight in the cabin.

"Aha! I knew it!" Malia laughed with glee as she jumped out from behind the pillar she was hiding behind.

Percy and Annabeth stared at her with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. The rest of the camp came out from their hiding spots, torches lit and faces alight with mishief.

"Looks like these two need to cool down!" Clarisse said, the campers moving to pick Percy and Annabeth up. "To the lake!"

Malia laughed as she helped the campers take her brother and Annabeth down toward the lake, the group tossing them into the water with grins. Malia knew they'd be down there for a while, but that didn't stop her from laughing with the rest of the camp and teasing them.

"Percy, put me down!" Malia squealed as Percy picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, the two of them laughing as he walked through the camp.

"Time for some payback, Lia." Malia noticed that they were heading toward the lake and struggled harder, which only made Percy laugh. "Stop fighting, genius."

"Gods, I'm gonna murder you!" Percy rolled his eyes and stopped in front of the lake, wasting no time in throwing Malia into the water. She screamed as she hit the surface, swimming up and glaring at her laughing brother. "Ha ha. Very funny. Just wait till I tell Annabeth."

Percy's eyes widened. "Oh, gods."

Percy was fast asleep on the ground, his body curled up tightly into a ball. Malia stared down at him with furrowed brows, looking around. She was standing in what looked like a burned down house, made of redwood and volcanic rock. It looked exactly like how Jason had said the burned-out house in his dreams had looked.

"Where am I?" she asked no one in particular. "What's going on?"

"Malia," a voice said behind her, causing her to spin around.

Standing behind her was her dad. Poseidon looked the same, with a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts. He was holding his trident and smiling at her.

"Dad?" She hadn't seen him in a while. "What's happening? Where are we?"

Poseidon sighed. "Someplace important. But not to your kind."

Malia frowned. "This is the place Jason was talking about. The place where Lupa is, right?"

Poseidon nodded. "And the place where you'll find Hera."

"Wait, if you know where this place is, then why can't you come and get her yourself?" Malia asked.

Poseidon shook his head. "That's not how this works, Malia. I'm only able to see this place because you were thinking of it when you fell asleep. You had an idea in your head, and I worked off of it. I don't actually know where this place is, or if it truly holds Hera."

Malia huffed. "Then I guess you also couldn't tell me how to find it."

"Sorry." Malia nodded with a frown, already suspecting this. "But, I can tell you this: Percy is there. Asleep. Hera is playing a dangerous game, doing what she's doing, but you must trust that she's doing the right thing. Otherwise, you'll never find Percy."

"What do you mean by that?" Malia asked, glancing toward the sleeping form of her brother nervously. "How can I trust Hera after everything she's done? What's she doing?"

Poseidon shook his head. "I wish I could tell you more. But you're beginning to wake. Stay strong, my darling daughter. I'll see you again soon."

"Wait!" But it was too late. Malia felt herself get sucked out of the house, her vision going dark.

⟶⬩⬥⬩⟵

"Hey, we're here."

Malia's eyelids fluttered open, revealing a darkening sky. Her head was swimming with thoughts about what her father had meant, and where the house could be, but she pushed them away when she saw what was going on below her.

A city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town, way older than any place that Malia had been to or seen before. In the center was an actual castle—at least Malia assumed it was a castle—with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said.

"Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

Piper made a face at him, but Malia was pretty sure it wasn't working with her new glamorous makeup. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"No, that's only Drew. Everyone else in the cabin is pretty cool as long as that drama queen isn't around," Malia promised.

"Feisty!" Leo said. "So you know so much, what's that castle?"

"A hotel, I think," Piper said.

Leo laughed. "No way."

But as they got closer, Malia saw she was right. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.

"The North Wind is staying in a hotel?" Leo said. "That can't be—"

"Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted. "We got company!"

Malia looked below and saw what Jason meant. Rising from the top of the tower were two winged figures—angry angels, with nasty-looking swords.

"Oh, no. Not these idiots!" Malia groaned, throwing her head back.

Festus didn't like the angel guys, and Malia couldn't blame him. He swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound in his throat that made Malia wonder if he was about to blow fire.

"Steady, boy," Leo muttered.

"I don't like this," Jason said. "The look like storm spirits."

"Believe me, I wish they were," Malia mumbled, glaring at the figures as they got closer.

They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might've been brothers, but they definitely weren't twins.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.

The other guy looked like he'd just stepped out of one of Malia's mom's favorite 1980's tv shows—Growing Pains or maybe Full House. His ice-white hair was long and feathered into a mullet (yuck!). He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a gods-awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open. Maybe he thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds, and he had a bad case of acne.

The angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered there, swords at the ready.

The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."

"'Scuse me?" Leo said.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained the groovy love god. On top of his other problems, he had a French accent so bad Malia was sure it was fake. Or maybe it was real and she just hated French accents after meeting Dr. Thorne. "This is restricted airspace."

"Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin.

The dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword and held Malia close to him, ready to defend her, but Leo cried, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"

"I am Cal!" the ox grunted. He looked very proud of himself, like he'd taken a long time to memorize that sentence.

"That's short for Calais," the love god said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"—which includes his own name," the love god finished.

"I am Cal," Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

"Wow," Leo said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.

"Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the ladies there—" He winked at Piper and Malia, but the wink looked mire like a facial seizure. Jason's grip on Malia's waist tightened, making Malia's stomach flutter with butterflies. "They can call me anything they like. Perhaps they would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you."

Piper made a sound like gagging on a cough drop. "That's. . . a truly horrifying offer."

"I've told you this once, Zethes, and I'll gladly say it again," Malia said. "I will never go on a date with you. Not even if you were the last demigod alive."

"It is no problem." Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. "We are a very romantic people, we Boreads."

"That's debatable," Malia mumbled.

"Boreads?" Jason cut in. "Do you mean, like, the sons of Boreas?"

"Ah, so you've heard of us!" Zethes looked pleased. "We are our father's gatekeepers. So you understand, we cannot have unauthorized people flying in his airspace on creaky dragons, scaring the silly mortal peoples."

He pointed below, and Malia saw that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up—not with alarm, yet—more with confusion and annoyance, like the dragon was a traffic helicopter flying too low.

"The only reason they're taking notice is because you two stopped us while we were flying through," Malia said, glaring at Zethes.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, ignoring Malia's statement. He brushed his hair out of his acne-covered face. "We will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than Malia thought necessary.

"Wait!" Piper said. "This is an emergency landing."

"Awww!" Cal looked so disappointed.

Zethes studied Piper, which of course he'd already been doing. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"

"We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" She forced a smile, which Malia figured must've been killing her; but she still had that blessing of Aphrodite thing going on, and she looked great. Something about her voice, too. Malia knew charmspeak from a mile away, and she felt her lips pull into a smirk.

Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. "Well. . . I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—"

"And our dragon is malfunctioning!" Malia added, forcing her own smile. "It could crash any minute!"

Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.

"No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

Zethes pondered the problem. Then he gave Piper and Malia another spasmodic wink. "Well, you are pretty. I mean, you're right. A malfunctioning dragon—this could be an emergency."

"Destroy them later?" Cal offered, which was probably as close to friendly as he ever got.

"It will take some explaining," Zethes decided. "Father has not been kind to visitors lately. But, yes. Come, faulty dragon people. Follow us."

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts—or at least Malia thought they were weapons. Then the Boreads switched them on, and Malia realized they were flashlights with orange cones, like the ones traffic controller guys used on a runway. Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel's tower.

Leo turned to his friends. "I love these guys. Follow them?"

Jason, Piper, and Malia shared a nervous look.

"I guess," Jason decided. "We're here now. But I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors."

"Pfft, he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights!"

Malia swallowed thickly and held tight to the dragon as it followed the Boreads. As they got closer, Malia worried they'd crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads.

They landed in what must have been the penthouse suite, but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets. A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall, and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening. When Malia slid of the dragon, the carpet crunched under her feet. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles. As for the stairs, Malia was sure she'd break every bone in her body if she tried to climb them.

"Guys," Leo said, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

"Not me." Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something up there. . ."

Festus shuddered and snorted flames. Frost started to form on his scales.

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Malia had no idea. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

"Hey, don't blame the heat for something that was definitely human error," Malia said, glaring at Zethes.

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

"'S'okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes. "The dragon's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

"No, man. You gotta stop with the destroy talk. Just wait."

"Leo," Piper said nervously, "what are you—"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others. . . Ah, here we go."

Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami. His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase.

Leo tried to lift it, but the thing probably weighed about six billion pounds. "Um. . . yeah. Hold on. I think—aha."

He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" he announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"That's impossible," Jason said.

"That's so cool!" Malia corrected.

Jason shook his head. "Something that big couldn't—"

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.

Leo raised his hands. "Okay. . . what'd I do? Stay calm, guys. If it bothers you that much, I don't have to take the dragon as a carry-on—"

"Who are you?" Zethes shoved the point of his sword against Leo's chest. "A child of the South Wind, spying on us?"

"What? No!" Leo said. "Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anyone!"

Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo's and judging by the expression Leo wore, he wasn't very pretty up close and personal. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

"Oh," Leo said. "Yeah, well. . . my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and—"

"No!" Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. "We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was from the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire. . . on you."

Malia watched Leo nervously. "Hey. . . look. . . I don't know—" He glanced at his friends desperately. "Guys, a little help?"

Jason already had his gold coin in his hand. He stepped forward, his eyes on Zethes. "Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."

"Um. . ."

"Zethes?" Piper tried her dazzling smile again, though she looked a little too nervous and cold to pull it off. "We're all friends here. Put down your swords and let's talk."

"The girl is pretty," Zethes admitted, "and of course she cannot help being attracted to my amazingness; but sadly, I cannot romance her at this time." He poked his sword point farther into Leo's chest.

Malia felt her bracelet grow warm against her wrist, and she looked down at it to see it glittering bronze and green. It was telling her danger was near.

"Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.

Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think—"

"No," Jason insisted. He sounded calm enough, but Malia figured he was about two seconds away from flipping that coin and going into full gladiator mode. Which, admittedly, would be pretty hot. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite. Malia is the daughter of Poseidon. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful. . ."

Jason's voice faltered, because both Boreads had suddenly turned on him.

"What did you say?" Zethes demanded. "You are the son of Zeus?"

"Um. . . yeah," Jason said. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. "Can't be Jason," he said. "Doesn't look the same."

Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face. "No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."

"Wait," Jason said. "Your Jason. . . you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course," Zethes said. "We were his crewmates aboard his ship, the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy pizza and hockey."

"Hockey!" Cal agreed.

"But Jason—our Jason—he died a mortal death," Zethes said. "You can't be him."

"I'm not," Jason agreed.

"So, destroy?" Cal asked. Clearly the conversation was giving his two brain cells a serious workout.

"No," Zethes said regretfully. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."

"Watching for?" Leo asked. "You mean like in a good way: you'll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or watching for like in a bad way: he's in trouble?"

A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."

Malia groaned and threw her head back, already dreading this confrontation. Turning around, she saw the one goddess she could live without. At the top of the staircase stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness.

Then she looked at Jason and Piper, and then glared at Malia, who sent her an icy look back.

"Father will want to see the one called Jason," the girl said.

"Then it is him?" Zethes asked excitedly.

"We'll see," the girl said. "Zethes, bring our guests."

Malia didn't want to go anywhere with the ice queen, but she knew she had to in order to meet Boreas. Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase, fully prepared to lug it up the stairs, but before he could, the girl froze him with a look.

"Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.

"Why not?" Leo asked, sounding whiny.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father," the girl said. "Fire and ice—it would not be wise."

"We're going together," Jason said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."

The girl tilted her head, like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

Malia nearly choked when she heard Jason's last name. Her eyes went wide and she looked at the son of Zeus questionably. But when she saw the lack of surprise on his face, she realized why he had that picture of Thalia. Because they were more than half-siblings. They were actual siblings.

Jason gave her a look that said, I'll tell you later, and she nodded.

Cal pouted. "Just a little?"

"No," the girl insisted. "And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgement."

Jason, Piper, and Malia looked at Leo, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play this?

"It's fine, guys," he said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

"Listen to your friend," the pale girl said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

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A U T H O R S   N O T E

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Long. Ass. Chapter. My. God. I did not expect for it to be over 6,000 words, but here we are. I am excited to write the reason behind why Malia hates Khione, because it's actually kind of funny. To me at least. It might not be to you, but it is to me. I'm actually so excited for the next few chapters!

Please continue to comment and vote!

Love you all!

~ a.h.