by Rick Riordan
He sounded a lot more confident than he felt, but it got their attention. Khione’s blizzard swirled to a stop. Zethes lowered his sword. They both looked uncertainly at their father.
‘Hmm,’ Boreas said. His eyes twinkled, but Jason couldn’t tell if it was with anger or amusement. ‘A son of Zeus, favoured by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story.’
Jason would’ve botched it right there. He hadn’t been expecting to get the chance to talk, and now that he could, his voice abandoned him.
Piper saved him. ‘Your Majesty.’ She curtsied again with incredible poise, considering her life was on the line. She told Boreas the whole story, from the Grand Canyon to the prophecy, much better and faster than Jason could have.
‘All we ask for is guidance,’ Piper concluded. ‘These storm spirits attacked us, and they’re working for some evil mistress. If we find them, maybe we can find Hera.’
The king stroked the icicles in his beard. Outside the windows, night had fallen, and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue.
‘I know of these storm spirits,’ Boreas said. ‘I know where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took.’
‘You mean Coach Hedge?’ Jason asked. ‘He’s alive?’
Boreas waved aside the question. ‘For now. But the one who controls these storm winds … It would be madness to oppose her. You would be better staying here as frozen statues.’
‘Hera’s in trouble,’ Jason said. ‘In three days she’s going to be – I don’t know – consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant is going to rise.’
‘Yes,’ Boreas agreed. Was it Jason’s imagination, or did he shoot Khione an angry look? ‘Many horrible things are waking. Even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos – your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits – these are only beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and souls are no longer confined to Hades … Olympus has good reason to fear.’
Jason wasn’t sure what all this meant, but he didn’t like the way Khione was smiling – like this was her definition of fun.
‘So you’ll help us?’ Jason asked the king.
Boreas scowled. ‘I did not say that.’
‘Please, Your Majesty,’ Piper said.
Everyone’s eyes turned towards her. She had to be scared out of her mind, but she looked beautiful and confident – and it had nothing to do with the blessing of Aphrodite. She looked herself again, in day-old travelling clothes with choppy hair and no makeup. But she almost glowed with warmth in that cold throne room. ‘If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You’d look good in front of your boss. Aeolus might pardon us and the other demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins.’
‘She’s pretty,’ Zethes mumbled. ‘I mean, she’s right.’
‘Father, don’t listen to her,’ Khione said. ‘She’s a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!’
Boreas considered this. Jason slipped his hand in his pocket and got ready to bring out the gold coin. If things went wrong, he’d have to move fast.
The movement caught Boreas’s eye. ‘What is that on your forearm, demigod?’
Jason hadn’t realized his coat sleeve had been pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks.
The god’s eyes widened. Khione actually hissed and stepped away.
Then Boreas did something unexpected. He laughed so loudly an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne. The god’s form began to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius – a Roman sword like Jason’s – hung at his side.
‘Aquilon,’ Jason said, though where he got the god’s Roman name from, he had no idea.
The god inclined his head. ‘You recognize me better in this form, yes? And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?’
Jason shifted his feet. ‘Uh … yes, Your Majesty.’
‘And Hera sent you there …’ The winter god’s eyes were full of mirth. ‘I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken.’
‘Jason,’ Piper said nervously, ‘why did Boreas change shape? The toga, the wreath. What’s going on?’
‘It’s his Roman form,’ Jason said. ‘But what’s going on – I don’t know.’
The god laughed. ‘No, I’m sure you don’t. This should be very interesting to watch.’
‘Does that mean you’ll let us go?’ Piper asked.
‘My dear,’ Boreas said, ‘there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera’s plan fails, which I think it will, you will tear each other apart. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again.’
Jason felt as if Khione’s cold fingers were on his neck again, but it wasn’t her – it was just the feeling that Boreas was right. That sense of wrongness which had bothered Jason since he got to Camp Half-Blood, and Chiron’s comment about his arrival being disastrous – Boreas knew what they meant.
‘I don’t suppose you could explain?’ Jason asked.
‘Oh, perish the thought! It is not for me to interfere in Hera’s plan. No wonder she took your memory.’ Boreas chuckled, apparently still having a great time imagining demigods tearing each other apart. ‘You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I’ve been known to fall in love with mortals. Why, my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods –’
‘Which explains why they are idiots,’ Khione growled.
‘Stop it!’ Zethes snapped back. ‘Just because you were born a full goddess –’
‘Both of you, freeze,’ Boreas ordered. Apparently, that word carried a lot of weight in the household, because the two siblings went absolutely still. ‘Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of gods. I sit here in my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!’
‘I like the winter festival,’ Zethes muttered.
‘My point,’ Boreas snapped, ‘is that I now have a chance to be the centre. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course. Chicago –’
‘Father!’ Khione protested.
Boreas ignored his daughter. ‘If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders.’
‘Okay, sure,’ Jason said. ‘So Chicago is where we’ll find this lady who’s controlling the winds? She’s the one who’s trapped Hera?’
‘Ah.’ Boreas grinned. ‘Those are two different questions, son of Jupiter.’
Jupiter, Jason noticed. Before, he called me son of Zeus.
‘The one who controls the winds,’ Boreas continued, ‘yes, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant – a servant who is very likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for who you will meet when you finally find Hera’s cage – truly, if I told you that, you would beg me to freeze you.’
‘Father,’ Khione protested, ‘you can’t simply let them –’
‘I can do what I like,’ he said, his voice hardening. �
��I am still master here, am I not?’
The way Boreas glared at his daughter, it was obvious they had some ongoing argument. Khione’s eyes flashed with anger, but she clenched her teeth. ‘As you wish, Father.’
‘Now go, demigods,’ Boreas said, ‘before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely.’
They all bowed, and the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist.
Back in the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked cold but unharmed. He’d even got cleaned up, and his clothes looked newly washed, like he’d used the hotel’s valet service. Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.
As Khione led them down the stairs, Jason noticed that Leo’s eyes followed her. Leo started combing his hair back with his hands. Uh-oh, Jason thought. He made a mental note to warn Leo about the snow goddess later. She was not someone to get a crush on.
At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper. ‘You have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough.’
‘Boreas is right,’ Jason said. ‘You’re a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess.’
Khione’s eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at a loss for words. She stormed back up the stairs – literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.
‘Be careful,’ Zethes warned. ‘She never forgets an insult.’
Cal grunted in agreement. ‘Bad sister.’
‘She’s the goddess of snow,’ Jason said. ‘What’s she going to do, throw snowballs at us?’ But as he said it, Jason had a feeling Khione could do a whole lot worse.
Leo looked devastated. ‘What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me, too? Guys, that was my prom date!’
‘We’ll explain later,’ Piper promised, but when she glanced at Jason, he realized she expected him to explain.
What had happened up there? Jason wasn’t sure. Boreas had turned into Aquilon, his Roman form, as if Jason’s presence caused him to go schizophrenic.
The idea that Jason had been sent to Camp Half-Blood seemed to amuse the god, but Boreas/Aquilon hadn’t let them go out of kindness. Cruel excitement had danced in his eyes, as if he’d just placed a bet on a dogfight.
You will tear each other apart, he’d said with delight. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again.
Jason looked away from Piper, trying not to show how unnerved he was. ‘Yeah,’ he agreed, ‘we’ll explain later.’
‘Be careful, pretty girl,’ Zethes said. ‘The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue in which I could check my reflection.’
‘Thanks,’ Piper said. ‘But I’d sooner play hockey with Cal.’
‘Hockey?’ Cal’s eyes lit up.
‘Joking,’ Piper said. ‘And the storm winds aren’t our worst problem, are they?’
‘Oh, no,’ Zethes agreed. ‘Something else. Something worse.’
‘Worse,’ Cal echoed.
‘Can you tell me?’ Piper gave them a smile.
This time, the charm didn’t work. The purple-winged Boreads shook their heads in unison. The hangar doors opened onto a freezing starry night, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet, anxious to fly.
‘Ask Aeolus what is worse,’ Zethes said darkly. ‘He knows. Good luck.’
He almost sounded like he cared what happened to them, even though a few minutes ago he’d wanted to turn Piper into an ice sculpture.
Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. ‘Don’t get destroyed,’ he said, which was probably the longest sentence he’d ever attempted. ‘Next time – hockey. Pizza.’
‘Come on, guys.’ Jason stared out at the dark. He was anxious to get out of that cold penthouse, but he had a feeling it was the most hospitable place they’d see for a while. ‘Let’s go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed.’
XXI
PIPER
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 firsthand. 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 subzero 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 adrenalin 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.