Calista made the executive decision that if the quest didn't kill Leo, she was going to personally off him. That way, she knew the job was done properly.

All that he had done the entire time that they'd been on the dragon was fidget and shuffle around in ways that made her hope that he was about to throw himself off the dragon, but he always managed to right himself just in time, grinning back at Piper with that lovesick expression in his eyes as he made pathetic jokes.

It was utterly disgusting, and Calista was beginning to regret not bringing a barf bag.

It wasn't as if she had anything against the idea of love or anything... not that she remembered, at least. From what she could tell about herself, she seemed very open to the idea of being with someone. Or maybe... maybe she was just lonely.

"Zee Zee!" The phantom voice in her mind shrieked again, and she almost flinched at the intensity of the childish yells, as if her memories were forcibly trying to free themselves by hitting a locked door several times.

She glanced back at the couple in front of her and realized what disturbed her so much about them. Leo was staring at Piper with utter adoration every time he looked at her, his eyes practically shining from the expression he had on his face. Piper, on the other hand... Piper looked just, happy. There was no devotion in her eyes when she looked at her boyfriend, just...content. Leo was clearly a lot more invested in their relationship than she was, and it wasn't fair to him. Not that Calista cared about Leo or his feelings and relationship... she just hated the idea that Piper was stringing him along like that. It would probably result in problems on the quest that they couldn't afford.

"Shut up, me," Leo said aloud, making Calista snap out of her thoughts and narrow her eyes at the boy.

"What?" Piper asked, her hand reaching up to rub his shoulder.

"Nothing," he laughed, though the sound was clearly fake, even to Calista who barely even knew the boy. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."

Eyebrows furrowing, Calista glanced over her shoulder at Jason and nearly smirked when she realized he was already looking at her. She shoved that satisfaction away though as they locked eyes, both silently agreeing that a hallucinating, sleep-deprived kid was not the best choice to drive the dragon.

"Just joking," Leo assured them as he looked back. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?"

Jason hesitated, his eyes flickering to Calista for... reassurance? Smiling, she reached behind herself and squeezed his hand despite the awkward angle. Nodding, the blond boy looked away from her so he could address everyone.

"First, we need to find Boreas," he explained confidently. Every trace that he'd been unsure disappeared, his face focused as he spoke. "He has information that we need."

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

Rolling her eyes, Calista sighed. "Wind, I believe. He's one of the cardinal wind gods."

"North," Jason agreed. "Then, we need to find the venti that attacked us at the Grand Canyon-"

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

Sighing heavily through his nose, Jason nodded jerkishly before finishing. "And third, we need to find out who they work for. That's the only way to 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."

"And who almost choked Calista to death before throwing me off the skywalk," Piper added, her voice a little more disbelieving than worried or afraid.

"That's about it," Jason agreed. "Well ... there may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Calista silently prayed to any god who wasn't busy for patience before smirking. "When I said Leo was the sacrifice, I didn't know we were talking about a wolf."

"We aren't sacrificing Leo to the wolf, Calista," Jason said with what sounded like a breathy chuckle. "Just listen, will you?"

Calista nodded agreeably, keeping her mouth shut as Jason explained his dream about the huge burned house, the angry mother wolf, and the swimming pool with stone spires growing out of it.

"Uh-huh," Leo said after a moment of silence from all parties as they digested that information. "But you don't know where this place is."

"Nope," Jason admitted, not even allowing his confidence to be shaken by the admission.

"There's also giants," Piper added, apparently acting as the negative party in their little group. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."

"Hold on," Leo said, removing his hands from the reins altogether so he could twist in his seat to look at them all. Calista held her breath, hoping that he'd slip. "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."

"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?"

Information sprang to Calista's mind and she opened her mouth but was interrupted by Jason.

"Your dad's an actor?"

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

"Uh-Sorry, what was he in?"

"It doesn't matter," Piper said quickly. "I'm not really sure... my research was pretty bare."

Seeing her time to shine, Calista twirled a strand of her hair around her right index finger and gnawed on her lower lip. "There was a lot," she told them confidently. "The war between the gods and giants- the Gigantomachy-was even more important of a war than the original fight between the titans and gods... it started when one of them stole Helios' cattle... I think one of them kidnapped Hera and... well, I think it's obvious what happened there... but yeah, there's an army and they actually scared the gods. They were huge, practically impossible to kill... there's some loophole in there I'm missing... but they were strong enough to throw mountains and nearly destroyed Olympus."

Piper glanced back at her, and Calista shrugged. "Even the boobs of the operation has some hidden talents."

"Chiron said it was happening again," Jason recalled as he squeezed Calista's shoulder. She sat up a little straighter at the contact, feeling proud for a reason she couldn't explain. "The last chapter. That's what he meant. No wonder he didn't want us to know all the details."

Leo whistled. "So ... giants who can throw mountains. Friendly wolves that will eat us if 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, sounding hopeful. Calista, on the other hand, knew better. No one sounded that nervous when telling a joke.

She listened as Leo told them about Tía Callida, who was really Hera, and how she'd appeared to him at camp. Her throat tightened slightly as Leo told them about the night his mother died, closing her eyes as she recalled what she'd said to him the night before. Mommy issues, she's mocked him with. Gods, she was going to have to swallow her pride and apologize, wasn't she?

Her thoughts were redirected though, as Leo's description changed to a strange woman in earthen robes that had appeared to him. According to him, she seemed to be asleep and know the future.

That description... it seemed so familiar. Gritting her teeth when she hit a roadblock, Calista had to restrain a groan from exiting her throat. She could remember the word Gigantomachy but not why a sleeping woman with prophetic abilities seemed familiar to her?

Having amnesia fucking sucked.

"That's ... disturbing," Piper said finally after a long silence.

"'Bout sums it up," Leo agreed, his voice oddly cheery. "Thing is, everybody says 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?"

"Other than the fact that she stole Jason's memories?" Calista asked, feeling defensive. "Or mine? Or my brother?"

"Calista's right, and besides... she chose us," Jason said, the hand on Calista's shoulder slowly sliding down her back to rub circles on her sweater. "All four of us. We're the first of the nine who have to gather for the Great Prophecy. This quest is the beginning of something much bigger."

That made a weight settle in Calista's stomach. Everyone had said that she'd been running from the demigod life, that she'd been wanting to leave it all behind her and move on from her life. Not to mention the fact that she had lost her brother due to this demigod thing, and that any injury she received could get him killed. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself. She didn't have time to lose her composure, nor the patience for the pity the teenagers around her would undoubtably try giving her.

"As Calista said," Jason continued, "helping Hera is the only way we can get back our memories. 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. 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."

A flash erupted in Calista's mind, a brief image that made her head throb. A burning city, rubble littering the ground, and gold liquid coating the cobblestones. Ichor.

"We don't want anything close to the Titan War," she said quietly, having to swallow down a lump in her throat at the idea. Everyone seemed equally unsettled by the thought, so she didn't feel weak or anything... just unsettled at the image that seemed to have come directly from her mind.

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 that 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?"

The answer pounded at Calista's skull, and she had to restrain the urge to grit her teeth in frustration. No matter what she did, she was not risking her perfect pearly whites for some irrelevant dirt creep.

Still, it grated on her... the lack of memories, the feeling that she should know something that just escaped her, and the loneliness that just surrounded her like a terrible wet blanket.

Consciously, she knew that she was too much to be useless, but it didn't stop the silent thoughts that plagued her mind, asking her what use she was to be if she couldn't even remember a name that they needed? How was she supposed to help if she couldn't give them the answer? Calista was supposedly the experienced one... and yet she couldn't remember a single thing.

The wind got colder the farther that they flew, and Calista took the snowy forests that got denser with every foot as a positive sign that they were getting close to Quebec. She might not remember her own birthday, but at least she knew that Canada was cold with snow... and maybe igloos, but she wasn't positive on that one.

Glancing in front of them, she raised an eyebrow at the sight of Leo physically nodding off, his body twisting before he sat up alert once more just to repeat the cycle. Part of her wanted to do nothing and see how long it took for Jason and Piper to notice his situation or for the skinny boy to fall off the dragon, but Piper caught on faster than Calista expected.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Piper said in his ear. "You were up all night."

Leo hesitated for a moment but gave into the idea of sleeping almost immediately. "You won't let me fall off?"

Piper patted his shoulder, her fingers trailing against his coat. "Trust me, Valdez. Beautiful people never lie."

Calista was going to call bullshit, considering the fact that she'd lied with ease... but then realized that she was gorgeous... those who could only describe themselves as pretty or beautiful must try to hold some kind of moral superiority.

It seemed to be what Leo needed though, as he handed the reins to his girlfriend and slumped into unconsciousness.

Calista waited a moment, seeing if he stirred at all before piping up. "I have lipstick and eyeliner in my bag... I could probably draw quite the elaborate face on his face."

"No," Jason and Piper chorused together, making her roll her eyes.

"You're trying to say he wouldn't look good with eyeliner?"

"Not without his consent," Jason scolded but sounded like he was trying to hold back a smile.

Pursing her lips, Calista turned in her seat. "What about you?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, and she knew he was amused. "What about me?"

"Would you be offended by the idea of wearing makeup?"

Jason shook his head with a shrug. "Tell you what... we get through this, and I'll let you put makeup on me."

Calista held up a pinkie, feeling a mixture of excitement at the agreement and vulnerable how a pinkie promise was what she immediately associated with a promise. Jason glanced at the offered pinkie for a moment before sighing through his nose and wrapping his own pinkie around hers.

"Now there's no way out!" Calista decreed. "It's the most binding oath of all."

"That's the Styx," Jason corrected, making her frown.

"The second most binding," she corrected herself, making his lips twitch up. The simple smile made her heart squeeze oddly in her chest, so Calista turned back around and leaned against Jason's chest.

"I thought you slept already," his voice sounded almost concerned about her.

"I did," she assured him. "I'm just enjoying the wind on my face."

He didn't respond after that, and Calista enjoyed the silence and her hair floated in the air and somehow avoided her face altogether.

It only seemed like she had been lying like that for a few minutes, but Jason squeezed her shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. "Piper says we're here."

She sat up straight and blinked to reacclimate them to the sudden rush of light that attacked them. Below them was a city on a cliff, surrounded by snowy hills and warm lights reflecting off the white powder. The buildings in the centre of the walls were huddled together like a medieval town, all grouped around a huge building that Calista assumed was either a hotel or a church. A few flaps of Festus' wings told her that there was no way it was a church-the green gabled roof was proof enough of that.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said, sounding as though he was trying to hold back a yawn through his words.

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

Leo sent her a curious look over his shoulder. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

She made a face at him and gently jabbed him in the ribs. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

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

Calista raised an eyebrow and scoffed before Piper could answer. "A hotel, obviously."

Leo laughed. "No way."

But as they got closer, her point was proven for her. 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.

"No," Calista corrected slowly. "I think he runs the hotel."

Leo scoffed, a meek imitation of her own. "That can't be-"

"Heads up, guys," Jason interrupted, making them rip their eyes away from one another. "We got company!"

Calista glanced down and saw what Jason was talking about. Appearing from the top of the tower were two winged figures... and they were packing some sharp-looking swords.

Festus didn't seem to like the angel guys. He swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared, and made a rumbling sound in his throat that Calista was pretty sure meant bad news.

"Valdez," she warned lowly. "Get your dragon under control before we make a bad enough impression even I can't change their minds."

"Steady, boy," Leo muttered, shooting Calista a nasty look as he patted the dragon's neck.

"I don't like this," Jason said quietly, his lips so close to Calista's ears that she could feel his breath. She chose not to focus on that, instead of realizing that he wanted her input. "They look like storm spirits."

"They aren't," she assured her tall blond friend. "Look closer.. they're too solid to be storm spirits."

She smirked when her observation turned out to be right. In fact, if she ignored the fact that the approaching figures had white hair and purple wings... she might have been able to pass them off as regular teenagers. Her eyes locked on the jagged bronze swords they held and decided to go on the offence. Her left hand slipped under her fuzzy pink sweater and casually started unbuttoning the top four buttons of the blouse she had under it.

The boys were similar in appearance, to her surprise... but they had distinct differences. For example, one looked like a reject of a teenaged AA league, fully equipped with two black eyes, missing teeth, a bright red jersey and cleats.

The second... Calista figured that he was going to be her target. He clearly had self-esteem issues, if his white mullet, tight pants, leather shoes and unbuttoned silk shirt had anything to say on the matter. He probably was trying to ooze sex appeal, but Calista had him beat. Besides, at least she didn't have acne.

The angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered there, swords at the ready. Behind her, Jason's hand was in his pocket. His entire body was coiled and ready to spring. She had to reach behind her to press a hand on his chest. Not yet.

The hockey fanatic grunted as he came to a stop in front of them. "No clearance."

"'Scuse me?" Leo said, his lack of manners making Calista wince.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained the second winged teenager. On top of his other problems, he had a thick French accent, a borderline mockery to the Quebecois. "This is restricted airspace."

"Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin and Calista smoothed down her skirt in boredom.

She watched as the dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Behind her, Jason summoned his golden sword, but Leo cried, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honour of destroying me?"

Calista had been planning on jumping straight into the eyelash fluttering, but she decided not to feel too badly about Leo's interference. He had to do something to feel useful, after all.

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

"That's short for Calais," the skinny one said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables-"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"-which includes his own name," the second brother finished. Calista almost felt bad for the boy... he must have been teased a lot.

"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, and Calista almost snapped at Leo for making fun of him. She wasn't necessarily a nice person, but she knew that making fun of disabilities wasn't cool.

"Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled, apparently sharing Calista's opinion. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the ladies there-" He winked at Piper, but the wink was so disoriented that Calista was almost concerned. Zethes' gaze turned to her, lighting on the unbuttoned collar of her shirt, but she made sure to sit up straight so she had control over how much he saw at one time. "They can call me anything they like. Perhaps one of you would like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you?"

Piper made a sound like she had just choked on something. "That's ... a truly horrifying offer."

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

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

"Ah, so you've heard of us!" Zethes looked pleased.

Calista played to his ego. "Who hasn't?" she asked, tilting her head to the side just slightly, well aware that it allowed her shirt to shift and reveal a bit of her bra strap.

Zethes swallowed as he glanced at her, but continued. "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 Calista realized that the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up at them-not with alarm, yet-more with confusion and annoyance, like they were nothing more than a mild irritant... like a bird that kept hitting the same window over and over. She wondered if they'd notice her flipping them off or not.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, moving his hair out of his face with a slapping motion that almost concerned Calista, "we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed, seeming far too excited for Calista's liking. It was downright offensive that he had no reaction to her bra strap too, but she would let that part go in favour of being destroyed.

"Wait!" Piper said, her voice rising in pitch slightly. "This is an emergency landing."

"Awww!" Cal's smile dropped suddenly, and Calista almost wanted to thumb her nose at him... but she was far too mature for such childish shenanigans.

Zethes studied Piper, tearing his eyes away from Calista's shirt. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"

"We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" Piper's voice was rich and insistent, but Zethes didn't seem convinced. Leaning forward slightly-not enough that he could see down her shirt, but enough that he knew it was a possibility-Calista made her best puppy dog eyes at him.

Zethes picked at his silk shirt and the daughter of Persephone had to hide a smirk when she saw a flush rising his neck. "Well ... I hate to disappoint the lovely ladies, but you see, my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you-"

"And our dragon is malfunctioning!" Piper added quickly, spitting out her words like she was afraid she'd never speak again. "It could crash any minute!"

Festus shuddered helpfully, and Calista held her breath hopefully.

"No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

Zethes pondered the problem, hesitating a moment too long for Calista's liking. Not above some more subtle manipulation, she chewed on her lower lip and leaned forward more. Judging by the choked squeak that came from Jason behind her, and the way Zethes suddenly became very interested in her, she knew that her goal had been achieved.

"Please?" she asked quietly, fluttering her eyelashes.

Checkmate, he was done for.

Clearing his throat twice, Zethes tore his eyes away from below Calista's eyes and nodded in what she assumed was meant to be an authoritative manner. "Well, you are pretty. I mean, your friend is right. A malfunctioning dragon-this could be an emergency."

"I knew you'd understand," Calista simpered in a way that almost made her want to laugh. Immortal or not... teenage boys were all the same and had the same weaknesses. It wasn't her fault if she knew exactly how to exploit them!

"Destroy them later?" Cal asked hopefully, lowering his dangerous sword just a little.

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

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled weird flashlights from their pockets. In synchronization, they flew toward the hotel roof, waving their lights as they went.

"Mission accomplished," Calista hummed, beginning to button her shirt back up.

"Was that really necessary?" Jason asked, sounding both uncomfortable and exasperated.

Glancing at him over her shoulder, Calista did her best not to scoff. "Was it-did you have any better ideas?"

Jason didn't answer her, only letting his gaze follow the Boreads. "I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors."

"Pfft, he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled, apparently unfazed by the idea of an immortal flirting with his girlfriend. "Festus, after those flashlights!"

Calista stiffened as they reached the roof, wondering how on earth they were going to get inside. Her breath caught in her throat as the roof actually seemed to open, jagged icicles lining the entrance. It looked like an evil mouth about to swallow them whole.

"This cannot be good," Jason muttered, reminding Calista why he was her favourite questmate.

Festus landed in a large room, and the floor was covered in so much frost that it actually crunched the moment his weight settled on it. Calista assumed that they were in the penthouse suite, judging by the lavish accommodations, but everything was covered in snow and ice, ruining the appeal for her. She was glad for her leggings as she gracefully slid off of the dragon and looked around. Her eyes flicked across the stairs and wondered how much traction she would have on glare ice in heels.

"Guys," Leo said, turning from helping Piper down from Festus, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

"Not me." Jason looked uneasily at the staircase, staying close to Calista. She would never admit that his presence was enough to help dispel the chill. "Something feels wrong. Something up there ..."

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

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over, somehow maintaining his balance in those ridiculous shoes he was wearing. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

Festus growled and bared his teeth.

Calista frowned at the dragon. "Remind me to teach you guest etiquette."

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

"Destroy?" Cal suggested, his hand going to his sword eagerly.

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

"Leo," Piper said nervously as she took a half step away from Festus, "what are you-"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen," he teased her before addressing everyone. "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. There was a loud click noise, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Jason's hand fell on Calista's shoulders as they backed away from the dragon that was folding into himself like an origami project.

Leo tried to lift it but proved highly unsuccessful. "Um ... yeah. Hold on. I think-aha."

He fiddled around for another moment before he found and pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" he announced, waving his hands theatrically. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"That's impossible," Jason said slowly as he examined the suitcase. "Something that big couldn't-"

"Stop!" Zethes ordered, his voice sharp as he and Cal both levelled their swords at Leo.

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

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

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

Cal growled and moved in closer to Leo. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

"Oh." Leo's face paled and Calista watched Jason pull the gold coin from his pocket. "Yeah, well ... my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and-"

"No!" Zethes stepped forward, making Leo step back. "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."

Leo paled and Calista realized how much trouble they were truly in as the boy started stumbling over his words. "Hey ... look ... I don't know-" He glanced at them desperately. "Guys, a little help?"

Jason stepped in front of Calista, 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 smiling again, though the fear in her eyes ruined the look. "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, and Calista watched as frost started moving over his shirt, her hands clenching into fists. She could harass Leo... not these dweebs.

"Destroy him now?" Cal asked his brother.

Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think-"

"Stop," Calista said firmly, making everyone's eyes dart toward her. Her voice wasn't like Piper's, bending people to her will... but even she recognized the warning in it. Stepping forward, her hand shot forward and shoved Zethes' wrist away, causing his sword to move away from Leo. The boy wisely stepped back, allowing her to get between him and the immortal. "You aren't going to hurt him."

"She's right," Jason looked calm enough, but Calista knew that one wrong move would lead to him ready to fight to the death. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. He's no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite. Calista is the daughter of Persephone. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful ..."

Jason's voice faltered as both Boreads had suddenly turned on him, their eyes glinting with interest.

"What did you say?" Zethes demanded, allowing his sword hand to drop completely. Calista didn't move away from Leo. "You are the son of Zeus?"

"Um ... yeah," Jason said, not hiding his confusion well. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

Cal dropped his sword, moving forward to inspect the blond. "Can't be Jason," he said after a moment. "Doesn't look the same."

Zethes stepped forward to examine Jason himself. "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, raising the hand that wasn't holding his coin. "Your Jason ... you mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course," Zethes said as if it were obvious. "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 gleefully, reminding Calista of a young child.

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

"I'm not," Jason agreed.

"Does that look like the face of a man a few thousand years old?" Calista asked with a toss of her hair.

"So, destroy?" Cal asked slowly, his brows creased as he tried to work through the situation.

"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, peeping around Calista's shoulder in a way that made her want to 'accidentally' hit him in the nose. "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."

Calista looked up the staircase and felt her hands instinctively clench. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress almost the same shade as her skin. Her raven black hair contrasted with her pale face, but somehow it worked, as well as her dark brown eyes. She was beautiful... but Calista wanted to run.

The girl looked over them all, but her eyes sparkled mischievously at the sight of Calista. "It has been quite a while since I saw you," she said slowly. "A pity, that your brother isn't here... he's always been rather fun."

Calista wanted to ask who the hell this chick was, how she knew her, and why she looked so predatory at the mention of Xander, but the knockoff Snow White was already ordering her brothers around. "Father will want to see the one called Jason," she declared.

"Then it is him?" Zethes asked eagerly.

"We'll see," the girl said with an airy shrug. "Zethes, bring our guests."

Calista did not want to go anywhere with her. The deadly look in her eyes... it was too familiar. She knew this girl, she was certain of it... and she wasn't good news.

She was too caught up in her thoughts to notice Leo trying to move forward, but the girl's voice made her look at the boy with a curious expression.

"Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.

That sounded off so many alarm bells in Calista's head she couldn't even begin to keep track of them. How did she know Leo's name?

"Why not?" Leo looked at Piper with worry.

"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 insisted, moving to stand between Leo and Calista, "or not at all."

The girl tilted her head, smiling with the amusement of a parent watching a child fight a meaningless battle. "He will not be harmed, Jason Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

Cal pouted. "Just a little?"

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

Calista hesitated. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Leo alone, as much as she didn't like him. It seemed too much like a hunter's scenario... to take the weakest away from the pack before killing it.

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

"I can stay with him," Calista offered, but the girl shook her head.

"No," the pale girl said. "I wish to speak to you myself, Calista dear. Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

Not liking the foreboding chill that crept up her spine, Calista locked eyes with Jason before moving forward first, leaving Leo behind as she climbed the icy stairs. She just had to focus on not face-planting on the way up.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．

A/N

Six thousand words... I am so sorry to everyone who reads this... feel free to comment! I think I left a few interesting tidbits here!