(Disclaimer: all of this belongs to Rick Riordan, except for Terra. I made her up.

Note: This is what Zoe [Terra's little sister.] looks like. I used a picture of Luke ruffling Annabeth's hair and turned it into Terra ruffling Zoe's hair.)

Leo reached over and pressed a button that unfolded Festus. I noticed how cold Leo looked. I wished I could do something, but all I would probably do was make him colder.

Festus, now in dragon form, started snorting fire over his scales to defrost himself.

I saw Leo stand up and start looking off towards the stairs. What was amusing him?

I turn around and only see my Mom, Jason, Piper, and Zethes. I automatically eliminated Jason and Zethes. That only left my Mom and Piper. I doubt it was Piper, so he's gapping at my mom who was still in the Roman toga. Leo has a crush....... on my Mom. That's just gross.

Leo combed his hair with his fingers and watched her go down the stairs. Why did he like her and not me? We are the exactly same except for the hair, eye color, and personality......... and the fact that she's a goddess.

Okay, maybe we're not that similar, but still, and if anything I'm definitely more attractive than her. Maybe. Agh, whatever, but I'm still mad. I could understand why Leo might prefer the goddess of snow rather than the demigod of snow, but at least I'm not as cold-hearted right?

At the bottom step, Mom 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."

Oh gosh. I hate not being places and have people talk about things that had happened there that were funny or important. It just drives me nuts and I end up like:

"I wasn't there!!! Tell me what freaking happened before you start going off about something!!!!"

What did she mean by Piper had fooled Boreas (or grandfather/grandad/grandpa)? Why does she not like Piper? What did Piper do? And why does my Mom expect to see Jason as a ice statue in the throne room soon?

"Boreas is right," Jason said. "You're a spoiled kid. See you around, ice princess."

I smirked evilly when she looked over at me. Her eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at loss for words. She stormed up the stairs-literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

"Be careful," Zethes said. "She never forgets an insult."

Cal grunted in agreement. "Bad sister."

"I concur." I muttered.

"She's the goddess of snow," Jason said. "What's going to do, throw snowballs at us?"

I laughed, but as he said it I knew she could do much worse. She could be the enemy we regret to have made.

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, she glanced at Jason.

What had happened there? I wanted to know how it went with the god of the North Wind.

Jason turned away from Piper. "Yeah," he agreed. "we'll explain later."

"And if you're looking for an ice princess to be your prom date, I might just qualify." I winked at Leo.

"That might work." He said giving me his smile that told you:

"I got an idea and, for the sake of your stuff, you don't want to know what it is."

"Nice dress, Terra." Piper said, taking in my makeover from her mom.

Wow. I just realized that I had met Piper's mom. Wow.

"Thanks, but it won't work for the quest. One second." I said.

I rose my hands up into the air and made a small cylinder room with no roof for me to change. I took off my dress and put it in my backpack. It barely took up any space. I changed my shoes to hiking boots and the quest outfit I had on earlier. I left my hair alone because I didn't feel like changing it. I made the room disappear and slipped on my backpack.

"Now let's get out of this place." I said.

"Be careful, pretty girl," Zethes said. "The wind between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make a lovely ice statue, in which I would check my reflection."

I was so glad Zethes wasn't talking to me anymore.

"Thanks," Piper said. "But I'd sooner play hockey with Cal."

"Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.

"Joking," Piper said.

I snickered.

"And the storm winds aren't our worst problem, are they?" Piper asked.

"Oh, no," Zethes agreed. "Something else. Something worse."

"Worse," Cal echoed.

"Can you tell me?" Piper asked, smiling and using her charm speak.

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 us, even though a few minutes ago he was wishing for Piper to stay and become a ice sculpture/looking glass.

Cal patted Leo on the shoulder. "Don't get destroyed," he said. "Next time-hockey. Pizza."

"Come on, guys." Jason stared out at the dark. I saw an anxious look in his eye. I had a feeling he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."

We got onto Festus and gladly flew out into the cold night air. I was super tired and fell asleep on Leo's back ten minutes after we had taken off.

*********

My dream was quite unsettling. I was all alone in a dark room, voices whispering all around me. I tried to walk around and identify my surroundings, but I couldn't move my feet. I look down and notice that dirt is piled up around my feet, almost to my knees. What the heck?

I tried to claw at the dirt trying to get out, but the pile seems to grow more as I try to get away. I stop trying when it covers my knees. How do I get out of this?

"You don't." said a woman's voice.

It was more distinct than the rest of the voices I was hearing, like she was right behind me. I turned as far as I could and didn't see anyone.

"Who are you? Who's there?" I asked.

"Your coming to a time of great trial. To prove yourself worthy to me, daughter of Khione." said the voice.

"What do you mean? Who are you?" I asked frantically.

I was getting scared. I felt chills run down my spine. Not cold chills, it wouldn't make me shiver. It was like a force from something powerful.

"You should know. We share a name." She said.

"What do you mean? I've never heard of a goddess named Terra! How should I know who you are?" I asked, practically shouting.

"You will learn soon, young one. I will see your worth soon enough, and see if your mother has provided me with a perfect pawn." "Terra" said.

"Pawn? My mother has offered me to you so you could use me?!" I realized.

"Yes, she offered you to me as soon as she bore you. She saw your power and new you would help me rise. She named you after me after I had accepted. You have great power, demigod. More power than you may realize. Come to me, obey your mother's will." She said.

The dirt anchoring me to my spot collapsed and formed a person five feet in front of me. Her whole body was made of dark shifting dirt, her face seemed to be asleep, but she spoke again, "Come to me, demigod."

"Gaea." I gasped.

It was Leo's Sleeping Dirt Woman. Leo had been getting visits from Gaea.................... and now, so was I.

"That is my Greek name. Right now I am Terra, goddess of the Earth. I will be your patron and make sure your life is well spent in our war. I am rising and I need you to help me. Be my pawn, come to me. Help me rise and put an end to the gods." She beckoned for me to come to her.

She was in her Roman form, but why? Why does she appear to me in her Roman form? Why did my mother name me after her Roman aspect? Why did my mother offer me to help the Earth goddess rise?

I knew none of these answers, but I knew that I couldn't help Gaea, or Terra, rise. She was planning the downfall of the gods and would replace them with the Titans. I remembered all the things the Titans had done. They had done terrible and horrific things, the gods had to rule. The gods may not be likable, but they were the best choice. I had to object the offer. Terra/Gaea wouldn't help me, she would let me get killed easily, so I will not help her. I will not let the gods fall.

"No! I will not be your pawn, and you will not be my patron. I will serve Olympus and you shall not rise!" I made a large blizzard and froze the dirt figure.

Even though she was frozen, I could still hear her speak. "You have chosen foolishly demigod. I will strike you down. I will kill you and your friends. Your precious friends shall die. Nico di Angelo will be a special case."

Panic ran down my body. What has she done to Nico?

"What did you do to him?!" I shouted.

"It's more like, what I am going to do to him. You will fall demigod, you will fall!"

*************

I woke up with a start. I was falling, falling through the air. I screamed.

Far below I say city lights glimmering in the early dawn, and several hundred yards away the body of a bronze dragon was spinning out of control, it's wings limp, fire flickering in it's mouth like a badly wired lightbulb.

I frantically tried to think what to do. I started clawing through the sky trying to find something, but of course nothing was there.

Adrenaline pounded through my veins. I was about to die. I could feel it. I was gonna face plant on the ground with the rest of us and that would be the end of my life. I wasn't able to do anything I had wanted. I hadn't seen Nico in a while and I was about to die. Well, if I did, maybe he might notice me in the underworld and bring me back to life....... Then Hades or Thanatos would notice that I was supposed to be dead and bring me back to the Underworld. Yeah, this was going to be "fun".

I could hear Leo shout, "Not cooooooool!"

I managed to look up a little to the left and saw Leo falling too. If I was going to die, then at least I should be in his arms.

I let the wind catch me a little and I was next to Leo.

"Leo!" I shouted over the sound of the wind whistling through our ears. "Grab on!"

He pulled me in and I wrapped my arms around his midsection.

After two seconds of free-falling, something smacked into us. It was Jason and Piper.

Leo still wriggled like he didn't want to be with us.

"Stop fighting!" Jason said. "It's me!"

"My dragon!" He yelled. "You gotta save Festus!"

Jason was already struggling to keep us four aloft, so I knew that he wouldn't be able to help a fifty-ton metal dragon. I wanted to try to reason with Leo, but before I could there was an explosion below us. A fireball rolled into the sky from behind a warehouse complex, and Leo sobbed, "Festus!"

I felt so bad for Leo and wanted to just comfort him, but may I remind myself that we're falling to our death.

I could see Jason's face reddened with strain as he tried to maintain an air cushion beneath us, but intermittent slow-downs were the best he could manage. Rather than free-falling, it felt like we were bouncing down a giant staircase, a hundred feet at a time. Piper didn't look so well and I got scared that she might puke.

As we wobbled and zigzagged, I could make out details of the factory below-warehouses, smokestacks, barbed-wire fences, and parking lots lined with snow-covered vehicles. Snow. Snow! Hey!

My brain kicked into over drive and I knew how we would survive. As if on cue Jason groaned, "I can't-"

We dropped like stones. As we hit the roof of the largest warehouse and crashed into darkness, I made a ten-foot deep pile of snow that we would fall into.

We landed with a nice pfffffft. There was a clang somewhere out in the warehouse overhead. Did someone land on those railings that hung on the ceilings? It was probably the only explanation I had for now and I worried even more about who it was and if they were hurt.

"Snow? Snow! Haha! Beautiful snow!" I heard Leo shout along with the sound rustling.

Well, at least I knew that Leo was down here and alive, rejoicing in my snow. I popped up out of the snow.

"Terra! We're alive!" Leo shouted.

Jason popped up next to Leo and started climbing over Leo to get off the mound of snow.

"Piper! Where's Piper?" Jason said hurriedly.

"Ow, bro!" Leo groaned. "That's my back! I'm not a sofa! Piper, where'd you go?"

I made the mound melt and we let our eyes readjust.

"Piper!!" I shouted.

"Here," Piper said from above.

Her voice came out in a whimper and I knew she was hurt. I bounded up the stairs leading to the metal catwalks on the ceiling with the boys at my heals.

I saw Piper laying on the ground, looking off into the distance. Her foot, oh gods, her left foot was pointing to far to the left and I wanted to hurl. I knew I had some stuff in my pack that would help, let's just hope that none of the stuff broke from the fall.

Leo started to ask, "You okay.....?" Then he saw her foot. "Oh no, you're not."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned.

"You'll be fine," Jason said, worry very detectable in his voice. "Leo, you got first aid supplies?"

"I do." I said.

I slid down next to her ankle and started taking in the situation.

"Okay, broken ankle. Don't take the shoe off, it'll make it worse." I thought aloud. "Splint. I need a piece of wood."

I looked around and saw a pile of wood, but Leo had already grabbed on and snapped it in half.

"Good. Thanks Leo." I said taking the piece of wood.

Ambrosia. Before I start, she'll need to eat ambrosia.

I took off my backpack and pulled out a bag of somewhat squished ambrosia squares. I dug one out and handed it to Piper.

"Here, eat this." I said.

She wolfed down the ambrosia and I could practically feel her relief.

"More," she said.

"You can't." I said.

"Why not?" She sort of whined.

Jason frowned. "Piper, we shouldn't risk it. They said too much could burn you up."

She grumbled a little bit, but didn't object.

"Alright, now we just have to set your foot." I said rubbing my hands together.

"Have you ever done this before?" Piper asked. I could hear fear in her voice.

"Yes. With a guy from the Apollo cabin." I said mentally thanking Will for all the training he's given me.

"Jason, Leo, I need you to hold her leg still. This is gonna hurt, Pipes." I said using her nickname for the first time.

I twisted her foot back to where it should be in one thrust. Her ankle made a series of cracking and she flinched. Well, flinch is a huge understatement. It's more like she tried to jump ten feet in the air and punch Leo's arm at the same time. He nearly yelled as much as she did.

I put the stick next to her leg and used my powers to make some ice gauze. I wrapped it the way Will had taught me, imagining his hands guiding mine as he had done the first couple of times I had to do this. I pulled out some duct tape and taped it really well so that there was no real possible way for it fall off. Hopefully, the ice gauze will be soothing and numb the pain after the ambrosia wears off.

Piper looks down at her cast. "Ow."

"Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo said rubbing his arm. "Glad my face wasn't there."

I shook my head silently laughing to myself.

"Sorry," she said. "And don't call me 'beauty queen', or I'll punch you again."

I fished out a plastic water bottle from my bag to see if the snow had melted all the way and wasn't to cold to drink. Though, I could never really tell being immune to cold temperatures and all.

The snow had melted and that was enough for me, so I handed it to Piper and she downed almost all of it.

"Thanks guys." Piper said.

"Don't mention it." I said.

"What happened to the dragon?" she asked. "Where are we?"

Leo's expression turned sullen. "I don't know with Festus. He just jerked sideways like he hit an invisible wall and started to fall."

I remembered my horrible dream. Terra/Gaea had the power to take us down from the sky. That doesn't seem right. How had she done it?

Leo pointed to the logo on the wall "As far as where we are..."

It was hard to see through the graffiti, but I could just make out a large red eye with the stenciled words: Monocle Motors, Assembly Plant 1

"Closed Car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crash landed in Detroit."

"How far is that from Chicago?" Piper asked.

Jason spoke up. "Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec? The thing is, without the dragon, we're stuck traveling overland."

"No." I said sternly, remembering more of my dream.

They all looked at me and I softened my tone, "It wouldn't be safe."

I wanted to tell them about my dream, but there was something in the back of my head nagging at me not to. I didn't want to scare them, especially the part where Terra/Gaea had said I was supposed to help her rise, I didn't want them to think I was going to help her. I didn't need my teammates waiting for me to turn against them.

"She's right." Piper said. "Besides, I don't know if I can walk. And four people-Jason, you can't fly that many across country by yourself."

"No way," Jason said. "Leo, are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and-"

"And I might not have repaired him right?"

"I didn't say that," Jason protested. "It's just-maybe you could fix it."

"I don't know." Leo sounded crestfallen. He pulled a few screws out of the pockets of his belt and started fiddling with them. "I'd have to find where he landed, if he's even in one piece."

"It was my fault." Piper said.

I was confused at this. If it was anyone's fault it was probably mine. If I had said yes to helping Terra/Gaea, maybe Festus would still be okay, Piper's ankle wouldn't be broken, and we'd still be on our way to Chicago.

"Don't do that to yourself. You did the right thing." I thought.

"Piper," Jason said gently, "you were asleep when Festus conked out. It couldn't be your fault."

"Yeah, you're just shaken up," Leo agreed. "You're in pain. Just rest."

"You'll definitely need it. Don't worry." I gave Piper a warm smile.

Her eyes gave a sad look and something seemed to be bothering her.

Leo stood. "Look, um, Jason, why don't you stay with her, bro? I'll scout around for Festus. I think he fell outside the warehouse somewhere. If I can find him, maybe I can figure out what happened and fix him."

"It's too dangerous," Jason said. "you shouldn't go by yourself."

"Then I'll go with him. Is that okay?" I asked Leo.

"Yeah, but Jason, it wouldn't be safe for you to be alone with Piper since she's hurt." Leo said.

"We'll be fine." Jason said.

"Okay." Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out a flashlight.

"Cool belt." I said.

"Yeah, it can conjure anything I want it to that will come out of the pockets, but the harder the thing, the longer it takes to recharge." Leo said.

I nodded. "But it's still awesome."

We headed downstairs into the darkness.