CHAPTER TWENTY:
PLAY GOD

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THE WORLD BECAME A fiery inferno the moment Annais Min stepped out of the helicopter. She stumbled as the ground shook, almost dropping the square of ambrosia she was attempting to scoff down before throwing herself into battle, again. When she turned around to observe the carnage, she found Jason and Piper helping a dazed Leo to his feet and a flattened hunk of metal where the helicopter had only just been.

"Well, there goes our ride," said Mel.

Leo winced. "Guess we owe that ranger lady a new helicopter."

"That doesn't matter right now," Annais dismissed as her sharp eyes scanned their surroundings. With the ambrosia coursing through her veins, it was so much easier to focus. There was chaos everywhere, no matter where she looked. Annais had to wonder how Ezra was keeping her cool. Sounds of combat echoed on the wind, the snow and fog combined in a deadly mixture. In the middle of everything was the Wolf House. Constructed from dark grey stone and burnt timber beams, its halls shrieked with the wails of ghosts, of new souls passing on. "We need to find Thalia."

"Jason!"

Almost like she'd been summoned by her name, Thalia Grace cut through the fog with her bow in hand and the quiver on her back nearly empty. There was a cut on her cheek, wrapping around her eye, and Thalia's free hand continued to drift towards it — a barely noticeable sign of weakness. She hadn't even made it a few steps before one of the Earthborn burst out of the ground, sending rocks and dirt splintering everywhere as it raised a club above her head.

"Look out," Leo cried, leading the charge towards her, but Annais knew that Thalia would have it under control soon enough. She was right. With a yelp of rage, Thalia launched herself into a flip, shooting an arrow between the Earthborn's eyes and smirking when it crumbled into dust.

"That was my last one," she sighed as she stared down at her empty quiver. "Stupid ogre!"

"Nice shot, though," Leo said, with the classic signs of a smile that Annais liked to call the 'Leo is crushing on girls out of his league again' look. She snickered when Thalia turned to Jason instead, oblivious to the way that Leo frowned and Melanie rolled her eyes at him.

"Just in time," Thalia informed her brother. "My hunters are holding a perimeter around the mansion but we'll be overrun any minute."

"Leo and I can take care of the Earthborn," Mel said, her hand finding Leo's as they sized up the monsters in question. 

"We also have the wolves, Lycaon's minions," Thalia continued. "And the storm spirits—"

Piper gasped. "But we gave them to Aeolus!"

"And you expected him to stay true to his word?" 

Before Piper had a chance to reply, Thalia turned to Annais. "The monsters keep reforming almost as fast as we can kill them," she said, watching closely as Annais fixed her bottom lip between her teeth and grimaced. "I was hoping you'd know something, but from the looks of it..."

Shifting under the sudden attention of the group, Annais shook her head, stomach twisting when Thalia sighed in disappointment. "I'm sorry. Hades doesn't tell me anything."

"We'll just have to keep trying then," Thalia decided. "We took the Wolf House with no problem, surprised the guards and sent them straight to Tartarus. But then this freak snow storm blew in. Wave after wave of monsters started attacking. Now we're surrounded. I don't know who or what is leading the assault, but I think they planned this. It was a trip to kill anyone who tried to rescue Hera."

Jason's eyes brightened at the mention of the Goddess. "Where is she?"

"Inside," Thalia grumbled. "We tried to free her but we can't figure out how to break the cage. It's only a few minutes until the sun goes down. Hera thinks that's the moment Porphyrion will be reborn." Fuck. "Plus, most monsters are stronger at night. If we don't free Hera soon..."

It was Ezra who broke the silence that followed. "We are so screwed."

Not even Annais could argue with that.

Wordlessly, the group followed Thalia towards the house. Annais found herself at Jason's side, shaking her head as the boy worriedly looked her up and down. In the end, it wasn't her he needed to fuss over, but himself. As soon as he stepped through the door, his face paled and his body slumped towards her.

"Whoa!" she cried, one hand pressed against his forehead while the other held him upright. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"This place..." He trailed off, blushing beet red under the concerned stares of his friends. "Sorry... it just came rushing back to me."

His memories? Seriously? All it took was visiting one place and he started remembering everything? Annais didn't know what to think, so she stayed silent as Piper stated, "You've been here."

"We both have," Thalia confirmed. "This is where my mum took us when Jason was a child. She left him here, told me he was dead. He just... disappeared."

"She gave me to the wolves at Hera's insistence. She gave me to Lupa," Jason breathed out, hand reaching for Annais' as he refused to meet anyone else's eyes. Only hers. The foreboding sense of sadness faded away as she squeezed his hand, nodding in a 'you need to snap out of it' gesture. Her heart ached for him, but they needed him to guide them. He had to keep going.

The walls rattled as another explosion echoed outside. Annais' hand slipped away from Jason's as the group dove for cover.

"Maybe this isn't the time for questions," Leo chuckled in a panic. "Show us the Goddess."

Hera's cage was located inside an empty pool. Spires and root tendrils had cracked through the foundations, spiralling together to form the walls keeping the powerful Goddess at bay. Hera didn't look happy to see them — then again, Annais couldn't ever remember a time where Hera had ever been anything but a bitter old bitch. It didn't help that a giant was rising through the earth right in front of her, leeching off her power, his eyelids fluttering as the ground sank lower around his waist. Any second now, everything would turn to shit.

"Hello, mother dearest," Ezra chirped as she allowed Leo to help her down into the pool. "Long time no chat."

Leo couldn't resist laughing at her words, adding on himself, "Hola, Tía! Little bit of trouble?"

Hera hissed like a feral cat. "Don't inspect me like I'm one of your machines, Leo Valdez," she exclaimed, refusing to acknowledge the girl by his side. "Just get me out of here."

"What's the magic word?" 

"Ezra Min, I swear to—"

Sensing the festering tension between them, Thalia stepped down, staring at the cage with pure distaste. "We tried everything we could think of, guys, but maybe my heart wasn't in it. If it was up to me, I'd just leave her in there."

"Oh, Thalia Grace, when I get out of here, you'll be sorry you were ever born!"

"Save it," Thalia merely scoffed. "You've been nothing but a curse to every child of Zeus for ages. You sent a bunch of intestinally challenged cows after my friend, Annabeth—"

"She was disrespectful."

Before Thalia could retort, she was interrupted by Ezra snickering to herself. "What?" she sighed when the daughter of Zeus smacked her on the arm. "You've gotta admit that was funny."

"Either way, you dropped a statue on my legs."

"It was an accident," Hera insisted, though she didn't sound too convincing.

"And you took my brother," Thalia shouted, and Annais was struck once again by sobering sorrow. It was rare that Thalia Grace ever showed so much emotion to anyone, let alone her enemies. She sounded strained. Every word clawed at her throat with no remorse. "Here, on this very spot, you ruined our lives. We should just leave you to Gaea!"

Jason couldn't stand back and listen anymore. He broke away from Annais, slowly moving towards his sister with his hands raised. "Hey, Thalia... I know. But this isn't the time. You should help your hunters."

It was clear she didn't want to but she conceded anyway, shooting Hera one last fearsome glare. "Fine! For you, Jason. But if you ask me, she isn't worth it." Then she marched out of the pool and back into the shadows.

Leo watched her go with glazed eyes, then turned to smirk at Hera. "Intestinally challenged cows?"

"Focus on the cage, Leo."

As Leo got to work observing her mess, Hera turned to observe the others. Annais and Mel waited side-by-side, wanting nothing to do with the Goddess. Piper McLean wasn't far behind them, looking at a loss for words, while Jason clung to Annais like he'd crumble apart if he let her go. Interesting.

Once again, Hera refused to acknowledge Ezra, and Annais couldn't be sure if it hurt Ezra or if she'd suspected it was coming. She kept her head bowed low as Hera addressed her golden boy. "Jason, you are wiser than your sister. I chose my champion well."

Immediately, Jason's blue eyes lit up with anger. "I'm not your champion, lady," he snapped, in that voice that never failed to make Annais' stomach twist. "I'm only helping you because you stole my memories and you're better than the alternative. Speaking of which, what's going on with that?"

"That, Jason, is the King of the Giants being reborn."

"Gross," Piper grimaced.

"Porphyrion is the strongest of his kind. Gaea needed a great deal of power to raise him again, my power. For weeks, I've grown weaker as my essence was used to grow him a new form."

The bitterness was so strong that it was almost tangible. It left a sour taste in Annais' mouth.

"So you're like a heat lamp?" Leo snickered at the ridiculous image he'd conjured. "Or fertiliser."

"Definitely fertiliser," Annais added, unable to stop herself.

Hera's nostrils flared. "Joke all you wish, daughter of Hades," she sneered at Annais. "But at sundown, it will be too late. The giant is going to wake. He will offer me a choice — marry him, or be consumed by the earth. And I cannot marry him."

"Cannot or just don't want to?" Ezra queried.

But even then, Hera refused to be goaded. "We will all be destroyed," she informed them. "And as we die, Gaea will awaken."

After another moment observing the spire, Leo stepped away and dusted off his hands, frowning with evident frustration. "Can't we blow it up or something?"

Hera scoffed. "Without me, you do not have the power. You might as well try to destroy a mountain."

Annais hated that she was right.

"Done that once today," Jason pointed out, making Hera slam her fists against the cage bars.

She shouted at him, "Just hurry up and let me out!"

All eyes went to Leo.

"Leo, can you do it?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, beginning to crack under the pressure. "Besides, if she's a Goddess, why hasn't she busted herself out?"

"You make a good point," Annais said, smirking when Hera started cursing at her in Ancient Greek. 

"He does not, Annais Min," she shouted once she'd calmed enough to revert to English, then she set her sights on Leo. "Use your brain, Leo Valdez. I picked you because you're intelligent. Once trapped, a God's power is useless. Your own father trapped me once in a golden chair. It was humiliating! I had to beg — beg him for my freedom and apologise for throwing him off Olympus!"

"Sounds fair."

Whatever she was expecting, that certainly hadn't been it. "I've watched you since you were a child, son of Hephaestus, because I knew you could aid me at this moment. If anyone can find a way to destroy this... abomination, it's you."

"But it's not a machine," Leo argued. "It's like Gaea thrust her hand out of the ground and—" He went quiet suddenly, blood draining from his face.  "Hold on. I have an idea. Piper, I'm going to need your help. And we're going to need time."

Almost as soon as he said that, the air froze. It was cold before but Annais' body went heavy now, like frost was forming in her veins. She half-heartedly reached for her ring, transforming it into a sword as monsters rushed in, one after the other with no end in sight. First came the venti, then the red-eyed wolves flanked by the chanting Earthborn. The hunters had been overpowered somehow, leaving six against dozens. 

And to make matters worse, they had Thalia Grace captured as their frozen prize of war.

"Thalia!" Jason cried, attempting to rush forward.

"Jason, no," Mel immediately protested, latching onto the back of his shirt.

Annais was stuck, just staring horrified at the girl laid before them. Was she dead? She had to be. There was no way Thalia's body had survived such intense temperatures. The thought seemed to occur to Jason at the same time. He stopped struggling against Mel and instead set his sights on the monsters.

"Who did this?" he yelled, with so much anger that even Hera took a step back. "I'll kill you myself."

Annais didn't doubt it. Even she wanted to lash out, to burn every last one of them if it meant some of Jason's pain would ease. Before she had the chance to commit to her thoughts, light laughter echoed through the room. The sound was bone chilling, like nails on a chalkboard or glass shattering, cold and clear in the freezing wind. Through the fog appeared a girl dressed head-to-toe in white, her familiar glower reminding Annais of the winding halls of Boreas' ice court.

"You," she hissed as Khione regarded the group.

"Bon soir, mes amis," Khione cackled, then set her sights on Leo. "Alas, son of Hephaestus, you say you need time? I'm afraid time is one tool you do not have."

"What have you done?" Jason demanded, glancing between his sister and the Goddess prowling towards them.

"Oh, so many things," Khione simpered, her red-painted lips twisting into a cruel smirk. "Your sister's not dead, if that's what you mean. She and her Hunters will make fine toys for our wolves. I thought we'd defrost them one at a time and hunt them down for amusement. Let them be the prey for once."

"That's sick," Mel exclaimed in disgust.

Khione merely sighed as the wolves snarled with blood-lust. "Your sister almost killed their king, you know," she informed Jason. "Lycaon's off in a cave somewhere — no doubt licking his wounds — but his minions have joined us to take revenge for their master. And soon, Porphyrion will arise, and we shall rule the world."

"Not if we can help it," Ezra said, but her voice was drowned out by Hera's outraged cries.

"Traitor!" she screamed, clutching at the bars of her prison like they were Khione's neck ready to be snapped. "You meddlesome, D-list Goddess! You aren't worthy to pour my wine, much less rule the world."

Annais snorted as Khione's face flushed a prominent shade of pink. "Tiresome as ever, Queen Hera," the D-list Goddess spat. "I've been waiting to shut you up for millennia."

Then, despite Hera's furious stare, she slashed her hands in front of her and the air twisted into solid blocks of ice. The spaces between the cage bars sealed shut, leaving nothing but a snow-encrusted box in the aftermath. They could no longer hear Hera, or see her. They just had to hope she'd survive long enough for them to free her.

"That's better," Khione beamed. "Now, demigods, about your deaths—"

"You're the one who tricked Hera into coming here," Jason realised, shaking his head in disgust. "You gave Zeus the idea of closing Olympus."

Annais' eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Slowly but surely, the pieces were beginning to fit together. The snow storm that she and Ezra had found themselves trapped in... Khione had been the one to create it. She wanted them separated from the others, easier to take out, and what better opportunity than the one they'd given her? Hea's protection hadn't been part of the plan, nor had the sheer determination of Annais and Ezra Min. So Khione had decided to back off, simply waiting in the shadows for the next moment to strike.

Now, the time had come.

"Of course, Jason Grace. Like snow, my voice is quiet and gentle, and very cold. It's easy for me to whisper to the other Gods, especially when I am confirming their own deepest fears. I also whispered in Aeolus' ear that he should issue an order to kill demigods. It is a small service for Gaea, but I'm sure I will be well rewarded when her sons —the giants — come into power."

"You fool," Ezra growled. "Gaea's only using you. There's no reward waiting, just death once she realises you've got nothing left to offer her."

"Silence!" Khione shouted, her smile morphing into bared teeth. What Ezra said was the truth but Khione would never accept it. She was looking for power, and power often made people foolish. Khione would die tonight, even if Annais had to make the killing blow herself. 

"You could've killed us in Quebec," Jason pointed out. "Why let us live?"

Slowly, Khione turned away from Ezra. It seemed to take every bit of strength for her not to lash out and freeze her too.

"Messy business, killing you in my father's house. Especially when he insists on meeting every visitor," she said. "I did try, you remember. It would've been lovely if he'd agreed to turn you to ice. But once he'd given you guarantee of safe passage, I couldn't openly disobey him. My father is an old fool. He lives in fear of Zeus and Aeolus, but he's still powerful. Soon enough, when my new masters have awakened, I will depose Boreas and take the throne of the North Wind, but not just yet. Besides, my father did have a point. Your quest was suicidal. I fully expected you to fail."

"And to help us with that," Leo scowled. "You knocked our dragon out of the sky over Detroit. Those frozen wires in his head — that was your fault. You're gonna pay for that."

"You're also the one who kept Enceladus informed about us," added Piper. "We've been plagued by snowstorms the whole trip."

"Like the one you sent Ezra and I," Annais' hands clenched into fists. "You didn't want us to re-join the others, so you tried to freeze us."

"You've finally figured it out," Khione scoffed, starting to pace. "Once you made it past Omaha, I decided to ask Lycaon to track you down so Jason could die here, at the Wolf House. You see, Jason, your blood spilled on this sacred ground will taint it for generations. Your demigod brethren will be outraged, especially when they find the bodies of these two from Camp Half-Blood, and three of the infamous Mins. They'll believe the Greeks have conspired with giants. It will be... delicious."

Greek versus Roman, Roman versus Greek. A tale as old as time.

"You'll set demigods against demigods..."

"It's so easy," Khione threw her head back and cackled. "As I told you, I only encourage what you would do anyway."

"I don't understand," said Melanie. The younger girl was frowning, like Khione had truly managed to blindside her. "You're willing to destroy the whole world?"

Khione hesitated, just for a second, and Piper pounced. "You know you don't want that," she insisted, sweet like honey, venomous like a viper. "Call off your monsters."

It seemed to work. One moment, Khione's shoulders had slumped, her face a sickly shade of despair. The next, she was laughing again, her eyes on the prize.

"Your persuasive powers are improving, girl. But I am a Goddess. You can't charm-speak me. We wind Gods are creatures of chaos! I'll overthrow Aeolus and let the storms run free. If we destroy the mortal world, all the better! They never honoured me, even in Greek times. Humans and their talk of global warming... I'll cool them down quickly enough! When we retake the ancient places, I will cover the Acropolis in snow."

The picture expanded again and Annais felt her stomach sink.

"The ancient places," Leo said what she was thinking. "That's what Enceladus meant about destroying the roots of the Gods. He meant Greece..."

"Oh, fuck."

"You could join me, son of Hephaestus," Khione spoke over Ezra's cursing. She plastered on a pretty smile, looking him up and down like she genuinely found him likable. "I know you find me beautiful. It would be enough for my plan if the others were to die. Reject that ridiculous destiny the Fates have given you. Live and be my champion instead. Your skills would be quite useful."

For a heart-stopping instant, Leo genuinely seemed like he was considering it. His hand slipped away from Melanie's but the serious expression that had settled on his face was quick to fade into amusement. He doubled over with laughter, scoffing, "Yeah, right. Until you get bored of me and turn me into a Leosicle? Lady, nobody messes with my dragon and gets away with it. I can't believe I thought you were hot."

Ezra had joined in on his laughter as Khione made a strangled noise of fury. The anger bubbled over then, unable to be contained any longer.

"Hot? You dare insult me?" she roared. "I am cold, Leo Valdez. Very cold."

To prove her point, she threw her hand out, palms cutting through the air like a knife. At the same time, frost formed a wintry knife and spun right for Ezra's chest. It struck her before anyone could even think to scream in warning, encasing the girl in a thick block of ice. 

As the offsprings of death bring ice to its knees, the spawn of Hera is left with demons to please...

It all made sense. Through her stunned silence and Mel's horrified cries, Annais had figured it out. This was the moment, the climax of their prophecy, where Ezra would need to prove herself, repent for the sins that she carried with her. She wasn't dead but close to it, and only her strength would break her out.

But that didn't mean Annais and Mel would sit down and take it. In an instant, Annais had her sword pointed at Khione's throat, a promise resting on her tongue.

"I'm going to kill you."

She didn't hesitate. As the monsters charged and with her friends at her back, Annais Min struck.