They flew in silence.

No one wanted to talk, at least not until they were sure Medea was gone and unable to get back her cages or take their lives from them.

Finally, Leo announced, "We're going to have to put down soon. Couple more hours, maybe, to make sure Medea's not following us. I don't think Festus can fly much longer than that."

"Yeah," Piper agreed. "Coach Hedge probably wants to get out of his canary cage, too. Question is– where are we going?"

"The Bay Area," mused Emilia. "Medea mentioned it. Oakland specifically, I think. Rang a bell because I was thinking about the Wolf House and Jack London Square the other day."

Jason hesitated, then said, "Piper's dad. Something happened to your dad, right? He got lured into some kind of trap?"

Emilia's memories weren't the sharpest with the charmspeak and necessity to fight it off, but she vaguely remembered something about an assistant named Jane and yes, a trap. Piper let out a shaky breath, "Look, Medea said all three of you would die in the Bay Area. And besides... even if we went there, the Bay Area is huge. First we need to find Aeolus and drop off the storm spirits. Boreas said Aeolus was the only one who could tell us exactly where to go."

Leo grunted. "So how do we find Aeolus?"

Jason leaned forward. "You mean you don't see it?"

Emilia blinked several times, and the others did too. "Are you... okay, Jason?"

Jason gestured again. "That... whatever it is, in the air."

"Right," said Leo slowly. "Could you be more specific on the 'whatever-it-is' part?"

"Like a vapor trail. Except it's glowing. Really faint, but it's definitely there. We've been following it since Chicago, so I figured you saw it."

Leo shook his head. "Maybe Festus can sense it. You think Aeolus made it?"

"Well, it's a magical trail in the wind," reasoned Jason. "Aeolus is the wind god. I think he knows we've got prisoners for him. He's telling us where to fly."

Piper whispered. "Or it's another trap." She didn't just sound nervous, she sounded broken with despair. Emilia could sense a fight within her, a choice she was avoiding.

"Pipes," said Leo, "you all right?"

"Don't call me that." It wasn't angry, it was hurt. As if being called 'Pipes' brought up terrible memories.

"Okay, fine," said Leo. "You don't like any of the names I make up for you. But if your dad's in trouble and we can help–"

"You can't," said Piper, voice shaking. "Look, I'm tired. If you don't mind..." She leaned back against Jason and closed her eyes.

They went back to silence while Festus followed the course. Eventually, Jason coaxed Leo into getting some rest. He was the one who could see the vapor trail, after all. Emilia would've liked to sleep more, but she didn't think it was possible. She helped Jason keep a lookout, sensing Festus shuddering beneath them. Maybe he was tired of carrying them and the two cages.

She thought about her family for a moment. Her aunt was a devout Catholic but she'd never discriminated against people who liked the same sex. In her eyes, everyone was a child of God and he made them all in his image.

She didn't believe it wrong for men to love men or for women to love women, so long as they followed the Ten Commandments and were overall good people. If Emilia ever saw her again, she probably wouldn't mind if she liked both men and women, so long as she didn't have any premarital relations on either end. That is if they were ever given permission to marry. She wasn't sure it would happen.

But what about her father? Did he share those views? Would her siblings still be interested if they knew their sister could be attracted to everyone under the sun? And her stepmother, who already hated her for the way she behaved, would she hate her even more for this?

Emilia wasn't even sure what 'this' was. She'd heard so many terms for what felt like the same thing. Some of them didn't even have flags yet. The ones that could apply to her were bisexual, polysexual, omnisexual, and pansexual... at least, she was sure that encompassed everything. She had no idea what the distinctions were. One was two, one was many, one was all, and one was... all but with a preference?

It was going to make her head hurt. She set the thought aside for the moment, feeling it was too much to think about in one sitting. Maybe Will and Annabeth would be able to use their combined medical, social, and theoretical knowledge to help her decide. If she ever saw them again.

Festus's shudders were becoming more frequent. One rumbled so hard through him that Piper groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Then, next thing they knew, Festus's eyes flickered once and the light went out. Just like in Detroit, they were free-falling all over again.

They screamed for Leo to wake up. When he did, he immediately got to testing the controls, the ground approaching swiftly below. "Jason!" he screamed, eyes wide. "Take Piper and Emilia and fly out of here!"

"What?" shouted Jason.

"We need to lighten the load! I might be able to reboot Festus, but he's carrying too much weight!"

"What about you?" Piper cried. "If you can't reboot him–"

"I'll be fine!" Leo yelled. "Just follow me to the ground– go!"

Jason didn't protest any further. He grabbed Piper around the waist and she yanked Emilia up, the three of them shooting into the air. Even that strain was too much for Jason. Emilia lifted her hands, doing her best to pull the shadows of the night sky to hold them almost as if they stood on a cloud, even somewhat easing Jason's burden.

Leo plummeted down alone with Festus. Emilia wasn't sure he'd survive it. He was aiming for the lawn of a mansion, then suddenly lasers shot out, cutting through Festus's body as he seemed to enter a protective dome. Piper screamed. Jason shot them toward the mansion, right past the lasers and onto the ground– Festus's body took the hit for them. They stumbled and ran right to Leo, who was unconscious amidst the pieces of Festus.

"Is he alive?" shrieked Piper. "He's not bleeding but–" She shook him. "Leo? Leo!"

"He's alive," said Emilia, holding a hand over his chest. For a terrible moment, she saw no pulsation in his throat and no rising of his chest and she felt fear that he was already gone. But the shadows swirled over him, they didn't pour out filled with chaos like they did when a person died. She wished she'd been a child of Hades instead of being a child of Eris. "I think I'd be able to sense if he was dead. Here, prop him up."

As they did, she had to reach into his mouth to pull out the clump of frozen grass that'd made its way into his mouth. Once she had his tongue out, she reached into her backpack, doing her best to deposit more drops of the sticky nectar that had now made clusters in the Ziploc bag. Piper fussed over Leo, using her sleeve to clean the snow, mud, and grease off of him.

She was crying, and Emilia wondered if crying could be as contagious as yawning when she felt tears sparkling in her own eyes. She remembered crying of frustration in the past but this time, she was worried. What would happen if Leo died? There would simply be no eight. Could they still defeat Gaea? Would they make it to the Bay Area? He'd been so kind, so clever, and so welcoming even after only a few days of knowing her. Most of the time, three days was all people needed to decide Emilia wasn't worth the effort.

But he woke up a few minutes later, after Jason had examined the main gate and deduced they were locked in. It was about the best feeling Emilia ever felt, that in the midst of this terrible moment, at least he was okay. She wondered if this was how people felt about their friends and siblings on a daily basis. She was almost compelled to hug him.

Leo wasted no time in trying to get to his feet to examine the damage, despite Piper insisting that he was in no condition to be moving around. Emilia wished she could've stopped him, too, if only to prevent herself from witnessing the heartbreak on his face when he saw his dragon.

Festus had disintegrated. His limbs were scattered across the lawn, tail hung on the fence, the main section of the body forming a trench across the yard before breaking apart. His hide was a charred, smoking pile of scraps. His neck and head were somewhat intact over a row of frozen rose bushes.

Leo began to sob, which only made the teary feeling worse in Emilia. He went to cradle Festus's head like she'd seen people do with their loved ones, mourning and disappointed. Festus managed a few weak clicks before Leo replied, "Yeah, I understand. I will. I promise."

"I'm so sorry, man," said Jason gently. "What did you promise Festus?"

Leo sniffled. He opened the dragon's head panel and muttered, "Something my dad told me. Everything can be reused."

"Your dad talked to you?" asked Jason. "When was this?"

Leo didn't respond. He worked at the hinges until Festus's head was detached from his neck, then held it up to the starry sky. "Take him back to the bunker, Dad. Please, until I can reuse him. I've never asked you for anything."

The wind picked up, and the dragon's head floated out of Leo's arms like it weighed nothing. It flew into the sky and disappeared.

Piper looked at him in amazement. "He answered you?"

"I had a dream," Leo managed. "Tell you later."

They turned toward the mansion, large and white and glowing in the center of the grounds. Tall brick walls with lights and security cameras surrounded the perimeter. The cages had fallen unharmed next to the dragon wreckage, which was probably the best case scenario after what'd happened.

Piper had been the only one to catch a billboard as they flew in. They were in Omaha, Nebraska, and they had no other choice but to go into the mansion. Leo deactivated a series of deadly devices, including a motion-activated trapdoor on the sidewalk, the lasers on the steps, a nerve gas dispenser on the porch railing, pressure-sensitive poison spikes on the welcome mat, and as their luck would have it, an exploding doorbell.

"You're amazing, man," said Jason, knowing Leo needed a pick-me up. Emilia would've liked to cook something for Leo and give him flowers or something (she heard that was a nice gesture) because they'd certainly be dead if not for him.

Leo scowled as he examined the front door lock. "Yeah, amazing. Can't fix a dragon right, but I'm amazing."

"Hey, that wasn't your–"

"Front door's already unlocked," announced Leo.

Piper and Emilia shared an incredulous look. "Okay," said Emilia. "Let me get this straight– there are traps everywhere to stop even squirrels from coming to the door, but after everything, the door's unlocked?"

Leo seemed to interpret this as doubt. He swung the door open and stepped in without hesitation. Before the rest could follow, Piper caught Jason and Emilia by the arms. "He's going to need some time to get over Festus. Don't take it personally. Give him his space."

That would be easy for Emilia. She had no idea how to comfort Leo otherwise. Even as he cried over Festus, she just stood there. At least Piper and Jason gave him some pats on the back. She didn't really know how to deal with grief.

The house was dark and silent. Emilia was the only one who could see just how large the entry hall was, even bigger than the one in Boreas's penthouse. The windows were lined with thick velvet curtains, rising about ten feet tall. Spaced between them along the walls were life-size metal statues.

As Emilia reached out to touch them, she sensed a metallic texture. It was hard to make out what the metal was even though she could see in the dark.

She wished she could see colors, too, but she supposed it was envy-inducing enough to others that she could make out shapes, movements, and people perfectly as if her eyes turned into night-vision lenses. She should be thankful for what she had.

"There's no light switch," said Emilia. "Flashlight or fire?"

Leo held out his hand, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"Your fire is out?" asked Piper, concerned. "Why?"

"Well, if I knew that–"

"Okay, okay," said Piper. Emilia assumed it was either caused by grief or injury. Probably more of the former. Leo didn't normally seem to think himself very important, and that sensation was probably aggravated by his deemed failure to save Festus. "What do we do– explore?"

"I can," offered Emilia. "I'll have an advantage over anyone who's here."

Leo shook his head. "No, it's a bad idea. You won't be able to deactivate any other traps if you find them."

"Leo's right," said Jason. "We're not separating again– not like in Detroit."

Piper's voice quavered. "Oh, thank you for reminding me of the cyclopes. I needed that."

"It's a few hours until dawn," Jason guessed. "Too cold to wait outside. Let's make camp in this room. Wait for daylight; then we can decide what to do."

They went outside only to roll the cages inside with them. They had no fire, so they resorted to cold rations Piper had packed. Emilia recognized none of the statues, not thinking them replicas of anything famous. They were probably inspired by Greek and Roman heroes, given the positioning, but something about them seemed weird. Maybe the owner of the house had been sold cheap busts.

The venti churned angrily in their prison, so loud that Emilia wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep. Coach Hedge remained frozen mid-shout, cudgel raised. Leo was trying to open the cage, but it seemed to be giving him a hard time. Jason went to sit beside him, keeping him company as he made his effort. Piper had curled up on one of the sofas, while Emilia sank into an armchair, strengthened by the night.

She felt a lot better and less tired now that she actually could rest. It got her thinking that the winter solstice was tomorrow, if she'd kept up with her days correctly. Were they even going to make it to the Bay Area by then?

She must've nodded off, because next thing she knew, there was a whole lot of yelling. She sat up, annoyed, as Gleeson Hedge swung his club, breaking everything in sight. He glared at Jason and Emilia like they were pests he needed to eviscerate on sight.

Emilia sat cross-legged as he tired himself out asking angry questions and demanding Piper and Leo explain why they were there. Coach Hedge kept looking at her as if expecting her to do something sinister. She'd never met him but he knew for certain who and what she was.

She tilted her head up, blinking several times to accommodate to the now well-lit room. As she observed the statues again, she realized what the metallic feeling was. They were golden.

"Nice," said Leo once Coach Hedge called their attention to the same fact. "No wonder they got so much security."

"This isn't Medea's place, Coach," said Piper. "It's some rich person's mansion in Omaha. We got away from Medea and crash-landed here."

"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's this quest?"

A door opened at the far end of the room. A pudgy man in a white bathrobe stepped out with a golden toothbrush in his mouth. He had a white beard and one of those long, old-fashioned sleeping caps pressed down over his white hair. He froze when he saw them, and the toothbrush fell out of his mouth. He glanced at the room behind him and called, "Son? Lit, come out here, please. There are strange people in the throne room."

Unhelpfully, Coach Hedge raised his club and shouted, "Die!"

Emilia stood as the others dove to hold Coach Hedge back. A younger, dark-haired man charged into the room, dressed in pajama pants with a sleeveless T-shirt that read 'CORNHUSKERS.' He held a sword out, his arms and face covered in scars. As soon as Emilia saw him lifting his sword, she conjured her spear, darkening the room by extending the shadows out to cover the windows.

"Hold on!" cried Piper before anyone could get into a fight. "This is just a misunderstanding. Everything is fine."

Hedge continued to scream, "I'll get them, don't worry!"

"Coach," Jason pleaded, embarrassed. "They may be friendly. Besides, we're trespassing in their house." He motioned to Emilia, who rolled her eyes and called the shadows back.

"Thank you," said the old man. "Now, who are you, and why are you here?"

Piper held out her hands, encouraging everyone to set their weapons down to have a nice little chat. Lit huffed as he sheathed his sword, watching Emilia let her spear drift back into darkness. "You speak well, girl– fortunately for your friends, or I would've run them through."

"I'd like to see you try," sneered Emilia, not at all liking his attitude. She would rather err on the side of caution and join Coach Hedge in decapitating these people. They hadn't met anyone 'friendly' so far.

The old man sighed. "Well, since you're here, please, sit down."

Lit frowned. "Your Majesty–"

"No, no, it's fine, Lit," said the old man. "New land, new customs. They may sit in my presence. After all, they've seen me in my nightclothes. No sense in observing formalities. Welcome to my humble home. I am King Midas."

Another alarm bell going off in Emilia's hand. This was the second mortal that was supposed to be dead. Either he served Gaea or he returned the way the cyclopes tried to in Detroit. Even if it was the latter, it was probably for selfish reasons.

"Midas?" asked Coach Hedge. "Impossible. He died."

Piper sat forward, staying calm. "What our satyr friend means, Your Majesty, is that you're the second mortal we've met who should be– sorry– dead. King Midas lived thousands of years ago."

"And he wouldn't be holed up in Omaha, Nebraska, of all places," said Emilia under her breath.

"Interesting," said King Midas, not hearing Emilia's comment. "You know, I think I was a bit dead for a while. It's strange. Seems like a dream, doesn't it, Lit?"

"A very long dream, Your Majesty," he replied, flexing his muscular arms to get Piper's attention. Jason looked jealous for someone who hadn't actually been her boyfriend.

"And yet," said the King, "now we're here. I'm enjoying myself very much. I like being alive better."

"How did it happen?" asked Emilia, narrowing her eyes. "Happen to have a patron pulling strings for you?"

He hesitated, but there was a sly twinkle in his eyes. "Does it matter, my dear?"

"It may be what I use to decide if I will send you back to your grave or not."

"I'm with her," said Hedge, gesturing to Emilia. "We could kill them again."

"Neither of you are helping," said Jason. "Coach, why don't you go outside and stand guard?" He eyed Emilia as if saying that if she didn't keep her comments to a minimum, she'd be put in time-out too.

Leo coughed. "Is that safe? They've got some serious security."

"Oh yes!" said Midas. "Sorry about that. But it's lovely stuff, isn't it? Amazing what gold can still buy. Such excellent toys you have in this country!" He took a remote control out of his bathrobe pocket and pressed a few buttons. "There. Safe to go out now."

Coach Hedge left reluctantly. Emilia was tempted to join them because she knew she wasn't being helpful, but she refused to leave the others alone. She'd rather try hard to shut up than be exiled from the room.

If something went wrong, she wanted to be here. She wanted to protect them. She didn't want to ever feel fear like she did the night before, when she thought Leo would die. If anyone tried to hurt Piper, Jason, and Leo from now on, she'd obliterate them.