They reached the summit of Pikes Peak.

Below them, the world was blanketed by clouds. The air was so thin, Emilia struggled to breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and stars glittered in the sky. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like sharp teeth.

Hovering in the sky about a quarter mile away, far above, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone, at least as wide as a football stadium and about as tall. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of fortress.

The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of what looked like ice that glistened in the moonlight. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around– blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a place. It wasn't solid and Emilia had no desire to cross it.

"We're not seriously crossing that," said Leo, speaking for everyone.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"It's enormous," observed Jason.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?"

She grimaced, glancing sideways at Emilia. Olympus didn't hold pleasant memories for Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy, and Emilia was partially the reason. She decided not to say anything about it. Maybe she did believe Emilia was better, if that was Annabeth's opinion. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," said Leo. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

His sister laughed, but then seemed to realize Leo wasn't joking. "Wait... Jason, you can fly?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean... you can't fly?"

For a second, she looked genuinely afraid. "Truthfully, I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with its hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. It held his weight with no problem. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, come on, girl, I'll give you a hand."

Piper started to say, "No that's okay–" But the coach grabbed her hand anyway and dragged her across the bridge. They made it halfway and the bridge showed no signs of being about to rupture.

Thalia turned to Phoebe. "I'll be back soon. Go find the others, tell them I'm on my way."

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Jason, Leo, and Emilia, as if they'd hurt Thalia without her there. Emilia wasn't sure she'd even manage to harm Thalia– by the time she conjured up a shadow blade, Thalia would have already fried her with lightning. "You sure?"

"It's fine," promised Thalia. Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels. "Everyone, be careful where you step. It hardly ever breaks."

"It hasn't met me yet," muttered Leo.

Emilia decided to go ahead, preferring to mark a path for them. She ignored the conversation behind her, focusing on getting to where Piper and Hedge were already waiting at the top. She kept hearing them slow down, but couldn't focus on it, because she could feel her own feet starting to freeze, both from the fear and the cold.

When she reached Piper and Coach Hedge, she turned and saw Leo and Jason were still only halfway, and Thalia was running back to Pikes Peak. Once they made it, Leo's clothes smoked and the vapor bridge vanished. Their way out of there was gone.

"What happened?" demanded Piper. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason, honest, I didn't–"

"It's alright," said Jason, though his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

They explained quickly that Leo had figured out Hera was being kept at the Wolf House in Glen Ellen that Emilia had mentioned. Thalia was going to take the Hunters there to hold it until they arrived from saving Piper's dad.

After that, they climbed in silence, not as cold now that they weren't about to fall to their deaths. The Hunter parkas were very warm and fuzzy. Finally, they arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds. Twenty-foot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel– a white-columned rotunda, Greek style– except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were divided into four sections, each one representing a season. The section on their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew; were they decorations or were they alive?

To their left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns– gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves. In the distance, there were two more areas: one looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds and the other ws a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: Watch Aeolus Nightly!

"I'm loving that pasture," said Coach Hedge, licking his lips. "You guys mind–"

"Go ahead," said Jason. As he ran off to attack springtime, the rest of them walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read 'OLYMPIAN WEATHER CHANNEL,' while some simply said 'OW!'

"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. She was elfish– petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could mark her as sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, her white gown billowing at her ankles. "Are you from Lord Zeus?" She held a white tablet computer in her hands. "We've been expecting you."

"Are you a ghost?" asked Jason before the woman could reply.

Her smile became a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Piper came to the rescue, which Emilia always appreciated. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

Emilia thought that was overkill, but Mellie blushed. "Oh... well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

She was about to say no, because she wasn't sure that was a good thing or not, but Jason replied, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

That was enough for Mellie. "Excellent! Please, right this way." She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good. I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

As they passed through the lobby, Emilia wished more and more that they could turn around and go back to Pikes Peak. She'd rather shadow-travel them to California than stay here any longer. Winds blasted around the lobby, pushing them down a hall where doors blew open and slammed by themselves. Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other wind nymphs would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

There were even harpies there, which reminded Emilia a bit too much of the winkly human-chicken hybrids that cleaned up at camp. According to Mellie, they were spirits of violent gusts, unlike the aurai. She led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked.

"We have a few minutes before he starts," said Mellie cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!"

That didn't comfort Emilia in the slightest. As the doors opened, they were able to see into Aeolus's fortress. Its central section was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air– cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants.

Jason pulled Leo back abruptly, the first of them to notice there was no floor, only a circular chasm that plunged into the heart of the mountain. As Emilia leaned over the edge, she saw more of the tunnels that blasted out from the sides when they'd been at Pikes Peak. The whole cavern was filled with harpies, aurai, and paper airplanes, but anyone who couldn't fly would plunge down and certainly die.

Mellie called for a solid floor, and within seconds, an army of harpies rose from the pit carrying squares of various building materials. It made Emilia sick to her stomach watching them hammering and gluing and duct-taping random wedges of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, and grass together to make a floor. No, this was wrong. Something about this was unsafe.

Jason chose to step out first. When the floor held, Emilia decided to just walk across it as fast as possible. They continued after Mellie, who led them toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control center. A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages. He paid them no attention as Mellie brought them forward.

Leo whistles, "I got to get a room like this."

The floating screens showed all sorts of television programs. Some were news broadcasts, others showed gladiators fighting and demigods battling monsters. Emilia had a bad feeling they were being shown live. The man in the center was talking into an earpiece phone. He had a remote control in each hand and was pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.

He wore a business suit that looked like the sky, blue and dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and moved across the fabric. He looked to be about sixty, with a shock of white hair, but his face was plastered with stage make-up and even under that he looked so artificial that Emilia couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever had plastic surgery. It seemed like the answer was yes.

Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods–"

"Hold it!" He held up a hand to silence her, which Emilia thought was rude, then pointed at one of the screens. "Watch!" He shrieked with delight at footage of a Jeep being plowed straight into a tornado funnel cloud and being tossed into the sky. "The Disaster Channel. People do that on purpose!" He turned toward them with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."

"Um, sir," said Mellie, "this is Jason, son of–"

"Yes, yes, I remember," said Aeolus. "You're back. How did it go?"

Jason glanced at the others. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me–"

"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was– what– last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."

Emilia narrowed her eyes as Aeolus laughed at Jason's confusion. "Must not have been a very good sea monster. No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus– gods, he docked at my island for a month! At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into–"

Emilia was about to snarl out that she didn't care about tornadoes or ducks, but Mellie interrupted, "Sir, two minutes to air."

"Air!" exclaimed Aeolus. "I love air. How do I look? Makeup!" Emilia ducked out of the way as a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended onto Aeolus, blurring across his face until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.

"Aeolus," said Emilia sharply, practically ripping the golden backpack off of Jason. "We don't mean to take much more of your time– we brought you these rogue storm spirits."

"Did you!" He looked at the bag as if he didn't want it. "Well, how nice."

"Boreas sent us to capture them," she insisted, shaking it toward him. "They're collected, you don't have to worry, now you can stop ordering demigods to be killed and you can tell us–"

He interrupted her with a laugh, which only served to infuriate her more. "Demigods be killed?" he said, looking incredulously at Mellie. "Did I order that?"

Mellie checked her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon, demigods to be held responsible,' etc... yes, a general order for them all to be killed."

"Oh, pish," said Aeolus, as if this was a 'no harm done' situation. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and um, who's on guard duty– Teriyaki?– Teri, take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"

A harpy swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag from Emilia, and spiraled into the abyss. "That's it?" said Emilia incredulously, watching as Aeolus grinned, apparently satisfied.

"Yes, sorry about the kill-on-sight business," he said dismissively. "But gods, I really was mad, wasn't I?" His face darkened maliciously. "You know... I remember now. Almost seemed like a voice was telling me to give that order. A little cold tingle on the back of my neck."

"Great," said Emilia sarcastically. "Voices in your head telling you to kill demigods. I wonder who that reminds me of. Lord Aeolus, I think–"

"Wait!" he cried, already forgetting where he was going with that. "It's time– I'm on!"

Emilia rolled her eyes as he flew toward the blue screen, newscast music blaring around them. "Okay, this is ridiculous," she told Mellie. "Is there no one else who can help us? I don't want to deal with him if he's like that. He can't even give us a straight answer about anything."

"Yeah," agreed Jason. "The thing about the sea monster... was I here before?"

Mellie blushed. "I'm sorry, I don't remember. I'm Mr. Aeolus's new assistant. I've been with him longer than most, but still– not that long."

Piper frowned. "How long do his assistants usually last?"

"Oh..." Mellie thought for a moment. "I've been doing this for... twelve hours?"

Emilia's eye twitched as the forecast began, lights blazing over Aeolus as he announced the weather and indicated which areas were being affected by which of the gods. Everything was changing so fast, she wondered if they should take their chance and run out right now. Aeolus wasn't going to be any help.

"This can't be right," Jason whispered. "Weather isn't that random."

Mellie smirked. "And how often are mortal weathermen right? They talk about fronts and air pressure and moisture, but the weather surprises them all the time. At least Aeolus tells us why it's so unpredictable. Very hard job, trying to appease all the gods at once. It's enough to drive anyone..."

As soon as the light shut off and Aeolus's face sagged with weariness– Emilia almost felt bad for him– she burst out, "Can we get back to our conversation? We brought you the rogue storm spirits and we're here for something importantthat requires your full attention."

"Yes, of course you want something else," assumed Aeolus. "Demigods always do."

Mellie cleared her throat. "Um, sir," she gestured to Jason, "this is Zeus's son." She said it was if it was something important he needed to recall. "They're here from Olympus."

That wasn't necessarily true, but Aeolus looked stunned and laughed. "You mean you're here on behalf of your father this time? Finally! I knew they would send someone to renegotiate my contract!"

"What contract?" cried Emilia, exasperated.

Aeolus sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness! It's been what, three thousand years since Zeus made me master of the winds. Not that I'm ungrateful, of course! But really, my contract is so vague. Obviously I'm immortal, but 'master of the winds.' What does that mean? Am I a nature spirit? A demigod? A god? I want to be god of the winds because the benefits are so much better–"

"We're not here to promote anyone!" said Emilia sharply. "We're not from Olympus. Jason is a son of Zeus and we're here because we need your help on our quest!"

His expression hardened. "Like every hero who comes here... demigods, it's always about you, isn't it?"

"This is bigger than just us!" said Emilia. "We're the ones doing the dirty work trying to fix things so it's not our fault we had to come here. If you can't help us, then we'll find an actual–"

Piper jumped in before she could say 'god who can,' speaking soothingly, "We just want information. We hear you know everything."

Aeolus straightened his lapels and looked slightly mollified. "Well, that's true, of course. For instance, I know that thisbusiness here, this harebrained scheme of Juno's to bring you all together is likely to end in bloodshed. As for you, Piper McLean, I know your father is in serious trouble."

He held out his hand, and a scrap of paper fluttered into his grasp. It was a photo of Piper with a guy who must've been her dad. She took the photo with shaky hands, "This– this is from his wallet."

"Yes," said Aeolus. "All things lost in the wind eventually come to me. The photo blew away when the Earthborn captured him." He narrowed his eyes at Leo. "Now, you, son of Hephaestus... yes, I see your future." Another paper fell into the wind god's hands– an old tattered drawing done in crayons.

Though she knew she shouldn't, Emilia conjured her spear the moment Leo's face paled and he took the paper as if it might be coated in poison. He folded it quickly and insisted he was nothing when Jason asked about it, but Emilia could tell it had unsettled him.

Aeolus glanced at her spear and grinned. "Well, then, where were we? Ah, yes, you wanted information. Are you sure about that? Sometimes information could be dangerous."

"And sometimes demigods are more dangerous," said Emilia curtly. "Yes, we are sure. We need to find the lair of Enceladus."

Aeolus's smile melted. "The giant? Why would you want to go there? He's horrible! He doesn't even watch my program!"

"Well, this isn't about you, is it?" said Emilia, ready to stick Incubo down his throat. "We are going to rescue Piper's father. After we rescue him and free Hera from her prison, we can go to Olympus and speak to Zeus directly. She'll have an advantage in convincing him to promote you and on top of that, I will speak to my friend– Dionysus's only son– about having his father put pressure on him, too. But that only works if you tell us where Enceladus is. And if you could get us there, that would be even more helpful."

Mellie clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, he could do that! He often sends helpful winds–"

"Mellie, quiet!" snapped Aeolus. "I have half a mind to fire you for letting these people in under false pretenses."

Her face paled. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"It wasn't her fault," said Jason, about as frustrated as Emilia. "But about that help–"

Aeolus tilted his head as if he was thinking, but his eyes darted around like he was listening to his earpiece. "Well... Zeus approves. He says... he says it would be better if you could avoid saving her until after the weekend, because he has a big party planned– ow! That's Aphrodite yelling at him, reminding him that the solstice starts at dawn. She says I should help you. And Hephaestus... yes. Hmm. Very rare they agree on anything. Hold on..."

Jason smiled at the others, and Emilia tried to look pleased, but she found herself staring at Aeolus, waiting for the 'and Eris,' that did not come. Of course her mother wouldn't be on their side, she was helping Gaea. The others didn't notice how her face fell slowly; they got occupied watching Hedge return to flirt with Mellie (who didn't seem at all appalled by the annoying old goat man).

Emilia's shoulders slumped, disappointed, wondering if she'd ever know her mother, if she would ever help them or would always be on Gaea's side, trying to harm them. Maybe she'd only ever speak to her to lure her away from the eight. That wasn't worth a conversation.

Aeolus finally stopped listening. "You'll find Enceladus at Mount Diablo."

"Devil Mountain?" asked Leo. "That doesn't sound good."

"I remember that place!" said Piper. "I went there once with my dad. It's just east of San Francisco Bay."

"But an hour away driving from Glen Ellen and the Wolf House," murmured Emilia as Hedge shook his head after realizing it was another terrible Bay Area location. How were they going to get from Mount Diablo to the Wolf House?

"Now," Aeolus began to smile. "As to getting you there." Suddenly his face went slack. He bent over and tapped his earpiece as if it were malfunctioning. When he straightened again, his eyes were wild. Despite the makeup, he looked like an old man– an old, very frightened man. "She hasn't spoken to me for centuries. I can't– yes, yes I understand..."

Whatever he understood, he still seemed skeptical about. He glanced at them for a moment then slowly, his eyes began to darken, his expression becoming angry. It was the same look people got on their faces when discord began to sow in them. Emilia didn't need him to elaborate to know who was working on him right at that moment.

"I'm sorry, son of Jupiter," he said to Jason. "New orders. You three–" he gestured to Piper, Jason, and Leo, "have to die."

Mellie squeaked. "But– but, sir! Zeus said to help them. Aphrodite, Hephaestus–"

"Mellie!" he snapped. "Your job is already on the line. Besides, there are some orders that transcend even the wishes of the gods, especially when it comes to the forces of nature."

"Whose orders?" asked Jason, though he looked at Emilia as if he knew, deep down. "Zeus will fire you if you don't help us."

Playing the 'when my father hears about this' card was not in his favor this time. Aeolus didn't seem bothered. "I doubt it." He flicked his wrist, and far below them, a cell door opened in the pit. Storm spirits screamed out of it, spiraling up toward them. "Even Zeus understands the order of things. And if she is waking– by all the gods– she cannot be denied. Daughter of Discordia, you can return the way you came. The rest of you... I'm terribly sorry, but I'll have to make this quick. I'm back on the air in four minutes."

Mellie dove at their feet just as the storm spirits hit with hurricane force, blasting the floor to pieces, shredding the carpet samples and marble and linoleum into what should've been lethal projectiles, had Mellie's robes not spread out like a shield and absorbed the brunt of the impact. The six of them fell into the pit, and Aeolus screamed above them, "Mellie, you are so fired!"

"Quick!" yelled Mellie as they plummeted down. "Son of Zeus, do you have any power over the air?"

"A little!" cried Jason.

"Then help me, or you're all dead!" She grabbed his hand and Jason called for a group hug. He pulled Piper in first, she grabbed onto Emilia and Leo, then Hedge got far too close for Emilia's comfort.

"This is NOT GOOD!" yelled Leo, right in Emilia's ear.

"Bring it on, gas bags!" yelled Hedge at the storm spirits. "I'll pulverize you!"

"He's magnificent," Mellie sighed dreamily.

"Are we looking at the same satyr?!" shrieked Emilia. It was bad enough to wonder if her mother or Gaea had advocated for her life (clearly for a sinister purple) and to feel herself falling yet again, now she had to deal with Mellie thinking Hedge of all people was magnificent? Emilia was sure he'd only be magnificent if she turned him into birria.

Mellie and Jason channeled the wind, their fall steadily becoming more of a tumble into the nearest open shute. Still, they slammed into the tunnel at painful speed and went rolling over each other down a steep vent that was not designed for people. Emilia was sure she would be knocked out cold once they finally stopped– if they ever could.

Mellie's robes billowed around her as the storm spirits continued to scream behind them. "Can't– hold– long!" warned Mellie. "Stay together! When the winds hit–"

"You're doing great, Mellie," said Hedge. "My own mama was an aura, you know. She couldn't have done better herself."

"Iris-message me?" pleaded Mellie. Hedge winked.

"Could you guys plan your date later?" screamed Piper. "Look!" Behind them, the tunnel was turning dark.

"Can't hold them!" warned Mellie. "But I'll try to shield you, do you one more favor."

"Thanks, Mellie," said Jason. "I hope you get a new job."

She smiled, and then dissolved, wrapping them in a warm gentle breeze. Then the real winds hit, shooting them into the sky so fast, Emilia went as unconscious as she predicted.

-

A/N: After much contemplation, I've decided to make Hylla Ramírez-Arellano the love interest. I did consider Khione but I feel it wouldn't make sense for Emilia to like her since Khione acts like a spoiled brat. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts!