{EVANGELINE}

They had finally arrived in Quebec.

Piper woke Lorelai and Leo while Jason and Evangeline stared at the sight in front of them.

"We're here," Piper told the two children of Iris and Hephaestus as they woke up.

Below the demigods, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a medieval town.

In the center was a castle or she assumed it was a castle, with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

"Why are we at Santa's workshop?" Lorelai asked groggily as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"It's Quebec City," the brunette informed her.

"One of the oldest cities in North America," Piper added. "Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

The daughter of Aphrodite made a face at him. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"Nobody is thinking that," Evangeline told the McLean girl. 

"So what's that castle?" Lorelai interrupted.

"A hotel, I think," Piper said.

The son of Hephaestus laughed. "No way."

The closer they got the better Evangeline could see the place.

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. "That can't be—"

"Heads up guys," The son of Zeus interrupted him. "We got company!"

The brunette glanced below and saw what the blond meant. Rising from the top of the tower were two angry angels, with masty-looking swords.

From what she guessed, Festus wasn't fond of the angels. The dragon swooped to a halt in midair, wings beating and talons bared and made a rumbling sound in his throat.

"Steady, boy," Leo muttered.

"I don't like this," Jason said. "They look like storm spirits."

Evangeline felt like making a sarcastic retort at the blond's words but decided it wasn't the best time as the angry angels got closer.

They looked like regular teenagers except for their icy white hair and feathery purple wings. Their bronze swords were jagged, like icicles. Their faces looked similar enough that they might've been brothers.

One was the size of an ox, with a bright red hockey jersey, baggy sweatpants, and black leather cleats. The guy clearly had been involved in too many fights, because both his eyes were black, and when he bared his teeth, several of them were missing.

The other guy had long ice-white hair that was feathered into a mullet. He wore pointy-toed leather shoes, designer pants that were way too tight, and a god-awful silk shirt with the top three buttons open. Maybe he'd thought he looked like a groovy love god, but the guy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds and had a bad case of acne.

The angels pulled up in front of the dragon and hovered their swords at the ready.

The hockey ox grunted. "No clearance."

"Scuse me?" Leo raised a brow.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained the wannabe love god. The brunette took notice of the man's French accent, it sounded a little fake. "This is a restricted airspace."

"Destroy them?" The ox showed off his gap-toothed grin.

The dragon began to hiss steam, ready to defend them. Jason summoned his golden sword and Evangeline formed a blade out of shadow energy, but the son of Hephaestus cried, "Hold on! Let's have some manners here, boys. Can I at least find out who has the honor of destroying me?"

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

"That's short for Calais," The groovy love god said. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables—"

"Pizza! Hockey! Destroy!" Cal offered.

"—which includes his own name," the guy finished.

"I am Cal," Cal repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

"Wow," The Valdez boy said. "That was almost three sentences, man! Way to go."

Cal grunted, obviously pleased with himself.

"Stupid buffoon," his brother grumbled. "They make fun of you. But no matter. I am Zethes, which is short for Zethes. And the ladies here—" he winked at the three girls, but the wink was more like a facial seizure. "They can call me anything they'd like. Perhaps they'd like to have dinner with a famous demigod before we must destroy you."

Piper made a sound like gagging on a cough drop. "That's... a truly horrifying offer."

"I would rather get stabbed again," Evangeline stated blankly. 

"No, thank you, sir," Lorelai told him.

"It is no problem." Zethes wiggled his eyebrows. "We are 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. "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 the daughter of Hades saw the mortals were starting to take notice. Several were pointing up—not with alarm, yet—more with confusion and annoyance, like the dragon was a traffic helicopter flying too low.

"Which is sadly why, unless this is an emergency landing," Zethes said, brushing his hair out of his acne-covered face, "we will have to destroy you painfully."

"Destroy!" Cal agreed, with a little more enthusiasm than necessary.

"Wait!" Piper cut in. "This is an emergency landing."

"Awww!" Cal looked extremely disappointed.

Zethes turned his attention to the daughter of Aphrodite and studied her. "How does the pretty girl decide this is an emergency, then?"

"We have to see Boreas. It's totally urgent! Please?" Piper forced a smile, something about her voice made Evangeline believe every word she said.

Zethes picked at his silk shirt, probably making sure it was still open wide enough. "Well...I hate to disappoint a lovely lady, but you see my sister, she would have an avalanche if we allowed you—"

"And our dragon is malfunctioning," Lorelai spoke up. "It could crash any minute."

Festus shuddered helpfully, then turned his head and spilled gunk out of his ear, splattering a black Mercedes in the parking lot below.

"No destroy?" Cal whimpered.

The son of Boreas pondered the problem. Then he gave Lorelai a spasmodic wink. "Well, you are pretty. I mean, you're right. A malfunctioning dragon—this could be an emergency."

"Destroy them later?" Cal offered, which was probably as close to friendly as he ever got.

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

The Boreads sheathed their swords and pulled smaller weapons from their belts. Then the Boreads switched them on, and the brunette realized they were flashlights with orange cones. Cal and Zethes turned and swooped toward the hotel's tower.

Leo turned to demigods. "I love these guys. Follow them?"

The children of Iris, Zeus, and Aphrodite didn't look too eager. Evangeline wasn't either but they had no other choice. "Don't get too attached," she told him. "But we're here now."

"I wonder why Boreas hasn't been kind to visitors," Jason said.

"Pfft, he just hasn't met us." Leo whistled. "Festus, after those flashlights."

As they got closer, Evangeline was worried they'd crash into the tower. The Boreads made right for the green gabled peak and didn't slow down. Then a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance easily wide enough for Festsus. The top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth.

"This can't be good," The brunette muttered, but Leo spurred the dragon downward, and they swooped in after the Boreads.

They landed in what must have been the penthouse suit; the place looked like it had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, huge draped windows, and lush oriental carpets.

A staircase at the back of the room led up to another equally massive hall and more corridors branched off to the left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty a little frightening.

When the brunette slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched underneath her feet. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture. The curtains didn't budge because they were frozen solid, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset. Even the ceiling was furry with icicles.

"Guys," Leo said, "fix the thermostat in here, and I would totally move in."

"Not me." Jason looked uneasily at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something from up there..."

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

"No, no, no." Zethes marched river, though how he could walk in those pointy leather shoes, Evangeline had no clue. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

The dragon growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

"S'okay, boy." Leo turned to the son of Boreas. "The dragon's a little bit touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

"You have to stop with the destroy stuff, dude," Lorelai spoke in an annoyed tone. "It's getting old."

"Just wait," Leo said.

"Leo," Piper said nervously, "what are you—"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When Laur and I were repairing Festus last night, well I was doing all the work," he shot Lorelai a look.

"Hey, I was there for moral support!" She hissed.

"Sure," Leo dragged the word.

Lorelai threw her rock straight at him.

The son of Hephaestus ducked and pointed at her. "You missed." He grinned.

She threw her butterfly clip at him next, hitting him straight in the face.

"Both of you, enough!" Piper scolded.

Leo rubbed the side of his face then said, "Anyways, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others...Ah, here we go."

The Valdez boy hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered from head to toe. Everyone backed away as Festus folded like origami.

His bronze plating stacked together. His neck and tail contracted into his body. His wings collapsed and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase.

The son of Hephaestus tried to lift it but it looked like it weighed about six billion pounds. "Um...yeah. Hold on. I think—aha." He pushed another button. A handle flipped up on the top, and wheels clicked out on the bottom.

"Ta-da!" He announced. "The world's heaviest carry-on bag!"

"That's impossible," The Zeus spawn said. "Something that big couldn't—"

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo.

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

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

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

Cal growled. He put his face up to Leo's. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

"Oh." Evangeline could hear the panic in Leo's voice. "Yeah, well...my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and—"

"No!" Zethes pushed Leo back at sword point. "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."

"Hey..." Leo started. "Look...I don't know—" He glanced at the demigods desperately. "Guys, a little help?"

Evangeline clutched the blade in her hand tighter and said, "Why don't we all just—"

"Her too!" Cal exclaimed.

"What?" she asked.

Zethes focused his attention on her and leaned in too close for comfort. He sniffed a few times before saying, "He's right, I smell fire on you too."

"Excuse me?"

"Look," Jason said. "There's been a mistake. I don't know about Evangeline but Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."

"Um..."

"Zethes?" Piper tried her dazzling smile again, though she looked too nervous and cold to pull it off. "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 farther into Leo's chest, and frost started spreading across his shirt.

"Wait a second—" Evangeline was cut off by Cal pressing the tip of his sword onto her chest making her shiver, the brunette could feel her skin turning numb.

"Destroy them now?" Cal asked his brother.

Zethes nodded. "Sadly, I think—"

"No," Jason insisted. "Leo's just a son of Hephaestus. Evangeline's a daughter of Hades. They're no threat. Piper here is a daughter of Aphrodite, and Lorelai is a daughter of Iris. I'm the son of Zeus. We're on a peaceful..."

The blond's voice faltered because both Boreads had suddenly turned on him. "What did you say?" Zethes demanded. "You are the son of Zeus?"

"Um...yeah," Jason said. "That's a good thing, right? My name is Jason."

Cal looked so surprised, he almost dropped his sword. "Can't be Jason," he said. "Doesn't look the same."

Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face. "No, he is not out Jason. Our Jason was more stylish. Not as much as me—but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."

"Wait," Evangeline said. "You mean the original Jason? The Golden Fleece one?"

"Of course," Zethes said. "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.

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

"I'm not." Jason agreed.

"So, destroy?" Cal asked. Clearly, the conversation was making his two brain cells work overtime.

"No," Zethes said regretfully. "If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for."

"Watching for what?" Lorelai knit her eyebrows together.

"You mean like in a good way: you'll shower him with fabulous prizes?" The son of Hephaestus asked. "Or watching for like in a bad way: he's in trouble?"

A girl's voice said, "That depends on my father's will."

The daughter of Hades looked up the staircase and caught sight of the girl. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush man of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. The brunette recognized the goddess of the snow almost immediately.

Khione focused on the children of Hades and Hephaestus with no expression, no smile, and no friendliness. Then she looked at Jason, Piper, and Lorelai, and seemed to understand the situation immediately. "Father will want to see the one called Jason."

"Then it is him?" Zethes asked excitedly.

"We'll see," Khione said. "Zethes, bring our guests."

Evangeline stayed where she was but Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. "Not you, Leo Valdez," she said.

"Why not?" He sounded like a whiny kindergartner.

"You and—" She glanced over at the brunette with a sneer. "Evangeline Merlyn, cannot be in the presence of my father," she said. "Fire or hellfire and ice—it would not be wise."

"We're going together," Lorelai glared. "Or not at all, ice lady."

Khione tilted her head like she wasn't used to people refusing her orders. "They will not be harmed, Lorelai Warner, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez and Evangeline Merlyn here. Guard them, but do not kill them."

Calais pouted. "Just a little?"

"No," the goddess insisted. "And take care of Leo Valdez's interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment."

The children of Iris, Aphrodite, and Zeus glanced at the two, their expressions asking them a silent question: How do you guys want to play this?

"It's fine," Evangeline tried her best not to sound annoyed. "You three go ahead."

"Listen to her," Khione said. "They will be perfectly safe. I wish the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting."

The three gave Evangeline and Leo one last glance before following Khione and disappearing from their sight.

Leo pursed his lips and then turned to the brunette. "So," he started. "You can control fire?"

"Hellfire," She corrected. "Not much of a difference but it's still a type of fire."

"Cool," The son of Hephaestus said.

Evangeline watched the Valdez boy carefully, she figured he was nervous about something from the sweat dripping down his forehead. Cal walked away motioning for the two to follow after him.

The brunette and the boy shared a look before following after the Boreads.

Evangeline watched as the three came down the stairs and into the entry hall. Leo and the brunette had gotten cleaned up. Festus the dragon was back in normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.

The brunette rolled her eyes when she saw Leo's eyes following Khione. The son of Hephaestus started combing his hair back with his hands. "Will you stop that?" She asked.

"It's not my fault she's so pretty," Leo told her. "Now, shh, I gotta ask her on a date,"

"A date to what," Evangeline arched a brow amused. "Your funeral?"

Leo shot her a look. "You're supposed to be my wingwoman."

"I've had one conversation with you." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but Will said you managed to make Apollo blush, twice, so you know, maybe give me some tips."

"That was on accident," Evangeline told him. "I was just joking and Apollo knew it was a joke."

"Will said he asked you on a date too."

"Okay that, I'm pretty sure he was serious about," The brunette admitted.

At the bottom step, Khione turned to Piper and Lorelai. "You may have fooled my father, girl. But you have not fooled me. We are not done." she looked at Lorelai. "Do not get your hopes up Lorelai Warner, I'll see you again soon. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough."

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

The goddess's eyes flared pure white. For once, she seemed at a loss of words. She stormed back up the stairs—literally. Halfway up, she turned into a blizzard and disappeared.

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

Cal grunted in agreement. "Bad sister."

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

Leo looked devastated. "What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!"

"She's not interested in you," Evangeline sighed.

"You don't know that!"

"We'll explain later," Piper cut in as she glanced at Jason.

The son of Zeus glanced away from the McLean girl and said, "Yeah," he agreed. "We'll explain later."

"Be careful, pretty girl," Zethes said to Piper. "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You and your friend would make such lovely ice statues, in which I could check my reflection."

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

"Hockey?" Cal's eyes lit up.

"Joking."

Cal frowned and Lorelai patted his arm. "I'll play hockey with you."

His eyes lit up and he smiled showing off his broken teeth.

"But not right now," Jason said. "Since we have to go." He grabbed Lorelai's arm and pulled her back next to him.

"Right," The blonde mumbled. "But I'll visit," she promised.

The immortal demigod gave her a sad nod.

"The storm winds aren't our worst problems," The daughter of Aphrodite spoke up. "are they?"

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

"Worse," Cal echoed.

"Can you tell me?" Piper gave them a smile.

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 them, even though a few minutes ago he'd wanted to make Piper and Lorelai into ice sculptures.

Cal patted the children of Hades and Hephaestus's shoulders. "Don't get destroyed," he told them, which was probably the longest sentence he'd attempted. "Next time—hockey. Pizza."

"Yeah, buddy," Evangeline patted the hand that was clamped on her shoulder.

"Come on, guys." Jason stared out at the dark. He looked anxious to get out of the cold penthouse. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."

The daughter of Hades didn't relax until the glow of Quebec City faded behind them. She passed Lorelai a sandwich that she'd gotten from Leo, he'd been awfully quiet since they had explained to the two what had happened. "I still can't believe Khione," he said. "She looked so nice."

"She's pretty insufferable," Evangeline grumbled.

"Evangeline's right," Jason said. "Snow may be pretty, but up close it's cold and nasty. We'll find you a better prom date."

"Yeah," Lorelai said. "If you don't find one I'll be your prom date."

Leo sighed. "Thanks, Lorelai but you're like my annoying sister so I can't take you to the prom."

"Thank you?" The blonde said with confusion written across her face.

The daughter of Hades softly chuckled but she did notice Leo not looking too pleased. He hadn't said much about why the Boreads had singled him out along with Evangeline for smelling like fire. She knew he was hiding something.

Whatever it was, his mood seemed to be affecting Festus, who grumbled and steamed as he tried to keep himself warm in the cold Canadian air. Happy the Dragon was not so happy.

They ate their sandwiches as they flew. Evangeline had no idea how Leo had stocked up on supplies, but he'd even remembered to bring veggie rations for Piper who was a vegetarian.

Nobody talked. Whatever they might find in Chicago, they all know Boreas had only let them go because he figured they were already on a suicide mission.

The moon rose and stars turned overhead.

Evangeline stared at the night sky, being surrounded by darkness gave her a weird sense of comfort. It had been a long time since she'd felt that way, ever since her fight with Kronos her powers had been acting out. The brunette glanced at the veins on her wrist, she remembered the dark figure's voice, and she remembered how afraid she didn't like that very much.

Whatever was happening, Evangeline wished she wasn't involved in it. But it seems like the gods really don't want her to take a break. She wrapped her arms around herself as the cold wind passed through, she tugged the blue hoodie she wore closer taking in the scent of sea salt and chocolate chip cookies.

It smelled like Percy, he'd given it to her on their date to the movies. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

Percy slouched in his seat as the two watched the horror movie playing out on the theatre screen. The son of Poseidon glanced at the brunette who watched the movie while taking a sip from her drink. "How are you so calm right now?" He asked her quietly.

"I live in the Underworld," She whispered back meeting his gaze. "I've seen things much worse than this just in my house, pretty boy."

Percy stared at his girlfriend as a blush crept onto his cheek, they'd been dating for three months but still, whenever she called him that, his head felt fuzzy. "I'm sure you have princess,"

Evangeline smiled. "You can hold my hand if you're scared."

"I am not," He scowled.

"Sure," she said sarcastically as she sipped her drink.

The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes as his hand found hers, Evangeline rested her head on his shoulder and he rested his on top of hers, caressing her hand. "Just so you know," he whispered. "I'm not scared."

The daughter of Hades watched him with a smirk, she leaned in close to his face. "Yes, you are," she whispered back.

"I might be a little bit," He admitted, sneaking a quick kiss onto her lips.

Evangeline felt like she'd won until the cool air of the air conditioners hit her making her shiver. Percy took note of this and quickly unlinked his hand from hers and took off his hoodie, he handed it over to her. "Put it on," he told her quietly.

The brunette took it and pulled the blue hoodie over her head, she could smell the scent of sea salt and chocolate chip cookies coming off the clothing and lightly blushed.

Percy smiled at her and pulled her closer again.

When the brunette woke up she found herself falling through the sky.

This was one of those moments where she'd wished Zeus had killed her when she was nine. Far below she saw city lights glimmering in the early dawn, and several hundred yards away the body of the bronze dragon spinning out of control, its wings limp, fire flickering in its mouth like a badly wired lightbulb.

A body shot past her—Leo screaming and frantically grabbing at the clouds. "Not cool!" He yelled. She managed to grab onto his hand but he seemed to be squirming a lot.

"Stop moving!" She hissed.

"If I don't I'll fall flat!" Leo yelled. Soon enough once Jason flew above her giving her a shadow, she shadow traveled herself and the Valdez boy down to one of the warehouses below them.

Evangeline stumbled a bit as she tried to regain her balance while Leo ran to a corner and threw up into a bin. "There, there," The brunette grimaced as she patted him on the back.

Leo finally stopped and wiped his mouth. "What the fuck was that?" He asked groggily.

"Shadow travel," The daughter of Hades explained.

The son of Hephaestus nodded then his eyes widened, "What about the others?"

"Julian's saving them," Evangeline rolled her eyes at the boy.

Before Leo could panic more, three bodies fell through the roof of the warehouse. The two demigods shared a look and then rushed to where the other three demigods had crashed landed.

The children of Hades and Hephaestus seemed to find Lorelai and Jason tangled in each other but no sign of Piper. "Are we interrupting something or what?" Leo teased.

Lorelai got off Jason looking like a tomato. "Shut up or I will hit you."

"Oh I'm so scared," Leo said sarcastically. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Jason told them.

"Where's Piper?" Evangeline looked around for the daughter of Aphrodite.

"Piper!" Lorelai called. No answer.

"Piper, where'd you go?" Leo yelled.

"Here," They heard a whimper coming from above.

The four rushed following the voice and climbed the metal steps through the darkness. The daughter of Aphrodite had landed on a metal catwalk that ringed the warehouse interior. The children of Iris, Hades, Zeus, and Hephaestus had landed on ground level and were now coming toward her.

The hole Piper, Jason, and Lorelai had made in the roof was ragged starburst twenty feet above. Evangeline wondered if Zeus had helped Jason but she figured he probably hadn't even cared.

Hanging from the ceiling, a few electric bulbs flickered dimly but they didn't do much to light the enormous space. Next to the McLean girl, the corrugated metal wall was emblazoned with a company logo, but it was almost completely spray-painted over with graffiti. Down in the shadowy warehouse, Evangeline saw huge machines, robotic arms, and half-finished trucks on an assembly line.

The place looked like it had been abandoned for years. Finally, they reached Piper's side.

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

"Thanks for the reassurance," Piper groaned.

"She'll be fine, right?" Lorelai asked but Evangeline could hear the worry in her tone.

"She'll be fine," Jason assured the blonde. "Leo, you got any first aid supplies?"

"Yeah—yeah, sure." The Valdez boy dug around in his tool belt and pulled out a wad of gauze and a roll of duck tape—both of which seemed too big to fit in the belt's pockets.

"How did you—" Piper tried to sit up and winced. Lorelai wrapped an arm around the girl and helped her sit up. "How did you pull that stuff from an empty belt?"

"Magic," Leo explained. "Haven't figured it out completely, but I can summon just about any regular tool out of the pockets, plus some other helpful stuff." He reached into another pocket and pulled out a little tin box. "Breath mint?"

Jason snatched away the mints. "That's great, Leo. Now can you fix her foot?"

"I'm a mechanic, man. Maybe if she was a car..." He snapped his fingers. "Wait, what was that godly healing stuff they fed you at camp—Rambo food?"

"Ambrosia," Evangeline told him.

"Right, right,"

"There should be some in my bag, if it's not crushed," Piper said through gritted teeth.

Lorelai carefully pulled Piper's backpack off her shoulders. She rummaged through the supplies the Aphrodite kids had packed for her and found a Ziploc full of smashed pastry squares like lemon bars. The blonde broke off a piece and fed it to her.

"More," Piper said.

"You'll burn from the inside out," Evangeline told the girl. "I think you should try and set your foot."

"Have you done that before?"

"...A few times."

Leo found an old piece of wood and broke it in half for a splint. Then he got the gauze and duct tape ready.

"Hold her leg still," The brunette instructed. "Piper, this is going to hurt."

When Evangeline set Piper's foot, Piper flinched so hard she punched Lorelai in the face sending her backward, and the daughter of Iris yelled almost as much as the daughter of Aphrodite did.

"Ow," Piper said.

"Jeez, beauty queen!" Leo said checking on Lorelai who had been knocked unconscious "Glad I wasn't there."

"Sorry," Piper apologized to Lorelai and glared at Leo. "And don't call me 'beauty queen,' or I'll punch you this time."

"You both did great," Jason found a canteen in Piper's pack and gave her some water.

After Piper had relaxed, Evangeline saw snowflakes flutter through the hole in the roof. "What happened to the dragon?" Piper 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."

The son of Hephaestus pointed to the logo on the wall. "As far as where we are..." It was hard to see through the graffiti, but the brunette could make out a large red eye with stenciled words: monocle motors, assembly plant 1. "Close car plant," Leo said. "I'm guessing we crash-landed in Detroit."

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

"Maybe three-fourths of the way from Quebec," Evangeline answered. "But without Festus, we're stuck traveling overland,"

"No way," Leo said. "It isn't safe."

"Evangeline's right. Besides, I don't know if I can walk and Lorelai's knocked out. And five people—Jason you can't fly that many across the country by yourself."

"No way," The son of Zeus said. "Leo, are you sure the dragon didn't malfunction? I mean, Festus is old, and—"

"And I might have not 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 his pockets 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 spoke up.

The brunette glanced at the girl, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but before she could say anything Jason beat her to it.

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

"Yeah, you're just shaken up," Leo agreed. He didn't even try to make a joke at her expense. "You're in pain just rest."

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

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

"Ah, I got duct tape, breath mints, and Casper the unfriendly ghost." He pointed at the brunette. "I'll be fine. You guys just don't run off without us."

Leo reached into his magic tool belt and pulled out two flashlights, he held one out to the daughter of Hades but Evangeline shook her head. "I don't need it," She told him.

Leo shrugged and put the second flashlight back into his tool belt. "Suit yourself."

The children of Hades and Hephaestus headed down the stairs leaving the other three demigods behind.

------✧------

A/N: Underwater flashback, I miss my babies sm.

I managed to write this chapter, yay!! It's the middle of the night and I'm very sleep-deprived, so that would explain the hundreds of mistakes.

It was either the flashback or Mary showing up... I decided on the peaceful option.