They landed in what must've been the penthouse suite; but the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty-two 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 dazzling beauty a little frightening. When Amber slid off the dragon, the carpet crunched under her feet.

"Guys," Leo said. "Fix the thermostat, and I'd totally move in here."

"I wouldn't," Amber muttered, putting her arms close to her shoulders and hugging herself. "I don't think I'd like it. It's too...grand. That's just my opinion, though," she added, stealing a glance at the Boreads to make sure she didn't offend them.

"Yeah," Jason agreed, looking uneasily at the staircase. "Something feels wrong. Something up there..."

Amber fought the urge to facepalm herself. You don't say there's something wrong with an immortal being's living area! That's a very quick way to get yourself killed.

Idiot, Emerald hissed.

Amber looked cautiously at Cal and Zethes, but they didn't seem to care, thankfully. They seemed more annoyed with Festus.

"No, no, no." Zethes marched over to the dragon. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat ruins my hair."

"What do you do in the summer, then?" Amber asked curiously. Zethes seemed lost at that.

Festus growled and spun his drill-bit teeth.

"'S'okay, boy." Leo turned to Zethes. "He's a little touchy about the whole deactivation concept. But I've got a better solution."

Telling immortal deities their solution isn't good enough. Do these boys have death wishes?

Yeah, I think they do, Amber. But, thankfully, I don't think Zethes and Cal are bright enough to realize what he just did.

Hopefully.

"Destroy?" Cal suggested.

"I'm sorry, Cal, but we might need him later. So, if you can, d'you think you could refrain from destroying him just yet? Who knows, maybe you'll end up liking him," Amber suggested politely before anyone else could risk their life in a pointless conversation.

"Leo," Piper said nervously as Leo started fumbling around Festus, seemingly looking for something, "what are you–"

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. When I was repairing Festus last night, I found all kinds of buttons. Some, you do not want to know what they do. But others...Ah, here we go."

He hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. Amber heard something like a switch being pulled, 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.

Does that hurt? Amber wondered.

Can bronze automatons even feel pain?

Good question.

Leo tried to lift the suitcase, but the thing weighed 384,092 pounds. There was no way he could lift it up. "Um...yeah," he said. "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," Jason said. "Something that big couldn't–"

That's what she said.

Emerald!

"Stop!" Zethes ordered, and Amber's hand immediately moved to her katanas. He and Cal both drew their swords and glared at Leo as Amber drew her katanas.

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 tried to shove the point of his sword against Leo's chest, but Amber darted in front of him and disarmed him, glaring at both Boreads.

"Are you a child of the South Wind, spying us?" Zethes continued, waving his hands and summoning a new sword, this time pointing it at Amber, who narrowed her eyes at him and repositioned Verja and Chosaint slightly.

"And who are you?" he continued, glaring at her. "An enemy, coming to capture us?"

Amber laughed slightly. "Not an enemy unless you make me one, which you are very close to doing right now. And Leo's a child of Hephaestus, not the South Wind."

Cal growled. "Smell fire," he said. "Fire is bad."

Shit.

"Oh," Leo said. "Yeah, well...my clothes are kind of singed, and I've been working with oil, and–"

"No!" Zethes attempted to touch Leo with the sword again, and Amber disarmed him again. He continued talking as if nothing had happened. "We can smell fire, demigod. We assumed it was the creaky dragon, but now the dragon is a suitcase. And I still smell fire... on you."

Emerald hissed something that wasn't exactly complimentary towards children of wind gods.

"Hey...look...I don't know–" Leo probably glanced at his friends desperately, but Amber was still glaring at the Boreads, so she wasn't sure. "Guys, a little help?"

Jason stepped forward, beside Amber. He had his gold coin in his hand. "Look, there's been a mistake. Leo isn't a fire guy. Tell them, Leo. Tell them you're not a fire guy."

"Um..." he started.

Gods, does he not know how to lie? Even if he is, he can just say he's not! Emerald hissed.

"Zethes, I swear to the gods if you try to attack Leo again, you'll regret it," Amber said, watching as Zethes stopped trying to summon a sword.

What happened to trying not to offend immortal beings?

Zethes happened.

Fair enough.

"Look, Boreads, you can give us what we want the easy way, or the hard way," Amber told them. "You can choose. Fair warning: we have a child of one of the Big Three on our side."

"A child of one of the Big Three?" Zethes looked very interested. "Which one?"

"Like we'd tell–" Amber started.

"Zeus," Jason said.

This boy–

I know, right? Sometimes I feel like you and Annabeth are the only two humans who aren't complete idiots.

"Zeus?" Cal asked. "Scary, lightning, king god?"

"Yes," Jason confirmed.

"Hm. So, destroy?" Cal asked.

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

"Watching for?" Leo asked. "You mean like in a good way, or a bad way?"

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

Amber looked up at the staircase. Her heart nearly stopped. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Khione. Greek goddess of snow. Daughter of Boreas and Oreithyia, her glasses told her. Her skin was unnaturally pale, the colour of snow–which made sense–but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown. The look in her eyes threw Amber off, though. It seemed cold, on the border of cruel.

Aand there go all your fantasies about her, with one look at her eyes, Emerald remarked.

Shut up.

Am I wrong?

Khione scanned the demigods, and seemed to immediately understand the situation.

"Father will want to see the one called Jason," Khione said. "Zethes, bring our guests."

Leo grabbed his suitcase. The look in his eyes told Amber she wasn't the only one who was starstruck when she first saw the snow goddess.

"Not you, Leo Valdez," Khione told him as Leo stepped towards her.

"Why not?" Amber asked, immediately on guard again.

"He cannot be in the presence of my father. Fire and ice–it would not be wise," Khione informed her.

That makes sense, but still, Amber thought.

I can stay with him, Emerald offered. Murder anyone who tries to hurt him. Y'know, the usual.

"We're going together," Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo's shoulder, "or not at all."

Khione tilted her head.

She must not be used to people refusing her orders, being a goddess and looking like that and everything, Emerald commented.

"He will not be harmed," the goddess said. "Unless, of course, he makes trouble. Or you make more trouble, Amber Castellan. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

Cal pouted. "Just a little? Not much, just a tiny bit?"

"No," Khione insisted. "And take care of his suitcase until Father passes judgement."

Amber looked at Leo and tilted her head inquisitively, silently asking him how he wanted to play this out.

"It's fine, guys," the son of Hephaestus said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. You go ahead."

"Okay," Amber decided. "But I'm leaving Emerald with you."

Emerald slithered out of her bag, dropped to the floor, and made her way over to Leo, curling around his feet protectively.

Anyone touches him, they die, she decided.

"Come, King Boreas is waiting," Khione said.