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WHEN LEO SAW HOW WELL PIPER AND HEDGE were being treated, he was thoroughly offended.<br />
He‘d imagined them freezing their hindquarters off in the snow, but the Hunter Phoebe had set up this<br />
silver tent pavilion thing right outside the cave. How she‘d done it so fast, Leo had no idea, but inside was a<br />
kerosene heater keeping them toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows. Piper looked back to normal,<br />
decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. She and Hedge and Phoebe were kicking<br />
back, drinking hot chocolate.<br />
―Oh, no way,‖ Leo said. ―We‘ve been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me<br />
hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!‖<br />
Phoebe sniffed. ―Boys,‖ she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of.<br />
―It‘s all right, Phoebe,‖ Thalia said. ―<strong>The</strong>y‘ll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate.‖<br />
Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes that were incredibly<br />
lightweight and warm. <strong>The</strong> hot chocolate was first-rate.<br />
―Cheers!‖ said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.<br />
―That cannot be good for your intestines,‖ Leo said.<br />
Thalia patted Piper on the back. ―You up for moving?‖<br />
Piper nodded. ―Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel<br />
like I could run ten miles.‖<br />
Thalia winked at Jason. ―She‘s tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one.‖<br />
―Hey, I could run ten miles too,‖ Leo volunteered. ―Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let‘s hit it.‖<br />
Naturally, Thalia ignored him.<br />
It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which Leo could not believe. <strong>The</strong> tent self-collapsed<br />
into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Leo wanted to ask her for the blueprints, but they didn‘t have<br />
time.<br />
Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and soon Leo<br />
was regretting trying to look macho, because the Hunters left him in the dust.<br />
Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track<br />
days at school. ―Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let‘s chant. I‟ve got a girl in Kalamazoo—‖<br />
―Let‘s not,‖ Thalia snapped.<br />
So they ran in silence.<br />
Leo fell in next to Jason at the back of the group. ―How you doing, man?‖<br />
Jason‘s expression was enough of an answer: Not good.<br />
―Thalia takes it so calmly,‖ Jason said. ―Like it‘s no big deal that I appeared. I didn‘t know what I was<br />
expecting, but … she‘s not like me. She seems so much moretogether.‖<br />
―Hey, she‘s not fighting amnesia,‖ Leo said. ―Plus, she‘s had more time to get used to this whole demigod<br />
thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises.‖<br />
―Maybe,‖ Jason said. ―I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me.<br />
Thalia ran away because of me.‖<br />
―Hey, whatever‘s happened, it wasn‘t your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She‘s a lot like you.‖<br />
Jason took that in silence. Leo wondered if he‘d said the right things. He wanted to make Jason feel<br />
better, but this was way outside his comfort zone.<br />
Leo wished he could reach inside his tool belt and pick just the right wrench to fix Jason‘s memory—<br />
maybe a little hammer—bonk the sticking spot and make everything run right. That would be a lot easier than<br />
trying to talk it through. Not good with organic life forms. Thanks for those inherited traits, Dad.<br />
He was so lost in thought, he didn‘t realize the Hunters had stopped. He slammed into Thalia and nearly<br />
sent them both down the side of the mountain the hard way. Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She<br />
steadied them both, then pointed up.<br />
―That,‖ Leo choked, ―is a really large rock.‖<br />
<strong>The</strong>y stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was blanketed in clouds. <strong>The</strong> air was so<br />
thin, Leo could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching<br />
out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.<br />
But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive freefloating<br />
island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but Leo figured it was at least as wide as a<br />
football stadium and just as tall. <strong>The</strong> sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a<br />
gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind<br />
of a fortress.
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