The Lost Hero

―I‘ll try,‖ Leo said. But his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. ―Listen, Jason,
what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge.‖
―Leo, seriously, cool down,‖ Thalia said. ―I don‘t what you‘re talking about, but the bridge is—‖
―Just listen,‖ Leo insisted. ―If Jason is a bridge, what‘s he connecting? Maybe two different places that
normally don‘t get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And
Hera said you were an exchange.‖
―An exchange.‖ Thalia‘s eyes widened. ―Oh, gods.‖
Jason frowned. ―What are you two talking about?‖
Thalia murmured something like a prayer. ―I understand now why Artemis sent me here. Jason—she told
me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. Youare the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I
could hear your story.‖
―I don‘t understand,‖ he protested. ―I don‘t have a story. I don‘t remember anything.‖
―But Leo‘s right,‖ Thalia said. ―It‘s all connected. If we just knew where—‖
Leo snapped his fingers. ―Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf
House?‖
Thalia nearly choked. ―The Wolf House? Jason, why didn‘t you tell me that! That‟s where they‘re keeping
Hera?‖
―You know where it is?‖ Jason asked.
Then the bridge dissolved. Leo would‘ve fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to
safety. The two of them scrambled up the bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirtyfoot
chasm. The bridge was continuing to melt.
―Go!‖ Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. ―Find out where the giant is keeping Piper‘s
dad. Save him! I‘ll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!‖
―But where is the Wolf House?‖ Jason shouted.
―You know where it is, little brother!‖ She was so far away now that they could barely hear her voice over
the wind. Leo was pretty sure she said: ―I‘ll see you there. I promise.‖
Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge.
Leo and Jason had no time to stand around. They climbed for their lives, the ice vapor thinning under their
feet. Several times, Jason grabbed Leo and used the winds to keep them aloft, but it was more like bungee
jumping than flying.
When they reached the floating island, Piper and Coach Hedge pulled them aboard just as the last of the
vapor bridge vanished. They stood gasping for breath at the base of a stone stairway chiseled into the side of
the cliff, leading up to the fortress.
Leo looked back down. The top of Pikes Peak floated below them in a sea of clouds, but there was no
sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their only exit.
―What happened?‖ Piper demanded. ―Leo, why are your clothes smoking?‖
―I got a little heated,‖ he gasped. ―Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn‘t—‖
―It‘s all right,‖ Jason said, but 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.‖
JASON HAD FOUND HIS SISTER AND lost her in less than an hour. As they climbed the cliffs of the floating
island, he kept looking back, but Thalia was gone.
Despite what she‘d said about meeting him again, Jason wondered. She‘d found a new family with the
Hunters, and a new mother in Artemis. She seemed so confident and comfortable with her life, Jason wasn‘t
sure if he‘d ever be part of it. And she seemed so set on finding her friend Percy. Had she ever searched for
Jason that way?
Not fair, he told himself. She thought you were dead.
He could barely tolerate what she‘d said about their mom. It was almost like Thalia had handed him a
baby—a really loud, ugly baby—and said, Here, this is yours. Carry it. He didn‘t want to carry it. He didn‘t want
to look at it or claim it. He didn‘t want to know that he had an unstable mother who‘d gotten rid of him to
appease a goddess. No wonder Thalia had run away.
Then he remembered the Zeus cabin at Camp Half-Blood—that tiny little alcove Thalia had used as a
bunk, out of sight from the glowering statue of the sky god. Their dad wasn‘t much of a bargain, either. Jason
understood why Thalia had renounced that part of her life too, but he was still resentful. He couldn‘t be so lucky.
He was left holding the bag —literally.