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―No,‖ Zethes said regretfully. ―If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we‘ve been watching for.‖<br />
―Watching for?‖ Leo asked. ―You mean like in a good way: you‘ll shower him with fabulous prizes? Or<br />
watching for like in a bad way: he‘s in trouble?‖<br />
A girl‘s voice said, ―That depends on my father‘s will.‖<br />
Leo looked up the staircase. His heart nearly stopped. At the top stood a girl in a white silk dress. Her skin<br />
was unnaturally pale, the color of snow, but her hair was a lush mane of black, and her eyes were coffee brown.<br />
She focused on Leo with no expression, no smile, no friendliness. But it didn‘t matter. Leo was in love. She was<br />
the most dazzling girl he‘d ever seen.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n she looked at Jason and Piper, and seemed to understand the situation immediately.<br />
―Father will want to see the one called Jason,‖ the girl said.<br />
―<strong>The</strong>n it is him?‖ Zethes asked excitedly.<br />
―We‘ll see,‖ the girl said. ―Zethes, bring our guests.‖<br />
Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase. He wasn‘t sure how he‘d lug it up the stairs, but<br />
he had to get next to that girl and ask her some important questions—like her e-mail address and phone<br />
number.<br />
Before he could take a step, she froze him with a look. Not literally froze, but she might as well have.<br />
―Not you, Leo Valdez,‖ she said.<br />
In the back of his mind, Leo wondered how she knew his name; but mostly he was just concentrating on<br />
how crushed he felt.<br />
―Why not?‖ He probably sounded like a whiny kindergartner, but he couldn‘t help it.<br />
―You cannot be in the presence of my father,‖ the girl said. ―Fire and ice—it would not be wise.‖<br />
―We‘re going together,‖ Jason insisted, putting his hand on Leo‘s shoulder, ―or not at all.‖<br />
<strong>The</strong> girl tilted her head, like she wasn‘t used to people refusing her orders. ―He will not be harmed, Jason<br />
Grace, unless you make trouble. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him.‖<br />
Cal pouted. ―Just a little?‖<br />
―No,‖ the girl insisted. ―And take care of his interesting suitcase, until Father passes judgment.‖<br />
Jason and Piper looked at Leo, their expressions asking him a silent question: How do you want to play<br />
this?<br />
Leo felt a surge of gratitude. <strong>The</strong>y were ready to fight for him. <strong>The</strong>y wouldn‘t leave him alone with the<br />
hockey ox. Part of him wanted to go for it, bust out his new tool belt and see what he could do, maybe even<br />
summon a fireball or two and warm this place up. But the Boread guys scared him. And that gorgeous girl<br />
scared him more, even if he still wanted her number.<br />
―It‘s fine, guys,‖ he said. ―No sense causing trouble if we don‘t have to. You go ahead.‖<br />
―Listen to your friend,‖ the pale girl said. ―Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for<br />
you, son of Zeus. Now come, King Boreas is waiting.‖<br />
JASON DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE LEO, but he was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock<br />
might be the least dangerous option in this place.<br />
As they climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. <strong>The</strong> guy might‘ve looked<br />
like a disco-era reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. Jason figured one hit from that thing would<br />
probably turn him into a Popsicle.<br />
<strong>The</strong>n there was the ice princess. Every once in a while she‘d turn and give Jason a smile, but there was<br />
no warmth in her expression. She regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen—one<br />
she couldn‘t wait to dissect.<br />
If these were Boreas‘s kids, Jason wasn‘t sure he wanted to meet Daddy. Annabeth had told him Boreas<br />
was the friendliest of the wind gods. Apparently that meant he didn‘t kill heroes quite as fast as the others did.<br />
Jason worried that he‘d led his friends into a trap. If things went bad, he wasn‘t sure he could get them out<br />
alive. Without thinking about it, he took Piper‘s hand for reassurance.<br />
She raised her eyebrows, but she didn‘t let go.<br />
―It‘ll be fine,‖ she promised. ―Just a talk, right?‖<br />
At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed them holding hands. Her smile faded.<br />
Suddenly Jason‘s hand in Piper‘s turned ice cold—burning cold. He let go, and his fingers were smoking with<br />
frost. So were Piper‘s.<br />
―Warmth is not a good idea here,‖ the princess advised, ―especially when I am your best chance of staying<br />
alive. Please, this way.‖<br />
Piper gave him a nervous frown like, What was that about?