Aeolus' Palace
Phoebe had always been able to work wonders, yet Kassandra was still perplexed when she walked out of the cave to find the huntress in a silver tent pavilion right outside. Inside was a kerosene heater, hunting clothing, gear and pillows. There was even a kettle with hot chocolate sachets lined up neatly next to it.
Piper, who appeared to have fallen to slumber, was laid out to be worked on, Hedge sat in the corner building a little pillow fort and Kassandra sat next to Piper and opposite of Phoebe.
"Travelling with boys? I hope that's the worst thing you do with them," muttered Phoebe as she worked her magic on Piper. Well, not literal magic.
"No Phoebe, we hold hands and kiss and-"
She was cut off by the non pointy end of an arrow thwacking into the back of her head.
"Ow!"
Phoebe muttered to herself, but Kassandra could see she was smiling.
"So, how are the girls?"
"We're not doing bad. Lycaon's getting annoying to track now, but we'll get him, we always get our prey."
"Damn right you do."
There was silence between the two as the huntress worked away on Piper, the colour slowly returning to her face.
"But on a serious note... do you still hold your chastity in all forms?"
"In what forms?"
"You know what I'm talking about. I understand you never took the oath, but surely some of what you were taught left an imprint."
"I get it," said the daughter of Bellona, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "But to answer your question, not quite."
"Who!" demanded Phoebe, "Next time we visit camp, I'll gut him like a-"
"Not... not a him," said Kassandra, blushing a little.
The huntress looked confused for a moment before understanding. "Oh."
"Yeah, I don't... I prefer..."
"Hey, no need to explain to me. You don't have to justify these sorts of things with me. Anyway, at least something stuck from your time with us; girls are the best."
Kassandra laughed like she hadn't for so long and Phoebe couldn't help but giggle too. It took them a while to calm down.
"Say, you got anything I could replace my top with? It sort of got shredded," she said, turning around to show off the tattered ribbons of her t-shirt.
When she turned around Phoebe already had a winter jacket in her hands. Surprisingly it wasn't a hunter uniform but something unique. Kassandra eagerly slipped it on. The cold wasn't an issue, she just wanted her back covered.
"So, while we have the time do you care to tell me about this girl?"
The daughter of Bellona rocked back and forth on the spot, thinking how to answer.
"Well, she's beautiful to put it simply. We met in the camp forest late at night one day and she just had me wrapped around her finger. She drives me crazy, but that could be because of Aphrodite-"
"That witch!" interrupted Phoebe, "Please don't tell me she's corrupting your mind or influencing things."
"No, at least I don't think so. She showed up when me and Aspen met before I left camp to join the three demi-gods. I think she's just been polishing her up though, nothing sinister. Come to think of it, there was this weird moment when I kissed Aspen on the cheek for no particular reason..."
"When you say Aspen, do you mean like the tree?" asked Phoebe.
"Yeah. She's got pale skin like the bark of her own one and sometimes when she's feeling emotional her hair will turn a yellow orange colour like her leaves."
Yet again there was silence, only interrupted by Hedge grunting as he struggled to maintain the balance of pillows in his fort.
"Is Aspen... Is Aspen a tree nymph?"
Kassandra wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Yes?" she said awkwardly.
Phoebe nodded her head. "Alright. I won't be one to judge-"
"Of course you won't," said Kassandra, "When the tip of Eros' arrow hits you like it did with me, it doesn't matter if it's a monster, demigod or a nymph."
"I think I'd be a bit more reserved if it were a monster," sniffled Phoebe as she finished with Piper. The daughter of love slowly opened her eyes.
"Wake up sleepy head," joked Kassandra.
"There's an appropriate kit for you to dress into over there," said Phoebe, pointing to a corner of the tent with a little changing cover for someone to hide behind.
Piper stumbled up and mumbled a "thanks" before wandering over to change herself. It wasn't long till she was done and decked out in a new parka, gloves, and camo pants like a Hunter. Phoebe flicked on the kettle.
"Hot chocolate anyone?" she asked.
"Ooh, me me!" begged Hedge, erupting from his fort. In no time both the satyr and huntress were laid back with hot chocolates in hands. Kassandra passed.
"Oh, no way," said a voice from the tent entrance. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"
Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said, like it was the worst insult she could think of. Knowing Phoebe it probably was.
"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."
Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes, hot chocolates all around. Kassandra looked really out of place in her clothes.
"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic thermos cup.
"That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said.
Thalia patted Piper on the back. "You up for moving?"
Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."
Thalia winked at Jason. "She's tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like this one."
"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it."
Naturally, Thalia ignored him.
It took Phoebe exactly six seconds to break camp, which was a record Kassandra could never hit. Her record time was fifteen seconds. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum.
Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain. The daughter of Rome found it easy to keep up with her, but again she had the blessing of heritage.
Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat,coaxing them on like they were doing tracks on the field."Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo-"
"Let's not," Thalia snapped.So they ran in silence.
Kassandra enjoyed the freedom of running, letting her legs take her wherever they went. She couldn't understand why the gods 'teleported' instead of just running like uncle Hermes. It was thanks to her speed she reached their desired location first.
The summit of the mountain, below them the world being a sea of clouds. The air was thin and night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands in the ocean.
But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress.
"It's beautiful," whispered Kassandra, her breath visible in the wind.
The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight. Except it wasn't ice. The bridge dissipated in the wind as it blew, some parts being no more than vapour trails.
"We're not seriously crossing that," Leo said.
Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."
"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"
"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly.Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the colour of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."
"It's enormous," Jason said.Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."
"You're serious? You've been there?"
Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."
"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"
Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realise Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait... Jason, you can fly?"
Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean... you can't fly?"
For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control.
"Truthfully," she said, "I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."
Hedge tapped the ice vapour trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand."
"No, that's okay," Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge.When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine.Thalia turned to her the other huntress.
"Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."
"You sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason,like they might kidnap Thalia or something.
"It's fine," Thalia promised.
"See you around!" wished Kassandra with a grin.
"Yeah, good luck with your female friend." said Phoebe, nodding reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.
"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia said."It hardly ever breaks."
They were about half way across when things went wrong. Piper and Hedge had made it across and were waving encouragingly whilst Kassandra, Leo, Jason and Thalia still precariously crossing. Then, Leo randomly stopped.
"Why do they have a bridge?" he asked out of the blue.
Thalia frowned. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"
"They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?"
"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."
"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked.
Thalia shook her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now.They know you're coming."
"Leo?" Jason said. "What are you thinking?"
"Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."
Kassandra looked down at the son of Hephaestus' feet and to her shock they were smoking. As a matter of fact, steam curled off his entire body like a furnace. The boys shoes were smoking and as they did, the bridge began to thin.
"Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."
"I'll try," Leo said.
"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. You are 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 finally dissolved. Luckily Kassandra wasn't focused on the conversation so she snagged Leo by his hood and leapt the final distance to Piper and Hedge. Jason flew over.
Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot 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. "I'll see you there. I promise."
Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge.
"Do you really know where the Wolf House is?" asked Kassandra.
Jason shrugged, just as confused as she was.
"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."
As they took off to the palace, Kassandra was consumed by the thought of prophecy again.
"You're friends really are an interesting bunch," mused Hector in her mind.
Kassandra made blinding pace up the mountain, only stopping to wait for the others. Hedge was filled with the same levels of energy, trotting up and down the slippery staircase to yell words of 'encouragement'.
"If you don't mind me asking," began Hector, "what exactly is the situation with your family?"
She slowed her pace and sat down on a step, plenty of room between her and the others.
"What makes you ask that?"
"Well, whilst I've been in your head your thoughts have been ricocheting around here like projectiles. And most of them are about the Aspen girl or your parents."
Kassandra sighed. "It's complicated. When I was two weeks old, or about half a year ago now, I was sent to train with the hunters of Artemis, which is where I knew Thalia and Phoebe from. But a week or two into training the hunters were called up to fight against the Titans at Manhattan, which is where the demi-gods and my father defended Olympus."
She wiped her eyes and took a heavy breath.
"At the same time the Romans went on the offence against Mount Othrys which isn't too far from here actually. Anyway, my mother was with them but they didn't know that. Whilst my parents got their glory I was stuck with the younger hunters at our camp. When the others returned, a few of our sisters had been... claimed by Thanatos but we pushed on. We celebrated the victory."
"From what I've heard during travels it was something truly worth celebrating. Defeating a titan, not just any titan but Kronos himself."
"Certainly. It was a few hours later when Lady Artemis returned though. She was quiet, and I mean a little more quiet than normal. I don't think anyone else noticed, but I certainly did. She pulled me aside at one point when everyone was busy and took me into her tent. Said a few things under her breath but gave me this."
Kassandra reached for her thigh and pulled out her knife, admiring its reflection. Its sheath was plain, leather wrapped and seemingly perfect for her hand size. The blade was perfect and radiated energy unlike any normal celestial bronze or imperial gold.
"She said something I can't remember now about my father and gave me this dagger. What I can remember her telling me was to keep it close. I still don't exactly get what that means but I'm sure it'll make sense one day. Anyway we partied a little longer and soon I was getting ready to leave. You seem there was sort of this guy I was meeting up with, but I couldn't tell anyone about him."
"Ahh, forbidden love," commented Hector.
The others had caught up to her by now, so she continued up the stairs.
"Not really. He made me feel different, but now that I think back on it it's probably just because it was the only sort of intimacy."
She stroked her chin.
"Yeah, now I really think about it he would talk about some guy named Alexander in a really dreamy voice all the time... I think I was too naive. Anyway, I don't swing that way since Aspen."
Hector coughed. "Excuse my rudeness, but how exactly does this tie into your parents?"
"Oh right," she blushed. "Well before I could make my escape from camp I was... well to put it simply I was transported. Air travel specifically. I was brought to somewhere unknowing at the time, but soon learnt it to be Camp Half-Blood. I went from being trained with Hunters to trained with demi-gods for some reason that never got explained. I thought that since I had left the hunters so quickly my parents wanted me back. But they never came. I couldn't tell the Greeks about my Roman heritage and no one seemed to know what happened to my dad. The few who I think do know keep it a secret."
"That's... a story for sure," Hector chuckled nervously. Before Kassandra knew it they had reached the top of the stairs.
Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds, though you'd have to be pretty stupid to attack somewhere like this. Twenty foot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel- a white-columned rotunda,Greek style- except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.
"That's bizarre," Piper said.
"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said."Dang, check this guy's front yard."
The rotunda sat in the centre of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season. The section on their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake.
Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew, whether or not they were alive or decor could be left up to debate. To their left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns- gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves. For the slightest moment Kassandra thought she could see herself.
In the distance, the daughter of Rome could see two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds. The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: watch Aeolus nightly!
Kassandra thought back to her childhood days. She remembered that in her family home they had a television that they'd watch every few days, scrolling through the channels. She'd always been a fan of Hermes' own show, called Olympian Scandals, where he went through mails amongst the gods.
"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guessed. "Four cardinal directions."
"I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind-"
"Go wild," said Kassandra, and Hedge took her up on such an offer, running off to attack the field energetically. If they were to have an audience with the keeper of the winds it would be best not to have him with them.
The four walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read Olympian weather channel, and some that just read ow!
"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. Literally floated. She was pretty in that elfish way that was similar to Aspen- petite, slightly pointy ears, and an ageless face that could've been sixteen or thirty. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion. Her white gown billowed around her like parachute material. She had a white tablet computer in her hand.
"Are you from Lord Zeus?" she asked. "We've been expecting you."
She was see-through, sort of like the porter from the palace of Boreas.
"Are you a ghost?" asked Jason.Right off the bat and he'd already insulted her.
The smile turned into a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."
Piper came to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."
Wow, she was good. The compliment seemed a little over the top, but Mellie the aura blushed.
"Oh ... well, then. So you are from Zeus?"
"Er," Jason said, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."
"Excellent! Please, right this way."
She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem.
"We're out of prime time now,so that's good," she mused. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."
"Um, okay," Jason said.
The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around them, so it felt like they were pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open and slammed by themselves.The things they could see were just as bizarre.
Paper air planes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air,where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.
An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.
"Not an aura?" Jason asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.
Mellie laughed. "That's a harpy, of course. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. Don't you have harpies on Olympus? They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes." She batted her eyes at Jason.
"'Course you are," he said.
"So," Piper prompted, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"
Kassandra muffled a laugh.
Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock.Above the interior door, a green light blinked.
"We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Especially you my dear," she said, pointing to Kassandra. "Come along!"
The centre of Aeolus's fortress was as big as a cathedral, with a soaring domed roof covered in silver. Television equipment floated randomly through the air- cameras, spotlights, set pieces, potted plants.
And there was no floor. Leo almost fell into the chasm before Jason pulled him back.
"Holy-!" Leo gulped. "Hey, Mellie. A little warning next time!"
An enormous circular pit plunged into the heart of the mountain. It was probably half a mile deep, honeycombed with caves. Some of the tunnels probably led straight outside.
Other caves were sealed with some glistening material like glass or wax. The whole cavern bustled with harpies, aurai, and paper air planes, but for someone who couldn't fly, it would be a very long, very fatal fall.
"Oh, my," Mellie gasped. "I'm so sorry."
She unclipped a walkie-talkie from somewhere inside her robes and spoke into it: "Hello, sets? Is that Nuggets? Hi, Nuggets. Could we get a floor in the main studio, please? Yes, a solid one. Thanks."
A few seconds later, an army of harpies rose from the pit- three dozen or so, all carrying squares of various building material. They went to work hammering and gluing- and using large quantities of duct tape, which left their skills to be questioned.
In no time there was a makeshift floor snaking out over the chasm. It was made of plywood, marble blocks, carpet squares, wedges of grass sod- just about anything.
"That can't be safe," Jason said.
"Oh, it is!" Mellie assured him. "The harpies are very good."
"I'll go first, since unlike you puny mortals I cannot die in such ways," she joked.
Mellie led the way, and Kassandra followed without a care for if the pathway collapsed. Luckily, it didn't. The others followed after and they were lead toward the middle of the chamber, where a loose sphere of flat-panel video screens floated around a kind of control centre.
A man hovered inside, checking monitors and reading paper airplane messages.The man paid them no attention as Mellie brought them forward. She pushed a forty-two-inch Sony out of their way and led them into the control area.
Leo whistled. "I got to get a room like this."
The floating screens showed all sorts of networks, from mortal to godly.
At the far end of the sphere was a silky blue backdrop like a cinema screen, with cameras and studio lights floating around it.
The man in the centre was talking into an earpiece phone.He had a remote control in each hand and was pointing them at various screens, seemingly at random.He wore a business suit that looked like the sky- blue mostly, but dappled with clouds that changed and darkened and moved across the fabric, sort of like what she had seen of Zeus in posters and on television.
He looked like he was in his sixties, with a shock of white hair, but he had a ton of stage makeup on, and that smooth plastic-surgery look to his face,so he appeared not really young, not really old, just wrong- like a doll defected in the factory.
His eyes darted back and forth from screen to screen, like he was trying to absorb everything at once. He muttered things into his phone, and his mouth kept twitching. He was either amused, or crazy, or both.
Mellie floated toward him. "Ah, sir, Mr. Aeolus, these demigods-"
"Hold it!"
He held up a hand to silence her, then pointed atone of the screens. "Watch!"
It was a storm-chaser programs, where insane thrill-seekers drive after tornadoes. A Jeep plowed straight into a funnel cloud and got tossed into the sky.Aeolus shrieked with delight.
"The Disaster Channel.People do that on purpose!"
He turned toward Jason with a mad grin. "Isn't that amazing? Let's watch it again."
"Um, sir," Mellie said, "this is Jason, son of-"
"Yes, yes, I remember," Aeolus said. "You're back. How did it go?"
Jason hesitated. "Sorry? I think you've mistaken me-"
"No, no, Jason Grace, aren't you? It was- what- last year? You were on your way to fight a sea monster, I believe."
"I- I don't remember."
Aeolus laughed. "Must not have been a very good sea monster! No, I remember every hero who's ever come to me for aid. Odysseus- gods, he docked at my island for a month!At least you only stayed a few days. Now, watch this video. These ducks get sucked straight into-"
"Sir," Mellie interrupted. "Two minutes to air."
"Air!" Aeolus exclaimed. "I love air. How do I look?Makeup!"
Immediately a small tornado of brushes, blotters, and cotton balls descended on Aeolus. They blurred across his face in a cloud of flesh-tone smoke until his coloration was even more gruesome than before. Wind swirled through his hair and left it sticking up like a frosted Christmas tree.
"Mr. Aeolus." Jason slipped off the golden backpack. "We brought you these rogue storm spirits."
"Did you!" Aeolus looked at the bag like it was a gift from a fan- something he really didn't want. "Well, how nice."
This was clearly going sideways, time to step in.
"Boreas sent us to capture them for you my Lord. We hope you'll accept them and stop- you know- ordering demigods to be killed like my friends here."
Aeolus laughed, and looked incredulously at Mellie."Demigods be killed- did I order that?"
Mellie checked her computer tablet. "Yes, sir, fifteenth of September. 'Storm spirits released by the death of Typhon,demigods to be held responsible,' etc... yes, a general order for them all to be killed."
"Oh, pish," Aeolus said. "I was just grumpy. Rescind that order, Mellie, and um, who's on guard duty- Teriyaki?- Teri,take these storm spirits down to cell block Fourteen E, will you?"
A harpy swooped out of nowhere, snatched the golden bag, and spiralled into the abyss. Then, the god turned to face the young goddess, acknowledging her for the first time.
"It's good to see you Kassandra, daughter of Bellona!" he grinned.
Huh, cat's out of the bag.