Dancing with Death

A Cold Welcome

The wind blew cold as they soared across country towards Quebec.

Eliza's hair whipped around her face, red tips blocking her gaze. At first, she'd tried to pull it back, but it proved futile.

"There it is." Leo pointed straight ahead at a lit up building.

"Yay. More wind spirits." Eliza lamented sarcastically.

"Technically, Boreas is the god of the North Wind, not a spirit." Jason clarified.

Eliza twisted around and gave him an apathetic look. "Same difference."

"I'd recommend not acting like that in front of Boreas." Piper called over her shoulder.

Eliza turned her annoyed look on Piper. "I'm not stupid."

"Heads up!" Leo warned as two figures raced towards them through the sky.

Eliza watched warily as two men with pale, blue-hued skin hovered before them.

"You're trespassing here." One of them was skinny, clad in leather garb and a ridiculous haircut that reminded Eliza of an eighties rocker.

The other was built thicker and didn't say much, though he kept asking to kill the quartet of teenagers.

Jason managed to talk the Boreads, as they called themselves, into taking them to talk to Boreas.

They guided them to a tower, which opened up to accommodate the bronze dragon as he landed.

As the roof ground shut, Leo pressed a button on Festus' neck and the dragon collapsed and folded into a bronze suitcase. Leo tried to lift it, but the carry-on was exceptionally heavy.

"Don't bother." The big guy snorted.

"You won't be joining your friends." The skinny one snapped. "You'll stay here, where we can watch you."

"What?!" Leo sounded offended. "Why?"

"Either we all go, or none of us do." Jason held.

The big guy chuckled. "Kill them?"

"Don't be so hasty, my brothers." A woman with impossibly pale skin and long black hair descended the stairs into the room. She eyed Jason. "I'm afraid your friend cannot join you to meet my father. He is..." her voice trailed off as her gaze settled on Eliza. She raised an eyebrow, obviously hiding her disgust. "She'll have to stay as well."

"Why?!" Jason protested.

"Don't worry, Jason." Eliza assured. "We'll be fine. Besides, someone has to keep Leo company, right?" She looked at Leo, who shrank back a little. She locked eyes with Jason. "Go get the information we need. If things go south, I'll take care of them." She nodded towards the pale woman's brothers.

Jason smirked and nodded. "Be careful."

"You should worry more about yourself sometimes." She called after him as the woman - Khione - led them up the stairs.
* * *
Leo flicked the wire he had found in his pocket absentmindedly.

Eliza sat on the icy floor next to Suitcase Festus, paging through one of the books she'd had in her bag when Annabeth had taken them to camp.

Khione's brothers stood near the staircase, watching them carefully as they guarded the doorway.

Finally, Khione returned with Jason and Piper, looking less than pleased.

The pair hurried back over to Eliza and Leo and urged them to leave.

"What happened?" Leo asked, obviously hesitant to leave so soon.

Eliza rolled her eyes at his obvious infatuation with Khione. He could be pathetic sometimes.

"I'll explain when we're back in the air." Jason promised. "Come on."
        * * *
"So, we need to capture some wind spirits and bring them to Aeolus to get his help to find Hera." Eliza clarified. "And the goddess apparently took your memories as part of some plan that we still don't understand."

"That about sums it up." Jason confirmed.

"And where do we find wind spirits?" Eliza asked.

"Boreas said their mistress lives in Chicago." Piper replied over her shoulder.

Eliza nodded in understanding. "The plan then is to go to Chicago, find this mistress, capture some wind spirits, and get Aeolus' help?"

"Basically." Jason reached for her waist as they hit a patch of rough winds. "You should get some rest." He pulled his hands away awkwardly.

Eliza tried to look at him over her shoulder. "Promise not to anger anymore gods without me."

"Technically, I didn't anger Boreas." Jason corrected.

She rolled her eyes. "Just don't get into trouble."

"I think we both know I can't promise that." He smiled.

She flashed a mischievous smirk. "Fair enough."

"Now get some sleep." He nudged her in the back. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

She shook her head and leaned back a bit, resting against Jason, who wrapped his arms around her to hold her steady. She rolled her eyes and they both chuckled. As Eliza drifted off, she noticed Piper eyeing her and Jason over her shoulder.

She sat up, her head barely reaching above the prairie grass. The uneven ground was rough against her palms and the grass swayed, brushing her arms. She pushed herself to her feet and stroked the grass.

The field stretched on forever. There was no perceivable sun. The sky was just... bright. The grass was a bright golden brown that matched her eyes.

The wind undulated the grass like the waves of the sea. The breeze tossed her hair around her face.

"I know you're here!" She called out over the endless prairie. "Show yourself."

The wind twirled in a subtle tornado that twisted the grass and tossed it through the air.

As the air settled Juno stood before her with a stern expression chiseled across her features. "I told you to stay away."

"And I told you that you don't know me." She clenched her fists and the grass around them wilted and died.

Juno smirked at the withered plants. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't." She promised. "So, why bother doing it again?"

Juno huffed a long breath. "My business is my own. Good luck."

The world lurched and Eliza snapped awake.

Festus was creaking and smoking.

"We're going down!!" Leo shouted over the clamor of the plummeting robotic dragon.

"Hold onto me!" Jason grabbed Eliza's hand and reached for Piper. Piper wrapped her arms around his neck and he snatched Leo's wrist with his free hand.

They lunged off the dragon's neck and Jason slowed their fall with his powers, but they still crashed through the ceiling of a warehouse.

Eliza felt her grip slipping from Jason's as they careened towards the floor. Her fingers pulled free. A shock of pain launched through her body as her back collided with the railing of the catwalk and everything went black.

A/N
Sorry this is really late in the day. Hope you enjoy. 😅
-Cheshire