"After all those years on the streets, I finally feel like I'm home"
"You're lying" Leo didn't even have to look up, he knew her better than anyone.
"You're right, I was always at home with you"
In which there's an unlikely friendship (... and ma...
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In the throne room Alex, Jason, Piper and Khione- the snow goddess kept walking, and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed woven from snow, with dark purple wings that spread out to either side. His long hair and shaggy beard were encrusted with icicles, so Alex couldn't tell if his hair was gray or just white with frost. His arched eyebrows made him look angry, but his eyes twinkled more warmly than his daughter's-as if he might have a sense of humor buried somewhere under that permafrost.
"Bienvenu," the king said. "Je suis Boreas le Roi. Et vous?"
Khione the snow goddess was about to speak, but Piper stepped forward and curtsied.
"Votre Majeste," she said, "Je suis Piper McLean. Voici Alex fille de Poséidon et Jason, fils de Zeus"
The king smiled with pleasant surprise. "Vous parlez francais? Tres bien!"
"Pipes, you speak French?" Alex asked.
Piper frowned. "No. Why?"
"You just spoke French."
Piper blinked. "I did?"
The king said something else, and Piper nodded. "Oui, Votre Majestute"
The king laughed and clapped his hands, obviously delighted. He said a few more sentences then swept his hand toward his daughter as if shooing her away.
Khione looked miffed. "The king says-"
"He says I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Piper interrupted, "so naturally I can speak French, which is the language of love. I had no idea. His Majesty says Khione won't have to translate now."
Behind them, Zethes snorted, and Khione shot him a murderous look. She bowed stiffly to her father and took a step back.
The king sized up Jason and Alex and Jason decided it would be a good idea to bow. "Your Majesty, I'm Jason Grace. Thank you for, um, not killing us. May I ask... why does a Greek god speak French?"
Piper had another exchange with the king.
"He speaks the language of his host country," Piper translated. "He says all gods do this. Most Greek gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. His domain was always far to the north. These days he likes Quebec, so he speaks French."
The king said something else, and Piper turned pale.
"The king says..." She faltered. "He says-"
"Oh, allow me," Khione said. "My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?"
"Kill us?" Alex asked. "Why?"
"Because," the king said, in heavily accented English, "my lord Aeolus has commanded it."
