The other Grace/HoO fanfiction

(17) Aeolus Palace

Having found her sister after so long just to lose her again in less than an hour seemed cruel to Layla.

Even worse was the fact that the last thing Thalia had said to her was to go to a place she didn't even remember where it was.
Jason didn't seem to remember the wolf house either but given his amnesia, Layla wasn't surprised.

"Dang, check that guy's front yard." Leo said. After climbing a few hundred steps they had finally reached the top of the floating island. Bronze walls protected the palace although Layla doubted that some would like to climb all those steps just to attack it. In the center of the yard stood a Greek style, white columned monument. A rotunda.

"Hello." A pretty woman with a tablet floated towards them. She had pointy ears and an ageless face. "Are you here from lord Zeus? We've been expecting you."

Jason blinked profusely, confused and shocked by the fact that the woman was see-through.

"Are you a ghost?" He asked her. A rude observation. Her smile immediately turned into a pout.

"I'm an aura, sir. A cloud nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Jason didn't know how to reply. Fortunately, Piper did. "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."

The aura blushed. Nice save. "Oh... well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

"Eh." Jason scratched his head. "We are from Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent! Please, right this way." She floated into another lobby motioning them to follow. She was looking at the screen of the tablet and couldn't see where she was going but that didn't seem to be a problem. Apparently she could pass through walls and columns. 

"We are out of prime time now, so that's good," She said. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

Jason said something in response but it was hard to hear him over the sound of winds howling around them. Walking in that lobby felt like they were making way  through storm spirits. Even doors opened and closed on their owns.

Layla felt something slightly piercing her arm. She looked down only to find that a paper airplane that was flying on its own had crashed into her. Layla must had been blocking its way. She took a step forward and the plane continued its route landing on the hand of a ugly creature who laughed loudly at the content of the message.

"Not an aura?" Jason asked taking a look at the creature. It had wrinkled face, black hair and wings like a chicken. It also had a really fat body and big talons instead of nails. Definitely not an aura.

"That's a Harpie, of course." Mallie giggled. "Our 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 gentle breezes."

"Of course you are." 

"So." Piper spoke up. "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

"We have a few minutes before it starts." Mellie told them. "He probably won't kill you if we go in now."

"Probably. That's what they all say." Layla sighned (I write this word in a different way each time and I have no idea which one is correct😭).

As they entered the central section of Aeolus's palace Layla's jaw dropped. Even though she had plenty of experience with huge halls (that included Olympus, Midas' place, Boreas' castle and Kronus' palace), she felt really small compared to that huge chamber. Television equipment such as cameras and spotlights floated in random places inside the room.