𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. ── 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐱𝐢. 𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬

JASON POV

JASON DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE LEO, but he was starting to think that hanging out with Cal the hockey jock might be the least dangerous option in this place.

As they climbed the icy staircase, Zethes stayed behind them, his blade drawn. The guy might've looked like a disco-era reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. Jason figured one hit from that thing would probably turn him into a Popsicle.

Then there was the ice princess. Every once in a while she'd turn and give Jason a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. She regarded Jason like he was an especially interesting science specimen—one she couldn't wait to dissect. If these were Boreas's kids, Jason wasn't sure he wanted to meet Daddy. Annabeth had told him Boreas was the friendliest of the wind gods. Apparently that meant he didn't kill heroes quite as fast as the others did.

Jason worried that he'd led his friends into a trap. If things went bad, he wasn't sure he could get them out alive. Without thinking about it, he took Aella's hand for reassurance.

She raised her eyebrows, and loosened her grip till just their fingertips were touching.

"It'll be fine, Sparky," she promised. "Just a talk, right?"

At the top of the stairs, the ice princess looked back and noticed them holding hands. Her smile faded. Suddenly Jason's hand in Aella's turned ice cold—burning cold. He let go, and his fingers were smoking with frost. So were hers.

"Warmth is not a good idea here," the princess advised, "especially when I am your best chance of staying alive. Please, this way."

"Yeah, whatever, Elsa. I can translate too, you know. Don't have to run to daddy." She mumbled, her dark brown hair covering her shoulders.

Piper gave him a nervous frown like, What was that about?

Jason didn't have an answer. Zethes poked him in the back with his icicle sword, and they followed the princess down a massive hallway decked in frosty tapestries.

Freezing winds blew back and forth, and Jason's thoughts moved almost as fast. He'd had a lot of time to think while they rode the dragon north, but he felt as confused as ever. Thalia's picture was still in his pocket, though he didn't need to look at it anymore. Her image had burned itself into his mind. It was bad enough not remembering his past, but to know he had a sister out there somewhere who might have answers and to have no way of finding her—that just drove him up the wall. In the picture, Thalia looked nothing like him. They both had blue eyes, but that was it. Her hair was black. Her complexion was more Mediterranean. Her facial features were sharper—like a hawk's.

Still, Thalia looked so familiar. Hera had left him just enough memory that he could be certain Thalia was his sister. But Annabeth had acted completely surprised when he'd told her, like she'd never heard of Thalia's having a brother. Did Thalia even know about him? How had they been separated? Hera had taken those memories. She'd stolen everything from Jason's past, plopped him into a new life, and now she expected him to save her from some prison just so he could get back what she'd taken. It made Jason so angry, he wanted to walk away, let Hera rot in that cage: but he couldn't. He was hooked. He had to know more, and that made him even more resentful.

"Hey." Piper touched his arm, but he pulled away. "You still with me?"

"Yeah ... yeah, sorry."

He was grateful for Piper. He needed a friend, but he didn't want to lead her on, especially when he was so sure about his feelings for Ellie. It wouldn't be fair— to him, to Aella, or to Piper. He wasn't cruel like that.

He was sure now that they'd never known each other before the Grand Canyon. Their relationship was just a trick of the Mist in Piper's mind. But the longer he spent with her, the more sure he was that they weren't destined to be together.

Stop that, he told himself. It wasn't fair to Piper or Aella, thinking that way. Jason had no idea what was waiting for him back in his old life—or who might be waiting. But he was pretty sure his past wouldn't mix with Camp Half-Blood. After this quest, who knew what would happen? Assuming they even survived.

At the end of the hallway they found themselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man's bearded face, blowing wind. Jason was pretty sure he'd seen maps like this before. But in this version, all the wind guys were Winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world. The princess turned. Her brown eyes glittered, and Jason felt like he was a Christmas present she was hoping to open.

"This is the throne room," she said. "Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. My father can be ... chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun."

Jason guessed this girl's definition of fun was not the same as his.

"Stop it, Icicle. I'll translate. I'm a daughter of Hermes, if you forget?" Jason smiled. At least they'd be getting reliable information, from Aella.

Khione didn't seem so pleased. "Truly—" she sneered, "you'd let me translate in my own home."

"Um, okay," he managed. "But really, we're just here for a little talk. We'll be leaving right afterward."

The girl smiled. "I love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

Piper rested her hand on her dagger. "Well, how about you enlighten us? You say you're going to translate for us, and we don't even know who you are. What's your name?"

The girl sniffed with distaste. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me. Even in the ancient times the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am—"

"—Khione," Aella stared with hatred, "Goddess of Snow, and the Queen," she spat, "of Drama."

Khione stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her—big, fluffy flakes as soft as cotton, and laughed. "He wasn't worth all that much. You don't need to go against a goddess for him. Now, come," Khione said. The oaken doors blew open, and cold blue light spilled out of the room. 

Aella grabbed Jason's hand, making his heart skip a beat. He hasn't even known her for two days, but he cared more about her than anything right now.

"Hopefully," Khione snapped, "you will survive your little talk."