𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. ── 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐱𝐱𝐱. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭

ANDY HOPED THE TAXI COULD TAKE THEM all the way to the top.

No such luck. The cab made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." Andy was the first one out. She had a bad feeling about what was wrong with the cab, and when he looked down he saw he was right. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand. She knew— this wasn't natural. The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Andy's heels were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.

While everyone else got out, Andy paid the cabbie. She was generous—heck, why not? It was Aphrodite's money. Plus, she had a feeling all of them might never be coming off this mountain.

"Keep the change," she said. "And get out of here. Quick."

The driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools. All these normal people living normal lives—the kind Andy had never known.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way..."

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl.

"That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Andy touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes ... no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

But Jason looked toward the foggy basin with such longing that Andy felt uneasy. Why did Jason seem so connected with that place—a place Hedge said was evil, full of bad magic and old enemies? What if Jason came from here? Everybody kept hinting Jason was an enemy, that his arrival at Camp Half-Blood was a dangerous mistake. If he was... what was Andy supposed to do with these feelings? For him?

Shush Andy, you stupid girl. Jason wasn't an enemy. He couldn't be.

Leo tried to move his foot, but his boots were now completely embedded in the dirt. "Hey, guys," he said. "Let's keep moving."

The others noticed the problem.

Andy tried tugging off her golden block heels, but it required all of her arm strength.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. From a distance, Andy had thought it was a cloud, but it wasn't. Something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

Camp Half-Blood had taken Andy on several forced marches. She thought she was in good shape. But climbing a mountain when the earth was trying to swallow his feet was like jogging on a flypaper treadmill.