orenda [leo valdez]

xv. Taking a Cab Up Mount Diablo

Kira woke up at a sidewalk cafe. 

She had a dreamless sleep, which was odd how unpatternlike her dreams were. Plus, she missed Hestia. 

"Mother!" She heard Piper yell, and Kira's eyes shot open. She almost fell out of her chair with surprise. 

All four demigods and the satyr was sitting at table, her friends all waking up across from her. 

It was a sunny morning. The air was brisk but not unpleasant for sitting outside. She could smell eucalyptus trees. Lots of foot traffic passed in front of quaint little shops. The street was lined with bottle-brush trees and blooming azaleas as if winter was a foreign concept.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "Fight who? Where?"

"Falling!" Leo grabbed the table. "No—not falling. Where are we?"

Jason blinked, trying to get his bearings. He focused on Piper and made a little choking sound. "What are you wearing?"

She was wearing the turquoise dress she'd seen in her dream, with black leggings and black leather boots. Kira hid back a smirk, knowing Piper hated it until she looked down. 

She was wearing a white satin dress with a loose cow neck line, greek goddess style. Kira had never worn something so fancy and showy, and when she noticed Leo staring, she immediately threw a windbreaker over it. 

She glanced at her shoulders, where her hair was perfectly curled, sitting nicely on her shoulders. 

"It's nothing," Piper said. "It's my—It's nothing."

Leo grinned. "Aphrodite strikes again, huh?"

"Hey, Leo." Jason nudged his arm. "You look at yourself recently?"

"What...oh."

Leo was wearing pinstriped pants, black leather shoes, a white collarless shirt with suspenders, and his tool belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and a porkpie hat.

Kira couldn't help but find it extremely attractive. 

"God, Leo." Piper tried not to laugh. "I think my dad wore that to his last premiere, minus the tool belt."

"Hey, shut up!"

"I think he looks nice," Kira said, frowning. Leo burned up. Literally. Steam spilled out of his ears.

"I think he looks good, too," said Coach Hedge. "'Course, I look better."

The satyr was a pastel nightmare. Aphrodite had given him a baggy canary yellow zoot suit with two-tone shoes that fit over his hooves. He had a matching yellow broad-brimmed hat, a rose-colored shirt, a baby blue tie, and a blue carnation in his lapel, which Hedge sniffed and then ate.

"Well," Jason said, "at least your mom overlooked me."

Jason was dressed simply in jeans and a clean purple T-shirt, like he'd worn at the Grand Canyon. He had new track shoes on, and his hair was newly trimmed.

"Lucky," Grumbled Kira, rubbing her arms, insecure in the dress.

"Anyway," Piper said uncomfortably, "how did we get here?"

"Oh, that would be Mellie," Hedge said, chewing happily on his carnation. "Those winds shot us halfway across the country, I'd guess. We would've been smashed flat on impact, but Mellie's last gift—a nice soft breeze—cushioned our fall."

"And she got fired for us," Leo said. "Man, we suck."

"Ah, she'll be fine," Hedge said. "Besides, she couldn't help herself. I've got that effect on nymphs. I'll send her a message when we're through with this quest and help her figure something out. That is one aura I could settle down with and raise a herd of baby goats."