A/N: This story is underway, guys! I'm glad I've made it past the first chapter (that's where most of my projects usually stop, to be honest). If I ever write this fic to completion, it'll be a monster, but I'm hoping for the best (obviously, to finish this fic).

I've got at least half of it planned out, and I'm adding more and more details as they come to me; fear not, for I actually know where I'm going with this story. That said, there's a lot of issues I want to address in this fic that I felt were glossed over in HoO.

Honestly, I'm funneling chapters out fast, but these have been written for a time, already, lol. Tbh, up until chapter 5 or 6 I think I'll release chapters daily...? And then move on to weekly updates, maybe.

As another note, there is some repetition from the original TLH in this chapter, but please bear with me. After the first quarter or so of the story, you can expect things to completely diverge from canon. So like I said, bear with it for a little while.

By the way, as a future note, if you don't see me responding to reviews in chapters at first it's because those chapters were prepared a long time before they were posted. Hopefully, if school doesn't get in the way too much, once I hit my stride updates can come more frequently. Anyways, to get to the part that you guys actually came to read!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson or the Heroes of Olympus series. All rights and characters belong to Rick Riordan.

{3.}

The more time that passed after she was chosen, the more uncertain Drew grew about her position on the quest.

Not that she'd ever admit it out loud, of course. That would ruin her blustering for sure. But still, it wasn't like she'd actually expected she'd go. It'd been... in the spur of the moment, really. Just a bit of posturing. Logic hadn't played a factor in it, and neither had the self-serving thoughts that usually took the top spot in her mind.

And yet...

Drew stared at Piper. The kid looked like she might cry, which Drew quite frankly didn't understand. Who on earth would be so disappointed by the fact that they weren't participating in a quest that might as well have been a suicide mission, ending in their probable death? Honestly. Demigods these days.

That wasn't what bothered Drew, though. Really, there wasn't a clear reason as to why such an intense dislike filled her whenever she looked at the girl. The faint pink glow of Aphrodite's blessing still hung in the air around her, gradually fading. Her appearance was a far cry from the girl who'd initially arrived at the camp.

Aphrodite's blessing... Gods. So rare. That gift didn't just go to anybody, and Piper looked upset with it. Drew had never received it herself, and couldn't remember a time where any of her siblings had gotten it either. Except for-

That didn't matter.

Anyways, that blessing was a sign of preferential treatment, a usual staple of the gods. Looked like there was another favourite in the works, and it was the Dumpster Queen, rather predictably- the girl who stood out the most amongst the frivolous, selfish children of Aphrodite. (The girl who's the most likable, Drew's mind whispered, the girl just like-) Except the poor sweetheart hadn't been chosen like she'd wanted, like she'd expected. It was obvious. She was the new favourite.

And yet.

Mother dearest would be so disappointed.

Drew gladly accepted the smug smirk that crept on her face. Piper met her gaze and looked away, arms wrapped around her midsection, cheeks scarlet. Drew's smirk grew wider. For now, she could bask in righteous glory. Consequences would come later. Consequences always came. No point in pondering them now.

As her cabin left the amphitheatre, Drew spotted Jason, who'd been heading towards them. "Jason~!" She shouted- practically sang, as she ran and threw herself on him, clinging to his arm. Underneath her, his muscles tensed. Predictable, and disappointing. The trick usually worked. Drew would have been more offended, but he wasn't her type. Plus, she was just putting on a show for Dumpster Queen, and it worked- the girl turned away, fists clenched as she walked away at a faster pace. Clearly, Drew had just gotten in the way of true love. Whoops. My bad.

Drew waited until Piper was out of sight, and dropped Jason's arm. "Sorry for that," she said, for a moment serious- and then her lips rose in a flirtatious grin, and she winked. "So, hero? What's the plan?"

He stared back at her coolly. Ouch. "You tell me."

Drew shrugged, the grin still dancing on her lips. "We rescue Hera and save the day, I guess?"

Jason made an unimpressed sound. For a second, annoyance broke through Drew's mask, but she hid it quickly. "Look, I've been at the camp for a couple of years," Drew said. "I'm not a newbie, like that Hephaestus kid- whatshisname-" she snapped her fingers. "Leo, right? I know the ropes. And hey, I'm a master of persuasion." She flashed another toothy grin, her voice adopting the sweet notes of charmspeak at the end. This time, Jason was unaffected, and his face remained unimpressed. Damn. Tough crowd.

Drew watched him as he left her and walked to his cabin, head held high. "See you tomorrow!" she hollered after him. Jason didn't respond. Beneath the strong veneer, he seemed lonely, but whatever. That wasn't her problem. He didn't like her, and the feeling was mutual. Once this quest was over, Drew doubted she'd talk to him again.

Drew left to her cabin, lost to visions of victory. If this quest was successful, it would only add to her reputation, and her brothers and sisters would look at her in a different light. If the quest didn't end in failure, that was...

Failure was for losers. Drew was not a loser.

At the door of her cabin, she paused, glancing up at the sky. The stars were luminous, and she felt her face soften. Something about them had always seemed magical to Drew, even after the revelations of gods and monsters. So far away... a lot of the time, she too wished she could be a distant observer. With no one to see her, the smile on Drew's face was true- wistful, and a little sad, maybe.

The smile faded as quickly as it came, and Drew stepped into Cabin Ten, the artificial happiness of her siblings overwhelming.

xXx

The metal dragon Drew sat upon was warm to touch. Drew had let her hand rest on its skin for the past few minutes, feeling the vibrations and whirring of the machinery underneath. Festus, Leo had named it. Although she'd rolled her eyes, it wasn't that bad of a name, even if it seemed more suited for that of a puppy. (Honestly, Happy the dragon.) Its warmth was almost comforting, especially up where they flew in the wide expanse of air.

Drew lifted her hand, and picked at her nail polish. No chips in sight- that was good. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

She dropped it, sighing. "So," she said, repeating her words from the previous night, "What's the plan?"

They both stared at her as if she'd offended them personally, and Drew snapped. "What? It's a valid question."

Leo rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the reins. Behind her, Jason exhaled. "We go to Quebec," he said slowly. It was easy to hear the dislike under his calm words, and Drew forced herself not to stiffen. Mutual, she reminded herself, it's mutual. "We talk to Boreas, find out where the venti are, find out who they work for, and then find out where Hera is. Got it?"

An ironic callback of her own words to Piper this morning. Drew couldn't stop the sarcasm from leaking into her drawl. "Yeah, I got it. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Man, if only I'd figured that out earlier. Should have, I guess. It was just that obvious."

Drew grimaced almost immediately. She was doing a great job of playing nice. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out why the two were so annoyed. They'd wanted Piper, not Drew. She was sorry to disappoint, being such a sad imitation in comparison. Later. Later, they'd realize Drew had been the better option after all. She just needed to give them time, that was all...

Something deeper than spite and anger clawed at her, something Drew couldn't identify. That was the problem, wasn't it? No one ever wanted her. She was tired of having to prove herself, prove that she was worth something, over and over and over again. It hadn't worked with her father, it hadn't worked with her mother, and it hadn't worked at Camp Half-Blood. There was a reason she'd already given up on trying.

Jason and Leo seemed to detect the silent change in her, as they didn't rise to the bait. Drew's nails bit into her palms, and she forced her hands to relax. Pull yourself together, she told herself. No need to get emotional. She'd always been good at putting on a performance in the spotlight. And in the spotlight she was... where were those acting skills when she needed them?

"Sorry," she said, after a long silence. It wasn't much of an apology, but no one ever expected much of an apology from her. "I didn't mean that." She smiled, small and sweet. She was good at that. Small and sweet. "You got any food? We kinda missed breakfast." She was only in this for herself. Not to rescue a god who had never answered a single one of her prayers. None of the Olympians ever had. One too many begging voices, Drew had always told herself. Reasoned to herself. The delusions and denial of a child.

She'd always been in it for the glory and the riches. That was what the legends had been about, right? It never failed to start from there.

"Luckily enough, I did pack some food," Leo declared. The glance he shot her was a little unsure, once she looked past the humor. "Biggest pocket in my backpack, the sandwiches."

Drew obliged, pulling them out. Three Ziploc bags; she handed one each to Jason and Leo, keeping the last one for herself. She opened the bag, peering at it, and raised an eyebrow. "Avocado?"

Leo hesitated, and then shrugged. "Piper's a vegetarian."

Oh. Yeah, that was right... he'd left before sticking around to check out the final result, hadn't he? Definitely had not planned on good ol' Drew Tanaka tagging along. Another failed expectation.

"Funny. I'm a vegetarian too," Drew said. "Shared family trait, you think?"

No one laughed. Well, she'd never been much of a comedian.

"The giants," Leo said suddenly. "The giants' revenge. What was that all about? We're not talking the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, right?"

"Nowhere near," Drew said. "I'm fuzzy on the details, but after the Titans fell, the giants rose in the aftermath, to destroy Olympus." She pushed back her hair from her face. "Suffice to say, they failed. As the enemies of the gods always do. But they were near impossible to kill, and accounts of what they could do aren't exactly clear. Ignoring that, it's obvious that history is repeating itself."

Leo and Jason looked disturbed. "Just how impossible to kill?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are we talking Rasputin-levels of unkillable? Nine lives?"

Drew didn't respond. She didn't have an answer. Eventually, they dropped the subject, when it was clear it wasn't going further.

"There's another thing I don't understand," Leo said. "If saving Hera will only unleash her rage, then what's the point? No one trusts her, anyways. Should we really be doing this?" He looked like he wanted to say something else, but stopped, and shook his head. "I don't understand."

"What is there to understand?" Drew said. She didn't mean to come off as blunt, or cruel, but the question confused her. "We have to. There is no if."

Leo glanced at her with hooded eyes. "There's always a choice, Drew," he said. "We don't have to do anything. Not for some crazy goddess."

"This isn't a world with choices, Leo. Especially when it comes to the Olympians." Dimly, she felt pity for him. "You'll understand that soon enough."

Jason, who had been quiet the whole conversation, finally looked up. "Drew's right," he said, sounding strangely flat. "I can't- I can't remember anything, but that seems... right. Hera chose us for this. We're-" He hesitated, looking at Drew. "We're the first three of the Seven, right?"

"Just because Hera wants us to save her doesn't mean we're special," Drew said. "Not necessarily. You're taking this at face-value. Look, prophecies tend to have double meanings. Percy Jackson- the guy Annabeth was looking for- everyone thought he would be the hero of the last Great Prophecy. He wasn't. It was- anyways, you gotta... look underneath the underneath."

Both of the boys had skeptical expressions, but they didn't argue.

After a few hours, Leo began to tip forward, each time stopping himself before he completely fell over. For a while, the sight served as Drew's only source of entertainment, but after a point it just got too pathetic. "Hey," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Nap Time, wouldn't you say?"

"What? I don't-"

"Sleep."

It took less than a second.

"What?" she said, in response to the look that Jason gave her. "It worked, didn't it? He needed it."

"Without his permission?"

"If Piper had done it, you wouldn't have said anything."

Jason opened his mouth, like he wanted to protest, before shutting it and looking away, frowning. It was true, then. "Look, if I was doing it to mess with his head, that's another thing. I wouldn't do that." (But you do that to your own little brothers and sisters, don't you?)

"Okay." Jason didn't sound like he particularly believed her, but he didn't look like he was particularly listening either. He was staring at what looked to be a photo in his hand, crumpled and yellowing at the edges.

Drew wanted to ask, but the vulnerability in his eyes... she decided not to pry.

She looked down below the clouds to the cities instead. They'd passed over New York a long time ago. Drew had ignored the small aching in her chest as Brooklyn had gone by- she hadn't had a home there for a long time. Now, she guessed that they were flying over either the state of Vermont or New Hampshire. Up in the sky, the tallest of skyscrapers were only dots. Feeling a tendril of nausea snaking around her throat, Drew leaned back in her seat.

She pulled her skirt down from where it rode up her legs, fighting back another sigh. If neither of them talked, this was going to be a very long, very boring flight. More boring than it had to be. "So, Jason," Drew began. "Do you... remember anything? Anything at all."

For a while, Jason didn't respond, and Drew wondered if he hadn't heard her. "Some things," he said finally.

It was clear he wouldn't elaborate on what those "some things" were, but Drew would bet that that picture had something to do with it. She tried another approach. "What if we can't find Hera?"

"What?" Jason stared at her, baffled.

Drew hadn't meant to sound like such a pessimist; it didn't stop it from being any less possible. She hadn't meant it to be so sudden either. "There's always a margin for failure," she said, dropping the high pitch that she'd adopted. "Quests used to fail all the time in the past. It's only recently that we've had a lucky streak, and luck won't last forever." Strange. She had always played up her confidence, being as arrogant as possible; and now she'd dropped it. Something about Jason made it easy to be honest.

Jason shook his head. "This isn't a quest that we can fail."

"Doesn't mean we won't."

He looked troubled, and then exasperated. "I didn't pick you for the negative type."

"I'm a realist."

"Sure." Jason dropped his gaze to his hands. "Let's just worry about now rather than the possible future, yeah? No point in kicking up a fuss."

"'No point in kicking up a fuss?'" Drew couldn't help the derision that filled her tone. "What are you, an old lady?"

His cheeks flushed, and he scowled. Cute. "No."

"Sure, Gramps. Need me to fetch some dentures and a cane? And a doctor while I'm at it? You seem to be going senile in your old age." She pretended to examine his face, her expression serious.

Jason leaned away from her, his lips twitching, as if he was holding back a smile. His scowl grew weaker and weaker by the second. "Stop. You're not funny."

"Okay, okay." Drew lifted her hands in surrender, turning away. She squawked as a bird almost flew into her face at the speed of a missile, and heard the faint sound of muffled laughter behind her.

Weird. Even if he was laughing at her, Drew couldn't find it in herself to get irritated.

Soon enough, they'd reached their destination. Drew shook Leo's shoulder. "Wake up, hon. We're here."

"In Quebec City?" Leo rubbed at his eyes. "Already? Damn."

They flew over Lower Quebec, where the city had first begun as a settlement. Drew stared down at the cobblestone streets, the port at the edge of the St. Lawrence River, the small brown, brick buildings... while it wasn't particularly flashy, there was something about it that made it... beautiful. The mix of past and present, maybe- hard to find such a thing, nowadays. It seemed more like a town than the capital of the province it was. So much unlike Manhattan, a masquerade of a city of dreams that managed to hide its dirty alleyways and rotten society under its glamour, and Brooklyn, which didn't even pretend to be anything other than what it was, with its poor people and savage gangs. They were the only places Drew had ever known, aside from Camp Half-Blood. This- this was different. Foreign. It made Drew's chest tight, and she swallowed.

"Where are we even going?" Leo complained. "Jason, do you-?"

"No," he admitted. "I thought- that it'd be obvious, special. Something a demigod or mortal could find, since... you know. God and all."

"So, basically, we find it by half-assed guesses- sorry, I meant instincts," Drew said, as Jason shot her a dirty look. "My bad. You happen to be a magical GPS, Jason?"

Jason eyed her the way a cranky adult would scowl at a snarky teenager; enough with the sarcasm, young lady. Drew snickered. It only further supported her growing theory that he was an old man in disguise.

"So, where do ya say it is, Jason?" Drew asked, playing up her accent. "If you had to pick a guess."

"Well... that castle in the centre of the city, for one," Jason said, pointing to the aforementioned location.

She hadn't noticed it, focused on Lower Quebec; the castle added to the medieval effect already present with the walls that surrounded the city. Still, from what Drew had read of Quebec in better days, the castle was supposed to be on the outskirts, not in the centre...

"I don't think that's a castle."

On closer look, she turned out to be right. The tall, red-bricked building was a hotel rather than the fairy-tale setting she'd initially imagined. Black limousines and sleek cars parked in the drive, tourists and people that seemed to be of some importance idling on the red carpet, leaning on their suitcases or talking into their phones.

Leo looked uneasy. "Shouldn't they be able to see us?"

"No, the Mist will hide us. Our true nature, at least," Drew said. Case in point, no one looked up to stare in awe at the flying dragon hovering over the hotel.

She sighed, staring over Quebec to its snow-capped buildings and rolling hills and plains that laid outside the walls. Snow fluttered down from the clouds, making the sunset look more pretty, and adding to the city's illusion of a winter wonderland. "Guess it's not so magical after all... What's Plan B?"

"No, wait," Jason said, peering over Drew's shoulder and staring at the rooftop. "This- this is the right place."

Two angels flew up to meet them, and Drew balked, before remembering where she was. She lived in the world out of the Iliad, not the Bible. No matter what she used to believe without the knowledge of gods and monsters.

A great rumble rose from Festus's throat, and Drew jumped.

"Easy, easy," Leo murmured, patting the dragon's golden throat.

"They're like venti," Jason muttered. Storm spirits, Drew's mind translated, from the little Latin she knew. He was right, to an extent. Unlike the storm spirits' vaporous wings, the wings of these creatures were rather feathery and purple. Other than that, and the threatening swords, they looked like they could have been two perfectly normal human beings.

Well, aside from the hockey jock, and the other who looked like he'd walked straight out of the 80's. What's crackalackin', fellas? Drew wanted to say, but showing off her knowledge of slang from the age of rock and roll wouldn't win her any points. She kept silent, and decided to let Jason and Leo take the reins.

"No clearance," the jock grunted.

"'Scuse me?" Leo asked. She couldn't blame him. The grunt had been almost unintelligible.

"You have no flight plan on file," explained the rock star. Drew winced at his accent. She was a daughter of Aphrodite; she knew French, and that wasn't it. Even from a native speaker talking in English, she could tell the difference between what was fake and real. "This is restricted airspace."

"Destroy them?" the jock questioned, showing off his less than perfect teeth.

Festus hissed steam, and Jason flipped his coin, summoning his sword. Drew bit back the groan trying to emerge. She'd kept silent long enough. Clearly, the two oafs she had as traveling companions knew nothing of diplomacy. Or in Leo's case, anything other than telling a joke or building something.

"We're sorry for the intrusion," Drew said, flashing her best smile. "May I ask your names?" She held back on the charmspeak. Better to draw it out slowly, instead of using all her power immediately. With monsters and other godly creatures, it was difficult to tell who it would work on or not. She'd learned to keep her cards to her chest the hard way.

"I am Cal!" the big one grunted. Seemed he couldn't talk in any other tone.

"Short for Calais," the rocker explained. "Sadly, my brother cannot say words with more than two syllables, which includes his own name."

"I am Cal!" Calais repeated. "And this is Zethes! My brother!"

Leo had a mocking light in his eyes. Drew lifted her hand to stop him from saying anything that could potentially stop them from getting in the angels' good graces. "That's unfortunate."

"Indeed," the groovy angel agreed. "As Calais said, I am Zethes, short for Zethes. But you, young lady-" He winked at her, and Drew desperately blocked the memories of acne-riddled nerds trying to get their way into her skirt. "You can call me anything you like. Perhaps you would fancy a dinner with a famous demigod before you die?"

Oh, ew. Ewwww. Drew showed nothing of her inner thoughts, smiling sweetly in return. "Maybe, if we don't die."

Zethes wriggled his eyebrows; it looked like caterpillars were wildly squirming on his face. "We are a very romantic people, we Boreads. It would be a night to remember."

"Wait, Boreads?" Jason interrupted, taking the words straight out of Drew's head. "Like Boreas? Are you his sons?"

Zethes looked pleased. "Indeed! We are the gatekeepers of his palace. You understand why we can't have unauthorized guests coming and going as they please, scaring the silly mortal peoples."

Below, people were starting to take notice, with annoyance in place of what should have been terror.

"Which is why, unless this is an emergency, you will have to leave," Zethes said. The word carried the underlying meanings of something other than a peaceful goodbye. Cal raised his sword.

Drew gasped dramatically. "You misunderstand! This is an emergency!"

Zethes frowned at her, no longer looking so love struck. "And what kind of emergency would that be, young lady?"

He was a demigod, not an actual god. Charmspeaking was safe. "A crisis," Drew pouted. "A big crisis. Possibly world-ending, and your father can help us, if you let us talk to him..." she fluttered her eyelashes, adding on the benefits of Aphrodite's love magic.

Zethes's expression wavered. "My sister would not be happy-"

"Please," Drew asked, heaping on spades of charmspeak.

3, 2, 1... And he was a goner. Inwardly, Drew smirked.

"Alright," Zethes said, a small hint of defeat in his eyes. "Follow us." The two demigods sheathed their swords and pulled out smaller objects, which, on closer look were flashlights, the kind used for airport runways. Zethes and Cal swooped towards the tower, Festus following in their wake.

They made for the green garbled peak. A fraction of the slanted roof slid open, easily big enough for all of them, lined with jagged icicles that resembled the mouth of a shark. They were flying into the lion's' den, alright.

"I don't like this," Jason said in a low voice, but it was too late to turn back.

xXx

What might have been a glamorous penthouse suite was changed by the layer of ice that glazed over everything. Drew was afraid of placing her feet on the ice in fear of slipping and cracking her skull, but it was surprisingly stable and firm.

Jason stared up the staircase. "Something... something's not right."

"You said it, sister," Leo muttered.

Frost was already forming on Festus's scales. It shuddered, and spouted flames to heat itself up.

"No, no, no," Zethes snapped, storming over. "No fire in here, please. Either deactivate the dragon, or you really can leave."

Festus growled, but Leo held up his hand. "He's kind of touchy about that word. Don't worry, I got this."

He pulled a switch from behind the dragon's left foreleg, causing Festus to compact and fold until he was nothing but a golden suitcase.

Leo beamed. "See? All good."

"No," Zethes said, after a pause. "There is still fire."

Leo looked slightly nervous. "Really? Well, as you can see, Festus is all suited up- suited up, haha, get it-?"

"Not from the dragon, boy. I can smell it on you. Are you really a demigod? Or a spy, a child of the South Wind?" Zethes's eyes narrowed. Drew's gaze followed his hand to the pommel of his sword, his fingers gripping the weapon with pale knuckles.

"No, no. I'm just a child of Hephaestus- a child of the forge. It's a hereditary thing."

Zethes pushed Leo back at sword-point. "Don't push me, child," he snarled, dropping the phony accent completely. Frost spread from the tip of the sword, curling over Leo's jacket.

Despite their eccentricities, it was clear the threat was nothing to laugh at. These guys were dangerous.

Leo no longer looked a little anxious- he looked like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes wide and darting back and forth. "Guys-" he began desperately.

Jason stepped forward, coin in hand. "You're just a child of Hephaestus," Jason said, keeping his sight on Zethes. "Aren't you, Leo?"

"I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding..." Drew said, trying to keep the peace.

"I'm afraid not," Zethes replied.

"Look. I'm a son of Zeus, and Drew and Leo are-"

"Zeus?" Zethes's face was shocked. "Zeus, you say?"

"Yes," Jason said uncertainly. "I-"

Zethes sheathed his sword. "You're the one we've been told to watch for," he said. "Come, then. But the fire boy- he stays here. Cal will look after him."

"Watch for?" Drew said, stalling for time. "What does that mean?"

"That depends on my father's will," a voice said from the top of the staircase.

The voice belonged to a beautiful girl, wearing a silk white dress. Lush black tresses flowed past her shoulders, and dark brown eyes viewed them coldly- a queen looking down from her throne, or perhaps a princess. Her gaze stopped at Jason.

"You are the one they call Jason, yes? My father will want to see you."

"Jason?" Zethes asked, staring at him. "Interesting choice of a name. You... are not quite as good as the original, though."

The girl's expression grew annoyed. "Enough talk. Bring our guests, Zethes- excluding the son of Hephaestus."

Leo looked as if she'd stabbed him in the gut, but hurt changed to shock as Jason put his hand on his shoulder. "All of us, or none at all."

Zethes studied him appraisingly. "Your choice, son of Zeus. But this is our domain. You can leave with the information you need, or with nothing."

Leo stepped out from under Jason's grip. "Go. I'll be fine."

"But-" Jason started to protest. Leo cut him off.

"Seriously, go. If you don't, I'll be really pissed off."

Drew shrugged when Jason glanced at her for help. "I hate to say it, Jason, but he's right. There's nothing we can do."

"Come," the girl said again. "King Boreas is waiting."

They followed the ice princess up the frozen staircase, Zethes trailing at the back with his sword drawn.

Jason's face was carefully blank, but the tight press of his lips betrayed worry. Drew nudged his side with her elbow.

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

"Just a talk," Jason repeated, sounding as if he was the one reassuring her.

"Yep. Everything's A-OK. After all, you've got me, the master of persuasion on your side." She winked at him, a mirror of the one she'd given him the previous night.

She was full of shit, and he knew it. Jason rolled his eyes, a contrast from his grateful, small smile. Regardless of bluffing or not, it seemed to comfort him anyways. Some things, Drew was good for.

After heading down a hallway decked with tapestries, they reached two huge wooden doors carved with a map of the world, bearded men blowing wind from each corner. It reminded Drew of the old-fashioned maps cartographers used to design centuries ago.

"This is the throne room," the girl said. "Try to be on your best behaviour. My father can be... cold, at the best of times. I will act as your translator, and encourage him to hear you out as best as I can. I do hope he spares you. We could have so much fun," she said, her eyes lingering on Jason. Her use of the word sent chills up Drew's spine.

She turned back to the doors, but Drew stopped her before they could open. "Wait. What's... your name?" She was surprised at the earnesty she heard in her own tone. Still, something about this girl reminded her of herself. And she knew that beings other than the Olympians tended to be forgotten.

If the girl was surprised that she asked, she didn't show it. "You have not figured it out already? I am Khione, goddess of snow." At her raised fingertip, ice swirled above, forming intricate patterns in the air. Slowly, they formed big, fluffy, flakes, before a miniature blizzard stormed in the palm of her hand. She closed her fingers, and the snow disappeared into nothing.

"Now, come," Khione said. "My father waits."

The doors opened with an ominous creak, spilling ghastly blue light across the frosted floor.

Short author's note:

Long chapter here, guys! I'm just rehashing a lot of canon content here; I promise, that's the last you'll see of so much repetition of scenes already present in the books. Don't forget to leave a comment if you can, please! I really appreciate any reviews you guys leave (as long as they're constructive, of course).