All too soon, the day of departure arrived. Most of camp saw the quadruplet off in some form or another. The Hephaestus cabin threw Leo a small party the night before, the Aphrodite cabin actually saw them off, Grover's girlfriend even came to see him go.

So there they were, sent off to nowhere, in simple street clothes. Grover had his fake shoes and a shirt and jeans. Leo had his vest and goggles, wearing a white button-up shirt underneath and solid worker's pants which made his legs actually look like they had some girth to them. Piper had her scarf, though instead of her white jacket, she took a simple mint green sweatshirt and jeans, though she'd brought extra blankets for the cold, along with her pink scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. Jason himself found a dark purple shirt at the camp store, something about the color felt right to wear for the quest, and black jeans.

It was decided that they would ride on Festus, both by Leo and Jason. Jason claimed that he'd had a vision the night he arrived that he 'must not be the only one to fly,' which he assumed to have meant Festus.

And so, they started flying in a vaguely western path, following Winona's advice. "So…what's our flight path?" Leo wondered, curious given how he was the flyer. They had to sit single-file, Leo, Grover, Piper, and finally Jason; Festus could carry five people. Well, technically he could carry a lot more, but Leo had only installed seats for five, which he did so within the plate scales of the dragon's original design.

"Not sure," Jason admitted. "In the end, I guess it doesn't matter."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because the prophecy will come true whatever we do."

"It's always best to go in with a plan," Grover pointed out. "I can speak from experience that not knowing where you're going or what you're doing is the worst feeling ever on one of these things."

"Oh yeah, you did go on a quest once, didn't you?" Leo said. "What did you do? Was it cool?"

"It prevented a war between Zeus and Poseidon, when Zeus' Master Bolt was stolen. It turned out to be this huge conspiracy involving the Titans," he explained. "But we had a destination, even if it turned out to be a red herring."

"Okay, so…any ideas?"

Piper and Grover looked back to Jason, the quest's leader. He felt their expectations and wanted so badly to meet them. He began brain-storming. "Well…the ventus at the Canyon had to retreat, right? Long shot; maybe we need to track it?"

Piper nodded. When she pulled out her pen to write, the ink stayed in place, despite the wind. With her not having to shout, communicating with her was actually easier than with the others. 'Do we have an idea of where it was going? What direction did it go?'

"…Drawing a blank," Grover said, with the others soon agreeing. "But if we need to track a wind spirit, the best one to do it is a wind god."

"I thought that Zeus fella was the god of the wind?" Leo thought out loud.

"No, my father is the god of the sky," Jason said. "Of lightning, and storms, and honor, and justice," Jason said those last parts more reverentially. It was those aspects that he found himself trying to latch onto as his son. "There are four gods of the winds, right? One for each of the cardinal directions?"

'If they're stationed in America, then we'd be closest to the eastern one, right' Piper suggest.

"There isn't really one," Grover claimed. "Sometimes it's Eurus, sometimes it's Apeliotes. It's confusing."

Jason nodded. "Then what about North? Aquilon? No, what's his…Greek, name…?"

"Aqualung?" Leo suggested.

"Boreas," Grover said. "He's in Quebec; he's the closest."

"Sounds like a good a plan as any," Leo said, veering their steed in the right direction. Soon, it felt to the son of Hephaestus that the dragon knew where it was going.

A few hours later, quite literally, they arrived. By that time, time had advanced to nightfall, meaning the air was much colder, to Piper and Grover anyway. Leo and Jason seemed fine. When they arrived, they were stopped by two guys. One, a jock, the other, a nerd-lord. Well, they weren't really "guys" per-se, but rather they bore a striking resemblance to Jack Frost from Legend of the- no, Rise of the Guardians…though, the one with the owls isn't too far off either.

They both looked around the demigods' ages, seventeen-ish, with snow white hair that looked like unkempt bedhead, and wings protruding from their backs. Their wings weren't just wings either; they were magical, because they allowed them to hover in place.

They came up to the demigods without a word and at lightning speed, startling them enough to make them stop. The nerd-lord took out a clipboard and started examining them, one by one. "Uh…" Jason didn't know whether he should talk or not. "How are you doing tonight?"

Leo stifled a laugh. "You have the chance to make an impression and that's what you've got?" he thought. Though, with the slight noise, the nerd-lord went to him next. He got all up in Leo's face as well, scouring over every inch. Eventually he backed away. "Cool, so…snow-chickens," the son of Hephaestus said. "Okay, torch 'em, buddy," Leo pat Festus' head. Jason could feel its neck heat up.

"Wait, wait!" Jason pleaded, making the dragon stop before it breathed fire. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Mm, you," the nerd-lord floated over to Jason. "You look familiar. State your name or face punishment."

"Punishment?" Leo grimaced.

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter," he announced, hoping the title would have some weight with these people. Instead, they looked disgusted.

"Jupiter?!" the nerd-lord said it like it was the Star Wars prequels. He exchanged a look with his friend, clearly conflicted. "Very well, then."

The snow-chickens descended and flew into a cliff face, which opened up into a big hangar-like doorway, big enough for Festus to enter. Jason felt weary about it though; the way his father's name was said, it felt…off. It was difficult to describe.

"Keep your guard up," Jason warned, with Piper taking out Echo. Festus made a low creaking sound, like a growl. The snow chickens avoided the dragon, for good reason; Festus could've torched them easily upon Leo's orders.

Once they landed, they were met with the two chickens from before, along with a new person. The woman before them was unlike anything they'd seen before. Her beauty rivalled those of the children of Aphrodite, though her skin had a very pale complexion. She held the same white hair, though hers was silky and long. She had a dress on that looked like she ripped it straight off of Elsa from Frozen, only without the whimsy that Elsa got from putting it on during Let It Go.

The four questers slid off of Festus. The woman examined them all thoroughly, just as the two chickens had in the air. Speaking of, the chickens themselves were making faces at the questers behind their backs. "Zethes, Cal, stop that!" the woman snapped upon noticing. The two snapped to attention. "State your business," she demanded of the four.

Jason stepped forward. "We're here to speak to Lord Aquilon," he said, trying to sound confident, though he wasn't sure how successful her was. This woman's eyes were something from a fantasy, almost completely white, but a pale white, like snow, clearly distinct within her iris.

"I gathered. What would you ask of my father?"

"Your father?" Leo said. "You're dad's a god? No way, so is mine!"

Without moving a muscle, the woman summoned a deadly sharp knife of ice, holding it up to Leo's eye with her mind. "One does not simply flirt with a goddess, mortal."

"G-goddess?" Leo muttered, his voice shaking. "I-I didn't…I-I'm-"

"Can we roll it back a bit?" Grover requested. "My friends here are new to whole demigod gig. I'm sure he meant no disrespect, milady."

The woman got a slight glint in her eye as she willed away the ice knife, or knice, if you will. "Well, I see at least one of you has some proper manners. Very well, the son of Jupiter may enter my father's court."

"With all due respect, I'd prefer if they came along with me."

"I do not care what you 'prefer', boy," the woman claimed, her eyes lowering into a dangerous glare.

"What harm will it do?" Leo wondered.

"You could do much harm," she accused the son of Hephaestus. "If you are to bring a companion, so be it. He will stay," he eyes remained focused on Leo. The boy couldn't tell if it was rage or envy in her eyes when she looked at him.

The four looked at each other, and then huddled quietly together. "What's the play?" Grover asked. Eyes turned to Jason, leader of the quest.

"…Leo can't come, I think she's made that clear. But…"

"Please don't leave me alone with her," Leo begged. Jason gave him a look of sympathy; the kid looked too scared to even move, after being threatened so bluntly by a goddess that cold.

"That's what I'm thinking. I know she's a goddess and all, but something about this place is giving me the wrong feeling."

"I'll stay with him," Grover offered. "Piper can go with you. Worst case scenario, she Charmspeaks."

Piper inwardly grimaced. Outwardly, she nodded, looking determined. Jason was the only one that saw her react poorly, with a little twitch in her lip. The four separated from their huddle, and faced the goddess. "We're ready," Jason said, explaining that Leo and Grover would stay behind with Festus. Well, not really; Leo found a button where Festus compressed into a rolling suitcase. The woman led them away to what she called a waiting room.

Meanwhile, Zethes led them through a series of hallways, to a throne room. Along the way, Jason felt Piper grip his hand, sticking very close for reassurance. Jason did his best to give it to her, leaning down to her ear. "Worst case scenario," he said, remembering how heavily it weighed on her mind when she used her powers. "Don't worry; things will work out," he claimed.

They entered the throne room, with it being way too long for the tiny seat that lay before them. Upon the seat, which was actually huge (it just looked small from the other end of the hallway), was a bearded man who looked like a mix Santa Claus and a tornado, with his beard and hair made up a rapid winds and ice.

Once they got to the throne, the man willed away the snow-chicken. He gave them a hard stare-down. Jason figured that it must run in the family. "Lord Aquilon," Jason addressed the god, bowing his head respectfully. Piper, subsequently, bowed her head.

"It is unwise to refer to this form by that name, son of Jupiter," he said, his voice booming, threatening, yet almost jovial in a way. This guy was definitely a Santa Claus.

"Lord Boreas, then?" Jason wondered, though the god ignored him.

"Though that is odd, isn't it? You have been a Roman demigod for twelve years, and yet your presence, compared to your partner, isn't Roman enough to force a change in me. Peculiar…"

Jason blinked, not having been aware that that was how it worked. "I thought gods just picked which form they assumed."

"We do, to an extent," he explained briefly. "Though we have some control, it most often deals with the balance of Roman versus Greek power in the world. With this metric, though, I suppose it isn't a surprise that you don't hold enough sway; there would have to be at least a dozen of you. But even still…"

"Even still what?" Jason questioned, finding it almost insulting that the god would imply he wasn't 'Roman' enough.

"That I'm feeling absolutely nothing from your presence is a bit…disconcerting."

"Now, wait just a-" Jason was about to do something incredibly reckless. Piper stopped him, tugging at his arm and giving him a stern look, as if saying "you have a job to do." Jason tried to take a mental step back, inhaling and exhaling to regain himself. He tried again. "Apologies," he began. "Lord Boreas, we come seeking aid, if you can provide it."

The god's expression didn't change as Jason went along.

"We were attacked by a ventus, or a…" he couldn't remember the Greek name. "A storm spirit. It retreated, and we need to figure out where it went."

"And why in all the heavens and earth would I help you?"

"Well…you serve the gods, right?" Jason recalled. "We believe that Juno, or…Hera is in trouble, and finding the ventus is the first step to helping her."

"And yet you yourself sound unconvinced," Boreas commented. Jason bit his lip.

"Got me there…" he thought, though he had to persuade this god to help. "Please, if there's any chance-"

"I'll tell you what, boy," the god raised a finger. "I'll set up a little task for you. If you can complete this task, then I'll help out."

"But-"

"It wouldn't be wise for one of your stature to argue," Boreas warned. Jason, once again, bit his lip. With a wave of his hand, the god summoned a horse. Well, it wasn't really a horse; it just looked like one. It was actually a small lightning storm in the shape of a horse, some variant on a natural wind spirit. Either way, Jason was glad it was caged up in a cell of ice. "This is Tempest. He is an unruly one, and a spirit that refuses my control. You are to tame this beast. If you do so, I will tell you who called back the Anemoi Thuellai you encountered.

"Tame?" Jason questioned. "But…" he gave a glance at Tempest. His eyes were solid red, the deepest red that shared its color with blood; this beast wasn't tamable. "It's…wild."

"And?" Boreas questioned.

"Piper…don't get too close," Jason warned as Boreas lowered the side of the cage that faced the son of Jupiter. He inched closer, trying not to startle him. "Easy…easy…" he muttered, inching ever closer. Boreas began to laugh as he drew close. Right as Jason's focus waned because of it, Tempest struck, rearing back and kicking, the force sending a concussive wind, blasting even Jason back from its force.

He landed on his butt, hard, and slid a good ten feet on the floor, which had the consistency of ice. When he stood, Tempest had exited the cage, and was stomping his hoof onto the ice in challenge.

"I-I…I don't want to hurt you," Jason tried to stay calm, but the fear was evident in his voice. "You aren't supposed to be afraid," he thought. "You're supposed to be their fearless leader."

The thought steadied his breathing, especially with Piper watching. He couldn't show that weakness, not here. He inched closer, reaching his hand up to touch Tempest's face. When Jason got close, he attacked again. Jason managed to roll out of the way this time, and instinctively took out Ivlivs, but Tempest was fast, kicking Jason was he rolled and knocking the coin out of his hands before he could flip it.

The beast charged soon after, forcing Jason to run. He broke into a sprint and then leapt onto the wind, shredding for his life. He knew this creature was out for blood, and so he didn't dare look back. Jason didn't have to; he could feel the horse's breath on his neck.

"It's uncharacteristic of a Roman to turn tail and run!" Boreas mocked the boy, but he didn't care. Jason weaved around Tempest's erratic strikes, evading them with a precision that Jason must've developed over the course of years. He took a chance, but it didn't play out. He was going to come to an abrupt stop, and will the wind to parry Tempest's charge, but it seemed that even the wind held the horse in higher favor, as Tempest wasn't even affected by Jason's.

The boy was knocked back again, landing and rolling hard into a pillar of ice, cracking it. He only saw Tempest for a split second, barreling toward him at blinding speed. It was just enough for him to scream in terror, before Boreas willed another cage to form around the wind spirit.

Jason let out a labored breath as Piper knelt down beside him. "I…I can't do it…" he managed, still shaken.

"Tch, a shame," Boreas said. "Would you care to give it another go? Perhaps this time without the training wheels?"

"N-no, I…" Jason trailed off. "This is your only lead," he reminded himself. "I need time. Time to…think, to prepare myself. I just wasn't ready," he bluffed. The god seemed to buy it, however, and nodded.

"I'll have rooms prepared, but I hope you mortals brought jackets."

xxxXXXxxx

The night was an uncomfortable one, but Jason didn't care. He didn't really sleep either. He spent the night meditating, praying desperately for a solution to his problem. He prayed to Zeus and Jupiter, to Juno and Hera, and to the rest of the gods individually in both their Greek and Roman aspects, but he got an answer from none of them.

Instead, Jason was pulled into another vision. Though, vision might not be the right word to describe this experience, as it was distinct from the other two. While they were memories, this was a message, a sign.

Jason found himself in a ruined courtyard. There were several things that stuck out to him. One was a blond girl, separate from the one in his memories, floating unconscious in a human-sized ball of light. Jason had absolutely no idea who she was or why she was there, but there was another woman, standing close beside the blond girl, holding her hands out as if exuding some sort of power. Jason saw chains, golden chains, wrapped around the woman's waist and down her legs. "Juno," Jason said, though she didn't hear him.

He was dragged away before he could reach out and get her attention, to outside the courtyard, where there was this burned-down mansion. "You forget yourself, pup," he heard. Well, not really; it was more like he felt the words enter him. The feeling brought both warmth and fear to his heart.

"Mother…" he muttered subconsciously, turning to face her. She was a wolf, much larger than normal ones. She stood a good five feet taller than Jason when sitting to look at him. Her eyes were heterochromatic, one was golden, one was sky blue. Jason felt a connection to her because of this; he shared the blue in his eyes, and the gold in his weapons. Perhaps it was intentional, before he'd lost his memories? "Y-you're…?" he held his head, blanking on the wolf's name.

She seemed dissatisfied. "Surely the goddess hasn't done so thorough a job to make you forget me?"

"…Lupa," Jason said, remembering. "The Romans' Mother. I could never forget you," he said. It felt genuine when he said it, even when he knew it was a lie. The wolf relaxed a bit and waited, listening to Jason. "Please Mother, I need your help."

"I'm aware of your situation, pup," Lupa said. "But I will not aid you."

"But…why? Surely you know of a solution?"

"I do. Though, perhaps it isn't right to say I won't provide aid, when I cannot."

"What are you…?" Jason noticed the blood. It was dripping through her fur, coming from her back and one of her hind legs, along with a gash on her stomach. "How didn't I notice the wounds?"

"I mean this in more than one way, pup," Lupa said. "You already have everything you need, more than I can provide you."

"But…"

"You remember what I told you, when I first found you here to be trained?" she wondered, and for a moment her voice became soft. "I told you a phrase."

"I'm...I'm sorry, but...I don't remember it."

"Of course not!" Lupa snarled. "Because I had never told you!" Jason recoiled at her outburst, but did his best to hold his ground. Soon, she seemed to calm down. "It was a phrase every true Roman knows already. You know it."

"How could I, when I don't even remember where I came from?" Jason questioned, though he quickly caught himself. Inwardly, he cursed, knowing that the Greeks' looser tongues have rubbed off on him. "I mean..." he bowed. "My apologies. Who did this to you?"

"It matters not; you'll face these horrors soon enough. The task at hand, pup," she reminded him. "You remember the first lesson I imparted to you, all those years ago?"

Jason thought back, struggling to remember. Somehow, he could tell that this wasn't a trick question, like the last time. "…Conquer or die," he recited. "Your motto."

"Indeed. You are a Roman. You conquer, or you perish. You defend your domain, or you perish. If you cannot accomplish this task," she bared her fangs. "Then you are unfit to have ever been called my child," she growled, standing, looming over Jason. His heartrate picked up, and he prayed that she couldn't hear it.

Whether she did or not, her attention was torn away. Jason also noticed a disturbance. "Intruders?" he questioned. Lupa's eyes darted from side to side. "Mother, you're hurt. Let me fight them!" Lupa didn't listen, or perhaps couldn't hear him anymore. She turned and pounced off, right as a swarm of venti raced toward her, toward where Juno was. "Mother? Mother!" Jason called, but he found he was being pulled out from the vision.

xxxXXXxxx

"Mother!" Jason cried, shooting back into the real world in a frenzy. Piper rushed to his side, with Leo and Grover soon behind.

"Hey man, you good?" Grover questioned. Jason nodded shakily, though he felt like he was about to throw up. He felt as terrible as when he first came out of a vision, extremely fatigued.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Leo asked, holding up his middle finger. Piper swatted them away, and helped the son of Jupiter to his feet.

"What did you see?" Grover asked.

"I saw…I saw what I need to do," he said, feeling an intense obligation to complete Boreas' task, now that he knew Lupa was in trouble.

"You sure?" Leo questioned, seeming to show genuine concern. "You don't look so good, man."

"I'm fine!" Jason snapped, letting out a small burst of wind from his body. Looking back, he felt bad to have done so, but at the time, his mind was only focused on one thing. Well, two things. He felt that burning desire, and he also felt how wrong it was to act solely on it. He marched to Boreas' throne, with his friends hot on his heels, where the god was waiting with Tempest in the cage. "Let it out," Jason demanded, a bit too hastily in retrospect. Boreas smirked, seeming either impressed or amused with Jason's newfound confidence. Jason's stomach turned when the spirit was released. Seeing Jason's new demeanor, it didn't try the whole waiting around thing. Instead, it immediately darted around him and blazing speeds. The son of Jupiter took a deep breath. "Conquer or die…" he muttered, with each word feeling like poison; there was something so inherently flawed in them. And yet Jason found himself following them, because he was a Roman.

Jason leapt into the air, carried on the winds. He willed with all of his power for Tempest to obey him, landing on the spirit's back and gripping around his neck and snout, keeping his mouth shut. Jason hung on upside down, or right-side up, depending on Tempest's orientation, as the wind horse flailed and writhed as he resisted the son of Jupiter.

"You may live in the wind, but it's still my domain!" he roared. "No, it's not! It's father's!" he screamed in his head, but his actions spoke true; cocky, selfish, dominant.

With a final push, as Jason willed the winds to all freeze, Tempest settled. Jason ended up on his back, feeling light-headed from using his powers in such a foreign way. Boreas clapped. "Very good, very good, Aduro," he claimed. Jason's anger flared; a deep, profound rage that transcended even his reverence of the gods.

"Don't call me that!" he roared, sending a piercing wind toward the god, who dispersed it with little effort. Instead of being insulted, however, the god looked proud. His form even started to flicker, called to his Roman aspect by Jason's show. Jason soon regained himself, and the flickering faded. "I…I'm so sorry, Lord Boreas. I didn't mean any disrespect."

"None taken, boy," the god waved it off. "Very well, you've done your part. That ventus is beholden to a sorceress, stationed in the mortal city of Chicago, the city of wind. Fits, doesn't it?"

"Is that where the prophecy will come true?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not. This sorceress, while powerful, is but an ant compared to what you'll have to face. You'll need all the help you can get, boy. Retrieve those wind spirits and then seek out my direct master, Aeolus, and deliver them. He will know where to turn afterward," Boreas offered. "In addition, that spirit now claims you as his master; call him whenever you need his aid. I fear it will be very soon."

Jason nodded. "Thank you, Lord Boreas," he willed Tempest away, who disappeared in a cloud which then dispersed. "Then we'll leave you in peace."

With that, the four demigods, headed south west, toward Chicago. Of course, along the way, everything went wrong.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! This is Hikaridewd54 from the future, writing House of Hades, who got a really good idea for a impact point and decided to make a minor change in this chapter to set it up. Sorry about that, so if I was going to say anything specific in this one, sorry...again.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and keep on!