There's a reason I hate heights. Maybe you think it's ironic considering my dad is god of the sky but trust me, I have my reasons.

Falling to my death was one of them.

I screamed my heart out. I let out a final prayer, as the water below came rushing towards me at the speed of a truck. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact…

But it never came. Suddenly, I was floating, my hair whipping around my face. I opened my eyes, wondering if I was still alive. I was in mid-air, a breeze flowing around me. I began screaming again.

"Hey," a voice said. "Calm down. You're fine."

I slowly opened my eyes. A guy was floating next to me. He had curly, black hair and a kind smile. He was wearing casual clothes, and had his arms by his side.

"Daughter of Zeus?" he asked. "You're awfully worked up."

"Um," I said. "Who are you?"

"Zephyros," the guy said. "The West Wind."

My eyes widened. My lips felt dry. "Oh… um… you… saved me. Thank you." My speech wasn't working today. Didn't really help that I was floating 300 feet in the air.

Zephyros nodded. "You know, kid, you have a bit of control over the wind yourself. Try using it next time you need to jump off something, okay? You can even use it to fly."

"Fly...?" I asked, blinking.

"I've got to go," Zephyros said, glancing at his watch. "Too many mortals here. Practice those powers."

I began to go down.

"Oh, and Thalia," Zephyros said. "Your father wanted you to know he's proud of you. He believes you'll be able to retrieve the bolt."

I began blushing. Proud of me?

I felt myself being lowered, like I was in some kind of invisible elevator, until my feet hit the ground. I breathed out deeply, sweat building on my forehead. I looked up. A ton of people were staring at me, and the police were holding up their guns. Emergency vehicles were everywhere, as well as countless news reporters.

"Did you fall out of the Arch?" a news reporter asked, holding her microphone towards me.

"Did you cause the hole in the wall?" another asked, getting right up in my personal space.

"Are you responsible for any of the accidents caused?" a third one asked, pointing a camera in my face. I covered my face with my hands.

"Um, no," I said, quickly. "Gotta go!"

I put on my invisibility cap and ran away. The mortals began shouting all at once, giving me the headache of the century. I looked around for my friends, while also trying not to crash into anyone.

"Where'd she go?" people were shouting.

"That was a girl?" another one asked.

"Is she a message from God?" someone asked. "She descended from the Heavens!"

I almost started laughing at that.

"Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch…" a news reporter said.

"Supposedly, it was an adolescent girl," another said. "Witnesses say she began floating mid air, and slowly descended down. Some say she is an omen from the heavens."

I ran around the police perimeter. It was ridiculously long, and the crowd was growing more every second. I was starting to get tired, when I spotted my friends. I crept up behind them.

"Annabeth!" I shouted-whispered. "Luke!"

I removed my hat, revealing myself. My friends turned to me, smiling wide.

"Thalia!" They both yelled.

"Hey, guys," I said.

"I can't believe you did that!" Luke said, waving his hands. "I know you're the daughter of Zeus, but come on!"

"But she survived," Annabeth added, "she's amazing! She floated down!"

I began blushing even more. "You guys…"

"... should get out of here," Luke finished. "Come on. We've got a train to catch."

We ran over to the train, managing to scramble onto it before it left for Denver. I told my friends about Zephyros, and the wind powers.

"You can fly?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, and control wind," I said. I frowned. Was there ever a chance I'd actually fly?

"That's a very useful power," Luke said. "You'll be like a superhero, Thals!"

"Yeah, sure," I said, trying not to sound nervous. The idea of being up in the air again made me sick. I thought about what Zephyros had said. Your father wants you to know he's proud of you. I felt angry. It took him this long to send me a message, and he couldn't even tell me himself?

Part of me, on the other hand, was grateful. My dad had noticed me. He wasn't ashamed of me, he was proud of me. And that thought, believe it or not, made me smile.