This is my longest chapter yet, at just over 1,000 words more than my second longest currently, and I apologize, but there was just so much to put in and I just don't like stopping. Anyway, please enjoy and review with comments, suggestions and tips for the story. I plan to put answers or responses to comments at the beginning of the story like this:

Matt: I will be putting all of the main story characters with their normal pairings, but if anyone wants to suggest any changes or give Audrey and Emily love interests, I'm all ears (Read the story for the second part of your question)

Jerk: Well...

First Person: Zytaveon

This was a really bad idea. I'm not an experienced demigod by any means, but I knew that this was gonna bring us trouble. At first, I worried we were going to crash into the tower when a section of the slanted roof slid open, revealing an entrance that was easily wide enough for our dragon, though the top and bottom were lined with icicles like jagged teeth. It wasn't exactly making me feel any better, and once we got inside, my feeling of dread got even worse.

We landed in what appeared to be a penthouse suite, except the place had been hit by a flash freeze. The entry hall had vaulted ceilings forty feet high, enormous draped windows, lush oriental carpeting, a staircase at the back of the room leading up to another equally massive hallway, and many more corridors branching off left and right. But the ice made the room's beauty much more frightening. A fine layer of frost covered the furniture, the curtains frozen solid, the ceiling covered completely with icicles, and the ice-coated windows let in weird watery light from the sunset.

"Guys, fix the thermostat and I would totally move in," Leo said, sliding off the dragon with the sound of the carpet crunching under his feet. Maybe it was because I was used to the cold of death, but I felt warm despite the freezing environment. But then, it hit me and I realized though my jacket was stylish, it didn't help me in such cold temperatures. I realized it was because Zyanya had slid off the dragon, releasing her hold on me. How long had she had her arm around my waist? The thought would've made me heat up, had I not been in a room with the temperature of Antarctica.

"Not me," Jason said to Leo. "Something's wrong…something up there." Festus shuddered and snorted flames, frost starting to form on his scales.

"No, no, no," Zethes said, marching over. "The dragon must be deactivated. We can't have fire in here. The heat will ruin my hair." Festus growled and spun his drill bit teeth. Emily petted him.

"Please, sir, he doesn't like the idea of deactivation," She said.

"Destroy?" Cal requested.

"No, please, no more destroy talk."

"I think I have a solution," Audrey said. "Leo, where was it again?"

"Um, over here I think…" Leo responded.

"What are you-?" Piper began.

"Watch and learn, beauty queen. While we were repairing Festus last night, Audrey and I found all kinds of buttons."

"Some you do not want to know about," Audrey commented.

"But others…ah, here we are." Leo hooked his fingers behind the dragon's left foreleg. He pulled a switch, and the dragon shuddered before he began to fold like origami and everyone took a step back. His bronze plating stacked together, his neck and tail contracted into his body, his wings collapsed, and his trunk compacted until he was a rectangular metal wedge the size of a suitcase. That logically shouldn't have been possible, but I wasn't gonna talk like I knew anything about Hephaestus and his kids' magic with tech. Besides, in the life of a demigod, anything was possible. I should've been used to it by now, considering I'd met a good number of the gods, but I guess there was always more to learn in life, and I had only been a demigod for three years.

Leo tried to lift the suitcase, but forgot that it still weighed the same as the full, sixty foot, fully metal dragon. I guess the Hephaestus cabin hadn't thought to make some kind of gravity manipulators for the convenience, or they expected someone with super strength to own the dragon.

"Hold on," Audrey said before pushing another button. A handle flipped up on the top and wheels clicked out the bottom. Never underestimate Hephaestus; lesson learned. But gravity manipulators still would've been awesome. "Ta-da! The world's heaviest carry-on bag."

"T-That's impossible…" Jason muttered. "A thing that size couldn't possibly…"

"Oh, just go with it," Zyanya said.

"Stop!" Zethes ordered. Leo raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay…what'd I do? Stay calm. If it bothers you, I don't have to take the dragon as a carry-on-"

"Who are you? A child of the South Wind spying on us?!"

"What?! No! Son of Hephaestus. Friendly blacksmith, no harm to anybody!" Cal growled and put his face to Leo's.

"Smell fire," Cal said. "Fire bad."

"Oh," Leo said, his face looking nervous. "Well, my clothes are kinda singed, and I've been working with oil and-"

"No!" Zethes declared. "We smell fire on you, demigod. We assumed it was from the dragon, but the dragon is on the suitcase now, and I still smell the fire, on you."

"Hey…look…I don't know-" Jason stepped forward, his coin already in his hand.

"Hey, there's been a mistake here. Leo's not a fire guy. Leo, tell them you're not a fire guy."

"Um…"

"Zethes," Zyanya said, pushing him back. "Leo means no harm to you. What can he do in your domain? Don't lose your temper, or I will have no choice but to lose mine." That was something I genuinely didn't want to see. Her losing her temper was nearly as bad as Emily. Nearly.

"Zethes?" Piper asked, trying to pull of her dazzling smile despite the cold. "We're all friends here. Stand down and we can talk this through."

"Please, Zethes," Emily added, also smiling and seemingly unaffected by nerves or the cold. "We can have dinner with you and talk this all through peacefully."

"The girls are pretty," Zethes admitted, "and of course they cannot help being attracted to my amazingness, but sadly, I cannot romance them this time." He pointed to Leo's chest and frost began spreading across his shirt.

"Zethes, Leo is just a son of Hephaestus, he means no harm and poses no threat," Zyanya said, her hand clenched. Her hand began to vibrate, but then I realized it was shimmering with energy. She and Zethes stared at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation that must've involved many threats based on the coldness in both of their eyes.

"He's right, Leo's not a threat," Jason said, hoping to avoid chaos. "Piper and Emily here are daughters of Aphrodite, I'm a son of Zeus, Veon over there-"

"What did you say?" Zethes asked, both the Boreads looking at him. "You are the son of Zeus?"

"Can't be Jason," Cal said. "Doesn't look the same." Zethes stepped forward and squinted at Jason's face.

"No, he is not our Jason. Our Jason was far more stylish. Not as stylish as me, of course, but stylish. Besides, our Jason died millennia ago."

"Wait, your Jason?" Jason realized. "You mean the original Jason? Golden Fleece guy?"

"Of course. We were his crewmates aboard the Argo, in the old times, when we were mortal demigods. Then we accepted immortality to serve our father, so I could look this good for all time, and my silly brother could enjoy hockey and pizza."

"Hockey!" Cal agreed.

"But Jason, our Jason, died a mortal death. You couldn't be him."

"I'm not," Jason agreed.

"So, destroy?" Cal asked.

"No," Zyanya said.

"If he is a son of Zeus, he could be the one we've been watching for," Zethes said regretfully, maybe because he didn't get to kill us, or that he had to agree with Zyanya.

"Watching for?" Audrey questioned. "Like a good way, or a bad way?"

"That depends on my father's will," A woman said and we looked up the staircase towards the voice. A girl in white dress stood at the top, her skin pale like the dead, but more alive, the color of snow, her hair a lush mane of black, and her eyes coffee brown. Her expression held no kindness, no smile, no expression, and I knew that she might become a problem if we got on her bad side. "Father will want to see the one called Jason, as will he wish to confirm your presence, Zyanya. You look far different than the last time we saw you."

"Aw, and I made an attempt to chose a similar face this time," She said, her voice as cold at the other woman's. Questions rushed through my head. A similar face? So what did she really look like? This time? How many faces did she have? How many secrets? Mysteries? How many hidden talents could she have? And how much of her that I believed I knew was a lie?

"Zethes, bring our guests," The woman ordered. Leo grabbed the handle of his bronze dragon suitcase, clearly not thinking about how he was going to get it up the staircase, but before he could take a step, the woman froze him with a look. Not literally, of course. "Not you, Leo Valdez." So she knew our names. That wasn't a good sign. The more your enemies knew of you, the harder it'd be to make it out of here with our skins intact.

"Why not?" Leo whined.

"You cannot be in the presence of my father. Fire and ice. Mixing them would not be wise."

"We're going together, or not at all," Jason declared, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder. The girl tilted her head, clearly used to people refusing her orders.

"He will not be harmed, unless you make trouble, Jason Grace. Calais, keep Leo Valdez here. Guard him, but do not kill him."

"Even just a little?" Cal pouted.

"No. And take care of his interesting suitcase until Father passes judgment." The others all looked to each other in silent debate, asking each other's opinion only for it to be passed to the next person. All of us were willing to resist if it meant leaving Leo alone with the psycho hockey ox dude.

"Its fine, guys," Leo said. "No sense causing trouble if we don't have to. Go on ahead."

"Listen to your friend," The woman said. "Leo Valdez will be perfectly safe. I wish I could say the same for you, son of Zeus. Now come, all of you, King Boreas is waiting." We all followed her up the stairs, hesitant about leaving Leo, but deciding Cal was the least dangerous thing in this place.

Zethes walked behind us, though without a sword, still threatening with his ability to turn you to a popsicle with just a look. Then there was the ice princess in front of us, that made some of the dead spirits I'd met seem warm and fuzzy, no pun intended. She was serious, cold, and when Jason and Piper tried holding hands, their hands suddenly burned with frost as she advised them that heat wasn't a good idea, especially when she was our best chance of staying alive.

I liked the cold, normally, as it reminded me of that soothing feeling of death, but the iciness in this place was sharp, quick, painful and stinging. It wasn't like what I had in that dream, either. That one was a slower, deeper, pressing sting, forcing not only the pain of the cold, but the pain of insanity, misery, darkness, eating away at everything I was until I wasn't there wasn't me anymore. It was slow, torturous, and it would never stop.

I shouldn't remember a dream so vividly, I never had before, but if I get lost in the memory of it, I can feel the pain once more, the creeping darkness and terror that seemed to have a mind of its own, forcing me to suffer, to understand what it was like to fear the death that I'd thought I wasn't afraid of anymore. And when I'd woken up…what I'd said…Tartarus. The pit. Child of Hades, beware the pit. Should you fall, you will be one with it. Live in darkness, feel their pain. Know all you do will be in vain. The dead shall scream, the living shall fall, until you hear the final call. Now, I think I understood. If I fall, I become one with the pit of Tartarus, with all those who've fallen and suffered within it. I'll be trapped down there for eternity like a monster. The questions still remained though. Why? And what was the final call? I wanted to know, but then again, I didn't.

"So, you know all these people?" I asked Zyanya who was walking next to me.

"Yes," She said, and her voice sounded different. I realized that since we'd first met Cal and Zethes, she'd been talking in a French accent. Or maybe she had been speaking French, and I was just translating it. With the Latin I'd translated back at the camp, who knows? It was possible. "I've got a history."

"What kind of history?"

"A long one. You don't wanna know."

"Actually, I do."

"Not now, Veon."

"Then afterwards." She looked at me without turning her head, raising an eyebrow before looking forward again. That look told me she didn't plan on saying much, hoping I'd forget by the time this was over. I could read her facial expressions like a book, but apparently, everything else about her remained a mystery.

At the end of the hallway, we found ourselves in front of a set of oaken doors carved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man with a beard, blowing wind. I'd seen a map like this before, but even though it was a while ago and I didn't study the map thoroughly, I'm sure that there were four different faces, while here all four were the same, Winter, blowing ice and snow from every corner of the world. The princess turned to us, her eyes glittering like she was excited to see us anger her father and get to kill us.

"This is the throne room," She explained. Be on your best behavior, Jason Grace. And that goes for the rest of your friends too. My father can be quite…chilly. I will translate for you, and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have such fun." I'm guessing her definition of fun was very different from mine.

"Um, okay," Jason said. "But really, we're just here for a talk. We'll be leaving right after." The girl smiled.

"I do love heroes. So blissfully ignorant."

"Why don't you enlighten us?" Piper said, hand resting on her dagger. "If you're going to translate for us, we might as well know your name."

"I'm not surprised you don't recognize me, but not even a mention, Zyanya?"

"I thought you'd like to do the honors," Zy hissed with gritted teeth.

"I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow." She stirred the air with her finger, and a miniature blizzard swirled around her, big fluffy flakes as soft as cotton. "Now come. Hopefully you will survive your little talk." The doors blew open and a cold blue light spilled out of the room.

When we went in, the temperature dropped ever further, and most of us shivered as we headed in. Mist hung in the air, and our breath steamed. Along the walls, purple tapestries showed scenes of snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of colored light - the aurora borealis - pulsed along the ceiling. A layer of snow covered the floor, and we all took caution while we stepped forward. All around the room stood life sized ice sculptures of warriors, some in Greek armor, some medieval, some in modern camouflage, and all frozen in various attacked positions, swords raised, guns cocked and loaded.

At least, they seemed to be statues until Jason, who was in the lead, tried to step between two Greek spearman and they moved with surprising speed, their joints cracking and spraying ice crystals as they crossed their javelins to block Jason's path. From the far end of the hall, a man's voice rang out with a French accent, but this time, it wasn't as clear cut as Zy's had been. It was much thicker, and it took me a moment to process what he'd said.

"Let them pass. They are not to be harmed yet." The two ice guards uncrossed their javelins.

"It's fine," Khione said. "My father has ordered them not to kill you just yet."

"Super," Jason said.

"Keep moving, Jason Junior," Zethes said.

"Don't call me that."

"My father is not a patient man, and the beautiful Piper is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Perhaps I can lend her and this other woman something from my wide assortment of hair products."

"Uh, thank you," Emily said.

We continued forward and the mist parted to reveal a man on an ice throne. He was sturdily built, dressed in a stylish white suit that seemed to be woven from snow, dark purple wings, and long hair and a shaggy beard that were encrusted with icicles. He gave off a serious and cold expression, but his eyes seemed warmer than his daughter's (granted I think he'd take that as an insult).

"Welcome," He said in his thick French accent and I tried to keep up with him while simultaneously following the conversation. "I am Boreas the King. And you?" Khione looked like she was about to speak, and I realized he had been speaking French and I'd just translated. It was slow and painful, but I did it. Then, Piper stepped forward and interrupted Khione.

"Your majesty," Piper said in the same French accent. "I am Piper McLean. And this is Jason, son of Zeus."

"I am Emily," Emily said, also in French. "This is Audrey, daughter of Poseidon."

"I am Zytaveon," I tried. The more than I concentrated on French, the easier the syllables came to my mouth. "I am the son of Hades."

"Boreas, I see you're doing well," Zyanya said. The king smiled.

"Ah, you all know French! Very good! And Zyanya, it seems it really is you. You've been very quiet for the past couple decades." She smiled but said nothing.

"What the heck is going on?" Audrey asked.

"Piper, you speak French?" Jason asked. Piper frowned.

"No, why?" She asked in English.

"You just spoke French. All of you. Well, not Audrey."

"I can barely speak a proper sentence in Spanish, let alone French," Audrey declared.

"We did?" Piper asked, blinking.

"You can translate French and English?" The king asked.

"Yes, your majesty," Piper said, realizing she could. The king clapped his hands, obviously delighted.

"Ah, so you two are daughters of Aphrodite," The king explained. "As such, you and this Emily can speak French, the language of love. As for you, son of Hades…" His eyes went to me and I suddenly wanted to shrivel up and disappear into the shadows. "Well, in any case, it means Khione will no longer be required to translate." He shooed his daughter away and she looked miffed.

"The king says-"

"That since Emily and Piper are daughters of Aphrodite, they can naturally speak the language of love," I quickly interrupted. "He says Khione won't have to translate now." I made sure not to mention my being able to translate, and hopefully getting the subject off of that for now so I could ask Zyanya if she knew anything later. Behind us, Zethes snorted and Khione shot him a murderous look before bowing stiffly at her father and taking a step back. The king looked to Jason and he bowed, hoping not to get on his bad side too soon.

"You Majesty, I'm Jason Grace," He said, and I realized that we now knew Jason's last name thanks to Khione. "Thank you for, uh, not killing us. May I ask, why does a Greek god speak French?" We all looked to each other and decided Piper would do the translating for Jason, Emily would take Audrey, and the Zyanya and I would speak only if we wanted to say something ourselves.

"He speaks the language of his country," Piper told Jason after a quick exchange with the king. "He says all gods do, but most Greek gods speak English as they now reside in the United States. Boreas, however, was never welcomed in their realm, and his domain was always far to the north. These days, he like Quebec, so he speaks French." The king said something else, and Piper turned pale, Emily just staring. I was used to things like this, so I took over instead.

"He has orders to kill us," I explained instead. I mean it wasn't like we were going to walk out of this place without trouble. Khione was not someone I wanted to fight, even with the new power I'd gained after my claiming, and even with all of us, I doubted we'd be able to brute force our escape, especially being that we were in the throne room of a god. Then I looked to Zyanya and realized she knew Boreas and his children previous, and she wouldn't have brought us here unless she had some kind of plan. She was practically a god herself, right? She said she was the daughter of…Zenobia, was it? She did look like a goddess, even before her personality change, what with her warm smile and beautifully dark scowl that made me want to kiss her. What?

"My lord Aeolus has commanded it," The king said in heavily accented English and I snapped out of my thoughts, hoping the cold would cover the excuse for my blushing. Where had that come from?

The king stepped down from his throne, his wings furled against his back, and as he approached, Khione and Zethes bowed, the rest of us following their lead, even Zy, but with just the hint of annoyance that she was forced to do so. I didn't know her very well now that she'd changed, but if I was to assume she and Lucy had similar facial expressions, I believe she's gonna kill someone for having to bow down to someone that she didn't consider a superior. And that was so cute. Shut it brain, what is wrong with you today?! But her Asian features were accentuated by this new godly change, her emotions guarded, her anger darkened in a way only a being of death could properly appreciate. And I certainly did. Stop it! I ordered and focused on the conversation again.

"I shall deign to speak your language, as you have you have honored mine," Boreas said. "Always have I had a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. As for you, Jason Grace, my master Aeolus would not expect me to kill a son of Lord Zeus…without first hearing you out." Jason tensed and I could see him processing the odds of making a break for it if we needed to fight, and even with all of us, and Zyanya, the odds were still low. We'd walked into the middle of a death trap, and we needed to play our cards right if we were going to get out alive.

"Isn't Aeolus the master of the winds?" Jason asked. "Why would he wish us dead?"

"You are demigods." Yeah, that explained everything, bud. Thanks. "Aeolus's job is to contain the winds, and demigods have always caused much headache. They ask him for favors, they unleash the winds and cause chaos, but the final insult was the battle with Typhon last summer…" He waved his hand and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appeared in the air, images of a battle flickering across the screen. There was a giant wrapped in storm clouds, wading across a river toward the Manhattan skyline. Tiny glowing figures that appeared to be gods were swarming around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally the river erupted in a massive whirlpool, and the smoky form sank beneath the waves and disappeared.

"The storm giant, Typhon," Zyanya explained. "The first time the gods defeated him, eons ago, he didn't die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits, winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus's job to track them down, as he must keep the winds under control, and imprison them in his fortress, but the other gods didn't help. They didn't even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track down all the storm spirits, and it was naturally irritating. I attempted to gather the ones that I crossed paths with on accident, but even then it was going to be a tedious task no matter what." So she could capture and imprison wild storm spirits? I mentally added that to the list of things she can do. "Then, last summer, Typhon was defeated again…"

"And his death released another wave of venti," Jason concluded, "Which made Aeolus even angrier."

"It is so," Boreas agreed in French with a sigh.

"But Your Majesty," Emily said. "Didn't the gods have to defeat Typhon? If they didn't, he may have destroyed Olympus. I agree, what the other gods did was cruel and unfair, far from godly, but why punish demigods?" The kind shrugged.

"Aeolus cannot take his anger out on the gods directly. They are his bosses, and are very powerful, so he gets even with demigods who helped them in the war. He issued us orders to no longer tolerate demigods who come to us for aid. We are to crush your little mortal faces." He said that so calmly that I could almost appreciate the guy. The son of Hades in me liked it when someone talked about death so simply. Not sinisterly, not like he was getting any satisfaction or pleasure from it, but more like it was just another topic of conversation. Did you watch that football game yesterday? Yeah, we won 35 to 14! Hey, by the way, I'm gonna crush your mortal face now. I didn't know why I found it so enjoyable, and it was probably a habit I should be trying to break, but so far, no luck.

"That sounds…extreme," Jason said. Everyone was so awkward about the topic of dying that it kinda made me feel like a madman, but again, habit ain't leaving me anytime soon. "But you're not going to crush our faces yet, right? You're going to listen to us first, 'cause once you hear about this quest we're-"

"Yes, yes, Aeolus told me that a son of Zeus may seek my aid and if this happened I should listen to you before I destroy you, as you might - how did he put it? - make all our lives very interesting. I am only obligated to listen, however, and after that, I am free to pass judgment as I see fit. But I will listen first, and Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you."

"Gee, thanks," Jason said.

"Do not thank me," Boreas said smiling. "There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see." He gestured to the various ice statues. You mean these guys were alive? I mean I could sense when someone had recently died and I could sense someone who was dead and buried under the ground (graveyards were nice and calming when I sensed their death) but these guys seemed to be just above the threshold of death, now that I realized it. They weren't able to die, but they were close enough that I thought they were.

"You mean…they're all demigods…?" Piper asked. "Frozen demigods…? They're alive?"

"An interesting question," Boreas said, as though he'd never thought about it before. "They do not move unless they are obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are merely frozen. Unless they were to melt of course, in which case, that would make a very big mess."

"My father gives me such lovely presents," Khione said, putting a cold finger behind Jason's neck. Then I tensed as she put one on mine. "Join our court, and perhaps I'll let your friends go."

"What?" Zethes broke in. "If Khione gets those two, I deserve the girls! Khione always gets more presents!"

"Now, children, our guests will think you are spoiled!" Boreas said sternly. "Besides, you are moving too fast. We have not ever heard the demigod's story yet. Then we shall decide what we are to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us." But Jason was frozen, his brain shutting down from nerves and the realization that we may not make it out of here alive. But I was more focused on Khione staring at me and Jason like she was going to eat us.

She purred and began to stroke my neck like a pet, her cold fingers sending a chill down my spine that reminded me of that dream. The icy cold wasn't the same as that nightmare, but even ice can burn when cold enough. I was going to jump away, smack her wrist, and tell her a couple curse worse, I was so angry (to cover my being terrified, of course) but her wrist was grabbed by someone else and jerked away with force and a bone cracking sound.

"Back. Off." I turned to see Zy had grabbed the ice queen's wrist and making it clear she was gripping it with enough force to crush it had Khione not been a goddess. My experience in choir helped me pick out that there was a slight change in her voice, and I realized it sounded more like Lucy's than Zyanya's now, and yes, I had learned the difference. I'd had years listening to Lucy's voice, and as a choir singer, I could pick it out really well. Her other hand was still on Jason's but then electricity sparked across his skin. I saw Zy's eyes shift to Jason for a moment before there was a loud pop and Khione went flying backwards, skidding across the floor, as Zy had let her go right before Jason zapped her.

"That is good!" Zethes laughed. "I'm glad you did that even if I have to kill you now." For a moment, Khione was too stunned to react, but then the air around her began to swirl with a micro-blizzard.

"You dare-!"

"Stop!" Jason ordered sternly. "You are not going to kill us, and you are not going to keep us. We are on a quest for the queen of the gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you're going to let us go." He sounded pretty confident, even if I could guess he was just as terrified as I had been, even if it was for different reasons. The ice queen's blizzard stopped and Zethes relaxed from his tense battle position, looking uncertainly at their father.

"Hmm," Boreas said, though I couldn't tell if he was amused or angered. "A son of Zeus, favored by Hera? This is a first, no doubt. Tell your story." He froze again, but this time Piper saved him. She curtsied with poise despite the situation and then explained the story of the Grand Canyon, how they'd been attacked by this storm spirit in disguise as a guy named Dylan before their Coach Hedge, who was a satyr and the guy assigned to protect them and bring them to Camp Half-Blood, was taken away.

"We merely seek guidance," Piper concluded. "These storm spirits attacked us and they're working for some evil mistress. If we can find them, we may be able to find Hera." The king stroked his icicle beard. Outside, night had fallen and the only light came from the aurora borealis overhead, washing everything in red and blue. The darkness gave me comfort, and I was adjusting to the cold of the room by now so that it was beginning to feel similar to that death cold I liked, so I was calming down.

"I know of these storm spirits, where they are kept, and of the prisoner they took," Boreas said.

"You mean Coach Hedge?" Jason asked. "He's alive?"

"For now," He said, waving aside the question. "But the one who controls these storm winds…it would be madness to oppose her. You would be better off staying here frozen as statues than defy her."

"But Hera's in trouble," Audrey said. "In three days she's going to be consumed or destroyed or something and a giant is going to rise."

"Yes. Many horrible things are waking, and even my children do not tell me all the news they should. The Great Stirring of monsters that began with Kronos - your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle us yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits are only the beginning. The earth has many more horrors to yield up, and when the monsters no longer stay in Tartarus, and the souls are no longer confined to Hades…Olympus has good reason to fear. You should know, child of death and goddess of power." Tartarus. When the monsters no longer stay in Tartarus and the souls are no longer confined to Hades…After my dream, Hades' words came back to me in a new light. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told me things were going to get worse.

"Please, Your Majesty," Emily said. "If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus in your name. You'd look good in front of your boss, Aeolus may pardon us and other demigods, even if under an agreement that we must do something in return for every favor we ask, and we could even rescue this Gleeson Hedge. Everyone wins."

"She's pretty…" Zethes muttered. "I mean she's right."

"Father, don't listen to her," Khione said. "She's a child of Aphrodite! You dare charm speak a god?! Freeze her now!"

"Please, miss Khione, I hold no power over charm speak. I merely wish to avoid conflict and get the best outcome for all of us." Jason's hand slipped into his pocket, and I knew he was ready for a fight if need be. The movement caught Boreas's eye.

"What is that on your forearm, demigod?" He asked Jason. Jason realized the sleeve of his jacket had been pushed up, revealing the edge of his tattoo. Reluctantly, he showed Boreas his marks. The god's eyes widened and Khione actually hissed and stepped away.

Then, something unexpected happened to Boreas. He laughed so loudly an icicle cracked from the ceiling and crashed next to his throne, and his form began to flicker. His beard disappeared, he grew taller and thinner, and his clothes changed to a Roman toga, lined with purple. His head was crowned with a frosty laurel wreath, and a Gladius - a Roman sword like Jason's - hung at his side.

"Aquilon," Jason muttered, though he didn't look like he remembered where he got the name. The god inclined his head.

"You recognize me better in this form, yes?" He asked. "And yet you said you came from Camp Half-Blood?"

"Uh…yes, sir."

"And Hera sent you here, no?" His eyes were full of mirth. "I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken. And you, Zyanya. You have been silent for near two decades now. Not long in the life of a god, but long enough to be noticed as these dark times approach. And now you have come out once more from the gamble Hera has taken. Oh, she's putting much on the table here."

"What's happened?" Piper asked. "Why did Boreas change? What's going on?"

"It's his Roman form," Jason said. "But what's going on, I don't know." The god laughed.

"No, I'm sure you don't. I'm sure there are reasons for that. This should be very interesting to watch."

"Does that mean you'll let us go?" Piper asked.

"My dear, there is no reason for me to kill you. If Hera's plans fail, which I think they will, you will tear each other apart anyway. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods again."

"A Roman, all right," Zyanya muttered, a slight smirk on her face. I had to admit, the logic of not killing someone because they're being alive will make their deaths so much worse works to that dark part of me (once again, trying to break the habit).

"I don't suppose you could explain?" Jason asked.

"Oh perish the thought!" Aquilon said. "I'm not a fool. It is not for me to interfere in Hera's plans like Zyanya over there. No wonder she took your memory." He chuckled at the idea of demigods tearing each other apart. "You know, I have a reputation as a helpful wind god, and unlike my brethren, I've been known to fall in love with mortals. Why, my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods-"

"Which explains why their idiots," Khione interrupted.

"Stop it!" Zethes growled. "Just because you were born a full goddess-!"

"Both of you, freeze," Aquilon ordered. Apparently that word held a lot of weight in this family because the two froze, absolutely still. I wondered what it was like, growing up with your father like this, in their palace and by their side every day, them switching their personality every now and then, you being scolded as though you were a normal family. "Now, as I was saying, I have a good reputation, but it is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of the gods. I sit here in my palace at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why, even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Québécois rolling around in the snow!"

"I like the winter festival," Zethes muttered.

"My point," Aquilon snapped, "is that I now have a chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest, find your storm spirits in the windy city, of course, Chicago-"

"Father!" Khione protested, but he ignored his daughter.

"If you can capture the winds, you may be able to gain safe entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders."

"Of course, sir!" Emily said bowing and smiling gratefully.

"So Chicago is where we'll find this lady who's controlling the winds?" Jason asked. "She's the one who's trapped Hera?"

"Ah, those are two different questions, son of Jupiter." Son of Jupiter, not Zeus. I guess if he's in his Roman form he'll use only Roman names, but still… "The one who controls the winds, you will indeed find her in Chicago, but she is only a servant - a servant who is likely to destroy you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds on the earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned, it is Aeolus. As for whom you will meet when you finally find Hera's cage…truly, if I told you, you would beg me to freeze you. Besides, I won't tell you anything Zyanya doesn't feel is right to share yet." We looked to her and she had her arms crossed in thought.

"Father, you can't simply let them-" Khione began.

"I can do what I like, or am I not still the master here?" He asked, his voice hardening. Based on the looks they had, there was something going on between them. Her eyes flashed with anger, but still she clenched her teeth.

"As you wish, Father."

"Now go, demigods, before I change my mind. Zethes, escort them out safely." We all bowed before the god of the North Wind dissolved into mist. Back at the entry hall, Cal and Leo were waiting for them. Leo looked cold, but otherwise unharmed. He'd even gotten cleaned up, his clothes newly washed like he'd used the hotel's valet service. Festus the dragon was back normal form, snorting fire over his scales to keep himself defrosted.

As we walked down the stairs, I noticed Leo staring and Khione and rolled my eyes. He started combing his hair back and I smiled at the guy's confidence, stupid and idiotic as it were. I made a mental note to warn him about her later. At the bottom, Khione turned to us, very unhappy, especially at Piper and Emily.

"You may have fooled my father, but you have not fooled me. We are not done. I will see you all as statues in the throne room soon enough."

"My apologies, miss Khione," Emily said smiling, and I smiled too at her inability to take an insult.

"Boreas is right," Jason said. "You're a spoiled ice princess. See you around." Khione's eyes flashed pure white in furry at her inability to influence us, and with Emily and the fact that we'd gotten Aquilon/Boreas's trust behind me, I felt a lot calmer. She stomped up the stairs, turning into a blizzard and disappearing half way up.

"Be careful," Zethes said. "She never forgets someone making a fool of her."

"Bad sister," Cal agreed.

"She's a goddess of snow," Jason said. "What's she going to do? Throw snowballs at me?" But we all knew that she could do much worse.

"What happened up there?" Leo asked. "You guys made her mad? Dude! That was my prom date!"

"We'll explain later," Piper said, glancing at Jason and clearly wanting him to explain. Jason looked away, hiding how nervous he was.

"Yeah, we'll explain later," He said.

"Be careful pretty girls," Zethes said. "The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered, and many other evil things are stirring. I am sorry you will not be staying. You would make lovely ice statues in which I could check my reflection."

"Thanks, but I'd sooner play hockey with Cal," Piper said.

"Hockey?" Cal asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Joking," Piper said. "And the storm winds aren't our problem, are they?"

"Oh no, something else," Zethes agreed. "Something worse."

"Worse," Cal echoed.

"Can you tell me?" Piper asked, but this time her charm didn't work.

"Ask Aeolus what is worse," Zethes said darkly as the hanger doors opened for us to leave. "He knows. Good luck."

"Don't get destroyed," Cal said, patting Leo on the shoulder. "Next time - pizza. Hockey."

"Come on guys," Jason said, staring out at the dark, eager to leave this place even if it may be the most hospitable place we'd see for a while. "Let's go to Chicago and try not to get destroyed."

If you've made it this far, I congratulate you and thank you for reading. Again, please leave comments so I can make this story as enjoyable as possible to the readers.