The thrill of flying lasted two minutes. Then, Piper was back to worrying. She didn't even know what to think. Without a doubt, she was going to betray her friends to save her father.
Her mind drifted back to her dreams. The first had been when she passed out in Hera's cabin. She had been surfing with her father. It was a normal time for them, and they never had normal time.
Then, her father had done three questions. It was a game that had no question off limits. First was her mom. Then, Jane had interrupted them. There was no time for Piper to explain that she really had not stolen that car.
Jane had gotten Piper sent to a problem school. That was all Piper was to her father. A problem. Then, her dream shifted. The voice was threatening her father again and issuing a second warning.
As Piper thought about her dream, she started to freak out. Reyna quickly looked back at her. She spoke, "You okay?"
"Y..yeah," Piper lied after a moment. She swallowed painfully. "Not use to flying."
Reyna nodded. She was studying Piper closely. There was a softness in her eyes that had been there when Piper had been changed into a dress. It was easier to think of that morning than meet Reyna's eyes.
Piper looked down. She had woken up to Drew being a bully and taunting her. Of course, Drew was bullying the others in the cabin. She insulted their old counselor who was a traitor. Just like Piper.
Some of Piper's siblings had been nice to her. Drew made them pay, and that wasn't fair. The only way to challenge Drew's authority was to be older or have gone on a quest. It seemed like the tyrant would stay in power.
By accident, Piper had told everyone who her father was. They believed her. Then, Drew stepped in and made a mockery of Piper. It was embarrassing.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Reyna questioned. Piper looked at her and managed a smile. She nodded.
Leo was muttering to himself about something called Bunker Nine and some ship design. Piper glanced at him. His posture made him seem exhilarated but also exhausted.
"How much sleep did you get?" Piper questioned.
"So much," Leo answered which was total lie. He looked back at them. "What's our plan?"
"Talk to Boreas. Find Venti. Then, we rescue Juno," Reyna answered. She had unzipped her backpack and pulled out a book. Reyna was glancing through the pages "Simple as that."
"Simple?" Leo asked. "We have to find the god of boring. Probably my old history teacher. Then, we find the evil expresso drink, and we free a goddess. Will she be upset about being caged and take that out on us?"
Reyna shrugged. She told them about her dream with Lupa. Piper stared as she heard about it. Leo's mouth opened in a happy grin halfway through the story.
"So, were you raised by wolves?" Leo questioned. "Is that why you don't have manners? Do you howl at the moon?"
Piper nudged Leo in his ribs. He looked at her and pouted. She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him.
Reyna lowered her book and stared out in the distance. Piper placed a hand to her arm. Reyna glanced at her, but she didn't say anything. Piper still withdrew her hand. No use getting close if she was going to betray them.
She had to. Her father's life depended on her. Reyna spoke which interrupted her thoughts, "Anyone know anything about the giants?"
"They're tall," Leo assumed. "And, giants sounds bad. I like giant better."
"They were gigantic and really hard to kill. They rose after the Titan war thousands of years ago," Piper recalled. She had studied Greek mythology with her dad for one of his roles.
"I really don't like that," Leo said. He sighed and told them about his babysitter named Tia Callida. He told them about how she put him in a crib that was on fire, had him play with knives, and encouraged him to play with a rattlesnake. He stopped suddenly as if he couldn't continue.
Then, he spoke of his mother's death. He said that workshop collapsed and refused to go into more detail. After that, he fell silent. Piper grabbed his shoulder reassuringly.
"There's also some woman in the earth who knows the future. I think she's crazy," Leo finished. He looked at her and tried to act like the story was no big deal. "Why are we saving someone who is going to unleash death?"
"It's our duty," Reyna responded. She sounded tired, and Piper noticed that her Reyna's eyes were closing against her will.
"Rough night?" Piper whispered. Reyna nodded and looked at her. Surprisingly, Reyna's eyes were still full of alertness.
"So, is Hera really the glue for the gods?" Leo wondered as he looked back at them. "Wasn't she always causing problems in the stories?"
"The problems were always with mortals," Piper explained. "If the gods found out she was gone, they would probably accuse each other for her disappearance, and that could cause a devastating war."
"I'm guessing dirt face wants that," Leo assumed. He looked forward again. Piper glanced at her companions.
"Juno has my memories. I need them," Reyna muttered to herself, but Piper heard her clearly. "I think we all know this is the start of something big. We have to be ready, so get some sleep."
"You should be sleeping," Piper began. Reyna didn't respond. Leo glanced at them.
"Will you two shove me off if I fall asleep?" Leo questioned.
"Of course," Reyna answered. She smiled slightly a moment later. Leo smiled brightly and laid his head against his dragon.
Piper looked at Reyna. Their eyes met. Piper quickly looked away and spoke, "The sky is beautiful."
"Just like you," Reyna whispered. Piper turned back towards her and stared. She knew that she heard Reyna wrong.
"What did you say?" Piper questioned. Had she heard wrong? It was the most likely possibility.
"I agree with you," Reyna replied after a moment. She looked down. Piper looked away as well and closed her eyes sadly. "Hey, Piper. You should get some sleep."
"Yeah," Piper muttered. She turned away and curled up. Reyna muttered to herself in another language. Piper was sure that she was reprimanding herself, but that didn't matter. Despite not even trying, she fell asleep.
The sleep felt like it lasted only a minute. Piper opened her eyes and looked around. Festus was growling. Reyna was in a crouched position with her backpack at her feet and opened. Leo was standing.
Piper stared at the two angels in front of her. They had purple wings and icy hair. One wore a bright red hockey jersey and looked like he had just finished a game of hockey. The other looked like he had fallen out of the eighties.
"This is a no fly zone," the second angel said. He had a mullet which really distracted Piper. She stared up at him.
"What?" Leo questioned. He looked like he was trying to keep from laughing.
"You don't have clearance, so you can't fly," the one with the mullet replied. He watched them closely. Leo snorted.
"Destroy now?" the one with the hockey jersey wondered. He had a goofy grin on his face.
"Woah!" Leo interrupted. "We can all be friends, right? Who are you two?"
"That's Calais," the one with the mullet answered. "His tiny brain only lets him say one syllable, so he calls himself Cal. Don't comment."
Piper listened to their French accent. It had to be fake. She looked at Reyna who had not pulled out her sword. Her hand was hovering near the edge of her backpack. Reyna glanced at her.
"That is Zethes," Cal interrupted. He looked at the mullet angel. "That is my bro."
Zethes rolled his eyes. He looked at Piper and suddenly smiled. Zethese spoke, "Hello, my lady. Would you like to dine with the Boreads before you die?"
"She doesn't," Reyna interrupted. Piper glanced at her. Was that jealously in her voice? Or protectiveness. Maybe, it was both.
"Boreads means sons of Boreas, right?" Leo questioned. He was grinning like a fool. Cal nodded. "Come on man. You can speak."
"Don't taunt him," Zethes snapped. He looked down and pointed. Piper glanced down and saw mortals staring up at them. "You are scaring them, so we must destroy you. Too bad this isn't an emergency landing."
"It is," Piper interrupted. She smiled at them and hoped the blessing that Aphrodite gave her was going to work its charm. "We have to talk to Boreas. Now."
"Our sis would kill us," Cal interrupted. He had an odd look on his face like he wanted to disagree with her but couldn't.
"Our dragon could crash at any moment," Piper continued. They had to believe her. Festus helped by having more of the gunk fall out of his ear. "If we crash, those mortals down there could be hurt.
Zethes studied her. Then, he smiled. He spoke, "Course, it is an emergency. I'll have to convince my father, but I am sure he'll understand. When it's over, we need to talk in private."
Piper could feel Reyna tense next to her, but no other words were said. Zethes and Cal sheathed their sword and pulled out two orange cones.
"I hope father doesn't fling you off of the tower like he has his other visitors," Zethes said. He flew towards the tower with Cal.
"I don't like this," Reyna muttered. Leo glanced back at them.
"Are you kidding? They are awesome," Leo commented. "I like these guys. Let's go."
Reyna gritted her teeth but fell silent. Leo directed Festus towards the tower. He seemed to tense up until the roof opened to allow them in. Piper stared at all of the ice.
There was ice everywhere. The carpet, walls, and furniture looked like they had a coat of ice over it. Leo was staring around in wonder. Piper knew that it looked like a mansion, but she didn't find it that impressive.
"I don't like this place," Reyna muttered as she jumped off of Festus. Piper jumped off behind her. She was surprised that she didn't slip on the ice and fall on her face.
"Are you kidding?" Leo questioned. He looked surprised by them. "If we could turn up the heat, I would so move in."
Festus snorted. Frost was forming on its scales. Zethes darted to their side and spoke, "Deactivate that thing. We can't have any kind of fire here."
"Does it ruin your hair?" Leo teased. Zethes glared, and Leo raised his hands. "Kidding. Festus doesn't like the word deactivate. I got a better solution. Just watch."
Leo reached behind Festus' foreleg. The dragon shuddered and started to fold up like origami. Piper found it cool, but it also seemed unbelievable. Within a second, Festus was folded up metal that was about the size of a suitcase.
Leo smirked and tried to pick it up. It was easy to see the strain on his face. Leo quickly pressed a button, and wheels appeared on the suitcase. He spoke, "Am I cool or what?"
"How did you do that?" Piper asked. Leo just winked at her and went to step forward.
"Don't move another step," Zethes growled. He unsheathed his sword. Cal immediately followed his example.
"I don't have to bring Festus. He can chill here," Leo began. He took a step back. Reyna stepped in front of him and unsheathed her own sword.
"Step away," Reyna ordered. Piper stood by her side and unsheathed her dagger. She probably didn't look as intimidating, but it was the thought that counted.
"Fire is no good," Cal growled. He cracked his knuckles. "Fire is bad."
"Who are you?" Zethes hissed. "Are you hear to spy on us? What wind sent you?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure that Hephaestus is not a wind god," Leo replied. He sounded nervous though. "And, the whole fire thing is just from my clothes."
"The fire is you," Zethes hissed.
"In your skin," Cal added. Piper glanced back at Leo. He shot her a desperate look.
"We are friends here," Piper began. They couldn't take these two in a fight. She had to convince them to stand down. "You two are just mistaken."
Zethes studied her. He sighed sadly and spoke, "I am sorry, but he must die."
"You won't touch him," Reyna snapped. Zethes smirked cockily. He looked at Reyna's face, and the smirk slowly died.
"You," Zethes whispered. He took a step back.
"Black eyes," Cal whimpered. Piper glanced at Reyna confused. Why were they suddenly scared of her?
"You are the one we are waiting for," Zethes said. He tried to hide the note of fear in his voice.
"Is that a good thing?" Leo questioned. He sounded like he was right behind Piper. She didn't appreciate the breath on the back of her neck. If it meant he was safe, she would live with it for a few more seconds.
"That depends on my father," a girl interrupted. Piper glanced up at the stairs. The girl at the top was extremely pale. It reminded Piper of a corpse. Her hair was black, and her eyes were brown.
"She's hot," Leo whispered. He made a noise of pain. Piper assumed that Reyna had elbowed him in the ribs.
"Father will want to see her," the girl said. She stared at Reyna intently. A small smirk came to her face. Piper didn't like it one bit. "Come."
"Except you Leo Valdez. Fire and ice will not mix," the girl stated. She turned away. Piper glanced at Leo to see his heartbroken look.
"Leo, if there is any danger, call for help," Reyna whispered. Leo looked at her and nodded dejectedly. He almost looked like he wanted to protest.
"There won't be danger unless you make trouble," the girl promised. Her tone did nothing to assure Piper. "Calais, you will watch the boy. Don't hurt him."
"But," Cal protested. He pouted like a little kid.
"He will not be harmed," the girl snapped. She looked at Piper and Reyna. "Let us go."
Piper looked at Leo. After a moment, he gave them a reassuring nod. Piper took a deep breath and followed the girl. Reyna was right behind her.
"What happens if this goes bad?" Piper whispered. Reyna looked at her but didn't answer. That wasn't good. Piper tried to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and focus on the task ahead.