The cab they booked could not take them all the way to the top. It made lurching, grinding sounds as it climbed the mountain road, and halfway up they found the ranger's station closed, a chain blocking the way.

"Far as I can go," the cabbie said. "You sure about this? Gonna be a long walk back, and my car's acting funny. I can't wait for you."

"We're sure." Leo was the first one out. He had a bad feeling about what was wrong with the cab, and when he looked down he saw he was right. The wheels were sinking into the road like it was made of quicksand.

The road was hard-packed dirt. No reason at all it should have been soft, but already Leo's shoes were starting to sink. Gaea was messing with them.

Valen paid the cabbie with his card after he got out, and noticed how the earth was acting. "We'll be fine, you can leave." He said, and the driver didn't argue. Soon all they could see was his dust trail.

The view from the mountain was pretty amazing. The whole inland valley around Mount Diablo was a patchwork of towns—grids of tree-lined streets and nice middle-class suburbs, shops, and schools.

"That's Concord," Jason said, pointing to the north. "Walnut Creek below us. To the south, Danville, past those hills. And that way …"

He pointed west, where a ridge of golden hills held back a layer of fog, like the rim of a bowl. "That's the Berkeley Hills. The East Bay. Past that, San Francisco."

"Jason?" Piper touched his arm. "You remember something? You've been here?"

"Yes…no." He gave her an anguished look. "It just seems important."

"Like a safe place, a second home?" Valen asked. Jason nodded uncertainly.

"That's Titan land." Coach Hedge nodded toward the west. "Bad place, Jason. Trust me, this is as close to 'Frisco as we want to get."

Valen narrowed his eyes, The Roman Camp, He thought, Jason could be remembering where it was.

"Hey, guys," Leo suddenly said, looking down at his feet. "Let's keep moving."

Their footwear had started sinking in the earth.

"Gaea is stronger here," Hedge grumbled. He popped his hooves free from his shoes, then handed the shoes to Leo. "Keep those for me, Valdez. They're nice."

Leo snorted. "Yes, sir, Coach. Would you like them polished?"

"That's varsity thinking, Valdez." Hedge nodded approvingly. "But first, we'd better hike up this mountain while we still can."

"How do we know where the giant is?" Piper asked.

Jason pointed toward the peak. Drifting across the summit was a plume of smoke. In the distance something was burning.

"Smoke equals fire," Jason said. "We'd better hurry."

"This feels like cheating," Valen said as they neared the peak of the mountain. He had begun levitating moments after they took off, it was a lot easier than walking in the tar like earth.

"Come down and walk like the rest of us, coward." Leo joked.

Jason shushed them as he crouched behind a wall of rock. He gestured for the others to do the same. Valen touched down beside him with all the grace of a cat. Leo crawled up next to him. Piper had to pull Coach Hedge down.

"I don't want to get my outfit dirty!" Hedge complained.

"Shhh!" Piper said.

Reluctantly, the satyr knelt.

Just over the ridge where they were hiding, in the shadow of the mountain's final crest, was a forested depression about the size of a football field, where the giant Enceladus had set up camp.

Trees had been cut down to make a towering purple bonfire. The outer rim of the clearing was littered with extra logs and construction equipment—an earthmover; a big crane thing with rotating blades at the end like an electric shaver and a long metal column with an ax blade, like a sideways guillotine—a hydraulic ax.

The giant was at least thirty feet tall—easily as tall as the treetops. He could have easily seen them, had he not been so fixated on the eerie purple bonfire, circling it and muttering chants under his breath.

From the waist up, the giant appeared humanoid, his muscular chest clad in bronze armor, decorated with flame designs. His arms were completely ripped. His skin was bronze but sooty with ash. His face was crudely shaped, like a half-finished clay figure, but his eyes glowed white, and his hair was matted in shaggy dreadlocks down to his shoulders, braided with bones.

From the waist down, he was even more terrifying. His legs were scaly green, with claws instead of feet—like the forelegs of a dragon. In his hand, Enceladus held a spear the size of a flagpole. Every so often he dipped its tip in the fire, turning the metal molten red.

"Okay," Coach Hedge whispered. "Here's the plan—"

Leo elbowed him. "You're not charging him alone!"

"Aw, c'mon."

Piper choked back a sob. "Look."

Just visible on the other side of the bonfire was a man tied to a post. His head slumped like he was unconscious, judging from Piper's reaction, that had to be her father.

"Dad," she said.

That confirms it, Valen thought. If only I could shadow travel him out of here.

He looked down at his tattoo, I don't suppose you are going to be helping?

…

"There's four of us," Hedge whispered urgently. "And only one of him."

"Did you miss the fact that he's thirty feet tall?" Leo asked.

"Okay," Hedge said. "So we distract him. Piper sneaks around and frees her dad."

They looked at Jason.

"What?" Jason asked. "I'm not the leader."

"Yes," Piper said. "You are."

Jason looked at Valen, "You have more experience."

Valen shrugged, "It's not my quest. Besides, I generally do my own thing."

Jason sighed, "I hate to say it, but Coach Hedge is right. A distraction is Piper's best chance."

"And if he notices her, we will just need to keep him occupied until shes freed her father." Valen said.

"Let's boogie," Leo said, staring at the construction equipment. "Before I come to my senses."

As expected, the plan failed almost instantly. Piper scrambled along the ridge, trying to keep her head down, while the others walked straight into the clearing.

Jason summoned his golden lance. He brandished it over his head and yelled, "Giant!"

Valen flicked his thumb, materializing Stormguard. Dark clouds began gathering overhead, a testament to their combined might.

Enceladus stopped chanting at the flames. He turned toward them and grinned, revealing fangs like a saber-toothed tiger's.

"Well," the giant rumbled. "What a nice surprise."

Coach Hedge shouted, "Let the movie star go, you big ugly cupcake! Or I'm gonna plant my hoof right up your—"

"Coach," Jason said. "Shut up."

Enceladus roared with laughter. "I've forgotten how amusing satyrs are. When we rule the world, I think I'll keep your kind around. You can entertain me while I eat all the other mortals."

"Is that a compliment?" Hedge frowned at Leo. "I don't think that was a compliment."

Enceladus opened his mouth wide, and his teeth began to glow.

"Scatter!" Leo yelled.

Jason and Hedge dove to the left as the giant blew fire—a furnace blast so hot even Festus would've been jealous. Leo dodged behind the bulldozer, wound up his homemade device, and dropped it into the driver's seat. Valen flew out of the radius of the blast. He glanced towards Piper slowly making her way to her father.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason rise and charge the giant. Coach Hedge ripped off his canary yellow jacket, which was now on fire, and bleated angrily. "I liked that outfit!" Then, he raised his club and charged, too.

Before they could get very far, Enceladus slammed his spear against the ground. The entire mountain shook.

Valen raised his sword and thunder rumbled overhead. "Fall," he whispered, and the thunder cooperated, falling to strike the giant.

Enceladus grinned up at him, his armor smoking. It seemed the armor had protected him from the worst of the strike.

The giant bellowed, "I see you, Piper McLean!" He turned and blew fire at a line of bushes. Piper ran into the clearing like a flushed quail, the underbrush burning behind her.

Enceladus laughed. "I'm happy you've arrived. And you brought me my prizes!"

He caught Leo's anguished look and laughed even harder, "That's right, son of Hephaestus. I didn't expect you all to stay alive this long, but it doesn't matter. By bringing you here, Piper McLean has sealed the deal. If she betrays you, I'm as good as my word. She can take her father and go. What do I care about a movie star?"

Valen glanced at Piper's father. He wore a ragged dress shirt and torn slacks. His bare feet were caked with mud. He wasn't completely unconscious, because he lifted his head and groaned. He had a nasty cut down the side of his face, and he looked thin and sickly.

"Dad!" Piper yelled.

Mr. McLean blinked, trying to focus. "Pipes…? Where…"

Piper drew her dagger and faced Enceladus. "Let him go! "

"Of course, dear," the giant rumbled. "Swear your loyalty to me, and we have no problem. Only these others must die."

"He'll kill you," Leo warned. "Don't trust him!"

"Oh, come now," Enceladus bellowed. "You know I was born to fight Athena herself? Mother Gaea made each of us giants with a specific purpose, designed to fight and destroy a particular god. I was Athena's nemesis, the anti-Athena, you might say. Compared to some of my brethren—I am small! But I am clever. And I keep my bargain with you, Piper McLean. It's part of my plan!"

"You are the only one who is going to fall here, giant." Valen declared, thunder coating his sword as he shot towards him.

Jason was on his feet now, lance ready; but before either of them could reach Enceladus, he roared—a call so loud it echoed down the valley and was probably heard all the way to San Francisco.

At the edge the woods, half a dozen ogre-like creatures rose up from the earth. The ogres shuffled forward. They were small compared to Enceladus, about seven feet tall. Each one of them had six arms—one pair in the regular spot, then an extra pair sprouting out the top of their shoulders, and another set shooting from the sides of their rib cages. They wore only ragged leather loincloths.

Leo stepped toward Piper. "What—what are those?"

Her blade reflected the purple light of the bonfire. "Gegenees."

"In English?" Leo asked.

"Earthborn," Valen said, floating down beside them, "a race of mini giants who fought against Jason in the Odyssey."

"They used to live on a miserable place in Greece called Bear Mountain." Enceladus said. "Mount Diablo is much nicer! They are lesser children of Mother Earth, but they serve their purpose. They're good with construction equipment—"

"Vroom, vroom!" one of the Earthborn bellowed, and the others took up the chant, each moving his six hands as though driving a car, as if it were some kind of weird religious ritual. "Vroom, vroom!"

"Yes, thank you, boys," Encedalus said. "They also have a score to settle with heroes. Especially anyone named Jason."

"Yay-son!" the Earthborn screamed. They all picked up clumps of earth, which solidified in their hands, turning to nasty pointed stones. "Where Yay-son? Kill Yay-son!"

Enceladus smiled. "You see, Piper, you have a choice. Save your father, or ah, try to save your friends and face certain death."

Piper stepped forward. Her eyes blazed with such rage, even the Earthborn backed away. She radiated power and beauty, but it had nothing to do with her clothes or her makeup. Her eyes glowed just a tint of pink. Valen could almost see her soul turn more divine for a moment. He glanced up, Aphrodite had come.

"You will not take the people I love," she said. "None of them."

Her words rippled across the clearing with such force the Earthborn muttered, "okay, okay, sorry," and began to retreat.

"Stand your ground, fools!" Enceladus bellowed. He snarled at Piper. "You cannot interfere goddess, it is against your laws!"

Piper suddenly sagged, and shook her head, disoriented. Valen understood what that meant, Aphrodite could not possess her for long. Nico took days before he could properly host Hades. Heck, he himself took over a week to host Erebus.

Enceladus grinned smugly, "You could have been so useful to us. But as you wish. Earthborn! I will show you Jason."

But the giant didn't point to Jason. He pointed to the other side of the bonfire, where Tristan McLean hung helpless and half conscious.

"There is Jason," Enceladus said with pleasure. "Tear him apart!"

Jason shared a glance with Leo and Piper, and an understanding passed between them. Valen ignored them, and flew straight at Enceladus, Jason charging alongside him. Piper rushed to her father, and Leo dashed for the tree harvester, which stood between Mr. McLean and the Earthborn.

Valen and Jason kept the giant busy with a flurry of jabs and slashes. Jason focused on stabbing and piercing the giant, while Valen kept his spear away with gusts of wind and hacked away at his flesh. The eventual breath of fire disrupted their rhythm, but it didn't matter to them, they were back to it a moment later.

Leo leaped toward the harvester from five feet away and slammed into the driver's seat. His hands flew across the controls, and the machine responded with unnatural speed—coming to life as if it knew how important this was.

"Ha!" Leo screamed, and swung the crane arm through the bonfire, toppling burning logs onto the Earthborn and spraying sparks everywhere. Two giants went down under a fiery avalanche and melted back into the earth—hopefully to stay for a while.

The other four ogres stumbled across burning logs and hot coals while Leo brought the harvester around. He smashed a button, and on the end of the crane arm the wicked rotating blades began to whir.

One of the Earthborn—apparently not the most intelligent one—charged the tree harvester, and Leo swung the crane arm in his direction. As soon as the blades touched the ogre, he dissolved like wet clay and splattered all over the clearing. Most of him flew into Leo's face. He spit clay out of his mouth and turned the harvester toward the three remaining Earthborn, who backed up quickly.

"Bad vroom-vroom!" one yelled.

"Yeah, that's right!" Leo yelled at them. "You want some bad vroom-vroom? Come on!"

Unfortunately, they did. Three ogres with six arms, each throwing large, hard rocks at super speed—and Leo knew it was over. Somehow, he launched himself in a backward somersault off the harvester half a second before a boulder demolished the driver's seat. Rocks slammed into metal. By the time Leo stumbled to his feet, the harvester looked like a crushed soda can, sinking in the mud.

"Dozer!" Leo yelled.

The ogres were picking up more clumps of earth, but this time they were glaring in Piper's direction. Thirty feet away, the bulldozer roared to life. Leo's makeshift gadget had done its job, burrowing into the earthmover's controls and giving it a temporary life of its own. It roared toward the enemy.

Just as Piper cut her father free and caught him in her arms, the giants launched their second volley of stones. The dozer swiveled in the mud, skidding to intercept, and most of the rocks slammed into its shovel. The force was so great it pushed the dozer back. Two rocks ricocheted and struck their throwers. Two more Earthborn melted into clay. Unfortunately, one rock hit the dozer's engine, sending up a cloud of oily smoke, and the dozer groaned to a stop.

Piper dragged her father below the ridge. The last Earthborn charged after her. Leo was out of tricks, but he couldn't let that monster get to Piper.

He ran forward, straight through the flames, and grabbed something—anything—from his tool belt.

"Hey, stupid!" he yelled, and threw a screwdriver at the Earthborn. It didn't kill the ogre, but it sure got his attention. The screwdriver sank hilt-deep into the Earthborn's forehead like he was made of Play-Doh.

The Earthborn yelped in pain and skittered to a halt. He pulled out the screwdriver, turned and glared at Leo.

"You die!" the Earthborn roared. "Friend of Yay-son dies!"

The ogre scooped up handfuls of dirt, which immediately hardened into rock cannonballs.

Leo's mind went blank. He reached into his tool belt, but he couldn't think of anything that would help. He was supposed to be clever—but he couldn't craft or build or tinker his way out of this one.

He was about to run in to die in a blaze of glory when another presence settled on his mind. He lost control in his limbs, and a blazing orange aura surrounded him. Parts of stone and clay flew up from around him, combining into the shape of a warhammer.

Fire pumped out of his palms, and went up the shaft of the hammer, wreathing the hammerhead in deep orange flames.

He yelled and lunged forward, letting the weight of the hammer pull him down as he slammed it into the ground. The ground cracked and a wave of fire spread out around him. All that remained of the earthborn, was a misshapen hand.

It all ended abruptly when the presence ripped away from him, making him stumble. He would have fallen had Piper not caught him.

"Leo, what was that?" She asked.

Leo blinked, "I don't know, but for a moment it felt like my father had taken control."

"You to-"

Piper never finished her sentence, a massive bolt of lightning briefly lit the sky, turning night into day.

Under the might od both Valen and Jason, Enceladus couldn't dodge everything. His armor had long turned into shredded metal, and golden ichor trickled down the crevices. It went on like that for seconds, minutes—it was hard to judge.

Every once in a while, thunder would fall from the sky and strike Enceladus, creating another opening for them to capitalize on. The ground began sticking to their feet, making it harder for them to dodge Enceladus' spear. Gaea was getting stronger, and the giant was getting faster. Enceladus might be slow, but he wasn't dumb.

"I'm not some minor monster," Enceladus bellowed. "I am a giant, born to destroy gods! Your little gold toothpick can't kill me, boy."

"If I can fight Titans and win, I can beat you." Valen retorted, jabbing Stormguard into one of the crevices in his armor. Enceladus roared in rage, and tried to snap the blade in half, but the lightning running through it electrocuted his hand whenever he tried to get close to it.

Jason raised his javelin to block the giant's next strike—a big mistake. Don't fight force with force, a voice chided him—the wolf Lupa, who'd told him that long ago. He managed to deflect the spear, but it grazed his shoulder, and his arm went numb. He backed up, almost tripping over a burning log.

Valen took over, buffetting the giant with quick and precise jabs, moves more befitting of a spear than a sword. But he couldn't summon Shadeslayer now, without his control over metals, the weapon had been rendered useless.

A gout of bone-melting heat forced him to back away, and Enceladus laughed. "The mighty Jason Grace," he taunted. "Yes, we know about you, son of Jupiter. The one who led the assault on Mount Othrys. The one who single-handedly slew the Titan Krios and toppled the black throne."

Jason's mind reeled. He didn't know these names, yet they made his skin tingle, as if his body remembered the pain his mind didn't.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He realized his mistake when Enceladus breathed fire.

"Move!" Valen yelled, slamming into his side, pushing him out of the way of the fire. But he did not escape unscathed, his entire right arm had been wreathed in the red hot flames.

Strangely, he didn't feel any pain. The flames passed over his hand like they weren't even there. When the flames abated, he could see why. The mark of Erebus was glowing, shadowing his entire arm in inky blackness.

Deus ex machina much?

Would you rather I don't help you?

And you've done a stellar job of it until now, haven't you?

Do you want the help or not?

Mentally cursing him, Valen ended the conversation there. Another bolt of lightning struck Enceladus, stopping him from running Jason through.

They scrambled to their feet, creating more distance between them and the giant. Jason took a deep breath and charged.

Enceladus let him approach, grinning with anticipation. At the last second, Jason faked a strike and rolled between the giant's legs. He came up quickly, thrusting with all his might, ready to stab the giant in the small of his back, but Enceladus anticipated the trick. He stepped aside with too much speed and agility for a giant, as if the earth were helping him move.

"No wait-" Valen tried to warn him, but was cut off by an explosion that made the sun look dim.

He swept his spear sideways, met Jason's javelin—and with a snap like a shotgun blast, the golden weapon shattered.

The explosion was hotter than the giant's breath, blinding Jason with golden light. The force knocked him off his feet and squeezed the breath out of him.

When Jason regained his focus, he was sitting at the rim of a crater, Valen kneeling beside him. Enceladus stood at the other side, staggering and confused. The javelin's destruction had released so much energy, it had blasted a perfect cone-shaped pit thirty feet deep, fusing the dirt and rock into a slick glassy substance.

Valen summoned his flask of Nectar, and forced some of it down Jason's throat. The cuts and bruises that accumulated on his body began healing. Valen pushed Jason up, the demigod leaning heavily on him.

Enceladus blinked at the destruction, then laughed. "Impressive! Unfortunately, that was your last trick, demigod."

All of a sudden, Jason stopped leaning on Valen, and the smell of ozone filled the air. Valen glanced at him, and the wind that had taken the shape of wings behind him. Lightning crackled through the ethereal wings, and in Jasons eyes.

His feet lifted off the ground, and the thunderclouds overhead funnelled together, centering around him.

"Zeus?" Valen said uncertainly.

'Jason' turned to him, smiling, "Welcome back nephew, we shall converse later."

He turned back to Enceladus, "You were saying something about last tricks, giant?"

"Zeus?" the giant said. "Coward, send Athena."

"And why would I intentionally put myself at a disadvantage?" Zeus—now possessing Jason's body—answered.

He raised his arm, and the stormclouds separated. The rumbling of a thousand storms filled the air, and Valens hair stood on end.

"YOU CANNOT WIN, EVEN IF I WAS TO BE KILLED, MY BROTHERS ARE AWAKENING. I WILL NOT STAY DOWN FOR LONG, ZEUS. I WILL FULFILL MY DESTINY AND KILL ATHE-"

A thousand bolts of lightning fell from the heavens, converging into one point and hitting the giant with the full wrath ofthe god of the skies. The mountain groaned and shook, the cone created from Jasons spear breaking acting as the epicenter. The sand turned to glass, and a deep ravine was the only thing left in the aftermath.

'Jason' floated down and stumbled as the sudden surge of power left him. He rummbed his eyes, they felt drier all of a sudden. The soreness in his muscles almost made him want to lay down and sleep.

Valen ran up to his side, "You okay?"

Jason nodded and stared forward at Leo and Piper running towards them. The mountainside was on fire. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air. Jason spotted a helicopter—maybe firefighters or reporters—coming toward them.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked grabbing both of his arms. Jason nodded numbly. All around them was carnage. The Earthborn had melted into piles of clay, leaving behind only their rock missiles and some nasty bits of loincloth, they would reform soon enough. Construction equipment lay in ruins. The ground was scarred and blackened.

Hedge started to move. He sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. His canary yellow pants were now the color of Dijon mustard mixed with mud. He blinked and looked around him at the battle scene. "Did I do this?"

Before Jason could reply, Hedge picked up his club and got shakily to his feet. "Yeah, you wanted some hoof? I gave you some hoof, cupcakes! Who's the goat, huh?"

He did a little dance, kicking rocks and making what were probably rude satyr gestures at the piles of clay.

Leo laughed, "Man, I can't believe we came out of that alive."

"Yeah, quests generally go like that. Either you make it through by a miracle, or you die." Valen said.

Then a man stood up across the clearing. Tristan McLean staggered forward. His eyes were hollow, shell-shocked, like someone who'd just walked through a nuclear wasteland. "Piper?" he called. His voice cracked. "Pipes, what—what is—"

He couldn't complete the thought. Piper ran over to him and hugged him tightly, but he almost didn't seem to know her. He was a broken man, Valen didn't need to look at his soul to know that.

"We need to get him out of here," Jason said.

"Yeah, but how?" Leo said. "He's in no shape to walk."

Jason glanced up at the helicopter, which was now circling directly overhead. "Can you make us a bullhorn or something?" he asked Leo. "Piper has some talking to do."

Piper needed only a few words through Leo's improvised bullhorn to convince the pilot to land on the mountain. The Park Service copter was big enough for medical evacuations or search and rescue, and when Piper told the pilot that it would be a great idea to fly them to the Oakland Airport, she readily agreed.

"No," her dad muttered, as they picked him up off the ground. "Piper, what—there were monsters—there were monsters—"

A gust of wind lifted the man into the helicopter, and Piper embraced her father. "It'll be okay, Dad," She said, no trace of charmspeak in her words, "These people are my friends. We're going to help you. You're safe now."

He blinked, and looked up at helicopter rotors. "Blades. They had a machine with so many blades. They had six arms …"

The pilot came over to help.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Smoke inhalation," Jason suggested. "Or heat exhaustion."

"We should get him to a hospital," the pilot said.

"It's okay," Piper said. "The airport is good."

"Yeah, the airport is good," the pilot agreed immediately. Then she frowned, as if uncertain why she'd changed her mind. "Isn't he Tristan McLean, the movie star?"

"No," Piper said. "He only looks like him. Forget it."

"Yeah," the pilot said. "Only looks like him. I—"

She blinked, confused. "I forgot what Iwas saying. Let's get going."

Valen narrowed his eyes, Did she literally make her forget that? Can children of Aphrodite control memories?

Finally they got him on board, and the helicopter took off. The pilot kept getting questions over her radio, asking her where she was going, but she ignored them. They veered away from the burning mountain and headed toward the Berkeley Hills.

"Piper." Her dad grasped her hand and held on like he was afraid he'd fall. "It's you? They told me—they told me you would die. They said … horrible things would happen."

"It's me, Dad." she said, her voice cracking, "Everything's going to be okay."

"They were monsters," he said. "Real monsters. Earth spirits, right out of Grandpa Tom's stories—and the Earth Mother was angry with me. And the giant, Tsul'kälû, breathing fire—" He focused on Piper again, his eyes like broken glass, reflecting a crazy kind of light. "They said you were a demigod. Your mother was …"

"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Goddess of love."

"I—I—" He took a shaky breath, then seemed to forget how to exhale.

The others were careful not to watch, and gave them their space. Leo fiddled with a lug nut from his tool belt. Jason gazed at the valley below—the roads backing up as mortals stopped their cars and gawked at the burning mountain. Valen meditated silently, trying to gain back what mana he had used. Gleeson chewed on the stub of his carnation, and for once the satyr didn't look in the mood to yell or boast.

"I didn't know about Mom," Piper told him. "Not until you were taken. When we found out where you were, we came right away. My friends helped me. No one will hurt you again."

Her dad couldn't stop shivering. "You're heroes—you and your friends. I can't believe it. You're a real hero, not like me. Not playing a part. I'm so proud of you, Pipes." But the words were muttered listlessly, in a semi-trance.

He gazed down on the valley, and his grip on Piper's hand went slack. "Your mother never told me."

"She thought it was for the best." Piper said.

Valen tuned them out as they continued talking about trivial things, to calm the man down. didn't smile.

As they passed over the hills into the East Bay, Jason tensed. He leaned out of the doorway, staring intently below. Valen cracked open his eyes, and looked down himself.

There was nothing noteworthy below–just hills, woods, houses, little roads snaking through the canyons. A highway cut through a tunnel in the hills, connecting the East Bay with the inland towns.

Jason pointed. "What is that?"

"Where?" Piper asked.

"That road," he said. "The one that goes through the hills."

Valen stared at the road, tracing it up the hill. He almost did a double take when he sensed the sheer amount of mana over the hill. It was definitely hiding something, something really important.

Piper picked up the com helmet the pilot had given her and relayed the question over the radio. The answer wasn't very exciting.

"She says it's Highway 24," Piper reported. "That's the Caldecott Tunnel. Why?"

Jason stared intently at the tunnel entrance, but he said nothing. It disappeared from view as they flew over downtown Oakland, but Jason still stared into the distance.

Valen closed his eyes, burning the location into his mind. It was the biggest lead he had on the Roman Camp, and he would be damned if he forgot about it.