For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then, Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers—excellent source of iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

Thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. "Do you remember anything?" she asked.

Jason shook his head. "I woke up three days ago on a bus with Leo and Piper."

"Which wasn't our fault," Leo added hastily. "Hera stole his memories."

Thalia tensed. "Hera? How do you know that?"

Jason explained about their quest—the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and the winter solstice deadline. Leo chimed in to add how he'd fixed the bronze dragon, could throw fireballs, and made excellent tacos.

They explained how Valen had joined them in the Cyclops lair, and how they made their way to the mountain, almost crashing into it.

Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. But when Jason mentioned King Midas, she cursed in Ancient Greek.

"I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon—Well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been … what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know." Jason brought out the photo from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looked at the picture, and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"

Jason nodded. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave … I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by. Is that crazy?"

"Nah." Leo assured him. "We were absolutely destined to meet your hot sister."

Thalia ignored him. Valen sighed, and patted Leo's back in pity.

"Jason," she said, "when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy. But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"

The color drained from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have… You don't remember—No, of course you don't."

"What?" Jason asked.

Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight, like her immortality wasn't working so well. "Jason… I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well.

She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She…she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate achievement for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods…well, they don't hang around."

"So…" Jason didn't seem able to finish the question.

"Jason, you've got us," Piper told him. "Now you've got a sister. You're not alone."

Thalia offered her hand, and Jason took it.

"When I was about seven," she said, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed… different somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born.

Mom… Well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around. You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable.

That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you too—that Hera had barely tolerated my birth, but two demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."

"Knowing Hera, she would've found a way to screw up his life without directly interfering regardless," Valen said.

Thalia nodded in agreement. She squeezed Jason's hand, "If I'd known you were alive… Gods, things would've been so different. But when you were two, Mom packed us in the car for a family vacation. We drove up north, toward the wine country, to this park she wanted to show us. I remember thinking it was strange because Mom never took us anywhere, and she was acting super nervous. I was holding your hand, walking you toward this big building in the middle of the park, and…"

She took a shaky breath. "Mom told me to go back to the car and get the picnic basket. I didn't want to leave you alone with her, but it was only for a few minutes. When I came back…Mom was kneeling on the stone steps, hugging herself and crying.

She… She said you were gone. She said Hera claimed you and me were as good as dead. I didn't know what she'd done. I was afraid she'd completely lost her mind. I ran all over the place looking for you, but you'd just vanished. She had to drag me away, kicking and screaming. For the next few days I was hysterical.

I don't remember everything, but I called the police on Mom and they questioned her for a long time. Afterward, we fought. She told me I'd betrayed her, that I should support her, like she was the only one who mattered. Finally, I couldn't stand it.

Your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away from home, and I never went back, not even when Mom died a few years ago. I thought you were gone forever. I never told anyone about you—not even Annabeth or Luke, my two best friends. It was just too painful."

"Chiron knew." Jason's voice sounded far away. "When I got to camp, he took one look at me and said, 'You should be dead.'"

"That doesn't make sense." Thalia insisted. "I never told him."

"Hey," Leo said. "Important thing is you've got each other now, right? You two are lucky."

Thalia nodded. "Leo's right. Look at you. You're my age. You've grown up."

"But where have I been?" Jason said. "How could I be missing all that time? And the Roman stuff…"

Thalia frowned. "The Roman stuff?"

"Your brother speaks Latin." Leo said. "He calls gods by their Roman names, and he's got tattoos." Leo pointed out the marks on Jason's arm. Then, he gave Thalia the rundown about the other weird stuff that had happened: Boreas turning into Aquilon, Lycaon calling Jason a "child of Rome," and the wolves backing off when Jason spoke Latin to them.

Thalia plucked her bowstring. "Latin. Zeus sometimes spoke Latin, the second time around he stayed with Mom. Like I said, he seemed different, more formal."

"You think he was in his Roman aspect?" Jason asked. "And that's why I think of myself as a child of Jupiter?"

"Possibly." Thalia said. "I've never heard of something like that happening, but it might explain why you think in Roman terms, why you can speak Latin rather than Ancient Greek. That would make you unique. Still, it doesn't explain how you've survived without Camp Half-Blood.

A child of Zeus, or Jupiter, or whatever you want to call him—you would've been hounded by monsters. If you were on your own, you should've died years ago. I know I wouldn't have been able to survive without friends. You would've needed training, a safe haven—"

"He wasn't alone." Leo blurted out. "We've heard about others like him."

Thalia looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"

Leo told her about the slashed-up purple shirt in Medea's department store, and the story the Cyclopes told about the child of Mercury who spoke Latin.

"Isn't there anywhere else for demigods?" Leo asked. "I mean besides Camp Half-Blood? Maybe some crazy Latin teacher has been abducting children of the gods or something, making them think like Romans."

Valen narrowed his eyes; it's possible. The Roman pantheon was different from the Greek one, while they worshipped the same beings, they were depicted vastly differently. Could there have been two sets of Olympian gods? One Greek and one Roman? If so, could a Roman version of Chiron exist?

A sudden silence fell over them, and Valen looked up to find everyone staring at him again. He sighed, "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

Leo nodded, "You sure you aren't going insane?"

Valen smiled, "Who knows?"

Thalia stared at him for a moment longer, he looked too familiar to her, like an old friend. But she couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" She finally asked.

Valen stared at her neutrally, debating whether to tell her his real name, but before he could say anything, Hedge interrupted.

"Don't believe him if he says he's Cyrus, he has been lying about that this whole quest."

Valen glanced at him with visible irritation, before sighing and getting to his feet. He flicked his thumb, and Stormguard materialized in his hand. Thalia was instantly on her feet, arrow nocked.

"I think you can recognize who I am with this sword," he said.

"Valen?" Thalia lowered her bow, finally connecting the dots, "But your hair, and your eyes…"

"Long story short, my soul was literally torn into three pieces, I managed to get one back, but the last one is still eluding me." he said, sheathing Stormguard.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"Before that," he said, turning towards the rest, "my real name, as you heard right now, is Valen Steensen. I'm a son of Hades, and a survivor of the second Titanomachy."

"Why did you lie about your name?" Piper asked.

"I'll get to that in a bit." Valen said, before turning back to Thalia. "Alright, so where should I start from? Ah yes, the night of my abduction by a primordial deity."

And so, he explained all he had been through under Erebus' mentorship. From the lessons on mana and magic, to the final hosting, and reclaiming a part of his soul, albeit he made sure to blot out the details about the norse pantheon.

"I'm still looking for the last part, but all I know is that it is in 'the heart,' whatever that means." he finished, and silence ensued.

It took a few minutes for them to digest all of it. Finally, Thalia spoke up, "So let me get this straight, you were abducted by the primordial Darkness, trained in the ways of mana and magic, and agreed to hosting him before being thrown into simulations to better control your power?"

"Sounds about right." Valen said, extending his arm. "This mark here is proof of my contract with Erebus."

She stared at the raven tattoo as it pulsed purple for a moment. Valen blinked and looked up, "Of course, now you choose to respond."

As before, he got no response. He sighed and shook his head.

"You still haven't explained why you lied." Hedge said.

Valen shrugged, "I wasn't sure if I was still in a simulation or back in reality until recently. And no offence, but I didn't trust you guys enough to tell you my real name. And to be honest, I still don't trust you, Hedge."

"The feeling's mutual." he retorted.

"Please don't start fighting again." Jason sighed.

Valen nodded, turning back towards Thalia, "Could you let Chiron know? I won't be returning until I've finished this quest."

"What about Nico and Bianca?"

"I'll tell them myself." he said. "If my father hasn't already told them, that is."

She nodded, "That would be best."

Valen nodded back, and a thought struck him, "Where's Zoe? Shouldn't she be with you?"

"She's with a party of her own, looking for you."

"Ah, you should probably let her know then?"

"I will."

"Wait a minute." Valen said. "If her group is looking for me, are you guys looking for—"

"Percy, yes," she finished.

"Percy Jackson," Leo guessed. "The guy Annabeth is looking for."

Thalia nodded, her face full of concern.

"So what would Lycaon have to do with it?" Leo asked. "And how does it connect to us?"

"We need to find out soon." Thalia admitted. "If your deadline is tomorrow, we're wasting time. Aeolus could tell you—"

The white wolf appeared again at the doorway and yipped insistently.

"I have to get moving." Thalia stood. "Otherwise I'll lose the other Hunters' trail. First, though, I'll take you to Aeolus's palace."

"If you can't, it's okay," Jason said, though he sounded kind of distressed.

"Oh, please." Thalia smiled and helped him up. "I haven't had a brother in years. I think I can stand a few minutes with you before you get annoying. Now, let's go!"

.

.

.

Outside Phoebe had set up a silver tent-like pavilion. Inside was a kerosene heater keeping her toasty warm and a bunch of comfy throw pillows.

Valen raised an eyebrow, "Did not expect the hunters to be so…"

"Advanced?" Thalia said. "This isn't the middle ages anymore you know."

He shrugged, "Fair enough."

She made eye contact with Phoebe, and it was as if a mental conversation happened. Phoebe nodded and pressed a button on the tent. In seconds, it collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, hugging a tiny little path on the side of the mountain, and the others followed. Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, coaxing them on like he used to do on track days at school. "Come on, Valdez! Pick up the pace! Let's chant. I've got a girl in Kalamazoo—"

"Let's not." Thalia snapped.

So, they ran in silence.

Valen ran beside Thalia, "So, still scared of heig-"

"Finish that sentence and I will zap you." she threatened.

He grinned, "It's only a couple thousand feet-ack!"

Thalia glared at him, lightning still arcing from her fingertips.

"Alright, alright I'll stop." He raised his arms and they continued in silence. A few minutes later, they stopped beside a cliff, and Leo ran into Thalia, almost sending them tumbling down the mountain. Fortunately, the Hunter was light on her feet. She steadied them both, then pointed up.

"That," Leo choked, "is a really large rock."

"I'm afraid that's no rock." Valen said.

They stood near the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them, the world was blanketed in clouds. The air was so thin, Leo could hardly breathe. Night had set in, but a full moon shone and the stars were incredible. Stretching out to the north and south, peaks of other mountains rose from the clouds like islands—or teeth.

But the real show was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It was hard to judge its size, but it was at least as wide as a football stadium and just as tall.

The sides were rugged cliffs, riddled with caves, and every once in a while a gust of wind burst out with a sound like a pipe organ blast. At the top of the rock, brass walls ringed some kind of a fortress. The only thing connecting Pikes Peak to the floating island was a narrow bridge of ice that glistened in the moonlight.

Then they realized the bridge wasn't exactly ice, because it wasn't solid. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line like the vapor trail of a plane

"We're not seriously crossing that." Leo said.

Thalia shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of heights, I'll admit. But if you want to get to Aeolus's fortress, this is the only way."

"Is the fortress always hanging there?" Piper asked. "How can people not notice it sitting on top of Pikes Peak?"

"The Mist," Thalia said. "Still, mortals do notice it indirectly. Some days, Pikes Peak looks purple. People say it's a trick of the light, but actually it's the color of Aeolus's palace, reflecting off the mountain face."

"It's enormous," Jason said.

Thalia laughed. "You should see Olympus, little brother."

"You're serious? You've been there?"

"Yeah, not the most pleasant ot memories." Valen said, reminiscing of the fight against Kronos. "Almost killed us." he muttered.

Thalia nodded, grimacing. "We should go across in two different groups. The bridge is fragile."

"That's reassuring," Leo said. "Jason, can't you just fly us up there?"

Thalia laughed. Then she seemed to realize Leo's question wasn't a joke. "Wait…Jason, you can fly?"

Jason gazed up at the floating fortress. "Well, sort of. More like I can control the winds. But the winds up here are so strong, I'm not sure I'd want to try. Thalia, you mean…you can't fly?"

"You can do it too," Valen said to Thalia, "if you get over your fear of heights."

Sending him a glare, she turned back to Jason, "Truthfully, I've never tried. Might be better if we stuck to the bridge."

Coach Hedge tapped the ice vapor trail with his hoof, then jumped onto the bridge. Amazingly, it held his weight. "Easy! I'll go first. Piper, come on, girl. I'll give you a hand."

"No, that's okay," Piper started to say, but the coach grabbed her hand and dragged her up the bridge. When they were about halfway, the bridge still seemed to be holding them just fine.

Thalia turned to her Hunter friend. "Phoebe, I'll be back soon. Go find the others. Tell them I'm on my way."

"You sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at the boys as if they would kidnap her.

"Jason is her brother, Leo is trying to impress her, and I'm her cousin and longtime friend, none of us are going to do anything." Valen deadpanned at her.

"You didn't have to expose me like that man." Leo said dejectedly.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Thalia beat her to it. "It's fine." she promised.

Phoebe nodded reluctantly, then raced down the mountain path, the white wolves at her heels.

"Jason, Leo, just be careful where you step," Thalia said. "It hardly ever breaks."

"It hasn't met me yet," Leo muttered, but he and Jason led the way up the bridge

Valen flew beside them, "Just in case one of you falls," He said to the looks he received.

"Why do they have a bridge?" Leo suddenly asked.

Thalia frowned. "Leo, this isn't a good place to stop. What do you mean?"

"They're wind spirits," Leo said. "Can't they fly?"

"Yes, but sometimes they need a way to connect to the world below."

"So the bridge isn't always here?" Leo asked.

Thalia shook her head. "The wind spirits don't like to anchor to the earth, but sometimes it's necessary. Like now. They know you're coming."

Leo's mind was racing. He was so excited he could almost feel his body's temperature rising. He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, but he knew he was on to something important.

"Leo?" Jason said. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh, gods," Thalia said. "Keep moving. Look at your feet."

Leo shuffled backward. With horror, he realized his body temperature reallywas rising, just as it had years ago at that picnic table under the pecan tree, when his anger had gotten away from him. Now, excitement was causing the reaction. His pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. The ice was thinning.

A vortex materialized underneath them, "If it breaks, I'll catch Leo. Jason, you catch Thalia."

"Leo, stop it," Jason warned. "You're going to melt it."

"I'll try," Leo said. But his body was overheating on its own, running as fast as his thoughts. "Listen, Jason, what did Hera call you in that dream? She called you a bridge."

"Leo, seriously, cool down," Thalia said. "I don't what you're talking about, but the bridge is—"

"Just listen," Leo insisted. "If Jason is a bridge, what's he connecting? Maybe two different places that normally don't get along—like the air palace and the ground. You had to be somewhere before this, right? And Hera said you were an exchange."

A shiver ran down Valens spine, and he shared a glance with Thalia. "That makes a dangerous amount of sense." She said.

"Because it's probably right." Valen said. "We need to find the Roman counterpart."

Jason frowned. "What are you guys talking about?"

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now whyArtemis sent me here. Jason—she told me to hunt for Lycaon and I would find a clue about Percy. You are the clue. Artemis wanted us to meet so I could hear your story."

"I don't understand," he protested. "I don't have a story. I don't remember anything."

"But Leo's right," Thalia said. "It's all connected. If we just knew where—"

Leo snapped his fingers. "Jason, what did you call that place in your dream? That ruined house. The Wolf House?"

Thalia nearly choked. "The Wolf House? Jason, why didn't you tell me that! That's where they're keeping Hera?"

"You know where it is?" Jason asked.

Then the bridge dissolved. Leo fell into the vortex, and Valen flew him to the other side. Jason didn't have the time to grab Thalia, She jumped off the bridge in an elegant fashion and managed to jump into a part of a bridge that was still solid.

"Go!" Thalia shouted, backing down the bridge as it crumbled. "Find out where the giant is keeping Piper's dad. Save him! I'll take the Hunters to the Wolf House and hold it until you can get there. We can do both!" "But where is the Wolf House?" Jason shouted. "You know where it is, little brother! I'll see you there. I promise."

Then she turned and raced down the dissolving bridge. With a dejected sigh, Jason flew over to the other side, Valen following behind.

Leo looked back down. The top of Pikes Peak floated below them in a sea of clouds, but there was no sign of Thalia. And Leo had just burned their only exit.

"What happened?" Piper demanded. "Leo, why are your clothes smoking?"

"I got a little heated," he gasped. "Sorry, Jason. Honest. I didn't—"

"It's all right," Jason said, but his expression was grim. "We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and Piper's dad. Let's go see the king of the winds."

They gave Jason his space as they walked up to the castle. He needed time to come to terms with, well everything.

The only one who seemed in a good mood was Coach Hedge. He kept bounding up the slippery staircase and trotting back down. "Come on, cupcakes! Only a few thousand more steps!"

Finally they arrived at the top of the island. Bronze walls marched all the way around the fortress grounds. Twentyfoot-high gates opened for them, and a road of polished purple stone led up to the main citadel—a white-columned rotunda, Greek style, like one of the monuments in Washington, D.C. —except for the cluster of satellite dishes and radio towers on the roof.

"That's bizarre," Piper said.

"Guess you can't get cable on a floating island," Leo said. "Dang, check this guy's front yard.

The rotunda sat in the center of a quarter-mile circle. The grounds were amazing in a scary way. They were divided into four sections like big pizza slices, each one representing a season.

The section on their right was an icy waste, with bare trees and a frozen lake. Snowmen rolled across the landscape as the wind blew.

To their left was an autumn park with gold and red trees. Mounds of leaves blew into patterns—gods, people, animals that ran after each other before scattering back into leaves. In the distance.

There were two more areas behind the rotunda. One looked like a green pasture with sheep made out of clouds.

The last section was a desert where tumbleweeds scratched strange patterns in the sand like Greek letters, smiley faces, and a huge advertisement that read: watch aeolus nightly!

"One section for each of the four wind gods," Jason guessed. "Four cardinal directions."

"I'm loving that pasture." Coach Hedge licked his lips. "You guys mind—"

"Go ahead," Jason said, glad to let him go off on his own. It would be easier to appease the god of the winds without him.

While the satyr ran off to attack springtime, the others walked down the road to the steps of the palace. They passed through the front doors into a white marble foyer decorated with purple banners that read olympian weather channel, and some that just read ow!

"Hello!" A woman floated up to them. A cloud nymph. Her brown eyes twinkled cheerfully. Even though there was no wind, her dark hair blew in slow motion, shampoo-commercial style. Her white gown billowed around her like parachute material.

She had a white tablet computer in her hand. "Are you fromLord Zeus?" she asked. "We've been expecting you."

"You have?" Valen asked, but before she could respond, Jason spoke up.

"Are you a ghost?" he asked.

Right away he knew he'd insulted her. The smile turned into a pout. "I'm an aura, sir. A wind nymph, as you might expect, working for the lord of the winds. My name is Mellie. We don't have ghosts."

Piper came to the rescue. "No, of course you don't! My friend simply mistook you for Helen of Troy, the most beautiful mortal of all time. It's an easy mistake."

I have no idea how that even worked, but hey, as long as it helps. Valen thought, watching the nymphs expression change.

The compliment seemed a little over the top, but Mellie the aura blushed. "Oh…well, then. So you are from Zeus?"

"Er," Jason said, "I'm the son of Zeus, yeah."

"Excellent! Please, right this way." She led them through some security doors into another lobby, consulting her tablet as she floated. She didn't look where she was going, but apparently it didn't matter as she drifted straight through a marble column with no problem. "We're out of prime time now, so that's good," she mused. "I can fit you in right before his 11:12 spot."

"Um, okay," Jason said.

The lobby was a pretty distracting place. Winds blasted around them, so it felt like they were pushing through an invisible crowd. Doors blew open and slammed by themselves.

Paper airplanes of all different sizes and shapes sped around, and other wind nymphs, aurai, would occasionally pluck them out of the air, unfold and read them, then toss them back into the air, where the planes would refold themselves and keep flying.

An ugly creature fluttered past. She looked like a mix between an old lady and a chicken on steroids. She had a wrinkled face with black hair tied in a hairnet, arms like a human plus wings like a chicken, and a fat, feathered body with talons for feet. It was amazing she could fly at all. She kept drifting around and bumping into things like a parade balloon.

"Not an aura?" Jason asked Mellie as the creature wobbled by.

"Thats a harpy, we have those back at camp." Valen said. "Although they hardly show themselves to any campers."

Mellie laughed. "You're right, that's a harpy. Our, ah, ugly stepsisters, I suppose you would say. They're spirits of violent gusts, unlike us aurai. We're all gentle breezes."

She batted her eyes at Jason.

"'Course you are," he said.

"So," Piper prompted, "you were taking us to see Aeolus?"

Mellie led them through a set of doors like an airlock. Above the interior door, a green light blinked. "We have a few minutes before he starts," Mellie said cheerfully.

"He probably won't kill you if we go in now. Come along!

"Well, that sounds about as great as quests usually go." Valen muttered walking through the door.