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A THOUSAND QUESTIONS swirled through Dorothy's mind as she stared down Thalia in a new light. Her head was about to start spinning from the number of times she went back and forth trying to find similarities. It truly was like night and day when comparing the siblings. Was Thalia also a Child of Zeus?

She concluded that similarities between the two were probably seen through words and actions. Dorothy tried standing on her own, but her knees wanted to buckle. She didn't want to take away from Jason's moment, so she locked her knees, forcing herself to stand upright on her own.

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?"

Dorothy blinked in surprise, a stapler? Those things were so large and normally heavy, how could a two-year-old even hold it, let alone get it into his mouth?

Hedge nodded as if 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, as if 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."

Piper took it a step further when hearing the suggestion. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Thalia assessed Dorothy and frowned. Dorothy almost thought she was in trouble, but her head started to spin. She unlocked her knees and fell down to them on the floor. If Piper was going to take a nap, so was she.

"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered someone, probably Leo, "take the girls to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

"Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk." Dorothy thinks it was Leo who helped her off the ground. She didn't need as much stability as Piper did.

At least she thought so. Her dizzy head made her stomach churn, and she held a hand over her mouth. She did *not* want to lose her dinner. Leo seemed to be hyper-aware of where she aimed her head and always managed to find a way to get out of the potential line of fire.

"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"

Hedge turned back and let Dorothy catch up with him and Piper. His other arm was out and open for her to lean on.

"Come on, Kid," Hedge groaned, "let's see what this *Phoebe* can do that I apparently can't."

Dorothy would've laughed at that if she wasn't trying to hold her food down. She dreaded going outside, she was sure her clothes wouldn't be enough and she wished Josephine packed thicker sweaters. When they made it out there, the snow had died down and a tent was set up not too far from the cave entrance.

When they stumbled in, it was like she had stepped into a greenhouse. The air was warm and enveloped her like a blanket. She sighed in relief as she found a chair, basically falling into it. Piper was sat in the chair next to hers.

"Thalia asked to take them to you to get them checked out, they both have hypothermia," he pointed Piper out, "and she has a twisted ankle, or a broken ankle, I don't know."

He shrugged after that and Phoebe nodded, her hands going to Dorothy and Pipers foreheads. She frowned and got to work.

Before Dorothy knew it, she was changed again into extra clothes that the hunters had. Something about the puffy jackets and the cargo pants had her feeling uncomfortable. Warm, but just... not right. Like she didn't belong in the clothes. She would be giving them back as soon as she can.

Phoebe really was an excellent healer. Piper was walking on two feet like she did when they first arrived at camp three days ago, Dorothy didn't constantly shake and her head wasn't spinning and aching. She actually had more energy than ever. She wondered if it was due to meals being frequent or if it was the tonic that Phoebe gave her. Either way, she felt like she could walk from California to New York and not break a sweat.

She was reclined with Piper, and Hedge when a warm mug was placed in her hands. It looked like coffee but when she took a quick sniff her eyes watered almost immediately.

"Is this hot chocolate?" Her voice wavered.

Phoebe's eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"Yeah, is that alright?" She asked, "It's been in the thermos all day but it should still be warm."

"No, no it's," Dorothy took a sip, her heart swelling as her tears spilled, "sorry it's just, I haven't had it for a long time, not since my time."

"Your time?" Phoebe asked, looking to Piper with even more confusion.

"1860," Dorothy offered, "Lotus Saloon, or... Casino now I guess."

Phoebe nodded, walking over to sit on the other side of Dorothy, patting her shoulder as she took a sip from a mug of her own. They sat in silence as Dorothy reminisced on the last time she enjoyed hot chocolate.

It was 1853 and Christmas had just rolled around. Dorothy had been 9 for a few months now and she was already outgrowing her clothes again. One of the benefits of living with a gang was that they were always rolling through cash at some point. The jobs were having some higher rewards at the end of that year and Dorothy had gotten lots of new clothes to grow into. She was easier to buy for considering she wasn't into the things girls her age normally would be. Dolls and toys weren't useful to her. Books and notebooks were better. She loved her leather bound diary she had gotten from her father.

There was still extra spending money and Mr. Taylor and Miss Catherine were still getting along well enough to put together a surprise for Dorothy. She thought it was going to be a normal night of falling asleep to José's guitar and being carried to her tent by her father. But she was met with a warm cup of hot chocolate. Everyone had gotten a mug but they all waited for Dorothy's first sip, nobody wanted to risk the chance of missing it. Chocolate is expensive and the milk was even harder to keep fresh.

Dorothy would never forget sitting by the fire with her giant family, listening to their crazy stories of gods and monsters and robberies. She remembered trying to stay awake but she was out like a candle on her fathers lap.

She wiped at her eyes as she took another sip, letting the drink sit on her tongue. This hot chocolate was far sweeter than what Mr. Taylor and Miss. Catherine had made, but she remembers Miss Catherine yelling at Mr. Taylor for forgetting to get more sugar on his last supply run.

Dorothy jumped when the flaps of the tent were abruptly pulled open, revealing a freezing Leo. Thalia and Jason close behind him. She noticed how Leo shivered when he stepped inside, the hairs on his arms rising.

The frown on his face gave him a very sad look that Dorothy would've pitied if she wasn't so occupied with her hot chocolate.

"Oh, no way," Leo said. "We've been sitting in a cave and you get the luxury tent? Somebody give me hypothermia. I want hot chocolate and a parka!"

Phoebe sniffed. "Boys," she said with disdain, like there wasn't a creature worse on this planet.

"It's all right, Phoebe," Thalia said. "They'll need extra coats. And I think we can spare some chocolate."

Phoebe grumbled, but soon Leo and Jason were also dressed in silvery winter clothes like Piper and Dorothy.

"Cheers!" said Coach Hedge. He crunched down his plastic cup.

"That cannot be good for your intestines," Leo said.

Thalia patted Piper on the back but she looked to both her and Dorothy. "You up for moving?"

Piper nodded. "Thanks to Phoebe, yeah. You guys are really good at this wilderness survival thing. I feel like I could run ten miles."

"Yeah, it's like I was never dunked in an ice river in the first place!" Dorothy smiled sending a teasing stare to the boys, Jason had a small blush of embarrassment on his cheeks, that or he was finally warming up in the tent.

Thalia beamed. "You're tough for a child of Aphrodite. I like you."

Dorothy couldn't help but notice the blush that dusted Pipers cheeks. Dorothy didn't know how to feel. She looked over at Jason who seemed to have looked over at her too. She stood up, stretching her back before grabbing her satchel.

"Hey, I could run ten miles too," Leo volunteered. "Tough Hephaestus kid here. Let's hit it."

Thalia ignored him. Dorothy patted him on the shoulder, a sympathetic look sent his way before stepping outside.

It took longer for Dorothy to finish her drink than Phoebe to take down the camp. The tent self-collapsed into a square the size of a pack of chewing gum. Dorothy was staring at it in amazement as Coach Hedge ate her cup for her. She wished she had that tent when she ran with her father, Mr. Taylor would never had gotten onto her about her chores ever again.

Thalia ran uphill through the snow, keeping close to the tiny little path on the side of the mountain. Dorothy wished for her horse, but she wouldn't even want Prudence dealing with this horrible weather. She was grateful for the warm clothes, otherwise, she would hijack the golden backpack full of winds and fly home.

Coach Hedge leaped around like a happy mountain goat, yelling at them as if he was some sort of army commander, though his focus seemed to be on Leo who was struggling to keep up. "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.

Dorothy hung back to run with Jason and Leo who seemed to be getting better at keeping up. Jason looked into be lost in troubled thoughts. She doesn't blame him. If she found out someone from her past was still alive and thriving, she wouldn't know what to do.

"How you doing, man?" Leo asked. Dorothy looked back at Jason and already knew that he wasn't doing good.

"Thalia takes it so calmly," Jason said. "Like it's no big deal that I appeared. I didn't know what I was expecting, but... she's not like me. She seems so much more together."

"Hey, she's not fighting amnesia," Leo said. "Plus, she's had more time to get used to this whole demigod thing. You fight monsters and talk to gods for a while, you probably get used to surprises."

"Maybe," Jason said. "I just wish I understood what happened when I was two, why my mom got rid of me. Thalia ran away because of me."

"Hey, whatever's happened, it wasn't your fault. And your sister is pretty cool. She's a lot like you."

Jason took that in silence. Dorothy was ready to back Leo up but Jason didn't seem to argue. She wondered if there would even be a good time to talk after they find out where the cage and Piper's Father are held.

Dorothy slowed to a stop with the rest of the group. Leo seemed to be too lost in his thoughts to notice that fact and nearly fell off the cliff, taking Thalia with him. Luckily, she managed to keep them both from their demise and made him also stand upright on the edge. After that she pointed up to the monstrosity tied to the mountain.

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

They stood at the summit of Pikes Peak. Below them the world was covered in clouds. The air was so thin, Dorothy was starting to get dizzy again, it was hard to 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 jabbed out from the clouds.

But the real sight was above them. Hovering in the sky, about a quarter mile away, was a massive free-floating island of glowing purple stone. It's size was immeasurable, Dorothy doesn't think she's ever seen  anything so large. 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.

Dorothy squinted at the bridge and frowned, it wasn't ice. The bridge wasn't solid at all. As the winds changed direction, the bridge snaked around—blurring and thinning, in some places even breaking into a dotted line.

"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?"

Thalia grimaced as if it wasn't a good memory.

"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?"

For a second, Thalia looked genuinely afraid. Then she got her expression under control. It was clear that Thalia has a serious fear of heights. Dorothy was grateful that the girl even led them this far, she was sure it was no easy feat for Thalia.

"Truthfully," she said, "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."

"Are you sure?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at Leo and Jason, as if they might kidnap Thalia or something.

"It's fine," Thalia promised.

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

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

"Hardly ever breaks is not something I want to hear about a bridge I'm about to cross," Dorothy huffed, nervously eyeing the bridge. She'd seen a lot of magical stuff in the past few days, but even magic has its limits.

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

Dorothy wanted to take it slow and steady. She even used some of her magic to create a bit of a shield around her body as she walked, hoping that it would do something for her if she somehow managed to fall. Piper and Hedge had already made it safely to the top and were waving at them, encouraging them to keep climbing. Dorothy's nerves didn't help her racing heart, and it was even worse when Leo stopped in his tracks.

"Why do they have a bridge?" he 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."

Dorothy studied Leo's face and tilted her head at the expression he wore, like he was thinking hard about something and had a revelation. He couldn't quite put his thoughts into words, it seemed but she had the sense he was on to something important.

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

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

Dorothy's eyes shot down as Leo shuffled backward. With horror, she watched as his pants steamed in the cold air. His shoes were literally smoking, and the bridge didn't like it. Dorothy's breathing started to heave as she watched the "ice" melt. She looked back up and it was worse, flames danced in his hair and steam, or smoke was billowing out of his ears, if whatever was on his mind didn't come out now, she was sure he would erupt in flames.

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

"I'll try," Leo said. It wasn't working.

"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."

"An exchange." Thalia's eyes widened. "Oh, gods."

Jason frowned.

"What are you two talking about?"

Thalia murmured something like a prayer. "I understand now why Artemis 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. Dorothy let out a yelp as she jumped towards Jason's side. Leo would've fallen to his death, but Jason grabbed his coat and pulled him to safety. The three of them scrambled up the bridge, and when they turned, Thalia was on the other side of a thirty-foot chasm. The bridge was continuing to melt.

"Go!" Thalia