"Speed up!" he urged.

"Bro," Leo said, "if I get any closer, he'll spot us. Bronze dragon ain't exactly a stealth plane."

"Slow down!" Piper yelped.

The storm spirit dove into the grid of downtown streets. Festus tried to follow, but his wingspan was way too wide. His left wing clipped the edge of a building, slicing off a stone gargoyle before Leo pulled up.

"Get above the buildings," Jason suggested. "We'll track him from there."

"You want to drive this thing?" Leo grumbled, but he did what Jason asked.

"I do!" Y/N raised her hand. The other remained on Leo's shoulder. Leo laughed, and Jason had a feeling she did not want to drive the dragon.

After a few minutes, Jason spotted the storm spirit again, zipping through the streets with no apparent purpose—blowing over pedestrians, ruffling flags, making cars swerve.

"Oh great," Piper said. "There're two."

She was right. A second ventus blasted around the corner of the Renaissance Hotel and linked up with the first. They wove together in a chaotic dance, shooting to the top of a skyscraper, bending a radio tower, and diving back down toward the street.

"Those guys do not need any more caffeine," Leo said.

"I guess Chicago's a good place to hang out," Piper said. "Nobody's going to question a couple more evil winds."

"More than a couple," Y/N said. "Look."

The dragon circled over a wide avenue next to a lake-side park. Storm spirits were converging—at least a dozen of them, whirling around a big public art installation.

"Which one do you think is Dylan?" Leo asked.
"I wanna throw something at him."

But Jason focused on the art installation. The closer they got to it, the faster his heart beat. It was just a public fountain, but it was unpleasantly familiar. Two five-story monoliths rose from either end of a long granite reflecting pool. The monoliths seemed to be built of video screens, flashing the combined image of a giant face that spewed water into the pool.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it looked like a high-tech, super-size version of that ruined reflecting pool he'd seen in his dreams, with those two dark masses jutting from either end. As Jason watched, the image on the screens changed to a woman's face with her eyes closed.

"Leo ..." he said nervously.

"I see her," Leo said. "I don't like her, but I see her."

Then the screens went dark. The venti swirled together into a single funnel cloud and skittered across the fountain, kicking up a waterspout almost as high as the monoliths. They got to its center, popped off a drain cover, and disappeared underground.

"Did they just go down a drain?" Piper asked. "How are we supposed to follow them?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Leo said. "That fountain thing is giving me seriously bad vibes. And aren't we supposed to, like, beware the earth?"

Jason felt the same way, but they had to follow. It was their only way forward. They had to find Hera, and they now had only two days until the solstice.

"Put us down in that park," he suggested. "We'll check it out on foot."

Festus landed in an open area between the lake and the skyline. The signs said Grant Park, and Jason imagined it would've been a nice place in the summer; but now it was a field of ice, snow, and salted walkways. The dragon's hot metal feet hissed as they touched down. Festus flapped his wings unhappily and shot fire into the sky, but there was no one around to notice. The wind coming off the lake was bitter cold. Anyone with sense would be inside. Jason's eyes stung so badly, he could barely see.

They dismounted, and Festus the dragon stomped his feet. One of his ruby eyes flickered, so it looked like he was blinking.

"Is that normal?" Jason asked.

Leo pulled a rubber mallet from his tool bag. He whacked the dragon's bad eye, and the light went back to normal. "Yes," Leo said. "Festus can't hang around here, though, in the middle of the park. They'll arrest him for loitering. Maybe if I had a dog whistle ..."

He rummaged in his tool belt, but came up with nothing.

"Too specialized?" he guessed. "Okay, give me a safety whistle. They got that in lots of machine shops."

This time, Leo pulled out a big plastic orange whistle. "Coach Hedge would be jealous! Okay, Festus, listen." Leo blew the whistle. The shrill sound probably rolled all the way across Lake Michigan. "You hear that, come find me, okay? Until then, you fly wherever you want. Just try not to barbecue any pedestrians."

The dragon snorted—hopefully in agreement. Then he spread his wings and launched into the air.

Piper took one step and winced. "Ah!"

"Your ankle?" Jason felt bad he'd forgotten about her injury back in the Cyclops factory. "That nectar we gave you might be wearing off."

"It's fine." She shivered, and Jason remembered his promise to get her a new snowboarding coat. He hoped he lived long enough to find her one. She took a few more steps with only a slight limp, but Jason could tell she was trying not to grimace.

"Are you cold?" Y/N looked at Piper.

"Freezing."

All of the sudden, Piper had a dark blue, thick, blue jacket hoodie on. So did Jason and Leo, but Jason's was purple, Leo's was red.

"Let's get out of the wind," he suggested.

"Down a drain?" Piper shuddered. "Sounds cozy."

They thanked Y/N and headed toward the fountain.

According to the plaque, it was called Crown Fountain. All the water had emptied out except for a few patches that were starting to freeze. It didn't seem right to Jason that the fountain would have water in it in the winter anyway. Then again, those big monitors had flashed the face of their mysterious enemy Dirt Woman. Nothing about this place was right.

They stepped to the center of the pool. No spirits tried to stop them. The giant monitor walls stayed dark. The drain hole was easily big enough for a person, and a maintenance ladder led down into the gloom.

Jason went first. As he climbed, he braced himself for horrible sewer smells, but it wasn't that bad. The ladder dropped into a brickwork tunnel running north to south. The air was warm and dry, with only a trickle of water on the floor.

Piper, Leo, and Y/N climbed down after him.

"Are all sewers this nice?" Piper wondered.

"No," Leo said. "Trust me."

Jason frowned. "How do you know—"

"Hey, man, I ran away six times. I've slept in some weird places, okay? Now, which way do we go?"

Jason tilted his head, listening, then pointed south. "That way."

"How can you be sure?" Piper asked.

"There's a draft blowing south," Jason said. "Maybe the venti went with the flow."

It wasn't much of a lead, but nobody offered anything better.

Unfortunately, as soon as they started walking, Piper stumbled. Jason had to catch her.

"Stupid ankle," she cursed.

"Let's rest," Jason decided. "We could all use it. We've been going nonstop for over a day. Leo, can you pull any food from that tool belt besides breath mints?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Chef Leo is on it!"

Piper and Jason sat on a brick ledge while Leo shuffled through his pack, Y/N right next to him. Jason noticed the two were getting closer, and he was happy for Leo, not having to "third-wheel" him and Piper.

Jason was glad to rest. He was still tired and dizzy, and hungry, too. But mostly, he wasn't eager to face whatever lay ahead. He turned his gold coin in his fingers.

If you are to die, Hera had warned, it will be by her hand.

Whoever "her" was. After Khione, the Cyclops mother, and the weird sleeping lady, the last thing Jason needed was another psycho villainess in his life.

"It wasn't your fault," Piper said.

He looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Getting jumped by the Cyclopes," she said. "It wasn't your fault."

He looked down at the coin in his palm. "I was stupid. I left you alone and walked into a trap. I should've known..."

He didn't finish. There were too many things he should have known—who he was, how to fight monsters, how Cyclopes lured their victims by mimicking voices and hiding in shadows and a hundred other tricks. All that information was supposed to be in his head. He could feel the places it should be—like empty pockets. If Hera wanted him to succeed, why had she stolen the memories that could help him? She claimed his amnesia had kept him alive, but that made no sense. He was starting to understand why Annabeth had wanted to leave the goddess in her cage.

"Hey." Piper nudged his arm. "Cut yourself some slack. Just because you're the son of Zeus doesn't mean you're a one-man army."

A few feet away, Leo lit a small cooking fire. He chatted Y/N's ear off as he pulled supplies out of his pack and his tool belt.

In the firelight, Piper's eyes seemed to dance. Jason had been studying them for days now, and he still couldn't decide what color they were.

"I know this must suck for you," he said. "Not just the quest, I mean. The way I appeared on the bus, the Mist messing with your mind, and making you think I was ...you know."

She dropped her gaze. "Yeah, well. None of us asked for this. It's not your fault."

She tugged at the little braids on each side of her head. Again, Jason thought how glad he was that she'd lost the Aphrodite blessing. With the makeup and the dress and the perfect hair, she'd looked about twenty-five, glamorous, and completely out of his league. He'd never thought of beauty as a form of power, but that's the way Piper had seemed—powerful.

He liked regular Piper better—someone he could hang out with. But the weird thing was, he couldn't quite get that other image out of his head. It hadn't been an illusion. That side of Piper was there too. She just did her best to hide it.

"Back in the factory," Jason said, "you were you going to say something about your dad."

She traced her finger over the bricks, almost like she was writing out a scream she didn't want to vocalize. "Was I?"

"Piper," he said, "he's in some kind of trouble, isn't it?"

Over at the fire, Leo stirred some sizzling bell peppers and meat in a pan. "Yeah, baby! Almost there." Y/N stared at him blankly.

Piper looked on the verge of tears. "Jason ... I can't talk about it."

"We're your friends. Let us help."

That seemed to make her feel worse. She took a shaky breath. "I wish I could, but—"

"And bingo!" Leo announced.

He came over with four plates stacked on his arms like a waiter. Jason had no idea where he'd gotten all the food, or how he'd put it together so fast, but it looked amazing: pepper and beef tacos with chips and salsa.

"Leo," Piper said in amazement. "How did you—?"

"Chef Leo's Taco Garage is fixing you up!" he said proudly. "And by the way, it's tofu, not beef, beauty queen, so don't freak. Just dig in!"

Jason wasn't sure about tofu, but the tacos tasted as good as they smelled. While they ate, Leo tried to lighten the mood and joke around. Jason was grateful Leo was with them. It made being with Piper a little less intense and uncomfortable. At the same time, he kind of wished he was alone with her; but he chided himself for feeling that way. But he was sure Leo wanted to be alone with Y/N too. Even though they just met. Jason still didn't know how he felt about her, she was cool enough though. At least he knew she wasn't some traitor spying on them.

After Piper ate, Jason encouraged her to get some sleep. Without another word, she curled up and put her head in his lap. In two seconds she was snoring.

Jason looked up at Leo, who was obviously trying not to laugh.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking lemonade Leo had made from canteen water and powdered mix.

"Good, huh?" Leo grinned.

"You should start a stand," Jason said. "Make some serious coin."

"What about you, Y/N, you like?" Jason noticed Y/N only took a couple bites of her food. She kept denying food that was given to her. He wondered why.

"It's good." She said, Jason could tell she meant it. But Leo didn't look so sure. Y/N was quick to reassure him. "Really," she put her dainty hand on his shoulder. "It's good, I just have a hard time eating sometimes, that's all."

Leo looked worried for her, Jason did too. "Are you like—okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah? It's just I—even the smallest things make me lose my appetite. It's weird, I hate it. But it's nothing to fret about."

"As long as you're okay, man." Jason patted her shoulder.

"Miss me with that bullshit, dude." He almost got her to laugh, almost. But she did have a look of amusement in her eyes, the only light you ever really see in her eyes other than her kindness. Maybe Y/N really wasn't so bad.

As he stared at the embers of the fire, something began to bother him. "Leo ... about this fire stuff you can do ... is it true?"

Leo's smile faltered. "Yeah, well ..." He opened his hand. A small ball of flame burst to life, dancing across his palm.

"That is so cool," Jason said. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Leo closed his hand and the fire went out. "Didn't want to look like a freak."

"I have lightning and wind powers," Jason reminded him. "Piper can turn beautiful and charm people into giving her BMWs. We've literally watched Y/N almost poison an ice queen and burn down a palace. You're no more a freak than we are. And, hey, maybe you can fly, too. Like jump off a building and yell, 'Flame on!'"

Leo snorted. "If I did that, you would see a flaming kid falling to his death, and I would be yelling something a little stronger than 'Flame on!' Trust me, Hephaestus cabin doesn't see fire powers as cool. Nyssa told me they're super rare. When a demigod like me comes around, bad things happen. Really bad."

"Most of the Hephaestus kids hate me because of that." Y/N said as she played with fire in her hand, her solumn E/C eyes lighting up the room. "This is no gift of mine..."

"Maybe it's the other way around," Jason suggested. "Maybe people with special gifts show up when bad things are happening because that's when they're needed most."

Leo cleared away the plates. "Maybe. But like Y/N said ... it's not always a gift."

Jason fell silent. "You're talking about your mom, aren't you? The night she died."

Leo didn't answer. He didn't have to. The fact that he was quiet, not joking around—that told Jason enough.

"Leo, her death wasn't your fault. Whatever happened that night—it wasn't because you could summon fire. This Dirt Woman, whoever she is, has been trying to ruin you for years, mess up your confidence, take away everything you care about. She's trying to make you feel like a failure. You're not. You're important."

"That's what she said." Leo looked up, his eyes full of pain. "She said I was meant to do something important—something that would make or break that big prophecy about the seven demigods. That's what scares me. I don't know if I'm up to it."

Jason wanted to tell him everything would be all right, but it would've sounded fake. Jason didn't know what would happen. They were demigods, which meant sometimes things didn't end okay. Sometimes you got eaten by the Cyclops.

If you asked most kids, "Hey, you want to summon fire or lightning or magical makeup or poison someone with a flower?" they'd think it sounded pretty cool. But those powers went along with hard stuff, like sitting in a sewer in the middle of winter, running from monsters, losing your memory, watching your friends almost get cooked, and having dreams that warned you of your own death.

"You're wonderful, not just to Jason or Piper, but to me too, I've only known you for maybe two days, but you're special to me. so, so special. I know you're special to them too. You brought a light in my life that I haven't had in a long time. Sure I have Percy, Annabeth, and my goat friend Grover. But sometimes people need change. My change was you, all of you. I know we got off on a rocky start but I'm so glad I came on this quest, and I didn't say that yesterday. It took us less than twenty-four hours to grow."

Y/N put out her both her palms, two flowers started to sprout slowly out of them, on the left, a fiery red one, with darker stems, a Hydrangea. On the right, a striking purple flower, with lighter stems, a Peony. both small, so they could carry them around. Jason thought it was awesome she could do that. She looked to her right and gestured for Jason to take it. Once he did, Y/N plucked the left one from her hand, and gently placed it behind Leo's ear.

"My flowers never die, neither does the love for true friends. I don't just go giving these around, and you won't lose them, if you ever feel you need it, think it, and it'll be right there in your hand. I'll give one to Piper when I see it's time, I would right now, but..."—she gestured towards the sleeping girl—"I hope you never forget the impact you have on people, Leo. You're funny, you have one of the kindest hearts I've seen in many years, you joke, but you're more intelligent than you put on, and you don't look half bad, either. This is the longest I've talked in a group of people and I'm freaking out so... do what you want with those."

"Thank you." Jason said, gesturing toward the flower in his hand. "You really are as kind as Annabeth claimed."

Leo was done for, Jason had never seen him look at someone like he was looking at Y/N. It wasn't like the way he looked at girls he thought were good-looking, not at all. He was looking at her with pure love and adoration, a little more than the way you should look at someone you just met. "I'm marrying you."

"Well," the girl blinked. "That's—well—okay."

Leo looked embarrassed, and looked at the ground smiling, which is why Jason could tell he meant it, because he didn't say sorry. Y/N stared at him, and let out the tiniest giggle.

He did it, he made her laugh. Jason felt so good for Leo, and Y/N should laugh more, it's cute. Jason decided. Leo's eyes shot back up at her. She just looked at him, and leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll remember that later on, Firecracker." and she gave him two pats on the cheek where she gave him a kiss, and then acted like nothing happened.

Jason was fascinated with the hippie-looking girl. "So tell me about your earth powers. What are they like?"

"Oh, well, I can do anything that has to do with plants, really. I'm not sure how to explain it."

"I don't know, demonstrate." Jason laughed.

"Okay, you're putting me on the spot here, man. Uhh..." She thought for a moment. Something clicked. She looked at a stack of metal about thirty foot from them. Vines and roots came out of her hands, and slowly moved their way to it. Once the roots and vines got there, they wrapped around the stack from the bottom to the top, and she pulled them so the stack was now ten feet from them.

"Wow." Leo said.

"it's really not that cool, I'd show you more, but we're kind of in a sewer."

"Do you have any other powers?" Leo asked, scooting closer.

"A lot." Y/N said.

"Show us. Just one more thing. Please," Leo begged.

She looked back at the stack of metal, and all of the sudden they shot backwards about 50 feet, she made sure the stack didn't pull apart so much that it would hit the sewer walls and cause a ruckus. When the pieces of metal almost hit the ground, they hovered for a second, and then gently landed on the