Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter eight
( FIRE AND SNOW )
Flying on the dragon was the most amazing experience ever, Katherine thought.
Up high, the air was freezing cold; but the dragon's metal hide generated so much heat, it was like they were flying in a protective bubble. Talk about seat warmers! And the grooves in the dragon's back were designed like high-tech saddles, so they weren't uncomfortable at all.
Leo showed them how to hook their feet in the chinks of the armor, like in stirrups, and use the leather safety harnesses cleverly concealed under the exterior plating. They sat single file: Leo in front, then Piper, Katherine, then Jason.
Leo used the reins to steer the dragon into the sky like he'd been doing it all his life. The metal wings worked perfectly, and soon the coast of Long Island was just a hazy line behind them. They shot over Connecticut and climbed into the gray winter clouds.
Leo grinned back at them. "Cool, right?"
"What if we get spotted?" Piper asked.
"The Mist," Katherine said. "It keeps mortals from seeing magic things. If they spot us, they'll probably mistake us for a small plane or something."
Piper glanced over her shoulder. "You sure about that?"
"Yes," She said. Then Katherine saw he was clutching a photo in his hand—a picture of a Thalia grace.
She rise her eyebrow then smile, he blushed and put the photo in his pocket. "We're making good time. Probably get there by tonight."
Piper asked a question. "Where are we heading?"
"To find the god of the North Wind," Jason said. "And chase some storm spirits."
Katherine in her own mind with many thought in her heart, can't explain it all. Then she out of her mind when Leo said. "Shut up, me."
"What?" Katherine asked. "Nothing," he said. "Long night. I think I'm hallucinating. It's cool."
Katherine frowned and shake her head, "Just joking." Leo said. "So what's the plan, bro? You said something about catching wind, or breaking wind, or something?"
As they flew over New England, Jason laid out the game plan: First, find some guy named Boreas and grill him for information—
"His name is Boreas?" Leo ask. "What is he, the God of Boring?"
Second, Jason continued, they had to find those venti that had attacked them at the Grand Canyon—
"Can we just call them storm spirits?" Leo asked. "Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks."
And third, Jason finished, they had to find out who the storm spirits worked for, so they could find Hera and free her.
"So you want to look for Dylan, the nasty storm dude, on purpose," Leo said. "The guy who threw me off the skywalk and sucked Coach Hedge into the clouds."
"That's about it," Jason said. "Well ... there may be a wolf involved, too. But I think she's friendly. She probably won't eat us, unless we show weakness."
Jason told them about his dream—the big nasty mother wolf and a burned-out house with stone spires growing out of the swimming pool.
"Uh-huh," Leo said. "But you don't know where this place is."
"Nope," Jason admitted. "There's also giants," Piper added. "The prophecy said the giants' revenge."
