heavy bones [jason grace]

22. leo flies us into battle

Piper calls shotgun, so Jason and I take the back.

It's kind of amazing, watching Leo work. I've seen Hephaestus kids build shit before, but I've never seen them effortlessly operate machinery like this. Sure, Leo has some brief moments of panic, but we're still in the air so clearly, things are going just fine.

Still, Piper has to ask. "Going okay?"

"Aces," Leo says, putting on a brave face. "So what's the Wolf House?"

Jason is kneeling between their seats. "An abandoned mansion in the Sonoma Valley. A demigod built it — Jack London."

"That's a dumb name," I say.

Piper twists around in her seat to shoot me a look. "Cordy, he's a famous writer. Wrote Call of the Wild and White Fang."

"And? I still think his name is dumb."

Jason shakes his head at me, but he's smiling. "Anyway, he was a son of Mercury— I mean, Hermes. He was an adventurer, traveled the world. He was even homeless for a while. Then he made a fortune writing. He bought a big ranch in the country and decided to build this huge mansion — the Wolf House."

"Named that 'cause he wrote about wolves?" Leo guesses.

"Partially," Jason says. "But the site, and the reason he wrote about wolves — he was dropping hints about his personal experience. There're a lot of holes in his life story — how he was born, who his dad was, why he wandered around so much — stuff you can only explain if you know he was a demigod."

I furrow my brow. "Huh. That's weird. I don't remember his name on the list of famous demigods."

Leo laughs. "There's a list of famous demigods?"

"In a book in the Big House," I confirm. "Chiron's very proud of his former students. It also helps with history lessons and deciding who to feature in the 4th of July fireworks displays. I've read that book a hundred times. Jack London isn't in there."

Jason has an odd look on his face. "That's because Jack London didn't go to Camp Half-Blood."

"Bro, you're freaking me out with the mysterious talk," Leo says. "Are you remembering your past or not?"

"Pieces," Jason admits. "Only pieces. None of it good. The Wolf House is on sacred ground. It's where London started his journey as a child — where he found out he was a demigod. That's why he returned there. He thought he could live there, claim that land, but it wasn't meant for him. The Wolf House was cursed. It burned in a fire a week before he and his wife were supposed to move in. A few years later, London died, and his ashes were buried on the site."

I grimace. Great. Cursed land. The only thing I like more than explosions.

Piper raises her eyebrows. "So, how do you know all this?"

"I started my journey there too," Jason says. "It's a powerful place for demigods, a dangerous place. If Gaea can claim it, use its power to entomb Hera on the solstice and raise Porphyrion — that might be enough to awaken the earth goddess fully."

"Lovely," I sigh. I take a deep breath and suddenly realize how exhausted I am. I find myself stifling a yawn. Damn. I guess all that adrenaline finally ran out.

"Thirty minutes out," Leo announces. "If you want to get some rest, now's a good time."

Hm. That feels a bit targeted.

"I'm fine," I lie through a yawn. Jason rolls his eyes. I pout. "Seriously! I'm all good here!"

He clearly doesn't believe me because he tugs me over to the seats in the back. I don't fight him — I'm too tired. I just make annoyed sleepy noises while he straps me in, and then himself.