SANITY; heroes of olympus

01.5

[act one; chapter five     -     boreads]

Apparently, Andromeda had fallen asleep while leaning against Jason's chest. The boy hadn't seemed to object because he just wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against her shoulder. The two had, after that point, fallen right asleep without delay.

"We're here," she mumbled as she peeled her eyes open, rubbing the sleep away with her knuckles.

Below them, a city sat on a cliff overlooking a river. The plains around it were dusted with snow, but the city itself glowed warmly in the winter sunset. Buildings crowded together inside high walls like a mediaeval town, way older than any place Andromeda had seen before. In the centre was an actual castle—at least she assumed it was a castle because that's what it looked like—with massive red brick walls and a square tower with a peaked, green gabled roof.

"Tell me that's Quebec and not Santa's workshop," Leo said from Festus' driver seat.

"Yeah, Quebec City," Piper confirmed. "One of the oldest cities in North America. Founded around sixteen hundred or so?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Your dad do a movie about that too?"

She made a face at him, which Leo must have been used to, but it didn't quite work with her new glamorous makeup. "I read sometimes, okay? Just because Aphrodite claimed me, doesn't mean I have to be an airhead."

"Feisty!" Leo said. "So you know so much, what's that castle?"

"A hotel, I think."

Leo laughed. "No way."

But as they got closer, they saw she was right. The grand entrance was bustling with doormen, valets, and porters taking bags. Sleek black luxury cars idled in the drive. People in elegant suits and winter cloaks hurried to get out of the cold.